Episode 133: Rudbeckia, Who Doesn’t Want to Regret #3
A dark, dust-filled underground chamber.
The only source of light was a single torch hanging on the wall.
Under the flickering flame, Yohan gazed at Rudbeckia, who was covered in dust. Though she was trembling, she struggled to maintain her composure as he carefully observed her.
Fortunately, she wasn’t injured. She must have been exposed to dark energy, but there didn’t seem to be any signs of poisoning.
“Are you alright?”
“Yes…”
Rudbeckia looked up at Yohan, her voice trembling. She looked as though she might burst into tears at any moment, but she held them back.
However, the joy of their reunion didn’t last long.
— Krrrkk…!
Beneath Yohan’s feet, a demonic beast twitched. Even though he was suppressing it with mana, it still resisted.
‘…My condition is worse than I thought.’
He had already exhausted much of his strength repairing the rift, yet he had forced himself to move at high speed to find her. Expecting his body to be in normal condition would have been wishful thinking.
“Close your eyes for a moment.”
“Huh…? O-Okay!”
As Rudbeckia turned away, Yohan conjured a mana barrier in front of her and manipulated his mana to finish off the demonic beast beneath his feet.
— Rumble!
— Kraaaah!
The creature writhed violently and let out a piercing scream. Judging by the dark energy emanating from it, it was of the highest rank.
But even so, there was no way it could withstand Yohan’s precise mana manipulation.
— Splurt!
The demonic beast, twisted from within by distorted space, spewed dark red, viscous blood before finally ceasing its movements.
None of the blood reached Rudbeckia. The mana barrier Yohan had set up blocked it all.
Yohan slowly stepped forward and stood in front of her.
“Rudbeckia.”
At the sound of his voice, Rudbeckia cautiously opened her eyes. The corpse of the demonic beast was nowhere in sight—Yohan had deliberately positioned himself to block her view.
“Are you hurt anywhere? Do you feel any discomfort?”
“Ah… No, not really…”
Yohan had already glanced over her condition earlier, but he carefully examined her again. There was always a chance he had missed something—after all, he had been focused on the demonic beast at the time.
“…Director?”
As Yohan’s scrutinizing gaze lingered, Rudbeckia turned her head, unsure of how to react. His deep blue eyes felt as though they could see straight through her.
“You look cold.”
“Yes, a little…”
“No, more than a little.”
Without hesitation, Yohan took off his coat and draped it over Rudbeckia’s shoulders. Then, he took her trembling hands in his own and infused them with mana.
A gentle warmth spread through her body.
“…Ah.”
A soft gasp escaped Rudbeckia’s lips.
Yohan’s coat, his large hands.
The warmth that seeped into her skin.
No—
It wasn’t just warmth. It was a comforting embrace that seemed to wrap around her very heart.
Her fingertips trembled slightly.
The tension that had gripped her body finally began to ease.
— Drip.
And then—it happened.
Blood trickled from Yohan’s nose.
A crimson trail stained his pale skin.
Rudbeckia, startled, hurriedly looked up at him.
“Director, you’re bleeding…!”
“Ah.”
Yohan wiped the blood away with the back of his hand and let out a small laugh. Though he tried to smile, his body swayed forward.
— Thud.
Rudbeckia instinctively reached out and caught him.
“…Sorry, I’m just a bit tired.”
“This isn’t just being ‘a bit tired’! Your face is completely pale…”
Rudbeckia gently cupped Yohan’s cheek with her fingers. His skin was so cold that she couldn’t feel any warmth from it. Judging by his symptoms, it was a severe case of mana depletion.
“…Did you overexert yourself searching for me?”
“Haha… Maybe.”
Yohan gave a weak chuckle, avoiding a direct answer as he glanced around.
“But more importantly, the dark energy here is too thick. We need to get out quickly.”
“This is actually one of the better areas. If you go deeper inside, it’s even worse.”
“In that case, our best option is to leave through— cough!”
Before he could finish speaking, Yohan coughed up blood.
His already fragile condition was deteriorating rapidly due to the surrounding dark energy.
As he staggered, losing his balance, Rudbeckia hurriedly supported him, her expression hardening.
This was no time to be relieved that he had come for her.
“We’ll climb back up through the hole I came down from.”
“Are you okay? I think you might be overdoing it…”
“I have to try anyway.”
Closing his eyes, Yohan slowly drew upon his mana. Cold sweat trickled down his face. His mana circuits and reserves were fine, but the problem lay in his mental endurance.
Rudbeckia observed Yohan closely before cautiously speaking.
“It would be best for you to rest for now. Let’s move.”
“…That might be for the best. But first, give me a moment.”
Yohan formed a blade of mana at his fingertips. With a few swift movements, the iron bars were smoothly sliced apart.
Clang!
A gap just wide enough for two people to pass through was left behind.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
With Rudbeckia’s support, Yohan climbed over the iron bars.
As they walked through the dimly lit corridor lined with torches, Rudbeckia spoke.
“I don’t know where this path leads, but… let’s keep going for now. We also need to find a place where you can rest, Director.”
Escaping was important, but Yohan’s recovery took priority. Even if they reached the surface, the beasts lurking above would pose another problem.
***
Blink.
Yohan opened his eyes.
‘Where… am I?’
He looked around. It was a pitch-black space, with only the faint light of a torch cutting through the darkness.
Though Rudbeckia had helped him move, he had been too dazed to recognize their destination. Still, it seemed they had found a decent hiding spot.
Compared to other areas, the dark energy wasn’t as thick here.
“You’re awake.”
As he tried to sit up, a soft voice reached him.
Rudbeckia was sitting near his head, hugging her knees, tilting her head slightly as she gazed at him.
“Did we run into any trouble getting here?”
“No, we didn’t come across any dark mages.”
She tightened her embrace around her knees before continuing.
“I think this place is a prison for dark mages who have undergone beastification. That’s why the dark energy is so dense.”
This meant that the place where Yohan and Rudbeckia had been before was also a prison—but for beasts instead.
“So that place was meant to hold the beasts?”
“That’s right.”
Rudbeckia nodded once.
“I saw a lot of cells blocked by iron bars on the way here. The place we were in was used to contain those creatures.”
Yohan slowly sat up. The air was thick with floating dust, but it felt far more comfortable than the dark energy that had seeped into his body earlier.
“Are you feeling alright?”
“Better than before…”
He clenched and unclenched his fingers. Strength still hadn’t fully returned to his hands. Normally, he would have recovered much faster, but the dark energy’s effects were proving stronger than expected.
“It’ll be difficult to head to the surface just yet.”
“Hehe, it’s fine. We just need to hold on a little longer.”
Rudbeckia chuckled softly, resting her head against her folded knees. Despite being covered in dust, her golden hair still retained its luster.
“This actually worked out well. We needed to wait for the knights to regroup anyway.”
“Regroup?”
“Yes.”
Seeing her tilt her head in curiosity, Yohan nodded and explained.
“The knights planned to re-enter after regrouping. The Celestial Knights and the Margrave’s soldiers are also involved, so we don’t need to worry too much.”
While it was impossible to exterminate all the beasts, they could at least reduce their numbers significantly and uncover the dark mages’ base of operations.
“So… we just need to wait until you recover.”
“That’s right.”
As Yohan nodded, a peculiar silence settled between them.
Uncomfortable with the quiet, Rudbeckia awkwardly smiled and spoke up.
“By the way…”
“Hm?”
“It might sound strange, but… I don’t think this moment is so bad.”
“…What do you mean?”
Yohan looked at her, puzzled.
“I mean, we ended up in a strange place, but you came all the way here to find me, Director. And now, we have some time alone together.”
Realizing she had spoken without thinking, Rudbeckia quickly added, flustered.
“Ah, I don’t mean it in a weird way! I still want to crush those dark mages as soon as possible, and I feel bad for the knights who were injured in the ambush…”
After rambling, she hugged her knees tighter and lowered her head.
Her ears had turned red.
“I understand what you mean.”
Yohan let out a small chuckle and leaned his back against the wall, right next to where Rudbeckia was sitting.
Her heart pounded at his sudden proximity, and she clenched her hands, taking a deep breath.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
She worried that the loud beating of her heart might be audible to him.
“I suppose you were just trying to lighten the mood in your own way, Aide Rudbeckia. Staying in such a tense atmosphere for too long can lower morale.”
“Y-Yes, that’s right…”
That wasn’t exactly what she had meant, but she nodded along anyway.
After that, silence settled between them. Only the sounds of their breathing and the faint flicker of torches filled the air.
Rudbeckia found herself enjoying this moment, yet at the same time, she regretted the lack of conversation. Opportunities to talk with Yohan alone were rare.
Just the two of us.
The thought alone made her face grow hot.
As she fanned herself with her hand and shook out her dust-covered shirt, Yohan flinched.
A glimpse of her deep cleavage.
No matter how composed he was, he was still a man. Instinct was not something he could simply suppress.
“…By the way.”
Feeling awkward after catching himself staring, Yohan quickly spoke up.
“Yes? What is it?”
Rudbeckia smiled at him, tilting her head slightly.
“Back then… Didn’t you say that you liked me?”
“Ah…”
Caught off guard, Rudbeckia blinked, momentarily speechless. Was he really bringing that up now? Their relationship hadn’t even progressed that far yet…
“I’d like to know why.”
Yohan’s deep blue eyes met hers, his gaze unwavering.
He had been curious for some time.
Why did Rudbeckia like him?
There hadn’t been much interaction between them before.
And yet… he didn’t dislike this feeling.
“…Before I answer, let me tell you something first.”
“What is it…?”
Rudbeckia averted her gaze slightly, fidgeting with her fingers. Her hesitation and anticipation were evident in her gestures.
“There was a woman.”
Her voice trembled slightly.
“She wanted to get closer to the man she loved, but she didn’t have the courage. No matter what, she just couldn’t bring herself to do it. So, she used her family’s influence to force a connection with him.”
It was his story.
“But of course, such an arrangement could never end well. The man, who had essentially been sold off in a political marriage, despised and resented her deeply.”
Yet, Yohan would not remember these things.
The person she had loved was Yohan from a time long gone.
Not the one sitting before her now.
“And yet, despite everything, the man eventually forgave her. Even after being forced into a marriage without respect for his own will, he tried his best to love her.”
Still, she believed.
That the Yohan of now was not so different from him.
Because, no matter the circumstances, he had always been kind.
“That is the kind of person you are, Director.”
Rudbeckia swallowed hard, waves of nostalgia washing over her.
“…I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
“That was just an example. Hehe.”
She smiled mysteriously, her green eyes shimmering in the flickering torchlight—filled with longing and sorrow.
In that moment, Yohan knew.
She was looking at him, yet seeing someone else.
“That’s why I love you.”
“…”
Yohan opened his mouth as if to say something but closed it again.
Could it have something to do with the dreams he had been having?
He couldn’t remember anything clearly.
But one thing was certain.
The person she was seeing and himself… were not so far apart.
And Rudbeckia truly loved him.
As Yohan sat there in stunned silence, Rudbeckia hesitated before cautiously asking:
“…Director, do you hate me?”