08-12 Elsa’s Crisis
The men who kidnapped Elsa kept moving upstream, and eventually the boat arrived at the left bank of the river.
“…”
Elsa was blindfolded and carried by the men. Elsa who no longer had any energy to resist was at the mercy of the men.
After about thirty minutes it appeared they had reached some place, as she noticed that the atmosphere had changed. The air was a little smelly and moist. It was like entering a closed room.
“Well, it’s better that you rest for a bit.”
“The day will dawn soon. At that time, I’m sure the branch head himself will talk to you personally.”
“Now, it’s not much but it’s for you to eat.”
Walls in three directions, the floor, and the ceiling all made out of sturdy-looking stone. The remaining direction had iron bars. It appeared awfully inescapable.
Elsa gave up on removing the choker, and simply drank the water.
She was feeling too much wretched, and tears came flowing.
Her older cousin who always supported her and came to her rescue, and her friend who made one thing after another that nobody was capable of copying.
The tired Elsa fell into a shallow sleep there and then.
She must’ve dozed for a few hours. Elsa woke up to a voice calling for her. Her whole body ached from sleeping on the hard floor.
Once again Elsa’s both arms and legs were restrained. The restraints this time were two chains 30 centimeters or so long that tied her left and right together.
In other words, her current status didn’t allow for any but small movements.
She climbed up a long staircase, and walked across a long hallway to the end. The man walking in front of her opened a heavy-looking door.
“Ow.”
“Oh my, you shouldn’t treat a lady like that.”
That man was the only one without a black mask or black clothes. On the contrary, his garments were conspicuously white: he had put on a white robe and a long cloak.
His words were courteous, but his tone had an indescribably unpleasant feeling to it. Elsa slowly stood up.
He cast healing magic and the wounds on Elsa’s knees recovered.
The man said and Elsa took another close look at him.
His body was long and thin. He was even slimmer than Reinhardt. He was tall enough that you could recognize while he was still sitting.
Still the choker pressured her throat, making her voice not come out well.
The man said with a wide, serpentlike grin.
So this was a base of the Unifilers, Elsa thought, feeling dread once more. However, she hid it, and pondered about the name she had just heard.
Celuroa Kingdom’s nobles accepted convention for introductions was given name – surname (house name) – d’ – posthumous name (territory name).
His flattery combined with his expression only gave Elsa feelings of disgust.
Purcell ordered his subordinates to have Elsa sit on a simple chair.
He said, and then finally cut to the chase.
Say whatever suits your fancy, Elsa thought while staring at Parcell’s feet.
“Huh?”
“Number two. That mysterious Magi Craftsman who suddenly appeared. Jin Nidou, was it, eh? We’d like to know every detail about him and the golems who are with him.”
“I, don’t, know. Even if, I did, I wouldn’t, tell.”
“…Number three. You’re an excellent magus. The fact is that I would also love to have you as an ally of us Unifilers.”
Elsa looked away in a huff.
“Consider it veeery carefully. At the very least we’ve achieved one goal. And were you to refuse to cooperate on the second and third then, well, we have our methods.”
“The only thing needed for you to satisfy the requirements of that first one is to stay alive. As for the second, you need only to be able to speak.”
“You understand, right? Tearing off fingernails is the gentlest way. Breaking off fingers. Shaving off the nose. Cutting off the ears. Amputating the limbs. There’s other ways to torture a woman, eh, but I do not wish to do something like that to a lady.”
“E, even, so, m, my, reply, does, not, change.”
“Oh my, so you must like being tortured, eh?”
Hearing that, Purcell burst into laughter.
“N, no, matter, how long, I, think, my, answer, won’t, change.”
“Ah, m’lady’s eyes are pretty, eh. Like the finest of Aquamarines. I wonder just what kind of voice you’ll be making once I gouge them out, how about you, eh?”
“!…”
“What, that’s boring. You just fainted. …Return her to her cell.”
When Elsa once more came to, she was in her cell. The iron bars were shut and locked. There was no window so she couldn’t tell the time.
No matter what she went through she would not budge.
‘As a noblewoman, that blade is the final tool to protect your dignity with. Only when you absolutely no matter what do not want to your will to be trampled is it acceptable to draw.’
But she had left that dagger behind. No, she had abandoned it along with her status of a noble.
Elsa made a vow in her heart. To never sell out Reinhardt and Jin. To that end, she would subject herself to anything.
She closed her eyes and sights of the journey until now came to mind.
The trip with Reinhardt. Departing for the golem boat race. Being together with Jin on the return trip. She learned a lot of things. Met a lot of people.
“I’m, content.”
Muttering that, Elsa laid herself down. There was still time until nightfall, but perhaps because of her piled up fatigue, her body was sluggish and while she lay there her awareness sunk into the darkness.
—