The Taiji Method included one indispensable stage, and it happened to be a certain someone's favorite.
What followed was best left behind closed doors. By the time the intimate procedure ended, it had produced a substance remarkably similar to a Panacea, and Asseylum carefully consumed every last drop.
She had taken a genuine Panacea before, and the two tasted almost identical.
Her sister's legs had also been completely healed by one.
Before traveling to Earth, and even before inviting Mr. Kain to join her, Asseylum had already left Lemrina a bottle with a note explaining that it should be able to heal her legs.
She had left another bottle for their grandfather and asked Lemrina to tell him to take it.
At first, Asseylum had not wanted her grandfather to use it. She had genuinely feared that once his health recovered, he would immediately take an aggressive stance against Earth, perhaps even launch another war. The possibility had left her trapped in a painful dilemma.
Their grandfather had since taken the Panacea, but his condition had not improved by much.
His frailty was not caused by an ordinary illness. His natural lifespan was simply approaching its end.
Even so, the Panacea had restored some of his vitality. He could now walk around a little and might remain with the sisters for several more years.
"W-what do we do next?" Asseylum asked, her mind still hazy.
"Can we repeat the extraction one more time? I haven't absorbed enough on my end either."
That answer made her feel even more lightheaded.
In a certain sense, the substance Kain still needed to absorb was also remarkably similar to the Panacea, though it was transparent.
"O-okay."
...
Eddelrittuo glared at the pink-haired girl sitting across from her.
The girl was Princess Asseylum's half sister, Princess Lemrina.
Lemrina was currently eating the rice porridge Eddelrittuo had prepared for the exhausted princess.
She had simply taken it for herself.
Her excuse was that Asseylum had already gotten up and was discussing something important with Mr. Kain, so they could not disturb her. Besides, leaving the porridge sitting around until it turned cold would only be wasteful.
It was difficult to argue with that logic, but Eddelrittuo was convinced Lemrina had merely invented an excuse because she wanted to eat it.
The princess was also behaving strangely. She had personally stopped everyone who attempted to visit Asseylum.
On the surface, there was nothing wrong with that. Mr. Kain's origins were mysterious, and certain secrets could only be discussed in private. Even so, Eddelrittuo could not shake the feeling that Lemrina had another reason for keeping everyone away.
"Eddelrittuo, if you're going to prepare more food, be sure to use the other route."
"I understand."
Eddelrittuo's answer carried a trace of reluctance.
In truth, she had no intention of returning to the kitchen.
She was deeply worried about Her Highness. Asseylum had been alone with Kain for far too long.
After all, Mr. Kain was terrifying. He could kill without blinking, and he had once drawn Asseylum's blood to obtain the Activation Factor code needed to operate Aldnoah.
Now that they had discovered the ruins beneath the ocean, Kain had apparently failed to activate the device. Eddelrittuo could not help wondering whether he might harm the princess or take even more of her blood.
Perhaps he was even subjecting her to some deranged scientific experiment.
The more she considered it, the more anxious she became.
What if Princess Lemrina was deliberately keeping everyone away to cover for him?
Eddelrittuo knew that Lemrina had always been jealous of Asseylum. Their previous meetings had seemed perfectly civil and polite, but she had always sensed the resentment beneath Lemrina's courtesy.
She needed to sneak inside and see what was happening.
After repeatedly checking that no one was following her, Eddelrittuo entered one of the corridors.
When this Landing Castle became the princess's personal vessel, she had immediately familiarized herself with its hidden escape routes. Asseylum had also granted her authorization to operate them.
She hurried down the corridor and reached a concealed passage leading toward the princess's room.
After verifying her authorization, she opened it.
What appeared to be an ordinary wall suddenly parted, revealing an entrance.
Eddelrittuo slipped inside and began closing it behind her.
Just before the door shut completely, a figure suddenly squeezed through the gap.
"Wah!"
"Whoa! Is this some kind of secret passage?"
"W-why did you come in here?!"
"Eddelrittuo, where does this secret passage go?"
"Get out!"
"No."
Eddelrittuo and the intruder, Nina, stared each other down.
"What are you two doing?"
"Uh..."
Someone else slipped inside.
It was Yuki Kaizuka.
Eddelrittuo could faintly hear more voices approaching from farther down the corridor.
If more people arrived and discovered the passage, they would have a serious problem.
She immediately closed the door.
"What are we doing in here?"
"Are we playing hide-and-seek?"
"Are you an idiot?"
"Hehe."
Nina stuck out her tongue at the adorable girl rolling her eyes at her.
"What's wrong, Eddelrittuo?"
Yuki had noticed how uneasy the princess's attendant seemed.
Eddelrittuo hesitated for a moment before explaining her concerns.
"What? I don't think he'd do anything like that," Nina said.
She did not believe Mr. Kain would treat the princess so cruelly.
Over the past two days, Nina had become one of the people who interacted with him the most. She had even played video games with him.
At first, she had assumed that he would be incredibly difficult to approach, but that had not been true at all.
"You're probably worrying too much," Yuki agreed.
She also thought the attendant was being unnecessarily paranoid.
Her gaze shifted toward Nina. The somewhat airheaded girl was staring at Eddelrittuo with shining eyes. Whenever something involved Mr. Kain, her curiosity became impossible to contain.
Only someone as naturally fearless as Nina would dare approach him without hesitation. Somehow, she had even managed to strike up a conversation with him and shamelessly invite herself into a multiplayer gaming session.
Becoming friendly with him was not necessarily a bad thing.
The problem was that Yuki feared Nina might become too attached.
At the moment, Nina treated Kain like a fan worshiping an idol. Perhaps it would be more accurate to call it a young girl's admiration for a hero.
All it would take was one small opportunity for that admiration to transform into something else.
"I'm checking on the princess no matter what. Don't follow me!"
Eddelrittuo refused to relax until she had personally confirmed that Asseylum was safe.
After saying that, she continued toward the opposite end of the passage.
She had only taken a few steps when she turned and glared at the two women behind her.
The three stared at one another for several seconds.
Eventually, Eddelrittuo had no choice but to compromise and allow them to follow.
When they reached the area above the princess's room, the passage narrowed considerably, forcing them to crawl forward.
They should now be directly above the ceiling.
This should be it.
Pressing this control would open a small observation port, allowing them to look into the room below.
Huh?
Nothing happened.
Was it locked?
Eddelrittuo suddenly realized what that meant, and panic spread across her face.
"What's wrong?" Yuki asked, watching the attendant grow increasingly flustered.
"I-I almost forgot. Mr. Kain also knows about this passage. If the observation port is locked, that means he discovered us and doesn't want us to know what's happening inside."
Eddelrittuo was at a complete loss.
Kain had probably known they were there from the moment she entered the passage.
He possessed access privileges for the Landing Castle. Through the external surveillance system, he could easily have identified everyone who had entered.
That meant the other two women who had followed her might also be in danger.
Eddelrittuo's face grew even paler.
"So... are we trapped in here?" Nina asked.
"No, there's another way. Miss Kaizuka, do you see that panel?"
"Yes."
"There's a special pressure point behind it. If it's struck by a sharp impact of sufficient force, the mechanical lock will automatically release."
Mr. Kain could not possibly know about that. Someone would only discover such a mechanism by inspecting the passage in person.
Eddelrittuo quickly found the pressure point and showed it to Yuki.
"What?"
"Quickly! Shoot it!"
"All right!"
The attendant's panic was contagious, and Yuki began to feel uneasy as well.
Deciding to take the risk, she drew the concealed handgun she carried, aimed at the indicated point, and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The enclosed space amplified the gunshot until it became deafening.
In the next instant, the floor beneath the three women collapsed. More accurately, it split apart like a pair of doors and swung downward, sending all three of them plummeting into the room below.
"Wah!"
"Aah! Th-that hurt!"
The second cry came from Nina Klein, who appeared to have suffered a rather spectacular accident.
Then everyone fell silent.
For one particular person, however, the accident might have come as an unexpected surprise.
Kain had just finished separating the material needed for the elixir-like substance and was preparing to continue the procedure when the three restless intruders finally broke into the room.
They came tumbling down from above, and one of them happened to crash directly into him.
It was the sort of absurd accident that only happened when a girl suddenly fell from the sky in a short comedy anime.
(End of Chapter)
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