MEMORY ILLUMINATION 5
That Which Renders the World to Pieces
1
The birthday.
Thousands of witches and sorcerers would be leaving at daybreak.
“ ”
Yunmelngen was lying on his bed watching the sunrise, not having slept at all.
“Crow…”
He held the comm that was next to the bed. He wanted to call his friend. He tried to think of something, anything to speak to Crossweil about. He just wanted to hear his friend’s voice.
But it was no use.
Crossweil was already on the first train out with the others.
That train led to the border. If he could simply reach it and provide identification, leaving the Empire would be easy. That even applied to witches and sorcerers possessed by astral power.
“There’s no law that forbids astral power contaminators from leaving. As long as they don’t get in a dispute with the border soldiers. I hope things go without incident for you, Crow.”
It was vexing. Why was Yunmelngen awake now of all times? He wished that he were unconscious like he had been just a few days ago. He had spent the past few hours in agony, helplessly worrying about Crow.
“Ahh…I know this isn’t like me. A Crown Prince shouldn’t be so infatuated with a commoner.”
He tossed the comm to the corner of the bed. It was heavy to carry. He tried to rest in bed, even if it was impossible and buried his face into a pillow.
“…?”
Yunmelngen’s inhuman hearing caught an odd sound.
It was the footsteps of many people running. They weren’t simply in a hurry. The footfalls were stifled as though the people were sneaking closer. They stopped in front of Yunmelngen’s room.
“Crown Prince, Your Highness.” He didn’t recognize the voice. “We have arrived for your physical exam today. May I open the door?”
He had a bad feeling about this. His silver fur stood on end, and he felt a chill he’d never experienced before. So he answered,
“No.”
“Why not?”
“I do not feel well today. I cannot get out of bed, so the exam will have to wait until tomorrow.”
“Then all the more reason to have it now. Won’t you please open the door?”
“Who are you all?”
It wasn’t just one person but several. He could implicitly sense the many people waiting in front of the door, attempting to hide.
“I’ll say it again. I do not feel well. You should also know that I haven’t been stable since what happened to me. If you must, then—?!”
The door burst open. The thick mechanical door was blown away.
“A bomb?!”
Why? He didn’t even have the time to question the situation as he leapt up from the bed. In the fumes and smoke, several human silhouettes dashed into the room. They were an armed group wearing goggles to hide their identities. They weren’t the Imperial soldiers, nor the guards. Who were they, then?
“Where did you mercenaries come from?!”
“…”
All of them pointed their guns, large enough to be able to take down a bear, at him wordlessly. They were too close in range for Yunmelngen to avoid.
“Farewell.”
Vivid purple blood splattered in the Crown Prince’s chambers.
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