"Go see the Empress?" Symboli Rudolf froze, her expression turning serious. "Today?"
"Yeah." Mizuno nodded.
"…I see. Alright then, no problem." Rudolf didn't reject it, didn't question it, but directly agreed. "Then this afternoon, let's go see her."
Mizuno's sudden request to meet the Empress today caught her a little off guard. They'd agreed before it would be on the weekend—since then, it'd be easier for everyone to schedule, and Mizuno would have some time to mentally prepare himself, so he wouldn't be so panicked and at a loss when facing her…
But since Mizuno himself was the one who asked to move it forward, and looking at his current air of resolve, she figured he must already be prepared.
Prepared to risk all—or not return.
And Rudolf never refused anyone who advanced firmly toward their goal. What she did was simple: respect Mizuno's choice, and give him her fullest support. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ 𝖓𝖔𝖛𝖊𝖑~𝖋𝖎𝖗𝖾~𝖓𝖊𝖙
Besides, Rudolf herself also longed to see her right arm, the Empress, recover soon.
But before their visit in the afternoon, she had one important matter first.
"For now, why don't you try the meal I learned to make." Rudolf's warm smile returned.
"Ah… this…" Mizuno stared at the table of eel dishes. His kidney twinged; his body shrank in on itself. Humbly, he said:
Rudolf's denial was sharp. She circled behind him, pushed him into the room, and pressed him into the chair before the table.
"Food mustn't be wasted. If you finish, there's a reward. If you don't finish, there's a punishment."
"…What reward?" Mizuno asked with a bad feeling.
Rudolf clapped happily. "Tonight's dinner will also be cooked by me."
What kind of reward is that?! Tonight—another eel feast?!
"…Then… the punishment?"
"Punishment…" Rudolf lifted the plate of leeks with eel, her smile turning dangerous. "Why, that would be me personally feeding you until you finish."
What difference is that?! Either way he had to eat it!
With no way out, Mizuno could only sit under Rudolf's expectant gaze and finish the dishes with her.
And under her strong insistence, the two of them even took a nap together afterward, resting until their spirits were full before returning to Tracen to visit the Empress.
Afternoon, in front of the Ritto Dormitory.
Same cool prince, same old-man slouch. Dorm supervisor Fuji Kiseki looked no different than he had that morning—sprawled in a chair, eyes dead as they watched passing Uma and Trainers being dragged inside. Not a flicker of emotion stirred in her face.
Even when Student Council President Rudolf approached, Fuji Kiseki didn't rise or greet her, only continued lying there, a picture of a horse who had lost all meaning in life.
"Mizuno…" Rudolf turned to him. "Why do you think Kiseki ended up ?"
"Huh?" The question baffled Mizuno.
Wasn't it because she'd met some hateful scumbag?
But soon, a thought struck him.
"Luna… don't tell me… this Uma too…" Mizuno trembled as he faced Rudolf, carefully voicing his suspicion.
"…" Rudolf didn't speak. Her eyes only fixed on him, severe. Then she gave the slightest nod.
"Oh… no…" Mizuno clutched his head in agony.
So Fuji Kiseki was one of those ten Uma caught too?!
Hadn't he sworn in his heart before, that if he ever found the bastard who made Fuji Kiseki suffer, he'd tie that man up and make her Uma Pyoi him for three days and three nights?
And it turned out… that scumbag was himself?!
Which meant, those Trainers dragged into Uma dorms, forced into endless Uma Pyoi… it was his fault…
"Pfft!" Overcome by shame—combined with that overly "fortifying" eel feast at lunch—Mizuno's blood surged violently. In an instant, thick hot liquid spilled from his nose.
"…?" Realizing he had a nosebleed, Mizuno pulled tissues from his pocket and dabbed at it inside his clothes.
"You alright?" Rudolf asked, noticing.
"No problem. Just a little nosebleed."
Mizuno waved her off, wiped it clean, and tossed the tissue into the nearest trash bin.
Then, head bowed with guilt, he pressed his palms together and offered an earnest apology to all the Trainers still being tormented inside the Uma dorms.
"Forgive me, my colleagues… you've suffered because of me."
He longed to rush in and rescue them immediately from the den of demons. But he couldn't. He couldn't solve everything at once; things had to be faced step by step. He'd already promised Rudolf to deal with the Empress first. So restoring dorm supervisor Fuji Kiseki to normal would have to wait.
Which meant, those poor Trainers would just have to endure in the pit a few more days… or weeks… or months.
"Forgive me, my colleagues." Mizuno bowed deeply toward Ritto Dorm, apologizing once more before turning to Rudolf. "Let's go see the Empress first."
Rudolf read his intent. She understood the logic of taking things in order, so she said no more and led him into Ritto, toward the Empress's room.
But not long after Mizuno and Rudolf had gone in, Fuji Kiseki—who had been lying like a corpse—suddenly twitched her nose. A strange rich fragrance drifted through the air.
Her lifeless eyes lit at once, and her heavy body surged with energy.
She leapt up from the lazy chair, sapphire earring on her right ear jingling with her twitching ears, tail spinning like a fan.
"Sniff sniff sniff—" Fuji Kiseki darted her eyes around, searching for the source.
Tracing the scent carefully, her gaze finally locked onto a trash bin nearby.
She dashed over. No person inside. But atop the pile she found a crumpled tissue stained red with blood.
The cool prince no longer cared about appearances. With trembling hands she lifted the bloodied tissue reverently before her face and breathed in gently.
"Sweet carrot scent… It's him!"