Awakening and the Weight of Past Bonds
After regaining consciousness, Lisbel experienced a remarkably swift recovery without lingering aftereffects. The news that all the knights who had tormented her had been dismissed from the expedition team reached her through Isaac, offering a rare measure of relief.
The terror she had endured when cast as bait before the monster left scars far deeper than she had anticipated. That same weight of hatred now pressed upon her once more, for she would have to endure it side by side with those very same men for the entire journey ahead.
Yet the justification for traveling with them had vanished completely. The stone that had crushed her chest seemed lifted away, and her heart felt lighter than it had in years. The insidious malice she had unjustly been forced to swallow appeared, perhaps more than she realized, to have been slowly devouring her from within.
“Sister, we are to depart now.”
“Yes, I will go.”
The carriage she had been unable to use for mere days had been crushed to dust by the monster, leaving no trace whatsoever. But the newly joined Grandia Knights had brought a fresh vehicle from the duchy, and the problem was solved with a simplicity that bordered on the absurd.
With all supplies for the next expedition perfectly replenished, preparations for departure advanced far faster than expected.
“Ah.”
Due to the physician’s strict orders to remain confined to the infirmary until the very moment of departure, Lisbel had not had the opportunity to encounter the knights now joining them. It was only when she stepped outside the castle walls to board the carriage that her eyes widened.
The faces before her were all too familiar.
“Heh…”
“Over here, Vice Captain Rowen. Is there anything else you require?”
“U-uh? Things needed… Now that I think about it, we seem to have neglected to bring enough cloth to polish the swords. We should double-check so we don’t leave anything behind.”
“No! I can go alone—”
“Silence and go.”
But the moment their eyes met, they scattered like they had shared some unspoken pact, deliberately avoiding Lisbel as if the ground burned beneath their feet.
“Lisbel, you really ranked first in this test too? My goodness, you said you didn’t have time to study, yet your good girl act…”
“Ah, it hurts. Lady Estel!”
“What’s ‘lady’? Call me Auntie!”
They had once been family to her—blood kin or not—people she had loved and trusted. Yet now, unable even to meet their gazes, the sharp pain in her chest felt like a luxury she no longer could afford. The isolation was so profound it bordered on cruelty.
“Sister? Are you unwell again?”
“No… It’s nothing.”
Despite being reunited with those she had missed so dearly, Lisbel understood that she must not harbor any expectations. Especially not with knights serving the Emperor’s own brother, the Grand Duke—a position that would bring her no benefit if they were truly kind.
Whether they believed her or not mattered little now. If a mere speck of threat to their lord could earn their favor, then such thorough avoidance was their only reasonable course. Knowing this truth all too well, Lisbel made a conscious effort not to feel hurt.
“We are resuming the expedition. Recent dungeon surges have increased, so stay vigilant against monster attacks!”
After Lisbel, who had likewise turned her back on the knights, entered the carriage, Hendrick’s signal to depart rang out shortly afterward. Within the smooth-moving vehicle that left no trace of its jolting passage, she closed her eyes and gently erased the turmoil in her heart.
***
The expedition ahead was nothing like the previous one—far more comfortable and restful than she could have imagined.
The carriage was exceptionally well-appointed, and the absence of the obscene whispers and insults that had once surrounded her brought a mental peace she had not known in years.
The previous team, centered on the Imperial Knights, had consisted mostly of knights of noble birth from the capital. They required extra servants to set up camp and prepare meals, and they were accustomed only to lavish treatment. As a result, they often redirected their hardships onto Lisbel, unleashing their frustrations upon her.
But the Grandia Knights were different. Recruited solely from those who had endured the harsh battles and rough expeditions of the northern border duchies, they viewed even this forest trek as no more taxing than a pleasant walk.
“Professor Belloc, please eat.”
“I’ll just eat in the carriage…”
“What’s so cramped about that small space?! …Hrmph… Having someone bring and fetch food for you is such a bother. Just come and eat with us.”
Estel, with her short curly red hair and girlish name, possessed a bold and straightforward personality that had once made it difficult for her to abandon the gentle tone she had used with Lisbel in the past. Now, she tugged her roughly toward the knights and seated her among them.
“Here, eat up. On a journey like this, the one who eats the most gets the most.”
How long had it been since they had sat together like this, sharing a meal in the boisterous atmosphere of the duchy?
Hendrick sat a distance away, eating in silence without so much as glancing at Lisbel. The surrounding Grandia Knights did the same, feigning indifference while devouring their portions.
“Sister, the stew tastes better than expected. Please try some—it will help relax your body.”
Isaac was nearby as well, easing her unease even further.
Lisbel hesitated, unable to resist Estel’s insistence. She took a bite of the stew, pretending to be unable to hold out any longer.
Suddenly, a vivid memory surfaced: the times she had shared hearty meals with the servants in the duchy, laughter filling the air.
Lisbel choked on the stew and had to compose herself, eyes stinging.
“Eat more. If you don’t eat properly, you’ll stay so thin you won’t wake for days. …Professor, this is our duty too. Our responsibility!”
Estel’s awkward yet sincere attempt to call her “Professor” instead of “criminal” warmed Lisbel deeply.
She nodded slightly and slowly began eating again. The stew cooked roughly over an open fire lacked flavor, but it felt warmer and more nourishing than any she had tasted before.
The rest of the journey unfolded smoothly. Lisbel, pretending not to notice the stares, moved with greater ease thanks to the quiet kindness of the knights who provided every comfort behind her back.
“From here on, the path grows treacherous. We will walk only, carrying only the bare minimum of gear and weapons.”
The Third Ruin lay hidden deep within the southern jungle, the southernmost reaches of the empire, where even humans rarely ventured. Its wilderness was so unforgiving that no outsider could approach.
“Lisbel… I mean, Professor Belloc, can you walk? It’s not just a simple forest—it borders on jungle, and it will be very difficult.”
“I am fine.”
Estel’s anxious expression was impossible to hide. She offered sturdy leather shoes and protective clothing against insect bites, urging her to change quickly.
“Ready to depart!”
The expedition team, fully prepared, followed the lead scout and Hendrick into the humid depths of the jungle.
“Wow, I’m really done for…”
“Ugh… It feels like bugs are crawling inside my clothes.”
Yet mere hours later, the team—having barely penetrated the jungle—collapsed in exhaustion, scattered across the ground.
The narrow, thorn-choked path they hacked through with swords, the thorny vines that lashed at head and body, and the swarming insects all contributed to their ruin. They had known only the endless pines and freezing winters of the north; the dense, humid south where foliage choked every direction felt like a far crueler foe than any monster horde.
“Even so… I’m glad we came.”
“This really is an imperial ruin… It truly is different from the others.”
Beyond the exclamations echoing from all sides, Lisbel slowly raised her head and gazed at the overwhelming vista before her.
“Seeing this with my own eyes…”
As the most mysterious and seemingly otherworldly of the imperial ruins, the scene before her was one of awe—the sight of a vast forest swallowing an entire labyrinth.
Enormous stone pillars, draped in green moss and thick vines, rose endlessly in every direction. Stacked in tiered levels from base to summit, the ruins formed a colossal maze whose human-scale design defied imagination.
Over centuries, jungle trees had grown into the stone walls, creating a magnificent yet bewildering labyrinth where one could scarcely tell path from wall. Once you stepped inside, the green barriers seemed to promise you would never escape—imposing an unknown, crushing pressure upon the team.
“Lisbel, can the Grand Duke really enter that path alone?”
Estel, confident that the imperial watchers could not follow into such depths, no longer avoided Lisbel’s presence.
“I will be all right. I’ll come back safely.”
The concern in the knights’ eyes as they sent her into the unknown terrain made Lisbel respond with surprising confidence.
Facing those warm gazes, for just a moment she felt a strange illusion: the old Lisbel Belloc who had never hesitated to accept beauty or affection from anyone.
After regaining consciousness, Lisbel experienced a remarkably swift recovery without lingering aftereffects. The news that all the knights who had tormented her had been dismissed from the expedition team reached her through Isaac, offering a rare measure of relief.
The terror she had endured when cast as bait before the monster left scars far deeper than she had anticipated. That same weight of hatred now pressed upon her once more, for she would have to endure it side by side with those very same men for the entire journey ahead.
Yet the justification for traveling with them had vanished completely. The stone that had crushed her chest seemed lifted away, and her heart felt lighter than it had in years. The insidious malice she had unjustly been forced to swallow appeared, perhaps more than she realized, to have been slowly devouring her from within.
“Sister, we are to depart now.”
“Yes, I will go.”
The carriage she had been unable to use for mere days had been crushed to dust by the monster, leaving no trace whatsoever. But the newly joined Grandia Knights had brought a fresh vehicle from the duchy, and the problem was solved with a simplicity that bordered on the absurd.
With all supplies for the next expedition perfectly replenished, preparations for departure advanced far faster than expected.
“Ah.”
Due to the physician’s strict orders to remain confined to the infirmary until the very moment of departure, Lisbel had not had the opportunity to encounter the knights now joining them. It was only when she stepped outside the castle walls to board the carriage that her eyes widened.
The faces before her were all too familiar.
“Heh…”
“Over here, Vice Captain Rowen. Is there anything else you require?”
“U-uh? Things needed… Now that I think about it, we seem to have neglected to bring enough cloth to polish the swords. We should double-check so we don’t leave anything behind.”
“No! I can go alone—”
“Silence and go.”
But the moment their eyes met, they scattered like they had shared some unspoken pact, deliberately avoiding Lisbel as if the ground burned beneath their feet.
“Lisbel, you really ranked first in this test too? My goodness, you said you didn’t have time to study, yet your good girl act…”
“Ah, it hurts. Lady Estel!”
“What’s ‘lady’? Call me Auntie!”
They had once been family to her—blood kin or not—people she had loved and trusted. Yet now, unable even to meet their gazes, the sharp pain in her chest felt like a luxury she no longer could afford. The isolation was so profound it bordered on cruelty.
“Sister? Are you unwell again?”
“No… It’s nothing.”
Despite being reunited with those she had missed so dearly, Lisbel understood that she must not harbor any expectations. Especially not with knights serving the Emperor’s own brother, the Grand Duke—a position that would bring her no benefit if they were truly kind.
Whether they believed her or not mattered little now. If a mere speck of threat to their lord could earn their favor, then such thorough avoidance was their only reasonable course. Knowing this truth all too well, Lisbel made a conscious effort not to feel hurt.
“We are resuming the expedition. Recent dungeon surges have increased, so stay vigilant against monster attacks!”
After Lisbel, who had likewise turned her back on the knights, entered the carriage, Hendrick’s signal to depart rang out shortly afterward. Within the smooth-moving vehicle that left no trace of its jolting passage, she closed her eyes and gently erased the turmoil in her heart.
***
The expedition ahead was nothing like the previous one—far more comfortable and restful than she could have imagined.
The carriage was exceptionally well-appointed, and the absence of the obscene whispers and insults that had once surrounded her brought a mental peace she had not known in years.
The previous team, centered on the Imperial Knights, had consisted mostly of knights of noble birth from the capital. They required extra servants to set up camp and prepare meals, and they were accustomed only to lavish treatment. As a result, they often redirected their hardships onto Lisbel, unleashing their frustrations upon her.
But the Grandia Knights were different. Recruited solely from those who had endured the harsh battles and rough expeditions of the northern border duchies, they viewed even this forest trek as no more taxing than a pleasant walk.
“Professor Belloc, please eat.”
“I’ll just eat in the carriage…”
“What’s so cramped about that small space?! …Hrmph… Having someone bring and fetch food for you is such a bother. Just come and eat with us.”
Estel, with her short curly red hair and girlish name, possessed a bold and straightforward personality that had once made it difficult for her to abandon the gentle tone she had used with Lisbel in the past. Now, she tugged her roughly toward the knights and seated her among them.
“Here, eat up. On a journey like this, the one who eats the most gets the most.”
“How long had it been since they had sat together like this, sharing a meal in the boisterous atmosphere of the duchy?”
Hendrick sat a distance away, eating in silence without so much as glancing at Lisbel. The surrounding Grandia Knights did the same, feigning indifference while devouring their portions.
“Sister, the stew tastes better than expected. Please try some—it will help relax your body.”
Isaac was nearby as well, easing her unease even further.
Lisbel hesitated, unable to resist Estel’s insistence. She took a bite of the stew, pretending to be unable to hold out any longer.
Suddenly, a vivid memory surfaced: the times she had shared hearty meals with the servants in the duchy, laughter filling the air.
Lisbel choked on the stew and had to compose herself, eyes stinging.
“Eat more. If you don’t eat properly, you’ll stay so thin you won’t wake for days. …Professor, this is our duty too. Our responsibility!”
Estel’s awkward yet sincere attempt to call her “Professor” instead of “criminal” warmed Lisbel deeply.
She nodded slightly and slowly began eating again. The stew cooked roughly over an open fire lacked flavor, but it felt warmer and more nourishing than any she had tasted before.
The rest of the journey unfolded smoothly. Lisbel, pretending not to notice the stares, moved with greater ease thanks to the quiet kindness of the knights who provided every comfort behind her back.
“From here on, the path grows treacherous. We will walk only, carrying only the bare minimum of gear and weapons.”
The Third Ruin lay hidden deep within the southern jungle, the southernmost reaches of the empire, where even humans rarely ventured. Its wilderness was so unforgiving that no outsider could approach.
“Lisbel… I mean, Professor Belloc, can you walk? It’s not just a simple forest—it borders on jungle, and it will be very difficult.”
“I am fine.”
Estel’s anxious expression was impossible to hide. She offered sturdy leather shoes and protective clothing against insect bites, urging her to change quickly.
“Ready to depart!”
The expedition team, fully prepared, followed the lead scout and Hendrick into the humid depths of the jungle.
“Wow, I’m really done for…”
“Ugh… It feels like bugs are crawling inside my clothes.”
Yet mere hours later, the team—having barely penetrated the jungle—collapsed in exhaustion, scattered across the ground.
The narrow, thorn-choked path they hacked through with swords, the thorny vines that lashed at head and body, and the swarming insects all contributed to their ruin. They had known only the endless pines and freezing winters of the north; the dense, humid south where foliage choked every direction felt like a far crueler foe than any monster horde.
“Even so… I’m glad we came.”
“This really is an imperial ruin… It truly is different from the others.”
Beyond the exclamations echoing from all sides, Lisbel slowly raised her head and gazed at the overwhelming vista before her.
“Seeing this with my own eyes…”
As the most mysterious and seemingly otherworldly of the imperial ruins, the scene before her was one of awe—the sight of a vast forest swallowing an entire labyrinth.
Enormous stone pillars, draped in green moss and thick vines, rose endlessly in every direction. Stacked in tiered levels from base to summit, the ruins formed a colossal maze whose human-scale design defied imagination.
Over centuries, jungle trees had grown into the stone walls, creating a magnificent yet bewildering labyrinth where one could scarcely tell path from wall. Once you stepped inside, the green barriers seemed to promise you would never escape—imposing an unknown, crushing pressure upon the team.
“Lisbel, can the Grand Duke really enter that path alone?”
Estel, confident that the imperial watchers could not follow into such depths, no longer avoided Lisbel’s presence.
“I will be all right. I’ll come back safely.”
The concern in the knights’ eyes as they sent her into the unknown terrain made Lisbel respond with surprising confidence.
Facing those warm gazes, for just a moment she felt a strange illusion: the old Lisbel Belloc who had never hesitated to accept beauty or affection from anyone.