Promi’s gaze lingered on the small bottle in Lita’s hand, the one filled with pink, heart-shaped bubbles, for quite a while, as if she’d already figured out what it was.
But she still asked, “What’s this?”
“Incubus bodily fluid,” Lita replied matter-of-factly, then placed the bottle within Promi’s reach. “A drop or two is enough. Don’t go gulping it down like medicine.”
Promi didn’t reach out to touch the bottle. “How did you get it?”
“Remember what Lady Cecilia said, about the incubus that was causing trouble in the city a few days ago? It’s dead now—that happened on the night of the chaos.”
That much was absolutely true. It’s just that this wasn’t the bottle Miss Bunny had planned to use to scheme against her—it was a fresh batch she’d made herself.
By the way, after analyzing the previously seized fluid, Lita had discovered that calling it “bodily fluid” wasn’t quite accurate; it was more like a magical product an incubus could manufacture at will.
Otherwise, if mere sweat or blood could have such terrifying effects, that’d be absurd.
“This stuff has a painkilling effect, and it’ll help you get some proper rest. You won’t get much time to recover right now—once you’re a bit better, we still have to fight our way out.” Lita stepped back two paces and sat down by the fire again.
“Or… do you think I’m plotting something against you?”
Lita’s joke made Promi look a bit awkward. With that strange liquid sitting there, it was impossible not to have any wild thoughts.
But, being as injured as she was, Lita had no reason to try anything funny now. So Promi raised the bottle to her lips and let a single drop fall into her mouth.
Watching her take the medicine, Lita let out a long breath. “It’ll take a little while for it to kick in. If you get sleepy, just go ahead and rest. It’s safe here.”
“Mm…” Promi agreed, swallowing back the “How do you know?” she’d almost said aloud.
Meanwhile, outside the cave—
Several insect corpses, as if torn apart by some unseen force, were strewn across the ground. Swarms of beetles circled nearby, the clattering of their claws and teeth making one’s skin crawl. There were many beetles, but not one crossed the border where pink mist was rising.
Inside the cave, Promi began to feel a gentle warmth spreading from her stomach through her whole body—a warmth greater than the fire beside her—making her mind hazy and dull. The stabbing pain in her head eased considerably.
She tried to prop herself up on her arms, but the agony and weakness in her body made even this simple motion impossible—perhaps partly due to the incubus fluid as well.
“Don’t force yourself,” Lita’s voice sounded at just the right moment. “And don’t focus too much on your body’s condition. After all, that’s incubus fluid—it’s bound to have some effects you don’t like. Before you fall asleep, just chat about whatever comes to mind to distract yourself.”
“Mm…” Promi agreed again and lay back down.
After a brief silence, Lita broke the ice again.
“How did you get hurt?”
“The Lord of Night wields psychic attacks… I couldn’t react in time.”
There were things Promi didn’t say to Lita.
She’d originally thought she’d go down from the first hit, but she’d actually withstood three attacks before collapsing.
But that wasn’t anything to brag about, so she let it be.
“You… are you all right…?”
“Me? I’m fine, really. Probably because I wasn’t hit directly?” Lita answered.
The Lord of Night’s psychic assaults were like tidal waves—there was no way Lita had escaped completely. Yet, seeing her energetic now, she really did seem unscathed.
“But it’s a shame about my sword. I hadn’t had it for even half a month before the Lord of Night snapped it. That wretched thing’s carapace is ridiculously tough.” Lita added, and her tone made it clear how much she mourned her sword.
“You blocked the Lord of Night’s attack with your sword?”
“Yeah, and got sent flying with you in my arms.”
Actually, Lita had already been flying at the time, and used the counterforce from the blow to finally escape the insect swarm.
After a while, Promi asked again, “Why did you want to become a Holy Knight?”
“No special reason. Holy Knights have great benefits—who wouldn’t want to be one?” Lita had nothing to hide.
That answer made Promi silently prop herself up a little, gazing at Lita with a scrutinizing look that made Lita a bit uneasy.
After a long pause, Promi finally lay back down, a hiss of pain escaping her lips as the movement jolted her injuries, and it took a while to recover from even that simple effort.
“Are you serious?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I thought…”
Promi hesitated, which only piqued Lita’s curiosity.
“Thought what?”
“I thought you were chosen by the Fourth Princess.”
“I suppose you could say that? I’ve been acting together with Lady Cecilia a lot lately, and it feels pretty nice to be by her side.”
“Lately? What about before?”
“I didn’t know Lady Cecilia before.”
“When did you two meet?”
“On the day the trials started, I guess?”
Perhaps due to the effects of the incubus fluid, Promi wasn’t as withdrawn as before. Conversation became a bit easier.
The two chatted about trivial things, Lita saying whatever came to mind. What Promi needed now was a distraction and rest, and mindless chatter was best.
Still, amid the small talk, Lita could sense Promi’s hesitation and unspoken questions, and she herself was curious about some of what Promi had said.
“Oh, by the way, what did you mean by ‘chosen’?” Lita asked.
“You really don’t know? Even so, you stick so close to the Fourth Princess? Isn’t it to become her Exclusive Knight?” Suspicion laced Promi’s words.
After Lita assured her several times that she truly didn’t know, Promi finally began to explain.
“Holy Knights have many duties, and they vary from person to person. But some Holy Knights have only one task: to obey one person’s orders unconditionally, to lay down their lives to protect her. Such knights are called Exclusive Knights. Nearly every member of the royal family has one.”
“Nearly? So Lady Cecilia doesn’t?”
“That’s right.”
“Why? Does no one want to be Lady Cecilia’s Exclusive Knight?” Remembering Cecilia’s curse, Lita thought this might be the reason.
“No, quite the opposite. It’s the Fourth Princess who hasn’t chosen anyone to be her Exclusive Knight.”
“Why? If she had an Exclusive Knight, all those troublesome things before wouldn’t have happened, right?”
“An Exclusive Knight isn’t chosen lightly. The bond between knight and the one they protect is far stronger than a typical master-servant relationship. Unless it’s someone she trusts absolutely, there’s no way anyone would be chosen as an Exclusive Knight.”
“For example, my sister—the famous Silver-gray Fang—she’s the Exclusive Knight of the Second Princess Rosalia.”
As she spoke, Promi’s voice grew softer.
“If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t have run off to join these trials out of spite.”
An Exclusive Knight, huh?
Lita leaned against the cave wall, watching the flames flicker, thinking about all the things Cecilia had her do.
Was Cecilia training her? Did she actually intend for Lita to become her Exclusive Knight?
But what was so special about being an Exclusive Knight? What benefit would it bring her?
With these doubts swirling in her mind, Lita voiced her question.
“Sigh.” Promi actually let out a sigh, as if lamenting Lita’s ignorance, but there was a note of envy in her tone as well. “Do you know about the Holy Knight’s crest?”
Lita had heard Valfis mention it before—only the strongest and most outstanding Holy Knights could be awarded the crest. But she had no idea what the crest actually did.
Before Lita could ask, Promi answered her unspoken question.
“Exclusive Knights—without exception—are all Holy Knights who bear the crest.”