If there was one word to describe Margaret, it was pitiful.
Yet, seeing the emptiness in her eyes, the way she seemed utterly lost, I couldn’t blame her for not knowing what to do next.
Her Crusade Order had just been certified by the parliament, and already, two of her closest members were dead.
If the truth were to come out, Margaret would be the one to suffer.
She would lose credibility, face harsh criticism, and endure the consequences of something that wasn’t even her fault.
After all, her Crusade Order had harbored a cult member—Clevius.
And that wasn’t even the worst of it. He had been injected with demon blood, turning him into a chimera.
If that fact were made public, Margaret would receive both pity and scorn. People would see her as a negligent Crusader who had failed to recognize the danger lurking within her own ranks.
If that was her image, then how could they expect her to serve the Empire properly?
In simpler terms, her Crusade Order would crumble before it even had the chance to stand.
"....Why."
I could feel her body tremble in my embrace as soft sobs escaped her. Nevertheless, she didn’t pull away, nor did she wrap her arms around me.
She just stood there, crying.
I hadn’t planned on doing this. I had no reason to sympathize with her. Clevius had nearly killed me, and I didn’t know Johanna that well.
However, when I saw her eyes, they reminded me of that boy—the one who had lain on the cold, hard ground in the rain, staring up at a bleak sky filled with dark clouds.
The same boy who had lost everything he held dear.
In other words, me, Chae Eun-woo.
"Margaret," I said, but she didn’t respond.
I tried to pull away, realizing my actions could be misinterpreted.
"...."
But then, I felt her arms tighten around my back, pulling me closer.
"Don’t," she said, her voice barely above a whisper. "....Just a little longer."
"...."
I froze.
Margaret wasn’t a fragile woman. She was someone who had fought tooth and nail for everything she had. A princess who was forced to give everything up and rebuild herself in such unfair circumstances.
But right now, she was breaking.
A named character who could never seem to catch a break.
Whenever things started to look up, it was as if the world conspired against her—ripping it all away.
"...."
Her hands trembled against my back, gripping my coat like it was the only thing keeping her from falling apart completely.
I let out a quiet sigh and rested my chin on the top of her head.
"Alright."
* * *
Karina had given the professor the heirloom—a magical artifact imbued with her own magic for a very specific purpose.
More than anything, it was her way of helping him, even in her absence.
The heirloom was designed to activate in dire circumstances. If it detected a high-energy attack hurtling toward the professor within 50 centimeters, it would deploy a protective barrier, blocking the attack for a fixed second.
It was all Karina could manage in such a short amount of time.
But that was only part of it.
Her real fear was that he would ever be in a situation where it needed to activate.
And now, that fear had been realized.
It had activated.
Which meant something had actually happened.
Karina knew Professor Vanitas’s habits.
He was meticulous. In fact, it was a borderline obsession when it came to preparation.
He was never reckless, nor was he ever the type to let his guard down enough for a stray attack to even come close to hitting him.
So if the heirloom had been triggered, then whatever had happened was beyond even his control.
And yet, even with the Blood Moon over, the professor had yet to return.
Days passed, and still, there was no sign of him.
This led Charlotte, the professor’s younger sister, to seek out Karina. In the end, the two set out for Amesticross.
"He’s out there. In the forest. I can feel its activity there. He’s not that far," Karina said.
"We’ve searched the entire forest. Day and night. Scoured every nook and cranny. You’re saying he’s close? Is that even possible?" Commander Albrecht said.
But there was another reason for the heirloom.
She felt him.
He was alive.
She was certain of it, especially since she had sensed it moving again today.
"If that’s the case, there’s only one possibility," a mage chimed in. "A magical space."
"Then this works out," another mage added. "Since he has the heirloom imbued with your mana, Miss Maeril, we have an anchor. We can breach the magical space."
When the heirloom’s circuit activated, her mana had lingered within it, allowing her to sense its presence until it completely dissipated.
That meant she could track him—at least for a while.
Looking back, she felt foolish for waiting. She should have gone the moment she sensed the circuit activating.
"...."
Karina remained silent, nodding. From everything she had gathered, a magical space was the most logical conclusion.
Then, she turned to Charlotte.
"...."
Her posture was rigid with her fingers curled into tight fists at her sides. Though her face remained composed, Karina could see the tension in her shoulders, the subtle way her jaw clenched.
Reaching out, Karina placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.
"Don’t worry. We’ll find him," she said.
* * *
"...."
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"...."
The atmosphere was awkward.
No—Margaret was awkward.
She refused to meet his gaze, and Vanitas found it stifling. Nevertheless, he went about as if it were just another regular day.
"The mana here is thick," he said, breaking the silence as he finished measuring the mana. "I don’t know how Adrienne managed to find a medium strong enough to sustain this entire space, but if we don’t find an exit…."
He paused.
"We have about two years before it dismantles on its own," he said.
Margaret’s shoulders tensed.
"Two years?" she repeated, finally looking at him. "So it’s a Fractal Dimension?"
"Yes," Vanitas confirmed. "At first, I thought it was just a magical space, but this confirms it."
Margaret’s expression hardened. "Do you have any way of dismantling it?"
"It’ll take a whi—" Before he could finish, Vanitas stumbled.
His vision blurred, and a sharp pang shot through his skull as he instinctively clutched his head. The backlash from starvation, the lack of food, and his body’s desperate attempt to repair itself all hit him at once.
"Van—" Margaret started, stepping forward, but Vanitas raised a hand, cutting her off.
"It’s fine. Just…. give me a second."
Vanitas took a deep breath, forcing himself upright.
"Like I said, dismantling it will take time. In this self-contained reality, if we don’t do it right, the entire space could collapse on us instantly," he said.
Margaret licked her lips, then stepped forward, instinctively reaching out to help him.
But the moment her fingers hovered near his arm, she hesitated.
"...."
The memory of how she had clung to him earlier flashed through her mind.
"...."
She pulled back.
Vanitas, oblivious to her hesitation, pressed on.
"The exit. There should be a hint somewhere," he muttered, scanning their surroundings.
"...."
Naturally, the first clue would be Adrienne.
With that in mind, they returned to where her lifeless body lay. Once more, Johanna’s body was there within the vicinity.
"...."
Vanitas glanced at Margaret, gauging her reaction.
She swallowed hard, steeling herself before turning to meet his gaze.
"I’m fine," she said. "I—"
Before she could finish, Vanitas walked past her and knelt beside Johanna, rummaging through her pockets without hesitation.
She wanted to protest, baffled by his sudden actions, but the words never left her lips.
"...."
Instead, she stood frozen as he continued.
Then, after a few moments, Vanitas paused. His fingers wrapped around something small, something tucked carefully inside Johanna’s coat.
With a sigh, he pulled it out.
"...."
It was a pendant. Margaret recognized it immediately.
It was the one Johanna had always carried. According to her, it was a gift from her parents before she left for the capital, Valenora, to study and find work.
Inside was a small photo of Johanna with her family.
Vanitas studied it for a moment, then silently held it out to Margaret.
"...."
Her fingers curled slightly, then, after a moment, she reached out and took it.
The metal was cold against her palm.
A lump formed in her throat.
"Give it to her parents," Vanitas said. "Let them know she fought until the very end. That she didn’t falter, that she didn’t run. That she died not as a victim, but as Johanna Raylin, of the Illenia Knights. A knight who stood her ground and fulfilled her duty."
Margaret clutched the pendant tightly.
"...."
She couldn’t bring herself to say anything.
Vanitas exhaled, glancing at her from the corner of his eye.
"People always say the dead live on in our memories, but that’s not enough, is it? You want to do something for her. To make sure she isn’t forgotten."
Margaret swallowed hard.
"Giving them this…. it won’t take away the pain, but it’ll give them something real. Something to hold onto. Proof that she was here. That she mattered."
Margaret’s grip on the pendant tightened, her fingers trembling.
"....Yeah," she whispered.
Vanitas nodded, then stepped past her, crouching beside Adrienne’s lifeless body. Margaret watched him inspect her for a moment before stepping forward to stand beside him.
"I learned this trick during one of our missions," she said. "There was a time we got stuck inside a Fractal Dimension while apprehending a dark mage."
Fractal Dimensions were artificial spaces, created by utilizing a medium to anchor them in place. To dismantle one required both a mage’s understanding of its structure and the brute force needed to breach out.
For mages, this was achievable.
For knights, however, it was not.
Instead, knights were trained in alternative methods to escape if they ever found themselves trapped.
Margaret, however, had been stuck here for three days. And despite everything she had learned, executing the technique alone had been impossible.
"So, for us knights, we focus on destabilization rather than direct dismantling," Margaret continued. "We can’t brute-force our way out with magic, but we can force an imbalance in the structure to weaken it."
Brute-forcing required reconstructing the theories and formulas embedded in the activation sequence of a Fractal Dimension. This essentially unravels its magic without relying on external deactivation signs.
However, this method was only viable if multiple mages were present.
Attempting it alone would put immense strain on the mage, leading to severe mental backlash.
Vanitas knew this, however.
Having played as both a mage and a knight in the game, he understood both perspectives. He knew the knight’s method of destabilization just as well as a mage’s approach to dismantling.
Without hesitation, he stood up and placed a gentle hand on Margaret’s head.
"...."
Margaret stiffened, her breath hitching as her eyes instinctively shut.
"Ah…" she mumbled before realizing what he was doing. "I—I see. So you do know."
Vanitas smirked. "I’m a professor."
Margaret let out an awkward cough. "R-Right…."
However, just as Margaret was about to begin, a sudden ripple of mana surged around Vanitas.
WHIII—
Something inside his coat pocket flared to life.
"...."
Immediately, Vanitas pulled away and reached for the glowing substance. His fingers curled around it, and as he pulled it out.
"Ah."
"...."
It was the heirloom.
The very same one Karina had given him. Margaret’s gaze locked onto it, her lips pressing into a thin line.
"The hell…" Vanitas muttered. His grip tightened around the object. "Why didn’t I realize this…?"
It had completely slipped past him. Karina had imbued the heirloom with her mana.
Of course. Two opposing points now connected both realities—the inside and outside of the Fractal Dimension.
In other words, there was still an anchor linking them to the outside.
And now, the heirloom was activating.
Most likely, it was reacting to Karina, who was trying to reach him from the outside.
Vanitas clenched his jaw, gripping the heirloom tightly. Just as he was about to pour his mana into it….
"Vanitas."
Margaret’s voice cut through the moment.
"What—" He turned, only for his words to die in his throat.
Something soft pressed against his cheek, causing him to freeze as his mana continuously poured into the heirloom.
"...."
Margaret’s lips lingered on his cheek for barely a second. By the time Vanitas processed what had just happened, she had already pulled away.
A soft, genuine smile graced her lips as she whispered, "Thank you."
At that moment,
WHIII—
The heirloom flared to life.
A burst of raw energy surged outward, consuming the space around them in blinding white light.
Vanitas barely had time to brace himself before the world twisted.
Crackle—
Fractured.
Crackle—
Shattered.
And then—
Cold air brushed past his skin.
Thud!
Vanitas staggered slightly as his feet hit solid ground.
——Vanitas!
——Professor!
——Grand Knight!
Voices echoed from somewhere.
But before Vanitas could even react, Margaret stumbled forward, bumping her forehead softly against his chest, a smile pulling up her lips.
"Thank you," she murmured again. "If it weren’t for you… If you hadn’t been there…."
——Vanitas?
——Professor?
——Grand Knight?!
More voices.
Vanitas exhaled and raised his hand, his gaze shifting away from Margaret.
The sight that met him was one of disbelief as mages, knights, and Commander Albrecht, stood there, eyes wide, their mouths hanging agape.
"Ah…?"
Even Karina and Charlotte were here, staring at the sight as if they couldn’t believe what they were seeing.