Day Twenty-eight
God did not grant my wish. It was a selfish plea, so perhaps this outcome was only to be expected.
However... the situation is dire. The more I dwell upon it, the more my heart aches with a suffocating pressure.
The rumors that Lord Zenon cut down and killed people... unfortunately, they appear to be true.
I am told he struck down the people being controlled by the Magic Armor Beasts, telling the students around him that it was an emergency and therefore unavoidable.
While his assessment of the crisis was technically correct, and though he used his Magic Power to dull the edge of his blade, he failed to consider the possibility of death through blood loss. Furthermore, it seems the other students lacked Lord Zenon’s finesse with Magic Power Adjustment; they struck without restraint, which became a significant factor in the casualties.
Given the circumstances, he was not charged with a crime since there was no clear intent to kill. However, the impression he left on those around him was nothing short of disastrous.
To put it bluntly, Lord Zenon is now seen as the man who ordered his fellow students to become murderers. There is no defending such a thing.
The fact that Lord Yugo suppressed the crowd with nothing more than non-lethal force only made matters worse for Zenon's reputation.
A man even less compassionate than the Yugo once dismissed as "trash," a cold-blooded killer who does not hesitate to take a life... that is how the students now judge Lord Zenon, watching him only from a distance.
Those same people have begun telling me that I should distance myself from him. Watching them, I am overcome by a sense of dread. Only a week ago, they hailed Lord Zenon as a hero and sang his praises; now, they have turned their backs on him without a second thought.
Is the human heart truly so fickle? I find it difficult to fathom.
My current situation—being urged to leave Zenon—is a mirror image of what Lady Melt once endured. I understand her feelings now—the sting of being told to stay away because Yugo was dangerous—with a clarity that hurts. Yet, the irony that Lord Zenon was the one spearheading that movement back then is so thick it leaves me speechless.
In the end, my "freedom" was always an illusion. I was only released from Lord Yugo because Zenon defeated him in a Duel. Because Zenon proved himself strong and showed power worthy of a successor to the House of Clay, his actions were tolerated, while Yugo’s defeat meant he was no longer allowed his place.
To save the honor of the fallen House of Clay, Lord Yugo’s father made the decision to disown him. My engagement was annulled, and I was "set free"... but that was the extent of it. Anything built solely on power is destined to be toppled by a greater power.
Lord Zenon, who took me from Lord Yugo through force, has now been defeated by a Magic Armor Beast and has lost the strength he once brandished. Consequently, my freedom has vanished, and the days of being treated as a mere decoration are returning.
My father, who had been silently observing the situation to gauge Zenon’s worth, has finally sent word. He commanded me to leave him. He told me to find a Hero Candidate who is gaining influence within the academy and to serve at their side.
Ever since Lord Zenon’s reputation collapsed, I have been inundated with "scouting" offers from such individuals.
"Until Zenon gets back on his feet, why not join our squad? We can handle assignments and Requests together." Several people have already approached me with such words.
For now, I have been able to refuse both my father’s orders and the invitations from those students. Claire has not yet repaid her debt to Lord Zenon. Until I return his kindness, I intend to remain by his side.
However... I know that this stubbornness cannot last forever.
If Lord Zenon fails to recover and continues to shut himself away, it will be decided that he no longer has the right to keep me, and my father will take serious action. No, he must be moving already. It is highly likely he is contacting students hailed as Hero Candidates or the heirs of prestigious noble families to arrange for me to be married off to one of them.
All I can do is continue to encourage Lord Zenon. All I can do is support him, clinging to the belief that he will stand up once more.
Yet, if he fails to recover, the days of being treated as a trophy await me. The struggle for possession of me this time will likely be even more intense than when I was taken from Lord Yugo. After all, Lord Zenon is the one who established that precedent.
In the end... I never had any freedom to begin with. I rejoiced, thinking I had been liberated from Lord Yugo, but that was all a delusion.
I am a bird in a cage. A painting in a frame. An object that can go nowhere and do nothing.
Perhaps because I allowed myself to dream of freedom once, this black despair now fills me to my very core.
It doesn't matter who it is. A noble, a hero, a demon, or a destroyer... anyone will do.
So, please... someone, anyone... take me out of this cage!