A vague silhouette appeared behind the building’s wreckage. Could it be that Ains had escaped safely? Clinging to a shred of hope, I examined the figure. Despite the distance, their faces were easy to recognize. To my dismay, they turned out to be Viscount Chester and Viscount Shelton. Viscount Chester seemed injured, limping along while Viscount Shelton supported him.

“They’re escaping!” someone shouted. I saw soldiers pursuing them, but my attention returned to the debris of the collapsed building. Two people had fled from the wreckage, but Ains was not among them. This meant Ains was still inside the building.

“No…”

I forced my trembling legs to move, running toward the front of the procession. All I could see was the debris of the building where Ains had been.

“Viscountess!” Sir Curtis’s voice called out from behind, but I couldn’t stop. My mind was ringing loudly, as if reason itself had been paralyzed.

‘It can’t be, please no.’

I repeated the thought over and over. I barely managed to suppress the worst-case scenarios from unfolding in my mind as I arrived at the site, only to find the wreckage in ruins.

“No.”

I muttered in a trembling voice. No matter how much I denied it, I couldn’t imagine anyone surviving in such debris. There were forces beyond human endurance.

Ains was human too. Just yesterday, he had been caught in the explosion’s aftermath, injured, and lost consciousness.

I covered my mouth with a trembling hand. My eyes burned, and my breath became shallow.

Then it happened.

Amidst the murmuring sounds, I heard a faint rustling noise. Instinctively, I turned toward the sound. There, I saw the shimmering mana I had seen before, floating.

“Ains?”

It was Ains’s mana. It had a metallic quality, sparkling like silver dust—a fascinating type of mana. The mana was slowly circulating among the debris.

My heart raced. The presence of Ains’s mana meant he was still alive. Only then did I approach the wreckage.

Without further thought, I reached out toward the debris and began to channel my mana slowly. I wanted to move as quickly as possible, but this was the best speed I could manage at the moment.

The mana scattered in the air began to move as I directed it. It gathered and accelerated. In my mind, I envisioned a giant hand. I then tried to lift the building’s debris with that hand.

Magic was the realization of will through the power of mana. If I had a strong enough will and the ability to control mana, the mana would obey me. Though I was still a novice and unsure if the mana would manifest as I willed, there was no time to hesitate.

The mana, condensed like a giant hand, slowly moved toward the wreckage. Then, it began to lift the debris. I placed the lifted debris in a spot where there were likely no people. After repeating this process several times, I finally saw people who had been buried under the debris.

“Duke!”

Several soldiers called out to Ains. Having focused intently on clearing the debris, I finally turned my head slowly to see where Ains was after setting down the last piece and releasing the concentrated mana.

In the ruined area, there was Ains. He was kneeling on one knee, resting his sword on the ground. Around him were two other individuals—the Marchioness of Buchanan, lying on the ground, and Baron Lombardi, lying as if shielding her.

Only then did I realize why Ains, despite being alive, hadn’t done anything. If he had been alone, he could have escaped, but he had to stay there because of the unconscious Marchioness of Buchanan and Baron Lombardi. If Ains hadn’t used his mana to protect them, they would have been crushed under the collapsed debris.

“Ains, it’s okay now.”

I carefully took a step toward Ains and spoke. Ains, who had been sitting with his head bowed and eyes closed, slowly lifted his head to reveal his hidden blue eyes.

“Cecilia.”

The first word Ains uttered was my name. As if that triggered something within me, I burst into tears. Simultaneously, my legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the ground.

The despair I had felt, believing Ains was dead, vanished as relief washed over me. Soon, the mana that had surrounded him dissipated.

“Are you alright, Duke?” the soldiers asked Ains. He nodded and briefly glanced at me before turning his attention to another knight.

“What about Viscount Shelton and Viscount Chester?”

“They’ve been captured while trying to escape.”

“I see… For now, take the Marchioness of Buchanan and Baron Lombardi with you.”

“Yes, as you command.”

The knight quickly responded to Ains’s order and began directing the soldiers to manage the situation. Only then did Ains approach me slowly.

He knelt on one knee to meet my eye level.

“Is it you?”

“…What?”

I could only stare blankly and ask again at his question, which came without any context. Ains looked at me and cautiously extended his hand.

I watched silently as his hand came closer. He paused just before my face, then gently wiped my cheek with his thumb. It was a delicate touch, as if he were handling glass.

Then he withdrew his hand.

“You saved me, didn’t you? From amidst the rubble of that building.”

Only after hearing Ains’s specific question was I able to nod. Ains then gave a faint smile.

“Thank you.”

It was a brief expression of gratitude. After speaking, Ains extended his hand to me again. This time, it had a different meaning.

I looked at his outstretched hand, then placed mine on top of it. Ains gripped my hand and helped me stand.

I rose with his support, but my legs were still weak, and I stumbled. He quickly wrapped his other arm around my waist to prevent me from falling.

“Can’t walk?”

“…Yes. I was just so startled…”

As I struggled to respond, Ains nodded.

“Then I’ll have to excuse myself for a moment.”

“What? Ah!”

Before I could even process what was happening, Ains lifted me into his arms. Feeling weightless, I instinctively wrapped my arms around his neck.

Then, realizing what I was doing, I panicked and tried to release my grip.

“Just stay like that. It’s safer.”

“…”

If Ains hadn’t spoken, I might have let go of him.

“What happened?” I asked, looking up at his face.

His face bore small cuts, evidence of what he had been through.

“Viscount Chester and Viscount Shelton were already aware that Baron Lombardi would betray us. So they had explosives planted in advance.”

“That’s why there was an explosion.”

“Yes.”

Ains replied, frowning slightly as he recalled the incident.

“If it weren’t for you, I might have been trapped there for a long time. Thank you for saving me.”

His straightforward gratitude left me speechless. I had thought I wouldn’t be of any help, but I was. It was thanks to the mana responding to my will.

“I was just lucky.”

“Lucky at just the right moment, it seems. I’m grateful.”

Ains chuckled softly. Seeing him so at ease reassured me.

“Are you alright?” I asked.

“I’m fine enough that you don’t need to worry. It’s you I’m concerned about, overexerting yourself.”

“I’m fine too.”

“You can’t even stand.”

“But that’s—”

I started to protest, but Ains laughed quietly. His laughter was unfamiliar, and it made me pause.

After his laughter subsided, Ains looked down at me. His blue eyes shone kindly.

“I know you’re fine. But you should still be careful. You’ve used magic with your already fragile body.”

“…But I’m okay with this much. I was just startled earlier.”

“Alright.”

“If you put me down now, I can walk on my own. Please put me down.”

“No. Trust me. You don’t need to prove anything.”

“…”

I wasn’t sure if he truly believed that, but I decided to keep quiet.

Ains finally set me down when we reached Rivet, who had been anxiously waiting.

“Madam, are you alright?” Rivet asked urgently. It seemed she thought I was injured.

“Yes, I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

The conversation felt oddly familiar, but I reassured Rivet and then surveyed the situation.

As the knight had reported to Ains, Viscount Chester and Viscount Shelton were being escorted to the guards. The Marchioness of Buchanan and Baron Lombardi had also awakened and were embracing each other, tears streaming down their faces.

“What will happen to Baron Lombardi?” I asked Ains, curious.

“There will be an investigation, but if he wasn’t directly involved as he claims, his punishment will be lenient. Besides, he was the one who provided the most direct information to capture Viscount Chester and Viscount Shelton.”

As Ains explained, a guard approached the Marchioness of Buchanan and Baron Lombardi. After a brief conversation, Baron Lombardi hugged the Marchioness once more before standing and following the guard.

It seemed Baron Lombardi was also going to the guards for questioning.