In the Kingdom of Centralis, magic is everything—the measure of a person's worth, their station, their very right to exist. Those stripped of it are called "Empty," and they are less than nothing.
Celestia Valdrene knows this better than anyone.
Once the daughter of an earl, she lost everything when her father's debts consumed their family—including her magic, sealed away in an iron bracelet around her neck. Now she lives alone in a crumbling mansion, fighting off debt collectors with nothing
The Fallen Lady Speaks with Her Fists - A Fist That Stops Without Killing — The True Nature of the Miasma Ring and the Escape
The old canal alley lay sunk in the dim half-light before dawn.
The smell of rotting algae. Wet cobblestones. Somewhere in the distance, a night watchman's footsteps echoed once, then faded.
Celestia Valdrene stood leaning against the alley wall. Her silvery pale-blonde hair clung to her skin in the damp wind. Her gray-blue eyes were fixed on the surface of the old canal. The moon reflected there looked blurred, smeared by a film of oil.
Beside her, Luca was stifling a small yawn. His reddish-brown curls hung heavy and damp with morning dew. The freckles on his cheeks were overshadowed by the deep marks of sleeplessness, and the small scar on his left cheek showed faintly white in the half-light.
"Big sis, aren't you sleepy?"
Luca said in a small voice.
"...I'm fine."
Celestia closed her eyes. Behind her lids rose the white walls of the clinic. Gareth was still asleep. He'd recovered enough to walk with a cane, but he was far from his old self.
(I have to find our next place before the day is out.)
No money. No mansion. All that remained were her fists and three lives.
Suddenly, footsteps.
Celestia opened her eyes.
At the alley entrance stood a single man. Chestnut hair swept carelessly back, and behind a monocle, blue eyes watched her. His fingertips toyed with the buttons of his coat. Alvin Rayford.
"Hey there, milady. Fine dawn, isn't it?"
Alvin spoke in his light, flippant tone. As always, there was something lurking beneath it.
"...Did you find out anything?"
Celestia pushed off from the wall.
"Plenty, as it happens. Where your mana is flowing. And who this man Drang really is."
Alvin started walking deeper into the alley. Celestia and Luca followed.
"Drang's nothing more than a collector who came up from the mercenaries. Mana quality, C-rank. A man who's clawed his way up by knowing when to talk and when to use force. But that's not where his real value lies."
Alvin spoke without turning around.
"He doesn't use the mana he drains himself. It all flows to a certain organization. The warehouse district along the old canal. That's where the Miasma Ring keeps a hidden base."
The Miasma Ring.
Celestia repeated the name silently. Officially, it was the Pawnbrokers' Guild, "the Ring." Behind closed doors, it was a shadow organization that trafficked in mana. Dangerous people with roots sunk deep beneath the royal capital.
"Your mana was probably taken there too. Drained mana gets processed into refined mana stones and flows into the capital's workshops and military supply. Drang is just the collection agent for all of it."
"...So even if I defeat Drang, it doesn't end."
Celestia's voice was low and quiet.
"Exactly. That man is one gear in the Ring. But pull one gear, and the Ring's movements will definitely slow. And more than that—"
Alvin stopped and turned around.
"In that warehouse, there are people just like you—stripped of their mana—being held captive."
Celestia's fist clenched tight. Her knuckles went white.
"Captive...?"
Luca asked, his voice trembling.
"Mana-sealing collars around their necks, chained to the walls. A dozen or so. Men, women, even children. The Ring's livestock—kept alive so their mana can be squeezed out of them."
Alvin's voice carried its usual lightness. But deep in those blue eyes, there was no smile.
"...Where."
Celestia took a step closer to Alvin.
"The old canal warehouse district. Officially it's a grain storehouse. There's a hidden staircase underground. I'll guide you. But I have a condition."
"What."
"I'm interested in that warehouse too. The Ring's records, deeds, traces of their dealings—things like that are sleeping down there. You rescue the captives, and while you do, I'll recover the Ring's documents. Do we have a deal?"
Celestia looked into Alvin's eyes.
The blue eyes stared straight back. A man who moved on curiosity rather than profit and loss. But right now, there was something in his eyes beyond mere curiosity.
"...Fine."
Celestia said shortly.
"Settled, then. Let's go. We'll slip into that warehouse before dawn."
"Wait, big sis!"
Luca tugged at Celestia's sleeve.
"I'm coming too! Let me do something too!"
Luca's voice was desperate. His brown eyes wavered with anxiety and determination.
"...It's dangerous."
"I know! But I hate just sitting here doing nothing. Gareth's hurt, and you're fighting all alone, big sis. I'm sick of being the only one who can't do anything!"
Luca's voice echoed through the alley.
Celestia looked steadily at Luca's face.
A thirteen-year-old boy. A show-off, a coward—but one who'd been burning to repay his debt.
"...Understood. But you follow my orders absolutely. Got it?"
"Yeah! Leave it to me!"
Luca grinned happily.
"Then it's settled. Let's go. We'll follow the waterways along the old canal to the warehouse district. We won't use the Twin-Head Bridge. The Ring has lookouts there."
Alvin took the lead.
The three of them set off down the narrow path along the old canal.
The water in the channel was black and murky. Moonlight reflected dimly on its surface. The moss growing on the walls gave off a damp sheen.
"Luca, watch your footing. The mud's deep here."
Celestia said, turning back.
"Heh, I'm fine. I'm used to paths like this—"
Just then, Luca's foot sank into the canal mud.
"Whoa!?"
Luca's body slid off the edge of the channel.
Celestia's hand shot out on reflex. She grabbed his wrist hard.
"Grab on!"
"Big sis...!"
Luca's body was half-submerged in the canal mud. Cold water soaked through his clothes.
Celestia put strength into her arm and hauled him up.
Mud-covered Luca tumbled onto the cobblestones.
"...You all right?"
"S-sorry... my foot slipped..."
Luca's voice was shaking.
Still holding his hand, Celestia felt the tremor.
(This kid is still just a child.)
(And yet he's trying to fight too.)
Celestia slowly let go of Luca's hand.
"...Let's go. We're almost there."
"Yeah..."
Luca stood up, brushing off the mud.
Alvin had stopped up ahead.
"There it is. We'll go in through the back entrance of that grain warehouse."
Where Alvin pointed stood an old warehouse. Its wooden walls were blackened, and the roof was peeling in places. On the front sign, faded letters read "Karam Grain Warehouse."
"Lookouts?"
"Two in front. But none at the back. The Ring's people figure front lookouts are enough. They don't expect any fool to come in through the back."
Alvin grinned.
The three of them circled around to the warehouse's back entrance.
The back door was made of old wooden planks. It wasn't locked.
Celestia pushed it open quietly.
It creaked, just a little.
Inside, the warehouse was dark. The smell of grain and musty air stung her nose.
"Where's the staircase to the basement?"
"Under the floor at the very back. Past where the grain sacks are piled."
The three of them moved through the dark warehouse.
They stepped silently between the grain sacks stacked on the floor.
Near the far wall, there was a spot where the floorboards had been pulled up. Below it, a stone staircase descended.
"Here."
Celestia looked down the stairs.
A faint, sweet smell drifted up from below. Like rotting flowers—an unpleasant odor.
"Luca. You're on watch here. If anyone comes, strike the floor three times with a stone."
"Got it! Leave it to me!"
Luca nodded, his face tense.
"Let's go."
Celestia and Alvin descended the stone stairs.
The basement was larger than she'd expected.
A single magic lamp cast pale blue light from the ceiling. It illuminated the damp walls.
And then she saw them.
Chains.
Collars.
People.
A dozen or so men, women, and children sat lined up against the wall. Iron collars ringed their necks, and chains running from them were fastened to iron rings in the wall.
All of them were gaunt. Their clothes were filthy, their eyes hollow. Among them was a child hugging her knees, trembling.
"...This is awful."
Alvin murmured low.
Celestia clenched her fist.
(These people are just like me.)
(People whose mana was stolen.)
Celestia slowly approached the captives.
One young girl raised her head. Ten years old, perhaps. Her hair was a tangled mess, her cheeks sunken.
"...Who are you?"
The girl's voice was hoarse.
"I came to save you."
Celestia said shortly.
The girl's eyes widened slightly.
Celestia gripped the girl's collar. The iron ring was cold and heavy.
(Is this collar the same mechanism as the mana-sealing bracelets?)
Celestia felt along the collar's seam.
"Can you break it?"
Alvin asked from beside her.
"...I'll try."
Celestia hooked her fingers on the collar's seam.
Then she reset her fist and brought it down on the seam—short, sharp, precise.
Clang.
The metallic sound rang through the basement.
The collar warped.
Another strike.
Clang.
The collar came off the girl's neck.
"...It's off."
The girl touched her neck, stunned.
"Next, your turn."
Celestia put her hand on the collar of the man beside her.
Clang. Clang. Clang.
The metallic sound echoed intermittently through the basement.
One by one. Carefully. Surely.
Celestia cut through the chains.
At first the captives were bewildered. But gradually, the light returned to their eyes.
"...We're really... being saved?"
"Yeah. Follow me quietly."
Celestia told them briefly.
Meanwhile, Alvin was pulling bundles of documents from a shelf at the back of the room.
"Here it is. Bundles of mana deeds. The Ring's transaction records are here too."
Alvin tucked the documents inside his coat.
"...All of it?"
"Yeah. With this, the Ring's movements will come into much clearer view."
Celestia removed the last person's collar.
"Everyone, stand. Follow me."
The captives rose unsteadily to their feet.
Celestia took the lead and climbed the stone stairs.
They emerged from the warehouse's back entrance.
The pre-dawn air was cold against her skin.
"Luca."
"Big sis! Did everyone make it out!?"
Luca came running.
"Yeah. Now we're taking these people somewhere safe."
"All right, then I'll lead the way!"
Luca said, full of energy.
That was when—
"—And where do you think you're going?"
A low voice, tinged with laughter, rang out from the darkness.
Celestia stepped forward.
From the front of the warehouse, a single man walked slowly toward them.
A massive frame over six foot two. A bald head marked with old scars. He dragged his right leg slightly.
Drang.
Behind him, a dozen or so of his men. All armed with swords and clubs.
"Taking my livestock out without permission—I can't say I approve."
Drang grinned.
"...Get out of my way."
Celestia's voice was quiet.
"Out of your way? Do you understand your position? Your mana already belongs to the Ring. You yourself are the Ring's property. Property doesn't defy its master."
Drang pulled a single sheet of paper from his coat.
"Look. This is your mana deed. By contract, your mana is ours. No matter what you do, this contract won't disappear. You'll stay empty for the rest of your life."
Drang waved the deed back and forth.
Celestia's gray-blue eyes deepened slightly.
"...That contract isn't yours."
"What?"
"It belongs to the Miasma Ring. You're just a collector. Nothing but a gear in the Ring. You don't own anything yourself."
At her words, the smile vanished from Drang's face.
"...Interesting thing to say. But either way, you're finished here. There's no escape. Behind you, livestock that can't even move. In front of you, us. What can you do alone?"
Drang signaled to his men.
The men closed the circle, inch by inch.
Celestia took one step forward.
"Luca. Get everyone to the waterway."
"But—"
"Go. I'll make a path."
Celestia raised her fists.
Drang laughed.
"You think you can beat armed men with your bare hands? Your fists are just a woman's fists."
"...Want to find out?"
Celestia's voice was cold.
"Do it."
Drang gave a short order.
One of his men raised his sword and charged at Ce
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