Chapter 193

“Ugh... Fa... ther...?”

The girl woke in a daze.

The old man held his daughter for a long time.

Maybe it was because he had not heard her voice in so long.

His aged shoulders trembled slightly. It was strange. Even someone who had seemed so cold could make an expression like that.

He looked nothing like he had during Blue Night, when every gesture had slammed me into the ground.

'Even the strongest person in the world is still a parent in front of his daughter...'

I silently watched the two of them.

It was some time later before things finally settled down.

"Ahem."

An hour later.

Only Lefil and I remained in the cell.

Riel had been moved to the infirmary for various examinations. Since she had been asleep for so long, a thorough checkup was essential. It seemed she would recuperate in the Border Knight Order's ward for a while.

"So, what do you want from me?"

As I quietly flipped through the file, a calm voice came from beyond the bars.

The old man faced me with perfect posture.

The wariness had left his eyes.

His attitude had changed noticeably. I snickered.

"You've become awfully cooperative."

"You kept your promise. Now it's my turn to keep mine."

"For now, we'll keep monitoring Riel's condition. I've completely removed the Nightmare Sickness, but there may still be aftereffects from her long dormancy. The capable physicians of the Border Knight Order have agreed to care for her."

"I truly don't know how I could ever repay this kindness..."

"I told you. Becoming my informant will be more than enough."

"Right... You called it being a double agent, didn't you? You want me to return to the New Kingdom."

"That's right. Remain in the New Kingdom, Lord Lefil. Just pass information along regularly."

Lefil Seriburns, the kingdom's finest swordsman.

The New Kingdom's ultimate weapon, for all practical purposes, would become my informant.

Someone who stood at the very top of the royal court in both strength and status had fallen into my hands.

'What a fine catch.'

It might have been the best reward I'd obtained so far.

None of the other rewards could bring me intelligence from the enemy's leadership.

A single ???-Rank Reward Selection Ticket had more than paid for itself.

I rubbed the back of my neck, satisfied.

"I hope it'll be high-quality information."

"Understood. Still, may I leave Riel here? If I take her back with me, she may only become a target."

"That's not difficult, but are you sure? If Riel disappears, won't the Current King grow suspicious of your actions?"

"Of course I'd be suspected if Riel vanished overnight. That's why I plan to prepare a substitute. I'll obtain a suitable doll and disguise it as Riel. It only needs to stay in bed, so it won't be difficult."

"Isn't there a risk of being discovered? What if someone sees through the transformation magic..."

"Who do you think is standing before you? In the New Kingdom... no, in the entire continent, there are few who can see through my arts."

"Mm, that's certainly reassuring."

Come to think of it, Lefil seemed to know Oz as well.

During Blue Night, he had mentioned him in passing.

-The Slayers... Garulik, was it? I heard about you from Oz, that strange mage.

-I heard you were the one who destroyed the Leviathan Project as well.

Oz, the Mage of Life.

He was one of the figures considered leaders within the Cult. He was also the person I needed to be most wary of among the disasters yet to come.

"Do you know a mage named Oz?"

"I do. That unpleasant man."

"I need information on him as well. I'd like you to approach him, Lord Lefil."

"I was already planning to look into the Cult. I've encountered the Mage of Life a few times in passing."

"Please do it as quickly as possible."

The New Kingdom was dangerous too, but the signs around Oz were stranger right now.

That was what Javert had heard from Killian.

-Oz... I'm certain that was the name.

-Before she escaped, Killian said Oz would start moving soon. She even left behind a promise that we'd meet again shortly.

Oz was making a move.

As far as I knew, there was only one matter that would make him act.

'Eclipse.'

An event that occurred only near the end of the original story.

The first page leading toward the final chapter.

It was also the starting point of Project-Emerald City, which would turn the continent into a wasteland.

'If I can't stop it, we're done for.'

Even in the original story, failure led straight to a bad ending.

I had to lay the groundwork to prevent it.

"Please gather information centered around these keywords: Oz, Eclipse, and Project-Emerald City."

"Understood. I'll report back in the near future."

So what if the information from the original story was slightly off?

If the sword in my hand had rusted, I only needed to find another one.

"I'll return to the New Kingdom today."

"What? Today? But Riel has only just woken up..."

"If I stay any longer, I'll only draw the Current King's suspicion. I've confirmed that Riel is safe, so I have nothing left to hold me here."

"Is that so? Do as you wish."

The conversation seemed to come to an end.

Lefil put on his clothes.

Then I remembered one thing and called out to the old man.

"Come to think of it, don't you plan to tell the princess?"

"Tell her what?"

"Everything. That you're alive, and what happened all this time."

"No. It would only become an obstacle."

"For whom? The princess, or you?"

"For both of us."

The old man answered calmly.

His gaze was calm and still.

"The princess is too soft. In both a good and bad sense, she is not like royalty."

"Even so, she is an upright person."

"That's the problem. What would the princess do if she learned of my circumstances? She would surely try to forgive me. I know better than anyone because I taught her. That's the kind of person she is. She's been that way since she was young, no matter how many times I told her she shouldn't be..."

"Yes. The princess is the kind of person who would do that."

An unreadable expression crossed his face.

Lefil shook his head as though the thought were impossible.

"Forgive me? How could that possibly be allowed? I killed countless people. All for myself. For one reason alone, because I didn't want to lose Riel."

"......"

"The day I betrayed the Old Kingdom, you cannot imagine how many lives I took. The blood rose to my ankles and lapped around them. They must have had families too. Loved ones, people they cherished. That night, I killed hundreds, thousands of people like that. That many innocent people died. From that day onward, hundreds became widows, hundreds became orphans, and hundreds of parents in the kingdom buried their children."

He wasn't the only one with family.

The old man knew that.

"I never intended to be forgiven from the beginning. So it's better not to tell the princess either."

An evil that could not be justified, and had no wish to be justified.

I silently stared into his wrinkled eyes.

Not even his pupils moved.

"There's one thing I'm curious about. Personally."

"What is it?"

"Did you truly cherish the princess, both as your disciple and as her teacher?"

"......"

Silence.

Lefil didn't answer for a long while. After some time, the old man quietly turned his head.

"...I'll be going now. I'll report back once I arrive in the New Kingdom."

His back receded into the distance.

I could only watch the old man leave.

* * *

With that, the matter involving Lefil was settled for now.

All that remained was to wait for his reports.

I wrapped up a week-long schedule that had been short in one sense and long in another.

'Even seven bodies wouldn't be enough...'

Blue Night had only just ended, yet things to think about had already piled up again.

A busy life had become just another part of my existence.

No matter how often I promised myself I'd rest a little, things never went as planned.

"...Mmm."

This time was no different.

When I returned to the dormitory, a chaotic situation of an entirely different sort awaited me.

Press.

I had been pinned to the bed, held down so I couldn't get up.

A red-haired woman was straddling me as though she had pounced on me.

Her uniform was disheveled, and her body gave off a dizzyingly sweet scent.

"I-Investigator...?"

"Student Viktor."

Green eyes that seemed to have lost all reason gazed down at me.

There was a strange pressure in them.

I could neither push her away nor rise.

All I could do was lie there helplessly restrained, feeling her breath draw closer.

"This is all Student Viktor's fault..."

"W-Wait. Please calm down..."

Really.

Why did this always happen?

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