“How utterly baffling. Johan.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Really? And what exactly are you sorry for?”
Lobelia asked the most difficult question in the world.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
“When I said I was baffled, I meant you kneeling out of nowhere like that. Just what are you? Planning to steal my underwear or something?”
“I’m sorry.”
I shouldn’t have just knelt. I should’ve slammed my head to the ground!
So I promptly bowed my head to the floor.
“Yes, stay like that.”
“Y-Yes…”
Normally, she would’ve told me to get up by now. But not today.
This meant she was genuinely pissed.
“Johan, I don’t even know how I’m supposed to look at you anymore.”
“Please just see me as I am…”
“I can’t. And really, don’t you find your own words strange? I can’t figure out the purpose behind your behavior at all. Just when I think you want to lay low, you go berserk like a lunatic. And then when it seems like you want to cause chaos, you suddenly start holding back to the point of being annoying.”
“There’s… a reason for it.”
“I’m sure there is. But don’t you think even you have too many reasons?”
“That’s true…”
I never imagined I’d become someone with this much baggage.
All I wanted was to graduate in good health, but now I’m tangled up with every criminal organization imaginable.
Should I consider it an achievement that I’ve met every final boss candidate at this point?
“Haah… Fine. I’m curious this time. What’s your excuse now? Tell me. Why were you there?”
“The scriptwriter threatened me.”
“The scriptwriter…? Don’t tell me… are you talking about the head of Ex Machina? Even as you say it, doesn’t that sound ridiculous to you?”
“I wish it were a lie too. But Your Highness saw it as well, didn’t you? Surely you noticed that the bomb I threw at the end was made by Ex Machina?”
“Yes, I was going to interrogate you about that too, but I didn’t expect to hear your excuse this way.”
“Hehe, it just turned out like that.”
“Don’t laugh, Johan. I don’t have a fetish for hitting people who are smiling.”
What if I don’t laugh?
Does that mean I’m definitely getting hit?
You’re not saying you just want to hit me in a better mood, are you?
“This time, you went a little too far. Creating a criminal organization and all. No matter what the reason was, isn’t that crossing the line?”
“Ah, did you really think I actually created one? I just pretended. I had to deceive Prince Loki, after all.”
“Hmm…”
But seriously, is it okay if I get up now? The blood’s rushing to my head and I’m getting dizzy.
“To be honest, you were very suspicious this time. You admit it, right?”
“Yes…”
“So I had someone look into you. That’s alright with you, isn’t it?”
“Would it even matter if I said no?”
Would she stop just because I said no? Yeah, I don’t think so.
“And so, I received a report about you from Stan. Hmm… your alibi was forged quite well.”
“Haha…”
I don’t think I was the one who forged that, though.
Since Emily was involved, Stan probably took care of it first.
I never imagined it would actually end up helping me like this…
“Your posture is slipping, Johan.”
“I’ll correct it.”
“Good.”
I quietly shifted my knees back into position and bowed my head to the floor once more.
“Still, there are just too many things that don’t make sense.”
“Maybe it’s all actually quite simple.”
“No. The reason the scriptwriter had to threaten you, and the reason you even caught his attention in the first place… those can’t be simple.”
“It is simple. He said I looked like I had talent in alchemy and came to scout me.”
“Do you realize you just called yourself a lunatic?”
“…It’s still better than being purged, isn’t it?”
“Regardless, I think you’ve misunderstood me quite a bit.”
Have I, really?
She secretly had more than a few people taken care of here in the Cradle, hasn’t she?
Lobelia wasn’t some symbol of absolute good. She was a ruler who enforced her own form of justice.
That’s why I always have to stay on guard.
No matter how familiar we might seem, crossing the line could get me assassinated without warning.
“Stand up for now.”
“Yes.”
“I’m asking you, if you don’t want to get caught up in another mess, just stay quiet. You understand what I mean, don’t you? Don’t give me a reason to bring out this contract.”
“I’d prefer that too.”
“This is when you’re supposed to say, ‘Yes, understood.’”
“Yes, understood.”
“Good.”
Is the interrogation finally over now?
Can I go back?
“One last thing I want to ask. What was my second brother’s plan? And how were you able to screw him over?”
“Well… to put it simply, his plan was to take the entire village hostage and start killing them off one by one.”
“That’s exactly the kind of madness I’d expect from him.”
Even though I only shared the gist of Loki’s plan, Lobelia’s face twisted in disgust.
Naturally so.
The trade city of Creta has a population almost as large as the capital in practice.
There was a lot of foot traffic, and it was protected by the overwhelming power of Theseus.
If I were in their shoes, I’d move there too.
“And as for how I screwed over Loki…I used an antidote that counteracts his deadly poison.”
“Hmm? What did you just say?”
“Huh?”
“Did you just say ‘antidote’?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Hand it over.”
“Of course.”
I was planning to give it to her anyway.
More precisely, if Lobelia really tried to hit me, I was going to beg for forgiveness with it.
But since she seemed to be letting me off the hook, I might as well hand it over without resistance.
It’s not like I want to see the second prince Loki end up as emperor.
I’d rather put my faith in the unwavering ideals of another terrorist group.
At least those guys genuinely believe they can save the world.
Whatever the outcome, their intentions are good.
But Loki? That bastard has bad intentions and bad results.
There’s no way I could like someone like that.
“By the way, I don’t have a completed version on me right now. Would it be okay if I just leave behind the formula?”
“I’ll allow it.”
“And there’s one more favor I’d like to ask… Could you keep the existence of the antidote a secret for the time being?”
“You think our despicable second brother might come after you?”
“Yes.”
“Very well. After all, trump cards are meant to be hidden.”
Is that everything now?
I’m relieved she didn’t press me about the scriptwriter.
That part was full of holes, and I was really worried about it.
But thankfully, Stan covered for me by fabricating an alibi in advance.
It saved me.
Still, since I had the trust of the princess, things had been smoothed over with that.
“You may go now.”
“I am eternally grateful, Your Highness.”
“Yes, now get lost quickly.”
With that, I figured the most troublesome issue had finally been resolved.
***
At last, freed from Lobelia’s grasp, I was staggering back under the sweltering sun.
I needed to head straight to the workshop.
I had to test the formula the scriptwriter had given me as payment.
With this, I was almost there.
With this, Ariel would overcome the transcendent syndrome and rise again as an Archmage.
Now, I had all but fulfilled the promise I made to the great warrior. The rest was up to Ariel, and I had no part left to play.
It felt like I had finally managed to lay down a heavy burden.
“Excuse me, do you have a moment?”
“Huh?”
It happened not long after I had started moving toward the workshop.
Someone had called out to me.
“Oh, it’s Stan. What is it? Is this the part where I’m supposed to thank you?”
“I didn’t expect that.”
Stan was the one who had personally fabricated my alibi and reported it to Lobelia.
We had a long-standing, bitter connection.
To be precise, I didn’t really have any feelings about him. But this bastard was always obsessed with me.
It’s not like I ever did anything to harm Emily or anything.
“Is this going to take a while?”
“Huh?”
“Don’t you have something to say? If it’s going to take long, at least buy me a coffee.”
“…I don’t think I could ever become friends with you.”
“You weren’t planning to anyway.”
“True enough.”
Stan simply shrugged as if my words didn’t bother him at all.
And just like that, without another word, he started walking ahead.
“Let’s go to the campus café. I’m not really in the mood to go out today.”
“Same here.”
“With you, it’s not really a mood thing. You just never go out.”
“That’s about right.”
Stan Robinhood.
Come to think of it, I’d never really had an honest conversation with this guy.
Maybe because we only ever ran into each other during crises or emergencies, our interactions had mostly been sharp-edged.
Well, that or the time he slammed the door in my face when I visited the Robinhood mansion.
In a lot of ways, we just weren’t a good match.
“I heard you just got back from your home.”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah. Though I came right back up as soon as I got there.”
“Her Highness told me quite a bit…. about your family.”
“Really?”
I wonder what she said.
As much as I avoid Lobelia, I don’t think she’d stoop to badmouthing me.
Even I wouldn’t go so far as to be afraid of her making things up out of thin air.
“She said your family was close.”
“That so?”
“Well, you know how it is. Her Highness, the Princess, and I…we’ve all lived lives far removed from the word ‘close’.”
“Hmm…”
That’s true.
Ariel had been treated like she didn’t even exist at home, and Lobelia’s family was the Imperial family itself.
And Stan Robinhood. He’d undergone brutal training from a young age to become the heir of the Robinhood family.
Basically, it’s what you’d call an assassin household.
“I never really had any complaints. It just felt like the way things were supposed to be.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Hey, I wasn’t saying that so you’d empathize. Don’t. It just makes me feel worse.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Right. That kind of sarcasm suits you much better.”
Wasn’t trying to be sarcastic, though?
Does this guy just want to see me as the bad guy?
“Ahem! Anyway, that’s why I’ve come to ask you something.”
“I think I get the gist. But before we get to the point, can I ask you one thing?”
“What is it?”
“You are buying the coffee, right?”
“…….”
This isn’t even the right way, you bastard.
Did you think I wouldn’t notice you were just planning to wander around, ask your question, and slip away?
***
We decided to wait until we were seated at the café before getting into the real topic.
On a sweltering day like this, having a long conversation while walking around wasn’t ideal.
Maybe it was no big deal for a brute like Stan, but for someone as delicate as me, it was exhausting.
I took a sip of the coffee Stan had bought with his face contorted with annoyance and asked.
“So, what did you say you wanted to ask again? Why my family is so close?”
“That’s not it.”
“Then what?”
“Hmm… I’m not quite sure how to put this.”
“You could’ve thought about that beforehand.”
“Don’t lecture me.”
“Anyway, it’s probably something about Emily, isn’t it?”
“……”
Obviously.
This guy only loses his mind when it comes to his little sister.
Really, that’s the only reason he’d have to get involved with me at all.
“My family isn’t close. I don’t have a problem with that. But I’m not sure about Emily.”
“She probably doesn’t think too much about it.”
“You never know. Maybe she’s got some resentment bottled up inside…”
“Emily’s not the kind of kid to be that sensitive, is she?”
“You don’t know her.”
Then don’t ask me, you bastard.
“You know why I stopped drawing my bow the other day, don’t you?”
“Yeah. So it really was because of that?”
That was pretty much the only incident that could’ve led him to start a conversation with me.
It must’ve been the first time Emily had ever stopped him herself.
“You enrolled in the Cradle, devoted yourself to alchemy, and in the end…. you saved your brother.”
“……”
It’s no secret that I enrolled in the Cradle for Chris.
But why bring that up now, of all times?
“To be honest, I’m not sure if I’m doing a good job.”
“You don’t have to overthink it, do you? Siblings aren’t always as close as people assume.”
If anything, I’m the odd one.
I mean, there’s a big age gap between us, and Chris grew up not really being able to do anything on his own.
Back then, Chris wasn’t the kind of kid who gave people a hard time.
“But that was your choice, wasn’t it? You wanted to be close, so you made the effort.”
“Honestly, it sounds like you’re overreacting.”
Stan’s doing just fine. If anything, he might be trying a little too hard.
Emily’s just naturally reserved. That doesn’t mean she has a problem with him.
“But Emily saved you, didn’t she? And ever since getting involved with you, she’s seemed more lively than before. Maybe, deep down, she did have some kind of unspoken resentment toward us.”
She didn’t seem all that different to me.
But I guess only someone like Stan could notice something like that.
It doesn’t make any sense that someone who understands Emily so much better than I do would feel insecure around me.
It’s not like I’m anything special.
Well, I guess I should at least pay for the coffee.
“Why do you think that way?”
“Actually, Emily isn’t my biological sister.”
“Uh… what?”
“It’s hard to explain, but she’s a child our family took in by chance.”
Wait, you’re not actual siblings?
More importantly, should you really be telling that kind of thing to just anyone?
“But we’re people who’ve learned how to kill since we were young. Do you really think the way my family and I treat her is okay? What if she ends up being negatively influenced by us because of that…”
“Hmm. I see.”
I really don’t think I’m supposed to be hearing this. I mean, we’re not even that close!
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