Chapter 128: Learning Part 2

I spoke with the Oracle, but no proper countermeasure came out of it.

Without knowing Tillis’s true objective, approaching her recklessly wasn’t wise.

Of course, she might approach me first…

“Should I talk to Her Highness?”

“Before we go there, I have a question for you. Can you turn a blind eye to injustice happening right in front of you?”

“If it doesn’t involve me or the people around me, then it’s pretty easy.”

“That’s a truly trash answer. But I’m the same.”

Then aren’t you just trash too?

Why go so far just to criticize me?

“But Lobelia is different.”

“……”

“She can’t stand by in the face of clear wrongdoing. Do you know how many times she’s stood up to the Emperor and been utterly crushed?”

“How would I know?”

“Forty-two times already. It’s a miracle she’s still alive.”

Yeah, it really is a miracle she’s alive.

The only reason Lobelia has survived until now is because Emperor Abraham cares about her.

“Now, going back to your question. If Lobelia finds out the Judge’s true identity, do you think she’ll let it slide?”

“The moment she has proof, she’ll strike.”

“Then the question is…. how hard will it be to get that proof?”

“Honestly, the Judge doesn’t even seem interested in hiding her identity.”

“Exactly. And that means Lobelia will be killed. The Judge doesn’t care about consequences.”

“Yeah, that’s certain. She’s not the type to act with forethought.”

If Kult was the calculating, meticulous type, then Tillis was impulsive and emotional on top of that.

Which meant, the moment she suspected that Lobelia had uncovered her identity, she would try to kill her.

It was a completely different situation from mine.

I was just an ordinary person, the kind who could turn a blind eye to injustice when necessary. That’s why Tillis had no intention of silencing me by killing me. But Lobelia was an imperial member.

And while every terrorist group that ate away at the Empire had its own unique tendencies, they all shared one common trait. They saw the imperial family as their enemy. Most of them were victims of the imperial family, after all.

“To be honest, I can’t understand her ideals. She wants to purify the world by becoming the greatest evil? Ha!”

“…….”

“With the greatest evil already in place and maniacs like her running around, what is she even talking about? Maybe she actually thinks the imperial family stands on the side of justice.”

“You’re gonna get arrested talking like that.”

“Shut up.”

In this world, there was an unwritten rule that if you blamed the imperial family when something terrible happened, you were probably right.

As expected, this story also began with the root of all evil in the world.

“There’s no bigger bastard than the Emperor.”

The former Emperor of the Miltonia Empire had wiped out the elves. He launched a genocide against other races just to elevate his own status and succeeded.

As much as I hated to say it, humans had no advantages compared to other races, except for their sheer numbers. And so, to elevate their own standing, they erased every other race.

It was the kind of clear-cut, crazy logic only a lunatic could come up with.

At that point, it was more surprising that beastkin had managed to survive in the wave of extermination at all.

“No, let me rephrase that. Except for Lobelia, every member of the imperial family is a lunatic. Got it?”

“Uh, sure.”

“Which is why you must never tell her the Judge’s true identity!”

“Okay, okay.”

That was some serious praise.

But looking at the way the rest of the imperial family behaved, it was kind of understandable.

Theseus who had thrown away all his duties just to play hero.

Loki who committed atrocities simply because he wanted to be Emperor.

And then there were the rest of them who were either already crazy or actively driving others crazy.

Wasn’t there even one decent person among them?

Of course there was.

They had all just died.

In the imperial court, where schemes and power plays ran rampant, the naive stood no chance of survival.

“Hoo, I got a little worked up there.”

“A little?”

“At this level, it’s still just a little.”

That told me all I needed to know about her personality.

If this counted as “a little” then just how crazy would she act when she truly lost her temper?

She was definitely someone I didn’t want to get involved with.

But when it came to facing an unexpected crisis like this, there was no better person to consult.

She was the only one with whom I could share the burden of knowing the future.

“First, you need to track Tillis’s movements and figure out why she came to the Cradle.”

“Why me?”

Why was she so naturally trying to turn me into some kind of spy?

Maybe spending time in the capital had given her a taste of power?

She was just impossible to like.

“Do you really need to ask?”

“Yeah, I kind of do. I honestly don’t get why it has to be me.”

“Because whenever something happens in this world that I can’t foresee, the culprit almost always turns out to be you.”

“I’m the victim, okay? I’ve never taken the initiative on anything.”

“Are you done defending yourself? Then go find out.”

“…….”

It really felt like the entire world had conspired to unfairly pin everything on me.

***

After finishing the strategy meeting with the Oracle, some time had passed, and it was already afternoon.

While walking down the path, I happened to run into Ariel.

No, wait.

“…….”

Was it really by chance…?

The look in Ariel’s eyes as she stared at me was anything but casual.

Her gaze which usually carried a soft curve was sharp today. It was cold and intense.

“Ariel?”

“Just a moment.”

Without warning, Ariel wrapped her arms around me. What if someone saw us like this?

No, more importantly, what was going on?

Did something happen to her without my knowledge?

“…Vanilla scent.”

“…….”

No.

Something had happened.

It had happened to me.

I was genuinely fearing for my safety in real time.

Come to think of it, Ariel had probably seen everything that happened that morning. I’d completely forgotten about her surveillance because of the whole Tillis situation.

“Ariel, look, can we just talk abou—”

“Ha.”

Why the hell is it that I don’t have a single person I can overpower?

Seriously, even if I’m not the strongest out there, I’m still a swordsman who can draw aura. So why can’t I handle the brute force of even a pure mage?

“Three hours.”

“…Huh?”

“She stayed like that for three hours.”

“……”

“So that means I’m allowed to stay like this for four hours, right?”

Thankfully, it didn’t seem like she was here to kill me. While I let out a small sigh of relief, I decided to point something out.

“Shouldn’t we at least do this in a place where there aren’t any people?”

Wham!

In that instant, Ariel shoved me away.

What the hell? Was that a palm strike?

Just like before, the sheer force behind it was ridiculous.

For a moment, it felt like I’d been hit by a truck.

“Wh-What do you mean, a place without people?”

Ariel was utterly flustered and her face was turning bright red.

But the real problem was that I was seriously injured. Too badly to find her reaction cute.

My wounds hadn’t fully healed yet, and the impact she’d just delivered had shaken me to my core.

Did something break? Did I suffer internal injuries? I could taste blood pooling in my mouth.

“I… I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant we should avoid people’s eyes so no one finds out about our relationship.”

Still, I couldn’t bring myself to say something so pathetic out loud, so like a man, I swallowed the blood gathering in my mouth.

Ha… Is this the price of popularity? Have my sins grown so great that I now have to risk my life even to receive a small tantrum?

“Wh-What are you even saying?! Saying it like that makes it sound like I was thinking something weird! Ha! Don’t make me laugh, okay? That’s not it at all!”

It had been a while since I’d seen this side of her.

Yeah, this was how Ariel used to act in the beginning. She was blunt and snappy like this.

Well, maybe calling her snappy wasn’t exactly right in this case…

Still, there was something similar about how full of life she seemed.

Too full, in fact. So full she could practically send someone to their grave.

Wow, seriously… I hadn’t seen this coming at all.

Was it not just marital fights after marriage that I had to fear, but every single moment of my life?

“Ahem! A-Anyway, I just wanted to know what you talked about with that woman again today…”

“……”

Ariel was throwing difficult questions at me while I was already physically struggling. Or maybe… this was actually a good thing?

“Bleeegh!”

“Huh?!”

If I just cough up blood and pass out, I can escape without answering.

***

“Oh, you’re awake, Johan.”

This time, the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Lobelia’s face.

“Oh God…”

Why are you doing this to me?

What did I do wrong to deserve all these trials?

Was killing that bastard Kult the wrong answer?

He was scum who deserved to die.

You could even say I did him a favor by putting him out of his misery.

Even Helena would agree with that.

“Not sure how to take it when someone sees my face and calls out to God. You’re not mistaking me for god, are you? Am I making you uncomfortable?”

“Of course not. How could I possibly think you’re not a god when I’m in the presence of the child of divine blood?”

“Judging by how well your tongue still works, it seems you only suffered minor injuries. When Ariel came crying to me, I thought something terrible had happened.”

“Well, it does feel like a major incident in my life. I’ve realized that I need to fight for my life every single moment.”

“I don’t know what you mean by that, but I agree that life requires constant effort. Do your best.”

“Yes…”

You don’t know a thing.

You cold-blooded, ruthless imperial member.

“That’s a blasphemous look in your eyes.”

“Of course not. Perhaps Your Highness’s keen perception simply saw right through the fact that I’m still not in the best condition.”

“Do you prepare these kinds of excuses in advance? Impressive…”

When your life is on the line, your judgment gets sharper. That’s just how it works.

“But what brings you here, anyway?”

I looked around, but no matter how I looked at it, this wasn’t a hospital.

Actually, this was just my room.

It’s not a public park….why do uninvited guests keep coming in and out of my room?

“Do you prefer Ariel over me? Or is it Yuna? I could call both of them over, if you’d like.”

“…It is an honor for my family to welcome Your Highness alone.”

“Good.”

“Indeed.”

Lobelia crossed her legs and stared at me intently.

For someone who said this was a long-overdue conversation, she sure wasn’t saying anything.

Or maybe she was still trying to figure out how to bring it up?

What on earth was she trying to say?

“You see, this time… hmm, how should I put this? I just hope you won’t take it the wrong way.”

“What exactly are you trying to say…?”

You normally speak your mind without holding back, so what could possibly be making you hesitate now?

“Well, I understand how you feel, but… that person isn’t her. They just look a little alike, that’s all.”

“…Huh?”

“Ahem! Even if Ariel gave her permission, three-timing might be a bit much… A-And projecting someone from the past onto another person could be considered disrespectful, you know!”

“Your Highness? What exactly are you talking about right now?”

“I-I’m saying this for your own good!”

Has she finally gone crazy?

Well, I guess no one who regularly visits the Imperial Palace can be completely normal.

Even the Oracle is a crazy person.

…Wait a second. The Oracle?

“Don’t tell me you’re talking about… no, you mean Alice, the transfer student?”

“……”

“There’s nothing going on between us. If anything, I’m closer to hating her.”

“……I see. So it’s love and hate, then.”

“This is ridiculous…”

I got the same feeling when Yuna accused me of having an affair. This person secretly enjoys this kind of drama.

She acts embarrassed or like she doesn’t like it, but if you look closely, she’s worse than anyone.

“I admit I played a part in letting things escalate to this point… but in any case, try to exercise some restraint.”

“……”

“Answer me.”

“Ah, yes. I will.”

She never listens to a word I say, yet always demands an answer to hers.

She’s truly terrifying…

***

After waking up again a day later in my sickbed (which, to be clear, is just my own bed and not an infirmary bed).

I looked back on my situation as if watching a street ravaged by a typhoon.

It was truly a terrible state.

Still, no matter how painful or difficult, all hardships eventually pass.

Leaving behind the horrors I’d endured, I greeted a new morning.

“Oh, why did I come to the Cradle? Someone said he was starting to doubt my intelligence. So, I came to study.”

And on that very morning, a new storm arrived.

It had only been a day.

“I’ll be helping out with combat training, but normally I’m just a student like all of you. So let’s get along!”

Tillis who was standing at the podium spoke jokingly and the other students burst into laughter as if they were clearly amused.

They must’ve thought she was just being funny.

But I couldn’t take those words as a joke.

Because they were my own words.

“It really is you, isn’t it?”

“N-No…”

The Oracle’s stare was piercing.

It was me, sure, but…

“How was I supposed to know it’d come back like this?”

This was seriously unfair.