It was nothing short of a life-or-death moment.
The Oracle wrestled with her thoughts as she faced the sudden appearance of Tillis.
Should I run?
But she quickly set that idea aside.
Instead, she cautiously revised the ending of the thought she’d just had.
Can I even run?
She possessed the ability to leap across space—
A power she defined as moving through boundaries.
Unlike a true teleporter, she didn’t directly link one location to another.
Rather, she opened a boundary within space, leapt into it, and exited into another space.
This meant there was one extra step in her method of teleportation.
It didn’t take a lot of time, but time was always a relative thing.
Against someone on the level of a Judge—
And one who was already keeping a close eye on her—
There was no way she could escape.
“…Yes, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
In the end, the Oracle abandoned the idea of fleeing.
It was better to buy time by talking than to make a run for it.
If things somehow escalated into a fight, she only needed to hold out until Headmistress Olga Hermod arrived.
If she were going to gamble, that would be the moment.
“I’ve heard the rumors, but I didn’t think you were real. Can you truly see the future?”
Tillis exclaimed like a girl meeting a celebrity.
From her demeanor, the Oracle could tell that the Judge hadn’t specifically come here to target her.
Of course, that didn’t mean the current situation was a good one.
She had simply stumbled upon the information and decided to drop by.
And after that…?
The best outcome would be to shake hands and part ways. Carrying on a simple exchange was still fine.
But if that irrational monster happened to think, “Since I know about her, why not take care of her now?” then there would be no way out.
“I can see it… under certain conditions.”
The Oracle felt a prickling sensation run along her skin.
She wasn’t the kind of person to cower in front of just anyone, but when facing the monster before her, fear was unavoidable.
Above all, she had little real combat experience. There was no helping it.
“Wow! That’s amazing. Then… can you see my future too?”
“…No, that’s impossible.”
“Why not?”
“It’s a secret.”
“Ah! So it’s a secret.”
The longer the conversation went on, the more dizzy she felt.
The Oracle couldn’t help but constantly question what meaning might be hidden behind Tillis’s words.
Even if she seemed completely thoughtless, she might still be making her own judgments.
Or perhaps she really was as thoughtless as she looked.
Either way, it’s exhausting.
At least Tillis had figured out her identity. The culprit behind that was obvious, though she had no intention of complaining.
I’ll kill you, Johan Damus.
She’d simply kill him.
Of course, she’d have to survive this crisis first before thinking about revenge.
The Oracle stayed tense, unwilling to lower her guard.
“Everyone has their secrets. I understand.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
“Then… may I ask you a slightly different question?”
“I’m afraid I’m busy right now…”
“Oh… I see. That’s a shame. Then I’ll just say one quick thing.”
As the Oracle was about to leave, Tillis casually asked,
“Do you know what you are?”
“….…”
That question made the Oracle stop in her tracks.
She slowly turned to look at Tillis, who was smiling at her brightly.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Hmm.”
Tillis stepped right up to the Oracle and gently caressed her cheek.
It was the careful touch one might give to a fragile work of art.
“You’re beautiful.”
“……”
A shiver ran down her spine.
The emotion behind that soft touch was blatant.
She doesn’t see me as a person.
The Oracle wanted to slap that hand away, but she couldn’t.
It felt as though an invisible spider’s web had wrapped itself around her, holding her in place.
“Do you have any memories of your past?”
“…What do you mean by that?”
“You don’t actually think you’re human, do you?”
“What?”
“Hmm? Don’t tell me you do. Do you remember your parents’ faces?”
“That’s…!”
The Oracle was at a loss for words.
Nothing came to mind.
But even more chilling than that was something else.
“Are you wondering how I know that?”
The fact that it was none other than Tillis who pointed it out.
The Oracle realized that her question already carried the answer.
“I’m a spirit expert, you see.”
***
Last night, I ended up having to explain to the Scriptwriter Deus exactly how I was able to see the future.
The problem was that I had to send it all in Morse code.
I shouldn’t have told him.
Because of that, I wasted far too much time translating my pathetic backstory into dots and dashes.
I might end up communicating with the Scriptwriter like this from now on.
Just thinking about it gives me a headache.
“Emily, take this.”
“Yes.”
First, I met Emily in front of the school gates and returned the mechanical device to her.
My deal with the Scriptwriter was over.
We’d both gotten what we wanted and parted on good terms, so I didn’t need it anymore.
Oh, and for the record, after hearing my story, the Scriptwriter just snorted and said it was one of the theories he’d already considered.
According to him, there were a few fixed flows in the world, and it was possible to observe them from the outside.
Considering that demons come from other worlds, it didn’t seem all that far-fetched.
“Is your conversation over?”
“Hmm? Oh, yeah.”
“I wanted to hear it too…”
A rare expression of disappointment.
But this wasn’t the kind of thing you could casually tell someone.
In fact, I’d only told the Scriptwriter so easily because he was practically a stranger to me.
I figured he wouldn’t care much even if I did tell him and I was right.
“Well, maybe if there’s an opportunity.”
“Alright…”
“Anyway, take care. You’re going to the Imperial Palace again today, right?”
“Yes. Master’s research has been showing some results lately.”
“That’s good news.”
“It’s just for show, though. The real research is still at a standstill.”
“Ah. I see.”
Come to think of it, Coran Lekias was also a member of Ex Machina.
The level of knowledge they possessed was obviously different from what was public.
The kind of research the Imperial Palace was conducting now was probably little more than a sideshow.
They were most likely just pretending to have made progress so they could keep getting research funds.
“I wanted to help, but Master said no.”
“Well, that makes sense. A Master has his pride. It’d be hard for him to rely on his own student, right?”
“Is that so?”
“…You’ll understand someday.”
“Yes.”
Emily still had a long way to go.
It would be Stan and Coran Lekias doing the heavy lifting. I hoped it went well for them.
Hopefully Emily would learn to understand others better, develop some social skills…
And maybe stop stalking me.
…No, wait. Should I try convincing her now?
I’d given up before since nothing changed when I mentioned it last time, but maybe if I put it nicely this time… who knows?
“Emily, do you still have something stuck on me?”
“Yes.”
“Could you take it off?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I want to keep it there. Brother told me I can do whatever I want.”
“…Mhmm.”
Stan, you damn bastard.
May you rot in hell.
“Fine, let’s talk about this later. You’re busy, so go on.”
“See you later, big brother Johan.”
“Yeah.”
In the end, it was a problem of upbringing.
I have no intention of lecturing someone else about how they were raised, but I really do need to sit Stan down for a talk soon.
What? You don’t know how to deal with Emily?
And you came to me for advice after letting her act like this?
“Oh, hello, Yuna.”
“Oh! Emily, heading to the Imperial Palace again today? You work so hard.”
“Yes.”
“Then be careful! Take care!”
“You too, big sister.”
As I watched Emily walk out through the school gate, I saw Yuna coming in.
Now that I think about it, she’s been running around a lot lately…
“Yuna?”
“Oh! Johan, did you come out to meet me? I’m touched.”
“No, not exactly. I was just seeing Emily off. Where have you been so early in the morning?”
“Puhihi! Curious? Want to know? If you’re dying to hear a maiden’s secret, I could tell you… but you’d better be prepared!”
“What kind of preparation are we even talking about? Never mind. I don’t want to know.”
It feels like it’d just be a hassle.
Well, chances are she’s just joking anyway, but I have no particular urge to find out.
Everyone is entitled to their secrets.
If she doesn’t want to tell me, I won’t push her.
If it’s something I really need to know, I trust she’ll tell me eventually.
“Puhihi, then I’ll tell you later! Look forward to it, okay?”
“My birthday’s still a long way off.”
“I’ll throw you a surprise party for your birthday too.”
“A surprise party you’re telling me about in advance. Sounds exciting.”
“Right?”
After seeing Emily off, I headed back to the classroom with Yuna.
***
By the time we strolled into the classroom, still chatting idly, I ran into Tillis who was smiling brightly.
She’s always been someone I find a bit uncomfortable to deal with.
At least this time, I didn’t get that same eerie feeling as before.
If anything…
“Did you know?”
She looks like an idiot.
Just like last time, she blocked my way with an oddly smug smile and spoke in a confident tone.
“Lithium burns green!”
“It burns red.”
“Fufu, that’s wrong. You’re so clueless, Johan.”
“No.”
The kind of stubbornness that refuses to admit being wrong.
Dealing with people like this is just a losing battle.
“…If you say so. Well, I guess I learned something new today.”
“You can thank me more if you want!”
“Sure, thanks. Now, could you step aside?”
“Of course, go ahead.”
With her nose in the air, Tillis stepped aside.
Honestly, I think the Oracle’s worries will amount to nothing.
It’s hard to imagine someone this foolish and stubborn handling something like Maxwell’s Demon.
Passing by Tillis, I made my way to where the Oracle was.
She was staring blankly into empty space.
What, practicing how to see demons or something?
“Oracle, nothing happened yesterday, right?”
“…Johan?”
“Hearing you call my name like that is creepy. Just talk like you normally do.”
“You…”
“Hmm?”
“I’ll kill you.”
“…Huh.”
Ah, so you did meet.
Still, judging by the fact that she was alive, it didn’t seem like anything serious had happened.
Even so, saying she’d kill me….such foul language. How could a person have so little dignity? Tsk…
“First, calm down. Did you think I knew things would turn out that way? Of course not, right? If you think about it, wasn’t this actually your fault?”
“What?”
“You’re the one who told me to do it.”
“No… what?!”
“But you’re fine, aren’t you? Looks like nothing happened. So what’s the problem? Why are you getting mad?”
“Y-You… I’ll k-kill—”
“And besides, watching your mouth would be nice. Let’s have a dignified conversation. I’m a noble, and you’ve spent your fair share of time in the Imperial Palace, haven’t you?”
“Guh!”
The Oracle clutched the back of her neck.
She looked to be in pain.
It was as if she had swallowed down all the curses that had been about to burst from her mouth, and the overload must have been too much. She collapsed forward onto the desk.
“Do you even know what happened yesterday?”
“How should I know? I just hope you had a productive time.”
“Productive? Did you just say productive?”
“If not, then it’s a shame. But don’t you think it was harder for me to watch you suffer than it was for you to actually suffer?”
“……”
“Oracle?”
“I… I’m speechless. I truly never imagined you could be this shameless. I’ve calmed down. Not because my anger’s cooled, but because I’m so dumbfounded that it can’t even rise.”
“That’s a relief.”
“It’s not a relief at all.”
Well, whatever.
“Hah… fine.”
“So, what happened?”
“I said fine, didn’t I? I have no intention of telling you.”
“Yet you’re the one who told me to dig up all kinds of things and report back to you?”
“It was harder on me to have to give you that kind of order in the first place.”
“Ah, I see.”
Well learned. Her adaptability was impressive.
Fine. I wasn’t all that curious anyway.
As long as she hadn’t died, that was enough. At least I wouldn’t have to carry around any guilt over it.
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