I first took Dietrich and Helena to a restaurant.
Well, it’s not like Cattleya is going to die just because I’m a couple hours late.
Still, if the kid’s hungry and whining about it, feeding her should come first.
Besides, I was the one who needed to ask them for a favor.
“It’s been so long since I had meat…!”
Helena exclaimed in delight at the sight of the cheap steak.
Naturally, my gaze turned toward her guardian Dietrich.
“Ahem.”
At least he seems more grounded than before. He knows he messed up.
“How did you end up like this?”
I casually tossed him a question loaded with meaning.
“…Turns out being on the wanted list is more serious than I thought. It’s hard to get work, and we’ve been running around so much we haven’t been eating properly…”
“So that’s why you ran away to a backwater place like this.”
“I didn’t know this was Damus territory, but… I did survive thanks to some back-alley experience. Didn’t starve, at least! Haha.”
“Good grief.”
I thought he’d matured a little, but clearly, the core of him hasn’t changed.
I’m glad to see him, but I couldn’t help sighing.
Was it really okay to keep leaving Helena in his care?
It kind of felt like I was neglecting the kids, and that guilt was starting to creep in.
“Oh, right. Doctor.”
“What? Want to order more food if that wasn’t enough?”
“Yes! I mean, no—not that. I mean, I’ll definitely eat more if you order it.”
Helena responded while stuffing her mouth full of steak.
There was something bold about her now. She was different from the fragile girl she used to be.
It reminded me of my younger brother, Chris.
Though to be fair, Helena wasn’t quite on Chris’s level.
She just has the energy and mischief typical of a healthy girl her age.
Still, even that’s a huge difference from how she used to be.
“I definitely sensed some divine power earlier. It was strong enough to shock me. Did something happen?”
“Yeah, something did.”
Just a few hours ago.
The memory of that fateful battle with Loki in the early hours of the morning made me shudder.
Too much had happened.
I know misfortune tends to strike without warning, but this time it was excessive.
There hadn’t even been any foreshadowing.
“Um, would it be alright if I checked something real quick?”
Helena looked up at me with her eyes closed.
She was asking for permission to open them.
She must’ve acquired eyes like Kult’s now, meaning she probably had to keep them covered most of the time.
“Owner, could you give us a bit of privacy?”
“Of course, young master.”
I made the request to the restaurant owner, someone I’d known since childhood.
Mhmm… being home really does have its perks.
There were a lot of people who showed consideration for me without asking questions.
Well, it was probably because I was the heir to this County.
Power was a good thing—
But only when I was the one holding it.
“Alright, it’s fine now.”
The moment I confirmed that the owner had stepped away, Helena opened her eyes.
Was this what it meant to be a Prophet? She was still just a kid, yet the moment she opened her eyes, I felt a sense of being overwhelmed.
“Huh?”
“What? Is there something wrong?”
“No, it’s just… I’m not sure. Did something really happen?”
“Yeah, I got trapped in an illusion, and I had a strange encounter there.”
I explained to Helena what had happened inside the illusion..
Of course, I tweaked the part about it being an illusion with Kult in it.
She probably wouldn’t be thrilled to hear about her dead brother.
After listening to my story, Helena smiled brightly and replied,
“Maybe God was guiding you.”
I thought so too.
The certainty I felt was far too strong for it to have been just an illusion my mind created.
Maybe it had been a way for the divine to intervene, using the illusion as a pretext.
They say every encounter along a Prophet’s path is arranged by God, so it wouldn’t be strange if I were under that gaze as well.
If it was a way of rewarding me for everything I’d endured, it made sense.
Though, instead of something like that, I would’ve preferred a tangible reward…
Still, considering how God had never actively interfered in the world until now, maybe it was his way of nudging me toward the answer on my own.
“Maybe God just wanted to encourage you.”
“For encouragement, the words were awfully harsh.”
“Uh, um… maybe it was tailored to your personality?”
“…What did you just say?”
What did you just say now?
Are you saying I’ve got such a twisted personality that even God had to adjust for it?
Do you not want any more food today?
“Hehe.”
Ugh, I can’t exactly hit this pint-sized brat… I’ll just let it slide.
“If you don’t have any particular destination or plans, you can stay at the Damus mansion for a while.”
“As expected of you, Senior.”
“We knew we could count on you, Doctor!”
Seriously… how did both of them end up so pathetically down on their luck?
***
After stuffing the two of them full, since they were still growing kids, I took them back with me to see Cattleya.
She was still groaning in bed, but the moment she saw me, she scowled and yelled out,
“What the hell have you been doing? I was going crazy with frustration over here!”
“There’s a grandma right next to you, you know. She’s the best storyteller in our territory.”
“When I was twenty, let me tell you, I was the best in all the—”
“Who said I was bored?! We need to discuss what comes next, don’t we?!”
Good grief, getting injured really did a number on her personality.
What kind of manners are those to an elder?
“No need to get so worked up. It’s not like I’ve been slacking off. I’ve been running around trying to find a way to keep your limbs intact.”
Seriously, unbelievable.
If she was going to act like this, then why throw her life away for revenge in the first place?
Anyone could see she’s still full of attachment to life.
Hard to believe this was the same woman who went out in a blaze of glory with Loki in the original story.
“Can I ask you a favor?”
“Hmm, can she be trusted?”
“She’s the one who’s going to be funding you from now on.”
“Ah, so she’s not someone I can trust, but someone I have to trust? Got it, I’ll do my best.”
I liked how quick Helena was to catch on.
From Cattleya’s perspective, it wasn’t a bad deal either.
Priests capable of using divine power were hard to come by even if you had the money, and Helena wasn’t just any priest; she was a Prophet. That made her all the more valuable.
Of course, I’d have to step in and negotiate properly to make sure Helena didn’t get taken advantage of.
Still, I trusted that Cattleya wouldn’t try to scam the very person who saved her life.
“Think you can heal her?”
“Yes. Shall I do it now?”
“I’d appreciate that.”
At that moment, Helena opened her eyes again and stretched out her hand.
I half expected some blinding radiance to burst forth, but no such thing happened.
Still, just by reaching out her hand, Cattleya’s wounds began to heal.
The lack of visual effects only made it feel more uncanny.
“Wow, this is honestly…”
Cattleya sat up in bed in an instant, marveling aloud.
More than the wounds disappearing, what stood out was how even the dark circles that had become a permanent fixture under her eyes were now completely gone.
This was the miracle of a prophet. Not just healing injuries, but erasing fatigue itself.
“So all I have to do from now on is sponsor Helena Hereticus, right?”
Typical Cattleya.
I hadn’t even said her name, yet she already knew who she was.
Then again, Helena’s appearance was pretty distinct.
And considering Cattleya had done business with Eden in the past, it wasn’t surprising.
“Just saying this up front… don’t take advantage of her. You don’t pull that kind of crap on a kid who doesn’t know any better.”
“Come on, I’m not that kind of person.”
“Yeah, let’s hope not. Helena, if anything ever feels off later, come talk to me. Same goes for you, Dietrich.”
“Yes, Senior.”
“Got it.”
That took care of the immediate problem, at least for now.
Now, just as Cattleya said, we needed to discuss what to do going forward.
Since her wounds had healed, the conversation would naturally take a different turn.
“I plan to stay in the domain for a while to recover both body and mind. What about you, Cattleya?”
“I have to head back right away for work. I’ll try to handle the urgent matters from here through communication first.”
She must have been planning to use the silver mirror at the merchant guild to contact the capital branch.
In any case, it was convenient that she’d be leaving soon.
“When you go, could you let them know that I’m staying in Damus territory?”
“Didn’t you say you were going to rest? If they hear that, they’ll call you back immediately.”
“I don’t intend to rest for long. If I just say I’m recovering and taking time off to heal, what can they do? It’s not like they’ll come all the way to Damus to check whether I’m really injured. They’ll just leave it be, so long as I return at a reasonable time.”
“You really are meticulous. Fine. When I stop by the guild, I’ll also pass word along to the Cradle.”
“Thank you.”
Better to indulge in a minor deception than tell an obvious lie that would be exposed immediately.
“Take care on your way. As for the bill, I’ll leave that to you, Cattleya.”
“That was the plan.”
She really did live a relentlessly busy life.
To be already planning her return the moment she got out of bed….such a lifestyle would be impossible for me.
“Oh, right. What about these two? Should I take them with me?”
Cattleya pointed at Helena and Dietrich, who were standing blankly by, listening to our conversation.
Trying to put the kids to work already. What a shameless person.
“I’ll be keeping these two in Damus territory for the time being. Later, just assign a few people to look after them.”
“Too bad.”
Cattleya clicked her tongue regretfully as she glanced at the two.
“Hey now, you’re a grown woman. What on earth are you thinking, staring at kids that young?”
“Johan Damus. Are you actually trying to get yourself killed?”
“…I’ll restrain myself.”
Still, compared to Helena, the age gap was nearly threefold…
“Shh!”
“Yes, yes, I get it.”
And compared to Dietrich, it was about double.
***
Once Cattleya had left, I spent my days idling around the mansion, living as leisurely as ever.
“Ugh, I don’t want to go back to the Cradle.”
After Cattleya passed along my message, the Cradle sent back word almost immediately that they’d dispatch someone.
They really can’t stand the sight of anyone resting, can they?
Maybe next time I get a chance like this, I should just disappear entirely.
In the past, it was only a sense of responsibility that kept me hanging on. But if I died caught up in some terrorist attack, what could they do about it?
No one’s going to waste their time sending people to investigate some backwater place. And even if they did, now that I can wield high-level illusion magic, hiding myself from prying eyes would be easy.
Of course, there are things I’d have to give up along the way.
“Chris.”
“Yes, brother?”
“Ever think about becoming lord?”
The title of a count.
If I were to die caught up in a terrorist attack, they wouldn’t be able to grant a title to a corpse. So naturally, I couldn’t become the next count.
In that case, the next lord would be Chris, the legitimate heir.
“Please don’t say such things!”
Thud!
But to my surprise, Chris slammed the desk in outrage at a comment I’d only thrown out half-seriously.
With a loud crack! the wooden desk split clean in half.
Holy crap… He’s my little brother, but he’s seriously terrifying.
“I know you’ve sacrificed a lot for my sake, Brother.”
“No, I—”
If that’s how you see it, couldn’t you just take over for me?
“You don’t have to sacrifice anything more! The next lord is you, Brother! Who would dare question your qualifications? If anyone did, I’d personally fold them in half at the waist…so please, don’t worry about a thing!”
“……”
He’s saying all this for my sake.
But seriously, I don’t want to be the lord.
Once Lobelia sends over those thirteen bars of gold, I could just live out the rest of my life in leisure…
“Do you understand?! And you must never say something like that again, Brother.”
“Y-Yeah, okay…”
“Hmph!”
I was too scared to say another word.
If I said anything else pathetic now, it might not be the desk that gets split in half. It could be my spine.
***
My plan to dump the position of heir onto Chris had failed.
In the end, I had no choice but to return to the Cradle, practically in tears.
At this point, I was starting to wonder if some invisible force was pulling me back toward the Cradle.
Anyway, I figured I’d better enjoy what little time off I had.
No one was watching me here, and no one was stalking me.
It was practically paradise.
“Come to think of it, Doctor, what’s that you’re holding?”
“Hm? Oh, right. I forgot I had this.”
It was early morning.
Helena, whom I’d run into by chance while out for a walk, tilted her head and asked.
Only then did I remember I still had the Book of Lemegeton on me.
I pulled the book out from inside my coat… Why did it look like a rag?
“Do you know what this is?”
“Uh…”
Helena blinked and glanced back and forth between the book and me. She must have had some idea of what the Book of Lemegeton represented.
“Why do you have it?”
“It just kind of happened.”
“Hmm, I guess that makes sense. It’s not something you can get your hands on by trying. Still, the fact that I only noticed just now… I guess I’ve got a long way to go.”
“Yeah?”
Now that she mentioned it, how had she not noticed earlier even while I was standing in front of a prophet?
Was the book’s concealment ability just that good?
But then again, whenever I met with Kult, the book always kept its distance. Probably because it didn’t want to get noticed…
“Shall I purify it for you?”
“Oh?”
Now that was good news.
Come to think of it, there was that method. When it came to purifying demons, nothing worked better than divine power.
“Spare me, please… I’d only just recovered from the shock I suffered recently, and now this? Isn’t this a bit much?”
“What shock…? Oh.”
I was about to scold it for spouting nonsense, but then it hit me.
There was a moment when this thing, which had been chattering nonstop, suddenly went quiet.
It was right when Kult’s illusion appeared before my eyes.
Had it taken some kind of fatal damage, like a vampire facing the light?
If that was why it ended up in rags and Helena didn’t notice it until now, then it all made sense.
Still, I had no obligation to concern myself with this thing’s well-being.
“Why should I keep you alive when you’re completely useless to me?”
“I gave you advice on how to escape the illusion, didn’t I?”
“That’s it?”
“…Didn’t you also form a contract with Deus? If I die, that contract gets violated. Are you ready to face the consequences of that?”
“Ha… This little bastard. That’s actually logical.”
Honestly, I wasn’t confident I could face those consequences.
Deus might’ve been stringing me along this whole time, but what could I do against a monster like that?
With no power of my own, all I could do was bow my head.
“I’ll cooperate from now on.”
“Hmph…”
And as much as I hated to admit it, I had spent a decent amount of time with this thing. That gave me pause.
Ugh… Should I let it live or kill it?
“Tch. Fine. Helena, I’ll handle this guy myself.”
“Is that so? Very well. If you can reform a demon, that would be wonderful.”
I guess I’d let it slide this time.
After all, I was curious about the scriptwriter’s reaction.
Still, what an annoyingly lucky little bastard.
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