What could I possibly do?
To be honest, there was very little I could actually resolve on my own.
I knew I wouldn’t be able to get through this without help from others.
Still, I couldn’t just hand everything over and step back. This was my problem, and I had to take care of it myself.
So then, what was it that I needed to do?
It was to make the most of the situation I was in.
Now, for the most important matter.
“I’m here for counseling.”
“Huh…”
Kult Hereticus.
I’d start with you.
***
“I never thought you’d come find me on your own.”
“Because I’m a coward?”
“Yes. You definitely left the impression of a coward the last time we met.”
“I’m well aware of how pathetic I am.”
I had looked pretty pitiful back then.
To be honest, I still wanted to run away now. I didn’t even want to make eye contact.
But since he was clearly targeting me, I couldn’t keep running forever.
No, I had nowhere left to run.
Even a cornered rat would bite a cat. This time, it was my turn.
“By the way, didn’t you say the other day that we should have a proper conversation next time?”
“I did.”
“Well, doesn’t this seem like the perfect time for that?”
“Haha… A situation I’ve been hoping for, really. Have a seat, Mr. Johan.”
Kult gave a faint smile.
Sure, I figured something like this wouldn’t even faze him.
“So, what’s troubling you, Mr. Johan? I’m all ears.”
“Lately, it feels like some strange guy has been stalking me. I’m so anxious, I can barely sleep at night.”
“Oh dear, that must be quite distressing.”
His shamelessness knew no bounds.
Even though I was blatantly criticizing him, he didn’t so much as bat an eye.
That meant a battle of nerves was meaningless. He already had a read on what kind of person I was, so unlike last time, it would be hard to throw him off balance.
In a place like this, being blunt was better than beating around the bush.
“Let’s exchange information. It seems like you’ve got some questions for me too, so why don’t we each ask one at a time?”
“Sounds good. But Johan, is there any guarantee that either of us won’t lie to the other?”
“There’s no such guarantee. Lying’s allowed. I might lie too. Let’s see who can read the other better.”
“Great. Sounds fun. I may not be as good as you, but I’m fairly confident in my acting skills.”
“Is that so? I’m not very good at it myself.”
“Haha, lying right from the start.”
Kult gave a slight smile.
Looking at him like this, he seemed like an ordinary… no, a timid boy at best.
I knew just how terrifying the things hidden inside him were, but I had no intention of digging that up now.
“Let’s start with the first one, then. You said I was good at acting. What made you think that?”
“I looked into you.”
“Is my personal information some kind of public resource? Everyone’s been digging into my past lately.”
“It was interesting. Especially what happened after you lost your fiancée. Ah! I’ll use one of my questions here too. Were you especially close to her?”
A kind of question that could stab someone straight in the heart, depending on the person.
Truly fitting for the leader of an evil organization.
But my expression didn’t falter.
He probably meant to shake me emotionally, but I remained steady.
I stayed composed.
I couldn’t afford to show even a sliver of emotion in front of this guy.
Kult was the kind of person who could see through everything with just that.
And all of it would become a weakness.
“To be honest, it happened when I was five. I don’t even remember her face. I’m not sure I even liked her.”
I didn’t even need to take a deep breath.
The words rolled off my tongue in the same tone I always used.
“Is that so? That’s unfortunate.”
It wasn’t a lie.
I no longer even remembered her face. Honestly, if someone asked whether I had liked her, I couldn’t say for sure.
Wasn’t I far too young back then?
It was a time when wounds healed easily.
Besides, at that age, I hadn’t even regained the memories of my past life, nor did I really understand what love was.
“What brings you to the Cradle?”
“What else? I was formally invited as a psychological counselor, wasn’t I?”
“……”
“Hmm, alright. Was it that obvious? I’m here to finish a conversation we couldn’t before. About the Oracle.”
That confirmed it. Kult’s objective was me.
Of course, he might have had other motives. But one thing was certain: I was one of them.
“So, what is it? What’s your relationship with the Oracle?”
“I have no relationship at all.”
“Come on now, let’s not tell lies that are too obvious, shall we?”
“I mean it. I have no connection. I don’t even know what the Oracle looks like.”
“Hmm? That can’t be right.”
Kult tilted his head in confusion.
This was one thing I didn’t even need to fake. I didn’t know the Oracle’s appearance. I didn’t even know their gender. There simply couldn’t be any link between us.
And perhaps because of that, Kult actually looked flustered.
“If anything, I should be the one asking. Why do you think I’m connected to the Oracle?”
“Because you know the future. Otherwise, something that happened wouldn’t have been possible.”
“I understand.”
At that moment, I understood why Kult had taken an interest in me.
It must have been because the future he, a prophet, had seen didn’t match the one that actually came to pass.
He might not have known all futures, but at the very least, he must have seen Dietrich’s.
This couldn’t be helped.
Who could’ve known I’d end up facing Dietrich during the class placement exam?
Was it my fault I was weak?
This was just bad luck.
And I had already come too far to feel resentful about it.
Even if I had no connection to the Oracle, one thing was certain: I could change the future.
“Now it’s my turn, right? Who was the Under Chain’s spy?”
“…The Under Chain’s spy? I’m not sure what you mean. Is there really someone from the Under Chain in the Cradle?”
“There is. How could there not be? If you look closely, you might even find a follower of Eden.”
Kult’s act had been flawless.
But it was easy to tell he was lying.
There was no way Kult, who had been attacked right alongside me, hadn’t at least suspected something.
He wasn’t the type to dismiss such an incident as coincidence. Kult wasn’t an optimist.
He was ruthless because he was desperate.
A monster willing to burn his own life away to reach the Forbidden Garden couldn’t afford to be careless.
“It’s your turn. Go ahead.”
“You’re right… Judging by the mood, I guess this will be the last question?”
It was. I had already gathered all the information I needed.
“Johan.”
Kult, who had maintained a gentle smile throughout our conversation, suddenly turned serious.
“Could you risk your life for someone else?”
Was this Kult’s own form of contemplation? Or just another part of the act?
Maybe he was trying to recruit me. A man like Kult, ready to burn himself alive to overturn the world, might be desperate to find someone who could understand him.
“No, my life is what I value most.”
But there was no future in which Kult and I would ever truly understand each other.
I had no intention of sacrificing my life for a goal.
***
The conversation with Kult hadn’t been without its results.
Like it or not, Kult was someone who moved like a mastermind behind the scenes.
If we focused too much on suspecting and monitoring him, something unexpected was bound to happen elsewhere.
In that case, he’d likely use the traitor hiding in Class F.
Finding the traitor in Class F? That wouldn’t be a problem for Kult.
Using his role as a counselor and his power of suggestion would make it easy. Especially with his brilliant mind.
“Still, it looks like I managed to fool him… somehow.”
I asked Kult who the traitor in Class F was. He claimed he didn’t even know there was one.
If he truly hadn’t known, he wouldn’t have responded like that. If anything, he would’ve pretended to know something just to throw me off.
“Melana, huh? Just as I thought.”
But in truth, I already knew who the traitor in Class F was.
All I needed was confirmation that Kult intended to use the traitor.
He had slipped up because he prioritized hiding the traitor’s identity more than anything else.
I had already sensed that he would try to find the Under Chain’s spy. That was just the kind of person he was.
He would’ve called in the students one by one and dug into the matter using suggestions and brainwashing.
If he made one mistake—
If you’re going to shake someone’s mind up like that, you should at least clean up after yourself.
—it was that the aftermath lingered.
I waited for students to come out of Kult’s counseling room.
Then, I targeted the ones whose minds had clearly been shaken and thrown into confusion.
“You’re the traitor, aren’t you?”
“Huh? Me?”
“Don’t even think about denying it. I already know everything.”
“What the hell is wrong with this guy…”
Anyone who reacted like that wasn’t the traitor.
I had picked the moment they were mentally vulnerable, and still, they responded so plainly.
That’s how I went about confirming them one by one.
My image?
I didn’t care about that.
I never had friends anyway.
So even if my reputation got even worse from this, it didn’t matter.
Kult had no idea how low I was willing to go.
Using that method, I narrowed down the list of suspects and eventually tracked down Melana.
If it had been in the past, I would’ve gone straight to tell Lobelia…
“I’ll give you a chance. Turn yourself in before I report you to Her Highness. If you do, she might take that into account.”
For now, I gave her a chance.
It was bait, too.
If Melana turned herself in to Lobelia here, she could probably expect some degree of leniency.
However, if she thought about taking me down before I reported her…
Then everything would go just as I had planned.
I had laid out enough bait.
Now, only one thing remained.
***
A gust of wind blew.
It was a sudden breeze.
“Ah!”
“……”
A startled voice.
Snow-white hair fluttered in the spring wind.
A hat floated high into the sky, then slowly drifted down toward the ground.
A girl with red eyes rolled her gaze in confusion, holding down her rabbit ears that were now suddenly exposed.
“Sir Johan…?”
My eyes met those of Ariel Ether.
Once, then twice.
Ariel blinked a few times, then frowned and spoke.
“When coincidences pile up, it starts to feel unpleasant. Could you pick up my hat for me? No, never mind. I’ll just get it myself. You’d probably just complain about it anyway.”
Muttering to herself, Ariel began walking toward me.
Unlike before, it seemed she was feeling well this time.
Still, I picked up the hat before she could.
I turned it over in my hands for a moment and then tried it on.
“Does it suit me?”
“No, not at all.”
“Well, I figured as much. Here, I’ll give it back.”
Shff! Ariel snatched the hat from my hand as if she was taking it back by force.
She was full of suspicion.
“I kind of knew something like this wouldn’t suit me.”
“Then why…?”
“Even if it doesn’t suit me, I might still want to try it on once. But yeah, as I thought, it’s not for me. I won’t wear it again.”
“That’s a wise decision.”
A rather blunt assessment.
But not wrong, really.
“And this time, I didn’t run into you by chance. I came looking for you.”
“What? Me? Why…?”
I didn’t particularly like her, and it seemed she didn’t like me much either.
Well, I had deceived her more than once. My personality probably had its issues too.
Anyway…
“I was wondering if we could make a deal.”
“A deal? Does Sir Johan even have anything to offer me?”
“Wow…”
What a way to talk.
How little must she think of me to say something like that?
The noble lady’s deeply ingrained sense of superiority slipped out so naturally.
“Don’t look at me like that. I only meant I don’t want anything from you.”
“Of course.”
As a fellow noble, I could understand the ugly side she showed.
Well, I suppose that’s to be expected from a duke’s daughter…
“And realistically speaking, does Sir Johan even have anything to give me? Our family has more money, more military strength, and everything else…”
“I was joking, but at this point, it’s actually starting to get scary.”
No, really.
That wasn’t a joke. It was a glimpse into a genuinely disturbing sense of superiority.
“Ugh! J-Just say what you want. If it’s something simple, I’ll consider it.”
Lobelia liked to weigh gains and losses, but Ariel wasn’t like that. She was full of goodwill.
But what could I do? I wasn’t that kind of person. I didn’t believe in favors given without a price.
“You probably already know the situation. Kult Hereticus is targeting me. So I’ve been making my own preparations.”
“And?”
“Of course, Her Highness must have her own plans, but this time… would you be willing to go along with mine?”
Lobelia might have had her own plans, but I doubted they were solid.
I’d considered telling her mine and asking for help, but in the end, the risk just felt too high.
It would’ve meant exposing one of my biggest secrets to her.
At my sincere request, Ariel frowned and replied.
“…Is this a confession or something?”
“Absolutely not.”
So don’t flinch like that. You’ll only end up getting hurt for no reason.
I didn’t like you either, you know?
“Hmm, I suppose it’s understandable to feel uneasy since Sir Johan is weak. Her Highness will be fine without me, since she’s strong…”
Ariel gave me a once-over as if appraising me from head to toe.
Wow, she was seriously something else.
“Alright, fine. But you mentioned a deal. What exactly can you offer in return, Sir Johan?”
“A way to cure you.”
I knew what happened when a body couldn’t withstand overwhelming talent.
A fiercely burning blue flame.
A body vaporizing within it.
A tragedy born from talent, known as “Transcendence Syndrome”, or “Archmage’s Disease”.
The genius of an archmage eating away at Ariel Ether’s body.
I knew about her illness.
“…….!”
Ariel’s eyes widened.
She had likely resigned herself to everything after our last conversation.
I too had looked away, thinking there was nothing anyone could do.
“…Wait. Don’t tell me—there’s actually a way?”
“No, there isn’t. Not even in the future will there be a cure for you.”
The idea of suddenly inventing something within a few years was absurd from the start.
It was the kind of thing that might succeed only after years of digging deep into the field with massive funding.
“Then what? How can you offer something that doesn’t even exist?”
Ariel seemed slightly angry, perhaps feeling like she was being played.
I couldn’t blame her.
She had probably already half given up after our previous talk.
But this wasn’t a joke, nor an empty promise made to get out of a tough spot.
“I’ll create it.”
“…Huh?”
“I actually know more about that illness than you’d expect.”
I had been researching transcendence syndrome for a long time.
To be precise, since I was five.
Ever since I saw someone burn away and dissolve into the world right before my eyes.
Since witnessing the death of my fiancée.
Until I changed the direction of my research to cure my younger brother, Chris.
“You’ve probably already looked into my background, so you’d know. I have some expertise in alchemy.”
I had clung to that illness.
I shifted the focus of my research not to bring back the dead, but to save the living, and used that as an excuse to give up.
Yeah, I was a coward who couldn’t commit to either path. Pathetic, really.
“I will create the cure for your illness, so please help me just this once.”
It couldn’t be helped.
That was the excuse I’d used to run away.
To save my brother Chris, it couldn’t be helped.
Because I wasn’t a genius, it couldn’t be helped.
Because clinging to someone already dead meant nothing, it couldn’t be helped.
I had run away from research that showed no progress, using excuses like those.
That’s why, for someone like me who always ran away, making a proposal like this didn’t suit me at all.
But what could I do?
Just like the time I tried on a big hat that had blown in on the wind one day.
“Will you trust me?”
Even if it didn’t suit me, maybe just once, I wanted to try.
That too was something that couldn’t be helped.
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