Chapter 234: Division Part 3

After smacking Mephistopheles a few times, I was finally able to calm down. And once I was calm, I realized something anew.

“You actually won?”

How did she win?

Sure, I had information and some decent abilities, so winning wouldn’t be too hard for me.

But this one?

She managed to take him down with those pathetic powers?

“Hands down.”

“Understood.”

I called Mephistopheles over as she knelt with her hands up.

“…….”

“Now then, ‘I’m sorry’, right?”

I thought about asking how she pulled it off but figured it’d be better not to. She’d just get full of herself.

Still, watching Mephistopheles timidly apologize before I even said anything… at least her upbringing seemed decent enough.

“What are you going to do about that? You turned someone into a Christmas decoration! Are we supposed to split roles. One makes a mess, the other cleans it up?”

“I brought it as undeniable proof that I eliminated the source of your worries…”

“Well, now you’ve given me more worries.”

“…….”

“More importantly, how did you get it here without anyone noticing?”

“I stopped time using my power. If there’s no one around, I can pause it for about five minutes.”

“Oh, really?”

So she basically activated her power when there weren’t many people and rushed over.

“Then go get rid of it the same way.”

“I’ve used my power too many times today. I can’t stop time anymore.”

“Ugh.”

Maybe it’s because I didn’t expect anything from her. I can’t even get mad at this point.

“Put your hands back up.”

“Understood.”

Mephistopheles was of no help regarding this matter.

Bringing the Worm Gear here could be called an achievement… but it’s not like I had any intention of collecting gears.

No, more than that, even though I have no interest in them, gears keep getting thrown at me from all directions.

I really don’t know whether to consider this a blessing or a curse.

“Alright.”

My plan to snap Lobelia back to her senses no longer mattered.

What I needed to do now was…

“Mephisto.”

“Should I put my hands down now?”

“Yeah. And wipe the blood off yourself. I’ll deal with this.”

“Understood.”

I had to do something about the corpse.

Even if death is treated lightly in this world, leaving an obvious murder scene lying around is never a good idea.

If anyone happened to discover it and I got dragged into some investigation, it would be a huge headache.

“Disposing of a body… huh.”

It really made me feel like an actual criminal.

***

First, Mephisto and I cleaned up all the blood splattered across the floor.

As for the corpse, I could wrap it in a bedsheet and dump it somewhere out of sight.

The important thing was not getting caught.

Since I was technically a guest here, imperial knights were patrolling around as security.

The question was how to break through that perimeter.

Honestly, I wasn’t confident.

But maybe Yuna could manage it.

She was the only one I could share such a dangerous problem with.

For now, I should explain the situation to Yuna, who was probably in the next room, and ask for her help.

Screeeak—

With that thought, I slung the sheet-wrapped body over my shoulder and stepped out of the room.

“Oh, Johan. Did you sleep well?”

“Ghk?!”

I ran straight into Lobelia standing right at the door.

I could practically hear the sound of my plan falling apart the moment it began.

Stay calm. I need to stay calm.

My crime hasn’t been exposed yet.

No….why would this even be considered my crime in the first place?!

“I-I was just startled, that’s all.”

Being startled the moment I saw Lobelia’s face wasn’t the real problem.

If you open the door and someone’s standing there, of course you might jump. It’s perfectly normal.

“Why are you so startled…? You’re still as skittish as ever.”

“We are on the front lines, Your Highness. It’s only natural.”

Calm. Composed.

From here on, I must not act awkward or stutter under any circumstances.

“About that vampire matter you mentioned…. I gave it some thought, and it might not be such a bad idea after all.”

“…I see.”

My lips felt dry.

How am I even supposed to tell her the vampire is already dead?

Besides, it’d be ridiculous to present someone who died that easily as a worthy foe for Lobelia.

“But Johan, what is that? It looks almost like you’ve wrapped up a corpse.”

“Ah, this? It’s nothing special. It’s an item used for tracking vampires, but it deteriorates easily when exposed to sunlight, so I’ve covered it like this.”

A smooth lie flowed out of me without a hitch.

I had anticipated the question, but even so…. well done, me.

When did I become such a terrible person?

“Oh, really? Something related to alchemy, I suppose. Well, you have always been good with that sort of thing. At this rate, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ex Machina tried to scout you.”

“Please don’t say horrifying things like that.”

“But Johan.”

“Yes?”

“You’re a more impressive person than I thought. I truly mean that.”

“…Why are you suddenly saying things like that? It’s embarrassing.”

Please stop.

I’m in the middle of illegally dumping a corpse, and you’re making me feel guilty.

I’m sorry, Your Highness.

“No, I mean it. Honestly, your acting skills alone are admirable.”

“……”

“Johan, are you aware you’re sweating cold sweat by the bucket right now?”

The acting was fine.

But fooling my body’s involuntary reactions was impossible.

Was this my conscience screaming?

“Johan, this time I trust you’ll answer honestly. The thing slung over your shoulder…. what is it?”

“…You won’t get angry?”

“Why would I? It’s not like it’s an actual corpse, right?”

Lobelia smirked.

I, however, could not smile.

Because it was an actual corpse.

“It’s not something I can really show you out here…why don’t you come inside?”

“Sure, let’s do that.”

I let Lobelia into the room.

And the moment she stepped inside, she put a hand to her forehead.

She didn’t even need to see the corpse.

As soon as she entered, she would’ve spotted Mephistopheles crouched in the corner, scrubbing blood off the wall.

“I suppose there’s no need to show you now, but… I’ll show you anyway.”

Then I lowered the bundle I’d been carrying in front of Lobelia who was holding her head in visible frustration.

As I unwrapped the carefully bundled cloth, what emerged was a corpse dried up like a mummy.

“Urgh… my head…”

Lobelia groaned, her migraine clearly kicking in from the sheer absurdity of the situation.

Probably not much different from the headache I had earlier this morning.

“Johan.”

“Your Highness, please stay calm and listen to me. I didn’t do this.”

As Lobelia continued to sigh and groan in exasperation, her voice suddenly turned cold.

Panicking, I scrambled to prepare an explanation.

No…this wasn’t an excuse.

I really didn’t do it.

“Start talking.”

Her tone was like a beast growling—

The kind of pressure that made it feel like she’d explode if provoked even slightly.

Shrinking under that overwhelming aura, I nervously explained the situation.

“She did it.”

Mephistopheles who was still miserably wiping the floor in the corner looked up at me with a stunned expression.

What? You’re gonna stare at me like that?

It’s not like I lied.

***

I ended up confessing everything to Lobelia.

Not just who this corpse was or where it came from—

But also everything else I’d been hiding up until now.

The atmosphere made it clear. If I didn’t come clean, I might not make it out alive.

So, I just told her the truth.

“So, what you’re saying is this guy Mephistopheles is a demon, you’re part of Ex Machina, and you’ve already collected five gears, making you the most likely candidate for the next Scriptwriter?”

“When you put it like that, I sound like a villain.”

“If it sounds that way, then maybe you are the villain, Johan. How is it that you’ve got ties to every organization out there?”

“All of it started with you, Your Highness.”

“Did you just insult me?”

“No, not at all… I think you might be a little sensitive right now.”

“Of course I am. For all I know, the person standing in front of me could be the most dangerous threat to the Empire.”

“……”

That’s just unfair. Does she have any idea how many problems I’ve solved?

“At this point, everything you’ve done until now is starting to look like a terrorist’s strategy to eliminate their competition.”

“That’s seriously unfair.”

“I know. I know… and yet, that’s where my thoughts are going.”

“…I’m sorry.”

“You’d better be.”

She didn’t even offer the courtesy of saying, “It’s fine,” so she must really be furious.

“The most ridiculous part of all this is that I was the only one who didn’t know any of it.”

“Some of it, you already—”

“Are you talking back to me?”

“Of course not.”

What a handful.

“Haaah…”

Lobelia let out a sigh full of emotion and turned to look out the window.

“It’s snowing.”

“Huh?”

“Just when I thought spring was coming… I guess not. Looks like winter’s going to last a bit longer.”

“Perfect weather for dumping a corpse.”

“…Just from that comment, you already sound like a criminal.”

“There’s no way I am.”

It’s only natural to get fixated on a single thought when you’re cornered.

Right now, I just want to deal with this awful corpse, no matter what.

“So, what are you going to do now?”

“There’s a river nearby…”

“Not that. I’m asking what your next move is now that you’ve already hunted the vampire.”

“Uh, well…”

I had no idea.

I was planning to deal with the body first and figure the rest out later.

“Should I fabricate something?”

“Johan…”

“…I’m sorry.”

If it were me, I’d go ahead with it, but clearly Lobelia wasn’t having it.

Seriously, since when was she such a model of integrity?

“Well then, um… how about this plan?”

So I quickly came up with something on the fly to dodge the situation.

“We head to the Veldani Mountains.”

I decided to throw an imperial member onto the stage the Scriptwriter had prepared.

***

To be honest, I didn’t think Lobelia would actually go along with it.

I figured if I threw out a reckless and uncertain plan, she’d just sigh, maybe smack me on the head a couple of times, and that would be the end of it. I never imagined she’d actually come with me.

And so, an uncomfortable journey began.

Not that Lobelia herself was uncomfortable. Well, okay, she was, but… that’s not what I meant.

“Haaah.”

“……!”

Every time Lobelia let out a sigh tinged with irritation, Theseus flinched.

“It’s honestly kind of funny. Who would’ve thought I’d be surrounded by so many criminals?”

“…….”

Silence fell over the group.

If only those without a criminal record were allowed to speak, the only one left would be the coachman.

Yuna who was the Safe Clown and a member of the Misfits group.

Theseus who was secretly in contact with the leader of Ex Machina.

Immun who was not just in contact, but an actual executive of Ex Machina.

And then there’s me….the one who committed every one of those crimes.

Looking at it that way, I’m the biggest bastard of them all.

“It’s hot.”

“Sh-should I use an ice spell?”

“No need. Any magic you use is bound to be worthless anyway.”

“Yes.”

Not wrong, but still harsh.

“Yuna, why don’t you cast something? You’re the next Tower Master, after all.”

“Okay.”

With the spell Yuna cast, the air inside the carriage quickly turned cool.

She’s surprisingly good at this. I mean, I did ask her to do it, but still.

Since when was she this skilled?

Sure, she’s learning directly from the Tower Master, but… still. I’m barely scratching the surface of intermediate magic, aside from illusion spells, and now I just feel robbed.

“Brother. What do you plan to do from now on?”

“……”

No. Wait.

The temperature just dropped way too fast.

The atmosphere, I mean. It suddenly turned freezing.

Maybe Yuna messed up the output.

“If the time comes that I have to kill the Scriptwriter… which side will you choose, Brother?”

“I……”

Theseus lowered his head.

Lobelia wasn’t just talking about a situation where Deus clearly turned against us.

She meant if, for political reasons, she’s forced to oppose him.

If it’s not a matter of good versus evil but something far more complicated—

Whose side would he choose then?

I understand. Lobelia’s question was necessary.

When you realize that a supposedly just and righteous hero, someone who stood for absolute good, is actually human, capable of making exceptions in judgment… that kind of overwhelming power becomes all the more unsettling.

“…For now, I’ll side with Your Highness.”

Sensing the tension thickening, I quietly voiced my support for Lobelia.

It didn’t look like Theseus was going to answer anytime soon.

Maybe butting in like that was just stirring the pot, but still—

I believed it was the right thing to do. Besides, she looked more fragile now than she ever had before.

“Johan, I wasn’t asking you… but I must say, that answer was quite refreshing. May I ask why?”

“Well, I’m closer to Your Highness. And you’ve helped me cover up a corpse and hide the whole incident. Obviously, I should take your side.”

“Haha!”

Thankfully, Lobelia laughed at my answer.

It wasn’t a joke. I was being sincere…but still. The explosive tension in the air eased a little.

“Well, at least your standards are clear. I quite like that about you.”

“You flatter me.”

The mood inside the carriage seemed to relax… just a little.