“……I can explain everything.”
I said that, but I have no idea how I’m supposed to explain this.
Looking at Ariel and Yuna staring at me in silence, it feels like I’m walking through a minefield.
It’d be nice if Lobelia helped me.
“Uh, um, th-that’s not it, j-just, listen to me, Ariel.”
Yeah… she’s not going to be any help.
Her eyes won’t stay still, darting around like someone who’s done something wrong.
Ariel glanced at Lobelia like that, then simply ignored her and looked back at me. She’s telling me to explain.
Alright, this is the turning point.
How should I explain this to Ariel and Yuna?
Lying would be easy. But that would be betraying both of them.
And if I get caught, I lose all their trust. And if I lose their trust, they’ll probably lock me up.
That conclusion might sound a bit extreme, but I’m probably not wrong.
“You’ve both heard that I was cursed, right?”
“A curse?”
Seems like this is the first time Ariel’s hearing about it.
Well, it makes sense. Before I could explain, Lobelia barged in and turned everything into a mess.
“There’s a whole story behind it. I’ll explain that later, but I was recently afflicted with a severe curse. Actually… I’m still under it.”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m a bit better now. Still feel a little sluggish and dizzy, though. Anyway, when I first got cursed, things were much worse than now.”
Let’s just be honest.
And ask for forgiveness. If they don’t forgive me… well, there’s nothing I can do.
It’s not like they’ll kill me… right?
“Then I met Her Highness.”
And with that, I explained everything from start to finish. Of course, with a bit of embellishment. I framed it as something unavoidable.
But I didn’t lie.
“I see… So that’s what happened. Johan, that must have been really hard for you. You’re really okay, right?”
“I’m just a little dizzy.”
The kind Ariel pouted as she examined my body. It felt like she was taking the chance to grope me a bit, but that must just be my imagination.
She’s probably just worried about me, that’s all.
“Johan, you need to be more careful from now on, okay?”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
“I mean it.”
After fussing over me for a while, carefully checking my condition, Ariel slowly lifted her head.
I was just about to smile at how cute she looked, but the moment I saw her expression, my face stiffened.
“Make sure rumors like this don’t reach my ears again.”
“……”
Her chilling red eyes stared straight at me.
It felt like she could see right through everything.
Ah, right. I shouldn’t forget. She’s an archmage who has grasped part of the laws of the world.
Her insight far surpasses that of ordinary people.
“Since you told me honestly, I’ll let it slide this time.”
Thank goodness. Being honest was the right choice.
At Ariel’s calm warning, I could only nod in silence.
It felt like an overwhelming pressure was crushing my body.
No… maybe it wasn’t just a feeling. It’s possible Ariel’s power was actually restraining me.
That’s terrifying.
“Johan.”
But the scary part wasn’t over yet.
Ariel may have forgiven me, but Yuna hasn’t.
Yuna stood up from her chair, where she had been sitting with a sulky expression, and walked toward me.
Maybe because I had just faced Ariel, Yuna only looked slightly upset rather than scary.
“This time, I won’t scold you. It’s partly my fault you pushed yourself that far, Johan.”
“Yuna…”
“If I had persuaded Ollie that day, if I had noticed something was wrong sooner, you wouldn’t have had to push yourself like that. So I won’t blame you.”
Even as she said that, Yuna’s expression looked angry.
She seemed more angry at herself than at me. Seeing that only made me feel even more sorry.
So I took Yuna’s hand. I just held it tightly.
At that, Yuna gave a small, helpless smile.
Meanwhile, Ariel approached Lobelia.
“Your Highness.”
“M-Mhmm.”
“I trust you.”
Ariel smiled brightly.
It seemed like the situation had been resolved well enough. I let out a sigh of relief.
“You’re not the kind of shameless person who goes after her friend’s man, right?”
“……”
“You’re not that kind of trash, so I won’t say anything.”
…Or not?
Maybe it’s not time to relax yet.
“You’re my most precious friend, after all. So I believe you won’t betray me.”
A stern warning.
In a way, Ariel’s gentle smile was even scarier than the expressionless look she had shown me earlier.
“Mhmm……”
Lobelia nodded, completely intimidated, like a hamster facing a predator.
This is strange… why does a rabbit look like a terrifying beast?
***
Fortunately, I wasn’t executed. Yuna and Ariel had been generous enough to forgive me.
Still, it felt a bit ambiguous to say I was fully forgiven.
“Where are you going?”
Because Yuna had started monitoring my daily life.
Ariel was too busy to keep an eye on me, but Yuna had relatively more free time, so she stuck close to me like this.
Honestly, it’s not that different from usual, but since I do feel guilty, it’s a bit burdensome.
“The imperial palace.”
I answered honestly.
I’ve mostly overcome the effects of the curse now, so I’m prepared.
So I’m planning to ask Lapis to summon Faust.
Of course, with a bunch of wraiths in tow.
“I’m coming with you.”
“Yuna, I get how you feel, but not just anyone can enter the imperial palace.”
There are monsters living in the imperial palace.
Yeah, monsters. Even just one is enough to send chills down your spine, but since they’re swarming with them, even someone like Yuna would have a hard time sneaking around.
“Then we just walk in confidently through the front gate. It’s fine. I can come and go from the imperial palace freely too.”
“Is that because you’re the heir to the Magic Tower or something?”
“It’s more like… well, something like that.”
Seems like there’s something I don’t know. Either way, if she can freely enter the palace, there’s no reason to leave her behind.
I’m someone who always needs Yuna’s protection, after all.
“Then let’s go.”
“But what are you going to the palace for?”
“To meet Princess Lapis.”
“So you’re going to see another woman?”
“……I meant I’m going to ask a favor to summon the great sage.”
“I see. Johan, I’d appreciate it if you’d be careful. If you don’t speak clearly, I might misunderstand.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
That’s scary.
It’s even scarier because I actually did something wrong.
One mistake really can change your whole life.
“Alright then, shall we go?”
Yuna smiled brightly and wrapped her arms around mine.
They say life is a comedy when seen from afar, but a tragedy when seen up close. I could truly understand what that meant.
From a distance, we might look like a couple walking arm in arm, but in reality, it’s no different from being escorted under custody.
“Yuna, I’m not going to run away.”
“Oh come on, why would you say that? Johan, you really don’t know me. Puhihihi!”
Yuna waved her hand dismissively and hugged my arm even tighter.
The feeling against my arm was… pleasantly soft and full, but at the same time, there was a strange sense of pressure.
“You can’t run away anyway.”
“……”
“I’m confident I could catch you within three minutes even if you tried.”
That’s true.
If Yuna really tried to catch me, three minutes wouldn’t even be necessary. She’d catch me in seconds.
“So I’m just doing this because I like it. You know that, right?”
“Y-Yeah……”
As Yuna said, this probably isn’t meant to stop me from running away.
Most of what she says tends to be right anyway, so there’d be no need for that.
But I know.
This is a display.
A warning not to mess with her man.
Honestly, it doesn’t really matter since I’m not planning on cheating anyway.
Still, how should I put it?
“Johan, you know I love you a lot, right?”
“……Yeah.”
For some reason, her love felt heavy today.
***
At the imperial palace, in a garden full of blooming flowers, I was able to meet Lapis.
It’s a place that really suits her.
For someone whose head is basically a flower field, could there be a more fitting spot?
“It looks like your preparations are complete.”
“Yes. Could you perhaps call the Great Sage for me?”
“And the date?”
“Three days from now, at night should work.”
Even if I’m just an advisor, I need to give advance notice if I want to mobilize all the Guillotine Knights.
“Alright. I’ll pass it along. But what are you planning to offer in return? You’re not expecting me to work for free, are you?”
“I’ll lend you Mephi.”
“Sounds good! I’ll get to spend some quality time with the youngest.”
I ended up offering Mephi, who isn’t even here, but whatever. That girl’s been slacking off lately anyway. It’s about time she did some work. Besides, I’m not sure how things would turn out if I had her face Faust, so handing her over to Lapis might actually be the better option.
“Then I’ll get in touch right away.”
“Thank you.”
As expected of Lapis.
Like a carefree, unemployed noble with nothing but time on her hands, she seems to have the leisure to move immediately the moment she’s given a task.
While the other imperial members are running around everywhere, she’s quite something.
“Oh, and one piece of advice.”
“Advice?”
Advice? That’s unusual coming from Lapis. I didn’t know she was capable of that.
“The Great Sage is far more cunning than you think.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
This is a warning coming from Lapis, who’s widely thought to have nothing in her head.
If even she feels the need to warn me, then it’s probably worth taking seriously.
“By the way, the way you’ve been looking at me feels a bit rude. Am I imagining it?”
“You’re imagining it. I have a pollen allergy, so I keep frowning without realizing.”
“Oh my, that must be tough.”
“It’s manageable.”
And so, after arranging a meeting with the Great Sage through Lapis, three days passed.
At last, the day arrived.
***
The appointed time was 10 p.m.
As expected of a dark mage. If we’re meeting, it has to be at night.
The meeting place was a wide open field.
To begin with, there was no intention of hiding the wraiths, and if a battle were to break out, it’d be easier to move around in an open area.
Besides, Yuna has stealth abilities that aren’t affected by the environment anyway.
“The current time is 9:59.”
It’s almost 10.
Will he be late? Or, since he has the ability to move through space, is he planning to arrive exactly on time?
Considering the Great Sage’s usual tendencies, it’s probably the latter.
I focused on every tick of the second hand as I waited for Faust to appear.
Then, exactly at 10 o’clock.
Clink—
A single chain slipped out from the empty air, and then it began to pour down like a waterfall.
At the center of that pile of chains stood a bizarre figure, one whose appearance made it impossible to tell whether it was a child or an old man.
It was the Great Sage Faust.
“Johan Damus.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Great Sage.”
“There are quite a lot of people here.”
“You know how I am. I’m rather timid, so I brought some escorts.”
“Escorts… I see. That would make sense. After all, our first meeting was stained with death and fear. It wouldn’t be strange for you to take precautions.”
Fortunately, Faust seemed unmoved even at the sight of the Guillotine Knights.
Does he have the confidence to defeat them all? Or did he simply take my words at face value?
Either way, it doesn’t matter. I’ve prepared more than just this.
“Though, I must say, I’m just as cautious myself.”
Clatter!
At that moment, new figures began to appear atop the pile of chains.
The sound of chains clashing and rattling spread like noise.
I briefly frowned at the sound, then froze at the sight of the dark mages who had appeared before me.
“You won’t mind if I’ve brought escorts as well, I assume.”
The Great Sage’s method of spatial movement is limited to himself alone.
There is only one person capable of summoning a group like this.
“Wonder Mage…”
“Well, don’t think too badly of it. I merely agreed to assist with transportation, that’s all.”
The Space Archmage Deus was cooperating with Faust.
“I hadn’t seen you since dealing with the Scriptwriter, so I thought you might be dead…”
“Dead? I had already died long before that. Didn’t I tell you before? That I made a deal with the Great Sage. You can consider this part of that arrangement.”
“I see.”
I looked around once more.
A total of twenty Guillotine Knights.
I had gathered a fairly elite group, but it wasn’t everyone and their commander Lanius was not among them.
And though she wasn’t visible, Yuna would be nearby, and Stan would be relaying the situation here to Lobelia from afar.
However, I hadn’t expected the other side to show up with an entire force as well.
At a glance, there were more than fifty of them.
If a fight were to break out like this, we wouldn’t be pushed back, but it would turn into quite a chaotic battle.
Of course, even that much is manageable.
It’s still within a controllable range.
But…
“Then let’s hear what it is you wanted to say to me.”
The fact that Faust chose to bring a large force to this meeting today…
When considering what that implied, I could arrive at only one conclusion.
“…I see.”
The Great Sage knows about our plan.
Then how much does he know? And who could have told him?
Was it Lapis? No…I had asked her in advance to keep this matter secret, and she agreed.
There were a few other possible leaks, but… only one person came to mind right now.
“What did Count Piton want?”
Veil Python.
He was the one who leaked the information.
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