I’m not sure.
The Oracle’s smile had been genuine.
I could tell she was enjoying life.
Did she really pull her hands out of this matter too? Is this truly the best option?
I don’t know. At the very least, it’s clear that Alice is happy right now.
I thought this had been influenced by her, but was it really nothing more than goodwill?
“So all I have to do is stay put…”
The Oracle’s advice had been simple.
Rather than showing any signs of running away, she told me to remain confident and stay where I was.
She said that if the Emperor had intended to seize us from the beginning, he would have already done it, so there was no need to provoke him unnecessarily. Just stay quiet and do exactly as he said.
That’s what she told me.
The anxiety still lingers, but I think that really might be the best choice.
I can’t make an enemy of the Emperor. He is a transcendent being who has upheld this vast empire alone, the very sun itself.
To oppose him would be the same as fighting the Empire itself.
Such overwhelming power and authority that even the final-boss candidates, each possessing terrifying strength, had no choice but to hide themselves in the shadows.
“This is hard…”
Maybe it’s not actually that difficult. Just as the Oracle said, perhaps if I simply stay silent, the storm will pass and everything will get better.
No, it probably will.
Still, there was a faint unease lingering in one corner of my heart.
“Yuna, what do you think?”
“Who knows? I think it’d be better to watch things a little longer. There’s nothing we can really do right now anyway, unless you’re planning to start a rebellion.”
“You’re right.”
Start a rebellion? Just imagining it sends chills down my spine. That would practically be suicide.
For now, it’s probably best to keep watching the situation, but…
“Feeling restless?”
“A little?”
“It’s not easy, is it? Doing nothing and just staying still?”
“Surprisingly, no.”
“Johan, that’s cradle sickness. And it’s only getting worse.”
“……”
“That obsession that you always have to be doing something. The belief that something is bound to happen. Do you know what happens if that bad habit keeps up? You end up endlessly swinging your sword, wasting your time preparing for a negative future that may never even come.”
That was exactly what the Cradle had been like last year.
Back then, there was no way I could work as hard as the others.
Because I didn’t have that obsession.
“It might help if you relaxed a little.”
“Hmm…”
“Want to go have some fun?”
“Honestly, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to relax and enjoy myself for once.”
Maybe I’m overthinking things. It feels like I’ve been agonizing too early over a problem that hasn’t even arrived yet.
But…
“Not today, though.”
“I can see right through your tricks.”
“Tch.”
I know last night’s matter still hasn’t been settled.
If I go out with Yuna like this, she’ll devour me alive.
I need to be careful about everything. If I give her even the slightest opening, there’s a very real chance it’ll end with me getting kidnapped and locked up.
“Still, you’re right. Instead of wasting my brainpower on weird things today, I should focus it elsewhere.”
“You’re still using your head either way?”
“It’s not as easy as it sounds to just stop. So I’ll think about something completely different.”
Yeah, I guess it’s about time I took care of things on this side too.
“I’m going to the workshop.”
After that incident, I never met Professor Georg again.
***
“Man, this place gets messier every time I come here. You people should really clean up once in a while.”
“Oh, Johan. Long time no see. Heard you’ve been busy lately, and then finally got fired.”
“Senior Jabir, when you say that with a smile on your face, it really sounds like you’re happy I got fired.”
“I am.”
“……?”
For a moment, I was speechless.
Senior Jabir had always been sly, sure, but he wasn’t the type to say things so openly… Time really is cruel.
How did he end up like this? Is Professor Georg the problem after all?
“Oh, right. Senior Jabir, my sword broke.”
“What?! How’d that happen?”
“While fighting Under Chain.”
“What kind of bastard could’ve possibly…”
“Seriously. What kind of utterly vile bastard would break it, right?”
As I said that, I checked whether Professor Georg was in the workshop.
Something near the sofa twitched, so I guess he was there.
“Anyway, that’s what happened. Sorry, Senior. You went through the trouble of giving it to me as a gift, but the enemies were just too strong.”
“Most people would talk about their own shortcomings first.”
“It wasn’t my fault.”
Seriously. It might sound like an excuse, but this time it’s true.
More specifically, it’s because of that utterly wicked person lying on the sofa over there.
“Anyway, it’s been a while since I came by. Nothing new around here?”
“We got a new recruit.”
“Oh dear. What a tragedy.”
Looks like some innocent lamb got fooled by the now peaceful atmosphere of the Cradle and wandered down the wrong path.
“What do you mean tragedy? Do you know how popular our workshop is these days?”
“For a place that popular, there doesn’t seem to be a single person here.”
“What do you mean no one’s here? There is one. Come on, Ciel, say hello. This is Johan.”
“……”
“Haha, did you hear that? Ciel says she’s happy to meet you.”
Senior Jabir pointed at the grotesque doll sitting in the chair as he introduced it as Ciel.
I see… So this is how it ended up after all.
“Ggyagyagyak!”
The bizarre doll suddenly opened its mouth wide and let out a horrifying sound.
Ah, so this is it, huh? The completed form of the eyeball he embedded in my sword?
“Senior, that… never mind.”
Better not say anything. If this conversation drags on any longer, I’m the only one who’ll end up losing my mind.
Well, as long as he looks happy, maybe that’s enough.
“I-I should probably get going now. There are too many people here; it’s a bit overwhelming.”
“Oh, really? Well, Johan, you were surprisingly shy, weren’t you?”
“…I guess I am.”
I need to get out. I have to escape.
“Ah, Johan. Wait a second.”
“…Professor Georg.”
What does it even mean for him to stop me in a situation like this? I really don’t want to start resenting this man again…
The hatred is starting to bloom all over again.
“S-So, come back in a week. I’ll make you another sword.”
“…You could just mail it to me.”
“No can do, you brat. Help me out here. I didn’t want Jabir to go this insane either.”
“But you’re the one who made him like this. Accept your sins.”
Apparently, even Professor Georg finds the current Senior Jabir overwhelming. Well, that’s his own fault.
Who told him to drug Senior Jabir to keep him around?
“Johan, I really didn’t want to have to say this.”
“What, are you going to threaten me?”
“Mhmm.”
With that, Professor Georg shoved a document in front of me.
A university application form.
The contents didn’t matter…
“What is this?”
The moment I saw someone’s fingerprint stamped on it, my breath caught in my throat.
No way. It can’t be.
“I can submit this whenever I want. And with my recommendation, Johan, you wouldn’t even need to take the exam.”
“You really want to do this?”
You seriously want to drag me into a mudfight? Fine then, I’ll gladly accept, you leftover scum from Under Chain!
“H-Hey now, calm down and hear me out. This could be a threat, sure, but it could also be a deal.”
“How exactly?”
“You’re thinking about this way too negatively. I see it differently. The alchemy workshop isn’t going to be as busy as it used to be from now on.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“You worked as the Guillotine Knight’s strategist until recently, didn’t you? Can you honestly say something similar won’t happen again in the future? Something even worse than entering university… could happen, couldn’t it?”
“……”
Hard to deny.
Lately, it really did feel like my life kept getting dragged around in every direction.
“This is your escape route. Isn’t it?”
Damn it, it really was starting to look that way. If something similar to when I took on the strategist role happened again…? And if quitting carelessly wasn’t an option that time either?
“I know it’d be difficult for us to go back to being master and student like before. But… we could still be accomplices, couldn’t we?”
“Hah!”
Looking at Professor Georg’s thoroughly scheming grin, I replied,
“What a wicked man.”
“Haha, you’re not much different.”
Deal.
I’ll accept the offer.
An affiliation like a university could guarantee my status.
Of course, if they were determined to force work onto me, there wouldn’t be much I could do.
After all, even as a student of the Cradle, I’d still ended up serving as a strategist.
Still, the sense of security that comes from belonging somewhere is completely different.
It wouldn’t hurt to have people who could step in for me if things ever went south.
“Then I’ll stay a little longer.”
“I’ll see you again in a week.”
Hopefully by then, Senior Jabir will have regained his sanity.
***
But in the end, I couldn’t keep my promise with Professor Georg.
It happened four days later.
My father, who should have been busy in the Damus territory, suddenly came all the way here.
“What happened? Why did you rush all this way out of nowhere?”
“Where’s Chris?”
“Chris is staying somewhere else. It’s a bit secluded, but it’s safe.”
“Then that’s fine.”
“You didn’t come to see Chris?”
At first, I assumed that was why he asked where Chris was.
But now that I look at him, it seems more like he wanted Chris not to be here.
“Johan, there’s something important I need to confirm with you.”
“What is it?”
There was a strange tension in the air.
Other than matters like my engagement to Ariel, Father had never once come all the way to the capital before, so I could only feel confused trying to imagine what could have happened to make him rush here so suddenly.
What in the world happened?
Could it have something to do with whatever the Emperor has been plotting recently?
“Last week, this letter arrived for me.”
I cautiously checked the letter Father pulled out after carefully looking around to make sure no one was watching. Even before seeing what was inside, my breathing tightened.
Sender: House Robinhood.
“……”
No. It can’t be. There’s no way she’d do something this bold, right?
Thinking that, I quietly opened the letter.
“Ghk!”
The contents were photographs. Specifically, photos from the Scriptwriter’s castle. The ones that left plenty of room for misunderstanding.
Pictures like me pressing Emily’s head down so she could bite my neck, or accidentally touching certain places while supporting her.
“Is it true?”
“……”
“So it is true.”
No, it wasn’t something that never happened.
Things like this definitely did happen. But there were unavoidable circumstances.
“I was trying to save someone.”
“I believe that. I know you’re not stupid enough to do something that reckless. But what do you think other people would think?”
“……”
“This is your fault. You should’ve been more careful. How could you so carelessly leave yourself open to blackmail?”
“This is unfair.”
There was no way to avoid this even if I had been careful. The other party was an Ex Machina-level stalker!
For someone capable of monitoring my every move, snapping a few photos like these would’ve been easy.
“What did the letter say?”
“Nothing. They only sent the photos. There’s obviously some implication behind this, but since I don’t know the situation, I got frustrated and came all the way here.”
“So she called you here…”
Honestly, if she had outright threatened us, it would’ve been easier to respond firmly.
But Emily had simply sent the photos and summoned Father here.
This is bad. She doesn’t intend to use the photos for blackmail.
“Father, if the other side starts acting emotionally, you have to stay calm. Understood?”
“What do you take me for? I may not look it, but I’m still a count.”
All right then. Time to find out what kind of move Emily is planning.
***
“Johan Damus! You little bastard! How dare you do something like that to Lady Emily and still shamelessly pretend nothing happened?! I didn’t raise you that way! You worthless piece of trash!”
“No, Father.”
You said you could handle this.
So why did you cave immediately?
Leave a Reply