“…If you help me, I’ll do anything I can in return.”
Problems just keep piling up.
Not a single one had been resolved, and yet more trouble kept finding me.
But grumbling wouldn’t change anything. Time to think.
Do I have any reason to help Melana?
To be honest, she and I weren’t exactly on friendly terms.
And I doubt there was much to gain from her, either.
She was obviously broke from running around on the run, so why bother?
“How about we just kill her?”
“Well, let’s try talking first. We’re civilized people, right, Yuna?”
“If you say so.”
Yuna shrugged and backed off without argument.
For all her sharpness, she tends to go along with what I say.
Alright, let’s think again.
What should I do about Melana?
She was someone who once tried to kill me,
And I was the one who completely dismantled her schemes.
Of course, I hold no guilt in that.
I wasn’t someone who cared much about drawing a strict line between good and evil,
But back then, Melana was clearly in the wrong.
“I get why you came to me. Given what you’ve done, it’d be hard to face Princess Lobelia or Ariel. Still, showing up in front of me is… well, unexpected.”
She was someone who rejected the chance I gave her and tried to take my life instead.
Frankly, like Yuna said, it might be better to just get rid of her.
But there was no need for me to dirty my hands.
If she were still hostile, that’d be one thing, but now she was bowing her head and asking for help.
Of course, it’s not like I’m feeling charitable.
“I’ll help you.”
It’s just that I happen to know a simple way to resolve this.
“You’ve got two choices. I’ll leave it to you to decide.”
Two whole options, even.
I only offered the method. The one who would carry it out and bear the risk would be her.
“One option is to ask for help from a lunatic who advocates absolute good.”
“And the other?”
“The other is a lunatic who targets absolute evil with good intentions.”
“So either way, it’s nothing but lunatics.”
“Who else but someone crazy would willingly help you?”
Just looking at her made that clear.
She was practically radiating a sinister energy.
It was likely a side effect of the “Chain”, but even at a glance, she looked dangerous.
As far as I remembered, only two people would ever help someone that suspicious without demanding something in return.
“To give you a bit more detail on the two who might help you. The first is someone often referred to as a hero.”
“…That’s His Highness, the First Prince.”
Melana muttered the words while chewing hard on her lip.
She wasn’t in a position to voice complaints, but it was obvious that the First Prince felt like too much of a burden for her.
“Then there’s the second one. The one people call the Judge.”
“……”
Of course, the Chief Librarian of Lemegeton, Judge Tillis, was no less of a burden.
But that only meant that no one short of lunatics like them would ever help Melana.
“So, which will it be?”
Though I put it that way, the truth was that I hadn’t even met the First Prince before.
But being a lunatic who represented absolute good, he probably wouldn’t care if it was a first meeting or not.
As for the Judge Tillis I rather wished we were strangers.
For that reason, I only had two people I could introduce to Melana.
“What’ll it be? If we leave now, we can just barely catch them by morning.”
“Then…”
Melana hesitated for a moment as if she was deep in thought, and then spoke.
“Take me to the Judge.”
It was an unexpected choice.
I really thought she’d choose the First Prince, but to think she’d go with the Judge, who’s widely known as a madman…
“If I’m going to take on risk anyway, it’s probably better to go with the Judge, who just kills all his enemies.”
“I see.”
For reference, the First Prince follows a strict no-kill principle.
Not the vague kind of “As long as you don’t kill them, it’s fine,” like a certain Bat-X, but a genuine approach where he rarely even injures his opponents. The very fact that he can stick to that shows that the First Prince wasn’t just any ordinary person.
Naturally, he was the one closest to being Crown Prince.
If not for that peculiar conviction of his, Lobelia or the Second Prince wouldn’t have even had a chance to compete.
“Anyway, the Judge, huh? Works out well. I was meaning to meet her too. I’ll introduce you myself.”
Judge Ostillis Liberatio. She was someone I had business with too.
I’d been putting it off because I didn’t feel like dealing with her, but now that it’s come to this, it’s better to take care of it together.
“When do we leave?”
Melana looked anxious, but we probably had plenty of time.
Eden was a cult.
If they didn’t kill Jeff but kidnapped him, the goal was obvious.
“We probably have quite a bit of time, but better to hurry, right? Even if he dies, it’s not the body that dies…it’s the mind.”
“Even when you explain it…”
She gave me a look of disgust, but that didn’t change the facts.
Jeff was a paladin of the Dawn Light, directly baptized by Kult.
Considering his symbolic significance, they were more likely to try brainwashing and taming him than just killing him.
That’s their specialty to begin with.
“Then let’s head out right away. It’s a long way, so we’ll need to rent a carriage.”
“At this hour?”
“Fortunately, there are places that rent carriages even at this time.”
“There are places like that?”
“It’s a bad connection. Barely half a day’s passed, but it’s already a disgustingly persistent one.”
I muttered while looking at the signboard of a nearby inn.
At the bottom of the signboard, a small symbol of Andvaranaut was drawn.
Anyone would’ve probably figured it out by now…
The only group in this world that offered 24-hour rental carriage service was Andvaranaut.
***
At the carriage rental operated by the Andvaranaut merchant guild, we were able to rent one for a cheap price from a staff member who had bandages wrapped around his fingers and gave off a strangely decadent vibe.
It made me want to throw up.
I just want every last one of these bastards out of my life.
“…Was there any particular reason we had to drive?”
“You sure complain a lot.”
“…….”
Is she seriously trying to be picky right now when she’s a fugitive? Must be nice, having the luxury to whine. I bet that bastard Jeff spoiled her rotten until now.
“Think about where we’re headed. You really want to see someone get killed?”
“…No.”
“Then shut up and drive the carriage.”
“Me?”
“You think we’re going to do it? We’re already helping. Now you want us to drive too?”
“……”
I climbed into the carriage and lay down like I didn’t care to hear another word.
So this was the so-called VIP service. The ride was surprisingly smooth.
“I’m going to sleep. Just follow the route I marked on the map.”
“…Fine.”
With a gloomy air about her, Melana climbed up to the coachman’s seat.
“So tired…”
What had I even done today?
Our group’s field training was canceled, so I went home, unpacked, and then immediately headed out with Yuna to meet Cattleya, right?
After butting heads with her, we went to the Robinhood family mansion, where I convinced Emily and hung out for a bit.
And just when it was time to finally head home, that uninvited guest showed up…
Yeah. No wonder I was exhausted.
“Here, Johan. You can use my lap as a pillow.”
Without saying a word, I rested my head on Yuna’s thigh.
A moment later, sleep began to take over.
***
Sometime after the carriage set off.
Melana who was hesitating awkwardly finally spoke in a cautious tone.
“What’s your relationship with that guy?”
“Huh? Me?”
She was asking Yuna.
To Melana, the relationship between Yuna and Johan was hard to figure out.
Were they lovers? It might look that way on the surface.
But… something felt off.
“Does it bother you?”
“Well, you’re just an ordinary person from the Cradle, someone who’s not even involved in all this…”
“Ordinary? You think I was ordinary back in the Cradle?”
“That’s… that’s…?”
She did have an impression of Yuna.
She remembered Yuna as someone with a friendly personality.
But Melana couldn’t really define what kind of person Yuna was.
She simply didn’t know enough.
In fact, until Johan had spoken her name earlier, Melana hadn’t even known what Yuna was called.
Who was she, really?
Back in the Cradle, Melana only recalled seeing her face a few times in passing.
“Puhihihi.”
A chill ran down Melana’s spine.
At that time, Yuna hadn’t even been officially part of the Cradle.
She was just a piece of the scenery. Something that blended into the background of everyday life.
“Knowing wouldn’t change anything anyway.”
“……”
“You should be grateful I haven’t killed you yet. Personally, I don’t like you one bit.”
Yuna played with Johan’s hair as he slept. Her voice was sugary-sweet and completely at odds with the venom in her words.
Melana felt like she couldn’t breathe.
It wouldn’t have surprised her if a blade pressed against her throat at any moment.
“I’m not exactly on good terms with the Under Chain. And you’re the kind of person I hate the most.”
“…Did I ever do anything to you?”
“Nope. Nothing at all.”
Faced with such blatant hostility, Melana could only frown.
“Just think of it like this.”
Yuna liked Johan.
And it was only natural she wouldn’t like someone who hurt him.
Yuna had accepted Charybdis’s death.
She had lived carrying that weight.
She had to kill the resurrected Charybdis, brought back by the hands of the Under Chain.
Because she believed that was the right thing to do.
That’s why she and Melana could never get along.
They simply weren’t compatible.
Melana had tried to kill Johan.
She clung to a dead lover and wrecked the relationships of the present.
And her selfishness of trying to bring the dead back to life was unforgivable.
“We just don’t mix, that’s all.”
Yuna hated her.
***
When I came to, it was morning.
We had arrived at our destination, and the first thing I saw was Yuna, smiling sheepishly.
“Johan, my legs are numb.”
“Oh, sorry.”
Judging by the fact that it was already morning, we must’ve been like that for quite a while.
I was just grateful she hadn’t laid my head on the floor during all that time.
Thanks to that, the ride was comfortable.
“I lent my lap to the tired Johan. So now, you’ll carry me since my legs are numb, right?”
“I’ll carry you later. For now, you two wait in the carriage. I’ll go as our representative. It’d be a bother if too many of us showed up.”
“Huh?”
Well, I guess the two of them got closer while I was asleep. At least they won’t be bored.
They’re both women, and Yuna’s naturally sociable, so it should be fine.
Melana’s expression looked even gloomier than yesterday, but it was probably from staying up all night driving the carriage.
She must be tired too.
So settling the negotiation myself could be seen as an act of kindness.
Helping out someone who once tried to kill me—
I really am a humanitarian.
“Gives me the creeps.”
Leaving the two of them behind,
I wandered into the area where Tillis lived.
There was no sign of people around.
Since Tillis had positioned herself somewhere easily targeted by enemies, she had instinctively moved to a more deserted area.
But that didn’t mean she was hiding.
She’d simply chosen a quiet place to avoid causing trouble for others nearby.
If you looked into it even a little, her movements were practically obvious.
It was like she was openly wagging her tail.
“Are you—”
Creeeak.
While walking through the ruins, I arrived at Tillis’s place. Before I could even knock, the door opened on its own.
Well, she probably had her summoned demons watching from everywhere.
Still, the fact that the door opened must’ve meant I was allowed to come in.
“…….”
Ah, I really don’t want to go in.
But I can’t keep running away forever.
I mustered up the courage and stepped inside the building.
“Welcome, Johan. It’s been a while since I’ve seen your face.”
Tillis was sitting by the window, tilting a teacup in her hand. It was like looking at a painting.
“Yes, Saintess. It’s been a while.”
“Would you like some tea?”
“If you’re offering, I’ll gladly accept. I think this conversation might take a while.”
“Sometimes, it’s nice to have an old acquaintance to chat with.”
“Ah, right…”
Wait, am I really an old acquaintance?
Well, maybe I should be grateful she didn’t go as far as to call me a friend.
“The mechanical device you sent last time is doing well. Would you like to see it?”
“No, that’s fine. I’m just glad you seem to like the drone.”
“Of course.”
Tillis smiled brightly as she set a teacup in front of me.
Just from appearances, the title of “Saintess” really suited her.
Though, what lies beneath is even more shocking than Yuna’s inner self.
“Then, shall we get to the story?”
Tillis smiled gently as she spoke.
Now begins the negotiation.
***
“I see. So that’s the story…”
I told Tillis about Melana and Jeff’s situation, embellishing the details just enough.
Tillis dreamt of becoming the ultimate evil, but that was only when she was wearing the face of a judge.
On the surface, she was a saintess—
More like a volunteer who worked for the good of others.
So, saving Jeff, who threw himself into the mud for the sake of a friend, was something she’d likely agree to.
“I’ll help you save Jeff. And since you’re even willing to share the location of Eden’s branch, there’s no reason to refuse.”
And Tillis answered with a smile. Up to that point, everything went as expected.
“But as for your personal request, Johan… I’m afraid I can’t help you with that.”
Aside from the matter with Melana, there was another reason I came to see Tillis.
Right now, she was the only one who could solve it.
I had to cure Ariel’s illness.
More precisely, I needed to create a proper treatment for her transcendence syndrome and help her ascend naturally into an archmage.
That was my promise to the Great Warrior.
To do that, I had to synthesize the Heart of the Phoenix and the Blood of the Frost Giant.
For that synthesis, I needed the power of Maxwell’s demon—
The same demon that once had a contract with Coran Lekias, and who now served under Tillis.
“Why not?”
I felt the blood drain from my face as I asked.
Could it be that she wants something from me?
“Well, first of all… I don’t even know what you mean by ‘synthesis’.”
Oh no…
“You don’t know… that part?”
We’re dealing with a total airhead issue.
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