Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Cursing a member of the royal family is practically like handing over your head.
But in a situation like this, could I really avoid swearing?
Would I even regret it?
"…I misspoke."
I do regret it. It was just a slip of the tongue, an emotional outburst. Please show mercy.
"You have quite an interesting friend."
Then came a low voice.
A voice so reassuring that hearing it alone made me feel… strangely frightened.
The most dangerous being. The one you should guard against most carefully. And yet, I feel reassured by their voice.
The situation itself made no sense.
"Would you introduce me as well, Your Highness Lobelia?"
"Of course. That was the very reason I brought him along."
Lobelia kept poking my back, pushing me toward a private room. What on earth was this situation? Why was this crazy woman driving me into danger?
Resistance was pointless.
Physically, I couldn’t resist.
Being shoved forward, I sat facing Cult.
"This is Johan Damus of the House of Count Damus, my close friend."
"How could I ever hope to gain Your Highness’ favor?"
"Such humility."
"…."
Lobelia’s attitude seemed to tear through my defenses with bare hands.
"This is Cult Ereticus of the House of Marquis Ereticus. We’ve recently become friends. He’s gentle and considerate."
"Ah, I see."
"Haha! Johan, your expression says it all. Are you shy?"
"Yes."
"In that case, I’ll try to get closer to you. Nice to meet you, Johan. Please take care of me."
"…."
And Cult, who showed no change in expression despite this absurd situation, calmly met the moment.
Being caught between these mad people was driving me insane.
"Order whatever you want, Johan. I’ll pay for it."
"I doubt anything will go down my throat, Your Highness."
"Then I’ll make a recommendation. The pasta here is good."
"Ah, then may I ask for it as well, Your Highness Lobelia?"
"Of course."
Lobelia smiled brightly.
Cult smiled too.
I sat there, sweating in fear, looking down at the floor.
Shouldn’t I at least ask if this was okay?
These selfish bastards.
"Oh, by the way, Cult. Have you heard the news? About the recent massive terror attack by Eden?"
That’s you, isn’t it?
"So it seems. It’s unfortunate. Seeing madmen run amok in the streets is worrying."
No, it’s not.
"Worry? What do you mean?"
Pretending to feel guilty after doing it?
"I worry for my friends. As you know, I was adopted. Naturally, I worry about the streets."
It’s ridiculous. Someone who probably investigated me to this extent is talking about guilt. Doing equally dirty things.
That’s roughly the conversation.
Based on my own reasoning, considering their personalities, it was almost accurate.
While these thorny words were exchanged, the food arrived, but no one touched it.
They were too busy throwing jabs at each other with smiles, and I couldn’t eat due to the stress.
As they exchanged light jabs, testing one another, a moment came.
"By the way, did you know? There’s a rumor that Eden’s leader has ties to the House of Marquis Ereticus."
"…."
Lobelia landed a verbal hook.
Cult couldn’t respond immediately. Yet, his expression remained firm.
"That’s the first I’ve heard. That can’t be true. I trust the people of my house. They couldn’t be involved in crime!"
And he used it to show a passionate reaction. The response was fitting.
"Really?"
"Yes, I swear on my honor! That’s a baseless rumor!"
"I see. My apologies for upsetting you with a false rumor."
"It’s fine. As a princess responsible for the empire’s peace and prosperity, your suspicion is understandable."
Cult lightly blocked Lobelia’s verbal hook.
At that point, I realized why Lobelia had dragged me here.
Damn it, she got nothing from investigating the House of Marquis Ereticus.
Hearing that Cult might be Eden’s leader, Lobelia must have immediately started investigating him and his house.
But Cult was thorough, and Lobelia got no evidence.
Even as a royal, she couldn’t assault a marquis house without proof.
Though with the emperor’s authority, she could probably execute nobles, but she isn’t the emperor.
Any reckless action would be used against her by rivals.
So she dragged me in, presenting me to see Cult’s reaction firsthand.
I was also on the suspect list. That was why she brought me.
She couldn’t fully trust my information, naturally. After investigating and finding nothing, she had reason to doubt.
When someone is wrongly accused, the next suspect is predictable.
Lobelia wanted to identify the liar here.
Either Cult was perfectly masked, or I was bluffing to survive. One of us was lying.
"Excuse me…"
I quietly got up and stepped outside the private room.
But stepping out didn’t mean I could go anywhere. Who knew what would happen?
Without Lobelia, I couldn’t even go to the bathroom. I was too scared.
So I leaned against a wall about ten steps away from the private room and sighed.
There was no plan. I was just hiding.
"As expected, you didn’t go far, Johan."
"…."
I stared at the ceiling patterns blankly. Then I saw Lobelia, who had also stepped out, smiling at me.
"And what about Cult?"
"I told him to enjoy a private meeting, and he went along willingly."
"The world has gone mad."
"Unfortunately, that’s true."
"…."
"If you want to say anything, go ahead. For now, I’ll pretend I didn’t hear."
She didn’t care if I cursed. A rare opportunity!
But throwing curses blindly wasn’t wise.
"Do you think I lied, Your Highness?"
"No, I trust you."
"Yet you still dragged me here."
"One could see it that way."
Lobelia shrugged, unbothered by my sarcasm.
"I trust you. Even if nothing came up when I investigated the marquis house, Cult’s aura is peculiar."
"…."
"I’m half certain."
"Then why…"
"Because it annoys me."
"Excuse me?"
So she pushed me into danger just because she was annoyed?
"I’m sure of the culprit, but there’s no evidence. They’ll likely hide their tracks. They know I’m watching. I don’t like that."
"So?"
"So I want to strip the mask off. At least seeing the inside overturned would satisfy me."
"No."
Crazy. She’s pushing me into danger to scratch her itch?
"Is it right to drag the victim in front of the perpetrator? What wrong have I done?"
"Johan, unfortunately, I’m no hero from a fairy tale. I do want to protect the people. But remember, what we did was a transaction."
"…What am I supposed to do?"
Lobelia is no pushover. If she were purely kind-hearted, she wouldn’t meddle in the royal succession struggle.
That day was a transaction. She saved me not out of goodwill, but to secure her leverage.
She is both reasonable and calculating.
"After-service is required. To ensure your information isn’t false, that’s fitting compensation. Anyone can make empty claims."
Damn it, using her to resolve the F-Class coup problem is hopeless. If I use her, there’s a price.
"But once a deal is made, I honor it."
"…."
"When I saved you, I promised your safety. No matter what happens today, even if I die, Eden cannot harm you."
"…."
"Trust me. I don’t ask much. If I can see the mask of that madman crumple, that will be my driving force."
She fights to protect the majority, even if imperfectly. If I cooperate, the ideal future may arrive faster.
"If things go well, we could catch Cult here. I have royal knights nearby."
"If he goes mad and attacks us, immediate execution is possible. One or two witnesses is vague, but many would be clear proof."
"Exactly."
"Is that possible?"
"No. If he were that foolish, he’d have been caught already."
Lobelia laughed heartily. I couldn’t understand why. How could I comprehend the minds of madmen?
Then she suddenly changed expression.
"So, help me."
"But I refuse."
Yes, I won’t. Emotional appeals don’t work on me.
Ultimately, annoying them is pointless, and I don’t want to risk my life.
"If Cult were to directly attack us, maybe, but that’s highly unlikely. Just suffering for nothing."
"Then I understand. I won’t force you."
"Really?"
"Yes."
So compliant?
"However, you’ll return alone. I have other work. Eden’s leader is nearby, so it might be slightly unsafe."
"I’ll follow Your Highness then."
"Good."
Looking closer, it wasn’t a request. It was a threat.
How could I go back alone with Eden’s leader watching?
Eventually, I returned with Lobelia to the private room.
Cult was already enjoying the food.
That crazy bastard. How could he eat in this situation?
"Did you enjoy your private meeting? I didn’t know you two were like that."
"Of course. Thanks to you, I could enjoy the passionate moment."
We sat again at the table, and the nerve war between Lobelia and Cult resumed.
Nothing had changed. Lobelia attacked Eden verbally.
Cult, as expected, sided with her words.
I understood the situation. Lobelia was trying to subtly provoke Cult by criticizing Eden.
But her method was wrong.
Cult Ereticus, leader of Eden, is rational.
"God, I don’t understand what those Eden lunatics were thinking."
"You’re trying to understand the madmen. Don’t worry about it."
He may be mad, but he knows exactly what he’s doing.
He recognizes his sins and doesn’t try to justify them.
He faces the blood on his own hands.
No matter how much Lobelia insults Eden, it’s meaningless. Cult knows Eden’s contradictions and corruption better than anyone.
To strip Cult’s mask, Eden must not be criticized.
"Johan, what do you think?"
As planned, Lobelia drew me in appropriately.
Normally, I’d refuse, but caught using Lobelia, I had to take the risk.
Luckily, knowing the original game, I understood Cult’s weak points.
"I suppose… I understand to some extent."
Not criticism, a shallow understanding.
"They are pitiable people."
And cheap sympathy.
I continued to poke at Cult’s vulnerabilities.
"Eden came from Elysium, didn’t it? The former state religion disappeared overnight. Their disappointment is natural. Faith remains, even if they couldn’t expand."
"Your words are bold, Johan."
"Ah, sorry…"
I was criticizing the emperor in front of a princess. I could’ve died.
"No, continue. Everyone knows our emperor is incompetent. Just avoid the royal knights, or you could lose your head."
Once, the empire had a religion called Elysium.
Once the state religion, it was dismantled for its size. The emperor suppressed it to strengthen royal authority.
Eden is considered a branch of Elysium. That’s true.
"It’s likely Eden’s leader also mourned that bitter reality. Probably a gentle old priest…"
And now pure speculation. Everything I said here was my own conjecture.
"So they cry out for help endlessly. Though I am at risk, I can understand that."
Yes, the shallow understanding. The most annoying is pretending to know without knowing.
Eden began as a branch of Elysium, but Cult has no connection to Elysium.
He was born a prophet, so he has no real faith.
His actions, even those close to terror, have only one reason.
"He probably suffered. Believed his actions were wrong, yet pressed on. Mission. Only he could do it. Miracles only he could bring. Faith in him exists."
"They are pitiable. Your Highness, don’t hate them blindly. There may be room for compromise."
He willingly walks a pilgrimage paved with corruption.
I insulted Cult by applying cheap sympathy as he walked that path.
Someone ignorant reaching the core through speculation. Wrong method, right answer, proudly claiming it as truth. Irritating to anyone knowing the truth.
That’s Cult.
"Ridiculous…"
Yes, I stripped his mask with shallow understanding and cheap sympathy.
"Absurd nonsense."
Cult’s mask was finally removed.