Chapter 19
Chapter 19
What can I do?
To be honest, there’s almost nothing I can actually solve on my own.
I won’t be able to handle this without someone else’s help.
But that doesn’t mean I can just leave everything to others and step back. My own problems are mine to deal with.
So what I have to do is?
Use the situation I’m in to the fullest.
Now, the most important issue.
“I came here for counseling.”
“Huh…”
Cult Ereticus.
Let’s start with you first.
“I never expected you to come all the way to me yourself.”
“Because I’m a coward?”
“Yes, the last time I saw you, your impression was definitely that of a coward.”
“I know I look pathetic.”
I did show a somewhat pitiful side before. Honestly, I still want to run away. I don’t even want to meet his gaze.
But the guy is targeting me; I can’t keep running forever.
No, there’s nowhere left to run.
When a mouse is cornered, it bites the cat. This time, it’s my turn.
“By the way, didn’t the leader say last time we should have a proper talk next time?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Now seems like the perfect timing for that, doesn’t it?”
“Haha… this is just the situation I was hoping for. Please, sit down, Johann.”
Cult smiled faintly.
Of course. A little crisis like this is nothing to him.
“So, what’s troubling you, Johann? I’ll listen.”
“Lately, it seems like some strange person has been stalking me. I’m so anxious I can’t even sleep at night.”
He doesn’t flinch even when I’m blatantly criticizing him.
Then there’s no point in playing mind games. He already knows what kind of person I am, so trying to unsettle him like last time won’t work. Here, it’s better to be straightforward.
“Let’s exchange information. It looks like you want to ask me something, too, so let’s take turns asking questions.”
“Sure. But can we guarantee neither of us will lie?”
“No guarantees. You can lie, I can lie. It’s just a test of reading each other.”
“Good. This should be fun. Even if I’m not at your level, I’m confident in acting.”
“Really? I’m not that good, though.”
“Haha, starting with a lie already.”
Cult smiled faintly.
From the outside, he looks like a normal… no, a fragile boy. I know how terrifyingly cunning he is inside, but there’s no need to expose that.
“Let’s start with the first question. You said you were good at acting; why do you think that?”
“I investigated you.”
“My personal information is public now? Everyone’s investigating me?”
“It was interesting. Especially the events after your fiancée passed. Ah! I’ll use my question now. Were you particularly close to her?”
Some questions pierce the heart. Only a head of a villainous organization could ask that.
But my expression doesn’t falter. He might have tried to shake me, but I remain calm.
Maintain composure. Any hint of emotion in front of him is weakness. Cult notices everything—any slip becomes a liability.
“It happened when I was five, so I don’t even remember her face. Honestly, I don’t know if I liked her.”
No deep breaths needed. Words flowed naturally.
“Is that so? What a pity.”
It wasn’t a lie. I can’t even recall her face now. If asked whether I liked her, I wouldn’t know either.
Too young an age. Wounds heal quickly at that stage. Back then, I didn’t even remember my past life, didn’t really know love.
“Why are you here at the orphanage?”
“Well, obviously. I’m officially invited as a counselor.”
“……”
“Fine, I’ll be blunt. I came to continue the conversation we couldn’t finish before. About the Oracle.”
Now it’s clear Cult’s interest in me. There may be other motives, but I am definitely one of them.
“So, what’s your relationship with the Oracle?”
“None at all.”
“Come on, don’t give such obvious lies.”
“Really. I have no connection. I don’t even know their face.”
“Hmm? That can’t be.”
Cult tilted his head. No need to act here. I don’t even know their appearance, let alone gender. There’s no link between the Oracle and me. Somehow, it seems to fluster him.
“I’d rather ask why you think I’m related to the Oracle?”
“Because you know the future. Otherwise, some things wouldn’t have been possible.”
“I understand.”
I now understand why Cult is interested. The seer’s vision of the future didn’t match reality. He doesn’t see every future, but he must have seen Dietrich’s at least.
This can’t be helped. Who could’ve predicted I’d end up paired with Dietrich in the placement exam?
Is it my fault for being weak? No. It’s just coincidence.
And though I have no link to the Oracle, at least it’s certain I can change the future.
“Now it’s my turn, right? Who is the Under Chain’s pawn?”
“…Under Chain’s pawn? I don’t understand. Are there any in the orphanage?”
“Of course there are. If you look carefully, some could even be Eden’s followers.”
Cult’s act was flawless. But I could sense the lies.
Given our shared attack, Cult would naturally suspect. Such a monster, risking his life to reach the wish, can’t afford carelessness.
“Your turn. Go ahead.”
“Yes… looks like this is the last question?”
Right. I’ve already gotten all the information I need.
“Johann,”
Cult’s gentle smile faded into a neutral expression.
“Can you risk your life for others?”
Is this earnest? Or another act? Maybe he wants to recruit me. A monster burning his own life to reshape the world might desperately need someone who understands him.
“No. My life is the most important to me.”
But there will never be a day we truly understand each other. I won’t risk my life for a cause.
The conversation with Cult had some results.
He’s a puppet master type. If we keep watching him, unexpected situations will arise elsewhere. Then, he’ll likely exploit the traitor in Class F.
Finding Class F’s traitor? That’s trivial for Cult. With his role as a counselor and using suggestion, it’s simple. His mind is extraordinary, after all.
“Still, he should’ve handled the aftermath properly…”
The lingering effect remained. I targeted students leaving Cult’s counseling office, their minds shaken, vulnerable.
“You’re the traitor, aren’t you?”
“Huh? Me?”
“Don’t try to deny it. I already know.”
“Crazy bastard…”
At this stage, clearly not a traitor. Even when mentally shaken, their reaction is obvious. This is how I confirmed each possibility.
My image? Doesn’t matter.
“I don’t have friends anyway.”
Even if my image gets worse, it doesn’t matter. Cult didn’t know how far I could go.
This way, I narrowed down the suspect list and caught Melana.
Normally, I’d report to Robelia, but…
“I’ll give you a chance. Turn yourself in before I report to His Majesty. Then he might be lenient.”
A chance, also a bait. If Melana surrenders to Robelia, some leniency is possible.
If she tries to attack me before I report, then my plan unfolds perfectly.
The bait is set. Only one thing remains.
A gust of wind blew.
“Ah!”
“….”
A voice of surprise. Snow-white hair fluttering in the spring breeze. A hat floats up, descending slowly. A girl with rabbit ears exposed, her red eyes rolling as she panicked.
“Lord Johann…?”
I meet Ariel Ether’s gaze.
Blinking once, twice, she frowns.
“Too many coincidences. Could you pick up my hat? No, I’ll get it. You’d probably complain anyway.”
Ariel grumbles as she approaches. Unlike before, she looks well now.
But I picked up the hat first, examining it, even trying it on.
“Does it suit me?”
“No, not at all.”
“Thought so. Here, take it back.”
With a quick motion, she snatched it from my hands.
“I figured it wouldn’t suit me. But I wanted to try… nope. Never again.”
“Wise decision,”
Harsh, but accurate.
“And this time, I didn’t come by accident. I came looking for you.”
“Me? Why…?”
I feel the same, she doesn’t seem to like me much either. Well, I’ve deceived her before, so that’s fair.
“I wanted to propose a transaction.”
“A transaction? What can Lord Johann offer me?”
Wow…
Look at that tone. How little she thinks of me. Classic noble arrogance.
“Don’t look at me like that. I meant I have no selfish desire.”
“Of course.”
I can understand a noble’s harsh superiority complex. Of course, a duke’s daughter might be like that…
“And actually, can you give me anything, Lord Johann? Our family has more money, more military power…”
“That was a joke. Now it’s genuinely scary.”
No, seriously. Not a joke.
“Enough talk. What do you want me to do? If it’s simple, I can comply.”
Robelia calculates gains, but Ariel acts from pure will. I don’t trust free favors.
“The situation’s obvious. Cult Ereticus is after me. I’ve made preparations.”
“And…?”
“Can you fit into my plan this time?”
Robelia might have her plan, but uncertain. I considered telling her, but asking her is too risky. Would reveal my biggest secret.
Ariel frowned at my earnest request.
“Is this a confession?”
“Absolutely not.”
Don’t react like that. Don’t get hurt. I don’t like you either.
“Sure, Lord Johann seems weak, understandably anxious. The Emperor is strong enough even without me…”
Ariel scrutinizes me from head to toe. Legendary, this girl.
“Fine. But about this transaction… what can you offer me?”
“A way to cure you.”
If excessive talent overwhelms the body… raging blue flames, flesh vaporizing—tragedies of transcendent or archmage talent.
I know her condition.
“…!”
Ariel’s eyes widen. She must have resigned before.
“…Is there really a way?”
“No, there isn’t. Not even in the future.”
Creating a cure in a few years? Impossible. Requires long-term research backed by massive support.
“So you mean to give me a method that doesn’t exist?”
She looks frustrated, thinking she’s being tricked. Reasonable. She had given up before.
But this isn’t a joke. Not a fake promise to escape.
“I will make it.”
“…What?”
I’ve studied transcendent illnesses in detail.
Since age five, after witnessing a person burn and melt into the world. After seeing my fiancée’s death. Until I shifted research to cure my brother Chris.
“You’ve investigated me, so you know I’m skilled in alchemy.”
I’ve been chasing this disease, not the dead, but the living. I shifted my research to save life.
Yes, I was a worthless fool, neither one thing nor the other. Pathetic.
“I will make a cure. In return, please help me this once.”
‘It can’t be helped.’
To save my brother Chris, it can’t be helped. I’m not a genius, so it can’t be helped. Holding onto the dead achieves nothing, so it can’t be helped.
I had always run from research that showed no progress. This proposal was unlike me.
But what can I do? Like the time I tried on the hat carried by the wind…
“Will you trust me?”
Even if it doesn’t suit her, maybe she wants to try once. That too, can’t be helped.