Imprint (1)
I started by undoing her restraints.
Cattleya wasn't particularly formidable in pure combat anyway. At best, she was probably on par with me—maybe a fraction stronger. Her true strength lay not in martial prowess, but in her cold-blooded audacity and total willingness to use any means necessary. Even right now was proof enough. She was in a position where dying at any second wouldn't have been unusual in the slightest, yet she had casually tried to strike a bargain with me.
"I have to say, I'm surprised," she remarked. "To think all you wanted was money."
"It shouldn't be an especially burdensome sum for someone of your stature."
"Well, no. It's just surprising that 'mere money' was all you asked for."
"There are plenty of things I want. It's just that none of them are within your power to give."
"Hoh?"
Calling this a negotiation with Cattleya was generous; in reality, it was practically the same as exposing my weaknesses to her. What I asked for was, by definition, what I needed. And Cattleya's signature method was to meticulously dissect a person's vulnerabilities based on those very needs. Under such circumstances, demanding simple cold, hard cash was infinitely safer than asking for information, influence, or personnel.
It was best to avoid giving her anything she could use to piece together a profile on me.
"In that case, I can't help but wonder how you plan to spend such a fortune."
"Money is money. If you have it, great; if not, life goes on. Isn't that right?"
"Having it is always unconditionally better."
"Let's just agree to disagree on perspectives."
"Fair enough. By the way, I feel like we could make quite the effective partners. What do you think?"
"Not in the slightest."
"I suppose you might harbor some hard feelings toward me." Cattleya shrugged it off with an airy laugh. "My methods might have felt a bit overbearing, but I genuinely want to be on good terms with you. You can never have too wide a network, after all."
Just where did this nonchalance come from? Right now, all it would take was a single flick of Yuna's blade to end her life. Even with her bindings undone, her precarious situation hadn't changed.
Was she truly unafraid of death? Or was she just that confident?
Either way, her mental fortitude was unquestionably extraordinary.
"Then how about this? I could recall our merchant caravans currently dispatched to your territory. That way, you wouldn't have to deal with unnecessary headaches. Sound good?"
"You can leave them be."
Like it or not, Andvaranaut was the greatest merchant syndicate in the Empire. As long as I remained aware of the danger, bearing the risk was far better than having nothing at all. Considering the looming headache of my engagement, having Andvaranaut's support would be invaluable for reviving the county.
"Mmh, that's the spirit. You'd make a fine merchant yourself, you know?"
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"Shall we shake on it, then?"
"..."
Cattleya extended a hand with a seemingly genial smile. The palm was stained with blood from her torn-off fingernails. A woman who didn't care in the least about having blood on her hands.
This was her true nature. A madwoman who had steeped her hands in blood countless times in pursuit of vengeance. Whether that blood belonged to others or herself made no difference to her.
"Very well. It's just a handshake, after all."
I took her hand. As expected, though...
"Make sure the ransom for your life is ready within the week."
"Don't you worry about that."
It wasn't the most pleasant sensation in the world.
"I might price-gouge in my dealings, but I never default on an agreement."
Cattleya smiled like a serpent eyeing its prey.
The moment we stepped out of the dungeon ahead of Cattleya, Yuna, who had remained silent the entire time, finally spoke up.
"Hey, Yohan. What do you think that woman was actually trying to get out of you?"
"Probably nothing specific. That was just a pretext all along."
"Huh...?"
"If anything, what she wanted was me as a person."
Cattleya had no particular demands for me—at least, not yet. She had simply recognized the value of someone who possessed knowledge of the future. She found the prospect enticing and evaluated it as a high-value commodity, regardless of whether she needed it immediately. Even just now was proof. She had initially proposed a deal, yet in the end, she offered nothing beyond paying her own ransom.
Her true objective was to establish a rapport. And to force me into dealing with her, whether I liked it or not.
In fact, I had already accepted money for her life. Once a transaction took place, a second one would come easily, and she would gradually begin dangling things tailored to entice my deepest desires. If I ever grew addicted to that convenience, it was obvious I would end up reduced to her puppet before long.
"There's no need to stress over it right now."
"Hmm... feels kind of like we got played, though."
"You're not wrong."
"Was kidnapping her a bad idea after all?"
"No, it's actually fortunate that we figured this out early. Now we have a way to handle the situation back in our territory, too."
Under normal circumstances, she probably would have contacted me only after things had progressed to a point where my hands were completely tied. She would have taken the Damus county hostage and made an offer I couldn't refuse. Finding out ahead of time was a stroke of luck. Once I returned, I would have to contact Father immediately and tell him to stay on high alert.
"Besides, we walked away with a profit. Thanks to this, our next move just got a whole lot easier."
"You mean the money? Come to think of it, what are you going to do with that massive pile of gold?"
"Go buy something that doesn't exist anywhere else in the world."
"Huh?"
"Since things turned out like this, let's head over right away. It'd be best to move before that annoying nuisance gets back."
"Ehh?"
It was a stroke of good fortune. I had been agonizing over how to resolve the issue with Cult, but thanks to Yuna, things looked like they were going to fall into place smoothly.
"I'll buy you ice cream on the way."
"Ice cream sounds great!"
Yuna, who had been tilting her head in contemplation just moments before, instantly brightened and nodded.
With Yuna acting as my bodyguard, I headed straight for our destination. It wasn't particularly far.
"Wait, isn't this the Robinhood estate?"
"Spot on."
Our destination happened to be the home of the original owner of the dungeon where we had just locked up Cattleya.
"Ah, so by 'annoying nuisance,' you meant Stan Robinhood, who hasn't returned from field training yet?"
"Right on the money. Things will get a lot more tedious if that guy's around."
"He really is a handful."
The owner of that underground cell, Lobelia's farthest-seeing eye and master marksman: this was Stan Robinhood's residence.
"Then the person you're here to meet today is...?"
"Emily Robinhood. Stan's younger sister."
"Oh! So that one-of-a-kind item in the world you mentioned... you're talking about an invention from Ex Machina?!"
"I shouldn't be surprised that you catch on so fast without me having to explain."
"Hehe, of course! You know I'm the one who understands you best~."
Laughing like an absolute goofball, Yuna strolled alongside me toward the main gate of the Robinhood estate, where the gatekeepers immediately stepped forward to intercept us.
"May I ask what business brings you here?"
"Good day. I've come to see Lady Emily Robinhood."
"Do you have an appointment?"
"No, an urgent matter came up, so I had to visit unannounced."
"In that case, may I inquire as to your identity?"
"I'm a student from the Cradle. I previously became acquainted with her regarding research matters, and I came to ask a few follow-up questions. Here is my student ID."
"...Please wait a moment."
After exchanging the routine formalities, the guards stepped back and began whispering among themselves.
"Looking at the ID, he's the real deal, but aren't all Cradle students supposed to be away on field training right now? I thought our young master hadn't returned yet either..."
"Who knows? Maybe another disaster blew up over there. It's the Cradle, after all."
"Fair point. At this rate, it'd feel weirder if an incident didn't break out."
Following a conversation that was downright tragic to overhear, the guard who had verified my credentials returned.
"I will go inform the inner residence first. Please wait here for a moment."
"Yes, thank you."
Before long, we were granted entry into the Robinhood estate as guests.
"Hello, Yohan Oppa."
"Ah, hey..."
Emily looked as though she had been asleep until just moments ago, sporting thoroughly disheveled hair and a pair of rumpled pajamas.
"It's not an emergency, so do you want to go change your clothes first?"
"Too much trouble. I'll pass."
"Uh..."
So was I really expected to conduct a serious conversation with a girl dressed in pajamas? The fact that Yuna, sitting beside me while fiddling with her teacup, hadn't uttered a single word was making me exceptionally uneasy. Usually, she would have chirped cheerfully and struck up a friendly conversation with Emily. It felt prudent to wrap up my business and get out of here as quickly as possible.
"You came to see me, right?"
"I mean, technically yes, but let's rephrase that a little."
"Yohan Oppa, you missed me, so you came to see me, right?"
"...Can we just get straight to the point?"
If I tried to correct her any further, I had a distinct feeling things would spiral into a much greater catastrophe.
"Okay."
Emily nodded, her eyes dull and hollow. In more ways than one, she was an unpredictable girl, making her notoriously tricky to handle.
"There's something I want to commission from you."
"Okay."
"First off, could you remake the items I asked for last time? I handled them a bit roughly, and they ended up completely trashed."
"Okay."
Staring blankly off into the distance while giving nothing but one-word replies, I honestly couldn't tell if she was actually listening to me. She wasn't just letting it go in one ear and out the other because it was a bother, was she? This was a life-or-death matter for me.
"And one more thing. There's an item I need you to create, no matter what."
At last, I revealed the true purpose of today's visit.
"An Artificial Heart. Can you make one?"
"An artificial heart...?"
At those words, Emily's eyes widened in genuine surprise. It felt like she had finally snapped awake.
"Yes. I need something capable of replacing the biological functions of a heart."
"Mimicking the function itself is simple enough, but implanting it into a human body to actually substitute for an organic heart..."
"Is it impossible?"
"...It's difficult."
"Which means it isn't impossible, right?"
"Yes. But..."
"I'll provide whatever financial backing you need. If you require research funds, just name the amount."
"Really?"
"Really."
"It's going to cost quite a lot..."
"Doesn't matter."
"..."
It wasn't my money anyway. Spending Cattleya's fortune was all it took. And knowing Emily was an executive of Ex Machina, whatever she spent the funds on wouldn't be easily traced.
"Understood, then. I'll give it a try. Besides, this is an item meant to save a life, right?"
"Yeah..."
What a relief. To be honest, I had only asked on a whim, hoping against hope, so hearing that it was feasible lifted a massive weight off my chest.
The Holy Relic Cult sought would be born from Helena's heart. To put it simply, to achieve his goals, Cult would eventually tear out the heart of Helena—someone who was practically his own family.
I had no confidence in my ability to talk Cult out of it. Nor did I have the confidence to stop him ahead of time. That was why I sought to prepare for what came next. What I could do. Even if it was just cleaning up the aftermath, that much might be within my power.
Whether the artificial heart I commissioned would truly save her remained to be seen... But if there was even the slightest glimmer of possibility, investing in it carried no downside. Money was something that was nice to have, but fine to go without. In the end, what truly mattered wasn't the gold itself, but where that gold was needed.
"Thanks. Well, we should get going. Sorry for waking you from your sleep."
Feeling a sense of relief wash over me, I brushed myself off and stood up. Now that Emily had accepted the commission, I could finally breathe easy. All that was left was to head back, get a good night's rest, and organize tomorrow's tasks.
"If you're sorry, how about staying a little longer?"
"...Huh?"
My relief was short-lived. Emily's eyes sparkled with far more intensity than when she had heard about the artificial heart, and she reached out to tug on the hem of my clothes.
"It's the first time a friend has ever come over to visit my house."
"Y-Yeah. Well, then just for a bit..."
Caught in an atmosphere that made it bizarrely difficult to refuse, I unwittingly nodded. At that moment, Yuna, who had been sitting beside me, draped her arms around my neck and chirped:
"Wow, that sounds like so much fun! Doesn't it, Yohan?"
"..."
Her bright, beaming smile felt chillingly inorganic, like the painted face of a porcelain doll. Strange. She definitely wasn't wearing a physical mask, so why did her face look so utterly fake?
Somehow, I had a feeling a truly hellish ordeal was waiting for me.