Homecoming (2)

There were a few things I needed to take care of before heading back home.

Packing my everyday essentials was one thing, but I also had to give a heads-up to acquaintances who didn't know I was leaving. Fortunately, the number of people I could actually call acquaintances wasn't all that large.

First on the list.

"You're going back to your territory?"

Cattleya, head of the Andvaranaut merchant guild. She was someone I preferred to avoid if possible, but disappearing without a word meant she would undoubtedly dig into my tracks. It was far less of a headache to just tell her upfront. Besides, she was also my primary source of funding.

"Then should I come along too?"

"Absolutely not."

"Stingy brat. Hiding something out there? You're making me curious."

"Are you really planning to butt into a young couple's romance at your age?"

"......I'm still young! I'm only twenty-seven!"

"If you say so."

Of course, it was none of my business.

"Haa... Fine. What would you know? Just bring back a souvenir when you return. Preferably local specialties our company could trade in—I'd like to see some samples."

"Sure, let's do that."

Did our estate even have anything worth calling a local specialty? I wasn't entirely sure. Still, it wouldn't hurt to check, so I made a mental note to look into it once I got home. Naturally, any business deal required caution; I had to structure it so that even if she cut ties unilaterally, it wouldn't leave me exposed to any leverage.

"I'm off, then."

"Take care."

Leaving Cattleya behind, I headed straight to meet Emily. It was too early to ask for progress reports, but letting her know I'd be away for an extended period was only proper.

And so, I arrived at the Robinhood residence.

"......Could you please stop frequenting our house?"

"It's for business. You know that."

To my annoyance, Stan Robinhood happened to be ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠home today.

"Just to be certain, if you harbor even a shred of impure intentions toward Emily..."

"Never going to happen. Besides, don't you already know I'm engaged to Ariel?"

"......I also know you're having an affair with that pink-haired assassin."

"I told you, that's not true!"

More importantly, where the hell was he getting his information? Did Lobelia go around spreading baseless rumors again?

"Tsk... Forget it. Anyway, I don't strictly need to see her today. If you're that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠uncomfortable with me meeting Emily, you can pass along the message yourself."

"Splendid idea. Going forward, bring all work-related matters to me. Keep your distance from Emily."

"Assuming your knowledge is vast enough to even comprehend what we discuss?"

"......"

For the record, I was quite well-versed in scientific knowledge, including alchemy. It made sense, considering I retained memories from my past life. The very way I internalized and processed knowledge was on an entirely different level.

"Anyway, tell her I'm heading down to my estate for vacation, so ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I won't be dropping by to check on progress. I'm just telling her so she doesn't wait around for no reason."

"......I shall pass it along for now."

"Good. Now unclench that face. Are we really the kind of people who need to scowl at each other?"

"Excuse me? What kind of nonsense are you spouting...?"

Was that wrong? I didn't hold any particular grudge against the guy, and Stan shouldn't have any reason to hold one against me either, right? Strange fellow. Was he just horribly shy around people?

"The nerve of that mouth..."

"Yeah, yeah. Keep up the good work."

Good grief. Didn't he get exhausted being angry at everything?

With my loose ends mostly tied up, I visited one last place I had been putting off for far too long.

"Ugh..."

Yuna, who had trailed along behind me, clicked her tongue in disgust the moment she saw where we had arrived. To be fair, for someone like her, such a reaction was entirely natural.

"I can already smell the paper rot."

"Not surprising."

Our destination was the Imperial Academic Society.

It was the grand repository where research papers penned by various scholarly organizations—including the Cradle—were gathered. A place where researchers convened, conducted studies, and engaged in fierce academic debates; calling it a true hall of intellect was no exaggeration.

Since continuing my research would be difficult once I returned home, my plan was to broaden my knowledge base while I still could. Previously, I had brute-forced my way through problems by throwing massive resources and banging my head against the wall, but this was actually the proper way to go about it.

Ugh, studying... Tedious as it was, I had no choice. I'd have to track down the relevant papers and borrow copies.

"I'll just grab some tea in the lounge, Yohan."

"You can tag along like you usually do."

"No way, it sounds boring."

And this from the girl who usually stuck to my side even when told to scram. Yuna was a pragmatist who only studied the bare minimum needed to survive, so a place like this was evidently kryptonite to her. Come to think of it, didn't she avoid following me when I visited the library too? That was a useful piece of intel.

"Take it easy then. It'll take me about three hours."

Leaving Yuna in the lounge, I stepped into the archives. Once I located the bound thesis papers and notified the staff in charge, they would duplicate them using transcription magic. There was a processing fee, but because I was officially registered as an author with the Society, it didn't cost very much.

I was, technically, treated as a scholar here.

That was thanks to the papers I had published earning recognized value—though having the status of Professor Georg's pupil certainly did the heavy lifting.

"Now let's see... What should I look for first?"

While the staff handled the magical transcription, tracking down the papers was on me. With the archives notoriously short-staffed, there was no helping it.

"Quite diligent for such a young student. Looking for something in particular?"

"Ah, could you point me toward papers regarding catalyst types based on temperature condit—"

The moment I turned around at the gentle voice, ready to thank whoever it was, I couldn't even see their face.

"......"

A massive shadow loomed over me. Even craning my neck upward, their features remained obscured in a towering silhouette.

Enormous.

That was my very first thought.

"Hmm, those would be over here. I'd recommend these three treatises. A concise summary of effects is usually more helpful than endless, rambling explanations, wouldn't you agree?"

"...Yes, that's right."

Only after taking a full step back could I finally take in the man's face. Though immense, his countenance was remarkably gentle and warm. Like a bear, one might say.

In fact, he was a bear beastman. From looking up at an acute angle, I hadn't noticed at first, but twin animal ears sat atop his head.

A benevolent expression, impeccably refined manners, and a warm, approachable aura. By all appearances, a genial scholar through and through.

Except...

"Here you are."

"Th-Thank you."

My lips twitched uncontrollably. Forcing a smile proved almost impossible.

"......Vidar."

"Don't mention it."

Aaaaargh!

Aaaaaaaaargh!

It really was him! The actual, goddamn man himself!

Vidar, the Great Warrior of the frozen wastes who commanded the barbarian vanguard, the Spearhead of the Snow Flower. I knew his undercover persona was a scholar, but I never imagined the disguise would be this flawless. No, even knowing it beforehand, cognitive dissonance hit me like a sledgehammer. What was this? Wasn't he supposed to be vastly more terrifying and colossal? Did he somehow fold his sheer mass into scholarly robes?

"Meeting like this is a stroke of fate, wouldn't you say? Perhaps we could enjoy a cup of tea together and have a quiet conversation?"

"Y-Yes, sir."

His tone, his posture, his every gesture failed completely to align with the image of a Great Warrior. If I sprinted to the guards right now screaming that the barbarian warchief was standing here, they would probably toss me into an asylum. Was this guy a better actor than both me and Yuna combined?

"Let's head to the lounge."

"Indeed, the cafe here is quite well-appointed. Lead the way, student Yohan."

Did he come here specifically to seek me out? To spy on me? Or did he have some other agenda? Maybe Cattleya had taken offense to me poking at her age earlier today and sent the Great Warrior after me out of spite. This was why you should never stay entangled with lunatics for long...

"I think I'll have a peach smoothie. What about you, student Yohan?"

"......Just coffee is fine."

"Oh dear, I don't believe 'just coffee' is on the menu."

"An iced Americano."

Knowing who he actually was, even his lighthearted jokes felt chilling.

"Um, excuse me, but I actually have a companion with me."

"Then let us join them."

"......Right."

Not a shred of resistance worked. If anything, I had just dragged Yuna into this mess. Frankly, I didn't feel particularly guilty about that—I was just worried she might do something rash the moment she recognized the Great Warrior.

"Oh! Yohan! You're back earli... huh?"

Sure enough, Yuna, who had been waving happily, froze stiff the second she caught sight of Vidar trailing behind me.

"Hic!"

A violent hiccup burst from her throat. I don't think I had ever seen her this rattled before.

"Say hello, Yuna. This gentleman was kind enough to help me back in the archives. A real benefactor."

I delivered the subtle hint to keep her from doing anything hostile while she stood there hiccuping uncontrollably.

"H-Hello... hic! ...sir..."

"Oh my, it seems I startled you. My apologies. Being a bear beastman, my stature tends to be quite imposing, doesn't it?"

Vidar offered a gentle, reassuring smile to soothe her nerves. Naturally, watching that display only made Yuna's face turn even paler...

"You seem quite shaken. Would you care for some water first?"

"Y-Yes..."

Yuna gulped down the glass of water Vidar handed her. Then she immediately glommed onto me, whispering frantically into my ear.

"What is that? What the hell is that thing?!"

"As you've probably guessed, someone very dangerous. Don't provoke him. That's Vidar, leader of the Spearhead of the Snow Flower."

"That's the Great Warrior?!"

"That's him."

Yuna tilted her head in sheer disbelief before turning even whiter.

"Being that insanely strong and acting this good—isn't that straight-up cheating?!"

My thoughts exactly.

Shrunk down in our seats, Yuna and I gingerly sipped our drinks across the table. I couldn't even taste the coffee.

At least Yuna had pulled herself together enough to chew on her straw, putting on a bored facade. Never mind that one of her arms was tucked down beneath the tabletop, clearly gripping a concealed weapon.

Meanwhile, the Great Warrior Vidar—the man who had plunged both of us into this pit of dread—appeared remarkably serene.

"Hmm."

Rustle.

For a while, only the measured rustle of turning pages broke the silence.

Vidar looked up with a warm smile.

"I have verified it thoroughly. It was indeed the truth."

"......"

Only then did I realize that one of the two thesis papers Vidar was reviewing had been written by me. What was the other one, then?

"I had no idea you had cured Vargr's Curse as well."

That was my paper as well.

Long before finding a cure for Ariel's condition, it was the affliction I had poured my blood and sweat into. The curse my younger brother Chris had suffered from: Vargr's Curse.

It was an incurable disease passed down since antiquity, causing the body's condition to deteriorate drastically whenever exposed to sunlight. In ancient times, it was branded an outright curse, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠and even long after people realized it was a genetic disorder of constitution, the ominous moniker stuck.

"Did you know? My younger brother died of Vargr's Curse."

"That... I don't know what to say. You have my deepest condolences."

A tragic tale, certainly. Though I had no idea why he was bringing it up to me. Was he building up to an angry accusation? Blaming me for not concocting the cure sooner so his brother could have lived?

"Our relationship may not be the most amicable, but I still wished to offer my thanks. Thank you, student Yohan. Having watched it up close, I know all too well how excruciating that illness is."

"......"

"And thanks to this, I have reached a certainty."

A solitary tear welled at the corner of Vidar's eye and traced down his cheek. The Great Warrior, who seemed as though he would possess neither blood nor tears, was weeping with a profound, aching humanity.

"You were right. The ones who must vanish are us."

"That's..."

The Spearhead of the Snow Flower was staring down two possible endings: one was toppling the Empire and fulfilling their long-cherished vengeance, and the other was meeting total extinction as barbarians.

"The Empire is a dreadful place, yet the people living within it are steadily forging their path toward the future, are they not?"

"......"

"So please, see to it that you honor our promise. Ensure that my death truly opens the gates to a future for my people."

Vidar took my hand and placed something onto my open palm.

A necklace fashioned in the likeness of the sun.

"Please cure Lady Ariel's condition. So that I may fall by the hand of a true hero."

"What is this...?"

"A necklace carved from the claw of a Mountain Lord. Simply carrying it bestows vitality upon the bearer."

It was not a magitech tool. It was not something crafted with calculated enchantment, but an accidental creation touched by a miracle. An object born from serendipity and wonder—what was known as an Ooparts.

An item that could only be acquired by defeating the final boss, Great Warrior Vidar.

To think I would receive this in such a manner... It was hard to call it an overpowered piece of gear, but the fact that it provided passive benefits just by being in my possession was invaluable. Not to mention its symbolic weight.

"It is a keepsake of my late brother. Something I carved with my own hands for the child who could never behold the light."

"If it is an heirloom that precious, I cannot accept it."

I moved to return it immediately. It wasn't something meant for my hands. It was an artifact steeped in someone's personal tragedy. Besides, upon deeper reflection, it was casting pearls before swine anyway; in practical terms, it didn't hold much significance for me.

"You must take it. It will serve as proof of the pact struck between us. As long as you carry it, my people will never target you."

Yet Vidar placed the necklace firmly back into my palm and closed my fingers around it.

A formidable strength pressed through his grip, though not one I couldn't physically pull away from. That meant the sheer weight and force bearing down on me right now stemmed from something else entirely.

"We have a promise, then?"

"......Yes."

I understood full well what accepting this necklace entailed.

Given enough time, Vidar would collapse on his own. His lifespan was running on borrowed time; he would probably pass away long before the deadline of our pact ever arrived. And the dead told no tales. Even if I broke my word, he would never be able to voice a complaint.

Yet, I took the necklace.

A keepsake was an object holding the totality of a person's life. And I knew that such weight was something that could never, ever be taken lightly.

"Then I shall take my leave. I have confirmed everything I wished to verify today."

With those parting words and a gentle smile, Vidar walked out of the Academic Society.

Good grief...

"Once a scholar, always a scholar."

With nothing but artful words, he had loaded a mountain of crushing weight onto what had originally been an empty, nominal promise.