Final Farewell (2)
"Emilia. How does it feel to have betrayed me?"
"...Huh?"
The moment those words reached her, Emilia felt as though time itself had stopped. Her racing thoughts went blank white. Cold sweat slid down her back. She could barely draw breath, as if she had drowned in the middle of the ocean. Even facing the Demon King had never felt like this.
"What, was that a question I wasn't supposed to ask?"
His voice cut colder than the night wind in the streets. She knew she had to say something—anything—but her mouth refused to open.
Where? Where the hell did the information leak?
Kyle hadn't come here to ask questions. He already knew. He was certain his companions had betrayed him. He had come only to confirm it—to watch how the traitor in front of him would react, what excuses she would invent.
Did Alice talk? No—if she had, she wouldn't have gone back to the inn. Then Jain? Muni? Or who the hell—
"Emilia. Stop spinning those little schemes and answer me."
He pressed for a reply. She had to say something. Silence now would be the same as a confession. She took a silent breath, then finally forced her lips apart.
"Heh. Kyle. What on earth are you talking about?"
It was a line wrung out of her—and yet, even she was surprised at how natural it sounded. The tone, the manner, the easy smile.
"Where did you pick up a ridiculous rumor like that? Or are you playing some kind of joke right now? Either way, I'm starting to get a little angry."
Her eyes narrowed. She twisted her smile into something that looked genuinely offended. All of it was an act—anger staged to drag the pace back onto her terms. In her long experience, men usually folded at that point, apologizing for having upset her.
Kyle was different. The eyes fixed on her were murkier than she had ever seen them.
"Fine. Then let me change the question a little."
"Haa. Kyle, I already told you I don't know anything about—"
"Why did you betray me?"
As he spoke, Kyle held out a copy he had taken from Yuli's room. She knew exactly what it was—the duplicate of the petition listing the Hero's crimes, the one sent to the Emperor. The last person to hold it had been Yuli.
"H-how do you have that—!"
"I stole it from Yuli's room a little while ago. You're smart. That much should be enough for you to figure out the rest."
Which meant he had slipped into the inn where they were staying. Which meant he had almost certainly overheard every conversation they had shared. Checkmate. A perfect dead end.
Emilia looked up at the black sky and let out a long breath.
"Haa. That bastard Yuli. I told him again and again to burn it right away."
It was as good as a confession.
"Yes. That's right. We sent the letter to the Emperor."
At last she admitted her crime. There was no remorse in it, no plea for forgiveness. Kyle gave a short, incredulous snort of laughter.
"Pretty bold of you."
"Of course. We did it all for you. How could I not be bold?"
Yes. That was right. Everything had been for Kyle. He might not understand it, but this affair had let them weed out every parasite that had tried to cling to him—the nobles who had sent letters without knowing their place, the Emperor who had always envied him, Yuli, even the citizens who had praised him. All of them. With a single scrap of paper, they had cast aside the man who had protected this continent, like a worn-out shoe. The Princess would be no different. In the end, only they remained—the only ones who still loved him.
"Kyle. Think carefully for once. Who's still at your side right now? Who goes every day into that filthy slum to look after a man branded a criminal?"
"You were the ones who made me into that in the first place. What, are you bragging about giving me the disease and then the cure? Must have been a real thrill, crippling someone and then watching from the sidelines."
"But thanks to that, you found out who truly cares for you and treasures you. Who still loves you no matter what you become. Isn't that right?"
"Shut your damn mouth, Emilia. Before I actually kill you."
It wasn't an empty threat. He meant it. One look at his face was enough to know. Emilia flinched in spite of herself at the killing intent rolling off him.
"...Kyle. Did you come all the way here to kill me?"
"Well, it's not as if I don't feel like it. But I came for something else today."
"Is that so?"
Relief loosened something inside her. Of course. Kyle would never kill a companion. Least of all her. The tension she had been holding suddenly felt foolish. Her expression eased into something far more relaxed.
"I came because I wanted to give you one last chance, Emilia."
"One last chance?"
"Admit, even now, that you lied, and help clear my name. If you do, I'll forgive you this once—"
"—Pfft."
"..."
"Heh. Sorry. Could you say that again?"
She burst out laughing before he could finish, as if his offer were the most absurd thing she had ever heard. The lamplight caught the arrogant curve of her smile.
"Kyle. That isn't offering a chance. That's begging. Come on—shall we try that again?"
She spoke as if addressing a child, looking down on him from a height of pure contempt.
"Kyle. I'll be the one giving you a chance. Now that it's come to this—come under me."
"..."
"Heh. Well? Doesn't that sound nice?"
Emilia smiled, wicked and playful. Passing men stopped and stared, dazed all over again. It was the kind of proposal no man should have been able to refuse.
Except Kyle.
"Emilia. Think carefully. This is your last chance."
"Heh. Kyle. You still don't get it. The one offering a chance right now isn't you. It's me."
She reached out and closed both hands around his throat, as if fastening a collar on him. Kyle knocked her hands away. She smiled, faintly disappointed. Looking at her, he spoke flatly.
"One last question."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Why did you do it?"
This was different from every question he had asked so far. This one, he truly wanted to know.
"Yuli, that bastard—I can understand him. But why you?"
"I already told you, Kyle. All of this was for you."
She meant it. Emilia genuinely believed that. Kyle only laughed under his breath.
"Ha. What a load of shit."
As if she were no longer even worth dealing with. He finally looked away from her.
"Emilia. I told you clearly. This was the last time. You're the one who didn't listen."
"Heh. And so?"
"Don't regret it. Don't regret the choice you made today."
With that, he turned his back on her. He was gone from her sight in an instant, and Emilia made no move to stop him. She was certain he would come crawling back soon enough.
"Don't regret it, he says. Heh. Kyle has a surprisingly cute side after all."
He still had the leisure to put on airs like that. He seemed to think there was still a way out—and for that, she almost felt sorry for him. There was no path left for him to escape this false charge. The more he struggled, the deeper he would sink into the mire, and his life would keep crumbling piece by piece. Before long the citizens would track down the house where he was living, and even the slum would drive him out. When he had nowhere left to turn, she would appear before him. The one who reached out to a Kyle who had lost everything and fallen into despair would be neither the Princess nor any of the other companions—only her. Then, at last, he would understand. That would be the moment of her victory.
"Heh. I'm looking forward to what comes next."
How long would he last? A year? Half a year? No—a month at most. Emilia breathed in the pleasant night wind, already picturing Kyle clinging to her legs and begging.
Night comes for every place. The capital of the Empire was no exception. Even the greatest city on the continent could not keep darkness from coexisting beneath its light—places like these sewers, for instance.
"Tch. Why do all these necromancer types set up shop in dumps like this?"
Squelch. Squelch.
Every step brought a clammy wet sound from underfoot. At least the slums still had the moon and stars at night. Down here in the sewers, even that was gone. Only darkness, stillness, and a hideous stench waited to greet their visitors.
"In any other life, I never would have set foot in a place like this."
I gave a bitter smile and started down the stairs in front of me. Underground—an endless descent into black. At the bottom of those stairs stood a single door. I pushed open the rusted thing and stepped inside, and an old necromancer looked up to meet me.
"...Hero Kyle?"
He stared as if he had seen a ghost. Clearly he had never imagined he would face me in a place like this. I skipped the small talk and went straight to the point.
"I've got a job for you."
"Well now. Live long enough and you really do get to take a commission from Hero Kyle himself. So—what is it you want?"
"Make me one corpse."
"A corpse? Of whom?"
The necromancer asked with genuine interest. I pointed at the man standing right in front of him.
"Hero Kyle."