Charlotte Eshrelt (1)
Every shred of suspicion had vanished, marking the end of a grueling day spent escaping a playground for those blinded by money and depraved entertainment.
Now that the suffocating tension had finally dissipated, my body immediately began to voice its grievances.
"...Come to think of it, I haven't even stopped the bleeding yet."
Applying salve and wrapping bandages around the gash at my waist was something I would soon grow used to again, but the wound remained a stark brand reminding me just how far I still had to go. Fighting one-on-one in every clash would be ideal, yet I knew all too well that such fortune was a pipe dream. Future battles would inevitably pit me against vast numbers, so I supposed I could treat today as an advance rehearsal.
Even so, contrary to what I had initially expected, the gains far outweighed the losses. The academy students' financial problems weren't entirely resolved yet, but Charlotte had succeeded in stealing the confidential ledger today. Give it a little time, and Tembris would naturally raid and dismantle the underground syndicate.
I couldn't say for sure how the students' debt situation would shake out, but at least their bodies wouldn't be broken before the Scheat Great Subjugation Campaign. The Octagon would cease to exist before that could happen.
Cain joining Tembris. The bust of the gambling den. Relieving the students' financial crisis.
While one detail still left something to be desired, things wouldn't take a turn for the worse. Rough around the edges though it was, I had achieved what I set out to do.
"Whew... The real problem is what comes next."
The academic administration had issued an announcement notifying all students that the criteria for graduation had been revised. The third-years stood at the sharpest turning point of all. With the professors and officials who had accepted bribes to sweep things under the rug now eliminated, several lecture slots had opened up, leaving those students with time to amass practical combat experience.
Time to accumulate real combat experience. As far as the curriculum went, it was an impeccable, flawless initiative. The same held true for the students.
If it were merely a matter of hunting down common demonic beasts, those with funds could simply hire mercenaries and brute-force the extermination through sheer numbers. But this impending trial was not something that could be swept aside so easily.
The best I had managed to devise was resolving their tuition crisis as quickly as possible so they could preserve their strength. I hadn't planned for what lay beyond that.
Just as I rubbed my chin, brooding over what to do next, a voice chimed in as though the speaker had been waiting for me all along.
"Senior Junon."
It was Charlotte, now neatly dressed in fresh attire.
"I came because I have something to tell you. I haven't told anyone else."
Back then, the situation had left us no choice but to match each other's pace and put on an act, but there was no reason for things to go awry now. Even so, from my perspective, I couldn't simply brush her off and walk away.
Right. Come to think of it, the most critical piece was still left unsettled.
Between the notice detailing the revised graduation requirements and the calamity looming on the horizon, I had grown careless when it came to wrapping up the loose ends at the Octagon. Charlotte had a clear pretext in wanting to bring down the gambling den, but I had no such justification. Moreover, on the official records, an academy student had personally stepped into the ring of an illicit underground fighting pit. How could I ever hold my head high?
Realizing I had overlooked the most vital issue, I silently waited for her to speak.
Sensing an opening for conversation, Charlotte seized the opportunity without hesitation.
"Would you mind stopping by my villa before you head back?"
"Where is this coming from all of a sudden?"
"...Because of this."
With an ache in her eyes, Charlotte pressed a handkerchief against the exact spot where a sword had slashed me earlier today. Though I was well aware I had been cut, handling the immediate crisis had taken priority over tending to my wounds, leaving a thick, dark crimson stain that had soaked entirely through my tunic.
"If you return like this, people will suspect you."
"..."
The crimson stain was so vivid it had discolored the entire fabric; no one with eyes could possibly miss it. Anyone who crossed my path would look at me with suspicion, demanding to know where I had gone and how I had gotten such an injury.
The blood-soaked handkerchief stayed pressed firmly against the wound. And so did Charlotte's hand. Perhaps she had reached out only to staunch the bleeding at first, but now she was actively holding onto my arm, refusing to let go.
"The villa is built in a secluded spot that even my teammates don't know about. If you rest there for just a little while, we can easily treat the injury and launder your clothes."
She was making excuses. An excuse to buy even a little more time to talk with me.
Charlotte Eshrelt. The shrewd businesswoman of the Eshrelt Merchant Guild, responsible for managing Tembris's intelligence and trade networks. No matter which of her titles I looked at, she was undeniably someone I had to keep at arm's length.
Yet for now, I followed her lead. Getting on her bad side would do me no good whatsoever.
"I was worried the fit might be uncomfortable, but I'm glad it suits you."
Even now, Charlotte was still gauging my mood. But that was as far as the pleasantries went; it was time to get down to business.
"I did everything you asked. Coming to your villa to get patched up, resting while my clothes were washed, and playing along with all your small talk meant to buy time. Isn't it about time you brought up what you actually wanted to say?"
"..."
For a brief moment, Charlotte glared at the innocent wooden table. She took a slow sip of her tea, swallowed, and then met my gaze squarely.
"May I ask why you participated in the Octagon, the arena inside the gambling parlor?"
"Who knows. Does that have anything to do with me?"
"It isn't entirely unrelated. Not when you consider this."
The document Charlotte slid across the table was the Octagon's participant roster.
I had thought this paper would simply be handed over to the authorities as evidence, but... it wasn't that simple.
Wait... Come to think of it, the moment this gets submitted...
My breath caught in my throat.
The purpose of this document was to record the participants' profiles in as much detail as possible. The fighters' real names were clearly written across the parchment, meaning this single sheet served as definitive proof that I had frequented an illegal gambling establishment.
I had thought I could wash my hands of the matter once the objective was met, but looking at the finer details, that was far from the case.
"That is why I'm asking. I wondered if you had a reason compelling enough to endure an official investigation by the academy or the Principality's authorities."
Charlotte had the legitimate pretext of going undercover to gather intelligence and secure evidence, but I had neither an excuse nor a shred of justification to present.
"Furthermore, the records show that approximately twenty-six thousand Alte was withdrawn from their vault. If that money was paid out to you as a reward... and its purpose remains unclear, you won't have any defense if you're accused of colluding in criminal activity."
Only then was I reminded of who was truly sitting across from me.
On the surface, she was the youngest member of a team, a petite girl coddled and adored by all her comrades. But beating inside that delicate frame was the iron heart of a merchant capable of single-handedly clearing away the staggering debts left behind by her late parents. The person before me was by no means the painfully shy junior two years my junior. She was Charlotte, growing into an adult distinctly different from the past.
And now, having run through all the calculations in her clever little head, her voice spilled over with raw concern.
It was unmistakably genuine worry and goodwill directed straight at me. A helping hand reached out once more to a man who had shoved everything away with cold, insincere words.
It wasn't that I hated kindness.
It was that I must never accept it.
Whenever I remembered the former comrades who had sought me out, their eyes once brimming with distrust and hatred, I reflexively distanced myself from them. I remained convinced that keeping my distance was the right path, the only way to ensure I would never become an anchor dragging them down.
Yet such heartfelt concern had a way of twisting my resolute determinations all over again.
"...The money is for the students currently struggling to pay their tuition."
"Senior...?"
"Prices skyrocketed, and tuition bills were suddenly dumped on them out of nowhere. The students are in absolute chaos. So, I figured the easiest way to gather that much cash was to wring it out of the nobles."
Her eyes went wide, and her lips parted slightly as she stared at me in disbelief. She had certainly tried to persuade me, but she clearly hadn't expected such an affirmative answer in return.
"Is it not enough?"
"I thought... you weren't going to tell me."
"That was the plan. But I had a slight change of heart."
If I secured her cooperation now, the complications would vanish. Charlotte's competence when armed with proper documentation went without saying. I would cooperate with her just this once—for a mutually beneficial outcome.
"So, how does it look from your perspective?"
"...Building a defense won't be difficult. However, it will be impossible for you to directly support their tuition, Senior. The academy has an explicit regulation capping the number of sponsored students at five per patron in order to prevent any single entity from monopolizing talent."
Generally, receiving a flat rejection from someone was a bad sign. But when a rejection came from Charlotte, you had to hear her out to the end.
"On the other hand, it might be possible if they receive the funds as wages earned from working under a merchant guild."
Because when she gave a decisive "no," it usually meant she already knew the workaround to turn it into a "yes."
A few days later.
The covertly obtained confidential files provided more than enough justification for Tembris to mobilize, and the gambling den was thoroughly exposed when the team staged a sudden, sweeping raid.
Charlotte took full responsibility for sourcing the documents. Furthermore, the discovery of enslaved fighters—an institution strictly forbidden by law—threw the entire Principality into an uproar. The financial hardships of the students agonizing over their tuition were also resolved.
And then came the final verdict.
"As the defendant's participation is presumed to have been intended to expose the illegal gambling establishment, the charges cannot be substantiated. Student Junon is hereby acquitted of all counts."
The disciplinary trial regarding a certain student suspected of criminal activity concluded without any reprimand, bringing the entire affair surrounding the gambling den to an end.
"You worked hard, Senior Junon."
"...Hardly."
I walked away completely clean, and we both knew who was responsible for that.
Unusually, the evening sky was washed in a brilliant crimson twilight. Perhaps it was because I had spent so much time shuttling between training grounds and underground dens that I rarely had occasion to gaze upward at this hour. I found myself wondering if a sunset had always looked this breathtaking.
In any case, my cooperation with Charlotte ended here. It was time to return to the way things were—the awkward distance where I actively avoided entanglements with my former comrades.
As if she had been harboring the exact same thought, Charlotte spoke up first.
"Senior. You knew I was the one who paid your tuition, didn't you?"
"...How did you figure that out?"
"It looked like you had set money aside in advance, as if preparing to pay it back. It wasn't the exact amount, but I figured you were planning to return what I spent with a generous ten percent interest on top."
Her mind worked faster than anyone's when it came to financial calculations, so an oversight like that wouldn't have escaped her notice. If she tried to use this to make further demands, I fully intended to cut her off cleanly.
Yet Charlotte had changed, as dramatically as the crimson sky above us.
"If there is ever anything you need help with, please let me know. Because I don't want to live depending on others anymore—I want to live cooperating with them."
...What?
Not depending... but cooperating?
"Th-that sounded weird all of a sudden, didn't it? Anyway, you really did great, Senior!"
Flustered, Charlotte turned on her heel as if fleeing and climbed into her waiting carriage. When the carriage set off moments later, the curtains were drawn tight, preventing me from catching another glimpse of her...
Yet, right before she had turned her back on me, there had been an unmistakable glisten of tears in her eyes.
And the Charlotte who spoke of wanting cooperation rather than dependence was no longer the youngest member of Tembris I once knew.
"You... remember too, don't you?"
The Charlotte who had first joined Tembris after suffering from a mana rampage had kept her guard up with razor-sharp intensity. The maknae of Tembris had never acknowledged her own vulnerability from the start. Only after we spent a tremendous amount of time patiently chipping away at her social anxiety and deep-seated insecurity was she finally able to recognize her shortcomings—which in turn led to her heavy dependence on the team.
Yet according to the timeline I remembered, it was far too early for Charlotte to break free from relying on the shelter of her comrades.