18
Chapter 18
After holding the man's hand for some time, Rubia once again began to grasp the situation she was in.
Apart from holding his hand, she still didn't fully understand what was going on right now.
'So, who exactly are these people?'
The people who entered were three in number.
Judging by the identical black robes they wore, they belonged to a single group.
Their combat prowess was off the charts.
The white-haired girl had single-handedly suppressed all of her forces as easily as twisting a child's wrist.
And the girl didn't even seem to hold a very high position within this organization.
If so, just how strong must the Head of the organization be?
It was impossible to even imagine.
Furthermore, it wasn't just their combat prowess that was outstanding.
Information.
Their intelligence network was at a level that she couldn't wrap her head around, no matter how much she thought about it.
The fact that she had planned to sell that business to the Empire was information known only to her and the core figures of the Empire.
How on earth did they find out about that?
And how did they know so much detail about how the Empire operated?
"......."
Instantly, a cold sweat ran down Rubia's back.
In a way, it was only obvious.
A group with that level of intelligence and military power couldn't have just popped up out of nowhere.
Then, what was the answer?
Simple.
Black Fang.
The organization that was currently causing an uproar throughout the Empire.
They had murdered the Empire's Knight Commander, and although unbeknownst to the general public, assassinated a member of the High Command.
They were even the unprecedented organization that had recently annihilated an Elite Force of the Empire.
Despite committing such massive terrorist acts against the Empire, their goals still remained unknown.
With absolutely no information revealed about their members, they were truly a secret organization shaking up the Empire as they pleased.
Only then did Rubia realize what kind of situation she was in.
She had taken his hand because she listened to the man's words and felt skeptical about the path she was currently walking...
But what if.......
What if she hadn't been persuaded by this man?
What would have happened then?
What if she had only pretended to accept his offer and tried to betray him behind his back?
It wasn't difficult to imagine the outcome.
There was no way the Leader of a group like Black Fang would fail to notice her lie.
The moment she let a lie slip, she would have met the same fate as those others who had tried to dig up information on Black Fang.
Driven mad, she would have smiled as she drove a blade into her own head.
Rubia just realized that she had almost died.
'T-Thank goodness. I'm glad I took his hand back then.'
Thinking about that, a certain fact suddenly occurred to her.
The Leader of Black Fang had approached her requesting cooperation. And, she had readily taken his hand.
Then..., did this mean she had joined the organization?
Instantly, her face turned pale.
She had merely reflected on her life a bit, done some soul-searching, decided this wasn't the right path, and resolved to change her ways.
How did she end up joining a secret organization?
And an unprecedentedly vicious secret organization that was shaking up the Empire as it pleased, no less.
Her hand, which had been leisurely pouring the black tea she offered to serve, trembled violently.
However, she quickly gathered her wits.
She couldn't withdraw her membership now anyway.
Even if she had done it unknowingly, the moment she brought it up, she would bid farewell to this world.
And..., thinking about it, it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Black Fang, which the Empire found so troublesome, hadn't even revealed the number of members in their organization yet.
Their security was maintained that strictly.
But in contrast, that man had seen through everything from the plans she had formulated to the Empire's internal affairs.
It was clear which side held the upper hand in intelligence.
And as for military power, based on what she had experienced firsthand, they certainly didn't seem lacking.
If this organization was truly moving for the sake of a revolution, as the rumors claimed.......
There was a possibility.
Maybe... they could really pull it off.
Rubia organized her thoughts and came to a conclusion.
There was no harm in being associated with them.
It might actually be quite advantageous.
But the important thing is.......
"Tea, do you like tea? ...No, do you enjoy tea?"
It was scary.
Too scary.
How on earth was she supposed to serve the Head of a secret organization who commanded a powerhouse capable of shattering a wall like a snack with a single punch as a mere subordinate?
Rubia felt like she might burst into tears right at that moment.
*****
Ms. Rubia was a much kinder person than I had thought.
She was so kind, in fact, that I was completely caught off guard.
Despite infiltrating this place using such a violent method, Ms. Rubia listened to me earnestly.
She wasn't even pretending to listen to us just because she felt her life was threatened.
Ciel had said she didn't sense any hostility from Rubia.
Mind-reading magic or something similar didn't appear in the previous game, but she wasn't the type of kid to lie in a situation like this.
Besides, there were rare individuals among the Succubi who possessed eyes capable of reading the emotions of others.
So it wouldn't be particularly strange if the Demon contracted with Ciel had a similar type of ability.
'I was fully prepared to be resented, you know.'
To think she would serve black tea to the person who pulled such a stunt, even going so far as to use respectful honorifics.
She didn't even harbor any hostility toward me.
She was truly a saint among saints.
'Are the good guys in this work supposed to be this way?'
Come to think of it, it had been like that since Ciel.
That kid gave up half her soul to a Demon to save me when she didn't even know my name yet.
And Rien had left behind her village folks, who were like family, to help me on a journey she was never meant to take in her life, all because I asked.
Both of them were strangely kind and good kids.
It was unusual, considering there were quite a few good guys with nasty personalities in the previous game.
Was this the result of the developers, who loved inserting bizarrely gruesome elements, coming to their senses and trying to appeal to a wider audience?
Regardless, it was a good thing for me.
There was no harm in the good guys having nice personalities.
I asked Rubia, who was speaking to me in honorifics, to speak comfortably, and politely drank the black tea she had served.
"I am truly sorry. Somehow I ended up using a bit of forceful means......."
Such devoted hospitality.
Since I do have a conscience, I had no choice but to offer her a polite apology.
"Ah, n-no, it's fine. That kind of thing happens."
At her gentle reply, I found myself admiring Rubia's character... until I soon noticed something a little strange.
Rubia's gaze didn't seem to be directed at me.
Come to think of it, it felt like I had been sensing a strange bloodlust from behind me for a while now.
A feeling that the bloodlust grew stronger every time I apologized to Rubia.
I turned around to see what was at the end of Rubia's gaze, but Ciel was simply standing there.
Ciel was slurping down the black tea like a cat.
......Wait, wasn't that mine?
I was about to say something, but decided to just let it go.
From traveling with her all this time, I learned it was easier to just ignore Ciel's strange behavior.
Besides, I had other important matters to attend to right now.
"I know it's shameless of me to ask, but would it be possible to receive a little support?"
I cautiously brought it up to Rubia.
This was the greatest hurdle I had to face.
I wasn't particularly worried about asking for help in dealing with the mastermind.
Rubia was a good person. If I told her that the mastermind was plotting something, she would naturally step up to stop it without even being asked.
However, that was one thing; receiving actual support was another.
I had no idea under what pretext I should request such aid.
No matter how kind she was, an entrepreneur was still an entrepreneur.
She wouldn't just hand over resources for no reason.
But the real reason was something I couldn't possibly mention.
This world was actually a game, and I couldn't exactly tell her that I needed help because I'd seen a trailer where the world gets destroyed.
In the end, I could only offer vague explanations.
I spouted nonsense about wanting to make the world a better place, as if I were running some kind of charity.
There was no way she would support me based on such rubbish.
And yet...
Rubia nodded readily, looking as if she had already expected this.
I couldn't believe my eyes.
Really?
She'd provide support based on such a ridiculous excuse?
I asked her several times if she was serious, but her answer never changed.
She even went so far as to declare that she was willing to make a Mana Oath.
"As for the cure... I'll make sure it's scrubbed right now, so don't worry."
The moment she said that, I felt the matter was finally settled. There were a few hiccups along the way, but this was an absolute success.
I had managed to achieve both goals perfectly: securing a powerful backer and neutralizing the mastermind.
"That's a relief."
"Huh? What do you mean, a relief...?"
"I spent a long time wondering if I should just kill them."
Could things have worked out any better than this?
Rubia had clearly stated she would make the plot disappear rather than killing the person behind it.
I wasn't a psychopath; if there was a way to solve things without killing, there was no reason to prefer murder.
So, I spoke with a genuine smile.
"I'm glad we can resolve this peacefully without anyone having to die. Right?"
Clatter! A teacup hit the floor.
Ms. Rubia's face turned pale in an instant.
Maybe a shard of the broken cup had embedded itself in her.
'I should send Ciel to treat her later.'
With that thought, I shook hands with Ms. Rubia.
It seemed we would be seeing a lot of each other from now on.