If the Abyss Looks Upon Me (3)
Basically, the dormitories at Sigmund Academy strictly separate males and females. Entering the dormitory of the opposite sex results in disciplinary punishment. But what of it? I needed to share a secret conversation with the young lady. For that, a private space was essential. And as such a place, each other’s dormitory rooms were perfect for our rendezvous. ‘If I simply sneak in and out without getting caught by the dorm supervisor, there will be absolutely no problems.’ Besides, since the young lady and I are not in a romantic relationship, I would even have an excuse if caught.
In that sense, the place I visited today was Karalin’s private quarters—to be exact, the small balcony on its terrace.
“The situation in Vitagarde appears far more serious than expected. When Mother last spoke to me, she said they were still assessing the damage, but a new letter has arrived.”
The young lady, who had said she had something to tell me, once again held out a letter stamped with the seal of the North.
“It is a message from Father.”
“Your Highness…!”
Upon inspection, it was a missive from His Highness Rexas. The damage report written within was staggering. An assault by fifty wyverns. No—when including those that had not been subjugated before, an additional invasion of roughly seventy. As a result, Vitagarde had declared total wartime mobilization due to insufficient capacity. All planting had been halted, and numerous cities had already been abandoned beyond control. The front lines had even been pushed back to the royal castle directly before the Grand Ducal House. In the worst case, they were contemplating the relocation of the capital itself. The postscript contained these words.
“...At any rate, the situation is grave. It seems Shagalor deliberately minimized the reported damage, but I believe it is only right that you, the sole Grand Duke’s daughter, should know the truth. Thus I send this letter once more. I am filled with deep regret for having sent the Lord of Steel to accompany you. Had I known matters would come to this, I never would have done so. Yet it is plain to see that even if I ordered his return now, you would simply burn this letter and feign ignorance. Therefore, simply convey my regards. The North is burning.”
His Highness Rexas may have lost his mind to dementia and lust, yet he still placed tremendous trust in my abilities. After all, he had bestowed the title of Lord of Steel upon me—a mere low-ranking knight who was nothing more than a servant. So it was not incomprehensible that he would send such regretful words. ‘That does not mean I have any reason to like His Highness. Nor do I intend to rush back to the North this instant.’
I owe my loyalty first and foremost to the young lady, even before the North. A man who could not even control his own lust and brought despair upon her—there was no reason for my devotion to follow him. Well, in truth, I had already known this much. From Shagalor’s previous letter claiming everything ran smoothly without us, I had already guessed it was all a lie. As for me, I could only fervently hope that the North would burn fiercely until its flesh grew tender and succulent. How the young lady would react remained uncertain.
As expected, she spoke.
“The situation seems to have grown complicated.”
“Yes. It appears undeniable. What are your thoughts, my lady?”
“Well.”
Even though she had been stripped of her position as successor, the young lady still cared deeply for her territory and its people. She was probably burning with the urge to scour every corner out of worry. Wasn’t that how it had been in the original story? If I spoke with her now, I vaguely recalled her showing obsessive, paranoid behavior, saying the affairs of her homeland were driving her mad.
However, the answer that left the young lady’s lips was unexpected.
“When I think of the people who must endure such a cruel war, my heart feels as if it is being torn apart—. But that is all there is to it.”
“I see.”
“It was Father, Mother, and Abel who drove me from the position of successor and seized it for themselves. Then it is they who must bear that weight.”
The young lady rose from her chair. She spoke while gently touching the pommel of the sword at her waist.
“Since they exiled me here, I believe this is no longer my responsibility.”
As she said this, Karalin momentarily wore a bitter expression, as if self-loathing had surged within her.
“The more I feel it, the more heartless it sounds. So you may curse me as irresponsible if you wish.”
But to me, she was so… admirable. Thinking realistically, yet separating sympathy from it. ‘The young lady’s behavior in the original work was nothing like this. How fortunate. It seems I truly was able to change someone.’
My constant efforts, which had always wished for her to become like this, had not been in vain. Concealing such joyful feelings, I said.
“No. You did well. It is an exceedingly correct judgment. For us now, it is right to choose reason over sentiment.”
“…I see. You still like me even when I am like this.”
A refreshing breeze fluttered across the young lady’s face. She smiled faintly at me. That decadent smile was beautiful. It was clearly impossible, but if I could, I would have wanted to hold her tightly.
“Ah, um… Yes. I will not deny that I devote all my respect to you.”
So I responded to the young lady who was teasing me with suitable flattery. Surely someone like me…
“Hehe. Indeed, the world is cruel, just as you said. In the territory everything is said to be burned to ash, and here at Sigmund someone is trying to pry into my weakened heart.”
I seized upon the young lady’s words.
“That is precisely what I wished to speak with you about.”
“What is it?”
“Loban’s insolence. The very fact that he dares make such attempts toward you leaves no room for sympathy. We must show him the ways of the North.”
At that, the young lady’s expression instantly sharpened into something predatory.
“Correct. Tell me what you have devised, Lord of Steel.”
I told the young lady everything I knew about Loban—what perverse tastes he harbored in his private quarters, and what monstrous methods he employed.
“A madman.”
“Yes, a madman indeed. And that madman is now attempting to extend his evil reach even to the students.”
“Shouldn’t I be enough? Must he involve the other students as well?”
“The field training to be held in one month will be the starting point.”
“During field training…?”
“At that event, instead of the C-rank monsters the school planned to release, Loban intends to unleash an A-rank monster—the Iron Giant.”
The young lady clicked her tongue.
“The wyvern we shot down in the North was a B-rank monster. If he releases an A-rank, the number of casualties will be beyond counting…”
That would indeed be the case. Chaos and pandemonium. Because Loban wanted to witness exactly that hellish scene. And that was not all.
“And in that situation, Loban will approach you, my lady.”
“Why?”
“After rescuing you from the Iron Giant, he will peddle his kindness, gradually drawing closer in order to tempt you toward the devil.”
The young lady closed her eyes in revulsion and her hand trembled.
“So that is why he tried to have Loban dispose of you.”
“Because I am an obstacle by my very presence. And if I were there, would you accept Loban’s proposal, my lady?”
“Absolutely not.”
She declared it without hesitation.
“Is all of this information you obtained from interrogating Loban?”
In truth, it was not. Loban had simply been a pawn who knew none of the plans; he had been shoved forward from behind and told to deal with me. He had certainly never been allowed anywhere near such a dark scheme. But as I had said before, the dead tell no tales.
“Yes, I extracted every detail from Loban.”
“Then for now we must stop the Iron Giant. Dealing with Loban comes after.”
“Yes, that seems the best course. However…”
“However what?”
“There is a way to catch both rabbits. For everyone’s safety—no, for your safety, my lady.”
“You may speak.”
No matter how I considered it, leaving Loban alive for long was dangerous. Why should I spare a being that rampages from the early stages to the final act of the game? But he is exceedingly cautious. Therefore, to lure him out, this was the only method. It might appear somewhat insane as a plan, but…
“I will pretend to have been killed by Loban’s scheme.”
“Eh…?!”
“You will attend the field training as scheduled. And when Loban approaches, you will cut his throat.”
If I remained alive, he would not appear. The solution was simple. By truly appearing dead, I could induce him to lower his guard.
“Wh-what did you say?”
At those words the young lady’s eyes flew wide. Why would someone of her skill react this way?
“If there are no witnesses, we can simply eliminate him. He is someone you could kill without difficulty, my lady. Afterward we can roughly cover it up by claiming it was the Iron Giant’s doing.”
“No. No!! Yohan, that is not what I mean!! You—what do you mean by dying…?”
Oh. Had I misread the situation? The young lady suddenly became extremely flustered. Losing her composure, she strode right up to me until she stood directly before my eyes. Her chest filled my vision, yet I remained unperturbed and continued.
“It is exactly as I said. Starting roughly two weeks from now, I will pretend to be dead.”
“Do not say such things, even as a joke…”
The young lady’s voice trembled.
…So she simply hated the thought of me falling into such a state. But even if it pained her heart, it could not be helped. To achieve the greater cause of eliminating Loban, who threatened the young lady, there was nothing I would not do.
The young lady desperately tried to dismantle my plan.
“No, it does not make sense from the beginning. Since you have already dealt with Loban, even if you hide your body, if there is no direct contact with him he will notice, will he not?”
“Then shouldn’t Loban remain alive?”
“Are you suggesting necromancy?”
“No. I will become Loban.”
Rorschach.
The mirror sword, the blade that distorts perception, the sword of oblivion. With it, adjusting Loban’s senses and changing my appearance into his should be entirely possible.
When I asked, Rorschach affirmed it at once. Yet even so, it seemed Karalin remained unsatisfied.
“Loban may be sensitive to magic. Or what if the subordinates beside him notice?”
“Loban himself probably would not know… but his subordinates might. That is why I say I will ‘die’ in two weeks.”
“Why?”
“If I can secure the assistance of a being on the level of a grand mage, would I not be able to completely conceal all traces of my mana?”
“A grand mage…”
Gremory Aregore.
“Drawing her in is nearly impossible given her deep ties to the Karlangk family, so I will employ a slightly different method.”
Though my heart disliked it, my head remained cool. The young lady, who had been quietly calculating the odds, seemed to have concluded that the plan was feasible enough, and that even if discovered there would be no particular loss. If it were found out, everything would simply return to the beginning. Nothing was being staked.
“…Very well. I cannot completely oppose it. Since you devised this scheme for my sake, I suppose I should call it admirable.”
“That is how it turned out. You would not wish to spend your school days with such a disgusting pervert either, my lady.”
“But it infuriates me. My servant… my Yohan…! Why must you pretend to disappear from my side?”
At that moment—
“Ei!”
The young lady reached out with her delicate hand and tousled my hair roughly, as if trying to mess it up completely. Her hand was cold, raising goosebumps across my scalp.
“Ah, my lady?!”
“My emotions do not easily permit proceeding with this matter, yet it is true that you have brought an excellent plan.”
“What do you mean by that!”
“Here. This is the reward your lady bestows upon you for it. You may accept it with honor.”
“Th-that is…”
A question about whether it was too frivolous to be called an honor nearly left my lips, but the feeling was… quite pleasant, so I kept silent. Even if her tousling technique was not particularly skillful, it was still the young lady’s hand touching me. A soft, refined touch. It made my whole body feel strangely warm.
“However, it is a promise. Pretending to die in front of me ends with this matter.”
I was too embarrassed and pleaded with her.
“Th-thank you, but could you please remove your hand first…! What if someone is watching from below the terrace?!”
“No. I will continue until you answer me. Since I will only go along with this death-related matter this once, do not even mention it again. This is an order. Do you understand, Yohan?”
But her reaction was stubborn.
“Yes… my lady…”
I could only quietly submit.
“Then one more thing. Buy me ice cream right now.”
“Ah, that. Strawberry flavor again this time? You seem to have been eating it quite often lately.”
“It is the capital’s only merit. To create something so delicious with cow’s milk all year round… As expected, the taste of fruit from cold places is superb. I love strawberries too much.”
“I like them as well.”
“…Hm?”
“Strawberry-flavored ice cream…”
For now, it seemed the plan had been fully organized. However, at this moment—two weeks before my ‘death’—what mattered most of all was buying the young lady her beloved strawberry ice cream. Among the times I could enjoy with her, this was one of the few leisurely moments. No one could stop my purchase.