You Must Help Me
“Gremory.”
“Lady Grand Duke?”
The moment our eyes met, the young lady seemed ready to switch into attack mode. Whenever something displeased her, Karalin would unleash her aura. Even standing beside her made one’s bones feel frozen solid.
“What business do you have with us all of a sudden?”
Yet she had directed that aura at Gremory, who had merely spoken to her. It was rather chilling.
“It’s nothing important. I was simply about to have a cup of coffee when I noticed the two of you sitting together like that—”
Gremory, however, brushed it off with her usual languid tone, as if such things were perfectly ordinary.
“It’s good to see you as well, Lord Steel Knight.”
“A pleasure to meet you, Lady Gremory.”
In truth, this was the first time I had spoken directly with Gremory. As I had thought before, there was little I could say to her. Her deep ties to Karlank made any direct approach risky. I had brought the young lady along hoping to draw some aggro away… but if she reacted this way, things would become difficult.
“Thank you for speaking first. I had been at a loss, unable to properly greet the heir of the Four Magic Towers even after all this time.”
Still, I had to do what needed to be done. I returned Gremory’s greeting with proper courtesy.
“Oh my—how polite. But there’s no need to be so stiff. We’re classmates, aren’t we?”
The moment I opened my mouth, the young lady shot me a strange look. Then she slid a little closer to my side.
‘This is bad. Her wariness is at maximum.’
It was troublesome, yet I could hardly blame her. She already knew someone in the academy was scheming. Meeting an unfamiliar person naturally made her suspect they might be part of the plot, so she had no choice but to act aggressively. Especially when facing Gremory, who maintained strong connections with the Karlank family—the very house behind Banquite—her suspicion would only intensify.
Yet this was a misunderstanding. While I could not receive direct help from her, Gremory herself was not a dangerous individual. Aside from her interest in power, she was simply a girl who wanted to enjoy academy life in the proper way. She did not even know that Banquite were scum. To her, Banquite was merely someone who had carried out a great purge and ultimately become crown prince.
Seeing the young lady’s demeanor, Gremory let out a light laugh.
“Sorry, but I have no intention of stealing him away—Lady Grand Duke.”
“Hah. Think what you like. I don’t know what’s going through your head anyway.”
While we exchanged awkward greetings, a strong presence stirred behind Gremory. It was Cryan.
“Over here.”
“This is…?”
“A note. I read it.”
While the young lady and Gremory were talking, Cryan carefully returned the letter I had given him that morning.
“But I still can’t read your intentions. Just what did you see in me that made you want to speak with me?”
“Hmm. Who knows.”
When I dodged the question, Cryan sighed.
“…Well, I doubt it’s what I’m thinking, but please understand why I brought Gremory. This is my insurance. I have no need to speak deeply with anyone.”
“What do you mean?”
“If you don’t know, then it doesn’t matter, does it?”
With that, Cryan subtly gestured toward the other two.
“Daughters of noble houses, retainers. If people like them are present, it’s the perfect setting for a public conversation. If you wish to talk, let’s do so with dignity.”
As expected. It was exactly the kind of thinking Cryan would have—someone who had been driven out by Banquite and faced a doomed fate. When I called him with such meaningful intent, he naturally grew wary of being dragged into something suspicious. For example, a rebellion against Banquite, or an assassination plot. As the only surviving crown prince’s peer, he had been approached countless times for such under-the-table dealings. Even if it was a summons from the Grand Duchy, unrelated to central affairs, he would still move cautiously.
But the surprising part was that what Cryan suspected was actually correct. And I had already anticipated that he would be this cautious. So I suddenly called out to the young ladies instead.
“Lady Karalin, Lady Gremory!”
“Wait, Yohan. I was talking to you.”
Cryan looked flustered, but the two women, unaware of the situation, naturally turned toward me. I spoke as naturally as possible.
“I have a suggestion. Since such distinguished individuals have gathered, why don’t we use this opportunity to strengthen our bonds over tea?”
Karalin raised an eyebrow as if asking what I was up to, but I discreetly brushed my thigh. It was our secret signal.
‘Just stay quiet and trust me for now.’
“Oh my, that sounds wonderful. I was actually thinking of suggesting the same thing.”
Since Cryan kept his mouth shut and showed no discomfort, only Gremory reacted with clear delight and accepted the proposal. The young lady, after seeing the signal, seemed to understand what I intended. Her lips parted slightly before closing again.
‘Yes, there’s no need to be wary, my lady. Please trust this retainer and help me just this once.’
“…Well, if my retainer says so.”
As expected, the young lady was quick to catch on. When I quickly signaled with my eyes for her to separate the two of us, she chose to trust and assist me, hiding the hostile gaze she had shown just moments before.
“But Gremory, from here on it’s the ladies’ conversation. We’ll sit separately.”
“…Ufufufu. Suddenly requesting a ladies’ talk—Lady Karalin has quite the adorable side, doesn’t she?”
“It’s not that. If four people with different roles sit together, the conversation won’t flow naturally. So let’s each speak separately.”
At the mention of “ladies’ conversation,” Gremory seemed to ignite with enthusiasm and agreed with a strong snort.
“Very well. But know this: since you proposed a ladies’ talk first, I, Gremory, will respond with full sincerity.”
“I won’t refuse.”
“Is this what they call ‘Uhyo—’?”
“W-what is that?”
“It’s the sound I make when my magic succeeds! It’s similar to ‘Eureka’!”
With that, the two of them left their seats. Cryan looked at me with a sour expression.
“You planned this with Lady Grand Duke, didn’t you?”
“No. I haven’t said anything to her, Lord Cryan.”
“Hah… I’ve been had.”
He let out a sigh.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Is this conversation really something that must be had alone?”
“It’s nothing else. I came because I have a favor to ask. It might become a bit embarrassing, so I thought it would be better to speak separately.”
“Then make it brief.”
“It might take a while…”
“Don’t make me lose my patience. I’m asking nicely.”
Ah, so that’s how it is. Then I’ll just say what I need to say.
“Then don’t speak—just listen. I came to tell you who killed your mother.”
“Ha.”
In that instant, sacred mana boiled around Cryan. Even so, Cryan was a core rookie of the Central Magic Tower Management Bureau that oversaw the Four Magic Towers. If I took that mana head-on, my bones wouldn’t remain intact. With a trembling voice, Cryan spoke.
“You… what kind of person are you?”
“There are many people here. Turn off your mana. Let’s go somewhere quiet.”
“This is a threat. Depending on what you say, I could burn you to death with holy power right here.”
But I wanted to ask the opposite. Was he prepared to face me as well?
“Whining again. If you were going to do that, you should have killed me the moment you saw me, before asking my identity. I don’t know if you recognize me, but if you’re going to attack, you’d better be prepared to die.”
Cryan frowned.
“Do you really think no one here knows who you are? Yohan.”
“Some people might not. If it’s ignorance, that’s one thing. But if it’s recklessness, I won’t let it slide.”
“…Tch.”
When I spoke without changing my expression, he lowered his voice again.
“This is why I didn’t want to talk. How does the world never go as expected?”
“That’s how the world is. A magic of complex power dynamics.”
“…I’m sorry for getting angry. I must have lost myself for a moment. I have no desire to fight a monster like you. I was just flustered because I never expected you to get straight to the point like that.”
“I simply wanted to help you, so don’t be too upset and just listen.”
“Fine. But… if it’s useless or something I already know, I might get angry again.”
Yeah, yeah. But that probably wouldn’t happen. This was the only way to bring Cryan firmly to my side.
Now… it was time to unleash my Wind Release Mouth Technique.