Chapter 42
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 42
Chapter Title: 10. Hide and Seek
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Kiel led Edward into his laboratory.
As soon as the door closed, a complex magical barrier activated. It was a device designed to block external gazes and sounds.
He had prepared it with that bastard in mind.
The laboratory was neatly organized.
Bookshelves lined with orderly volumes, a spotless workbench, and along the walls, several avatar remote-control devices glowing faintly.
On another desk sat multiple communication terminals.
Each one numbered.
"Edward, sit down."
Kiel pulled out a small kettle, heated it with mana, and brewed some tea. The fragrant aroma of herbal tea filled the laboratory.
Edward took the mug with trembling hands.
The cup was so hot that even Kiel might have fumbled it, but Edward gripped it without a care.
He seemed utterly oblivious to the heat.
His eyes remained frozen in terror.
"...Feeling a bit calmer now?"
"Y-yes... B-but, is this place... really safe...?"
Kiel sat across from Edward and observed him for a moment.
His breathing, his pupils, the subtle tremors in his muscles.
Could a fake perform this convincingly?
If it was that mad bastard, maybe... But even so, Kiel's intuition told him otherwise.
This wasn't acting.
'No matter how skilled an actor, could they pull this off?'
It was so flawless that it raised such doubts. Or perhaps it was genuine.
Kiel steadied himself and spoke in a gentle tone.
"Edward. Take a deep breath. It's okay. This place is safe. It's my laboratory. No one can barge in."
Edward shook his head. His lips had turned blue.
"It's... not safe. Anywhere... that guy's everywhere..."
"That guy?"
Kiel's gaze sharpened.
"Edward. Who are you talking about? Who did this to you? Who ordered you to conduct such... horrific experiments?"
Edward slammed the mug down. His fingers shook so badly that tea spilled over.
The hot liquid splashed onto his hand, turning it bright red, but he showed no sign of pain.
"I... I can't say."
"...Why?"
"If I talk, I'll die. You too, Senior..."
Tears welled up in Edward's eyes.
'Who the hell did he meet to end up this broken?'
What could he have seen, what deal could he have made, to drive a person this far?
Kiel ran through scenarios in his mind.
'If this is really Edward... then that bastard probably hijacked another body and manipulated him.'
It was exactly the kind of twisted idea that bastard would come up with.
The question was, what did he gain from it? How did he plan to steer the situation?
Kiel took a slow, deep breath.
"Edward, trust me. I have no intention of harming you. Quite the opposite—I want to protect you. But to help, I need the truth."
Kiel leaned forward and gripped Edward's hand firmly.
"Tell me who's threatening you. We'll find a solution together. With the academy's power... no, the empire's power, we can handle it."
"..."
Edward's mouth twitched as if he were about to speak.
After several attempts, he finally began to explain the situation.
"At first... he approached me saying my research wasn't progressing well."
Edward's story went like this.
About two weeks after he went on vacation, a man had approached him.
The man had gushed about how Edward's paper had moved him deeply and expressed his hope that the research would succeed.
Then the man suggested human experimentation.
If Edward just followed his instructions, he could gain talent that would go down in history.
"So, you accepted and conducted human experiments?"
"...I-I did!"
Edward raised his voice for a moment but soon hung his head and continued.
"I tried to refuse at first. But his words kept nagging at me, and I just..."
"Was there a price? Did he demand anything specific in exchange?"
"No, nothing. He just said he'd be happy to see me succeed..."
Kiel's eyes darkened.
"Then why did you run?"
Edward clamped his mouth shut.
From there, he shook his head as if he absolutely couldn't say.
So this situation...
'Edward is the real one, but he's under that mad bastard's surveillance and threats. That seems to fit.'
There were two possible motives.
Either to gain something from Edward's research, or simply to torment him.
'...Fuck. No matter how I look at it, it's the latter.'
Anger surged, but Kiel kept his expression neutral.
"Edward, calm down. My laboratory is protected by top-tier barriers. No one can eavesdrop on us."
This was a lie.
He had set the barriers as strong as possible, but he couldn't guarantee they could withstand that mad bastard's abilities.
That guy could probably break them.
He might even be watching this very moment.
From their past dealings, the bastard's abilities had been beyond imagination.
'Mastery of both swordsmanship and magic. If he wanted, cracking something like this would be trivial.'
That's why Kiel wasn't pinning much hope on the barriers.
If the bastard could watch no matter what, better to hear the truth and deal with it head-on.
"Who's threatening you? A name, appearance—anything you can give."
"Th-the only thing I can say is... name, appearance, form, mana pattern... none of that works."
Kiel clicked his tongue inwardly.
Even from this, it was clear. Certain.
'The one who manipulated Edward is that bastard.'
If name, appearance, form, and mana pattern meant nothing, that said it all.
"It's okay. You don't have to say more."
Kiel stood, sat beside Edward, and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
"It's okay, Edward. It's okay."
Kiel whispered soothingly. Edward's struggles gradually subsided.
"Remember? Back when you were an undergrad, I paid your tuition."
Edward didn't respond.
"Just like you helped me then, now it's my turn to help you."
Kiel's eyes gleamed with murderous intent.
'...I started this. I have to end it.'
I glanced at Kiel's expression.
Eyes blazing with killing intent. The kind that would charge straight at me to kill if he found me.
'Pretty method acting, huh?'
An ambiguous attitude would only convince Kiel I was a fake.
A real Edward wouldn't act so evasively.
'This confirms Kiel is Broker.'
I could tell from Broker's reaction.
That cryptic line about name, appearance, form, and mana pattern being useless.
Someone who didn't know the real me wouldn't pick up on it so easily.
I'd gotten the best possible outcome.
Fooled Kiel and confirmed his identity.
Now I could move to the next plan without hesitation.
The next plan was simple.
'Summon a great demon.'
More precisely, attempt to summon one.
Kiel would stop the attempt, and in the process, I'd kill myself.
Cursing Kiel as I died was essential.
I even had the line prepared.
You, of all people!
Pretty catchy, right?
'This gives Blue Moon the perfect excuse to come to the academy.'
Not some grand justification.
Ludwig just had to have some crucial material hidden here that required a visit to the academy.
After that day, Kiel's surveillance tightened.
The academy took various measures too.
Kiel had reported a possible terrorist attack.
Security forces were massively reinforced, and vigilance increased several-fold.
Getting in from outside was practically impossible.
'But I'm already inside.'
As Edward, I stayed within the academy.
More precisely, in Kiel's laboratory.
Kiel had arranged it to guard against any external interference.
I waited in the lab, biding my time.
The moment the wooden puppet's head—which had been fixedly staring only at me—dropped, I sprang into action.
I pulled out a black grimoire from my subspace.
The inner volume of Ludwig's Nepia Organon: Orthea Organon.
I'd hidden it in Edward's lab.
Of course, concealed with magic so no ordinary search would find it.
'Only the owner of Nepia Organon might barely notice it.'
Then I began preparing demon summoning rituals all over the academy.
Stashing materials, hiding summoning circles.
Whenever Kiel was about to return, I'd slip back to the lab and resume acting.
It hadn't even been two full days of this when—
"...What the hell are you plotting?"
—Kiel noticed my suspicious behavior.