The Silent Opening Ceremony (2)
The Silent Opening Ceremony (2)
"Wh-What happened?!"
The woman who had been giving directions a moment ago came running over, her face completely drained of color.
"Jaden."
"...Yes?"
The guy who had been standing there in a daze flinched and answered.
"Drag him over here."
"...Yeah."
He looked like he had a lot he wanted to say, but maybe he'd developed a sudden sense of self-preservation, because he kept his mouth shut and shuffled off to retrieve the man I'd sent flying.
"U-Um..."
By then, the woman had come right up to me, her lips trembling as she glanced sideways at me.
"Are you the person in charge?"
"Huh? N-No...!"
"Bring me the person in charge."
"Ah... Y-Yes."
The woman hesitated for a moment, glanced at the large man being dragged along by Jaden's mana, then quickly nodded and left again.
"...I'd appreciate a heads-up next time. I nearly had a heart attack—eep."
He stood on tiptoe, leaning in with the excuse of whispering, and it was so irritating that I shoved him away.
Click.
I took a photo of the unconscious bastard with his eyes rolled back and sent it to Claire.
[ Me: (photo) ]
[ Me: Do you know him? ]
Vrrr—
The reply arrived quickly.
[ Claire: Ben Stiller. An American Awakened. ]
[ Claire: He's registered in the rankings, so I only know his face. ]
[ Claire: I've never made contact with him, let alone exchanged a single message. ]
[ Claire: He didn't spout some nonsense about me, did he...? ]
Several messages in a row, even.
[ Me: No. ]
I was about to reply that I'd contact her after the opening ceremony.
[ Claire: (●♡◡♡●) ]
[ Claire: (´∀｀)♡ ]
[ Claire: ✿♥‿♥✿ ]
[ Claire: Bwaaaaaaaaa ]
[ Claire: It's nothing. That wasn't me. The little one pressed it. ]
I couldn't actually see it, but I could picture Claire with perfect clarity, flustered as she gently scolded the fairy chirping away.
[ Claire: Woo-jin...? ]
[ Me: I'll contact you later. ]
For a moment I considered trying to press one of those emoticons, but I pulled my finger away and tucked the smartphone back inside my coat.
'Ben Stiller.'
The moment I'd seen the face of the man I'd concussed, I'd felt a wave of displeasure.
He was someone I had no memory of and had never met before.
Judging by the mana he carried and Claire's mention of rankings, I could easily guess he was a two-digit ranker.
'I don't get it.'
He'd harbored hostility toward me from the moment he approached.
That alone had been annoying, but not enough to warrant acting directly.
But the moment Claire's name left his lips, my body had moved on its own.
'...Is it because of possessiveness?'
Greed was currently cooperating with me to a remarkable degree.
But since it was power that was never originally mine, it was also true that I couldn't easily predict when or how it might cause problems.
While I was trying to figure out why I'd lashed out at him, the woman who had disappeared earlier returned with a middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man, wearing a long brown coat, stopped about five steps away and offered a measured bow.
"My name is Eddie Holt. I am the general manager overseeing the opening ceremony."
After introducing himself with polite composure, he slowly straightened his posture, and I studied his face.
Gentle eyes and shallow wrinkles.
And a cross-shaped scar remaining on his left cheek.
'Eddie Holt. So that's what he looked like.'
Even in the memories I'd seen, his appearance had never been described in detail. Instead, every time the name Eddie Holt appeared, that cross-shaped scar on his left cheek was always mentioned.
Former Captain of the Royal Guard.
England's sharpest sword.
And.
'The Queen's Shadow.'
Eddie Holt waited calmly, letting me speak first.
My original plan had been to wake up the conveniently unconscious man, hear him finish what he had been trying to say, and wrap things up neatly.
But the Queen's close aide appearing before me changed my mind.
"I hear that bastard's name is Ben Stiller."
"That is correct."
Eddie Holt naturally let his gaze sweep over Ben Stiller's face where he lay collapsed on the floor, then nodded.
"The name Ben Stiller did not appear on the submitted list. Is he a personal invite from your side?"
"No."
"So he intruded illegally, then."
"That is correct."
A calm voice without any fluctuation.
"I hope that isn't a lie."
"Of course."
Had he lived so long that he'd grown this brazen?
His shamelessness was top-notch.
"Jaden."
"Yes, Professor."
"Wake him up."
"...Should I just hit him?"
I nodded at the question.
Smack!! Smack!!
Two crisp slaps echoed in rapid succession.
Jaden had crouched down and struck Ben Stiller's left and right cheeks once each, nice and even.
The effect was immediate.
"...Ngh?"
Blue irises slid back down into his whites.
His vacant, unfocused gaze gradually sharpened.
"...Gahk?!"
He suddenly let out a choked breath and sprang upright.
"Y-You...?"
And the first thing he did was jab a finger at me with trembling lips.
"Not only did you ambush me like a coward, you even used an artifact?!"
Boooooom—!!
Let me correct that.
Pointing fingers was followed by denial of reality and outright fabrication.
'A hothead, huh.'
I seized control of the mana seething inside his body.
"...Huh?"
The intense wave of mana that had been radiating with hostility, even killing intent, vanished instantly, and his face went blank again.
But only for a moment.
The man twisted his distinctively featured face and directed his rage straight at me.
"What kind of trick did you—"
"Ben Stiller."
I cut him off.
Maybe because he'd just radiated killing intent, my body almost acted on its own again. If I lashed out this time, he'd either end up half-crippled or dead—one of those two results would be waiting for him.
"Tell me what you were originally going to say to me."
"You crazy bastard..."
He bared his teeth, radiating a momentum that suggested he would lunge at me right then if he could.
"...Tch, ptew."
After glaring at me for a long while, he spat on the floor and opened his mouth with eyes that held a mixture of emotions.
"I... came to see Claire."
Smack!!
This time I swung my hand on purpose.
"You bast—... Gahk!"
"Don't let my lover's name leave your filthy mouth so casually."
You piece of trash.
I swallowed the rest of those words.
Because it was a side of me I didn't want Baek Ha-na, who was watching with worried eyes, to see.
"Haah...!!"
Instead, I slightly loosened the mana that had been squeezing his heart.
"I'll ask one more time. What were you going to say to me at first?"
"...I came to meet the Executor of the God of Amusement."
The voice that came out of his mouth again was calm, as if his anger had subsided. But the two eyes glaring at me held even darker, more negative emotions than before.
"...He didn't seem to be here, so I approached you, his so-called lover, to ask his location."
Grind!!
A chilling sound leaked from inside his mouth.
"Your purpose in meeting him."
"...To show him that I am a superior man compared to you."
I took a step back from him.
Because I decided that if I didn't, it would be too hard to suppress the urge to tear his mouth apart right then.
'...I see.'
Through the emotions that were boiling over just as fiercely as his, I was able to find the reason I'd acted against him.
Not only had he dared to harbor desire toward her without knowing his place, but on top of that, he had revealed that ugliness to her and attempted to disgrace her.
The reason this body had moved on its own, slipping out of my control, must have been because it had sensed the vile emotions that I hadn't consciously noticed from the insect before me.
'Sure enough, with my wretched soul, I can't fully control the original owner's body.'
While suppressing the surging emotions, I spoke to the insect who still didn't know his place and was baring his teeth at me.
"This evening, at the opening ceremony party, I'll give you a chance to prove the nonsense you just spewed."
"...What?"
His face twisted grotesquely.
"You mean... we settle this properly in front of everyone?"
"Yes."
"..."
Contrary to my assumption that he'd readily accept, the man seemed to ponder it for quite a while.
"...Fine. But I will bring my own notary as well."
"Do as you like."
I waved my hand dismissively while returning control of the stolen mana back to him.
"Now get lost."
"...I don't know how impressive your artifact is, but remember this: you just dug your own grave. You goddamn bastard."
He flipped me off.
Then vanished from sight in a single leap.
I turned my head and looked at the Queen's Shadow, who had been standing there like a bystander.
"So that's how it is."
"To ensure a smooth match between the two of you, it seems I will have many new arrangements to make. Do you happen to have anything more to say?"
"No."
"In that case, as time may be tight, I will take my leave, knowing full well I am being rude."
Eddie Holt gave a polite bow in the same posture as before, then departed with silent steps.
"Something smells fish—"
"Shut up."
I pushed Jaden aside and closed my eyes.
No one opened their mouths again until the rehearsal run began.