Chapter 48
Chapter 48
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 48
Chapter Title: Friend - [3]
Having nothing to do was truly terrifying.
Or, to be more precise, realizing my own boredom was the scary part.
I had no choice but to anxiously pace the annex corridor.
Haruna had been dragged off by Serika, and Rozina had guided them to the parlor while saying she was preparing to receive her guests.
Honestly, I couldn't even imagine what the atmosphere over there was like.
'...Should I go check?'
Curiosity. Yeah, the kind of curiosity that ruins people. That feeling of going even though you know you absolutely shouldn't.
I stood in front of the door. Murmured voices drifted out from inside.
It was quieter than I'd expected. Maybe they were actually getting along, laughing haha-ho-ho?
I started to knock but stopped, cracking the door open just a bit instead. Better to gauge the mood first.
Kiiik.
I could see into the parlor through the gap.
On the table sat the finest black tea, steam rising gently, alongside ornate pastries on a three-tiered tray.
And seated around it were three women.
Rozina, Serika, Haruna.
It was a truly beautiful scene. In stark contrast, the air touching my skin felt utterly chilling.
Rozina set down her teacup and elegantly opened her mouth.
"It seems you and Sir Aiman are quite close, Miss Haruna?"
Her lips curved upward, but her eyes weren't smiling at all.
"I heard indirectly that you two communicate with your bodies. Very... unconventional, to say the least."
She must have heard about the maid outfit incident somehow. Naturally, Haruna wasn't one to back down easily.
Haruna just nodded while munching on a cookie.
"As Baroness Rozina has likely heard... when I made the piano bench, I took Sir Aiman's measurements all over his body."
Up to here, it was fine.
"Sir Aiman looks slim on the outside, but he surprisingly has a lot of muscle. So..."
Serika slammed her teacup down onto its saucer.
Thak!
Serika's voice turned ice-cold.
"That's unpleasant to hear. And Miss Haruna, bragging about knowing my brother's body in such detail? People might misunderstand."
"Oh. Sorry. I was just stating facts..."
"That's the problem with those facts."
Serika turned her head and glared at Rozina. Target switched.
"And Lady Rozina."
"Yes, Serika? You're using formal speech again. We agreed to get closer, but it's not easy."
"...I feel the same. To me, you're no different from Miss Haruna."
"What do you mean?"
"Calling my brother 'Master.' Doesn't that seem a bit much, no matter how you look at it?"
Rozina just tilted her head toward Serika.
"But that was something you told me to do."
"Well... true, but."
"I was terrified back then?"
Serika flinched. She averted her eyes slightly. Rozina's victory.
'...If I go in there, I'm dead.'
A chill ran down my spine. No telling what would happen if I stepped into that.
'Time to run.'
This wasn't my territory. Not even a god could fix that mess.
Luckily, the three were so busy eyeing each other that they had no idea the door was ajar.
I quietly closed it again.
Dal-kak.
I leaned against the corridor wall, breathing heavily. My heart was pounding like mad.
"Hoo... dodged the greatest crisis of my life."
I wiped off the cold sweat and started walking. Anywhere far from that place would do.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ I hurried down the corridor like I was fleeing, and the mansion's garden came into view. A cool breeze blew, but my back was still damp with sweat.
'Where to go...'
Should I just head back to my room and play piano again? Or take a walk?
'Come to think of it...'
Suddenly, one face popped into my mind. Hans. The bastard who started all this.
No? Who knows. Either way, I wanted to blame Hans.
'He's been gone a while. How long ago did he leave to meet that witch?'
There'd been no word since he headed to the academy's underground prison for a visit.
Had the witch bewitched him and made him sell his soul? Or did he actually drop dead from a curse?
I was pondering what kind of mad movie to play at his funeral to make it go viral when—
Kiiik—.
The mansion's heavy iron gate swung open, and a carriage rolled in. It bore the Bellua family crest.
The carriage stopped, and the door opened.
"Why are you so late?"
I shut my mouth before the words fully escaped. Hans's appearance as he stepped out was indescribable.
He looked ten years older in just a few days. His face was ashen, dark circles drooping down to his jaw.
His once-crisp suit was wrinkled, his tie undone and dangling.
"Uh... Aiman."
Hans replied in a feeble voice. His eyes were unfocused.
"Look at you. Did you get cursed or something?"
"Yeah. Came back from the brink of death."
Hans staggered down. Without the servant's support, he'd have fallen.
"That witch... she nearly killed me with exhaustion. Thought my life force was getting sucked dry."
"You suffered. But it's resolved, right?"
"Yeah. More or less."
Hans rubbed his dry face and sighed. Then he pointed at the carriage.
"And... sorry, Aiman."
"For what?"
"I brought... one more guest. She insisted on seeing you."
Another figure stepped down behind Hans. A sharp-featured man in a black uniform.
The silver badge on his chest glinted in the sunlight. It read "Imperial Investigation Bureau."
"Oh."
He eyed me like a hawk, then strode over.
"Good day. Are you Baron Aiman?"
His voice was dry and stiff.
"Yes, that's me. And you are?"
"First Team Leader of the Imperial Investigation Bureau, Kyle."
He flashed an ID from his pocket.
"I'm here to ask you a few questions regarding the Eastern Witch incident. You'll need to come with me."
"...Hmm. I don't think I'm involved."
"The witch keeps mentioning your name."
Hans wouldn't have told her, so they must have dug it up themselves.
"Of course I'll cooperate."
I nodded.
"Just out of pure curiosity."
"Go ahead."
"Is it okay to just take a noble like this on a whim?"
"It's an emergency. The witch... won't talk. She's adamant about speaking only to you, so we had no choice but to fetch you."
What to say? Luckily, Hans spoke up for me.
"Investigator. Please follow procedure."
Kyle paused.
"Baron Aiman is currently an honored guest of the Bellua family. We can't take him without permission from Lady Rozina, the acting head."
"But..."
"Talk first. Aiman, you need the details anyway."
Hans glanced at me. A signal to share what happened with the witch.
"Right. Let's hear it."
I nodded. We sat on the bench by the entrance. The investigator stood a short distance away, watching.
"Spill it. What was she like? That witch."
Hans shuddered at my question.
"Just... a total nutcase."
"Nutcase?"
"Yeah. Like a real psycho. No logic, wouldn't communicate, just spouting nonsense. No logic at all."
Hans sighed. Nice rhyme.
"During interrogation, she'd just laugh and recite random poetry out of nowhere... the investigators were losing their minds."
"Did you ask? What I told you to."
"Oh, that."
Hans's expression turned subtle.
"Yeah, word for word like you said. 'What is your ratzon (רצון, meaning 'desire')?'"
"And?"
"Her reaction... was insane."
Hans's eyes flickered as he recalled it.
"The moment she heard it, her eyes changed completely. From nutcase to... like a 100% pure fanatic?"
"What'd she say?"
"Told me not to judge if I couldn't understand... then..."
Hans lowered his voice, mimicking the witch's tone.
"'I want to... change my fate.'"
"Fate? Out of left field."
"I thought so too. She said 'twisting the predetermined ending is her desire.' And she started laughing—gave me chills."
Hans rubbed his arms.
"After that, she just kept calling your name. 'O Crown, lead me' and crap like that. That's why the investigators came for you. Asking what your connection to her is."
I don't know who the witch is. Or her past.
But one thing's clear: she's some kind of... higher being(?). The type that changes the past and shapes the present from it(?)
Such a being wants to change her fate? Then what the hell is that fate?
Can't know without talking to her directly.
'So she gave me that elixir because she sees me as the variable to change that fate?'
The dragon said something similar. Called me a 'variable.' Did the witch see the same? No idea.
'Should just keep it simple.'
Guess I have to meet her in person. Ask about the fate, the elixir, all that...
But if she wants to change fate, wouldn't she need to drag in someone on her level?
This is a fantasy world, after all—surprisingly, even Demon Kings exist here.
Dragging in something like that could twist fate, right?
'Wishful thinking.'
Even I know that's nonsense. And the investigator approached again, tired of waiting.
"Baron. Time's up. Please come with me."
He was polite but firm.
"The Imperial Investigation Bureau isn't treating you as a criminal. We're just asking for cooperation as a key witness."
"Is this a threat?"
"A request."
I nodded at his words.
"As I said, I'll cooperate fully. But why come alone?"
"..."
"Usually, you'd get a formal warrant for something like this, right?"
The investigator cleared his throat awkwardly.
"If it's hard to say, don't worry. Like I said, I'll cooperate."
"Thank you..."
I glanced back at the building. The three were probably still talking in there.
"I'm a guest of the Bellua family right now. Shouldn't we get permission from Lady Rozina, the lady of the house? Imagine how startled she'd be if I vanished without a trace."
"Of course."
"Wait here."
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ In the end, I didn't get interrogated.
Because Anna suddenly burst out like in one of those ninja massacre plot twists.