Chapter 83
Chapter 83
Episode 83
What should I say? Just looking at Arietta fidgeting made me feel awkward.
"It's... been a while, Oz."
"Yes, it has. Arietta."
Arietta had returned to the Holy City before the break began.
"A-actually, I wasn't trying to eavesdrop, it's just that..."
"Let's drop that topic."
It wouldn't end well no matter how it went. Arietta would most likely self-destruct.
Then Arietta would want to die, and I would feel extremely awkward.
So, that topic had to be avoided entirely. I also needed to erase what Lucia Domine said from my mind.
"Shall we move somewhere else and have some tea?"
"Yes..."
Arietta cautiously nodded and reached out her hand.
No matter how she phrased it, it sounded like she was asking me out on a date.
This was driving me crazy...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
We moved to an outdoor garden with a pure white table.
Not only flowers, but also herbs seemed to be planted in the garden.
The scent of apple mint, Arietta's favorite. A refreshing feeling.
"I was surprised, Prince Oz. I never thought you would come to the Holy City..."
"It just happened."
The one brewing the tea instead of Arietta was Olivia Blue, a paladin of the [Shield of Light].
Instead of her usual upright demeanor from Scientia, she appeared more like a priestess.
Her hair, usually tied up resolutely, was now loose, and above all, she wasn't wearing any armor, only a priest's robe.
Quite unfamiliar.
"By the way, are you on vacation now? Or do you not wear armor because you're inside the Holy City? You seem rather lightly dressed."
"I'm off duty. There are other members of the Shield of Light in the Holy City besides me. Unlike Scientia, we aren't short-staffed."
"I see."
As Olivia replied, she placed three teacups on the table.
Since she was also off duty, it seemed she intended to join us.
"Hmm..."
"Ah, refreshing. Mmm. Delicious. Yep. Ol- Olivia's tea is always delicious."
"Saintess, please..."
Arietta seemed uncomfortable, still awkward from earlier. Was she still bothered about hiding by the door?
She said she didn't hear anything, so why was she so oversensitive?
"...I don't know much about the Holy City, so could you give me a brief explanation?"
Arietta didn't answer.
Just in case, I turned to look at Olivia, who was hanging her head, rubbing her eyes as if in despair.
It couldn't be helped.
Since it seemed difficult to rely on her for help, I had to ask again.
"Uh, hmm! Arietta?"
"Ah, m-me? You were asking me! O-of course. Ask anything. No, I'll explain... Ow, hot!"
"...."
Startled by my call, Arietta's hand trembled, and she let out a short shriek as the tea spilled from her cup.
Was that incident earlier really something to feel so guilty about?
A certain strange-headed person I knew wouldn't feel embarrassed over something like this. Rather, they would get angry and turn the tables.
On the other hand, Arietta was acting overly sensitive even though I said I didn't mind.
Of course, there was also Marie, who overreacted even when nothing happened, but that wasn't relevant right now.
One was a troublemaker, the other a saintess.
Both were too extreme.
"S-so... that's right. The center of the Holy City houses the relics of the First Angel and past Popes, which creates a sanctuary. Isn't that amazing?"
"Ah, yes. That's quite interesting. The First Angel... What kind of being was it?"
"Huh? What? I-I don't really know... I'm s-sorry, Oz."
"No, it's okay."
Arietta lowered her head again.
Why? She didn't know, so what? Why was she so dejected about it?
There were hundreds of scriptures; it was understandable not to know everything.
It seemed it would take a while for Arietta to return to her normal self.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
About a week had passed since I arrived at the Holy City. Nothing had changed. Peace, a peace without any sense of incongruity.
I knew something would happen, but I couldn't find any sign of it.
There was no trace of [Death King] Thanatos. Not to my eyes enhanced by [Contemplation], nor to Tenebris's information network.
While I couldn't investigate the deepest parts of the Holy City, Lucia Domine would be taking care of that. Yet, there was no information.
It was frustrating.
Amidst such anxious days...
"Master, don't you think it's unfair?"
Eleanor started running her mouth, as if she was about to do something strange again.
Well, a week was a long time for her to hold back. She had endured quite well, for her.
"What is it now?"
This kid kept calling me unfair whenever she had the chance.
Should I show her what real unfairness was?
"Why do only I have to do volunteer work?"
"I've told you countless times, but it's only natural since I didn't receive as many penalty points, right?"
I had already negotiated this with Tia.
If I also did volunteer work, there might be a problem with Eleanor's protection.
Besides, my position at Scientia was in the disciplinary committee, so I had a valid excuse.
"Be grateful I'm even here with you for surveillance purposes."
"I'm lonely."
"No, Noah. That's not it. Listen carefully. This place is just boring, regardless of whether you're alone or not."
"...."
The problem was expecting entertainment in a place where religious people gathered.
I occasionally met Arietta for tea and conversation, but otherwise, I had nothing to do.
No information was coming in, and I didn't have the authority to investigate suspicious places, so I just killed time with a frustrated heart.
My only solace, teatime with Arietta, was also rare because she was busy.
"I don't like this priest's robe either."
Eleanor complained to me, fiddling with the sleeve of the priest's robe provided by the church.
"Why? Isn't it fine? Or is it uncomfortable because it restricts movement?"
"Well, there's that, but..."
Eleanor wore a white priest's robe during her volunteer work, just like the other priests.
The robe was quite wide and long.
It would be uncomfortable, flapping around every time she moved vigorously.
Eleanor's only tasks were simple floor cleaning and meal distribution, but she was so restless that it couldn't be helped.
"Isn't it too plain?"
"Well, that sounds like you."
She liked to stand out. She could alter her uniform as she pleased, but that wasn't possible with the priest's robe.
In this vast Holy City, only cardinals, the Pope, and Arietta, the Saintess, could wear unique robes.
Uniqueness was restricted.
"I'm getting stressed."
Eleanor sent me a signal with narrowed eyes.
In short, she was asking me to play with her.
"Master? I think we're 'both' getting stressed."
"I get it, so stop."
She couldn't even wait a moment.
It couldn't be helped. I had to play with her.
Eleanor's claim of being "stressed" could be more serious than I thought.
Her attention-seeking tendencies weren't simply a personality issue.
If it wasn't addressed once in a while, her Key might go haywire.
"Go change into comfortable clothes. I'll change too."
"Come to think of it, Master, you've been wearing a robe lately, right? That's the one, isn't it? The... incredibly expensive one!"
"Yes, it's incredibly expensive. But instead of calling it that, could you call it a high-performance magic tool?"
I didn't expect her to call it the [Starry Sky Robe], but I wished she would avoid such nouveau riche, extravagant item names.
Well... it was nouveau riche and extravagant, but still.
"The incredibly expensive and high-performance one!"
"Where did the 'magic tool' part go?"
Did she think she could get away with just mixing the two?
"So? So? Why are you wearing it? It's for combat, right?"
"...It's none of your business, so just do your volunteer work."
"What...? Are you an adolescent trying to look cool?"
"Do you think I'm you?"
This kid kept trying to put herself and me on the same level.
Where did it all go wrong? From the moment I let her call me Master?
It was disheartening.
"If you want to play for a long time, go change your clothes quickly."
"Yes, Master!"
Eleanor started hopping around excitedly. She moved so easily in that robe.
I hope she doesn't trip.
"I should get going too..."
Unlike Eleanor, who was directly involved in volunteer work, I had separate accommodations.
It was probably to avoid troublesome... regulations.
"Have you arrived, Prince Oz?"
When I arrived at my accommodations, Olivia Blue, a paladin of the [Shield of Light], appeared.
"You're working today, I see."
"No, according to recent information, there might be an attack, so all knights, even those resting, have been put on standby in full armor."
"...."
That information was probably what I relayed. The upright knight before me had lost her day off because of me.
I felt guilty.
"But even among the paladins, was it necessary for you to come?"
"Well..."
The [Shield of Light] was practically Arietta's personal escort unit.
Unless things were incredibly busy, there was no reason for her to handle this personally.
"It's a sight the Saintess wouldn't want to see."
"Unnecessary consideration."
Ignoring Olivia's calm words, I opened the door to my accommodations.
Now, it was an ordinary sight.
"Are these attacks frequent?"
"Well..."
As she said, I had been attacked by assassins. I had been prepared for it ever since I left Scientia.
I hadn't specifically requested protection from Tenebris. They were also busy gathering information.
I had personally killed the assassins who attacked me during the night.
The reason Olivia, a paladin, was here was to clean up the aftermath.
"Was this your first time killing someone?"
Olivia subtly asked, glancing at my hands.
They were trembling slightly, though almost imperceptibly.
Until now, I had somehow maintained my composure, but in this room, the events of last night came flooding back, making it difficult.
"Hardly."
But it was different. It wasn't that I had never killed anyone before.
I hesitated in the fight against Gerard.
I killed the assassins I encountered outside with Lucia's help.
In the fight against the [Death King]'s army, the opponents were already dead.
Professor Aira finished off Prudence Loa.
"I've killed countless times."
But I had killed people.
And it was my will.
I was the catalyst, I gave the orders, it was my judgment, my created situation.
"It's just that this was the first time I killed someone directly with my own hands."
I had just been lucky until now.
I had always been in an environment where I could kill someone at any moment.
Wasn't it funny?
I had taken many lives up to this point. This time, the targets were simply humans. Yes, there was only that much difference...
Just looking at the room made me see the scene again.
Even in the warm breeze blowing through the window, I could feel the heat of the blood that splattered on my hands.
Yes, I didn't know it would be such a messy and unpleasant outcome.
"...If you had requested protection, we would have provided an escort, even if we were busy."
It was a tempting offer, but that was why I couldn't accept it.
"No, I have to get used to it. Because that's what I have to do."
"That's..."
I had to kill, even if I had to force myself.
I was already living in this world. As long as I held the title of [Successor of the Mage king], the attacks wouldn't stop.
Even if I got rid of this title. Yes, even if I gave up my qualifications or pushed through and became the [Mage King], nothing would change.
As long as I lived, the assassinations wouldn't cease.
If I hesitated, I would be the one to die. If I couldn't avoid it, I needed to get used to it in advance.
Giving Lucia the order to shoot, leaving Prudence Loa's end to Professor Aira.
Yes, all of that was just a step.
To kill someone with my own hands without hesitation.
[Erosion Rate 24%]
The stage of me getting used to this world.
I was already half Oz, but fundamentally, I was different from him.
Oz wouldn't have needed to kill. He would have possessed overwhelming power and skill.
But I didn't have that luxury.
The reason Oz became a laughingstock was because he was careless.
Because he wasn't ruthless enough.
Just because he had power, because he was stronger than others, he let his opponents go when he should have killed them.
Weakness hidden behind the name of arrogance. I had no intention of repeating his foolish actions.
"How can I survive in this harsh world if I don't thoroughly deal with those who oppose me?"
"That's..."
It was different now.
I couldn't move forward with Oz's state of mind.
Oz was defeated in Chapter 5. Even if it was the result of carelessness, it was a definite result.
So I had to take a different approach from Oz.
From fighting style to mindset.
Yes...
"It's better to uproot those who oppose me."
For my own sake, I had to sink even deeper from now on.
[Erosion Rate 17%]