Chapter 97
Chapter 97
Episode 97
Eleanor could not smile, even as she watched Lustitia's cheerful self-introduction. How could she?
If she was truly Decentura's sister, then to her, Eleanor was a nemesis.
Not only had she failed to notice Decentura's strange transformation, but wasn't she the one who had finished her off herself?
How on earth could she, of all people, manage a smile?
“Ah, so you were Princess Eleanor. Your hair was shorter, so I didn't recognize you for a moment, you see? Hahahat!”
“I, I…”
Eleanor felt a sense of guilt.
She was far more fragile than others thought. She was merely hiding that fragility with attention-seeking behavior.
“I, n-no, Decentura, because of me…”
“It’s alright.”
From Eleanor’s tearful expression, Lustitia was able to discern many things.
“If we're going to argue about that, then wasn't I in the Demon Realm when my family was dying, even though I had the power to help?”
“But I…”
“Shall we take care of the matter at hand first?”
Lustitia stroked the head of Eleanor, who could not bring herself to finish her sentence, and then immediately gripped her sword.
There was still an enemy before her eyes. And not just any enemy, but the very one who had destroyed [Chrysos].
“Hmm. Decentura, Decentura… I feel like I’ve heard that name before…”
Delayed, who had borrowed Scar's body, had been stroking his chin in thought while the two were talking.
He was sure he had heard the name. It probably wasn't anything important, but it was something he had tucked away in a corner of his mind.
“Aha! Right, she was the one that the blue-haired wench over there took care of, wasn't she?”
Scar shouted as if he had just remembered. To him, it was not particularly important information, but for those two, it was different.
Scar could tell that from the atmosphere. That was why he used it.
Eleanor's mind was already in ruins, so she couldn't even offer a proper rebuttal anyway. In that case, the only bothersome one was the newly appeared Lustitia before him.
Driving a wedge between the two of them was no problem at all.
“You may not be aware of this… but the one who brought an end to that woman named Decentura was none other than the woman you are protecting.”
Scar spoke with a feigned expression of sadness.
At Scar’s words, Eleanor bowed her head even lower.
At that time, Decentura had been swallowed by the 'Outer Being' and had ultimately become a monster. Eleanor, too, must have known that fact.
But she could not deny the fact that her soul had still remained inside that monster.
Yes, whether she had become a monster or not, the one who had put an end to her was, in the end, Eleanor.
“I see…”
Lustitia nodded calmly at those words.
But within that calmness was a sorrow that could not be put into words.
Seeing Lustitia like that, Eleanor bowed her head even lower.
Seeing Lustitia like that, Scar slowly raised the corners of his lips.
In that moment when a myriad of emotions intersected.
Shing!
“What…?”
“I should have done this from the start.”
Without hesitation, Lustitia sent one of Scar’s arms flying.
Scar retreated a great distance, not even feeling a sense of shock.
He had also considered that his attempt to drive a wedge between them might fail. He had also factored in the possibility that it might instead anger his opponent.
But his opponent’s reaction was too fast. There had not been even a shred of hesitation.
She had acted before she even had a chance to process the information that had entered her mind.
Even so, that was just too fast. She had clearly seen Eleanor hesitate to speak, and she had heard the truth from Scar's lips.
A normal person should have hesitated, at least a little, in that situation.
And yet, far from contemplating the exact details of the incident, she had acted first.
“Did it… look like I was lying?”
“No.”
Scar spoke quietly to Lustitia, who was charging toward him as if cutting off his arm was not enough.
Did she perceive that there was a hidden truth behind Scar’s words?
Or did she know the full story of the incident beforehand?
But Lustitia's answer was different.
“You might be right.”
“Then why…!”
Even while answering, Scar barely managed to parry Lustitia's sword, which came swinging at him, with one hand.
His regeneration was slow. No, as if it had been temporarily sealed, regeneration did not happen at all. He had never imagined that another power like this could exist.
The only difference was that, given time, he would be able to counter it.
But…
“Keuk!”
Here, it was impossible.
In that brief moment, Scar's body became covered in wounds from Lustitia's sword.
In his original state, he might have been able to fight on equal terms, but in Scar's body, which wielded a massive greatsword, it seemed to be impossible.
The plan was a failure.
It was a plan he had not placed much hope in from the start, but the result was far too hollow.
“Just why?”
Delayed asked again, feeling the connection to Scar's body being severed. He wanted to hear the reason for her unhesitating action.
“If I had wanted revenge, I might have hesitated, even for a moment.”
Lustitia declared as she sent Scar's other arm flying.
“But I am a Hero!”
She was on the side of the weak.
It was obvious, without even having to think, who was suffering the most in this place right now.
Wasn't there someone right there, bowing her head like a prisoner awaiting execution, steeped in a guilt she did not need to bear alone?
“That’s absurd…”
“It is.”
Lustitia said as she plunged her sword into Scar’s body.
“I know that I’m strange. Most people in the world live for themselves, right? Whether that be for revenge or to prove their own existence, it's different for everyone.”
“Then why…?”
Delayed asked from beyond Scar's fading vision.
“If that's how most people are, then isn't it possible for at least one person to live by prioritizing others? That's how I decided to live.”
[The Hero] Lustitia had sworn as such when she accepted her destiny.
If people lived for themselves, then at least one person, she alone, would raise her sword for their happiness.
She would help carry the burdens for those who were struggling.
“Truly an inconvenient life…”
Scar muttered as he witnessed Lustitia's vow.
“Perhaps so.”
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
In the middle of the fight between Scar and Eleanor, the Hero had suddenly intervened.
And the Hero had defeated the Sistus-transformed Scar.
That was the full story of the incident as I had heard it through Lucia.
But in addition to that, I knew a few more facts.
“The more I thought about it, the more I felt like I was going to lose my mind…”
That Scar was likely nothing more than a type of avatar, his mind eroded by the Outer Being.
Just like Gerard… no, since his consciousness had been completely captured, making him a puppet, there was no doubt he would have been an even more threatening enemy.
With [Death King] added to the mix, he must have become a considerable monster.
I had heard that the Hero had lopped off one of his arms in a surprise attack… It seemed that without that surprise attack, I did not know how the situation would have unfolded.
Without me knowing, Eleanor had been on a direct path to a dead end.
A chill ran down my spine.
If not for this recent change, Eleanor would have died with 100% certainty.
At that point in time, the only existence that could have helped her was the Hero.
The powerful figures of Tenebris would have all been supporting Discreet, so there was no doubt about it.
It was certainly a fortunate thing. Considering my usual actions, it was a situation that could be called a stroke of heavenly luck, but…
“…Why did the Hero come here?”
I couldn't understand her movements at all. Just why?
Why had she come to the Papal States?
“Apparently, she was afflicted with a curse during the battle at the Demon King's castle.”
“What is that supposed to…”
It got twisted like this again?
In the original story, there was no reason for Eleanor and the Hero to ever get involved.
The event story featuring the Hero had progressed as a separate side story in which the protagonist did not intervene.
They could not have even met in the first place.
At the time of Chapter 3, Eleanor had been in Scientia, and at the time of Chapter 4, she had headed for Chrysos.
But this time, the flow of time had changed significantly. Eleanor had no choice but to come to the Papal States first, before heading to Chrysos.
The flow was constantly changing. But I could say with certainty that it was not to the extent that it would have affected the Hero's actions.
If so, there was only one answer.
It was a detail that could not have been known in Broken Sky, which had progressed from the perspective of the protagonist, Eleanor.
That the original path of the [Golden Hero] Lustitia at this point in time would have led her to the Papal States.
Eleanor's path had changed, but the Hero's path had not.
That was why the two people who were never meant to meet had become entangled.
“My head… hurts…”
“Welcome to the Headache League, Prince Oz. That made you the third member.”
“Who is the other one?”
“Baekyang.”
“I see…”
It had not been long since I had made my resolution after reuniting with Oz, but I already felt like I was going to lose my confidence.
“Alright then, for now…”
“Are you thinking of moving right away?”
I shook my head as Lucia looked up at me with sunken eyes.
There was still something important left.
“…I want to fill my stomach first.”
“Ah, I suppose that’s true…”
Since opening my eyes, I hadn't even had a single sip of water.
If anyone had a conscience, shouldn't at least one of them have taken care of me?
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Right after leaving the hospital room. I could see that the situation was the worst it could be.
“So… you're saying you can't give me any food because the mealtime has passed?”
“Yes, I apologize, Mage King's successor. The weather is hot, so if we leave food out, it could spoil and cause problems…”
In short, was this their way of being considerate, preventing people like me who missed the mealtime from getting food poisoning?
Was this really a consideration?
“Put it in the fridge… no, never mind. If there's none, there's nothing to be done.”
I did not know if the Papal States had a magic tool that served as a refrigerator, but there was a high probability that there was no food left over in the first place.
There were probably still victims from this attack scattered about.
In such a situation, there was no way they would have left food. They would have basically been in a constant state of shortage.
Even if there was special treatment for me, I did not think it would extend to leaving food out after mealtime had passed. How would they know when I would wake up?
“What will you do, Prince Oz? Shall we look for a restaurant that’s open outside?”
“In a situation like this, would there really be a restaurant open for business?”
“The possibility is slim, but there might be one or two.”
“Hmm…”
Searching for a restaurant that might be open versus just waiting until the next mealtime.
This did not even require any thought.
I did not even know if I could find a restaurant by going outside in the first place, and moreover, in a chaotic time like this, assassins targeting me might be lurking all around.
Wouldn't I collapse from exhaustion faster than I could find a restaurant while dealing with each and every one of them?
“…Since it has come to this, shall I go meet the Pope first?”
“I sometimes worry that you might be a serious workaholic.”
“How unusual. For you to worry about me.”
“Who said I was worried about you? I'm saying I'm worried about my own future, being bossed around by someone like you, you know?”
“I hope you meet a boss just like me someday.”
“…I'm already with one.”
That was true, too.
Come to think of it, I had no memory of seeing that guy Discreet rest.
Seeing him always running around busy, handling his duties as a professor as well as information management and dissemination, it was clear he was working like a madman.
Lucia’s sunken eyes somehow began to feel like an abyss.
Ever since I had activated [Contemplation], I had never avoided that guy's gaze, but today, I kind of wanted to.
“Let's get moving for now.”
I subtly avoided his gaze and moved away.
From the hospital room to the dining hall, and finally to the office where the Pope was staying.
My stamina was slowly running out.
My stomach had been growling for a while now, but with people's eyes on me, I could not dare to show it.
“By any chance, do you have anything to eat? Even something simple would be fine.”
“…Is it that bad?”
Lucia of the sunken eyes said, frowning.
Was I doing a good job of acting like a noble? If this was the reaction, then it was worth the effort I put into managing my image.
“Then again, you always were one to eat quite a lot…”
“It's because I move around that much.”
I really was the type to move around without rest. From training to information gathering, I also had student council duties.
Besides, hadn't I become wealthy after becoming Oz? I could afford the luxury of ordering a steak for two, eating my fill, and leaving the rest.
“Well, all I have is military rations. No, they don't taste good, but they're high in nutrients, so maybe they're actually better for you right now, Prince Oz?”
“Skip the explanation and just hand it over.”
“Hmm…?”
Lucia grinned.
This atmosphere, where I felt like I was losing the upper hand, was not good.
“Prince Oz, in a wartime situation like this, how much is a person willing to pay to obtain scarce food?”
“…This wench?”
The curse slipped out on its own.
But Lucia, as if she didn't care at all, showed me an energy bar from her pocket.
Was she trying to taunt me?
But it could not be helped.
“…How much do you want?”
“Not everything in the world is traded for money. You know that, don't you?”
Information. This bastard was telling me to tell him the contents of my conversation with Lucia Domine.
Who was calling whom a workaholic…?
“Fine, a deal.”
“A wise choice, Prince O…”
Thud.
Just as the negotiation was about to be sealed.
At the moment Lucia was taking the energy bar out of her pocket to hand it to me, something else that came out with it caught my eye.
I picked up the thing that had fallen to the floor and found it was a familiar item.
Yes, it was the cat-shaped cookie that went on top of the parfait she was caught embezzling at her part-time job.
“…No way, you were still keeping this?”
Didn't they tell me not to keep food for a long time because it spoils?
“…It's not.”
“It doesn't look like it's not.”
After going to the trouble of vacuum-sealing it so carefully, she was saying it was not?
More importantly, did this world have that kind of technology?
And she used that kind of technology to commit such a cute act?
She was truly amazing in many ways.
“Th-this isn't what I got from you that day, Prince Oz, it's… ugh…”
Lucia, who had a gaunt face just a moment ago, instantly turned bright red and hung her head low.
It was good to see her vigor had returned.
Well, that aside…
“So, Lucia? In a situation like this, how much is a person willing to pay to shut my loose lips?”
“…”
Lucia wordlessly held out five energy bars to me.
“Yes, a wise choice.”
Now this was a real negotiation.