The Percier's Shadow
"It's fine if you think of me as your sister."
Chloe stared at me with a deeply suspicious, sullen expression, as if she still couldn't bring herself to trust me. To convince her, I cleared my throat with a deliberate cough and began reciting the very first lines Dane Percier spoke at the start of the game.
"Jerom, do you know?" I said, mimicking Dane's voice as closely as I could.
"...!"
Chloe's eyes widened in visible shock. Of course. You would have heard this from Dane.
"Our family, the Perciers. We're long fallen now, but once we were a house so prosperous it could have covered the entire Empire."
I continued, wearing the haggard expression of someone who hadn't eaten in days yet whose eyes still burned with fierce determination.
"Jerom, do you know?" I pressed on, channeling the desperate will of a Percier who had fought to survive above all else. "Those beautiful stars that once adorned the Empire and our world—they were like jeweled eyes, a focal point that reflected someone's future."
A faint, bitter smile curved my lips as I let burning rage settle into my expression.
"Jerom, do you know?" I asked again, this time pouring the heart of an eldest brother who had never had a younger sibling yet desperately called out to the blood relative standing before him. "Those beautiful night watchmen that light up the sky—they're the ones who led us and the Perciers into ruin."
With that, I wiped the hateful expression from my face in an instant and replaced it with a gentle smile, chuckling lightly as if to clear the air.
"Sorry. That's probably a story you wouldn't understand yet."
I let out a small sigh and returned to a serious expression.
"But remember this much: the Percier family is not a shadow that fades when light touches it."
At that moment, Chloe—who had remained silent until now—finally spoke.
"...It's a shadow that will cover the world."
She ran a hand through her hair once, then added quietly, "You really are Dane's brother. I'm sorry for doubting you."
This was the unresolved Percier prologue that had only left breadcrumbs. And now, I had to write the epilogue under the name of Percier.
"I am Sebastian Floyd, butler of the Floyd family. It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness."
It was far too late for proper imperial etiquette, but I bowed my head anyway.
"No need for such formalities."
Fortunately, Chloe seemed to agree.
By the way, is this guy dead or what? If I was in danger, shouldn't my partner at least do something? The Blood Demon had shut his mouth the moment he saw Chloe and was pretending to be dead.
Is he instinctively afraid because she's the one who killed a Demon King? Either way, he was leaving me to handle a dangerous situation alone. How infuriating. Should I just throw him onto an altar?
"...So, how did you find this place?"
Ah, right. I still had to explain that. This secret location of Chloe's only appeared after Dane's death, so there was no way I should have known about it. The fact that I did was extremely suspicious, which meant there was only one possible excuse.
"I came looking because I knew my brother was serving as a royal guard knight here, but I was told he was already dead."
I framed it as if I'd found her using my own trait.
"So I came to find Your Highness using the ability I possess. It's difficult to discuss such matters in public, which is why I waited until you were alone."
And to make it impossible for her to doubt me, I added one more line.
"The reason I was able to dodge the bullet you fired was also because of this ability."
Well, I could just claim I had some kind of ocular power.
"Fine. After all that, I can't exactly keep doubting you. So now that you've found me, what is it you want?"
Since Jerom was a hastily made temporary identity, I hadn't thought this far ahead. After a brief moment of consideration, I chose the words a younger brother who had lost his elder brother would most likely say.
"I want to take revenge for my brother. Together with Your Highness."
"Right. Of course you would. That was a pointless question on my part."
Chloe nodded and walked over to pat me firmly on the shoulder.
"If you're Dane's brother, then you're practically my brother too. You don't have to be so formal with me from now on."
Whoa, this was a pretty sudden development. Why was she acting like this all of a sudden?
"W-wait a second..."
When I instinctively stepped back in surprise, Chloe tilted her head and said, "You've lived without a brother until now, and Dane lived without a younger sibling. Since I received his grace, it's only natural that I take on the role of an older sibling for you, isn't it?"
In this kind of situation, wouldn't it be "noona" instead of "hyung"? Besides, even if I was pretending to be Dane's brother, I hadn't expected her to react like this. It felt like every time I said something outside the game's dialogue options, it was snowballing into something bigger.
"If you keep pulling away like that, even I'll feel a little hurt. Dane and I were as close as real siblings, so don't be so guarded. You can think of me as your noona too."
"No, hold on! We only met for the first time today!"
Chloe simply blinked at me as if that wasn't a problem at all.
"Repaying kindness is the law of both elves and the imperial family. We don't ignore the grace we've received. Or... do you dislike having me as your noona?"
"It's not that, but..."
I had no idea where to even begin fixing this twisted sense of debt Chloe had developed. If I'd known it would turn out like this, I would've used a different identity. I shouldn't have claimed to be Dane's brother.
"Let's talk about that later. I've already figured out who killed my brother."
"...What?"
The one who assassinated the Emperor and Dane before fleeing was none other than our regressor, Faye Nicare. The reason I hadn't touched her until now was supposedly because she was useful for hunting Demon Kings, but that was mostly an excuse. The real reason was that even with the Blood Ghoul, I didn't think I could beat her.
"Starlight Academy. You're familiar with it, right?"
But if Chloe helped me, that changed everything.
"Faye Nicare, who's hiding there as a student, is the one who killed the Emperor and my brother."
I couldn't do it alone, but if it was to take down Faye—the Regressive Demon King—then things were different!
"...Do you have proof?"
Even in this situation, Chloe was asking for evidence. It was almost too rational, but having a smart partner was a good thing.
"Please take a look at this."
Fortunately, I'd already prepared for this possibility. Just in case, I'd kept the pen-shaped artifact from the Floyd family butler—a high-tech item in this world capable of filming, recording, and projecting—in my pocket. I pulled it out and projected a scene onto the wall.
"This is..."
The footage showed Faye's sparring session with swords flying through the air. During the Emperor's assassination, she'd hidden her face and tracks perfectly, so there was no way to identify her through normal means. But her basic physique and the unique sword style she used were impossible to replicate.
Even in this world, there were quite a few people who used flying swords—sometimes called "sword control"—but fighting with such a unique combination of magic and swordsmanship...
"No doubt about it. That bitch is the one who killed our father and Dane."
Only Faye could do that. Of course, as a skilled fighter herself, Chloe would have noticed immediately. Right now, she was probably grinding her teeth in hatred at finally seeing her enemy's true face.
"Your Highness, there's something we need to do first."
I turned off the projection from the pen and spoke carefully, as if dousing her expectations. Unfortunately, we had other priorities.
"What is it? If it's something pointless..."
Chloe's voice was sharp with irritation. I put on the saddest expression I could manage and said, "There's someone precious to me, just like how Your Highness thinks of Dane. She's the young lady of the Floyd family who took me in when I was young."
Only then did Chloe seem to realize I was about to say something serious. She turned her face toward me, signaling that she was listening.
"But right now, that young lady is on the brink of death, infected by a plague spread by the Demon King who's working with that assassin."
A flicker of empathy crossed Chloe's face.
"...Go on."
Good. I had believed she would understand, since she too had lost everyone who once supported her in an instant.
"Of course that woman deserves to die, but we need to kill her slowly and thoroughly according to a plan. First, we should save the young lady who's precious to me."
"I see. If she's important to you, then she's someone I must protect as well. What do you need me to do?"
That was Chloe for you. She was refreshingly straightforward when it came to matters like this.
"First, we need to take down the Demon King who has the cure for the illness afflicting our young lady."
"Hmm. I thought as much. I can handle a Demon King."
It would also be good to confirm the identity of the Technology Demon King while we were at it, but it didn't feel like the right time to mention that, so I continued.
"According to my calculations, that Demon King will attempt to occupy a village near here in four days. We'll catch him then."
Of course, I hadn't done any actual calculations. Based on the game's early timeline, Laflas would occupy the village on the night of the full moon, so I'd simply inferred it from the lunar cycle.
"If it means you can save someone precious to you, that should be enough."
At that moment, Chloe let out a heavy sigh, her face filled with sorrow. Then, as if shaking off the weight in her heart, she lifted her head and asked me with a grave expression, "What does that young lady mean to you?"
...Why is she suddenly asking about the young lady?