An Unbearable Future (3)
When I regained consciousness, the familiar distant agony rushed back in, just as expected.
Still, it was nothing compared to the previous ones. This 'forced termination' had only lasted five hours at most.
But that didn't mean it didn't hurt.
"Kuhk."
Just as I had anticipated, blood rose from my throat. It was so foul and bitter that I couldn't bear to keep it down.
"...Urghh."
The black, congealed blood showed no fragments of internal organs. I seriously contemplated whether that was something to be grateful for.
'Hoo, hoo...'
This was a pain I could never grow accustomed to. Beyond my blurred vision, I could see Rebekah sleeping, oblivious to the disturbance. I crawled on my hands and knees across the floor toward Rebekah.
"..."
I placed my hand gently on Rebekah's head as she breathed softly and spoke.
"...This time, it won't happen. Because I'll change it..."
What use was there in saying such things to her while she slept? But for me, this was resolve. A vow never to take 'Olivia' lightly again.
I exhaled sharply and rose to my feet. A wave of dizziness struck me in that instant, but I held on by forcing strength through my entire body.
I retrieved a Potion from my Subspace and drank it. The muscles that had contracted settled back into place, and my shaken body restored itself to its original state.
'...A bit better.'
I glanced back at Rebekah, then wiped the blood that had flowed out with the back of my hand and stepped outside the Repentance Cave.
'I'll go straight to Esti.'
A Notification Window appeared before my eyes.
+
[Main Quest]
- Clue #1 - Acquired
- Clue #2 - Acquired
- Clue #3 - Acquired
- Clue #4 - Not Acquired
.
.
.
- Clue #15 - Not Acquired
[Clues can only be acquired in order.]
+
Right. It clearly stated that Clues could only be acquired in order.
'There's no rule that says you have to finish the previous Clue.'
The window indicated that Rebekah's Clue had already been acquired. In that case, there would be no issue with acquiring Esti's Clue.
I had known before that it could be used this way, but I hadn't done so because the risks were simply too great.
But now that things had come to this, I had no choice.
'Anyway, Rebekah's allotted time for the Repentance Cave expires today. Which means I can't kidnap her either.'
Whether it was Eileen or the Archbishop, one of the people in charge would come up to the Repentance Cave. I couldn't be sure how much the situation would escalate if they discovered the Saintess was missing.
'Besides, Rebekah can't speak of my existence anyway.'
A priest could never divulge the contents of a confession, no matter what. Thus, the knowledge of my existence was limited to Rebekah alone, for now.
'...This is the best option.'
Somehow, I had to reach Esti's Clue #4 in order to make 'Olivia's' atrocities never have happened.
[Skill 'Teleport' activated.]
My figure vanished completely from the cliff where the Repentance Cave was located.
*****
Galdur frowned at the fishy smell drifting in through the window. The thick, salty tang riding on the wind, and the burning coastal sun were not to his taste either.
But he diligently maintained his smiling face.
"So, what brings you here?"
Because the person seated opposite him was none other than the King of Canis.
"I have come to negotiate."
"I was under the impression the negotiation venue was the Roel Kingdom, not here."
"That is the venue for negotiations with the Eastern Coalition. Would it not be appropriate to negotiate with Your Majesty separately?"
At Galdur's remark, a glint crossed the King's face.
"You are quite humble, contrary to the rumors. Red Tower Lord of the Empire."
"Haha..."
Humility was a word quite unsuited to Galdur by nature, but there were times when one had to set aside one's pride.
- Lord Galdur. At this rate, we will be made to bear all the blame.
The negotiations with the Eastern Coalition had fallen apart. The Martial King and Duke Kiel had disappeared somewhere, and the leaders of the free cities, including the Roel Kingdom, had rejected the Empire's reasonable proposals to the very end.
He could not return like this.
- If the barbarian is the problem, they suggested I pass this on to the Wave Catcher of Ikail. Tell her that we will protect the waters of Ikail under terms better than the Eastern Coalition's.
In order to grasp even that slender thread of hope, he had come all the way to Ikail.
The King spread his palm outward and spoke.
"Make your offer first."
"Before that, please accept this."
Galdur produced a parchment from within his coat. The Imperial Seal was stamped in the center.
"...This is?"
"A gift from His Majesty to Your Majesty. Henceforth, our Empire intends to treat the Kingdom of Canis as an equal. Furthermore..."
There were many flowery words, but they could be summarized in one line.
[The Empire recognizes the legitimacy of the Kingdom of Canis.]
The King strove to maintain a blank expression, but he couldn't stop the corners of his lips from rising.
How much had he suffered because of that damned legitimacy?
In truth, the current royal family of Canis was entirely of collateral lineage.
It wasn't because of rebellion. Up until 150 years ago, Canis had been a kingdom so powerful it was called the hegemonic state of the East.
'Though back then, the name wasn't Canis but Aquar.'
In any case, Aquar, the ruler of the eastern continent, had sunk beneath the sea in a single day. All direct bloodlines of the kingdom had been buried underwater, and most of the nation's critical facilities had collapsed.
The surviving ministers crowned a collateral royal who had survived by luck as their King, and with the cause of succeeding Aquar, they founded the Kingdom of Canis.
But escaping the frame of being a collateral line was not easy, and for that reason, they were frequently scorned by neighboring states.
'But if the Empire comes through like this...'
They could cast off their disgrace and reclaim the glory of the past.
"Kehm, hm. I gratefully accept your sincerity."
Seeing the King's clearly changed attitude from moments before, Galdur thought to himself.
'How delighted you are. But you're just a stepping stone, nothing more.'
To be honest, Galdur's true interest was not in the Kingdom of Canis. What he wanted was not Canis, but only the single Wave Catcher of Ikail.
'Other than that, it's just baggage.'
The reason the Kingdom of Canis, whose national power was at rock bottom, had been accepted as a member of the Eastern Coalition was entirely thanks to the Wave Catcher of Ikail.
"Of course, this is not the extent of what we are prepared to offer..."
Galdur stopped speaking mid-sentence and glared out the window.
'Just now, unmistakably...'
It was a sensation as if space itself had warped. If he wasn't mistaken, that was undoubtedly the ripple felt when an ultra-long-distance Teleport was used.
Across the continent, the mages who could use long-distance Teleport numbered only one, besides himself.
And that mage was currently missing.
'...The Gold Tower Lord?'
Galdur gritted his teeth.
'Why now, of all times!'
The reason he had ended up negotiating with those Eastern Coalition bastards in the first place was that her absence had made their weight classes roughly equal.
"Is something there?"
"...No, nothing."
Galdur inwardly clenched his jaw. By the time he turned his head back, a nonchalant smile had settled on his face.
"In any case, we are..."
*****
The negotiations proceeded smoothly. In exchange for the recognition of its legitimacy, the Kingdom of Canis was promised support as an 'ally,' while the Empire gained the opportunity to overturn the negotiations that had nearly shaken the nation's fate.
'Of course, for that to happen, I'll have to pull the Wave Catcher over to our side.'
Galdur had deliberately made no mention of the Wave Catcher at all. Most of the information about her had already been delivered by his information brokers.
Mostly it was just trivia like where she usually rested, but that alone was sufficient.
'Before that, though...'
Galdur surveyed the ground below from the lofty sky.
Right now, there was something more important than Esti.
Bzzzzzt!
A vast surge of mana radiated outward from Galdur. The mana soon blanketed the entire territory of Ikail.
"Hoo."
Perhaps from the strain, Galdur grimaced. No matter how little mana a search spell used, scouring such a massive area inevitably took its toll.
Galdur closed his eyes and focused. Unless Melina deliberately concealed her mana, he could find her at this distance without much trouble.
And the Melina Galdur knew was an arrogant human who never hid her presence.
'...Found you.'
In the next instant, Galdur's body vanished in a flash. He reappeared in a dark alley on the outskirts of Ikail.
Galdur glanced around. He had definitely felt the immense mana here.
At the end of the dim alley, a person draped in a robe stood facing away. Although her face was invisible due to the thick, deeply drawn hood, the curves of her body made it possible to deduce that she was a woman.
And there was the extraordinary pressure she exuded unconsciously.
Galdur felt certain. This woman was the Gold Tower Lord.
"Gold Tower Lord! I will not ask the reason you left the Empire! But I ask you to return to the Empire even now!"
"..."
There was no reply. Judging by the way she didn't even turn around, she seemed completely uninterested in him from the start.
'Ha.'
Just as expected. Even in a deranged state, the Gold Tower Lord remained arrogant as ever.
Galdur reached out his hand to grab her shoulder.
The moment his fingertips touched her shoulder.
Pajik!
An electric current crackled and repelled his hand.
'...Lightning?'
Before Galdur's question could fully resolve, she turned her head.
A pair of blue eyes, carrying winter within them, swept over Galdur's body in an instant.
She spoke in an indifferent voice.
"What do you want?"
Galdur was struck speechless by the unfamiliar voice.
"Do you want to die?"
She was Olivia.