Remnants of Malice (1)

I had finished my conversation with Claire after Isabella, and with that, there was no one left to see in this event.

Feeling at ease, I headed toward Arina's office — the designated location.

But strangely enough, the door was left slightly ajar, and a voice slipped through the gap.

"Arina... how come I can't?"

There was no mistaking it — that was Flora's voice.

What struck me, though, was how close it sounded to an outright plea.

There was nothing unusual about Flora coming to see Arina. Whatever her reason, she was more than free to visit her eldest sister and ask for favors. But unlike with Karsein, the treatment she received would be worlds apart. Even if she whined mindlessly for someone to play with, Arina would indulge her without a word of complaint — just as the youngest who tormented me back in the real world always had. Flora was, after all, the baby of the ducal house, drenched in every drop of its affection.

Setting distractions aside for now.

I needed to watch closely and find out why Flora was here. Who knew? A clue to clearing this event might just pop out of that room. It seemed worth a listen.

Arina let out a sigh.

"That much wouldn't be difficult... but Flora. Has Karsein said something to you? You've always hated going anywhere with him."

Being doubted was nothing new — I'd been on the receiving end of that suspicion from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the start, so it barely registered. But hated going anywhere with me? What was that supposed to mean?

"Th-that's not what you think, Arina. I just... I want to go with him. That's all..."

"If that's all it is, why not go with Claire?"

"Well..."

Flora faltered, unable to give a clear answer, wrestling with her words.

That hesitation might well be the very clue I needed to clear this event. And no sooner had the thought crossed my mind than the status window flickered into view before my eyes.

What the—? Why is the text scrambled like this?

The moment I wondered, the window's message changed.

What?! Don't tell me—

Hadn't I been through this twice before? That unmistakable sensation of time freezing and the world lurching onto another branch. And yet, even with the status window open this time, nothing around me had changed. Time had not stopped.

Hah. Two main episodes running at the same time?

Impossible. In this game, only one main episode could ever be active.

Branches could split into multiple threads once you met the fixed routes and conditions to enter them, but a main episode itself could never fork in two.

Which means this situation, too, must be a fairly important main episode on its own route.

Looking back at past cases, two episodes had merged to birth an entirely new one I'd known nothing about. Granted, those mergers had folded into side or hidden episodes — but the idea of running them separately simply didn't add up.

And yet there it was, unfolding right in front of me. The system was handing me two main episodes, plain as day.

In the meantime, the sisters' conversation, briefly interrupted, picked up right where it had left off.

"K-Karsein hasn't been out and about in so long, you see. That's why I thought he should come with me... He could come along as my escort, couldn't he?"

"Hm? You want to bring Karsein along?"

"Is... is that not allowed?"

"No, I mean... Karsein serves as an Apprentice Knight in the order, so it's not strictly impossible, but..."

Arina trailed off, visibly troubled.

Of course it was a problem. Bringing Karsein along as an escort was a remark rife with the potential to cause trouble in every direction. Adopted or not, he was still a child of House Bagrand. If they took him along as the Duke's son, that was one thing — but hauling him in as an escort knight amounted to advertising his status as lower than a commoner. Worse still, a knight guarding his own sister? The knightly order itself would protest that for the sake of its dignity, he should be presented as the Prince of Bagrand rather than some hired guard.

Truly, a thoughtless little brat.

"Flora. Can you tell me why you want to go with Karsein?"

"I... can't."

"...There's a reason you can't even tell your own sister?"

"Yes. Absolutely not. Even if it were Mother."

"Hm..."

A troubled look crossed Arina's face again. She was the type to readily grant her youngest sibling's requests, yet now she hesitated, unwilling to accept lightly.

Putting everything I've heard together, Flora simply wants to take me somewhere...

And that — that was absurd. That brat who always tried to shake me off, who gagged at the mere thought of sharing a carriage with me, wanted to bring me along? Going with me — not Claire, not Arina, not Isabella, but me — made no sense at all.

This time, even Arina won't simply accept it. She'll refuse her, reasonably enough.

But I had overlooked one thing.

The fact that yet another episode had just been foreshadowed.

"I had no idea Flora was so fond of Karsein."

"Huh? U-uh, yeah..."

"I'll do what I can, but if you won't tell me the reason, I can't promise to approve this unconditionally."

"Is... is it really not allowed?"

"That's not it. Close the door first, and let's talk this through properly."

"Oh! Okay!"

...So this was as far as my eavesdropping went.

I had no choice but to retreat a step. Getting caught like this could trigger the worst possible outcome.

Still, I couldn't just give up and walk away.

The episode had already begun. I had to carry out even one more scrap of information with me.

Even at the risk, I needed to hear what was being said.

...No luck, then.

I had braved a Dangerous Zone, penalty be damned, and heard nothing. I'd hoped there might be another spot from which to eavesdrop on that conversation — but if even here was silent, everywhere else would be the same.

Which meant the system had simply blocked that conversation from being heard entirely. It would seal it off by any means necessary.

Fine, then. That was something I'd have to resolve by going in head-on and picking my choice.

First, I turned my attention back to the status window.

Nothing's changed much.

Both episodes were impossible to advance without resuming my conversation with Arina.

Waiting for the right moment to walk in would have been ideal, but instead I deliberately slipped away and waited by the staircase.

"...!"

Before long, Flora appeared, about to descend the stairs.

Very naturally, I pretended to be climbing up — and Flora asked me, almost absently, "Wh-why are you here?"

The thoughtless little brat was as predictable as ever. Thank goodness I'd timed my retreat just right to dodge suspicion — if she'd caught me listening, she'd have shrieked on the spot and made my life miserable. I could have sold her out right there, honestly.

"Claire told me to go see Arina, so I came looking for her. What's the problem?"

"Claire did...?"

Flora mumbled to herself, shifting uneasily. She hesitated for a beat, but there was no sign she suspected me of having overheard.

"If it's because of Claire... right, there's no way it could be that...?"

"What are you muttering about?"

"N-nothing!"

With that, Flora clutched the hem of her skirt and hurried down the steps in quick, uneven strides.

She must have been terrified I'd overheard something. Since she seemed convinced I hadn't, I could relax. Whatever it was, it sounded important.

"Well, I never expected to pry anything out of you in the first place."

The rest would have to be settled face-to-face.

Acting as though nothing had happened, I climbed the stairs and opened the door to Arina's office.

"Who— haah. Where exactly did you leave your manners about knocking?"

I walked right in without a word, and naturally, a scolding was the opening move. But I had a few things to say myself.

"Why bother with manners? You were in here talking about me, weren't you?"

"...!"

"The subject of your little chat was standing right at the door — and you had the nerve to say that? And now you're lecturing me about etiquette?"

Arina, who had snapped at me first for lacking the courtesy to knock, clamped her mouth shut.

I didn't know exactly what had been said, but one thing was certain: Arina had discussed something involving Karsein with Flora.

"So Flora intends to take me as her escort. Does my own will count for nothing?"

I brought up what I'd overheard, playing knowledgeable as far as it would stretch. The bait was cast. I hadn't heard their conversation to the end — I'd only spoken of what I actually knew. But if I needled her like this, with Arina's temperament—

"Do not speak carelessly. You mean to twist a request to bring you to a tea party into some grave wrongdoing?"

And there it was — hooked, exactly like that. So that was it. She wanted to take me to a tea party.

The problem was the part where Flora wanted to bring Karsein as an escort to that tea party. I should have needled her a little more unpleasantly, apparently.

Arina sighed and rose from the table.

"Hoo. Sit down first. I need to get to the reason I called you here."

"Fine."

I sat on the sofa as instructed, making no effort to soften my surly attitude.

It clearly grated on her — Arina's eyes narrowed sharply.

"A large expenditure has been confirmed. You used that money to purchase the Rusmayer Territory, I hear."

"So what?"

"So what? Do you honestly think that attitude is appropriate?"

Arina pressed in, her cold stare glinting hard. But I had my prepared answer waiting, and I brought it out without hesitation.

"If you intend to criticize my purchase of the Rusmayer Territory as improper conduct for a noble, then by all means, go ahead. You know perfectly well what state that territory was in."

"...You investigated that far before making your move?"

"I did. When I attended the party hall to see my fiancée, I found a servant working there — one so consumed by rage toward the nobles that he was actually planning to ruin the entire event."

Hearing this, Arina told me to go on.

"That's not all. Rusmayer sits in isolation and couldn't even collect tolls. Meanwhile, the roads everyone else traveled required payment just to pass through."

"...Don't tell me — the neighboring territories colluded?"

"You catch on fast. And on top of that, they were under constant threat of demonic beasts. No family to shield them, no one arriving in time to help. The territory was being torn apart, piece by piece."

When I went further and revealed that they'd been forced to pay extermination fees without receiving any proper aid, Arina swallowed hard and pored over the documents.

"...It's true, then. The extermination fees — and even the demonic beasts' carcasses — were taken by House Modrich."

Calling those men vile, Arina organized the paperwork so that this could easily be reported to the Imperial Crown. As she worked, the fury in her eyes gradually faded.

Because the dire state of the Rusmayer Territory had, in the end, been covered by my existence alone.

"I understand the spirit in which you intended to take up the lord's mantle. But Karsein — you were already the wretched cause of one territory's downfall in the past. I trust you haven't forgotten."

There it was. The topic that was bound to rear its head the moment the Rusmayer Territory came up.

In all matters territorial, the incident that branded Karsein the Shame of Shatren could never be left out.

"Holding a territory demands commensurate responsibility and duty. Should it ever become unmistakably clear that your capabilities fall short, you will inform the ducal house without fail."

So she'd already seen through to that point as well. She was the one managing this house's finances now, after all — it was only natural.

But I wasn't going to tell her anything.

I couldn't, and I didn't want to.

"Let me say this once more, because it matters. Karsein — if you let stubbornness carry you away, a second Shatren will be born, and the name of House Bagrand will bear one more stain. If your abilities prove insufficient, you will inform the ducal house at onc—"

"I heard you the first time. Don't say it twice."

I cut Arina off, my voice laced with a fair share of irritation.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Partly because I knew that the moment I failed, game over would come crashing into reality — but also because I knew exactly what those people had suffered. That was precisely why I had no intention whatsoever of handling any of it carelessly.

"If problems arise, then you can say something. Right now I've resolved everything that happened in Rusmayer and put measures in place so we can properly collect tolls — and I have to sit here and listen to this?"

I thought I'd answered rather cleanly. But perhaps my manner simply rubbed Arina the wrong way.

She snapped.

"You bristle with annoyance even when someone gives you advice worth carving into your bones. Every time I see this side of you, I'm reminded — no matter how I look at it, the honor of a nobleman suits you not at all."

Thud.

"And yet you really are, truly, a born favorite of fortune. You have such a good little sister, after all. That's why I'm swallowing my anger right now and granting you exactly one more chance. Take it."

Arina held out a single invitation toward me.

I'd stake anything on it — this was the very errand Flora had come to deliver.

"What is this?"

"An invitation to a tea party attended by the nobility. Lately, Flora has taken to following you about. I don't know why, but she insisted, saying you simply must receive it."

"If it's a tea party, couldn't Flora just go by herself? Why do I need to be there?"

Arina uncrossed her legs and crossed them again the other way. She still looked at me as though I were an ignorant child prone to nothing but tantrums.

"From what I hear, this time each attendee is to bring one additional guest to enjoy the tea party with. As I said before, Flora asked you to attend that gathering with her."

Here, Arina made a proposal.

"Everyone taking part in this tea party is a noble, and from what I understand, a considerable number of those attending the Eastern Noble Conference will be included. Attending could earn you advice of all kinds. And so — whether or not your authority is restored will be decided by this."

My mind went blank for an instant.

Whether my authority gets returned to me... decided by this?

And with that, I finally understood the whole of what Flora had come here to say.

That little brat wanted to take me to the tea party.

I had no idea what her reason was, but I had a gut feeling some kind of incident would erupt there. The episode was pointing at it — and I couldn't dismiss that feeling as mere fancy.

The true objective might well be whatever happened at that gathering.

But then, why?

Why did Arina's words sound like the words of choice one?

Look after the youngest a little! Your only little sister is like this because she worries about you, and why are you so hell-bent on hating her for it?

That sentiment was no different at all.

It was a command to look after Flora — the youngest. For them.

Cold blood began to course through me. Nauseating — but no curses spilled from my mouth.

Wow. Twice ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in one day I get screwed over.

I thought that, but the anger wouldn't come. It was simply too absurd to bother with.

Suppressing even the heat that had begun to rise, I was already reading through the choices.

Look after the youngest, is it?

Fine. She'd get exactly what she asked for.

The other choices had screws already rattling loose one by one — the answers were plainly visible. It wasn't what I wanted, but keeping my cards hidden until the end was the smarter play.

And so, I chose this one.

"A tea party, you said? All right. I'll go."

What Arina wanted, in the end, was nothing more than for me to bend to her words — all for the sake of one sister named Flora.

I had no intention of wasting the time I'd saved, but for now, more time needed to pass. Rather than sulking alone in my room doing nothing, I figured it was better to go out and gather whatever information I could.

But that was beside the point. None of that was my goal.

Whether or not attendees of the Eastern Noble Conference would be there meant nothing to me. Obediently following Arina's words in hopes of regaining the right to participate? Not a shred of it.

Sure, I could have obeyed her and won back my participation rights that way. But hadn't I already seen how that ended? My reality had shown me — and just as the Memorial had revealed, Karsein would never be acknowledged for anything. Even if such a thing were offered, I would not move for their sake.

The authority you dangle means nothing to me.

One way or another, I would prove my right to attend the conference myself, through the Rusmayer Territory — not as Karsein of House Bagrand, but as the Lord of Rusmayer.

Which meant that I would be attending this tea party for entirely different reasons.

"Learn a great deal ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠while you're there. If you return even slightly changed, your right to participate in the conference will be restored without issue."

Arina offered this advice as I rose and moved toward the door.

Learn a great deal? What a laugh.

If she knew what I intended to do at that tea party, she might well collapse in shock.

Feel free to rage all you want later. I never said I'd come back quietly, after all.

I had only said I'd go — I never promised I wouldn't stir up trouble once I got there.