The Third Companion: As Always, the Moment of Choice Arrives (1)
The lighting in the banquet hall was dazzling. A massive chandelier hung overhead, nobles dressed in extravagant attire filled the space, and the tables held an impressive array of dishes. I picked up one of the dessert cookies and slipped it into my mouth.
Sweet.
“The taste is decent too. They must have gone all out with the preparations.”
The knight orders of the Grancia Empire are divided into two factions. The Black Crow Knights, who uphold traditional knighthood. And the Sylvester Knights, who adapt to the flow of the era. The Black Crow Knights stubbornly cling to the creed that ‘a knight order has no need for magic.’ The Sylvester Knights push the view that ‘as magic advances, knight orders must incorporate it as well.’ Their opinions stood at complete opposites, and so did their relationship.
“A banquet hosted by those traditional Black Crow types… I’m curious what they’ve got planned.”
The most important thing was the hero’s companion, of course. I grabbed a simple welcome drink from a passing tray and took a sip. It was sweet, with a low alcohol content. Then I moved to a corner where I could overlook the entire hall.
If I observe the crowd from here, the hero’s party member should appear.
The position was solid. Still, because quite a few people preferred quiet spots over noisy ones, even the corner had a decent crowd. And among them was a face I recognized. Someone I had a past connection with.
“Irina.”
“Jun?”
The silver-white knight tucked away in the corner. Irina of the Sylvester Knights, with her silver hair, approached me. A former party member from the past and someone I had seen often in photographs. She looked exactly as I remembered as she walked toward me.
“Jun, it’s been a long time.”
“Yeah. Last time was in Aden Village, wasn’t it?”
“It must have been. We haven’t met since. Have you been well?”
“In my own way.”
I was living well enough. Irina let out a relieved breath and continued.
“Still, I’m glad. It really is fortunate that you’re alive. You looked like you were suffering so much after that day, but it seems you’ve pulled yourself together now, Jun.”
“…Well, something like that.”
It would be more accurate to say I had done my best to forget rather than pull myself together. Since I was living without recalling that event anymore, Irina’s words weren’t wrong.
“Just in case, Jun. What happened that day wasn’t your—”
“Stop. That’s not for you to judge, Irina.”
“…I misspoke. I’m sorry, Jun.”
Irina closed her mouth. I had no desire to think about that day any longer. Understanding the weight behind my words, regret surfaced on her face.
An awkward silence settled between us.
“…”
“…”
It was then that the sound announcing the start of the party rang out.
The main doors of the banquet hall opened, and knights clad in jet-black armor entered in perfect formation. Their movements were precise, without a single wasted motion. Even to my eyes, they were clearly well-trained.
Official knights.
Not the filtered pebbles like Kyle from the Trash Can, but large, unrefined gems. As I watched the Black Crow Knights, Irina’s resentful voice reached my ears.
“Hmph. They look less skilled than Sylvester’s official knights. Our order is far superior to those outdated fools. If that child joins us, our knight order will stand at the very top.”
“…Irina. Have you forgotten where we are?”
“Ah. My inner thoughts slipped out.”
This was a Black Crow Knight Order banquet hosted by the Black Crow Knight Order itself. Naturally, the surrounding crowd was filled with their supporters.
“That silver knight is slandering the Black Crow.”
“Sylvester. They’ve forgotten their roots. No foundation whatsoever.”
“The empire’s greatest knight order is the Black Crow… Tsk, tsk tsk.”
People who overheard Irina began to condemn her. In response, Irina simply…
“I have no problem with what I said.”
Like an iron wall. She held her head high as if nothing was wrong. Yet her clenched fists were trembling. I decided not to ask why.
Irina’s personality really hasn’t changed at all.
Anyway. After the official knights passed by in neat order, the apprentice knights followed in procession. Those who would represent the future of the Black Crow Knight Order. Irina spoke up again.
“Hmph. Only one seems useful. If that child would just join the Sylvester Knights…”
“Be quiet, Irina.”
“…Understood. Hearing you say that makes me feel like I’ve gone back in time.”
“I said be quiet.”
“…”
At my cold words, Irina closed her mouth. But there was a reason I told her to stop talking. One of the apprentice knights had caught my eye.
Even at a glance, her aura was on a completely different level from the others. Especially in terms of her core. While the knights used refined mana to generate power, the mana flowing from her body was the high-purity mana of a true mage.
But why is a mage in the Black Crow Knight Order…?
Traditionally, no mages existed in the Black Crow Knights. Yet the woman in the neat knight uniform with long, tidy black hair and sanpaku eyes that gave off a dreamy yet eerie feeling was unmistakably a mage, not a knight.
At that moment, a message from Minerva arrived as if stamping confirmation on my thoughts.
Not that surprised this time? The hero party member we’ve been expecting has appeared! And it’s even a mage! I don’t know who to thank, but this is certainly something to be grateful for, isn’t it? Now then, how will Lee Junwoo act!?
[1. Kidnap her today.]
[2. No. I will not kidnap her.]
Today or tomorrow. There was no need to hesitate. I hadn’t used the answer sheet even once today, so I could check both.
Show me the outcomes for choices one and two.
At that moment, two possible futures unfolded before my eyes.
The future wasn’t bad. After kidnapping the mage, she worked diligently for the party and eventually defeated all the Demon Kings. However, the day after saving the world—on the very day the empire held its festival—the mage hanged herself alone in her room, ending her life.
The reason was not written in the answer sheet. There was no solution process. The page simply turned to the next future.
Even without kidnapping her, the mage would later join the hero’s party. She performed brilliantly during the campaign against the Demon Kings and ultimately achieved complete victory. Yet amid the cheers of triumph, the mage remained expressionless.
Why do all of you look so happy?
Her eyes were horrifyingly empty of emotion. Her face showed no feeling whatsoever. Having defeated every Demon King, she alone could feel nothing. Perhaps that was why.
I’m not having fun.
She began gathering the scattered fragments of the Demon Kings from the air and absorbing them into her body. Black mana surged toward her, and an uncontrollable tide of corruption dominated the space. Overwhelming power. An inescapable gaze. Within that storm of demonic energy, a new Demon King was born.
It was the exact same scene I had experienced on that day.
Why did you make this choice!! Saten..!!
In the end, the mage was subjugated by her comrades. Even on the verge of death, she said nothing. The reason she had become a Demon King remained completely unknown.
No matter what I choose, the mage dies…
In terms of defeating all the Demon Kings, the problem was correct. But the mage would die regardless of my choice. That fact remained unchanged.
Still.
It’s better to die as a human than to become a Demon King. And it’s better for her to live in my house than remain in the knight order.
There was a 0.1 percent chance that Saten might not choose to end her own life. Both options would be wrong answers for her, but my finger moved toward choice one—the one that wasn’t a complete wrong answer.
After the knight order’s departure ceremony ended, the daughter of the Black Crow Knight Commander—Sicilia Saten—was changing out of her knight uniform and into a dress. She had to shine at the party as a member of the family.
“Mary. Isn’t it pathetic? Those worthless adults who once valued tradition so highly have now changed their minds and shattered that solid wall they clung to.”
“Y-Yes… Miss, your words are always correct…”
The terrified maid Mary answered in an attempt to flatter her. She looked as if a devil stood before her.
I haven’t done ‘anything’ yet.
Saten disliked that reaction.
“Mary. Look at me. Look into my eyes.”
“H-How could someone like me dare to…”
“Hurry. I like people who understand my words immediately, Mary.”
“Y-Yes, Miss…”
Mary met Saten’s captivating eyes. Sanpaku eyes—where the pupil sat high, leaving three white sections surrounding the black. A cool, dreamy gaze pierced straight through the maid.
Watching Mary tremble, Saten let out a small, amused laugh.
“What are you so afraid of, Mary? It’s not as if I’m going to kill you or hit you… If you keep shaking like that, it makes it seem like I’m the one at fault, doesn’t it?”
“I-I won’t shak—”
“You trembled again.”
Slap—!
Saten struck Mary’s cheek with her gloved hand. She had already confirmed no one else was nearby.
“I was trying not to do anything. But you kept trembling and turned me into the villain. Apologize, Mary. You’re smart, so you understand what I mean, yes?”
“…Yes, Miss. I will… apologize…”
Slap—!
The sound of slapping echoed through the room. Saten continued dressing herself. Yet the sound kept ringing out.
After finishing with her dress and checking herself in the mirror, Saten spoke to the maid.
“Thank you for understanding right away, Mary. Do it ten more times. And do not appear until the party is over. You cannot show yourself in the hall looking like that. Correct?”
“…Yes, Miss.”
Slap—!
Mary continued striking her own cheek. Saten left the room without another glance. Heading toward the center of the banquet hall, she muttered in a chilly voice.
“How very interesting. When I said I would study magic they treated me like filth, but the moment I produce results they shatter a five-hundred-year tradition and wag their tails.”
Saten possessed genius magical talent that might appear once in a thousand years. Ironically, she had been born into a traditional knight household. Naturally, her childhood had been far from smooth, and living in the present had become even harder. To the point where she might end her own life at any moment.
Click. Click.
Her expression as she walked toward the party was utterly emotionless. As if her feelings had died. As if they had vanished entirely. A cold face stripped of all color.
The party proceeded successfully. After the knight order displayed its promising future, the morale of the nobles who followed the Black Crow rose sharply.
“The new recruits this time are truly reliable.”
“Indeed. Hehe. I’m thinking of increasing my investment… What are your thoughts?”
“After hearing the presentation, I’m considering raising mine by twenty percent…”
“I’ve already invested my entire fortune!! The knight order’s stock will definitely rise!! Don’t come crying later that you wish you’d bought in sooner!! Why aren’t you investing right now?!”
People spun their happy circuits, repeating that this stock would definitely go up. Their voices fell silent the instant the doors opened.
Creeeak—
The doors opened, and the Sicilia family of the Black Crow Knight Order entered. Behind the family head, Lennon Sicilia, came his son Lenen, the knight commander, and Saten.
Lennon, standing at the center, spoke in his characteristic emotionless voice.
“I sincerely welcome all of you who have come. How did you find the future of the Black Crow?”
“It was excellent! The future is as bright as the empire’s skies! Haha!”
“That is fortunate indeed. I am truly grateful that you view the future of our Black Crow Knight Order in such a positive light.”
Did a grateful person’s face look like that? The expressionless Lennon gave the slightest, almost imperceptible nod. It was the arrogant gaze unique to the Sicilia family.
“Before we proceed with the current atmosphere, I imagine many of you are curious about the future of our knight order. Whether we will grow stronger by valuing tradition, or fall behind the times by failing to abandon our stubbornness.”
“W-What does that…?”
The crowd began to murmur. When such a preface preceded an important statement, it signaled something truly shocking. They exchanged opinions in hushed voices.
“Silence.”
The noise died with a single word. Lennon continued.
“There were many concerns. Whether to protect the traditions of our Black Crow Knight Order or to step forward into the future. However, if tradition is merely holding us back by the legs, then shouldn’t we deal with it cleanly?”
Now for the main point! Lennon’s voice grew powerful.
“We intend to recruit a mage into the knight order!! The first step will be taken by our family’s genius mage, Sicilia Saten! Using this as our foundation, the Black Crow will soar to even greater heights!!”
“O-Oh…?”
“Woaaah—!!”
Cheers erupted at the introduction of the genius mage. The lights dimmed, plunging the banquet hall into darkness.
“Hmm, it seems there’s a special introduction. They’ve turned off the lights!”
“I’m really looking forward to this. Thump thump—”
The guests assumed it was theatrical staging. They expected the lights to return with a dramatic flourish and for Sicilia Saten to appear on the balcony. Filled with anticipation for the Black Crow Knight Order’s leap forward, they waited.
However, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment that follows.
Tap—!
The lights returned and vision brightened. On the balcony where Sicilia Saten should have appeared…
“What? Saten suddenly disappeared…? What does that mean?!”
“W-What? She disappeared?!”
“M-My stocks!! Aaaargh!!”
The genius mage of the Black Crow Knight Order, Sicilia Saten, had already been taken away by someone.