Everywhere and Nowhere
Part of me wanted to grab Veronica and demand an explanation, but of course I could never ask her outright.
Why she'd come to like me more—there was no way I could ever say something like that out loud.
I simply knew.
With this, the odds of her ending up with Laward had dropped a little further.
Knock, knock—
A knock sounded at the door just then.
Oskar looked up as if he'd been expecting it and motioned for them to enter.
One last matter remained.
The gold bars melted down in the furnace and recast. Half of the Light-Eating Stone Veronica had mined. And the jewels meant for her.
Two servants opened the door and stepped inside carrying stacks of boxes. Wooden cases carved with relief patterns, their tops sealed under glass. Partitions divided each box into tiny compartments, and every single compartment held a different jewel.
It looked like a wealthy man's watch case. And there were six of them.
They were filled with so many different kinds that one could almost believe every jewel ever discovered in this world had been placed inside, one of each.
"A gift for Miss Veronica."
At Oskar's words the servants offered her a light bow and approached. Caught off guard, she took every box at once. The stack resting on her arms rose all the way to her head.
"This many?"
"I put one of everything I own in there. Nothing should be missing. Miss Veronica, that ought to be enough, yes?"
"Of course. There are so many jewels I've never even seen before."
Veronica seemed to feel the weight of Oskar's wealth all over again; her gaze held a touch of open admiration. She was tall enough that she hardly needed to look up, yet her eyes carried that impression all the same.
"And the spirit seems really happy too."
"Veronica, these jewels are for testing your abilities. Just so we're clear—don't even think of selling them..."
"I won't, I won't. I want to test my limits too."
Still cradling the boxes, Veronica shook her head hard from side to side.
"Good to hear. Then put them in the pocket for now."
"Your pocket?"
She swung her arms around with a suspicious look—away from me.
"Yes. Carrying them around would be dangerous, wouldn't it?"
"Yeah... I have to get them back later...?"
"Yes."
"I really have to get them back...?"
"I said I'll give them back. I'm only holding them for you until you enter the university."
I spoke the way a mother snatches New Year's money out of a child's hands.
"The second we get home, give them back..."
"I will."
"Fine. I trust you?"
Still looking unconvinced, she shoved the boxes into the gaping mouth of the oversized pocket.
"Well, that seems to wrap things up for now."
Oskar, who had waited patiently through the whole exchange, folded his arms. Even under the heavy coat his forearms stood out in sharp relief.
"I'll see you in the Royal Capital, then."
"Yes, Your Grace the Grand Duke. Thank you for your help. We'll meet again there."
"Royal Capital? Help?"
Veronica glanced at me, clearly wondering what that was about, but I offered no explanation.
"There's one last thing I need to say."
"Yes, please speak."
"Haha. Regrettably, it isn't something for you."
"Pardon?"
"Miss Veronica, a word, if you would."
"M-me?"
"Is it something I shouldn't hear?"
"No—you listen as well. It will matter to you too."
He watched our reactions for a moment, then continued.
"Do you know the Church's Silver Knight?"
"No. I don't really..."
"I know of her."
The instant I answered, Veronica whipped her head toward me. Of course I would know someone famous enough within the Church to carry a moniker.
The Silver Knight.
The one who had taken command after Blash. Blash, then the Silver Knight, then me.
"If you already know of her, that makes this easier."
Oskar nodded.
"I've crossed paths with the Holy Knights a few times over the central bank affair. They tried to dig into ledgers I'd hidden, which led to friction with my soldiers—until the Silver Knight subdued them in an instant."
I wanted to ask what sort of ledgers needed hiding in the first place, but for now I could only listen in silence.
"Thinking back, the Silver Knight's abilities seemed rather similar to Miss Veronica's. The moniker itself even has 'Silver' in it, doesn't it?"
"...She might be a spiritist of the same kind."
"My thoughts exactly, Miss Veronica. The Silver Knight may well have contracted with Abundance too. Which brings me to this."
Oskar hesitated, then spoke as though he had made up his mind.
"It would be worthwhile for you to meet her. I'll send a letter to the Church."
"But didn't you say your relationship with them wasn't good?"
"In exchange for introducing Miss Veronica, I simply need to become a little more cooperative."
Just how uncooperative had he been until now, to put it that way?
"Of course you'll still need to put in some effort at the end. But Miss Veronica—and you as well—don't you want to see further growth?"
"I... if there's something to learn, I want to learn it. Chances to meet someone contracted to the same spirit are truly rare."
"Miss Veronica feels that way. What about you?"
I briefly called up the memories of my previous life. The Silver Knight had indeed contracted with Abundance, but her temperament was not one that would mesh well with Veronica's.
"I'll think about it. I also have ties to the Church, so you need not concern yourself with making contact. Thank you for the suggestion."
"Oh? In that case, all the better for me. I won't have to go begging favors from the Church. But how deep do those ties run? If you merely know a Holy Knight or two, reaching the Silver Knight may still prove difficult. She serves as vice-commander of the Holy Knights."
"I know the Knight Commander."
"Huh."
Oskar exhaled the moment he heard it.
"I was showing off wrinkles in front of a chrysalis. Then there's nothing to worry about."
While he spoke, Veronica shot me a sidelong glance, her face full of suspicion. She was clearly wondering what kind of outlandish connections I had this time.
"Still, I never expected Your Grace to take such an interest in Veronica."
"If you ever drift away from Miss Veronica, I intend to snatch her up myself—so I wanted to create a debt. Miss Veronica is a talent perfectly suited to the South."
He said it lightly, but half of it seemed sincere.
"I have no intention of letting Veronica go."
"Hieek!"
For some reason Veronica suddenly made a strange little sound.
"Ahaha. Of course you don't."
Create the debt first, just in case. That seemed to be Oskar's fundamental approach—completely at odds with Veronica, who hated owing anyone more than anything else in the world.
"Well, the fact that I no longer care about Miss Veronica's origins is thanks to you, at least."
"...Pardon?"
"You knew."
"One look at how unskilled she is with etiquette made it easy to tell she wasn't a noble."
So almost from the very first day.
"And from the way the two of you bicker, I also knew she wasn't your attendant. Kwahaha."
He laughed heartily and looked straight at Veronica.
"So, Miss Veronica—where do you truly come from?"
"I... am from District 7 of Marquis Fred's territory..."
Veronica answered herself in a voice that lacked confidence.
"The slums."
"...Is that so. A slum origin who needs to spend money and jewels... What a fateful contract you made."
As if he hadn't expected quite that far, Oskar nodded a little awkwardly.
"Understood. Then I'll see you again soon."
Daywin and Veronica boarded the train bound for the marquis's territory. They found their seats and waited for departure.
"You knew the Silver Knight?"
"I did."
"Do you think it's a good idea for me to meet her too?"
"Not particularly. Handling the same spirit would make her useful, but there's no rush."
"Why?"
"Personality issues."
"Personality?"
"I'd say it's impossible to get close to her. It won't turn into a good relationship. She's far too upright a person."
"Then does that mean I'm crooked...?"
Around the time Veronica asked that, the train began to move.
"I'm going to catch a little sleep. You rest too."
"Yeah. We've got a long way to go again."
She stretched and leaned back against the seat. A short while later, when Veronica looked over at Daywin, he was already asleep.
Out the second his head touched the rest. Was he that tired too?
She watched him for a long moment. Once she began noticing the way his elbow brushed hers every time the train swayed, it somehow started to bother her. After wrestling with herself for quite a while, she finally shifted a little farther to the side.
Somehow it feels like I'm losing...
The man who had fallen asleep without the slightest idea she was agonizing alone struck her as mean-spirited.
"Is there anything you might need?"
A crew member appeared beside them and asked.
"Ah—then just a glass of water, please. Thank you."
Veronica's throat had gone dry, so she made the request.
"Yes, one moment."
After the crew member left she meant to wait only a little while longer, but Veronica herself drifted off as well.
Meanwhile, opposite the crew member who was leaving the corridor, a man was walking toward them.
Neat uniform. A large coffin balanced on his back.
Just as he would have collided with the crew member—
Srrk—
The crew member passed straight through his body. Not only did the man fail to notice the stranger's existence; he did not even register the grotesque sensation of walking through someone. The other passengers were no different. No one paid any attention to the tall, gaunt man cutting suspiciously across the corridor.
A ghost.
A man who was everywhere and nowhere.
Chronos stopped dead in front of one passenger compartment.
Didn't expect to meet you in a place like this.
It was the seat where Daywin and Veronica sat side by side. Both were fast asleep, completely unaware that Chronos stood right beside them.
Fortune visits even this humble one.
He stared down at Daywin. He owed the man a great many debts. Originally they should have become comrades, but too many things had gone wrong and it had turned into a bitter fate.
The failure at the Subjugation Festival was only the beginning. Daywin had stopped Kairon's corruption and killed the twins and the fox. Had the fox managed to devour the Magic Tower Master as planned, it would have become the strongest life-form in this world. Because Daywin appeared, everything had come undone.
One day. If only there had been one more day, the fate that should have tilted toward the Death God Cult had reversed completely.
Then Chronos thought of Karma. Before facing Daywin head-on, Karma had tried to kill Amelia's fiancé and dismantle Daywin's surroundings first. That fact gave Chronos inspiration.
A man capable of killing even a nine-tailed fox. Overpowering him by force might already be impossible.
Chronos decided to approach Daywin with far greater caution. Like Karma—start from the surroundings. Tear them down thoroughly.
I know this is ungentlemanly, but please forgive me.
Chronos reached toward Veronica. At that exact moment her eyes opened. He paused, but she could not see his arm. Beside the seat there was nothing but Daywin.
I dozed off. Water... I asked for some.
Veronica waited for the crew member's arm bringing the water, yet what stretched toward her throat was Chronos's arm. Just as the leather-gloved hand of the ghost brushed her skin—
Tak—
Daywin, eyes barely open, snatched Chronos's arm.
Scouter (Lv4) ON
From the eyes of Daywin, just woken from sleep, a red light gleamed.