To Be or Not to Be
"To be, or not to be. That is the question."
"This is a real problem. A serious problem······."
The image I'd just seen refused to fade, and my head felt ready to split open. Hamlet existed in this world. With a high probability, he was the same Hamlet from my original world. The real issue was why he was here at all.
I had never once incorporated elements from the real world into this novel while writing it. If something as disconnected as Hamlet suddenly appeared, it would shatter the story's internal logic. That left only one possible explanation. The being capable of breaking this world's coherence—the reader who sent me here—must have added him.
'But why?'
I was back at square one. The real question was why they would add something like this. Was it to give me something familiar to read because I might feel homesick? Absolutely not. That reader would never show me such consideration. Maybe they just tossed it in as a joke, wanting to watch me tear my hair out over a few books.
'I don't know.'
I shook my head and stood up. There was no point agonizing over something I couldn't possibly figure out. I'd have to return to my original world and ask them directly—after punching them in the face first.
"It's about time."
Damn it, today was the day I had a first-period class. Thanks to helping Emilia clean, I hadn't even gotten an extra hour of sleep. I needed to get ready to leave. As I changed into my uniform, I glanced around the bedroom once more. I'd thought a single dorm room was spacious, but this place was beyond spacious—it was practically barren. A desk, a full-length mirror, a queen-sized bed, a wardrobe······ Even with all that, the empty space felt enormous. It was exactly the kind of room that would make Alexia, who preferred cramped spaces, recoil in disgust. I was grateful for it, of course. Though Emilia might scream every time she had to clean it. I was already working her to the bone for a meager salary; if I didn't want her to murder me someday, I'd have to help with the cleaning every now and then.
"Are you heading to class?"
"Yes. No matter who comes, do not open the door. There's food and water inside, so don't go out either."
Henderson was dead, so I doubted anyone else could breach the academy's barrier. Still, nothing ever went exactly as expected. I hadn't anticipated Henderson's arrival at all. That was why I'd warned Emilia to be extremely cautious.
"Understood. Actually, someone has been knocking on the barrier from outside for a while now······ I deliberately didn't open it."
"Good work."
"······?"
Only after seeing Emilia's flustered expression did I realize my hand was resting on her head. Without thinking, I'd been stroking her hair the way I used to. I cleared my throat and quickly pulled my hand away.
"My apologies. If that made you uncomfortable, I apologize."
"N-no, it's fine. I was just surprised······."
Emilia forced a smile. This was bad. If Hurtlocker heard about this, he might cause a scene, swearing he'd kill me.
"I'll be going then."
"Please be careful on your way."
Emilia seemed to bow even lower than usual as I left the mansion. Come to think of it, she'd mentioned someone knocking on the barrier. I might as well take a look at their face. As I approached the main gate, I saw a figure standing beyond the bars, hood pulled low. They seemed smaller in build and height than Schluss, but determining their gender was difficult.
"Who are you?"
"Schluss Heinkel."
"Yes, that is correct. I asked who you are."
I opened the gate slightly, staying on guard. The fact that they were inside the academy grounds this early in the morning made it unlikely they were an assassin, but someone wrapped up so tightly was suspicious enough. Their voice was ambiguous too—too soft for a man, too husky for a woman.
"I cannot tell you that yet. If you follow me, I'll—"
"I have class soon. Come back after it's over."
"W-wait, it won't take long······."
"I'm busy."
They kept dodging the question. Annoyed, I walked right past the hooded stranger. If they really wanted something, they'd come back. Only after I'd gone quite far from the mansion did I glance back. The hooded figure stood there with their head hanging dejectedly. A sudden chill ran down my spine. It felt like I'd made a terrible mistake. It was probably just my imagination. Nothing bad would happen, right?
***
"Haa······."
Emilia's lips kept twitching as she fiddled with her bangs. She couldn't stop thinking about Schluss's hand on her head. Normally, she despised anyone touching her hair, but strangely, it hadn't felt unpleasant. In fact, it had been almost comforting.
"Why······."
Emilia pouted. She knew the reason herself. Ever since last night—after Crow Henderson had broken in—Emilia had no choice but to see Schluss differently.
Schluss had said that protecting one's servant was the employer's duty. That was wrong. Those words only applied in the world of nobles, between a lord and their vassal. She'd never heard of any obligation between commoners in a master-servant relationship. Not unless it was written in the contract. So it was obvious that his words had been nothing more than an excuse. Schluss always hid his goodwill that way. But this went beyond simple goodwill. He'd put his own life on the line.
"He really is insane. Completely insane······."
No matter how she thought about it, that was the only conclusion. How many people would risk their own life to save someone else? And not even family or a lover—just a stranger they'd known for less than a month. In that sense, Schluss's kindness seemed less like humanity and more like madness. There were only three possible reasons for such behavior: he wanted to die, he was certain he wouldn't die no matter what, or he valued her enough to sacrifice his life for her.
"······Huh?"
At the last possibility, Emilia's cheeks burned hot. Put that way, it almost sounded like······ like Schluss was in love with her.
"Ughhh! I must be crazy!"
Emilia covered her face with her hands and collapsed onto the sofa. The heat from her cheeks seeped into her palms.
"There's no way, you idiot!"
Schluss would never like someone like her. Emilia tried to calm her racing heart as she repeated the thought. Why would someone destined for a meteoric rise in status ever care for a commoner like her?
—Love doesn't need a reason. It just appears one day, out of nowhere.
Erik's words surfaced again, but Emilia shook her head and banished them. Even so, it was far too unrealistic. As absurd as the idea of Schluss being from another world.
"Huu. Get a grip. Focus."
Emilia stood up abruptly, still pressing a hand to her flushed face. She hadn't yet realized why she was so flustered. As she paced the living room, heart pounding, she glanced out the window and tilted her head.
"What is that person really doing?"
The hooded figure who'd been standing at the gate since earlier was still there, head bowed dejectedly. With her sharp eyesight, she could see they had smooth, delicate hands. That alone suggested they came from a wealthy family.
***
"When will I finally receive your thanks?"
"What?"
Iris sitting naturally beside me was one thing. The constant stares were burdensome, but I could overlook that. What I couldn't overlook was why this woman kept saying such strange things to me.
"Thanks? What do you mean?"
"You really don't know?"
"······."
I wanted to smack her and tell her to stop beating around the bush. Why had I written Iris with this personality······? If I could go back in time, the first thing I'd fix would be the way she spoke.
"If you keep this up, you'll never hear any thanks from me."
"You won't even try to remember······. Fine. I'll give you a hint. I warned you before that someone was in danger. Don't you remember?"
Someone was in danger······. Ah. Now I remembered. Iris had once warned me that my servant was in danger. At the time, I hadn't understood what she meant and had brushed it off. I'd completely forgotten about it since. If she asked whether it had been any help, though······ maybe it had. Last night, even though I'd been exhausted, I hadn't been able to sleep because something had felt off. Maybe I'd unconsciously remembered her words and stayed on guard.
"I remember now."
"Then where's my thanks?"
"······Thank you."
I offered the gratitude reluctantly. Honestly, it was a stretch to say she'd saved my life, but······ Iris didn't seem satisfied. She puffed out her cheeks and turned her head slightly.
"If you keep acting like this, I might stop cooperating altogether."
"I never asked for your cooperation."
"Waa! Are you serious right now? You still don't trust me?"
She sounded genuinely wronged, but there was nothing I could do. I knew exactly how cunning she was. How could I trust her? If she wanted to blame someone, she should blame the person who gave her that personality. Ah. That was me. Never mind what I just said.
"You could make yourself trustworthy."
"Saving your life wasn't enough?"
"I need a bit more certainty."
"Wow. You're basically telling me to devote myself to you forever."
"Didn't you say we would be together for a long time? Or is even this level of devotion too much for our relationship?"
"······."
Iris glared at me with a dissatisfied expression. She had nothing to say. If we truly became as close in the future as she'd implied, then Iris—who knew that future—would do anything for me. If she genuinely helped me without expecting anything in return until I trusted her, that would be beneficial. If she gave up halfway, she'd be admitting it was all a lie. Iris was caught in a dilemma.
"I've been devoting myself to you, Schluss······ I didn't know you had this kind of mindset. It's really too much."
Iris pretended to wipe away tears. It was so obviously fake that I didn't even feel like laughing. Did she really think such cheap acting would move me? Just as I was thinking that, Erika approached in a panic.
"W-what! Iris is crying?"
"······?"
No wonder the acting had seemed sloppy. From the start, she'd been trying to fool Erika, not me. Erika wrapped her arms around Iris, who was now sobbing loudly, and shot me a glare. From within Erika's embrace, Iris lifted her head slightly and smiled. So she was going to turn this into a battle of public opinion······. How troublesome.
"Schluss Heinkel!"
"What do you want?"
"Did you do something wrong?"
"No. Let me ask you instead. What exactly do you know that makes you question me?"
"Ugh······. But I do know you two fought, don't I?"
"Even if we did fight, why would you assume it was my fault?"
"I don't think it's only your fault. That's why······ I mean, arguments between lovers don't start with just one person's mistake, right?"
"What?"
"So first, you two should talk and clear up the misunderstanding······"
"Wait a second, Erika!"
Unable to hold back any longer, Iris jumped up and cut Erika off. Her cheeks were unusually red. I didn't think I'd ever seen Iris this flustered, even in the original story. This was why Erika's pure malice was so terrifying.
"Why are you assuming we're lovers in the first place?"
"Weren't you? Last time you were hugging, and you even sucked on each other's fingers······ Mmph?!"
Iris quickly covered Erika's mouth. The hugging part probably referred to when she'd held me after my mana depletion. But sucking on fingers? What was that about? I looked at Iris, who avoided my gaze and rolled her eyes. This was suspicious.
"Quiet."
At that moment, a calm voice echoed from the podium. It was Ludwig, as neatly dressed as ever.
"Class is about to begin, so please settle down. Also, Schluss Heinkel."
"Yes."
"I don't have much time, so I'll say this now. A distinguished guest is waiting, so come see them as soon as class ends."
"······?"
Whispers spread through the room. I was just as confused as everyone else. After thinking it over for a while—
'Ah.'
I had a pretty good idea who Ludwig meant by "distinguished guest." There weren't many people Ludwig would refer to so respectfully even when they weren't present. He wouldn't call Alexia a distinguished guest. Combined with yesterday's special incident, there was only one person it could be. Come to think of it, that hooded figure standing at the gate······
'Damn it. I'm screwed.'