The True Memory of the Original Body (1)
Alexia, the academy director, had left the Imperial Academy. Rumor had it she was going to personally assess the state of the war... but that explanation didn't sound particularly convincing.
What kind of task would require Alexia to move personally? 'Is she going to meet another Ma-in?' That would make sense. The only thing that could stir Alexia, who usually settled down for decades at a time eating, sleeping, and playing, was another Ma-in.
Perhaps the Madman had gone on a rampage in the wetlands and broken some agreement between the Ma-in. No, that couldn't be it. Tilpitz would have handled that herself. If not that, then... 'I don't know.'
I couldn't make many guesses. Besides, it didn't really matter how Alexia moved right now. Unlike the other Ma-in, the chance of Alexia causing trouble prematurely was close to zero. If anything, she was closer to working with Tilpitz to clean up problems. So there was no need to worry too much.
"Heinkel."
"Yes?"
I was heading to the underground training room when Emilia's voice called out from behind.
"Are you going in to study again today?"
"Yes, that's right."
"Heinkel... you lose track of time once you're inside. You can't hear anything from outside, and there's not even a single window."
"That's why I'm going in. It helps me concentrate."
"It's good that you're focused, but I'm worried you'll harm your health. Would it be all right if I went in with you?"
I hadn't expected this request. I closed my mouth for a moment and thought it over. There wasn't anything inside that Emilia shouldn't see... Lately, I'd only been studying for the midterms. If anything, having Emilia watch over me might make me feel guilty and reduce my breaks.
"All right."
"R-really?"
"Yes. You're welcome to come in."
"Then excuse me."
Just as I was about to descend the stairs with Emilia, who seemed strangely delighted, a bell rang out. Ding-dong. Emilia and I both whipped our heads around at the same time. Her expression had looked slightly displeased for a moment—was I imagining it?
"I'll go check."
"No, I'll go."
There had been far too many visitors lately. Trie came almost every day, and professors kept asking about the Wist Forest incident. I flung the door open, unable to fully hide my irritation.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Schlus."
"M-me too..."
"......"
Iris and Erika. I tried to slam the door shut, but—
"Why! You have guests, so why—!"
"I don't accept uninvited guests."
"Please just let us in!"
Erika's shoe slipped through the gap, forcing me to open the door again. It was a truly awkward combination. Just looking at Iris made me feel mentally exhausted, and Erika rarely sought me out, so her reason for coming had to be serious.
"Shall I bring out some tea, Heinkel?"
"No. It's fine."
"Why aren't you serving any!"
"There's no tea for you two."
"How cold, Schlus."
Emilia smiled faintly and headed into the kitchen. She must have realized it was a joke and gone to brew tea. Honestly, it wouldn't have mattered if I really didn't serve any.
"Wait, you're actually not going to—"
"Eat this instead."
"......!"
I poured the cookies Ainz had given me into a bowl. The moment I set it on the table, Erika's eyes changed. Right. She was supposed to be obsessed with cookies. Soon enough, she started glaring at me while popping cookies into her mouth one by one. I figured I could keep her quiet until the cookies ran out.
"It's nothing special. We just came to chat."
"Aren't you busy preparing for exams?"
"I'm already prepared."
"I'm not."
"Your jokes are something else."
"......"
Iris covered her mouth and laughed. I couldn't tell if she genuinely thought it was a joke or if she was mocking me. Just as I was starting to feel annoyed, Emilia returned with a teapot and cups and began pouring tea. Erika, who had only been eating cookies, gulped down the tea like water. I wondered if she'd come here just to eat, but I didn't say it out loud.
"A chat. Got it. I'll humor you."
"Hehe. Good. How can people only meet when there's business to discuss? We should meet for trivial things like this too."
"Fine. I heard Erika was sobbing in front of my coffin."
"Pffft!"
This guy... She spat tea all over the floor. Emilia, without a single crack in her smile, picked up a cloth and started wiping the floor. Wow. I would've cursed at least once. She really was magnanimous.
"Pfft... hehe... W-why bring that up!"
"You said you wanted to chat."
"Anything but that. Something else."
"That's right. She was on the verge of collapsing from crying so much."
"Even Iris!"
With Iris joining in, Erika's face crumpled into a pout. Well, I could understand. Erika was a sensitive person, so she would've cried her eyes out as if a family member had died when a classmate she knew passed away. Understanding and teasing were two different things, though.
"Something just got in my eye back then..."
"At that rate, you would've gone blind."
"Damn it...! Stop teasing me already. Iris, you didn't come here to talk about this."
Of course. Chat, my ass. They had another reason for coming.
"I wanted to enjoy the chat a bit longer..."
"Don't say weird things. Just talk already."
"Why don't you tell him, Erika?"
"It'll sound less credible if I say it. Hurry up."
"All right. Don't rush me."
Iris leisurely finished her cup of tea. At this point, even I was curious. What on earth had these two been whispering about before coming to find me?
"Excuse me for a moment, attendant."
"......?"
Iris waved her hand, and a perception-blocking barrier spread around us. She must have wanted to keep Emilia from hearing.
"I saw the future, Schlus."
"What future is it this time?"
"It was a future where you die."
"If that's the case, there's no need to tell me. You'll just save me again."
"It wasn't just you dying, that's why."
"What do you mean—"
"You kill Erika's younger sister, Yulia, get arrested, and are sentenced to death."
"......"
For a moment, I couldn't suppress the twist in my lips. It was absurd and infuriating at the same time. Me, killing someone?
"Even jokes have limits, Iris."
"It's the truth."
"Say it was a lie right now. I'll forgive you if you do."
"For the second time, it was the truth with not a single lie mixed in."
"Get out. Both of you."
I stood up abruptly and forcibly dispelled the barrier. They wouldn't be able to spout such nonsense in front of Emilia. Even so, Iris remained seated, munching on cookies, while only Erika fidgeted, glancing between us.
"I-it's true, Schlus. What Iris said..."
"How can you be so sure? Did you see it yourself?"
"No... But it's about my sister. No matter how I look at it, your relationship with her isn't normal. It's not just meeting face-to-face a couple of times... I just don't know what it is!"
"It's as you said. We're just people who've met face-to-face a couple of times. That's all."
"That can't be. Yulia... she seems to have nightmares every night. She cries in her sleep calling your name. And sometimes she says a strange name too."
"What is it?"
"What was it... Kim... Jinu, was it?"
"......"
An indescribable emotion washed over me. I couldn't stay rational. No matter how I thought about it, it didn't make sense. Yulia was having nightmares while calling my name? That name was probably Schlus. But Kim Jin-woo... she even called my real name sometimes? Ha. Fuck. That didn't make any sense. My real name wasn't something that could be guessed. So why did Yulia know it? How could some extra in a novel know my name?
"Schlus?"
"......Get out."
I left the table and walked out of the living room. Soon, I heard footsteps chasing after me—Emilia's. She called my name occasionally, but I ignored everything and headed for the underground training room. Right now, I just wanted to be alone.
"Schlus!"
"......"
Erika finally caught up and grabbed my shoulder. I took a deep breath and turned around.
"What was that about meeting my mother last time?"
"......"
So she'd figured it out. That I'd treated Lady Lichtenburg like a servant. Well, if it was that, it made sense she'd be this desperate to ask.
"Don't worry. I'll use her for a bit and let her go soon."
"What the hell are you—!"
I ignored Erika's voice and stepped into the training room. Emilia seemed to have caught on to my intentions and didn't follow, instead bowing to see me off.
Thud......
"Hoo."
With the sound of the door closing, silence fell. Or rather, I had entered the silence and sunk into it. In the calm, chilly storeroom, I walked slowly and took deep breaths.
"Calm down, you bastard. Calm down."
I'd never shown anger like this in front of others before. Even in the real world, before coming to this one, I rarely got this worked up. I slowly suppressed my anger and untangled my complicated thoughts.
"Yulia said my name..."
- Yulia knows Schlus.
- Schlus knows Yulia.
I already knew that. If they were both from Iceburg, that was possible. But that wasn't the problem.
- Yulia said the name Kim Jin-woo.
- In the future, I kill Yulia.
These two things, no matter how much I thought about them, didn't make sense. Why? How? The only cause I could roughly guess was...
"The Miracle Ring."
That damned ring. It was the only one.