Catastrophe (Camellia's Perspective)
"What the fuck are you saying?!!!"
I couldn't stop myself from shouting at the leader's words. Disband the party? Give up on Medea? I wondered if he even understood what that meant. He knew better than anyone what this party meant to Werner and who Medea was to him. How could he utter something so heartless?
"Calm down, Camellia."
"Do I look like I can calm down? You're talking about abandoning your own wife. I wonder if you even realize what kind of bullshit you're spewing!"
"I understand it better than anyone, and I grasp the weight of this decision more deeply than anyone."
He spoke of killing my friend with a completely expressionless face. Not a single twitch in his brow as he suggested murdering the first person Werner had ever loved. He proposed killing his own wife with the same casual indifference one might use to discuss slaughtering livestock.
At that, Squar hurled a chair. The leader dodged it effortlessly, of course, but Squar was panting heavily, trembling with fury.
"Disband the party? Don't make me laugh, you piece of shit! Even if you're the leader, you don't have the right to do this!"
"Then let me put it another way. I, Melchior, and Melissa will be leaving this party. I suggest the rest of you do the same."
"Stop twisting everything!"
"I believe an individual's right to withdraw is more than reasonable. Surely you're not suggesting we deny even that freedom?"
"Hey, you bear-brute and loli-hag couple! Say something! Don't tell me you're actually planning to leave too?"
Squar seemed to desperately hope they would deny it. But Melissa and Melchior's responses were resolute.
"Sorry. We've decided to move separately from the leader. That murderer's bloodline brat is just an added bonus to our reasons."
"Honestly, I was sick of these childish friendship games. On top of that, I can't stand that indecisive elf, and looking at the face of the bastard who killed my husband's family was fucking disgusting."
Ricard couldn't muster a single reply. It was only natural—his grandfather had killed Melchior's parents based on nothing but suspicion.
At this rate, the party's dissolution was inevitable.
Squar shouted through tears.
"...What do you think the Heavenly Demon would have said if he saw this...?"
"Don't drag the dead into this. There's no greater desecration of the departed than speculating about what they would have done or how they would have acted."
"You're the one insulting the dead Heavenly Demon! He cherished this party with all his heart, and you're tearing it apart!"
"It goes against my nature to say this, but... if the deceased Heavenly Demon knew the circumstances, he would have agreed to the disbandment."
Squar completely lost control, grabbing the leader by the collar and shaking him violently. The leader offered no resistance whatsoever.
"Then tell me what those goddamn circumstances are, you son of a bitch!"
"Unfortunately... I cannot say right now."
With that, the leader brushed off Squar's grip and headed for the door with Melissa and Melchior in tow.
There was one thing I desperately needed to ask him.
"Then what will you tell Werner...? This place is his home... If you suddenly announce it's over..."
"Yes... I suppose a proper explanation is necessary for Werner."
The leader turned to look at me. Up close, it was clear. He was no longer the man I once knew.
"Tell him it was his mother's request. The Werner of today should be able to understand what that means."
"Wait... you knew Werner's mother? Then why did you hide it?"
"That was her request as well. And I am in no position to refuse her wishes."
"Wait! I still have so many questions—"
"I can say no more. That, too, was her request. And... congratulations on passing her test."
The leader left after speaking those cryptic words. The conference hall, bearing no trace of his footsteps, felt hollow and empty.
Our adventure had ended here.
Squar collapsed to the floor and began sobbing. Ricard sat silently for a moment before rising and leaving without a word.
Should I leave too? Or should I sit here and cry like Squar? I didn't know.
I wanted to cry, but the tears wouldn't come anymore.
What should I do at times like this, Mother? Why did you love a man like Father? Mother... where did I go wrong? And what am I supposed to do now?
When I stepped into Werner's hospital room, he was struggling to sit up, engaged in conversation with the crown prince.
"Werner...!"
The crown prince immediately began retching.
"Agh, kuh... bleeeaaargh!!!!"
"Are you alright...?"
Werner spoke for the prince, who was too busy vomiting to answer.
"His Highness has a condition where he throws up at the sight of a normal woman's face, sister. From the second floor it might be tolerable, but at this distance, vomiting is inevitable."
"I see... But how are you feeling?"
"Mostly fine. Sister Melissa's sorcery has side effects, but its healing power is solid, right? It's a shame Sister Medea isn't here, though..."
Medea... Did Werner know that today we had discussed killing her? Could he possibly accept all the information that had shattered Squar and broken my heart?
"Werner... the Heavenly Demon is... in that place..."
"I know... He's dead."
"I'm so sorry..."
Because it was my father who had killed him. Just being related to that man filled me with unbearable guilt.
"It's not like you killed him, sister."
Werner peeled the fruit the crown prince had brought and popped it into his mouth. The crisp crunch was followed by steady chewing.
"Werner..."
"The old Heavenly Demon always said it. Even if he died, don't starve yourself crying and throwing tantrums. Eat well and live even more normally than usual. That's all I'm doing."
There were so many other things I needed to tell him.
"And about our party..."
"I heard. It disbanded."
"What?"
"Brother Zeke came by and told me. He even explained the reason."
It was surprising that the leader had come here himself to inform Werner of the party's dissolution. No... knowing how heartless he had become, I dreaded what words he might have used. If he had spoken to Werner with the same cold attitude he'd shown Squar... I would kill him.
"Did he say anything else?"
"Ah, he did mention a few things..."
Werner scratched his head. Surely he hadn't used that infuriatingly detached tone again—
"He said he was sorry. That they'd handle everything themselves, so I shouldn't worry too much. To take good care of Iris and Glacia. And... to resent him as much as I wanted."
It was unexpected. I had thought he'd become a complete monster, but it seemed a sliver of humanity remained.
"Grrrrk... Is it permissible for this one to speak?"
"Ah, Your Highness, I'm sorry for intruding so suddenly—"
"Bleeeaaargh!"
He resumed vomiting into the waste bin. Werner handed me a large towel.
"Cover your face. Otherwise the sun will set before he stops."
"I suppose you're right."
I covered my face with the towel, and only then did the crown prince stop retching. I genuinely wondered how someone with that constitution had ever managed to get married.
"Teacher... regarding the claim that the Tower Master of the Earth Magic Tower is a member of the Black Round Table... I suspect the information may be incorrect..."
"Incorrect?"
"He's quite famous, so I've been observing him closely, but he truly appears to be an unremarkable individual. He did purchase a slave under the pretext of adoption, but only one. And as you know, it is common practice for mages to buy slaves under the guise of hiring assistants."
Most mages acquired their assistants that way.
"Still, we should verify whether he's truly someone who cares only for his research. If we can speak with his assistant slave, they might know something..."
"Unfortunately that approach won't work. The first assistant he took in died more than ten years ago. He didn't shed a single tear at the funeral, either..."
"You seem remarkably well-informed for what amounts to a mere assistant's story."
"You may not know this, teacher, but it was quite a famous tale. After all, he used a slave with absolutely no aptitude for magic as his assistant, despite the slave's origins."
Werner pondered for a moment before asking.
"You mentioned he took the child in under the pretext of adoption... Is it impossible that he simply cherished his daughter deeply?"
"I'm not certain, but... he shed no tears at her death and shut himself away in research immediately after the funeral. I believe it's safer to assume no such affection existed."
"Then I'll have to meet him in person. Even today, right now..."
Werner tried to rise despite his injuries. I urged him to rest longer, but the crown prince spoke up instead.
"It will be difficult today."
"But mages who lock themselves in their labs are usually—"
"All the Tower Masters are gathering at the Earth Magic Tower for a meeting today."
"...Does that mean Lorsha went there too?"
"She's a Tower Master as well, so naturally."
"Fuck!"
Werner shook off my hand and bolted from the room.