Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Origin
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Looking back a bit on past memories.
Felix had reacted extremely sensitively to whatever excuse I gave her.
‘What did I bullshit back then?’
[⋯⋯You said you were well-informed about things related to demons.]
Ah, right.
It was an excuse I pulled out because I didn’t want to arouse suspicion after handling the demon outbreak in the capital so smoothly.
It must have been a huge issue for Felix herself.
The way she dove straight into the main topic the moment we entered the room, without any warmup, said it all.
“You know the name Valtheimer?”
“⋯⋯Isn’t that Your Eminence’s name?”
Carlyle tilted his head and asked back.
Felix Gregory Valtheimer.
That was her full name, as far as he remembered.
Why was she suddenly asking about her own name?
“⋯⋯.”
But the cardinal shook her head calmly at those words.
“Not me. I mean, do you know any other ‘Valtheimer’?”
Carlyle stared silently at Felix while watching the coffee being served before him.
Come to think of it, the first time they’d had a proper one-on-one talk like this was in a similar atmosphere.
At a café, sipping coffee, as she opened up about various things regarding herself.
That’s when he recalled hearing about her family.
The man in the locket she always carried. She’d once said that the man, who looked younger than Felix, was her father.
“Where should I start⋯⋯”
And as if that déjà vu wasn’t unfounded.
Felix placed the locket she’d removed from her neck in front of Carlyle.
“⋯⋯This is about him.”
“⋯⋯.”
“Any guesses?”
No.
He had no idea.
He remembered saying the man looked like him last time he saw it, but beyond that, nothing came to mind.
“I have no idea.”
“⋯⋯.”
Felix nodded quietly at his words.
“I’ll be honest. I looked into your background.”
“⋯⋯.”
Hm.
Carlyle thought there were things he should be honest about and things he shouldn’t, but he had to acknowledge that her saying this outright showed she was extending him considerable goodwill.
“⋯⋯Why did you do that?”
Hearing his probing question laced with that line of thought, Felix smiled faintly.
‘He’s so easy to talk to.’
Even when hit with words stripped of all context, she preferred how he first tried to understand the situation rather than getting angry.
“You remember me saying this was my dad?”
“You did mention that.”
“He’s still alive.”
“⋯⋯.”
Carlyle blinked slowly.
Huh, is that so.
Last time, he thought she’d said he was dead.
[She didn’t say he was dead. She just implied it.]
Along with the Holy Sword’s supplementary explanation, Felix brought up words in the same vein.
“⋯⋯The chances are slim, but I believe it anyway.”
“⋯⋯.”
I see⋯⋯
Still.
“Why are you telling me this⋯⋯?”
Honestly, it made him uneasy.
The topic she was sensitively reacting to and bringing up was based entirely on the story Carlyle had fabricated.
For her to investigate his background on that basis and then share such a personal, important story—it felt deeply unsettling.
What could he call it? It was like the story he’d casually thrown out was having a butterfly effect, about to ensnare her—
“You’re the only clue left. The only way to track down what remains of him.”
“⋯⋯.”
“At least, from everything I’ve investigated so far.”
Uh.
Uh-oh.
‘Hero.’
[Yes.]
‘This feels fucked.’
[⋯⋯.]
He’d suspected as much from her unusual reaction when she heard that fabricated story last time.
⋯⋯The situation seemed truly twisted in a weird way.
◆
As Carlyle was breaking out in cold sweats, a few documents suddenly dropped in front of him.
“What’s this?”
“Read it.”
Carlyle tilted his head and pulled out the neatly organized file from the clip.
As he read through the contents inside.
‘⋯⋯This is me?’
It thoroughly recorded his own activities, with him as the subject.
Mostly based on his path from wandering orphan to enlisting in the Imperial Army.
⋯⋯Though none of it was in his memories.
“Familiar, right?”
“⋯⋯.”
No. Not at all.
But interpreting his silence in her own way, Felix lit her pipe tobacco and continued.
“I went to some trouble myself. Uncovering the tracks of a war orphan with no records left to this extent isn’t easy.”
“⋯⋯.”
⋯⋯How the hell did she do that?
In a civilized society backed by administrative power where most records could be found, the blind spot was that people without records essentially became transparent.
Especially a worthless war orphan no one cared about—someone who truly had nothing, no matter how hard you scraped. Yet she’d investigated him to this level?
Just hearing about it sounded like it required an insane amount of labor, equivalent to building a fortress with bare hands.
Something only the Gray Cardinal could even attempt.
‘⋯⋯No, wait.’
Was the Gray Cardinal really someone capable of scraping the absolute bottom like this from the start?
Someone with that kind of background?
Carlyle, who’d crammed every detail about others into his head through repeated regressions but hadn’t deeply investigated himself due to no special points, was hearing this for the first time⋯⋯
Was he actually the owner of some tremendous talent he himself hadn’t realized?
[No need to worry about that.]
‘⋯⋯.’
[I stake the Hero’s honor on it. The achievements accumulated through regressions are impressive, but your innate talent is utterly mediocre—]
‘Yes. Stop.’
While the Holy Sword regurgitated facts he already knew, Felix quietly continued.
“Valtheimer⋯⋯was someone researching Hell. On imperial orders.”
“⋯⋯The imperial family was conducting research related to Hell?”
This was news to him too.
He’d never heard of the Empire doing such things before the Hell invasion. If they had, they wouldn’t have collapsed so easily.
“The Emperor issued a direct edict. ‘Research it properly to prepare, as it could become a major threat later.’”
“⋯⋯.”
Hm.
The Emperor himself issuing such a direct order.
That opened up various inferences.
Considering the Emperor’s authority within the Empire as Carlyle knew it, for such an order to fizzle out entirely.
“⋯⋯There must have been an accident. A massive one that would damage the Emperor’s authority if revealed.”
“⋯⋯Right.”
Felix smiled bitterly.
“All the researchers involved⋯⋯went missing after an incident tied to demons.”
No bodies were found, apparently.
Typically, contact with Hell leading to such an outcome boiled down to two possibilities.
Sucked into Hell.
Or fallen to a demon’s temptation and ‘corrupted.’
Either way, it was a terribly bad result for a direct imperial command.
As a result, all related information was completely covered up.
“⋯⋯And listen.”
Felix sighed, running a hand over her face.
“About your ‘activities’ listed there.”
She seemed incredulous herself.
“The point where your tracks as a war orphan become traceable matches exactly with when Valtheimer went missing.”
“⋯⋯.”
“It could all be coincidence. But⋯⋯”
Carlyle and that Valtheimer looked alike externally. Enough to believe they were blood-related.
And from Carlyle’s own mouth, he’d said he’d experienced a ‘demon-related incident’ and thus knew information about them.
And his entry into the administrative network in any form was after Valtheimer’s disappearance⋯⋯
“⋯⋯.”
Hearing up to that point.
Honestly, at this stage, insisting it was coincidence would make one look like an idiot.
“⋯⋯So you’re saying I’m connected to that Valtheimer somehow.”
So that’s how it linked up.
The bullshit he’d spouted just to cover his tracks was screwing him over like this⋯⋯
“⋯⋯.”
Felix nodded quietly.
“⋯⋯Please.”
Her tone was utterly earnest.
“If you know anything about him, anything at all—won’t you tell me?”
“⋯⋯.”
No.
No.
How was he supposed to handle this?
His back was soaked. He couldn’t just say now that it was all lies.
That would only tangle things worse. If he couldn’t reveal the source, just knowing about demons violated imperial law on its own.
As knowledge that carried the risk of corruption if mishandled.
So.
“⋯⋯.”
He racked his brain.
What he could say here.
What he could squeeze out⋯⋯!
“⋯⋯Your Eminence.”
Carlyle took a deep breath and opened his mouth.
“Truth is, I have no memories from when I was young at all.”
⋯⋯Another lie.
But this one contained a bit of truth.
“⋯⋯No memories?”
“Yes. The memories I have start after the point where the info here begins recording.”
“⋯⋯.”
“I want to help, but I can’t. I’m sorry. If anything comes to mind, I’ll tell you right away.”
“⋯⋯.”
The cardinal nodded quietly at his words.
“Still, I feel like you’re connected to him somehow.”
“Is that so.”
“Yeah. You look so alike. Maybe you’re his son?”
“Your Eminence, didn’t you say he was your father?”
“I’m an adopted daughter. He might’ve had a biological child without me knowing.”
“⋯⋯.”
What.
As Carlyle looked at Felix in confusion, she returned an emotionless gaze.
Seeing the cardinal say it with a serious expression, both she and Carlyle fell silent.
Soon after, Felix waved it off with a chuckle.
“Kidding, kidding. He wasn’t the type who could’ve done that.”
“⋯⋯.”
“He had a lot of circumstances. No way he could’ve had a son.”
“⋯⋯Ah.”
“More importantly.”
As Carlyle awkwardly nodded, Felix sobered and continued.
“If you were really Valtheimer’s blood relative⋯⋯there’s no way you wouldn’t have come to me. No way you wouldn’t demand something from me.”
“⋯⋯Yes?”
“⋯⋯I have to atone to him.”
“⋯⋯.”
“If you’re connected to him in any way—I’d do anything, no matter what—”
What was this now.
Tilting his head at the thought, Felix gave a wry smile and shook her head.
“⋯⋯No. It’s nothing. I said something pointless.”
“⋯⋯.”
Hmm.
This seems like.
‘Her reverse scale.’
[⋯⋯Looks like it. Best not to pry.]
Like.
The part that provided the most decisive reason for her becoming Gray Cardinal.
Something not to dig into carelessly.
So, gloss over it with a joke.
“Does that make me Your Eminence’s half-brother?”
“Not bad. Come here. Big sis will treat you well.”
“⋯⋯⋯⋯Whoa, no thanks.”
Seeing them chuckle and chat like that, it didn’t seem all that serious after all.
Carlyle inwardly sighed in relief at the thought.
The next moment.
His expression froze solid.
“⋯⋯What’s wrong all of a sudden?”
“⋯⋯.”
Carlyle, who’d been staring blankly into space, barely mustered a smile.
“⋯⋯No, just imagining being Your Eminence’s half-brother gave me chills.”
“What. Wanna die?”
Fortunately, she bought it.
The way she snickered and let it slide.
Good.
Really good.
⋯⋯This woman.
-System Message
▶ You have obtained information on ‘Georg Valtheimer’.
▶ Acquire information on your ‘biological father’ to gain a special ability!
▶ Related matters added to ‘Trait: Cardinal's Ideal Type’.
▶ Acquiring this information will greatly increase the target’s ‘Obsession’, ‘Guilt’, and ‘Regret’.
▶ Possibility that the target will become subservient to you!
In truth, he’d nailed the core in one go.
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