Unmasking (2)
I flicked a light to my cigarette, took a deep drag, and tilted my head toward the ceiling to exhale a thick plume of smoke.
"Pffhhhuuu..."
Watching the hazy clouds drift upward in a daze, I couldn't resist pulling the flask from my coat and taking several long swigs. Ah! That blistering, glorious punch of pure alcohol! Unable to suppress the grin tugging at my lips, I smirked like an absolute idiot.
"......"
Princess Arpe watched the entire performance as though she couldn't decide whether to be dumbfounded or outraged. Clearly irritated and on edge, she knit her brow tightly and bit her lip.
"Keep that up and you'll draw blood, Arpe."
"...Your rudeness defies all description, Lord Stanashila Aljen."
"Cut me some slack, will you? For all I know, this might be the last moment of my life."
"......"
Whether to rein in her emotions or because she had already steeled her resolve, the color and brightness in her eyes drained a shade darker.
"Lord Stanashila Aljen. I summoned you here today to make a final decision."
"Hmm, I already know where this is going, but let's hear it anyway. What kind of decision?"
"...Whether to kill you, or let you live."
"Oho, to be or not to be, that is the question!" I quipped playfully before tipping the flask back again.
"Phaaah... So, have you reached a verdict yet?"
"That depends entirely on your choice, Lord Aljen. The only reason I revealed myself as the mastermind behind Greenjack was because I was certain you already knew."
"Hoh. How? Far as I recall, I never said anything to give you that kind of certainty."
"Of course not. You kept your mouth obstinately shut, after all."
A faint, trembling smile grazed the corners of her lips. With practiced elegance, she took an unhurried sip of tea and set the porcelain cup down with equal restraint.
"Yet you engaged in brief exchanges between those silences."
"And you found certainty in those? Such as?"
"When I brought up what happened in the Wyrm Mountains, I mentioned details I had no business knowing. Yet you did not betray even a flicker of agitation."
"...If I recall, you claimed back then that you conducted an independent investigation."
"I did. But by any measure of common sense, that information was known only to your party and Greenjack. Every single assassin present at the scene died by your hand. What intelligence network on earth could possibly uncover things they neither saw nor heard? Ah, with the exception of you, of course. You are likely the only person on this entire continent who knows things you have never seen or heard."
A chill crept down my spine as I met her platinum-tinted eyes, which swirled with undisguised greed.
"You're giving me way too much credit... Couldn't you have learned it from the adventurers? I was ambushed twice—on the way into the dungeon and on the way out. Sure, I slaughtered every assassin who ambushed us on the way out, but the adventurers we ran into on the way in knew about us, didn't they? They probably figured out we discovered a new dungeon, too."
My memory was slightly hazy, but that had to be it. The adventurers who had come with Cacciola for that quasi-negotiation back then must have overheard our conversation. We hadn't bothered to hide it, after all... so they definitely heard.
"Fufu. Officially speaking, my only means of gathering information are money and authority. Do you really believe one could conduct such an exhaustive investigation with those alone?"
"......"
Without a specialized intelligence organization, relying solely on gold and political clout... Yeah, that would be tough.
"Still, that doesn't make it impossible, does it?"
"How persistent... Well, fine. Let us let that slide. There is another reason, after all."
"What else could there be?"
"Plenty, of course."
Arpe let out an amused chuckle, her crossed leg swinging gently.
"Lord Aljen. You know about my 'Voice,' don't you?"
"...Tsk. So that slip-up back then was the problem after all."
"You don't even deny it, do you? Precisely. The nature of my voice is a classified secret of the highest order. While surface details are somewhat known, vanishingly few understand its inner workings. I reasoned that if you knew even that, you might also know of my connection to Greenjack."
"So it was circumstantial all along. Isn't that a massive leap in logic?"
"It would be, yes. Had my counterpart been anyone ordinary, I would have thought the same. But with you, Lord Aljen, it is entirely different."
"......"
As I kept my mouth shut and puffed on my cigarette, she giggled playfully.
"And the final piece is Nazareth Nemes, standing right behind me."
"What about her?"
"Lord Aljen, you were wary of Nemes to a bizarre degree. Which is truly strange. You had never met in the past, no unsavory rumors surrounded her, and her realm of power was entirely unknown. What possible reason would you have to be so guarded against her?"
"...I don't recall making it obvious."
"Indeed, you didn't. I noticed nothing. But Nemes did. Are you aware that the senses of a Sword Master transcend humanity? The tremor of an eyelid, the constriction of a pupil, the rhythm of a heartbeat, the rush of blood, the subtle shifts in scent that fluctuate with emotion... They say a Master perceives all of that intuitively in a single breath and reaches a conclusion."
"Damn it. Guess us low-rank folks can't even catch a breath in this world."
"I occasionally share that sentiment. One can neither lie nor play innocent in front of Nemes."
After muttering her mild complaint, she took another sip of tea before turning her calm, steady gaze back onto me.
"...What are you staring at?"
"Will you admit it now?"
"Sigh... Fine, fine. I admit it. Happy? I knew from the very beginning that you founded Greenjack."
"I knew it..."
Her face brightened for a fleeting moment before clouding over again. Fiddling with her fingers, she stole a cautious glance at me.
"Then... it is time to choose. Will you become mine?"
"Do I really need to answer? Pretty sure you already know."
"...Why?"
"If I'm going to die whether I join or not, I'd rather not die under somebody else's thumb."
"If you enter my service, I will never let you die."
"Maybe you won't. But do you think every single member in Greenjack feels that way?"
"I will stop them. No matter what."
"No, you can't."
I let out a dry smirk and exhaled another ring of cigarette smoke.
"...I understand your lack of trust in me. But... I truly do not want to kill you. So won't you please reconsider and accept?"
"......"
To be fair, the premises had shifted somewhat. There was a world of difference between being roped into Greenjack without knowing the Third Princess was behind it versus joining while fully aware.
"...Inside Greenjack, how many actually know you're the real boss?"
"Boss... You make it sound like a band of mountain bandits."
Smiling wryly, she pondered for a moment before answering.
"Around ten percent of the total roster, I believe. Roughly fifty people, to be exact."
"Fifty-two, Your Highness," Nazareth Nemes corrected quietly.
The Third Princess gave a nod. "There you have it."
"Hmm... Surprisingly few."
"Of course. Have you forgotten that I am an Imperial Princess?"
"Not at all... It's just that your recruitment methods are remarkably heavy-handed."
"I had no other choice. Letting this drag out when you already knew everything was far too dangerous."
"I see... Still, aren't you being a bit too accommodating with me? Were you like this with the other fifty-two?"
"No, not at all. You happen to be a special case. You took my fancy, you see."
She tilted her chin up haughtily, as if expecting me to take it as the highest honor. I let out a soft snort.
"......"
I turned it over in my head.
Now that all the cards were on the table, joining Greenjack might actually lower my risk of death considerably. In fact, having access to an outfit like Greenjack could prove immensely useful.
Then again, I fundamentally despised having a leash snapped around my neck... and there was zero guarantee I'd ever be allowed to use Greenjack as I pleased.
...Wait, wouldn't I have wrestled with this exact dilemma during our first meeting if Nazareth Nemes hadn't stepped in when the princess started careening off the rails? Feels like a total waste of time. If things were going to end up like this anyway, it would've been better to get it over with sooner.
Well, not like I could have just laid my cards bare first, and it wasn't something her camp could broach lightly either, so it was probably inevitable.
"...How about partners instead? We trade as equals. Sounds like a fair deal, doesn't it?"
"That is out of the question. You know this already, don't you?"
Watching her deliver that flat refusal with faux sympathy, I scratched my head vigorously. Just as I couldn't trust her, she couldn't trust me either.
So in the end, it really boiled down to two options. Submit to a leash around my throat, or wage war.
...Wait a minute. Is that really it?
"I've got a question."
"Yes, ask me anything." Arpe beamed and nodded, visibly thrilled that I was actually giving it thought.
"If I join Greenjack, is someone going to put a leash on me?"
"Pardon? No? Of course not! That will never happen."
"...Are you really planning to give me zero orders and zero duties, just like you claimed back then?"
"If that is what you wish."
"What about restraints? The usual assassin syndicate nonsense—a Curse of Silence, or embedding an artifact in my flesh to execute me at a moment's notice... Do I get to skip all that?"
"Yes! If you don't want them, you don't have to undergo any of it! Though strangely enough, every other member of Greenjack chose to take them!"
"...Then how is that any different from how things are right now?"
"It's entirely different! Because you will belong to me!"
I tilted my head, utterly baffled. If she trusted me enough to forgo every restraint, why go through the hassle and risk of roping me in at all?
"...And that satisfies you?"
"Yes! So long as it fulfills my desire to collect and possess, that is more than enough!"
"......"
Looking at her innocent, radiant expression, I buried my face in my hand and groaned. A genuine shudder ran down my spine.
"You... are twisted beyond belief, aren't you?"
She forces a life-or-death ultimatum, and the sole objective is literally just to own me? For real? Even accounting for my rather peculiar circumstances, that was a mindset possible only if you viewed people strictly as objects.
What made it far more sinister was the complete absence of malice. There was nothing in her except goodwill and affection toward something that caught her interest.
Was the Third Imperial Princess always this kind of person?
"Tsk..."
I mentally rifled through the game's lore bible, but nothing of the sort came up.
"...One more thing. What does Greenjack mean to you?"
"Pardon?"
Caught off guard by the unexpected question, she tilted her head to the side.
"Why, it's my proud display case, of course! Where I showcase the collectibles I've gathered with my own hands."
"Right. Of course it is..."
"Ah! That came out sounding strange, didn't it? Don't get the wrong idea! Judging by your expression, you're misunderstanding something, aren't you? I never, ever think of Greenjack's members as mere objects or tools! I pay them lavishly, procure any relics or artifacts they need, and provide benefits overflowing with generosity! Beyond that, I grant their every wish, so long as it lies within my power!"
"Grant their every wish, huh... What if a member of Greenjack says they want to leave and live an ordinary life? What would you do then?"
"Ah, that won't do. Once something becomes mine, it is mine forever."
"......"
"Still, isn't that wonderful? Surely they are far happier remaining mine. It isn't as though I forbid them from marrying or having children... though oddly enough, Greenjack's members never marry... Ah, but in that scenario, the spouse and children would also become mine! They're the family of my possession, so shouldn't I ensure their happiness too?"
Staring at her true nature laid bare from behind the veil, my jaw dropped.
How the hell was I supposed to describe this?
A landmine? A psychopathic codependent? Obsessive? A tyrant?
None of those labels quite fit.
She wasn't gloomy or sinister; she was bright and cheerful.
She wasn't impulsive; she was considerate.
Far from holding malice, she overflowed with goodwill and affection.
Even while maintaining a physical distance, her perceived psychological distance was suffocatingly intimate.
And while every word and action bled horrific dysfunction, she remained completely oblivious to it.
To put it bluntly, it was profoundly nauseating.
"You sent a Greenjack assassin to my room back then. What was that about? Didn't it occur to you that your 'possession' could be in danger?"
"Ah, that... That was unfortunate. I thought he could handle a mission of that caliber without trouble... Who knew he would fail even without being detected by Duke Urtega? I was terribly disappointed."
"......"
Duke Urtega had caught him long before that. Had she dispatched the assassin without properly understanding what a Demi-God was capable of?
No, put that aside. What mattered right now were her eyes.
Indifferent eyes, devoid of the slightest affection or possessiveness.
She had discarded him. Without a second thought.
...It contradicted everything she had just preached so fiercely.
Yet she seemed entirely blind to her own blatant contradiction. Or perhaps she was aware and chose to consciously ignore it.
"...Look, I hate to break it to you, but you're scarier than most villains."
"A villain...? What is that?"
"Never mind..."
I glanced back at Wendy. She was drenched in cold sweat, her face twisted into an expression beyond words.
Gulping down another heavy mouthful of booze, I dragged deep on my cigarette.
"Phew... Let me ask you one last thing."
"Yes! What is it?"
"The truth is, my goal is to kill the Demon God."
"...Pardon? The Demon God?"
The cheerful smile on her face froze stiff.
"Are you serious?"
"Dead serious. So with that said... if I become yours, will you help me with that?"
"That's out of the question. It's far too dangerous. I could lose everything I have. Well, if you begged me with all your heart, I might consider helping you personally... but nothing more. Even if I felt inclined, lending out what is mine is no simple matter. It certainly would never be free."
"...Right. Thought so."
Playing the game, there was a question that had always puzzled me.
Why did Greenjack, despite being such a formidable syndicate, have virtually zero presence in the main storyline?
Why didn't the Imperial Princess actively deploy them after joining the Hero's party?
I had assumed it was just a gameplay limitation... but that wasn't it at all.
To her, her possessions were simply more precious than herself.
So precious she couldn't even fathom taking them out of the display case even when her life was in mortal danger—it wasn't even on the table.
How could someone be built like that?... Wait, perhaps she didn't consider herself one of her 'possessions' in the first place.
"Was the Third Princess always... this kind of character?"
I couldn't begin to fathom what kind of trauma or rot in her upbringing had cultivated such a mentality. To think that the 'Third Princess Cheapskate Meme' that had circulated briefly on the gaming forums had roots like this...
"What did you say?"
"Nothing. Just getting a headache... Whew..."
Massaging my temples for a second, I looked back at her. Her eyes sparkled with starry-eyed anticipation.
"Alright. I understand where you stand. So with that in mind..."
"Yes! Welcome! I promise to take wonderful care of you!"
"I'm turning down your offer. I'm never becoming yours."
"...What?"
Her face froze, the smile still plastered across her features as she glared at me in uncomprehending shock.
"Why?"
"Because I've got my own goals. If joining you doesn't help me achieve them, there's no reason to crawl under your thumb, is there?"
"...Are you not afraid of death?"
"Terrified. What kind of human isn't afraid of dying? But I have my own cards to play, which is why I can afford to act so bold."
"Just what on earth are you relying on... to dare stand before me...! Trampling my goodwill and affection...! Robbing me of the chance to possess you...! How dare you, how dare you...!"
Tears welled in her eyes—not crocodile tears, but born of genuine, overwhelming emotion. Seeing that made an icy chill crawl across the nape of my neck.
What bizarre emotional landscape produced those tears, I had no clue. I doubt I'd ever understand the psychology of the Third Imperial Princess if I lived a hundred lifetimes.
"I have a few cards, but the one I trust most is—"
"...What is it? No, never mind. I don't care to hear it. Just... just please die."
In the very next breath, Nazareth Nemes vanished from sight without a trace.
CLANG!
No sense of danger, no threatening aura, no survival instinct... Not a single alarm had time to trip.
When my senses snapped back into focus, Nazareth Nemes's dagger was already hovering millimeters from my throat.
I hadn't even had time to think about triggering an artifact. If the figure who suddenly materialized before me hadn't blocked it, I would have died before I could lift a finger.
"You actually kept your word this time, Father."
"...Explain yourself."
Immediately after, the heavy, suffocating pressure of a Demi-God descended, crushing down on the entire room.