Chapter 431: Proof of Existence (19)
Chapter 431: Proof of Existence (19)
The air rapidly lost its warmth. Senior Elsie, her expression icy, merely stared at the Princess in silence.
The Princess couldn't even offer a proper apology. She just trembled, stealing glances at me.
Her face looked as if she were reliving an old nightmare. It seemed Senior Elsie had cornered her like this before. I didn't know the full story, but it was clear the Princess was paralyzed with fear.
I decided to try and intervene.
"Senior Elsie, please calm down. Her Highness didn't mean any harm..."
"Are you saying my uncle is some kind of lackey for the Dark Cult?"
The words were spat out through gritted teeth.
A sigh escaped my lips. Honestly, I understood how Senior Elsie felt.
She came from a high-ranking noble family. She took great pride in her lineage, and she likely respected her brilliant uncle as much as she feared him. Moreover, Sir Reynold was one of the two Great Mages that the Lainella family boasted of.
Few nobles could stomach an insult to their house.
Normally, one would have to bow before royalty, but this was the 5th Princess, Cien. Among us, the Princess's social standing wasn't exactly high.
It was likely because things had started off on the wrong foot.
Even now, the Princess was shivering in shock. Usually, the roles would be reversed. If a noble used insulting language toward a royal, it was the noble who should be begging for forgiveness.
Senior Elsie wasn't unaware of this fact.
Biting her lip, Senior Elsie eventually dropped her head. Realizing she had crossed a line, she didn't spit out any more venomous words. Instead, she simply turned around and walked away with lonely strides.
I hurriedly grabbed her shoulder.
"Senior Elsie, we have a duty."
I didn't intend to list every single reason. I just hoped she would understand my heart.
To save the world, many things must be discarded.
That was what the 'me' from the future had said. I, too, had struggled not to lose anything, yet the blood on my hands included that of those who were once my comrades.
I didn't want to tell her to abandon her family.
But if her family was a traitor, they had to be cast aside. This wasn't a matter of personal feelings; it was a matter of humanity's fate.
After a moment's hesitation, Senior Elsie spoke in a somber tone.
"...I know."
Her words weighed heavily on my mind. I considered following her, but then a voice brushed against my ear.
"I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm sorry... I didn't mean it. I didn't know Sir Ian would get hurt and collapse like that. I'm sorry for being so arrogant..."
The Princess was repeating apologies like a broken doll. In the end, my choice leaned toward her.
Senior Elsie was at least maintaining her reason. On the other hand, the Princess looked like someone whose past trauma had been triggered. I decided to stay and comfort her for a while.
After Senior Elsie left, I spoke to the Princess, who was still gripped by fear.
"Your Highness, are you alright?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's my fault. Hic, waaah..."
Tears were already welling up in her eyes. To make a member of the imperial bloodline cry—as a noble, there was no greater act of disloyalty. I pondered how I could soothe her.
Should I tell her something funny?
Then, a thought suddenly crossed my mind. It was one of the most ridiculous things that had happened recently.
"Your Highness, by the way, have you heard? I heard there's a product modeled after me trending at the Academy..."
I intended to joke about how absurd it was and that I had no idea who would make such a thing.
However, the Princess's trembling stopped abruptly. As I looked at her with a puzzled expression, she spoke in a bright, tear-free voice.
"Oh, I made those."
It was you?
I could only swallow a hollow laugh.
It was always the case—the area right under the lamp is the darkest.
The culprit is always nearby. The Masked Assailant was likely the same.
Senior Elsie wasn't far. There weren't many secluded places within the orphanage anyway.
The playground, where even the children had left for their meal.
In a corner, Senior Elsie sat with a gloomy face. Even her pointed hat looked limp and dejected.
It seemed she had been doing a lot of thinking.
Whether the Princess's deduction was correct or not. She had probably tried her best to deny it.
Yet, her mood remained just as dark.
I didn't ask, but I could guess what her conclusion was. No matter how much she racked her brain, she couldn't deny it. At the very least, she likely agreed with the premise that verification was necessary.
A situation where one must suspect their own family.
No one would find that pleasant. Especially if it was a hero they had admired since childhood.
I silently sat down next to Senior Elsie.
"I went on a merchant trip with Sir Reynold not too long ago."
There was no reason to beat around the bush. Senior Elsie was a straightforward person, and direct expressions worked best with her.
However, I didn't want to start badmouthing Sir Reynold out of the blue.
I knew it too. That Sir Reynold was a good person.
Even if it was just a disguise, wasn't he a comrade I had shared the battlefield with, however briefly? He wasn't someone I should trash-talk in front of his niece.
Besides, the claim that Sir Reynold was the 'Masked Assailant' was still just a hypothesis.
"He fought well. Literally, he turned the battlefield upside down by himself."
"...Because he's a 'Great Mage'."
Despite her gloom, Senior Elsie readily responded to my attempt at conversation.
I decided to follow the flow of the silence.
"That's what a Great Mage is. It's a realm that can only be reached by those who transcend logic and formulas. People who don't understand the world through language and numbers, but accept it through intuition and place themselves fully within it."
"Do you want to become one too, Senior Elsie?"
It was a rhetorical question. What mage wouldn't yearn for the title of Great Mage?
Senior Elsie was no exception.
"It's cool, isn't it? To find your own path and stand tall, no matter what anyone says. It means being a strong existence all on your own, without needing anyone's help."
"That's a unique sentiment."
"Because I've admired them since I was a child."
Light was slowly returning to Senior Elsie's shadowed eyes. Emotions that had been welling up were finally poured out into words.
"But my uncle made a deal with the Dark Cult?! When he's already reached the level of a Great Mage...!"
"I heard he lost all his comrades during his mercenary days."
Now it was Senior Elsie's turn to be silent.
Stories one could never tell family, scars carefully hidden—they are all laid bare before the battlefield.
It was a story Sir Reynold had calmly confessed. So, I tried to speak calmly as well.
"Sir Reynold wasn't invincible either. Even for a Great Mage, there are limits."
Senior Elsie didn't argue.
She just lowered her head in silence. As you grow older, there are facts you can't help but learn, even if you don't want to.
No one can survive alone.
Everyone needs someone to lean on, and sometimes, they make the wrong choices.
Sir Reynold was no exception.
Senior Elsie suppressed a cry. And finally, with eyes burning with intensity, she spoke.
"Then test him."
Her voice was a mixture of hatred, anger, resolve, and trust. She was gnashing her teeth.
"Whether my uncle is a traitor or not... we can just test it ourselves, can't we?"
She was right. However, I had one question left.
"How?"
The answer was simple. Senior Elsie gave a meaningful smile, as if she had been waiting for this.
"Master, you love me, right?"
She even added a bit of aegyo.
I lamented my fate, which made it impossible to say no. The way she winked while clearly trembling with anxiety tugged at my heart.
So, without a word, I pulled Senior Elsie into a hug.
Perhaps she hadn't expected me to act this way, as her body went stiff. But that only made her small frame fit more snugly in my arms.
Her resistance soon stopped.
Against the background of her sobbing, I declared firmly.
"I'll figure something out."
I didn't have a plan, but I said it anyway. Seeing Senior Elsie wailing in my arms had made my mind go blank.
Time passed, and night fell.
The moon and stars were visible in the distance. The path led to a low mountain, and a middle-aged man was walking along the faint trail.
Brown hair, blue eyes.
His face was steeped in fatigue and doubt. But only for a moment.
The man's brow furrowed slightly. A masked figure had suddenly appeared before him.
A pure white mask reflected the moonlight. Yet, what stood out more was the build of the person wearing it.
It looked familiar.
"...What do you think you're doing?"
Reynold let out a hollow laugh as he faced the man.
The stranger had a build similar to his niece's fiancé.
Even his skill was extraordinary. His suppressed aura pricked at Reynold like a needle.
Despite that, the masked man merely hesitated for a while. As if he had something to say but had to hold it back.
After a long silence, the masked man spoke in a dry voice.
"Your niece is pretty amazing, isn't she?"
"You... you son of a bitch!!!"
Reynold's eyes instantly flipped as he lunged forward.
It was exactly as Elsie had planned.