Betrayal (1)
Betrayal (1)
Chirp, chirp. Only the quiet chirping of insects echoed through the silence. Orion slowly reached for the handle of her dagger.
Tap, tap. The familiar grip slowly brought her body’s muscle memory back to the surface. She hadn't fought anything human-shaped in recent months, but decades of ingrained experience hadn't rusted away in such a short time.
"...Leader, what did you just say?"
"I asked what happens if you betray the Great Forest."
It was certain. He had figured out she was a spy for the Great Forest. How? Was there a traitor among the higher-ups?
There was no need to figure out the details right here and now. She would take him and return to the World Tree. As long as she did that, the problem would resolve itself somehow.
Orion swiftly drew her dagger and dashed forward. Using the specialized footwork unique to Rangers, she approached Dojin with movements so agile that not even her shadow could keep up.
But as she arrived in front of Dojin, Orion stopped short of thrusting her dagger.
"...What are you doing, Leader?"
"Stab me if you want to. If you want to talk, spare me a moment."
Dojin had his arms spread wide, waiting for Orion to approach. She had been taught how to subdue a resisting opponent, but she had never learned how to stab a civilian standing perfectly still. Because of this, Orion barely managed to stop herself.
"...How can I trust you?"
"Don't trust me. I never forced you to. But you know, Orion."
Dojin slowly lowered his hands and approached her. Orion started to raise her guard against him but decided against it. The distance was already too close—a distance where a dagger held the advantage over a sword.
No matter what he tried to do, she was confident she could stop him.
"Compared to you demi-humans, I might be a total greenhorn... but I know this one thing."
"...What?"
"Do what your soul tells you to."
Even humans, who only live for a few decades, carry around a myriad of mental burdens. What about elves, who live for thousands of years?
Even if she ended up stabbing him, Dojin didn't want the act to become a scar on her heart.
"Are you in the mood to talk?"
"...I'm sorry, Leader."
Orion swung her dagger. And then, Dojin collapsed.
When Dojin opened his eyes, he was lying on the floor, his arms and legs completely bound. Confirming he was awake, Orion slowly began to speak from a spot outside his field of vision.
"Are you awake, Leader?"
"...Orion."
"I'm sorry for being rough. But please understand my position. A Level 3 Leader and I cannot have a conversation on equal footing."
A tiger and a human cannot converse unarmed. Only after locking the tiger in a cage and putting a gun in the human's hand can a sincere conversation take place.
Similarly, Dojin gently tugged at the chains binding his limbs. They didn't budge. His arms and legs were bound in a way that prevented him from exerting strength, and even if he tried anything, Orion was positioned to subdue him faster than he could act.
"Right, thank you for being willing to talk."
However, to put it another way, this was her vow not to harm him. If her goal had been to cause him pain, she would be thrusting a red-hot iron at him by now.
"First, Leader, I want to hear about your true identity."
"Identity? What identity?"
"From one to ten. Everything."
"...20 years old, from South Korea, birthday is October 26th, and blood type is O. My MBTI is—"
"That's all useless information I've never even heard of. Not that. Right, why did you come to this city?"
"I didn't come here because I wanted to. I opened my eyes and I was here."
"...Leader, I'm not in the mood for jokes right now."
"It's the truth."
Sigh. Orion let out a soft sigh. She didn't want to harm him either, but Dojin still seemed far too relaxed.
It couldn't be helped. She brought out the spirit stone she had hidden in her attic—a magical artifact containing spirits from the World Tree, allowing even elves without natural aptitude to easily handle them.
As she brought it out, a slightly frightened Dojin asked.
"What, are you going to torture me?"
"...Hardly. Do you think us elves are barbarians, Leader?"
"Looking at how I'm tied up right now, it's plenty..."
"This is just a self-defense technique created to protect ourselves. To protect our bodies from truly barbaric and greedy humans... Anyway, don't even think about lying now."
Saying so, Orion infused her mana into the magic stone. The spirit sleeping inside awoke in response.
Spirits inherently hate negative things. They despise the negative reactions that occur in a person's heart when they tell a lie. Because of this, no race could lie in front of a spirit without being found out.
"Now, I'll ask you again. Leader, why did you come to this city?"
"I told you earlier, I didn't come here because I wanted to."
"...Aha, it seems you've received training to dodge 'lies' like that. Fine. Then I'll ask differently. What is your purpose in coming to this city?"
"I don't have one. I didn't come to this city with any purpose."
Orion glanced at the spirit. The spirit trapped inside the magic stone burst into giggles upon hearing Dojin's words.
Seeing the spirit like him so much meant it wasn't a lie. That made her even more troubled.
"No purpose... T-then the newspaper! Why did you make the newspaper!?"
"I just made it..."
"Liar! It's a tool that can easily incite people! You definitely made it to serve as a justification when the Empire subjugates us demi-humans..."
"No, I had no such purpose. Absolutely not."
Kyahahaha!
The spirit began to fly around wildly. It liked Dojin surprisingly well. Roll, roll. The magic stone rolled around on Dojin's chest before falling to the floor.
Tap. Picking up the fallen spirit stone, Orion asked Dojin her final question.
"...Then, the traitor. Who is the traitor?"
"Traitor?"
"Inside the Alliance... there's someone communicating with you, Leader, isn't there?"
"No, there isn't."
"...Then how on earth did you know and write about that kind of information?"
"What information...?"
"The things written in the newspaper. ...There was even crucial information that only a few noble families within the Elf tribe knew about. Unless we have a traitor inside, it's inexplicable."
"...That was just me using my ability."
"Ability?"
Hearing Dojin's words, Orion froze stiff. A Skill Holder. A remarkably precious existence, with only one or two in each country.
Dojin had that kind of ability? That was dangerous. It would have been better if he said he was a spy. If he had such an ability, he would either be killed or locked up for life to be used as a puppet.
"What kind of... ability is it?"
"It's not that outstanding of an ability. It's just the ability to know the secrets that others keep."
"Is that... an ability you possess, Dojin?"
"No, that's not it."
Phew. Orion let out a sigh of relief. And then immediately felt a strong wave of self-loathing. To feel relieved that she didn't have to kill him—she was a failure as a spy.
"...Why are you telling me this?"
"Why? Is there a reason I shouldn't?"
"I am, I am... a spy, just as you said, Leader. I'll pass all the information you gave me to the Alliance, and the Alliance might send someone to kill you. No, killing you would be better; they could kidnap you and make you suffer for the rest of your life."
Why did he bring this up to her, even bearing the risk of throwing his own life away? She was desperate to know his thoughts.
What drove him? She was incredibly curious. Because it seemed he had something that she currently lacked.
"I thought you would leave if I didn't tell you."
"What?"
"I'm not a spy, and there are no traitors. I felt that if your mission dragged on and on... you might disappear one day."
"What does that..."
"I just thought it would be better to offer up my own life than to have you disappear from my eyes. That's all."
Crack. The spirit stone in her hand finally shattered. The spirit sealed inside, delighted about something, flew over to Dojin and played around him.
The moment she saw that, she was certain. Dojin hadn't told a single lie. Every word was the truth.
'To someone like me...'
Even though she was an elf spy of little help, who just seduced him with her body, and might become an enemy of humans... he considered her precious. More than his own life.
"...Idiot."
"Huh?"
"Leader, you're an idiot. This is why humans are... so stupid."
"S-suddenly?"
Orion suddenly began to badmouth Dojin. However, the intensity was weak. It felt closer to self-reproach rather than genuinely wanting to insult him.
"And, I'm an idiot too."
"...Why?"
"Because... I've ended up liking a human."
A day would come when she would regret this choice and want to change it. But time only moves forward. It can never be reversed.
In that case, she decided, let's build memories beautiful enough to forget the regret. Let's gather enough happiness to last a lifetime.
Clank. Orion unlocked the chains binding Dojin. After helping him up, she asked carefully.
"Would you like a drink?"
"...If it's just one drink."
"Hehe, I told you before, didn't I? That I prepared a liquor that makes even elves drunk."
There was no time. Even now, he was quickly rushing forward. Every minute, every second was precious for gathering the firewood of memories that would warm the rest of her life.
After Dojin left, Orion rummaged through her secret space with a flushed face. She took out the crystal ball inside and called her higher-ups.
Despite the late hour, the other party answered quickly. Well, there would be nothing as pathetic as missing a spy's report because one was fast asleep.
—It's rare for you to contact us first. Did you succeed?
"...Yes."
—Your face is red. Did you use 'that'?
"Hehe, I used it."
Hiccup. Orion recalled the words she needed to say, taking care not to lose her senses. She couldn't make a mistake. She couldn't show any weakness.
Fortunately, the other party seemed to think her state was just intoxication and showed no particular reaction.
—Right, the results?
"I couldn't find the traitor. His guard was tougher than expected."
—...Then why did you call?
"Instead, we can now use the newspaper."
—The newspaper? How?
This was the key Dojin had handed her. Her job was simply to insert that key into the right keyhole. Fortunately, the first button seemed to be fastened correctly.
"He fell for my body and said he'd do anything for me."
—Haha, how very monkey-like of him.
Twitch. Orion fell silent for a moment, suppressing the anger that flared up inside her. Barely calming herself down, she explained the usefulness of the newspaper exactly as Dojin had described.
"...How about using the newspaper for special operations?"
—Oho, what do you mean by that?
"We publish the newspaper with our secret codes written in it. Since it has a physical form, it won't be caught by magic detectors, and it's even better because it can be easily obtained anywhere."
—Hmm, I see. But is there a need to entrust it to their newspaper? We could just set up a newspaper company of our own.
"Who on earth would think that our codes are hidden in a newspaper published by human bastards?"
—That's true too. Good. You are to remain there. Stand by until further orders.
"...Understood."
—That's all for now.
The communication cut off. Orion immediately put the crystal ball into its sealed box and lay down on her bed. It was a complete success. By doing as Dojin told her, she lessened their suspicion while simultaneously securing an excuse to stay close to him.
"Phew..."
Her heart was pounding. Was betraying one's homeland really this nerve-wracking? No. This wasn't tension from the fear of her betrayal being discovered.
'Dojin...'
As the Leader's face came to mind, her heart began to beat even faster. This was the heartbeat born from feeling love.