Because I Can See the Future...
Because I Can See the Future...
"Just go back to your room."
A woman with short crimson hair so sharp it looked as if it could cut — as though a rose had been personified — blocked my path.
"Janet."
Janet Franz.
She had passed the preliminaries in second place. A cadet currently serving as squad leader of the Cheonchuk.
Hearing her name, she smiled brightly.
"I'm honored you know me. Are your preparations for the Subjugation Festival going well? Only a few days left now."
"There's nothing in particular to prepare."
"Heh heh. Is that so? Still, I worry that someone might begin to doubt the Yudith family's sterling reputation... that troubles me a little."
Our eyes met in the empty air.
"You're attending the academy while concealing your identity. It seems to me it would be best to stay as quiet as possible until the Subjugation Festival ends. What do you think?"
Janet wore an expression of boundless friendliness, but I knew that smile was entirely for Scarlett's sake.
"Ah, of course, I understand perfectly how utterly dull it is to be shut up alone in a room. I do know the feeling."
I slowly studied her silhouette.
She wasn't particularly tall, but the qi sense radiating from her was impressively solid.
"So, if you ever find the boredom truly unbearable, I can come by and at least keep you company. I hardly know how to hold a conversation with a mage, but it'll be better than being alone."
An attitude like coaxing an infant. Janet exuded nothing but ease.
If I'd had time to waste, I might have offered some kind of non-verbal response, but at the moment, I was exceedingly busy.
"Let's try to behave a little more like adults, shall we? At the very least, conduct that won't become a nuisance to Lady Scarlett... Plan, are you listening to me?"
When I showed no sign of paying attention, Janet repeated herself.
"Not particularly."
"Heh heh. I see. Very well. One more word, then."
Whatever Janet was about to say next, I was turning my head this way and that, searching for Isolate. She had vanished at some point.
I tried to sense the witch's magic power. That raw, jagged power that always leaked out in all directions.
But nothing was detected.
"Once the Subjugation Festival ends, the media's vow of silence expires at the same time. Then the academy will learn that you are the Yudith family's son as well. Consider carefully whether that will be a boon or a bane for you."
Meanwhile, Janet kept talking. The moment I realized Isolate had vanished, an irrational irritation surged up inside me.
"If you win, I suppose it could work to your advantage. However, the Cheonchuk have absolutely no intention of yielding victory."
"Janet."
I stepped closer to her and whispered quietly.
"Barking pet dogs aren't permitted at the social gathering."
"...?"
Before she could even comprehend my words and action, I followed up.
"Scarlett. Why don't you take your pet back where it belongs."
"...!"
At that single sentence, it was as if time itself stopped.
Everyone in this space seemed extraordinarily shocked by the way I handled both Janet and Scarlett.
Every gaze fixed itself on me, and soon Scarlett's eyes, too, slowly turned toward me.
Fury began to flicker in Scarlett's eyes like dying embers, but a promise exists to be kept.
No matter what I do, she cannot interfere.
Five seconds. Ten seconds. At the end of a silence that felt eternal.
"...Come. There's no need to waste your time dealing with that one."
Scarlett spoke to Janet with curt brevity. At that, the expressions on everyone else's faces grew far more worth watching.
"...."
Janet looked back and forth between Scarlett and me, utterly dumbfounded.
But then, she bowed politely toward Scarlett and withdrew cleanly.
"As you command, Sir Knight."
I too departed, leaving the others behind. I intended to look around the second floor as well while searching for Isolate.
Perhaps because Scarlett's eyes weren't on the second floor, the moment I arrived, several people rushed over as if they'd been waiting.
"Ah, may I ask just a few questions? If you could spare a moment..."
"Would it be possible to arrange a private appointment...?"
Those who approached had a variety of errands.
Some were driven by curiosity about me, some bordered on outright petitions, but... as expected, most of the questions still concerned Scarlett.
Ignoring every single one of them, I passed through the second floor and reached the sparsely populated third.
And there, I finally discovered Isolate.
"Meow~"
She was in the form of a black cat. But it was unmistakably the witch Isolate. The jagged magic power leaking from her was proof of that.
She rubbed her face against my sleeve.
"...Isolate."
I spoke her name in a low murmur.
At that, with a soft poof, Isolate transformed back into a human. I had expected as much.
"Cough, cough! Ahh, I'm so moved. To think you'd seek me out first now..."
"...."
I stared at her in silence.
A body that looked as if it might collapse, coughing blood, at any moment — and an exceptionally robust magic power. The dissonance between those two elements was somewhat intriguing.
But perhaps she mistook what she saw in my gaze as anger. Isolate suddenly waved her hands in denial.
"Cough...! Ugh, please don't be too angry. I've been sending you gold coins every month, haven't I...?"
I still offered no response whatsoever. Isolate, her face pale, coughed and continued.
"Cough, cough! It isn't stalking or anything like that. It's just a pure, supportive sentiment... Probably."
I extended a handkerchief toward her.
I almost handed her the one Trixie had given me, but instead gave her my own. Isolate bowed her head deeply and accepted it.
"Thank you. In the first place, I am an astrologer, am I not?"
"An astrologer."
I murmured those four syllables quietly.
Astrologers existed in my former world as well. People who used various bizarre tools to read the future — practitioners of something bordering on superstition.
Isolate nodded weakly.
"Yes. Because I can see the future... I am simply investing in you. I'll be satisfied if you succeed later and return the favor... Cough, cough!"
In the end, it was a simple story.
Isolate was an "astrologer" who claimed to see the future, and she began her sponsorship after glimpsing the future of the body's original owner.
Coughing, she parted her lips again. The handkerchief I'd given her was already soaked with blood.
"I've been watching your performance at the academy very closely. But to think you're at that level without even using your Inherent Ability... I was genuinely surprised."
"Inherent Ability?"
"Yes. Your Inherent Ability. Are you planning not to use it in the future either? Cough, cough...! Goodness, my head..."
So it seems this body does possess an Inherent Ability, as befitting one who carries a knight's bloodline.
"Isolate."
I called her name softly.
"Yes. Cough, cough...! Go ahead."
"What's the total sum you've sponsored me?"
"A hundred twenty thousand? Around that much."
A thousand coins every month, for a full ten years of sponsorship. Her actions aren't easy to rationalize.
'No, perhaps.'
If Isolate truly had seen the future, then this might not be a foolish choice. No — rather, it would be an astute one.
"A hundred twenty thousand. Well done, Isolate."
At that, Isolate's coughing stopped. She blinked twice, looking at me.
"...Well done?"
"Yes."
"Ah, um... You're rather different from your usual self today..."
Isolate scratched her head. I suddenly found my curiosity piqued by her "astrology."
"Isolate. Can you still see the future now?"
"Cough, cough...! Of course. I can."
Isolate took two steps closer to me.
"Since I received a compliment today, I'll just take one look for you. When I don't have a crystal orb, I can simply look with my eyes."
Her gaze turned toward my eyes. The next moment, Isolate froze mid-step.
As if trying to peer into the depths of my pupils, Isolate narrowed her eyes intensely and focused.
And finally, when our faces had drawn so close that our noses nearly touched.
"Cough! Cough, cou... ah..."
Isolate's coughing stopped.
More precisely, her breathing stopped entirely.
"...."
Isolate's eyes gradually widened. At the same time, her mouth, too, slowly began to fall open.
She tilted her head slowly to the side, and at some point, color had rushed back into her previously pallid face.
"Mmm..."
She nodded as if deeply satisfied.
"As I thought. My investment wasn't mistaken."
She rolled her eyes this way and that, scrutinizing me. After a long while, her lips at last began to move.
"Starting next month, I'll sponsor two thousand gold coins per month."
"I don't particularly care, but at least tell me what it is you saw."
"Heh heh heh... Cough, cough...!"
Isolate let out a low laugh even as she coughed repeatedly. She raised a single index finger and placed it atop her lips.
"An astrologer's duty is solely to see the future. The moment it's spoken aloud, the future goes awry... Yes. You understand, don't you?"
"...How trivial."
I turned my back without a shred of regret.
I had already achieved my initial objective: discovering the point of contact between the witch and the body's original owner.
Descending to the second floor, I quietly checked my timepiece.
It was nearly time to participate in the auction.
'A hundred twenty thousand gold coins.'
I fully intend to make good use of them, one way or another.
◈
Night in a guest room at the Magic Tower Hotel.
After being tormented all day by a vast volume of theory, the representatives had at last been given time to sleep.
...
But Trixie was still awake. It was a complicated night, tangled with all manner of emotions.
"Ha."
She let out a sigh at last and sat up.
The guest room was impossibly luxurious.
The spacious area was partitioned so each person could stay separately, and snacks and tea were fully stocked so they were accessible at any time.
But precisely because it was so spacious, it felt empty.
"Let's not be like this. Don't be like this."
A sudden bout of insomnia. It had happened from time to time before, but tonight it was especially severe.
Was it nerves about the Subjugation Festival, or was it waiting for a reply from the Teaching Auction that refused to come?
Probably both.
With a major event looming, her heart grew more impatient, and the fact that no reply came from the Teaching Auction made it stifling.
She opened Trivia.
[▷ How about we meet up soon-ish!]
[▷ Btw. I passed the prelims in 1st place]
[▷ Did you see that... heh3heh]
Still no reply.
She closed Trivia again. Opened it, closed it, opened it, closed it... She repeated the motion about five times.
"...Oh."
Then, suddenly, something crossed her mind.
Trixie hurriedly slipped out of bed and fetched a handkerchief. It was identical in appearance to the one she had asked Plan to deliver.
This handkerchief conveys the touch and scent of its bearer. By now, it should have been sufficiently transmitted.
"Ahem."
Trixie cleared her throat and scanned her surroundings.
She was alone in this space. The others were clearly all asleep. With this much privacy, she could feel at ease.
Trixie lay back down on the bed and quietly brought the handkerchief close to her face.
A moment later.
...
Something ineffable — a reassuring presence so solid she felt she could lean on it — was transmitted to Trixie.
A faint fragrance tickled the girl's nose.
At last, Trixie closed her eyes. For some reason, a calm settled over her. She felt as if she could finally fall asleep now.
Her thoughts drifted slowly, like masses of clouds.
Come to think of it, why had Becky said she'd explain but then kept quiet? With the rooms divided, she couldn't ask right now. So, what exactly was the connection between Plan and the Agora Board? How hard would tomorrow be? She didn't know. And she missed Teacher-nim. Teacher...
The soft, rhythmic breathing of sleep —
At some moment, the girl had fallen asleep like an angel.