Chapter 144
Chapter 144
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: Joint Attack #4
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Elga, who had been keeping her mouth shut as if deep in thought, finally asked me.
“What the hell are you scheming? Not only did you deliberately approach the Lionesse family, but you're not satisfied with that and now you're messing with Mirna Draco too.”
Hearing Elga's question, I felt like the moment had finally arrived. What she was asking was a perfectly reasonable doubt anyone could have.
But for me, there was no choice but to play innocent.
“What do you mean, scheming?”
“You're going to pretend not to know right up to the end, huh? Fine then. I'm done dealing with you. Don't expect any more help from me.”
Elga turned her head away sharply, as if sulking. It looked just like she was threatening to storm out again with a “What, you want me to leave the dorms?”
If I left her pouting like this, who knows what uncontrollable mess might ensue. A woman's grudge only festers worse over time.
I knew that well, having had so many little sisters.
Elga kept going.
“We're in the same boat, you and I. I don't know what you're up to, but there has to be trust between us. Or do I think that alone?”
Trust, she says.
Of all the words I'd heard all day, I never expected to hear them from Elga too.
It felt like some fateful contraption had been triggered.
I sank into calm contemplation for a moment.
As Elga said, we were pretty much in the same boat right now. But not entirely united. More like having the same dream but different interpretations.
That's why I thought it was still too soon to spill all my secrets to her. Not yet.
“Someday.”
As I opened my mouth, Elga fixed me with a sharp gaze. It was like she was urging me to say more.
“Someday what.”
“Someday, I'll tell you everything. Just not now. If I do, I'll really die.”
I'd die for real.
“Hmph.”
Elga immediately turned full-on sulky.
No helping it.
No matter how much she pouted or glared, some lines couldn't be crossed, and I needed to make that clear.
As she herself had said, she and I were already in the same boat. It had sailed too far for either of us to back out now.
All around was endless ocean. No place to get off, no lifeboat to switch to.
We had no choice but to keep sailing together.
Elga surely knew that much. After all, she'd already lost her purity to me—it was like she'd made a huge investment with massive losses if she cut ties.
Dumping or abandoning me would mean accepting all those losses. I doubted she'd do that.
In that light, it made sense why she was scared of our boat heading who-knows-where. We'd come too far, and the captain wasn't telling her the destination.
I couldn't tell her everything, but I had to say this one thing.
“But one thing I can say for sure: it definitely won't be bad for you, Lady Elga.”
Assuming things went smoothly.
And assuming she kept helping me and contributing to my plans, she'd surely end up in a high position in the royal court once it was built.
A harem was inevitable anyway.
In that case, racking up even a little more debt from me than Mirna or Aira would give Elga an edge over them.
But Elga, oblivious to all this, hissed like a cat doused in cold water.
“It won't be bad for me? Yeah, right. Who are you to decide that on your own? The bad stuff is already happening right now.”
Already sneering.
Elga seemed thoroughly pissed.
In this state, she'd just sharpen her claws and scratch no matter what I said.
How long would this last?
As I felt a twinge of dismay,
“Then show me some sincerity.”
Elga said it like she was tossing me a lifeline. Sincerity, huh.
It reminded me of earlier that day, when Professor Stella had made me kneel and kiss her shoe.
Why do all these noble ladies love displays of sincerity so much?
Fine.
Kneeling and kissing a foot? I could do that easy. Even if it meant licking bile, the one who laughs last gets the gentleman's revenge.
Thud.
I dropped to my knees on the floor.
I leaned in to kiss Elga's foot, but she recoiled like I'd offered her a cockroach, pulling her leg back and stepping away.
“What are you doing? Suddenly!”
“You said to show sincerity. Isn't kneeling and kissing your foot enough?”
“What? What did you just say?”
Elga wrinkled her nose in confusion. Her mouth slightly agape, brows furrowed—she clearly didn't get it.
Elga said,
“Not that. Clear your schedule this weekend.”
“This weekend?”
I thought about what was on for the weekend and remembered I'd promised to stroll with Queen Aira and report various things.
Elga knew about it too.
What she was saying now basically amounted to blowing off Aira to focus on her.
Playing it like this, huh.
“Can't I just kiss your foot?”
“No.”
* * *
“…….”
Aira fell silent for a while after hearing my story.
What was she thinking?
Aira simply gazed languidly at the butterfly perched on her slender fingertip.
It was a prettily patterned tiger butterfly.
Flutter.
With a flick of her hand, the butterfly flitted out the window. But it soon tangled in the spiderwebs draping the panes.
Rustle, rustle.
Watching a colorful spider creep toward the butterfly on spindly legs, I felt a flicker of anxiety.
To push it aside, I spoke up.
“For that reason, it might be better to spend time on Sunday instead of this Saturday. They say it might rain again on Saturday.”
“…Rain.”
Aira's eyes were on the butterfly trapped in the web. In those dark pupils, the butterfly's life flickered like a candle in the wind—precariously.
“Rain… Last time, we got caught in the rain. Shoes got soaked. Mud everywhere. Not a great feeling.”
The last time she meant was when we'd explored the dungeon together. Memories flooded back of the sudden downpour and all the misery it brought.
Everything had been so sticky and gross. Aira didn't seem to have fond memories of it either.
Seizing the chance, I hammered in a few more points.
“So, it would be best to postpone to a sunny day. Picking good weather for the schedule is part of my role, so please consider…”
“Hmm….”
Aira pondered briefly, lost in thought. The spider in her eyes extended a foreleg toward the butterfly.
But only for a moment.
Flutter, flutter.
The struggling butterfly snapped the web and soared off into the sky.
─Hioong….
The little spider let out a wistful cry of regret. Probably sad at the thought of going hungry today. What was a comedy for the butterfly was a tragedy for the spider.
Then Aira spoke.
“Fine. Postpone my schedule to a sunny day.”
“Wise decision.”
I bowed my head deeply, letting out a sigh of relief. Was this how that tiger butterfly felt escaping the web?
“So, Theo.”
“Yes, do you have more to say?”
“Any progress on finding survivors of the Angmar family?”
“That… will take a bit more time.”
“Not like you. Back in the kingdom, you'd have wrapped this up in days with that future-sight of yours. Even your eyes can't see it?”
Her question brought back memories of when I'd lied about seeing the future to survive.
Back then, yeah—I'd predicted things so well it might as well have been foresight. But now, with the story derailed so far from the novel, my vision was just endless darkness.
“I'm sorry.”
“I see. You may go.”
She didn't seem pleased.
I bowed and backed out of Aira's room. Just before closing the door, Aira went “Ah,” like something had occurred to her.
“If you're heading out to Gracia city, pick up a few books.”
“Books, you say?”
I glanced at the books and scrolls scattered around Aira's room. Lately, she was devouring everything in sight like a print addict.
Better than causing trouble outside, but on the other hand, it worried me why she was reading so much.
Isn't she being too quiet? Feels like she's plotting something.
Masking my unease, I asked.
“Any specific books you want?”
“The new releases would be nice. The library's are all old and worn. I'll leave the types and genres to you.”
“Understood.”
With that, I left the room.
But.
How did she know I was going to the city?
Did Elga tell her?
Or maybe just a guess. Weekends see lots of people heading from Arc campus to Gracia city.
─Hey…!
Then someone called out, and I turned.
─Over here…!
Elga, peeking from her slightly ajar door into the hallway, beckoned me.
Pretending to just pass by, I stopped at her door. She whispered through the crack.
“Did you tell Aira? How'd it go?”
“Luckily, we have time this weekend. But did you tell her we're going to the city together?”
“No. What'd she say?”
“Nothing much. Just asked me to grab some books if I was heading out.”
“Books? Yeah, she's been reading a ton lately. Even when I asked her to go for a walk, she just said she was reading. Anyway, be out by dawn tomorrow—no sleeping in. Got it?”
“See you tomorrow then.”
Creak, click.
Elga shut her door.
Left alone in the fancy dorm hallway, I had no choice but to wait for tomorrow. A weekend wandering the city with Elga.
The last time I'd roamed with her, I'd run into Mirna and ended up dueling. Bad vibes, but I'd gotten an errand from Aira anyway.
No choice but to use the city trip to convince Elga solidly and get her help tackling Mirna.
And so, time passed to the next day.
Saturday morning.
I'd woken at dawn and diligently lapped the Arc grounds. After running hard these past days, I could manage the route solo decently now.
Stamina really builds up.
Maybe that special stamina potion from Elga is working. Feeling better and better makes me want to keep exercising.
As I ran laps, someone called out.
“Oh my, who do we have here? Theo.”
It was the red-haired Lady Kallira in her white robe. Looked like she was heading to work.
I greeted her warmly.
“Isn't it the weekend? Thought you'd be off.”
“I'm on duty today. What about you, Theo?”
“Oh, just exercising. How have you been lately?”
Lady Kallira and I, meeting after so long, caught up on recent events. All I heard from her was that the hunter party had gone quiet lately.
Why the sudden silence? On a break maybe.
“Well then—.”
As I started to say something, someone called from afar, waving: “Hey, why're you out so early?”
Elga.
We still had about 30 minutes till the meet time?
Approaching slowly, Elga narrowed her eyes at the white-robed woman chatting with me.
“Who's this?”