125. Play
125. Play
Clink, clink—amid the tidy sounds of tableware and the chatter of Eurasia and Stella.
Ophelia, who had been forcing down her food with a face like she was chewing shit, nudged my leg under the table with a tap.
I raised my eyes while nom-nomming on my meat.
Her expression said, "Why exactly did you invite me here?"
The reason? As a junior at the same academy, I was simply treating our kind senior to a meal.
Well, there's a little more to it than that, but for now, that's the reason.
I shot Ophelia a look conveying that intent.
I don't know what my face looked like, but Ophelia flinched and buried her gaze in her plate.
"Hmm...?"
And perhaps having seen our exchange of glances, Stella let out a meaningful hum.
At that sound, Eurasia also looked back and forth between me and Ophelia.
"Eliarnes."
"What."
"When did you get to know Ophelia senior?"
At Stella's question, Ophelia's expression stiffened.
She probably thinks I'm going to say we met at the Information Guild. What should I do?
I chewed my meat and mulled it over.
Well, there's nothing to mull over.
The Information Guild... sure, it's a bit niche, but it's convenient to have people who can fetch information for you.
And it's also Ophelia's livelihood, in its own way.
I'm a very kind junior, even looking out for an academy senior's livelihood.
"This week."
"...This week? Hmm?"
Stella tilted her head as if trying to recall this week's memories. She's probably trying to think of times when I was alone.
It doesn't matter if there were no times when I was alone.
If I say we got close, what can Stella do about it?
Having tossed out a rough answer, I ignored Ophelia's anxious gaze and finished my meal.
And Stella—
"Really?"
—accepted it with her full airheadedness.
But Ophelia couldn't relax.
"By the way, my lady."
Eurasia picked up Stella's thread of doubt.
"From what I understand, Ophelia senior's suspension was lifted today... so when did you two become close?"
I stopped my munching jaw and chewed over Eurasia's words for a moment. Suspension. Suspension? Suspension...?
What, suspension—no.
What does my face look like right now? Did I keep my expression under control?
Normally I would have maintained my expression, but right now I couldn't. I was too shocked. Suspension?
I subtly turned my gaze to Ophelia.
She was staring at me with a half-dead face, as if she couldn't possibly chew her food.
Even Stella, whose doubts had just been resolved, was now staring at me with wide eyes.
Eurasia was looking at me with a faint smile on her lips, though her eyes weren't smiling.
Pina just found the food delicious.
"...Eurasia. How do you know something like that?"
"For your safety, my lady, I keep track of the academy's delin—ahem. I keep track of any potential variables."
"You... work really hard, don't you?"
"Of course. I am your personal knight. So, my lady, were you perhaps lying?"
This is insane.
"No?"
"Then what? Did you become close today?"
"No, we really did get close before."
The three heads looking at me tilted in unison. I don't understand why I have to spin this excuse, but I opened my mouth anyway.
"We met by chance in the dormitory and got close."
The dormitory! At that word, Ophelia's face brightened.
Stella nodded and resumed eating, and Eurasia, though still sulking, nodded as if to say that was plausible.
I wanted to tease Eurasia for daring to interrogate me, but I decided to hold back today.
From now on, even without teasing her, I'd get to see Eurasia pouting every day just from training her.
And Pina—
Nom-nom. The food was just wildly delicious.
*****
"Why are you doing this to me?"
"Casual speech?"
"We're at the academy...!"
"So? Should I treat you like a senior?"
Ophelia's lips quivered, then she hung her head and pleaded in a small voice.
"...Why exactly are you doing this to me...?"
"What did I do?"
"Hah... h-huh... Are you really asking because you don't know?"
"Yeah. I'm really asking because I don't know."
The night was deep.
After eating dinner and dessert, we all returned to the academy and scattered to our own rooms.
Just before we scattered, I whispered to Ophelia to come to my room within thirty minutes.
And now, Ophelia was here in my room.
"I'm saying... if my identity gets exposed, my livelihood is finished. But... but! Just now, thanks to Lady Eliarnes, my livelihood was nearly ruined!"
"If it's your livelihood on the line, you should be the one worrying about it. Why blame me?"
Ophelia glared at me with a face that said, "Where does this shameless bitch get off?"
Yeah. I get that I was shameless.
But what I said isn't wrong either.
If you're afraid of your identity being exposed, shouldn't you just stay hidden in that basement all the time instead of the academy, damn it? She came out into the world herself and got caught.
There's nothing to blame me for. Probably.
"...Yes. You're right. Lady Eliarnes is not at fault in the slightest. Everything you say is correct. Of course it is."
"Don't be sarcastic. Talk nicely. And I'll pay you generously for what happened today too, so don't be so prickly."
"Ugh..."
Ophelia ground her teeth, then finally let out a sigh and relaxed her body.
"...Yes. So, did you call me because of another request?"
"How did you know I cleared the underground waterway labyrinth? When I came out at the time, I didn't sense any sign of you."
Was it because Shadowless came out first?
I hadn't felt anything except Adelia's gaze. But the Puppet Emperor knew that information.
By that logic, Ophelia, as the Puppet Emperor's disciple, would also know that information.
Then the order becomes important.
Did the Puppet Emperor tell Ophelia?
Or did Ophelia tell the Puppet Emperor?
Depending on the answer, how I use Ophelia will change drastically.
But.
"...Cleared... the labyrinth?"
Ophelia doesn't even know the fact that the labyrinth was cleared...?
"W-wait, wait. Eliarnes. Customer. What exactly did I just hear? Cleared the labyrinth? You did it? How in the world?"
Thud—Ophelia dropped her knees to the floor and, in that position, scuttled toward me on her knees.
Then she grabbed one of my legs and fired off questions.
Is this an act? All of this could be an act.
Ophelia had been keeping the fact that she attended the academy a secret. Furthermore, when I said I attended the academy, she made a surprised face.
Was she surprised that we attended the same academy? No.
That expression was the face of someone saying, "After causing all this trouble, you're bringing up the academy?"
And, it's a bit embarrassing to say this, but at Karelai Academy, the rumor that I, Eliarnes Eustetia, had enrolled had spread everywhere since the entrance ceremony.
So Ophelia had lied to me.
Then one question arises.
She's not an idiot, so why did she tell a lie that would be found out so quickly?
Did she think she wouldn't be caught?
I lowered my gaze and looked at Ophelia clinging to my leg. Seeing her sparkling eyes and her lips parted in delight, I roughly had my answer.
"...Hey."
"Yes?"
"You're not exactly the smart type, are you."
"No? I'm smart, though?"
Right. Ophelia is just an idiot.
She didn't lie with the intention of deceiving me.
Of course, her abilities are good. She has nerve. She has guts.
But her intelligence is a bit severely lacking.
Then why did she hide the fact that she attended the academy last time? Someone must have ordered her to.
"You're the Puppet Emperor's disciple, right?"
"Hk."
Look at that. She can't even think to hide her expression.
That breathing, heartbeat, movement, expression. It's not that she isn't doing it—she can't.
"Uh, u-uh... How did you know...?"
Should I tell her?
It wouldn't matter if I did, but in times like this, it's better to keep it hidden. It's better to appear as though I have the ability to obtain such information.
"You don't need to know that. So, hmm..."
I closed my mouth for a moment.
How did the Puppet Emperor collect information?
Puppeteer. Puppeteer.
I narrowed my eyes and stared at Ophelia.
I don't see anything special around her.
I drew up Mana and wrapped it around my eyes. It was a simple spell Kaloso had taught me. I recalled it and drew the magic circle.
Then I could see.
First of all, the Ophelia in front of me was her real body.
But...
"Are all four of your limbs intact?"
"Yes? As you can see—"
"Bullshit. Both your legs are prosthetics. If you lie again, I'll rip off your intact arms too."
"Good heavens... how did you... know that?"
"You don't need to know."
"Even His Majesty the Emperor wouldn't know this."
"His Majesty the Emperor probably doesn't even know you're alive, you bitch."
I clicked my tongue and leaned back in my chair.
Those prosthetics are as natural as real human legs.
The joints, the engraved magic... I'd have to strip Ophelia to know those details, but I already know I need to be careful even without doing that.
"Did your master give them to you?"
"Yes. The Puppet Emperor personally crafted and gave them to me."
"Are they just ordinary legs?"
"Starting from self-repair, to nerve... connection, and all sorts of other magic—many spells are woven into them. They're incredible... Artifacts. Heh-heh!"
"Is there any suspicious magic?"
"There is nothing suspicious. And even if there were, I would never dare harbor such irreverent thoughts toward the Puppet Emperor."
Those were made by the Puppet Emperor.
And the Puppet Emperor added some other magic to those prosthetics. Probably surveillance magic as well.
Didn't she say she was his disciple?
Then was it to protect his disciple? Who knows.
Given that there's magic on them that even Ophelia doesn't know about, simple protection doesn't seem to be the only purpose.
First... it's probably best not to say anything unnecessary here.
Ripping off those prosthetics by force would put my mind at ease, but in the end, it would draw the Puppet Emperor's suspicion.
Still, I did gain some information.
According to the Flame Emperor's words, the Puppet Emperor seemed to be connected to the Cartel. And I got the feeling the Puppet Emperor was watching Ophelia.
Both are nothing more than simple guesses, but if I combine those two guesses—
The assumption emerges that it may have been the Puppet Emperor who ordered the collateral branch's information to be cut off.
Is the collateral branch backed by the Cartel and the Puppet Emperor? The Six Pillars of the Empire. A 9th Circle puppeteer on par with Tier 8. A Cartel so massive it could be said to rule part of the continent.
I roughly understand now why they acted so arrogantly.
Heh-heh—I laughed and shoved Ophelia off my leg with my foot.
"But you—how did you manage not to get caught?"
"What do you mean by not getting caught?"
"By Fabiana senior and Silina."
"Ah, yes. That's only natural. When I meet those two, I never, under any circumstances, go out in my real body."
"But you meet me in your real body."
"That's...! Because Eliarnes... forced the meeting to happen."
"Well, whatever. So you can deliver information inside the academy too, huh?"
Ophelia, who had gotten up from the floor and returned to her seat, nodded confidently.
"Except for the Imperial Palace, I can go anywhere."
"Even the Eustetia Duchy?"
"I've never tried, and I've never even considered trying, so I don't know."
"Good. Don't ever consider trying in the future either."
Having muttered that, I leaned my upper body forward.
"So, why did you make the play like that?"
I agonized over whether to probe or not.
In the end, I decided to probe.
Why? Isn't it dangerous? No.
Rather, if I played it safe, the Puppet Emperor would think I'd noticed his surveillance.
Before that happens, it's the right call to cool that suspicion a little.
"...Huh?"
Ophelia pulled her upper body back.
I leaned forward just as much to follow.
"The play. Ronan... no, there's no way Rozan would accept Irisa's confession and like it. And, what? Luna... no, Lena liked Rozan? Does that make any fucking sense?"
"Uh... no, that's just, simply, a play... why are you getting angry?"
Ophelia scratched her cheek and smiled bitterly.
"Ahaha...! It seems you... really enjoyed the play. Hmm... well, yes. You might not have liked that romance line. But that's... simply fiction. It came entirely from my own head—"
"No. You didn't write the script for that play."
"...Huh?"
Ophelia's pupils trembled.
As I thought. I was suspicious at first, but once I took off my tinted glasses and talked with her, I understood.
Ophelia isn't the kind of person who could write a script for a play like that.
The script's author is someone else.
"Who wrote it? Don't even think about lying. Like I said earlier, if you lie one more time, I'll rip off your intact arms too."
And that someone is, probably—
"...M-my master... gave me advice. He never wrote it from start to finish. My master only gave advice! Only advice, nothing more...!"
"I figured as much."
The Puppet Emperor.
As expected.
The Puppet Emperor knows about the past from 400 years ago.
How? There's only one way.
The Puppet Emperor joined hands with the Demons.