126. Play
126. Play
There was a chance Ophelia's words were lies.
My deductions could have been wrong from the start, leading everything in a completely different direction.
Even so, I had no intention of dismissing my conclusions so far. I was simply leaving room for the small possibility that I might be wrong.
Either way, a conclusion had been reached.
The Puppet Emperor was an enemy.
Then what about the other Pillars?
First, two of them. Leona and the Flame Emperor.
Leona wanted to kill the Demon King.
The killing intent and hatred she'd given off back then had been real.
Then what about the Flame Emperor? That one... I wasn't sure. She didn't seem to be an enemy, at least, but she didn't seem to be an ally either.
I didn't know about the Puppet Emperor either, but it was almost certain he would become an enemy later.
The remaining three. The Dark Venerable, the Ghost Spear, the Sword Emperor. I knew nothing about them. No information at all. But I did know they'd had quite a lot of dealings with the Puppet Emperor.
Thinking about it as pure speculation, four of the Six Pillars had joined hands with the Demons.
"The state of this country is a damn mess. Well, it was the same four hundred years ago."
I smiled bitterly and hugged my knees.
Inside the bathtub, I wiggled my toes in the water, which had turned green from the bath salts I'd dissolved.
In the quiet atmosphere, the gentle lapping of the water was pleasant to hear.
After that, we exchanged a few more words, and then I kicked Ophelia out. Not empty-handed, though.
I gave her a new commission.
This time, information on the Holy Kingdom.
I told her anything would do, so to neatly compile the Holy Kingdom's movements from four hundred years ago to the present.
She said the volume was so massive it would take at least four months, so I told her I'd twist her arm, and it dropped to three months.
I wondered if actually twisting it would shorten it further, but three months didn't seem too late, so I accepted.
By then it'd be roughly summer vacation season, so I could receive the information and go visit the Holy Kingdom.
Then over winter break, taking Pina up north once wouldn't be a bad idea either.
The north, adjacent to the Demon World. The Azure Ice Palace located there.
Since Grand Duke van Chaser and Dad were said to be on good terms, I'd receive fairly decent treatment even if I went.
And if I was lucky, with Grand Duke van Chaser's help, getting close to Ge Vihenum might also...
Ge Vihenum?
"Ah. The club."
Speaking of which, that girl Stella.
Had she found a faculty advisor for the club?
I'd had so much going on lately that I hadn't been paying attention.
When was the deadline again?
Hadn't it already passed?
"...Hmm. She didn't fail to find one, did she?"
I shook the water off my hand and called Stella on my Device.
After three rings—brrrr, brrrr—
[...Eliarnes?]
Stella's voice came through, sounding puzzled.
"Hey."
[Wh-why? All of a sudden, at... at this late hour, why?]
And then—crash, bang!—some kind of racket started up behind Stella.
"Did you find a faculty advisor for the club?"
The crashing stopped.
Then Stella's deflated voice came through.
[...What. That's what you called to ask?]
"Yeah."
[And here I thought... tch.]
"What's with the 'tch.' So how'd it go? Did you find one?"
Rustle, rustle—the sound of her lying back down on the bed came through, followed by Stella's small sigh.
[Mm... haah, yeah. I found one. Um... but, well...]
Hesitantly—I could hear Stella's lips moving. Then, with a "hah," she sighed and opened her mouth.
[Never mind. Anyway, I found one. The club starts next Thursday. Of course, I'll tell you again before it starts, but just so you know.]
"Sure, then. Got it."
[By the way, what are you doing that makes your voice echo like that?]
"Half-bath to celebrate my period being over."
A half-bath. A truly luxurious bath I hadn't been able to enjoy often in my Past Life.
Hadn't been able to enjoy it often? No. I'd done it so rarely I could count the times on one hand.
Because of that, I hadn't even known I liked half-baths. Maybe it was something I'd come to like after ending up in this body.
Anyway, I'd gone a whole week without a half-bath when I usually took one at least every other day.
Actually, I could have done it from the fourth day onward... but just in case, I'd waited until it was completely over, and that's how it turned out.
So today, I was taking my time enjoying it.
[...Hah.]
A startled breath came through, and Stella fell silent for a moment.
[So you're... bathing? You called me while you're in the bath?]
"What, you think I'd call while taking a piss?"
[Ugh... d-don't say gross things.]
Rustle, rustle—the sound of her moving on the bed again, and then Stella's voice came through much smaller than before.
[...I washed up too.]
"What are you bragging about that for? It's only natural for a person to wash every day."
[I-I'm not bragging! I'm just saying! And I... I wash every day too! N-now, at least...]
"Yeah. You've finally become a real person. Just don't piss your panties and you'll be perfect."
I snickered as I teased Stella. At the same time, a scream of "Gwaaaaah!" burst from her.
Ding-dong—the bell rang.
[Wh-what? What is it? Who came to my room?]
"It's not your room, it's mine. You dumbass."
[Oh, really? But hey, dumbass! I could've gotten confused! S-so who came by?]
"No idea. I don't think anyone was supposed to come."
With that, I pulled myself out of the bathtub.
Following the movement, droplets of water slid down the delicate curves of my body—shhhk.
Behind them came the soft splat of my tender feet stepping onto the bathroom tile.
[...Y-you got up?]
"Yeah."
Next, I wrapped a towel around my head.
My wet hair was too long and heavy to just go out like that.
And I didn't like water dripping on the floor either.
[Why...?]
"Why do you think? I've gotta see who's here."
[Th-then put some clothes on before you go...!]
"I'll handle it, so hang up now."
[Hang up? No way. I need to know who's there.]
"What are you gonna do by knowing that?"
With that, I set the Device down for a moment and threw on a bathrobe.
Normally, it's more comfortable to dry off the places where skin folds—armpits, between the legs, spots like that—before putting clothes on, but someone was waiting, so I just put it on.
Then I picked the Device back up.
Stella was still chattering away.
Whether she was or not, I stepped out of the bathroom.
Maybe they heard the sound.
Someone outside the door called out to me.
—My lady!
A bright, cheerful, clear voice flowed in through the intercom.
"What the. It's Eurasia?"
[Wh-what?! Eurasia?!]
Why had Eurasia suddenly come by?
Did she have something important to say?
[Why is Eurasia...? Hah, d-don't tell me! Wait! Eliarnes! I-I'm coming too—]
"Ugh, you're loud."
I hung up on Stella and opened the door.
"What brings you here?"
"Hehe. Good evening!"
Eurasia, who'd bought a ton of late-night snacks, beamed brightly.
*****
"Ugh... what if I gain weight from eating this much?"
"What's the point of regretting it after you've already eaten? And this much is fine. With how much we train, we'd have to eat three times this to gain weight."
I snickered, patting my stomach as I picked at the bits stuck between my teeth with a toothpick.
"Whoa, my lady, that pose is totally like an old man right now."
"Now there's nothing you won't say to me, huh."
Of course, I didn't dislike it.
If anything, this kind of atmosphere was comfortable.
"Ehehe."
Eurasia knew how I felt, which was why she smiled so impishly like that.
"So, you didn't come over just to eat late-night snacks. What's up?"
"No? Nothing's up?"
"What. Then why'd you come?"
Eurasia blinked at my words.
"We said we'd sleep together today!"
[Ugh... I knew it. I knew this would happen...]
Along with Eurasia's words, Stella's voice came from the Device.
[If only I'd moved a little faster...!]
Stella hadn't been able to come to my room.
The moment Stella stepped out of her room, she'd gotten caught right at curfew by Mikel, the head maid.
After that, naturally, she'd gotten a huge scolding. On top of that, she'd been told that if she left her room again she'd face disciplinary action, so she was too scared to come out.
So, like this.
She was on a video call, just watching us eat late-night snacks.
"What would coming out faster have done? If I don't open the door, that's the end of it."
[Wh-what?! Hey! If I come over... you won't open the door?!]
"Who knows?"
I stuck my tongue out—bleh—at Stella, who was scrunching up her face on the other side of the Device, then looked at Eurasia.
"So, you came to sleep with me? Even brought a toothbrush?"
"Yes! I can't use your toothbrush, my lady!"
Beaming—Eurasia answered with a smile.
And Stella was horrified.
[Oh my god... a t-toothbrush?]
"See? Eurasia's better than you, right? You came without even a toothbrush, just lugging some ugly pillow."
[...It's a pillow my mom bought me when I was little.]
"If you look closely, it does have a cute side. It's fluffy, too."
I hastily added.
And Eurasia, who'd been listening to our conversation, tilted her head.
"But my lady, there's no spare pillow in your room?"
"Right? Don't they only give you one each?"
"Well... that's true. But I have an attachment pillow like Stella, so I brought it with me to the academy."
"What's an attachment pillow now? I don't have anything like that."
I had a doll, but no pillow.
And that doll was the Eli doll Dad had made for me. It was still by my bedside.
"Hmm... I assumed you'd have a pillow, so I didn't bring one separately. What should I do?"
Eurasia touched her lips as if troubled.
But well, not having a pillow wasn't a problem.
"We can just share my pillow."
[...What?]
"Oh, is that okay? I'm not making you uncomfortable for no reason, am I?"
"What's there to be uncomfortable about? The pillow's big, so it's fine."
[Huh? Uhh...?]
"Ehehe... then I'll do that!"
Eurasia nodded with a bright smile and got up from her seat.
"Then I'll go wash up!"
"Yeah. Take your time washing up."
[Ugh... I should've done that too...]
Stella grumbled something or other, but I didn't respond and got up from my seat.
[What. Where are you going?]
"To brush my teeth. You should sleep now too. We agreed to work out with Pina starting tomorrow morning."
[Ah... right. Working out...]
"Hanging up."
[W-wait!]
"What now."
[...Sleep... sleep well.]
I gave a half-hearted answer to Stella, who whispered through mumbling lips.
"Yeah. You sleep well too. Sweet dreams."
And before Stella could reply, I ended the video call with a tap.
A moment later, a splash sounded from the bathroom.
Splash? That was the sound of getting into the bathtub.
Had she already filled it? No way.
Then why a splash?
I hurriedly stood in front of the bathroom.
"...Eurasia?"
"Haaah... yes?"
Eurasia's voice came through, languid and relaxed.
"Th-the bathtub... the water... that's the water I was in... did you just get in as is?"
"Yes!"
"...Why?"
"It's still warm?"
"No, even so. Isn't it dirty?"
A giggle—Eurasia's laughter echoed in the bathroom.
"Of course not. It's not dirty at all. The bath salts smell nice, and it's cooled down just right, so it's actually better?"
"Better...? Mm... well, whatever. Suit yourself."
"Okay."
*****
"No matter how much I called for you, walking around without any caution is dangerous, Ophelia."
Somewhere in a back alley sunk deep into the silence of the late night. A man with a gentle impression stopped Ophelia.
"You don't need to worry. It's only a doll, after all."
Ophelia, unstartled by the voice that had come out of nowhere, answered with a bright smile.
"Even if it is a doll, Ophelia's dolls are not like ordinary dolls. Since it's a doll that perfectly embodies Ophelia's body, as your teacher I can't help but worry about my disciple."
At those warm words that seemed to show concern for her, Ophelia smiled as if embarrassed.
"Even if I were in danger, wouldn't you protect me, Master?"
"That's not wrong."
At that smile, Ophelia's teacher—the Puppet Emperor—also smiled faintly and nodded.
"So, Ophelia. How is academy life treating you?"
"As I always say, it's incredibly fun. It's all thanks to you, Master. Thank you."
"There's no need for thanks. You were able to enter the academy purely because of Ophelia's outstanding abilities. In any case, I'm glad it seems to be an enjoyable life."
Having said that, the Puppet Emperor took a step toward Ophelia and deliberately put on a serious voice.
"Then, in running the Information Guild, are there any inconvenient difficulties or anything of the sort?"
"Ah..."
At that question, Ophelia closed her mouth for a moment.
The operation of the Information Guild. There were many things about it that could become problems.
Among them, there was one issue that had been bothering her excessively as of late.
Eliarnes Eustetia.
The existence of that woman, who had appeared out of nowhere one day, smashed the guild office to pieces, and recklessly handed over commissions... it did bother her.
But that didn't mean it was a problem for the guild's operation. If anything, it helped.
She had a filthy mouth, was violent, ill-mannered, arrogant, and scary, but...
Thinking about it, if she didn't lie and just resolved commissions well, there was no better client. After all, she paid an enormous amount for commission fees.
Today alone was like that.
At this rate, she felt like she'd get beaten to death one day, so she'd told the truth.
That the commission fee wasn't even half of what she'd given.
But Eliarnes had told her to take it when it was given and added a bit more on top.
It sounded like she meant she'd kill her if she messed up... but it was far too large a sum to refuse.
So, did that Eliarnes bother her?
She did bother her. And she was scary. However, she didn't seem like a vaguely bad person.
So, Ophelia shook her head.
"There are no particular difficulties. Thank you for always looking out for me, Master."
"Then I'm glad."
The Puppet Emperor nodded again and rummaged in his chest, handing over a small Mana Stone.
"It's late, so let's put off the small talk for later. Ophelia. This is this month's Mana Stone."
"Oh, thank you."
Ophelia carefully received it and hid it in her chest as if it were more precious than anything.
"Will you be doing it yourself this time as well?"
"Ahaha... yes. I'll insert it myself this time too."
"Seeing Ophelia, who always asked for help as a child, now handling it herself with ease, my feelings are complicated. Is this what a parent's heart feels like?"
"Ah, n-no... that's not... it's just... well, since it goes into the center of my real body's chest... it's embarrassing."
"Puberty, I see. I understand. Haha."
The Puppet Emperor smiled bitterly and waved his hand, leaving behind Ophelia, who was flustered and didn't know what to do.
"You should be going now. Our next meeting... yes, it'll be in about fifteen days. In fifteen days, I'd like you to tell me various things along with your progress on the assignment I gave you as homework."
"Yes, yes."
"And as I always say, you must not forget your real body. Be sure to keep it in mind."
"Yes. I'll always keep it in mind...!"
Ophelia bowed her head and moved her feet toward the academy, where her real body would be.
And the Puppet Emperor, who had been quietly watching her retreating figure, muttered softly once she had disappeared.
"She must not forget her real body. Because that body and soul are tools that exist for my Shedding."
Chuckling, the Puppet Emperor turned his back and walked away.
"I wonder what kind of expression you'll make at the end of this eighteen-year-long play, Ophelia."
When that muttering ended, the doll that had taken the Puppet Emperor's form vanished without a trace.
At the same time, a crow that had been watching everything from atop an old building spread its wings.