Still, the Days Pass - 4
I am dreaming today. Or perhaps I have been since yesterday.
"Master."
What if my entire life is a dream? What if this existence I took for a transmigration is nothing more than one vast, elaborate fantasy?
For all I know, some deranged god is just pumping mana stimulation into my brain. Enen, you evil bastard.
"M-Master?"
Ah.
The Fourth Department Head's voice was starting to tremble, and it yanked my wandering spirit back from its long journey. If even watching this was driving me insane, how must she be feeling? If I kept giving her nothing, she might actually bolt.
Collar and all.
Shit.
The image hit me unbidden—the Fourth Department Head tearing out of the chief's office with a collar around her neck, face burning scarlet as she fled in a panic.
That would be the end of me. Not just my civil service career—my entire social existence. Absolutely not. That could never be allowed to happen.
So with a shaking hand, I took the leash… the handle she was holding out. Even as I grabbed it, I wondered if this was really the right move—but I grabbed it all the same.
"Thank you, Master."
At once, her anxious, trembling expression brightened at lightning speed. Come to think of it, at some point her form of address had shifted from "Chief" to "Master."
My head was spinning. What on earth had happened over the last few days?
"…You're leaving everything to me?"
"Yes, Master."
When I carefully opened my mouth, she nodded with such firm resolve that it was impossible to doubt her sincerity. This was not like last time, when she had drawn a line and turned away. This was a genuine, unshakable will to follow my lead.
Fine. Good. It was a good decision. At last she was choosing to face this instead of running—how could that not be good?
But why the collar performance when words alone would have been enough?
"That's quite the memorable vow."
I put that feeling into the careful question. What on earth had possessed her to make a pledge like this? If even a single pair of eyes had been watching, my social life would already be over.
"E-Erzebet said that if I did it this way, Master would take care of the rest."
She answered as if mortified.
I was devastated. I never imagined there was a spy on the inside. If she was going to give advice, she could have given ordinary advice—why this of all things?
Was it some twisted friendship that refused to let anyone keep their black history to themselves? She'd bawled her eyes out in the middle of an Imperial Capital street, so her friend had to put on a collar just to even the ledger?
First Department Head. You terrifying child.
"And what exactly do you want me to do for you?"
I needled the Fourth Department Head a little for following that bizarre advice so faithfully.
I felt bad for someone who'd shown the courage to show up in a collar—but I wished she'd spare a thought for the man who'd had to watch it happen right in front of him.
"Th-that…"
I could see her fluster. Unlike the First Department Head's advice that I would handle the rest on my own, I was asking what I wanted—and she was clearly thrown.
I wanted to tease her more, but I held back. If I pushed too hard and she ran, I was the only one who'd lose. Of course, the handle was already in my hand, so any escape attempt would fail—but controlling a person by a collar was not going to sit well with my conscience.
"I'm kidding. You don't have to say it. I already know."
"Th-thank you…"
I patted her head, and she mumbled in a voice that shrank into itself.
Look on the bright side. The performance had been… distinctive, but hadn't the Fourth Department Head herself erased the line she'd drawn and stepped closer? Granted, it came with the little addendum of entrusting everything to me—but that much I could chalk up as simply part of her nature.
At this level, it was just a rather intense confession. Somewhere out there, people confessed with equal-exchange deals like "I'll give you half of me if you give me half of you," didn't they?
"First, let's get that off. I'm terrified someone might see."
I reached for her neck and found the end of the collar. The confession had made its impression; now it was time to get rid of that hideous thing as fast as—
"Hhk—!"
"Ah."
It was my first time handling a collar, and I accidentally tightened it. Not that anyone was particularly experienced with collars in the first place.
"Ma-Master… if that is what you de—"
Even with her face flushed red from the sudden choke, the Fourth Department Head stammered on.
But the words she forced out through the pain were far too horrifying. I am not that kind of person. Do not turn the Audit Department Chief into the Pervert Department Chief overnight.
Though now that I looked at it, the initials were the same. Damn it.
"…I don't have that kind of taste, so don't get the wrong idea."
I hastily unfastened the collar and flung it as far as I could. Filthy association. Let us never see each other again.
"There's something much better. Why wear something like that?"
And from inside my coat I produced Ring Unit Six.
Proof that she was entrusting everything to me. If she wanted to show that proof, a ring would do it. Wear the proof around your neck and you're a deranged pervert; wear it on your finger and you're an ordinary couple.
I am absolutely not the kind of mutant who wants the former.
"Think of it as my other half. I'll think of it as Penelia's half, too."
"O-other half…"
I slid the ring onto the Fourth Department Head's finger, then put its match on my own as I spoke.
Fortunately, the word "other half" seemed to land with her; she nodded over and over. Honestly, I hadn't wanted to hand it over in such a rush under this atmosphere—but one look at that collar and keeping a clear head had been nearly impossible.
Still, whatever the process, as long as she was happy, wasn't that enough? I decided to think of it that way.
The moment the Fourth Department Head left, I summoned the First Department Head.
She must have felt a twinge of guilt herself, because she entered with extreme caution. That only made me more irritated. It meant she'd known it would be a problem and given the Fourth Department Head that advice anyway.
"Did things work out?"
The instant she stepped into the chief's office, her eyes found the collar dumped in the corner, and she spoke with an awkward smile.
"They worked out."
I answered by holding up both hands, rings and all. Three on each hand now—six rings total nestled on my fingers.
It was a sight that still gave me a little crisis of self-worth every time I looked at it, but I was getting through it by thinking of the Golden Duke, that twelve-ring legend. At least I could still cover them with ten fingers…
"See? I gave you such a reeeeally good piece of advice! If I'd left her alone, she'd still be dithering around!"
The second she saw the rings, she flipped completely and started preening, which was deeply annoying.
Good advice, my foot. Couldn't she have given something a little more ordinary?
"Right. You did well—so come sit here."
I swallowed my anger for now and patted my knee. It wasn't time for the reckoning yet; moving too hastily would be a mistake.
And the moment I told her to sit on my lap, the First Department Head's eyes went round—and then she came scampering over. If she looked like prey that had just swallowed the bait, that was probably just my imagination.
"Heehee, I wasn't even hoping for a reward~"
The moment the grinning First Department Head settled on my knee, I locked my arms around her. Not hard enough to hurt—just hard enough that she couldn't escape.
"This isn't a reward."
"Huh?"
Her ears went red the second I held her, and she tilted her head as if to ask what I meant.
Regrettably, it truly wasn't. They do say the road to hell is beautifully paved, don't they?
"I'm sorry for being so cheeky all this time. I'm sorry for always doing weird things."
I whispered it low against the First Department Head's ear, and her whole body went rigid.
Of course it did. The words I was murmuring were ones she would never forget for the rest of her life.
"I'm showwy… I'll be a good giwl fwom now on…"
I deliberately slurred the words, and the frozen First Department Head began to vibrate with something close to anguish. The effect was unmistakable. Black-history attacks really were the best.
In any case, the First Department Head thrashed like a madwoman, but escape was impossible. Honestly, I was confident I could take ten of her if they all piled on at once—one First Department Head caught off guard was nothing.
"Please, just once…"
"A-aaaaaah! St-stooooop!!"
"Just one chance…"
"I-I'm sorry! I was wrongggg!"
I was afraid she might actually start crying if I pushed much further, so I only teased her for two more minutes and then let her go.
Effect confirmed.
Dress—packed.
Accessories—all good.
Cake—confirmed.
Perfect.
I double- and triple-checked in front of the door, just in case. It would be awkward to have gone to all that trouble preparing gifts only to leave them behind.
Especially the cake. That was the most important piece. Sera's birthday happened to fall around this time, so I'd prepared it. A birthday party without cake always felt empty.
On top of that, it was a handmade cake I'd baked myself as a member of the Baking Club. After pouring all that time into it, forgetting it would have broken my heart.
"Sera is going to love this. Thank you so very much, young master."
When the nanny heard I was making it myself, her eyes even welled up with joy. If I'd turned around and said something like "Sorry, I forgot it," even a nanny would have been disappointed.
Anyway, gifts securely in hand, I carefully knocked on the door. Softly, so the sound wouldn't startle her. Sera could jump at loud noises.
"Yes. Come in."
At the gentle voice from beyond the door, I opened it and stepped inside.
There was Sera, sitting on the bed with a soft smile. She wore her golden hair—the same shade as the nanny's—long, and blinked sapphire eyes at me.
Thankfully her color looked bright; she didn't seem to be overexerting herself. They'd said she was much improved, and she really did look better than she used to.
"Hello, Sera. Have you been well?"
"Yes. Have you been well too, Sir Knight?"
I could only laugh awkwardly at Sera's little giggle. Embarrassing of her to still bring up something from eight years ago.
"What knight? I'm still a student with a long way to go."
"Is that so? Strange. Mother said otherwise."
At that, I had no choice but to smile awkwardly again. Clearly the nanny had been saying odd things to Sera.
Since returning to the estate, I'd sparred a few times with the family knights. I'd won my matches, sure—but could knights really go all-out against the young master? Of course those were courtesy spars.
The nanny, however, had not seen it that way. She'd praised me so extravagantly that even I was mortified.
…And apparently she'd told Sera the whole story too.
"The nanny just thinks well of me. She must have exaggerated a little."
"If Sir Knight says so, I suppose I should believe him."
"Please."
"Heehee. All right."
I smiled back at Sera as she laughed, clearly enjoying herself.
It was a little—just a little—embarrassing, but if Sera was happy, that was fine. She was stuck in the manor, shut away in her own room, living a lonely life. She deserved to smile like this, even if it was at my expense.
"But why did you bring so much? You could have come empty-handed."
Sera's eyes went to the boxes in my hands, and she tilted her head as she asked.
As if she meant that. If I'd really shown up empty-handed, I could already picture her pouting.
"Your birthday's soon. I got a few things ready."
As I started opening the boxes one by one, Sera's eyes lit up. She couldn't go outside, so she found her vicarious satisfaction in collecting dresses and jewels like this.
When the cake finally appeared, she giggled again.
"I don't even like sweets that much."
"I know. That's why I made it as lightly sweet as I could."
At those words, the finger that had been tapping the box went still.
"You made it?"
"Yeah. Being in the Baking Club, this is basically the only skill I've gotten better at."
For a moment Sera said nothing—then she poked a finger into the cream crowning the cake.
"…Mm. You're right. It's good."
And after tasting the cream, Sera smiled brightly.
Thankfully, it seemed to suit her palate.