A Woman with a Story (4)
A Woman with a Story (4)
"Haah, really."
The terrace was sparsely populated.
No, it seemed more like it had been deliberately arranged that way.
Unlike the windowless casino, climbing just two floors led to a ballroom with many large windows. The building seemed to have several more floors above that, likely a hotel. Since the academy students were staying in Northwood Castle, its value was obviously difficult to convert into money, but honestly, I suspected that even if they did charge for rooms there, they would cost less than here.
"I'm a really, really devout follower of the Church of the Goddess, you see. I can tolerate a little touching, but I draw the line at actually doing it with you. Should I just strip for you right here instead?"
The woman who had closed the terrace curtain spoke in a teasing tone.
In fact, if I simply turned my head, I could see other terraces where men and women were doing exactly that sort of thing. Although most were merely sitting people on their laps and groping them.
Was this a kind of transitional stop before the actual prostitution?
It was an open area, but the distance between terraces was considerable, and though some light rose from below, the height meant identifying faces would be difficult unless people were quite close.
"......."
Without saying a word, I walked over to the guest sofa, sat down, and crossed my legs.
And I stared directly at her as she teasingly slipped a hand near the top of her dress.
"......."
"......."
"...... Wh-what, you really want me to strip?"
When I stared at her fixedly, she seemed to panic a little and asked me that in return.
"If that service is included in the thirty-pound value."
At my words, the woman gaped for a moment before quickly flashing a bold smile and replying.
"I didn't realize the imperial princess leaned that way."
"If you can't do that, I'll accept information instead as payment."
"Meaning you already knew who I was before you came here?"
"Of course. Dame Berati."
At that, the woman's face stiffened.
"I came here to find out why Dame Chiara Berati is here doing this."
"You didn't already know before coming?"
"To be precise, I came to properly confirm the facts I already know."
"...... You already knew everything?"
With a look of deflation at my words, Chiara Berati pulled her hand, which had been on the verge of undressing, back down to hang limp at her side.
"There was a reason the Holy See told us to be careful around you after all."
"To be precise, even being careful wouldn't have allowed you to hide information from me."
At my words, Chiara Berati shrugged and said,
"Well, whatever you say."
Then she rolled her eyes this way and that before looking at me and speaking.
"But if you think you could buy state secrets with this paltry sum......"
"I know. But there's no need for concern, since all the information you consider 'secret' is already in my head. I repeat, that money was simply payment to confirm the information."
"Is it safe for you to just reveal that you know?"
Chiara Berati wore an expression of bafflement, but I didn't change my attitude.
Of course she was baffled.
After all, I intended to just confirm things and then turn back time anyway.
"If necessary, I could pass a little information to you from my end as well."
"You want to trade information? You? With me?"
"Is that strange?"
"Of course it's strange. Considering the attitude you showed at that assembly last year."
Had she been there?
Well, it wouldn't be strange if she had been. If she'd come as one of the nuns led by a cardinal, others would not have known. And back then, I hadn't been interested either.
"I'm simply acting right now with the Empire's benefit in mind. At that time, I only believed that forming an alliance outside the Empire would harm it; there was no personal feeling involved."
The truth was that I'd caused a scene precisely because my personal feelings had been overflowing, but there was no reason to reveal that to this Cathedral Knight.
"...... If I give you my information, what else can you give me? Oh, and for reference, checks like this."
Chiara Berati produced the check from between her breasts as she spoke.
"On the scale of the entire Holy State, a sum like that is barely a handful of—"
"I will tell you the contents of the Book of Prophecy held by the Empire."
"—."
As I maintained my consistently relaxed attitude and said that, the woman was struck speechless once again.
The Book of Prophecy was one of the Divine Treasures targeted by the Holy State. Since there was no way to extract that book from the deepest part of the Imperial Palace in the imperial capital, they were simply doing nothing about it, but if a method ever existed, the Holy State would have tried to steal that Divine Treasure by force. They were a fanatical group who believed they, as the inheritors of the faith, should manage every Divine Treasure left behind by the Goddess.
And in the Book of Prophecy's case, the contents were what mattered, not the book itself as some sacred object. The Chiara Berati standing before me would certainly know that fact.
"...... If you're lying."
"Then everything I say from now on will hold no value by the Holy State's standards. It will become a scrap of paper worth less than that thirty-pound check in your hand."
"......."
Her reason for bringing me here despite that sum supposedly not being a big deal was simple.
Because it would look unnatural for a bunny girl to refuse as much as thirty pounds.
Whether she decided to sell her body later or not, it was only natural to want to keep a customer close for now. A customer who casually spent thirty pounds regardless of the server's gender—trying to squeeze a little more out of them was the natural thing to do. If that wasn't her goal, she would have just returned the money out of fright.
On top of that, she'd already figured out I was an Imperial Princess, so she must have called me up here thinking she might as well have a conversation.
"Fine."
After sinking into thought with a complicated expression, Chiara Berati agreed unexpectedly readily and sat down on a chair.
It wasn't the type of chair that faced another directly. The seating drew a semicircle that wrapped around the terrace, so she ended up sitting at its far edge, a good distance away from me in the center.
It was a decent distance for reading each other's expressions.
It was a stark scene with us seated without even a drink, but since I had no desire to pretend we were friendly, I simply opened my mouth as we were.
"First, let's discuss your identity. Your name is Chiara Berati. A nun of the Order of Saint Antonio and one of the Four Cathedral Knights. Your bestowed weapon is the Holy Spear. Your reason for being here is to 'recover' a Divine Treasure from the Northwood ruins. Is that correct?"
"...... Does the Empire know about the Divine Treasures?"
"At least, I do."
If only a cup of tea had been served, I would have taken a slow sip right about now.
"It's a piece of an ancient weapon. Not far from where this casino was built. Isn't that so?"
Long ago, in an age before the world was properly formed.
There had been a civilization that existed before everything collapsed.
And an extremely small fraction of that civilization's structures and objects survived unbroken through the Great Chaos.
The Holy State labels those places and objects as ruins and relics, then goes around poking into every corner and calling them the Goddess's Divine Treasures. In secret, of course, so others won't know.
And in the process, 'to avoid being discovered,' they pin all manner of wrongdoing on others.
Sometimes the target was a bandit gang, sometimes a beast that emerged at an unexpected time, sometimes a freak weather phenomenon that happened to occur.
Or sometimes, a 'warlord faction.'
"......."
No answer came, but I could be more certain of it than if I had heard one. The events unfolding here were following the main story as closely as possible.
"If you don't answer, there will be no prophecy either."
"...... It's true."
Chiara Berati spoke through gritted teeth.
Honestly, it wasn't something to get that angry about. The moment I revealed I knew this much, the Holy State's plan had already gone thoroughly off the rails, and its chance of success had become extremely slim.
Rather than trying to hide it impossibly, admitting it and getting something from me in return was the better choice.
In that sense, my offer was an exceedingly generous one.
"Impressive. You certainly live up to being the Empire's next Empress."
"I am not the next Emperor."
It wasn't spoken in a sarcastic tone, but I corrected her words tinged with admiration anyway.
"...... So is that why you let a different Imperial Princess follow us? Because the future Emperor you'll serve needs to know what's being discussed."
...... Had someone followed us?
"Are you messing with me?"
When I remained silent, Chiara Berati stood up with a slightly annoyed expression.
And she walked over to the terrace entrance and, without giving me a chance to stop her, yanked the curtain aside.
"...... Ah."
The figures beyond the curtain were immediately visible.
Claire, dressed in a light outfit like mine, and Leo, who had apparently followed Claire, and, standing in front of those two, people lined up behind her......
It was Alice.
Alice in a sky-blue bunny girl outfit.
"......."
Alice and I locked eyes without a word.
By all rights, she should have been standing there stunned after overhearing talk of prophecies and such coming out of my mouth.......
But she wore an expression that said finding herself face-to-face with me while wearing an outfit that seemed in danger of spilling out her chest was far more humiliating.
.......
So that was how it was.
I let out a deep sigh and thought.
Again.