A Test of Trust
When I opened my eyes, a sword was pressed against my throat yet again. It was a highly familiar situation. Usually, when things played out like this in this world, it was either because I was being mugged by highwaymen, or because I had run into Ratel. Wondering if there was even a difference between the two, I let my gaze drift up the length of the blade.
"Squeak. Is this how humans greet each other nowadays?"
Despite my joke, he didn't even crack a smile as he looked down at me. Still, a protagonist was a protagonist; unlike ordinary people, he didn't show a hint of surprise at my current Orc form. Just like our very first encounter, he simply held his sword to my throat in silence. I couldn't decide whether to feel insulted that my first impression as human Ran was apparently no different from an Orc, or to admire his sheer audacity in treating humans and Orcs with equal, unbiased hostility.
"Squeak. If you don't have anything to ask, do you mind moving this?"
I spoke while looking down at the blade pressing against my neck, but Ratel didn't budge. Tsking at his stubborn silence, I scanned our surroundings. Jing and Lia were unconscious, but they didn't seem to have any major injuries. That didn't mean they were in good shape, though. Even as a joke, I couldn't say they looked particularly comfortable dangling from the cave wall. Jing and Lia were hanging there like framed pictures, the collars of their clothes pinned to the stone by swords.
"Squeak. Well, I suppose they look safe enough."
Judging by my view of the floor, my own situation wasn't much better. I sighed, looking down at the massive black mass filling the ground below. It seemed that while I was unconscious, the floor had completely opened up, revealing whatever had been hiding beneath. The only reason we could look down on that chaotic mess from above, rather than being trapped inside it, was because we were close to the cave ceiling. Since this brute of a protagonist couldn't step on the floor, he had chosen to pin his companions to the walls instead.
"Squeak. What about the others?"
I asked the boy, who wasn't hanging in a humiliating pose like Jing or Lia, but was instead standing with his legs braced inside a crevice in the wall.
"A few fled. The rest were swallowed. Down there."
At his calm reply, I nodded and studied him. He looked a bit tired, but he was perfectly fine without a single scratch. Thank goodness. It meant Jing's sacrifice hadn't been in vain. As I carefully scanned Ratel's limbs again, I noticed something squirming beneath his clothes near his chest.
"Squeak. Is that thing on your shoulder your emergency rations?"
At the sound of my voice, the lump beneath his clothes flinched. Soon, a tiny squirrel poked its face out from between the lapels of Ratel's coat. So it was with Ratel after all. El seemed to recognize me instantly; its eyes went wide and its mouth fell open, but it quickly snapped out of it when I gave it a fierce glare.
"Squeak... squeak, squeak."
The creature glanced back and forth between Ratel and me. Despite its tiny, furry face, I could tell it was feeling incredibly awkward.
"Yeah. Emergency rations."
Ratel's deadpan confirmation only made El's expression darken further. Looking closer, the squirrel's face seemed a bit gaunt compared to before. Since they were clinging so close, I thought they might have bonded while trapped inside, but apparently not. Anyone would lose their mind being stuck alone with a guy who had such a wretched personality. Ignoring the pitiful look El was sending my way, I changed the subject.
"Squeak. It seems you're the Ratel those people were looking for. Since you've returned in one piece, why don't you do something about this situation?"
I gestured with my eyes toward the sword still pointed at my throat. It was the sword of Sierra Abaran.
"Squeak. Jing seemed to use that to attack the black mass."
Despite my urging for him to do something worthy of a protagonist, he merely tilted his head. In the end, I was the one growing anxious. Does this bastard really not have a single useful protagonist ability?
"You just lost my trust again."
The boy spoke, stoking my anxiety to its peak.
"Squeak. What?"
I frowned, unable to understand why Ratel was suddenly treating me like a fraud out of nowhere. He continued.
"It wasn't Jing's own doing. You ordered him."
I gasped at his sharp observation.
—Jing! Stab it with the sword!
In my desperation, I hadn't considered that he might hear the words I shouted. He was supposed to have been consumed by the sword. Had he really been listening from the inside the entire time? ...Since when?
The realization that someone had been eavesdropping on my conversations without my knowledge brought a natural wave of unease. I quickly reviewed my past words and actions, wondering if I had said anything he shouldn't have heard, before pulling myself together. I couldn't afford to stand here looking like an idiot just because I was flustered.
"Squeak. I suppose I did. Something strange was coming out of the floor, and in my panic, I must have blurted out whatever came to mind."
Even to my own ears, it was a terribly dull excuse, but under the circumstances, there was no better way to spin it.
"Is that your excuse?"
"Squeak. It's not an excuse, it's an answer."
The boy stared at me intently, then nodded.
"Fine, then."
I narrowed my eyes, finding his uncharacteristic compliance suspicious. Without lowering his sword, Ratel used his left hand to pull open his right collar. El, who had been anxiously rolling its eyes inside, curled its tail and shrank back as its cover was suddenly stripped away.
"Hey. You said you came to help me, right?"
Startled by Ratel's cold tone, El gave a hesitant nod.
"If you want to help me, answer this. Is that Orc in front of us really just an Orc? Or is he the master you've been traveling with?"
El's mouth fell open, completely speechless. It was a pathetic display for a creature that was usually so prideful and haughty, but I couldn't bring myself to laugh. My own expression probably wasn't much different right now.
"If he's just an Orc, nod. If he's your master, shake your head. You can't speak, but surely you can manage that much?"
Ratel's overbearing voice snapped me back to reality.
"Squeak. What nonsense are you talking about?"
I tried to play dumb, but it was futile. Ratel didn't even seem to hear me.
"Is it that hard to answer? Then let me ask something else. Can your master transform into animals?"
This time, I felt my heart plummet straight to the floor. It felt as if something was blocking my throat, rendering me speechless. My mind screamed at me to say something, but the sheer panic left me completely blank, unable to come up with a single retort.
While I stood there frozen like an idiot, Ratel didn't stop pressuring El.
"Choose the right answer this time, and I'll trust you completely."
I could clearly see El's eyes trembling. Denying it was risky, as we didn't know what evidence Ratel had to support his claim. Shaking its head was a choice with too much to lose. If Ratel was already certain, a lie would expose us instantly; if he was just testing us, a denial wouldn't help much either. But a nod cost nothing. It wouldn't be a lie, and it would serve as the very proof Ratel wanted. For El, this was an incredibly sweet temptation. This was a creature that would risk its life just to stand beside Ratel, the Child of Prophecy. With the trust it so desperately craved hanging in the balance, there was no way it would choose any other option.
El's deep black eyes turned toward me. Seeing those eyes filled with hesitation, my mind suddenly cleared, as if a bucket of ice water had been dumped over my head.
"Squeak. Cut it out, you bastard."
At my harsh words, the boy's head snapped toward me.
"Are you finally ready to answer?"
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw El staring at me in shock, but I ignored it. My throat felt dry. It was the first time I was revealing my ability with my own mouth, and of all people, the recipient had to be Ratel.
"Squeak. Fine. I am Ran Abaran. Just as you said, I can transform into animals. Actually, as you can see from my current state, it's not just animals. I can turn into monsters too."
Or was that no longer true? I might never be able to return to my human form again. Once I let go of my tension, my thoughts began to spiral endlessly. If he hadn't done something completely unexpected, those thoughts probably would have dragged on much longer. I had expected a fist to fly at my face, considering I was a member of the imperial family who had been hiding his powers. Instead, he slowly withdrew the sword from my throat. I looked up at him, unable to hide my bewilderment. But all I got in return was a deeper furrow in my brow. Ratel was smiling. Though, it was a bit unsettling that only one corner of his mouth was turned up.
Dito tapped his fingers on the table, scanning the papers spread across it. He picked up a worn, tattered sheet of paper that lay apart from the relatively clean ones. Unlike the pages recovered from Rasiah's coffin, this single sheet had been in his possession for a very long time. The person who had held it before him had never understood its true value. Or perhaps they simply lacked the will to care. The person he remembered had always stared blankly out the window, looking like someone with a screw loose.
But the moment it fell into Dito's hands, he realized it was something that could change his life forever. A method to kill the imperial family. What was there to fear in a world where one held the secret to slaying gods? What was there to covet when one knew how to steal their power? That single sheet of paper had granted him an entirely new life.
Because of this, Dito had always wondered: if a single page could change a life, what would happen if he possessed the entire book? Could he change the entire world? If the rest of the book contained exactly what he desired, just as that person had told him... The mere thought of it sent a thrill through him, driving him to search for the rest of the book in secret within the imperial palace. He made sure no one else would find it first, and no one would suspect a thing.
But he had snatched it away. Dito slid his fingers across the scattered papers one by one, then suddenly crumpled the stack in his fist with a surge of irritation. It wasn't there. As if by some cruel joke, the very thing he sought was missing. It was as if someone had known from the start exactly why he had been searching for the Red Book.
Slam! A sudden, violent fist cracked the table.
"I killed him too easily after all," Dito muttered, clutching the empty shell of the book before him. But it was too early to give up. His unquenched thirst pointed him in a new direction.
"I will have an audience with the Empress. Prepare it."
At his command, the man watching him from the shadows gave a quiet response and left the room.