Tidying Up
"……"
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, Uriel glanced at the clock. The time was 3:40 a.m. Ferzen, lying in the hospital bed, was asleep with an IV dripping into his vein.
No…… not exactly peacefully asleep. Even in slumber, he reacted to the pain, faintly furrowing his brow and letting out soft groans.
Creak.
"Has he…… been like this the whole time……?"
The doctor entering the room looked at Uriel in surprise.
"Just in case something goes wrong, I needed someone to call you."
"He's not hovering between life and death……"
The doctor approached, drew a syringe, and mixed painkillers into Ferzen's IV. Soon after, Ferzen's face relaxed into a comparatively serene expression, his breathing steady and even.
"You should get some rest. Once day breaks, you'll be busy with the investigation……"
"I know what I'm doing."
"My apologies…… Occupational habit. I overstepped."
With a bow, the doctor left the room.
Left alone with Ferzen, Uriel rested her chin on her hand atop his bed and sighed.
"Why'd you go and do something so pointless……"
No, not pointless. To correct herself, it was just…… utterly out of character.
"Wh-what……! If you're awake, say something!"
Startled as glowing red eyes—half-lidded in the darkness—fixed on her, Uriel flinched.
"Water."
"……"
A straightforward demand, stripped of all pretense. It could have irked her, but Uriel merely shot him a sidelong glare through half-open eyes before obediently rising to pour water into a glass and hold it politely to his lips.
Gulp, gulp……
"……"
Watching that man, Ferzen, lie meekly in bed and accept the water she fed him, Uriel felt an oddly surreal sensation.
Swoosh.
She reached out, brushing aside the stray lock irritating his brow.
His red eyes narrowed in warning—don't do anything unnecessary—but……
"What."
With no spare corpses at hand and his arms useless anyway, Uriel felt zero fear. She pressed her index finger to his furrowed brow and rubbed firmly, forcibly smoothing the wrinkles.
"Cough……!"
"Ah!"
But in the process, the glass tilted slightly, sending excess water flooding into Ferzen's mouth and making him choke.
"Uriel…… cough! Uriel, el……!"
"S-sorry! It was an accident. Let me wipe it up……"
Uriel jumped up, grabbed a towel, and returned to meticulously dab at the water soaking his neckline and shirt.
"Can't you even manage something as simple as feeding water……"
"I said it was an accident."
"Failing at even the simplest task and making excuses—don't you find that pathetic yourself?"
"How is a sick person's mouth so sharp……!"
"Perhaps because I can't use my arms. You're chattier than usual today. It's natural to exploit weakness, but even beasts avoid harming those who've shown them kindness."
"Hmph……"
Lips pursed at Ferzen's words, Uriel silently gripped the towel and kept wiping.
"That's enough. You get some rest beside me."
"……Yeah. You don't seem to be groaning in pain anymore."
Setting the damp towel aside, Uriel climbed into the adjacent bed, pulled up the covers, and lay down somewhat peacefully. But after a few restless shifts, she slyly turned her head toward Ferzen and spoke.
"Hey."
"……"
"I'm not ungrateful or anything. But…… why'd you do it? That wasn't like you. Decided to turn over a new leaf or something now?"
"Lizzy Paul Liana Claudia said something similar."
"Did Lizzy ask you that?"
"Uriel."
"What."
"How do you define a person changing?"
"Sudden philosophy…… I don't know."
"Well, it starts with not doing what you used to."
"Doesn't look that way to me……"
Ferzen gave a faint smile at Uriel's response.
"Right, so……"
"……"
"I'm just doing what I've always done…… while trying things I haven't. Not doing what I used to? That's impossible for me."
With that, Ferzen closed his eyes smoothly.
Recognizing the signal to stop talking, Uriel obediently turned away……
"Wait, no. Why does 'things I haven't done' include tormenting me?"
"……"
"Say something."
"……"
His words had sounded profound, atmospheric even. Uriel had nearly let it slide with a pretense of understanding, but realizing his "torment" of her was lumped in…… it rang like shameless nonsense wrapped in fancy packaging.
In truth, the teasing had stressed her out enough that she'd dreamed of Ferzen trampling her chest with his foot, calling her vulgar.
But with Ferzen offering no reply, Uriel gave up and tried to sleep.
The night…… deepened.
"……"
The night had buzzed with distant clamor, but now in the morning light, far more people bustled about, cleaning up yesterday's mess.
"Professor Ferzen."
"Is Her Highness summoning me?"
"Yes."
"Very well. Let's go."
Escorted by an imperial knight, I entered the massive temporary tent. Inside, knights stood in disciplined ranks, with Elizabeth Imperial Princess seated at the head.
"You've come……"
"I greet Your Highness, Elizabeth."
Unable to move my arms, I offered the deepest courtesy I could manage.
"No need for such formality. Your condition…… how is it?"
"No cause for concern. My arms are inconvenient, but as a black mage……"
"I see……"
Clack. Clack.
Elizabeth rose from her seat, approached me, and bowed deeply.
"Forgive us……"
"……"
I'd half-expected this. The B dormitory housing commoners had taken heavy damage, but no noble children were harmed.
Still, unrest had struck the academy—a fact that couldn't be swept clean. To prevent anyone using it to tarnish the imperial family's face……
She'd arrayed the knights so formally and bowed before me to head it off.
It was too soon for a tug-of-war over pulling noble heirs from the academy, but pressure like "After this, how can we trust the imperial family to protect our children?" could force a public apology…… paving the way to shorten terms or graduation periods.
"Your Highness, this is unnecessary. I merely did my duty as a subject, and any injury sustained is no cause for apology—encouragement suits better."
I alone bore the injury, as Brutein's heir no less. They'd deemed me the ideal representative for a swift apology.
This neutralized other nobles' leverage unless I rallied them against the crown—which I wouldn't.
After all, with the biggest victim unmoved, it looked odd for others to press.
I held the clearest justification.
The imperial family trusted Brutein's heir wouldn't turn the justification against them, even if it cost face.
And with me accepting this apology after the greatest loss, no noble could demand more.
'What's done is done—better to keep playing the loyal vassal.'
Not really playing; just letting Ferzen's ingrained natural behavior flow unchecked.
"Very well…… encouragement. Speak your desire."
"Reduce my territory's taxes for one year."
I'd have asked more, but even one year was greedy given Brutein's revenues.
"That's all? I'll exempt three years instead."
"Pardon……?"
"Weren't you referring to Ruerg?"
"……"
I flicked my eyes sideways; Elizabeth had caught that my initial "territory" meant Brutein.
"……I'll petition Father to exempt Ruerg's taxes for three years. Satisfied?"
Even realizing it, she stubbornly named Ruerg, not Brutein.
Too greedy, huh. Fair enough. Even I subconsciously thought cracking both arms didn't justify it.
Still, a twinge of regret……
"If I may humbly request one more favor."
"……Very well, speak."
"…………is."
I murmured low enough for only Elizabeth to hear.
"That's…… all?"
"Yes."
A paltry request unworthy of "favor," so she eyed me curiously but accepted cleanly.
I then exited the tent, following the waiting knights for a detailed statement on last night's events.
And as requested…… the investigator who appeared was Roer Paul Bistaen Claudia, Claudia's eldest son.
"……And that concludes everything I know of the full account."
"Thank you for your cooperation. You may…… go."
After detailing last night over about thirty minutes, Roer flatly organized his notes.
If dismissal was all, I wouldn't have asked Elizabeth to assign him.
"Sir Roer."
"Yes."
"Are you relatively happy now?"
At the sudden personal question, Roer's brow twitched, but with knights outside, he nodded curtly.
"Then stay content with the present."
"……"
"No need to realize value only after loss, right?"
"Leave."
"If charging ahead blinds you, glance back. You've built more than you think."
"Ruerg Count."
"Yes, let's hypothesize."
Roer glared sharply, fists clenched.
"If you fail to tear out my throat and lose instead…… I won't kill you outright."
"……"
"I'll sever your limbs, yank your teeth, gouge your eyes…… leave you to die anytime without care, under 24-hour watch to prevent suicide."
Creak.
Leaning back casually in the comfortable chair, I smirked provocatively at Roer.
"Family-oriented Lizzy would probably beg to save you. Or…… maybe plead for a mercy kill so you can rest."
Not just Roer—there was Claudia's second son, Lizzy's other brother.
"Of course…… I'd grant it. And in exchange, take Lizzy. Alone with me, her trauma would make her tremble like an aspen, bursting into tears."
"……"
"Legs ruined, she can't flee or resist. Might even piss herself filthy again."
Drip.
Blood vessels burst in Roer's eyes; blood trickled from his clenched fists.
"It won't end once, so Lizzy might even get pregnant with my child. By then…… resignation? Can you bear that future?"
"……"
"Suicide upon sensing defeat is an option, but could you suggest dying together to your sister first? Or your current family head?"
"Ha……"
"Your vengeance has faded. Holding back means you value your current life. Otherwise, you'd have killed me outright in this golden opportunity."
"Ferzen."
Roer rose, voice chilling.
"Afraid? You're wordier than before. Spare the pointless taunts. We restrain because…… you hold no value worth staking our family's lives on."
"……"
"Want this over quick? Dream on. A gentleman's revenge is never late, even after ten years. Live in endless unease."
Roer grabbed the documents, bowed formally, gripped the doorknob with bloody hands, and left.
"……"
Alone, I gazed at the ceiling, lost in thought.
In this frail state, arms unusable…… I'd even dangled Lizzy to provoke him, but no bite.
'Your patience…… deserves acknowledgment.'
A twinge of regret. Teaming with that underground foe could've yielded coma methods and fabricated pretexts to purge nuisances.
'Anyway……'
Roer showed no signs of stopping. No urge to race alongside in anxiety.
All relentlessly charging forward…… either broke through walls or smashed into self-destruction.
One path or the other.
Thus…… I'd be the unyielding wall.