Chapter 56
Chapter 56
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: Suspicious Behavior (1)
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“…Why?”
“Because Theodore’s involved too.”
Arthur’s expression was remarkably calm.
That made this situation even harder to comprehend.
This guy clearly disliked me, and I wasn’t in a position to treat him casually either.
“Hmm, from what I’ve heard, you’ve got some mild memory loss. Wouldn’t it be best not to push yourself?”
“It’s just temporary, and I only lost memories from the past few days. It hasn’t affected my daily life much.”
Those few days probably included the scuffle we had.
Otherwise, Arthur wouldn’t be approaching me so readily, offering to help.
‘After all, you and I went at it, and I even took a bullet because of it…’
Of course, Arthur hadn’t said a word of testimony that could implicate him, but at least Theodore vaguely knew about it.
When I glanced sideways at Theodore, he looked back at me with a fidgety expression.
Thanks to this convenient memory wipe, we were stuck in this awkward farce.
I threw an arm around Theodore’s shoulders and said,
“Give us a minute for a strategy meeting.”
Theodore didn’t resist even a little as I dragged him along under my armpit.
Arthur looked utterly dumbfounded at our blatantly suspicious behavior.
Ignoring him, I pulled Theodore into the bathroom with me and cranked the water on full blast.
“Think Arthur can hear us like this?”
Arthur was a swordsman nearing Swordmaster level, so I had to be cautious.
Theodore’s face lit up as if he’d just realized something, and he replied,
“One moment.”
He turned the faucet off, locked the bathroom door, and opened it to say,
“Arthur, get out.”
Even if he and Arthur were vaguely close, kicking him out of his own room like this?
I was about to stop Theodore in panic.
“Hey, The-”
“Got it.”
Arthur, who’d been so bold with me earlier, was now perfectly compliant.
Theodore shot me a look that said, See?, leaving me utterly bewildered.
“Did Arthur Usher owe Whitegate a debt or something? Or sign a slave contract?”
“Well, he’s been unusually obedient these past few days, so I tested it, but I didn’t think he’d actually leave.”
“No way…”
What an odd relationship.
Theodore and Arthur did seem somewhat dependent on each other, but it felt different from a normal friendship now.
Anyway, I couldn’t leave Arthur standing outside the door in this chilly weather wearing light clothes for long, so I cut to the chase.
“How much does that guy remember about what happened with me?”
“Nothing at all.”
“Not even a single bit? Not even what happened the day we ran into each other alone?”
“When I brought it up first to test his memory, he didn’t seem to recall anything. He might’ve heard rumors, but he doesn’t think he did it himself.”
No signs of things getting messy, so maybe that was a relief.
If Arthur truly remembered nothing, I had nothing to say.
The only issue was whether it was genuine amnesia or a ploy to lure me into a trap.
‘He wouldn’t suddenly snap when we’re alone, right?’
My only means of defense against Arthur was the pistol in my holster.
Lately, with added anxiety, I’d been carrying it half-cocked and loaded, but past experience showed it wasn’t nearly enough against him.
Arthur could disarm a gun pointed at him like snapping a child’s finger.
“Being around Arthur must make you uneasy.”
“Yeah, a bit. But it’s not really his fault—it’s my issue. I think I’ve developed some hypersensitivity.”
Truthfully, calling it “a bit” of hypersensitivity was downplaying it.
I was suffering from neurosis accompanied by sleep deprivation and fatigue.
Even so, I held back in front of Theodore partly because he was close to Arthur, but also because Arthur’s behavior might be payback for some choice I’d made.
“I think it’d be better if Arthur and Arma Cruise made a ‘vow.’”
“A vow? We’re still just cadets.”
A vow was the strongest promise a mage could make.
It usually imposed penalties on oneself, also called a “restrictive vow.”
Vows were only done by mages swearing loyalty to a king or magic tower, pledging not to rebel using their magic.
‘Now that I think about it, mages have a lot stacked against them.’
In any case, forming a vow as a mage was akin to an unfair contract with overwhelmingly harsh penalties.
Naturally, it wasn’t something cadets like us could casually swear or break.
“Arthur doesn’t remember, but he vaguely suspects what he did. If Arma Cruise demands it, he won’t refuse.”
“But in the end, nothing happened to either of us. No need to go that far—”
“Well, both Arthur and I already have multiple mental suppressions in place.”
I shut my mouth at Theodore’s words, momentarily speechless.
Considering how Arthur had nearly lost his mind when his mental suppression triggered, it was absurd.
“Mental suppression is one-sided. From our perspective, a vow feels fairer. Vows require a witness, so except in special cases, they’re mutual agreements.”
Of course, you could coerce a mage into an unfair vow, but it fundamentally relied on the mage’s own will.
It only took effect if the circumstances were perfectly fair or aligned with their intentions.
“Okay, sure, but I don’t want to burden Arthur with a vow just for that.”
The old Arthur might’ve been different, but this one seemed like he’d agree if pushed, just as Theodore said.
But that wasn’t what I wanted.
Complicated as it was, I wanted distance from Arthur, Theodore, Shirley, Judith—anyone tied to my dream, as much as possible.
“Anyway, I get your thinking, but—”
“Could you give Arthur just one chance?”
“…Huh?”
I’d been about to refuse, thinking this was the last time, when Theodore surprised me with unexpected words.
I couldn’t fathom what “chance” I could give Arthur.
“Arma Cruise said before that the conditions on Arthur’s restriction were ridiculous.”
“That’s true.”
“The restrictions on Arthur and me are indeed unfair. But anyone with even basic knowledge of magic wouldn’t agree.”
Then, as if to persuade me, Theodore continued,
“For Arthur, proving he can belong here has been his life’s work. Controlling immense power beyond common sense through consensus rather than suppression is hugely important to him.”
“Isn’t a vow just a fancy word for a forced agreement, since it imposes restrictions?”
“But right now, it’s the only way Arthur can assert his will.”
It was a piercing argument.
I didn’t trust Arthur.
Since I couldn’t overpower him myself, I was refusing to share space with him under the pretext of his instability.
That was probably why Theodore was pushing the vow too.
“Arthur’s spent most of his life proving he ‘belongs’ here.”
“…”
“This is the first time his mental suppression has triggered. Even if he doesn’t remember what he did… he failed at something he was determined to see through, without even knowing it.”
Arthur undoubtedly carried deep, hidden wounds.
His strong bond with Theodore despite no blood ties, signs of childhood abuse, excessive perfectionism—all pointed to it.
Even so, I had reasons not to accept him lightly right now.
Stuck between options and sweating it out, Theodore took the lead.
“Come in, Arthur.”
“Ugh.”
Appealing to emotion over reason, Theodore called Arthur back first.
I had no time to refuse before Theodore dragged me out to sit face-to-face with him.
‘This fox…’
I’d thought he was just a teddy bear, but he was sly.
Resigned, I took the contract—no, the mage’s vow document—and sighed.
It held only a single, simple line.
〔Vow: Arthur Usher forbids all violence against Arma Cruise, with mana seal as the restriction condition.〕
“Arthur. To help the non-mage Arma Cruise, I think this is the surest way.”
“The vow document?”
“Magic use is banned in the academy, but if we name me as witness, reach mutual agreement, and get the dean’s permission, we can formalize it.”
“Clear-cut. I like it.”
Was it really something to like for being “clear-cut”?
Holding the document, my troubled heart chilled.
These two probably never had anyone teach them how to interact normally with others.
So, I made a decision.
“I was going to refuse, but can I add a condition?”
Theodore nodded at my words.
I decided to treat this as a transaction.
I still hadn’t fully accepted them enough to prove my sincerity and friendship.
“Mind if I borrow your pen?”
I took the pen Theodore had pulled out for the vow and added this above the one-sided line, revising it.
〔Arma Cruise and Arthur Usher hereby enter the following mutual contract through agreement.
1. Arthur Usher, as a mage, promises not to commit any acts of violence forbidden by royal decree against the non-mage Arma Cruise.
2. Contract duration shall be determined by the end of the Guardian Angel search or mutual agreement.
3. Violation of the above two clauses shall result in Arthur Usher’s abilities as a Swordmaster-track swordsman and mage being sealed for one week.
All clauses above shall be upheld with faith and honor.〕
Kicking away a favorable deal goes against family tradition.
But Article 1 of the Cruise family motto reads:
Pierce through weight to value.
‘This should be enough.’
And I believed in the value of this contract.