Chapter 56
Deculein’s last command was to ‘wait’ in January.
There were hundreds of informants at the time. They were based in Oklan, the underworld, and other shady areas.
Ren was one of the organization’s main pillars.
However, Deculein’s orders were cut off at some point, leaving them with no guidance or support.
With no money— the factor that united them— to back them up, their numbers dwindled from three digits to two digits in a month. Another month after that, only two of them were left.
They each went to different places.
Ren and Enen had nowhere else to go.
The siblings remained in the dirty cave, waiting, just in case, for the return of their master.
Of course, material reasons factored in on their decision. Since the number of members had decreased, they thought that the promised compensation would also increase significantly…
Ren and Enen bathed away the dirt on their bodies and wore the suits that Deculein bought directly from a tailor shop. Those were the first high-quality fabrics they had ever felt graze against their skin.
After that, they trimmed their hair at the salon.
Embellishment proved to be their best disguise.
Ren and Enen entered the Yukline mansion as completely different people.
Deculein introduced them as his ‘new direct servants.’ At the same time, the warehouse built on his vast land was neatly remodeled into a private residence.
“… Huh.”
Enen, the younger of the two, looked at the mansion with surprise in her eyes. It was the first time in her life she’d be living in such a clean, colorful and refreshing residence.
“I can have a dog here.”
“Oh my G.o.d, this mansion has a front and backyard.”
Did such a place really exist on the continent?
“… You shouldn’t have done that.” Ren reprimanded Enen, but she didn’t answer.
Her cheek that he slapped was still swollen.
“Did it hurt?”
“Why wouldn’t it?”
“… Still, you shouldn’t say things like that. At least in front of the master.”
Although they weren’t paid for six months, they persisted in fulfilling the orders he had given.
If there was nothing to eat, they ate rats, and they did everything themselves because they didn’t have money to hire people.
“Do you still believe in the master?” Enen asked.
Ren shook his head.
“No.”
Deculein showed mercy to Louina, who wasn’t a real n.o.ble.
However, he hadn’t yet forgotten the face that Deculein showed when the former Head of the Yukline family died.
At that moment, he was definitely… delighted.
His face contorted with unbearable ecstasy, displaying an expression that rendered Ren unable to determine if he was smiling or crying.
“I’m still wary of him. We never know if he’s going to get rid of us after using us.”
He was a man who accepted his father’s death as happiness, a dangerous existence that lacked the key that separated humans from demons.
“Still, the master isn’t hostile to our clan. And he kept his promise.” Enen replied.
Ren swallowed hard as he looked at the bag in his arms.
Deculein doubled the amount he promised them.
He was currently carrying about 5 million Elnes. It was the first time in his 21 years of living that he owned such a large amount of cash.
“… Let’s keep 10,000 Elnes,” Enen said. “Then let’s give the rest to our family.”
“Do we even need 10,000 Elnes?”
“What? We’ve worked hard for seven years. We should be rewarded too. Only ten thousand. I don’t want any more than that.”
Ren bit his lip, pondered about it, then nodded.
“… Okay.”
Ren and Enen’s family was big. Even though they weren’t blood-related, they were all family. Their existence was the reason they didn’t let go of their last thread of hope called ‘Deculein.’
It didn’t matter if it was rotten or had been discarded by the heavens. Even when their future looked bleak, they crawled and held onto the thread, all for the sake of…
“Let’s do that.”
The Red Box.
* * *
[h.e.l.lo, h.e.l.lo~
Maho here! Did the arrival of this letter surprise you? Even if it didn’t, please still read it to the end!
By the time of this writing, I have already arrived safely at Yuran, thanks to you!
Every waking day of mine has been peaceful and calm since then, but sometimes, I find myself remembering the past, which causes my heart to sink.
If it hadn’t been for you at that time, professor, I would have already turned into ashes.
Oh! Ashes! Ugh! I feel scared just thinking about it~ Turning into it means I wouldn’t be able to write letters, speak, and eat sweets, after all!
Again, thank you so much!
Oh! I heard from Charlotte. You said this was a deal?
A deal… If you put it like that, this entire ordeal feels a lot colder, but I definitely felt your warm heart! I believe you didn’t help me just because of what you can gain from me. Regardless, if I can be of any help to you one day, then I’ll do my best to serve you!
In preparation for that day, I started learning sword skills and studying magic. Although I’m still weak, I don’t want to keep being a burden~
That aside, last time, you said I didn’t have to act anymore, right? I can’t tell you how surprised I was to hear that. I was very, very surprised! Seriously!
But you know, my feelings weren’t fake. Please, just know that.
Finally…
Oh, right. This time, we’ll start a huge project in the Princ.i.p.ality of Yuren. It’s centered on regional redevelopment, and I think excellent prospects await it.
I planned it myself, after all!
If you want to, you can invest in it. If you don’t think it has potential, just ignore my offer~ I’m really not asking for investment because we don’t have enough money!
Oh! Charlotte is here!
I started writing at two in the morning, but it’s already seven. There are many more things I want to tell you, but I will have to cut this letter short.
Please reply~ I’ll send you another letter next time~
From: Princess Maho of Yuren
To: Head Professor Deculein, my savior]
Sitting in the study, I read Maho’s letter. It was written in a way that resembled how she spoke.
It was very cute, unlike my current ‘job.’
“How can a letter be this boisterous?”
I smiled and put it in the drawer.
I took the ledger Ren gave me afterward.
My face stiffened.
[Leviron’s exploitation of territory]
[Details of the Belard family’s remittance]
Deculein was raking in the weaknesses of all kinds of n.o.bles. He also ordered the execution of dozens of evil deeds.
It was him who was responsible for accelerating Oklan’s fall into poverty. He planned to buy that land at a low price.
I didn’t know what for, but the reason for it was probably great enough to activate the [Man of Great Wealth].
“…”
I still wasn’t quite sure what the past Deculein had done beyond this. I couldn’t even begin to imagine how much money that b.a.s.t.a.r.d threw in the dark.
Like Ren and Enen, I wasn’t sure if I should see our relationship as a great help or toxicity that should be culled immediately.
Now that I was in his body, I couldn’t just cover it up, hide it, or ignore it. Those sown seeds would one day germinate at will. Hence…
“… I have no other choice but to use what he left behind.”
Twisting Deculein’s karma in a direction conducive to the main quest was the best I could do.
Knock, knock—
“Master. Julie is here.” Roy said behind the door.
My body instinctively moved upon hearing those words. I was already right in front of the door when I came back to my senses.
I turned the doork.n.o.b and pulled it open.
Across the doorway stood Julie in armor. Her neat white hair was left untied, creating falls made out of snow powder cascading down behind her.
“… Have you been doing well?” Julie’s lips trembled as she awkwardly attempted to smile.
I laughed quietly.
“Come in.”
“No. I can’t—”
“I said come in.”
“… Okay.”
Julie tried to come in, but I blocked her immediately.
“…?”
“I changed my mind. Let’s just talk outside.”
“…”
I realized a tad too late that I also needed to stop feeling this way myself.
Julie simply nodded.
“Alright.”
“What brings you here?”
“I have been given a mission.”
“A mission?”
“Yes…”
Julie put her hands together, squirming in place.
“That’s… you see, I got an unexpected opportunity to become the emperor’s knighthood educator, right?”
“Right. Did Her Majesty issue your task?”
“Yes. She said Prince Kreto wants your autograph… if possible.”
Julie held out a book to me. When I saw the cover, my face blushed for a moment.
Old Deculein’s writings. It was very embarra.s.sing.
“I can’t do that.”
“Oh. Is that so?”
“…”
Julie accepted my response too easily as I looked at the book up and down.
I felt sorry for the Deculein of the past, but using its paper as bonfire fuel would’ve been far less of a waste than putting his writings on it.
He probably knew why. He deliberately twisted the theories in it to make it sound more complicated and difficult before publishing it.
“Please let the prince know that I’ll be coming up with an amendment soon. I’ll give him a copy of it once it’s out. Of course, with my autograph.”
“… Okay. Thank you.”
Julie gave a knightly curtsy. She placed her right hand on the front of her left shoulder and bent her body at an angle.
“Then, I’ll be going.”
She left without saying much. I didn’t call her back, either.
However, amid her retreat, her legs stopped moving, causing her white hair to flutter out. She seemed to be pondering about something beyond my awareness.
“Um…” She mumbled. Not long after, she turned to me.
“… Would you like to play chess?” She asked shyly. Both her cheeks were red.
I could already tell what happened between her and the emperor.
“Sure.”
I needed to practice anyway.
I had read a few chess books and had seen many notations played by masters, but there was no better training than putting what I learned into practice.
“Follow me.”
I led her to a seat in the mansion’s garden, under the shade of a tree. Julie sat in the chair and looked and blinked at me out of sheer confusion.
She was waiting for a chessboard. However, instead of getting one, I created it by pulling up stones from the ground and neatly decorating it with leaves and flowers.
I put all my heart into it.
“Whoa. That’s amazing.”
The way she looked at it in childish admiration was cute.
“Let’s begin.”
“Yes.”
She put her hands on her knees and took a deep breath.
“I’ll start.”
Tap—!
Julie moved a piece with a needlessly determined face.
“Checkmate.”
Defeated in 15 minutes.
I only consumed 300 mana.
“… What happened?”
She looked around the chessboard, a mixture of shock and confusion in her eyes. She had no idea how the situation turned out like this.
“Look. You shouldn’t have moved your bishop here. It was too early to do that.”
I kindly taught her.
Julie nodded, seemingly convinced she made a mistake.
“I see. That’s impressive. It was a move I never imagined. By any chance, if I’m not being too rude, one more match…”
“Sure.”
“Thank you!”
One match became two matches, and two matches became three.
Julie challenged me four consecutive times, but she was defeated before she could even pose a threat to me.
“You’re really bad at this.”
“… I’m sorry.”
“Keep showing this disappointing side of yours every time. We’ll grow apart more easily that way.” I joked, causing Julie’s eyes to widen as she stared at me. She pouted, which kind of made me feel like my words saddened her.
“Is that so… But in my Knight Order, I’m ranked among the top three…”
“You seem to have talent. Anyway, Let’s call it a day. You and I have to go to work.”
“Got it!”
I got up as she vigorously responded to my praise.
“You can have this chessboard and pieces. Get better at it while you remember today’s defeat.”
“Oh, wow. Thank you!” Julie answered with a smile. She seemed to prefer gifts with sentimental value rather than ones filled with only material value.
* * *
Epherene slept on the couch of their club room.
“Hehe…”
She licked her lips and smiled sweetly, a fragrant scent entering her nostrils and an overwhelming meaty taste spreading throughout her mouth.
“Roahawk, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d… come here… hehe… you chubby….”
She tossed and fell from the couch in happiness.
“…Ugh!”
Her tailbone fell first on the marble floor. Pain coursed through her body as she stood up.
“Whew. That’s embarra.s.sing.” She sighed. Due to the collapse of the third dormitory from the incident three days ago, she was forced to stay in the club room for a while since she had no place to live in.
She had been frantic until yesterday. Her notes were in her bag, which was a relief since it was with her when the incident happened, but she nearly lost all of her father’s letters.
Fortunately, she found them unharmed, thanks to the magic that coated them.
“Ahhhh~” Epherene yawned and went to the bathroom.
Splash, splash—
After splattering water over her face, she returned to the club room and opened her notebook to study since the exams were coming. Before she could, however, the door swung open.
“Ifi! Look at this!”
Not only Julia but also Ferit, Rondo, and the other club members came in.
“What?”
“Look!”
They spread a large picture on the desk.
It was a vertical photograph of the third dormitory, which had cleanly collapsed. All the rubble around it had been removed.
“I didn’t like the fact that they attacked it first, you know? But anyway, look at this! These black marks here.”
Julia took out a pen and connected the marks on the site, forming a magic formula.
She infused mana into it just like she would with any other formula, causing magic to manifest.
A sentence appeared before them.
[Look forward to the retribution of the Ashes. The moment will come when your weakness will be exploited.]
“Look at it! Isn’t that a declaration of war?”
“… No way.”
It was a little creepy, but it was a bit unlikely.
No matter how powerful the Ashes were, they wouldn’t dare attack the Imperial University Tower.
“What do you mean no way?! Look at it. Even the structure of its formula is completely different from what we learned at the tower!”
“…”
That was true. It used an unusual spiral formula that deviated from the norm. From what she heard, the Ashes often used it.
“Aren’t we supposed to tell the professor?”
“I think so too… but will he believe us?”
“We still have to tell him! If we don’t, more commoners will be dying! Those cowards. I don’t even know why we’re the ones being attacked, considering the aristocrats were more at fault.”
Epherene understood Julia’s sentiments. Based on their professors’ att.i.tudes alone, she swiftly realized they wouldn’t change unless they stepped in.
“Okay. Let’s at least tell them. That’s not a bad thing, right?”
*
“Leave! Stop with the bulls.h.i.t. I already have a lot of things going on! Get out of here before I give your club a penalty!”
Bang-!
Relin slammed the door, the gust of wind it created messing up their robes and hair. Julia clenched her teeth.
“That fat professor, gosh…”
“See? What did I say? We have to do it ourselves. I think I’ve grown a lot magically these days, you know? So—”
“No, Ifi. There is still one left. ‘That’ professor.”
From Ciare to Relin, all the middle-ranking professors closed their doors on them, but they knew they still had one more option left.
They looked at each other and swallowed hard.
[Head Professor Deculein]
… Her hands were damp with sweat. Just looking at the nameplate on his door made her breathing and heartbeat faster.
“Whew…” Epherene took a deep breath. Behind her, the CRMC members cheered. She— No, together, they knocked on the door.
Knock, knock—
The door opened. At first, she thought Deculein had opened it, but it actually opened by itself. It was almost as if it was already ajar in the first place.
“Huh…?”
Through the gap, Epherene pushed her head in.
A woman with short hair was rummaging through Deculein’s office.
Epherene yelled. “Who are you?!”
“Ahhh! I’m sorry! I didn’t do anything!”
The woman stumbled over as she screamed. She was so startled that tears started forming in her eyes as she looked at them.
“… What?” She soon frowned, however.
“Who are you guys—”
Thud—!
Just then, a spellbook that fell from the drawer slammed against her head.
“Ouch!” She groaned, tending to the sore spot on her scalp. Her pain soon turned into rage, which the woman expressed through yelling, her eyes wide open and her eyebrows furrowed.
“G.o.d d.a.m.n it!”
Surprised, Epherene and her fellow club members stepped back.
“Who are you?! Don’t come closer, or I’ll report you!”
“What do you mean who?! I’m the younger sister of this office’s owner!”
“… What? Younger sister?”
“Yeah! You scared me! The real question here is, who are you?! Come here!”
Epherene hurriedly lowered her head as Yeriel showed pretenses of wanting to smack them.
“Oh, um… I’m sorry. The door was open.”
“Forget it. I’m a senior much older than you, okay? What did you come here for? No, before that, what’s your name?”
Yeriel pointed to Epherene, scratching her head as if it still hurt.
“Er…”
“Answer quickly. Don’t annoy me. This still hurts. Hurry up before I claim damage compensation!”
“… My name is Epherene.”
“… What?”
At that moment, Yeriel’s face stiffened.
“Epherene Luna?”
“Yes.”
“…”
She looked lost in thought for a moment. By the time she regained her sense, she had already forgotten her anger.
“I’m Yeriel. What did you guys come here for?”
“Huh? Oh. That’s…”
At that moment…
Ding—!
Outside the open door, they heard the elevator’s arrival. Hastily, Yeriel closed the office door.
“Hide!”
“Huh? Why? Why are you hiding? You said you were his sister.”
“No, I mean, I came here secretly without telling him! Gosh! Why did he come back so early?”
Yeriel infiltrated the office to find out the truth behind the rumors circulating about Deculein kidnapping Louina.
It didn’t matter how much she thought about it. If Louina went missing, there was no other plausible suspect other than Deculein. Even if she didn’t want to doubt him, she had no choice but to be suspicious of him.
It was really hard to imagine, but if it were really Deculein who did it, she would have to come up with a countermeasure…
“Um, we can just leave—”
“Stop talking and hide already!”
Yeriel hid under Deculein’s desk. The s.p.a.ce underneath it was quite wide and was surprisingly hard to get caught in.
Following her example, the CRMC members each found a place to hide.