Chapter 131: Mass. (2)
The clear sky was dyed red as the sun fell over the horizon, and the leaves were swaying as Josephine came out into the alley. For some reason, her steps were as light as a waltz. No, she clearly knew why.
“…36… Deculein.”
Reaching the place, her expression turned hard. Deculein, who was standing faced away from her, glanced back. The two regarded each other without a word.
“…”
“…”
It was the only way to save Julie, who was suffering from a terminal disease. Even if she wasn’t sure, Josephine believed in Deculein, who would act for Julie’s sake.
“I’m going to ask you straight up. The guy named Veron, did you kill him?”
Saying so, she pointed to the necklace artifact around her neck. It was recording the scene. Deculein just stared at Josephine.
“You don’t have to make an excuse. The last eyewitness said you and Veron were together, and Veron’s chest had unnatural scars that couldn’t be from a simple fall.”
Deculein remained silent, staring as if he hated her.
“If you want to say you didn’t, please lend me that, your weapon.”
“…My wood steel.”
“We have already recovered Veron’s remains. It’s necessary for comparison and contrast of those scars-“
“Do you need to?”
Deculein grinned.
“He was a cheeky bastard who deserved death in the first place. He dared to covet something that wasn’t his without knowing his place. It wasn’t worth letting him live.”
He recited the lines according to the script prepared beforehand. If it were the original Deculein, he would have said this.
“And so what if the truth were revealed now? Do you think you can punish me? Her Majesty’s favorite?”
“…”
Josephine clenched her teeth. Then, a sad smile appeared on Deculein’s lips.
“Anyway. Even that is now useless.”
“…What does that mean?”
“Isn’t she going to be broken soon anyway?”
In an instant, veins bulged on the side of Josephine’s face. When he said that, she grew genuinely upset.
“A knight who stumbles out of a curse or something.”
Deculein spoke those endlessly cruel words with a frozen face.
“I am not benevolent enough to love a dying woman, and two bereavements are not worthy of Yukline’s name.”
Was it acting, or was he serious? His harsh tone continued like a sharp wind.
“Is that all, Josephine? Did you call me just to ask that?”
“…”
Josephine desperately suppressed her murderous intention. Of course, she knew it was acting, but he was good at it. He deserved a theater award. Somehow, it seemed like he was doing better than even she was.
“I have nothing to say to you guys who delivered a defective product. I will assume that there was no engagement with Freyden; tell Zeit I said as much.”
This was the end of their act. Deculein left without hesitation, leaving Josephine with a video that lasted just over 5 minutes and that could make Julie hate him.
“…Gosh. Defective.”
‘Thank you.’
Josephine’s murderous intent quickly turned into rational thought. Deculein loved Julie as much as he loved himself, maybe even more than that. Even so, if he said it like that… Deculein wanted to save Julie. More than anyone else in the world.
“Whew.”
If so, she hoped this method was correct. Josephine mumbled to no one but herself and let out a small breath.
“…”
She walked to the funeral home. However, her steps halted as she noticed someone who hid herself a distance away.
“…Julie?”
It was Julie. Her face, with her head bowed down, was covered by her hair, and her body, trembling like an active volcano, was a mirror to how she felt.
“Did you… hear it all?”
“…”
She didn’t plan to make her hear this in person. Josephine was disconcerted, but she soon felt an insidious bliss welling up from beneath her.
“…It’s okay.”
She whispered and comforted her by her side, breaking the Freyhem Knights. If the Knights disappeared, Julie would be left with no place in the system, and eventually, she would return to Freyden. Assuming that Deculein was right, this curse would be healed, and Julie would remain by her side forever…
“I am by your side.”
She hid all those bad feelings as Josephine gently wrapped her arms around Julie’s shoulder.
* * *
-It’s stupid and pitiful.
The voice of the old man flowed through her consciousness, a lowly sound that dragged the living from this world down to the underworld. Epherene looked into his face as if possessed.
—What your father wanted…
“…!”
At that moment, she woke up from the dream. Epherene looked around, finding herself in the teaching assistant’s lab and her body drenched in sweat. It was a dream. No, was it a dream?
Epherene jumped up and ran to Deculein’s office to search for proof that this world was not a dream. Someone who could announce that this world was real…
“…”
She was about to knock on the door but stopped. Epherene looked up at the nameplate.
[Head Professor Deculein’s Office]
Someone that was always close but always felt far away. Hateful but grateful, unforgivable but understandable. A professor who knew her mistake and betrayal but said it’s okay since she was his disciple.
“…Sigh.”
After taking her hand, Epherene eventually turned around. Just then, Allen and Drent came down the hallway talking to each other.
“Epherene. Do you know? A Gero’s Cream store just opened nearby.”
“What! Really?!”
Gero’s Cream – the abbreviated name for Gero’s Ice Cream – famous for its ice cream in the South finally made its way into the Empire?! Epherene grabbed her head and chattered.
“Is it a dream? Is this a dream?!”
“It’s not a dream. I’ve been there, but the line was so long, so I had to turn around.”
Drent shook his head, and Allen wore his sorrow.
“That’s right. They said I had to wait three hours…”
“No! I’ll go! Just give me the money!”
It was possible for her to study the thesis while standing anyway. No, standing up would make her more focused. Three hours of standing was enough.
“Hurry up! Hurry up! Please, let me go!”
Epherene’s eyes twinkled as she reached out her hands to Drent and Allen…
And 15 minutes later.
“…Sigh. It’s a lot indeed.”
Gero’s Cream’s line was immense. She held a 100 Elnes bill and snooped around in front of it. There appeared to be roughly 200 people.
“So what?”
Compared to the ice cream awaiting her at the end, this kind of sacrifice was cheap. Epherene studied the thesis as she waited. It was 20 minutes and 20 people per page. About three hours later, the sun went down, and there were only 20 left.
“Ugh”
This much must be enough. Epherene relaxed her stiff neck and put the thesis in her bag.
─Next~.
A little more time passed, and one by one, the people went and left until it was finally Epherene’s turn.
“Next~.”
“Yes, it’s me…?”
Screeech-
A luxury car stopped on the side of the road right next to her. A man who appeared to be a secretary left the driver’s seat and whispered to the owner, who resembled a frog.
“…Yes.”
The frogman suddenly wore a serious expression. He nodded and gave almost all of the remaining Gero’s Cream to the secretary. Then, he shouted to those who were still waiting in line.
“Unfortunately, we ran out of ingredients! See you tomorrow!”
“No!”
“If you got today’s waiting ticket, you can get one early tomorrow!”
“Ahh!”
The shutter closed before Epherene, who grabbed a ticket, could say anything, and her resentful gaze shifted to the luxury car parked nearby.
“Damn!”
‘I’ve been waiting for hours! This is too much! Or just take one! There were several left, so why did you take them all away?!’
Epherene rushed to the car and knocked on the window.
“Hey! Hey—!”
Epherene, feeling she was just played, lost her sense of reason. She looked at the darkened window as if the world were ending.
“Heey-! Heeeey-! Open the window–!”
Then, the window rolled down. Epherene, her fists falling through, trembled as soon as she saw the face hidden inside.
“Uh… Professor?”
“…”
Deculein. He looked at Epherene with pity.
“Ah, do you also like ice cream…?”
“No.”
“Then why? Why did you buy so much…? It was my turn in line.”
“…”
When she saw the ice cream sitting in the passenger seat, she felt a renewed sense of courage. No, it was greed.
“Huh? Why.”
“…”
Deculein put his hand in his pocket without saying a word, producing a small wallet. A twinkle was caught in Epherene’s eyes as she looked at the silver metal chain around it and the pendant she could see at a glance underneath it.
“Take it. I’ll make it up with this.”
Deculein handed over three bills worth 300 Elnes.
“No. I don’t want the money…”
“…Ren?”
“Yes.”
The man who appeared to be a secretary gave Epherene one of the ice creams.
“What? Oh, yes… I’ll pay for it. It’s 30 Elnes per ice cream-“
“Go.”
Vroom-
The engine started again, and Epherene flinched back. The car quickly raced away.
“Is he in a bad mood?”
Epherene felt awkward for some reason.
“…Anyway, I got one.”
Laughter left her unbidden as she walked with it in hand.
‘The Professor also likes ice cream… we have at least one thing in common. But what I just saw… that must be the pendant that wizard Gindalf told me about back then… no way, maybe it’s something else….’
Epherene ran into someone else on her way back, noticing her standing at the bulletin board for Job Recruitment at the Magic Tower. Requests for adventurers or wizards could be posted here with permission.
“Ganesha?”
“…Oh?”
It was Ganesha. Her hair fluttered behind her as she turned to look at Epherene, then smiled, pointing to the ice cream.
“Is it Gero’s Cream? It looks good~.”
“Ah, yes…”
Epherene hid the ice cream behind her back. There wasn’t much to share.
“What are you doing?”
“Hmmm~. This is a short-term job announcement~. I think we also need a proper wizard.”
“…”
Epherene looked at Ganesha, her mouth open and her eyes bulging. Ganesha smiled and tilted her head.
“Why are you like this?”
“I will do it.”
“…Yes?”
“Instead, I… instead of money. Ahem.”
Gulp-
Epherene swallowed hard and then continued.
“The relationship between the Luna family and the Deculein family. I would like to get that information.”
“…”
Ganesha was speechless, her smile stiffening.
“Don’t the Adventurers sell anything?”
“Well. I think I’ll have to get permission from the Professor~?”
Ganesha’s answer convinced Epherene. She knew what happened between their families. If she didn’t, she wouldn’t react like this.
“I will do anything. And I, since I’m…”
“It’ll be hard~.”
“There are children in that adventuring group. You can’t be as good as them. And…”
“Why?”
“Are you planning to stab the Professor in the back again?”
“No! No, never.”
“Then why?”
“In my dreams… the former head of the Yukline, Decalane, keeps showing up.”
“…”
At that moment, Ganesha’s face hardened. She ripped the poster off the bulletin board, dusted off her hands, and offered Epherene a handshake.
“When will you be able to work? This task is quite difficult.”
“What is it?”
“It’s a dungeon attack; we won the lottery this time. We were lucky, so we’ll make a lot in two days~.”
When the Imperial family or a lord received a dungeon raid order from the adventure guild, the adventure guild took the resources according to their rank. It drew one guild like a lottery ticket to decide who would clear it. This system was referred to as the dungeon attack lottery.
“Yes. Two days is fine.”
“Then here is a short-term adventurer’s license.”
Ganesha took out her checkbook and gave one to Epherene.
“I am an S-class adventure team leader. Be sure to bring it with you when we attack the dungeon.”
“Yes. Oh… but before that, I’ll get the information, right?”
Epherene was belatedly suspicious. Ganesha grinned.
“Sure. I’ve been attacked by a demon before, you know? I received healing from the Yukline family. So, I know a little about their family business.”
Ganesha recalled those distant memories. In exchange for her life, she had paid her former fortune, which she had been working hard to accumulate for the better part of a decade. She was thankful she didn’t die thanks to them, of course, but she couldn’t like Decalane.
“Again, I am the leader of the Red Garnet Adventure Team, right? There is no information in this world that I do not know~?”
“…Yes. Right. I, Epherene, will ensure you don’t have to question my abilities.”
Epherene nodded with confidence.
“I believe it too. You’re the only disciple that Professor Deculein recognized.”
She was embarrassed by those words, pouting as she nodded.
“…Yes.”
* * *
“Your Majesty is waiting.”
I arrived at the Imperial Palace not in a good mood. It wasn’t just because of the ice cream I held in my hand.
“It is here.”
I was led to Sophien’s bedroom by Jolang. I glanced at him and grinned.
“You’re still alive, Jolang.”
“…It is thanks to Her Majesty.”
Jolang stepped back, and I politely opened the door.
“Deculein, head of Yukline, has come to Her Majesty’s call…”
There was nobody inside. There was, however, a snow globe. The glass was filled with transparent liquid and snow powder that lightly fell when shaken.
“…”
I was astonished as soon as I checked the item’s information.
──「Ancient Snow Globe」──
◆ Information
: A snowball made with great care by a believer in the Holy Age of the past.
: It can be said to be a small world with its ecosystem.
◆ Category
: Miracle ⊃ World
─────────
“Huh…”
It was the treasure of the century, suitable as a gift to the Emperor, and enough to spark Sophien’s curiosity. A miracle. I didn’t know who gifted it, however. I held the Snow Globe in my hand and looked within. There was someone inside. Only their vague shape was visible at first glance, but her hair was unmistakably red.
-Do not shake it.
Meoooow.
The cat ran up from behind, Munchkin. I sighed as I looked at her.
“Are you stuck in there?”
─Yes. If you shake it, I get dizzy. Keep it fixed.
“Are you okay with the possession magic in there?”
─The consumption of mana is quite large. Anyway, why are you so late? I waited a day. Come on in. Entry is possible by infusing it with your mana.
“…Yes.”
I put my right hand on the Snow Globe, clutching the ice cream bag in my left. Then, I infused mana into it.
Whooooong…
It felt as if my mana and soul were being transferred somewhere. Immediately after, when I opened my eyes, I was surrounded by a pure white space inside the Snow Globe.
“You came.”
The Emperor and Keiron stood a distance away. Sophien, in a fur hat and cape coat, trudged over. In this world of pure white, her red hair stood out even more.
“Give it.”
“Yes.”
I handed her the bag.
“…”
The Emperor simply stared at it. She frowned slightly, and after thinking a bit, looked up at me again.
“…”
Her eyes grew distant.
“At a time like this, I have a little trouble. No servant dares to eat food in front of me, and since I have been reluctant to eat too much, I have never eaten or seen any of this before, so I can only guess how to… do you eat this with your hands?”
She wanted me to teach her how to eat it.
“The ice cream I know is ice cream on a wooden stick.”
It wasn’t just plain ice cream, it was shaved ice topped with ice cream, so it was rather fancy.
“Open the lid, use a spoon to scoop the contents, and eat.”
“What about the spoon?”
“The spoon is attached to the lid.”
“…”
The Emperor did as I told her. Although her words and deeds were harsh, her manners were still as good as mine.
“By the way, Deculein. Where is this place?”
She asked while mixing the ice cream. I looked around the snowy field where nothing existed. At least until now.
“I think it’s an ancient bunker or prison.”
“You think?”
“…Are you questioning me?”
“There’s no way you would say something wrong, right? I was guessing that too.”
The Emperor grinned. Then, she ate a bite of her ice cream. Her languid eyes opened a bit wider.
“Hmm! It’s good!”
“Is that so?”
It couldn’t be bad. The mere ice cream was given the touch of Midas in four stages — that is, 4,000 mana.
“While I appreciate this, think about a way out of this place.”
Sophien focused on the ice cream. I first put my hands against the ground and started with Understanding. In an instant, 1,000 mana was consumed.
“…Ahem.”
I spat out blackish blood.
“Are you sick?”
“No. It’s rather because I’m too healthy.”
The relationship between blood and mana. If I used too much mana at once, my blood would burn and become what is known as dead blood. Wizards used their magic carefully to avoid this happening, but I didn’t have to. The blood regeneration of Iron Man was undeniably excellent, after all.
“Do you think you know something?”
“No. Your Majesty, have you found anything out?”
“I stayed here for about four days, but I didn’t find out much. This world looks so real. It’s just amazing.”
“Four days…”
I looked at the Emperor. I think I just heard something rather strange.
“Your Majesty. You possessed that cat and told me this. If so, when was that?”
“When? A day ago. You came too late.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“I ran over after hearing Your Majesty’s message. There was a slight delay, but not more than a few hours.”
“…”
Sophien paused for a moment, staring at me.
“Hmm. Was there a lag in my possessive magic?”
“No. Maybe…”
I looked up into the sky. There were only clouds, no sun.
“It must be a problem with this Snow Globe. Let’s find out step by step.”
Sophien grinned.
“Spending a strange time with you… for some reason, it reminds me of the past.”
I didn’t understand that. But when I turned around to ask, Sophien ignored me and focused on eating ice cream.