Chapter 220: Emperor’s Assassination (2)
I visited the Imperial Palace with Epherene. The air hung heavy and dark over the halls.
Stomp- Stomp-
As I was walked down the hallways, certain gazes caught my eye. Those were the eyes of people who heard the news.
“…Please wait here for a moment.”
Ahan led us to the reception room with two chairs.
“I will be back soon.”
Ahan left. Epherene sat down and wiggled her fingers with an anxious look. I sat quietly beside her.
“…”
“…”
We waited in silence. Epherene coughed. Then, there was the sound of a ringing watch before the door opened again.
“…Professor Deculein. Disciple Epherene.”
Ahan’s expression was corpse pale.
“Yes, yes?”
Epherene responded with surprise, and I watched Ahan silently.
“From now on, I ask you not to leak anything I say. This was also Her Majesty’s order.”
“Okay.”
“Yes.”
Her complexion was ominous, but I wasn’t too concerned.
“Professor, and Epherene. Her Majesty has just…”
Sophien’s death was the destruction of the present world. If she were gone, the entire continent would be colored with a death variable. There was no death variable here now.
“She has passed away.”
…So that made it difficult to accept Ahan’s words. It was an impossible theory, utter nonsense.
“Her Majesty said that only you two should know about it.”
Ahan was now holding back tears. I leaned against the back of the chair and listened to Epherene’s trembling breath.
“So…”
Ahan swallowed her words. I continued in her stead.
“Be silent. Until the culprits are caught, and the Empire is stable.”
“…Yes. If someone from the outside asks, it will be enough to say that she’s in a stable condition. So, please spend some time here. If you go too early, they will think it strange.”
Ahan’s complexion changed again as she left the secret room. On the other hand, I pondered for a moment.
“…”
Sophien’s death. I’ve never really imagined it. At least, I never thought of living after she died. Even now, I couldn’t tell if it was Ahan’s lie or Sophien’s acting. Maybe I was in shock.
Of course, Sophien could die more than once in the main quest. However, each time the player had a game over, they would start over from the save point, and Sophien would be, of course, alive. Therefore, a world without Sophien would be impossible.
“…Professor.”
Then Epherene called me. I looked at her, who had been acting strange since yesterday. Her face was dark, and her fingers wiggling like octopus legs bothered me.
“Um… in fact, I came from two months in the future.”
* * *
Epherene told Deculein everything. She said that she returned to the present day on April 9th and that Murkan called this the Altar’s declaration of war.
“…A declaration of war.”
“Yes!”
She stuttered at first because she wasn’t confident, but she raised her voice when Deculein began to listen seriously. She squeezed out the words syllable by syllable.
“And he said that the Altar had borrowed the power of the demons to assassinate Her Majesty the Emperor!”
Deculein nodded. Epherene asked quickly.
“Do you believe me?”
Deculein replied indifferently.
“I do.”
“…Really?”
“Then, was that a lie?”
“No! It’s not a lie.”
“So I believe.”
“…Oh.”
Epherene scratched her cheek as what Deculein said next embarrassed her further.
“I will always trust you.”
“…”
He didn’t have to go that far. Epherene pouted her lips and muttered.
“Let’s go.”
Deculein glanced at his wristwatch and stood. Epherene, who looked at him blankly for a moment, also stood belatedly.
“Yes!”
“Just stick with me and follow. There are too many outsiders in the Imperial Palace now.”
Deculein took the lead, Epherene followed him vigorously from behind. Upright waist, legs striding forward, lips pressed in a line. Anyway, Epherene was serious, but when the servants and knights lined up in the corridors of the Imperial Palace rushed at them, she withdrew.
“Professor! Her Majesty, how is Her Majesty?”
“Her Majesty is resting. There will be no official remarks until the culprit is identified, so it would be best not to ask me.”
“Her Majesty is fine, right?!”
Deculein advanced, breaking through them all. However, Epherene was caught up in the crowd. One tall knight and the servants pushed her with their shoulders.
“Oh! I got hit in the chin, ouch…?”
Then, something grabbed her wrist, and a gloved hand dragged her through. Epherene, staggering forward, looked up at the owner of the long arm: Deculein.
“…Uh.”
“Don’t get pushed around. You might get hit with a sword.”
“A-a sword?”
“The assassin may still be in here. Either he didn’t run, or he couldn’t.”
Speaking harshly, he grabbed her wrist and walked her so as not to get lost. If a servant or a knight rushed to them, he pushed them away or threatened them with his eyes.
“…”
Epherene looked at her wrist. His large hand fully covered her thin wrist. Raising her eyes a little more, she saw his wide back. At this moment, for some reason, time seemed to have slowed down.
“Let’s leave.”
“Eh?”
When she came back to her senses, she was in the car.
“Yes.”
Ren sat in the driver’s seat, stepped on the accelerator. The car glided off with a start.
“…Whew.”
Epherene calmed down a little then, and she clapped her two oddly heated cheeks.
“Yes. Then. What shall we do now?”
She asked urgently. Deculein answered while putting silence over the car.
“You must know the conditions of your regression.”
“Conditions for the regression?”
“Regression is not your strength. Someone else’s power is only temporarily instilled in you due to their actions. Therefore, the operation is incomplete.”
That power must be Sophien’s. However, for some reason, her regression was temporarily transferred to Epherene, and the Altar took advantage of that opening to kill Sophien.
“…If you will surely regress on April 9th.”
Sophien wasn’t an easygoing person. Rather, she was the key factor to watch out for the most, either the player or the Altar. That was probably why the Altar hadn’t messed with Sophien yet. If they killed her prematurely and she regressed, they’d give her clues about them for free.
“Or if there are other specific conditions.”
“…Yes.”
“With that, you can bring Her Majesty back to life.”
Epherene nodded resolutely.
“But the Altar is dangerous and strong enough to harm Her Majesty, so you will need another person to help you.”
Deculein thought for a moment. Then, the car rattled. Epherene shuddered and glanced over to the driver’s seat, blinking. It was a tremor that never usually happened in Ren’s car.
“…Julie.”
He said the name. Epherene’s eyes widened.
“Julie, the knight?”
“Julie is the most sincere person on the continent. You just have to trust Julie, but if she doesn’t want to believe you, there’s a bracelet in my office drawer. Take it with you.”
“Bracelet… what bracelet?”
“It’s a gift Julie received from her father.”
“Aha…”
Epherene, who was quietly listening to him, suddenly realized that the conversation had turned a bit strange. Deculein assumed that she, that is, Epherene, would do it. Epherene should ask Julie for help, and Epherene should save Her Majesty.
‘Why me alone? Can’t he go with me?’
“Don’t worry.”
‘Did he read my thoughts?’
“I won’t dump it all on you.”
Deculein gave her a soft smile.
“You are still young to bear this alone.”
Then he put his hand on the back of her neck. Epherene was startled by the sudden action. Her whole body stiffened.
“…It will be only a moment, Epherene.”
Like a scene from some melodrama, his voice permeated the car in a whisper.
“You might be lonely for a while.”
The car rattled badly. Deculein held Epherene tightly so that she wouldn’t be shaken by the reckless driving.
“But I promise.”
Epherene still didn’t know what he was talking about. Even the very basic meaning of the words proved difficult to understand when his face was so close. She couldn’t even hear him.
Gulp-
“Even if it’s late.”
Deculain stretched out his other arm. One of his hands still rested on the back of her neck, and the other passed over her chest and grabbed the car’s doorknob.
“I will follow your time.”
Click-
The car door opened, letting the wind inside. At last, Epherene realized his intention.
“I will overcome this regression.”
What Deculein placed while stroking the back of her neck was his wood steel.
“So… until then.”
What he wanted to do-
“Keep waiting.”
The wood steel caught on Epherene’s neck was triggered by Psychokinesis.
“W-wait, aaaahhh-!”
Epherene was thrown out of the car.
“Aaaahh—”
The wood steel, which had completely grabbed her robe, glided so steeply that she couldn’t resist, and the car’s path bent to the opposite side.
Whoosh…
Flying through the sky at incredible speed, Epherene watched the car moving away. Behind it, she perceived the energy of the assassin chasing Deculein. Someone’s silhouette was imprinted on her eyes.
“…A knight.”
She didn’t know their name. She didn’t know who it was. However, she was certain that it was a knight. The armor shimmered over the chest of the man covered by robes.
“Knight…”
Epherene fainted.
…When she awoke, she was in the secret room of the Imperial Palace. When she regained her consciousness, the knight Delric and Ahan were the first to approach and tell her the news.
Professor Deculein was dead.
* * *
Dark rain dripped down the window and spread like a spider’s web. It was raining. But why was this rain so dirty? After staring blankly for a while, Epherene went to sit down on the couch again.
“…”
Tick-tock-
She was in the secret room in the Imperial Palace. With Ahan’s advice, Epherene was waiting for the time to reach April 9th.
Please, as soon as possible.
“…She cried like a beast.”
Then, Delric cut through the silence. He went to Deculein’s funeral today. Epherene asked cautiously.
“You mean Miss… Yeriel?”
“Yes.”
Epherene couldn’t even attend the funeral. Leaving the palace was too dangerous, but Yeriel. She didn’t think she would ever be able to see her face.
“I thought they had a bad relationship.”
Delric sighed and cupped his face. In his eyes, the image of Yeriel remained vivid. Her desperate look as she grabbed Deculein’s coffin, scraped her nails against the wood until they broke, and howled until she fainted. That scene, which he couldn’t have imagined with the usual Yeriel, still wore at Delric’s heart.
“…”
Epherene watched Delric.
Swoosh…
Outside the window, heavy rain continued to pour down with force to break the glass.
“…Whew.”
Epherene, listening quietly, clenched her teeth. Then, she took a deep breath as she made her decision.
“Um, Knight.”
“…Hmm?”
Delric turned to her.
“Please help me.”
“…”
Delric frowned, making a face as if to ask, ‘What kind of bullshit is that?’
“I have a place to go to.”
“A place to go? No, you must not leave. You and the Professor are the only ones who have seen Her Majesty’s critical condition. It’s clear that they are targeting you as well.”
“I have people to meet.”
“People, to meet? Huh! Even more so, then! How can you trust them?!”
Delric raised his voice.
“You can’t! If you want to go, you’ll have to knock me down first and leave.”
“…Pffft.”
At first, Epherene was suspicious of this Delric. However, as she spent a week with him in the Imperial Palace, she realized quite naturally that he was a serious person, at least when it came to Deculein.
“I know. I know, but…”
The person Deculein said she could trust was Julie. And, the person who knew the clue she needed must be Julie. Epherene already knew, just before Her Majesty’s assassination, thirty knights visited the Imperial Palace. Plus, the one who slew Deculein was also a knight.
Julie was one of the thirty, and she would know all the other twenty-nine knights, so she had to meet her no matter what.
“It’s my teacher’s request.”
“…”
Then, Delric’s complexion changed. He asked seriously.
“…Is that true?”
“Yes. That’s why I have to visit the Professor’s house.”
“…”
Delric bit his lower lip and pondered, but it was only for a moment. He placed his hand on the medallion over his chest, grabbed the sword around his waist, and nodded confidently.
“Okay. If it’s the Professor’s request.”
“Yes. Thank you. Then, hmm. How should I go?”
Epherene, thinking of a plan, looked out the window. And…
“Ugh-!”
She was so surprised that spit came out.
—…
Outside the window of the Imperial Palace, Sylvia, her body soaked by the rain, stood like a ghost.