TVMF 19

Chapter: 19

“I just want to survive.”

That fragile voice, that melancholic face bathed in pale moonlight—it wouldn’t leave my mind.

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on such thoughts. Elios pushed them aside and focused on the report.

“What’s the matter?”

“The Duchess of Velas secretly procured an extremely potent poison. Judging by the fact that it was then sent to the northern front by mail, it’s possible she intended to use it on her husband, the Duke.”

The mage recited the information that Elios had instructed him to gather.

“And the Duke?”

“You needn’t worry about the Duke of Velas,” the mage replied.

“He eats the same meals as his soldiers at the garrison, so there’s no opportunity for anyone to poison his food separately.”

“Good.”

“And…”

“What is it?”

“…we have confirmed cooperation between the First Prince and ‘Ouroboros.’”

The Ouroboros—the snake biting its own tail.

In the Tower of Magic, it was a euphemism for a secretive group conspiring to bring about the annihilation of the world.

“I just want to survive.”

Even for the sake of ensuring the survival of her—who would be so absorbed in clearing quests—the investigation into Ouroboros was a necessary step.

“Very well. Let’s go immediately.”

Elios rose from his chair, and the look in his eyes was far too cold for a boy his age.

It was like staring at a frozen sun.

After sending Erden back home, Adrian and I returned to the Velas estate.

We had brought items that could help restore the butler’s memory, so now it was time to put them to use.

“Oh my, isn’t this the young master and young lady who came yesterday?”

Unlike the first day when he had been inside, today the butler was outside in the laundry yard, hanging a mountain of freshly washed clothes.

Surely there must have been other servants in the laundry room, yet he was handling all this alone…

‘Even here, the other servants must be ignoring him.’

“….”

Adrian furrowed his brow, clearly thinking the same thing.

“Butler,”

He opened the package he had bought at the market and presented it.

It was a luxurious perfume in a black bottle—something the butler used daily, according to memory.

“This…?”

The butler, who had just wiped his hands on his apron, took the perfume.

A crack appeared in the otherwise serene face of the old gentleman.

“Th-this is perfume… I, who get my hands wet every day, am not worthy of such a precious thing.”

“Try spraying it.”

I carefully took the bottle and sprayed the perfume onto the butler’s hesitant wrist.

A rich, warm scent rose.

“….”

The butler fell silent, unable to speak.

Some emotion seemed to swell within him, and his expression became more vivid than I had ever seen.

This is it.

Instead of asking whether anything came to mind, I steadied my voice and prepared to sing the usual song.

“Wait, Rosha.”

“?”

“Don’t do it.”

Adrian stopped me surprisingly gently.

Huh?

And then what happened next was astonishing.

Adrian began to sing.

The exact same lullaby I had sung so terribly before.

The melody was the same, but everything else was different.

Pitch perfect, rhythm precise.

Not overly ornate, but Adrian’s voice was astonishingly clear and pure.

Hearing a lullaby sung in such a voice was strangely moving.

And…

The butler could not take his eyes off Adrian as he sang.

Eventually, a single tear rolled down the butler’s brown cheek.

“Oh, what is this…?”

Rough hands, hardened from detergent, wiped away the tear.

“Why does smelling this fragrance and hearing the young master’s song stir such a sorrowful feeling?”

For a long time, the butler continued wiping his tears, looking confused, as if he didn’t understand why he was crying.

This seemed to affect Adrian as well.

Even on Adrian’s usually stoic face, there were tears like I had never seen before.

“…Does anything come to mind?”

He asked in frustration, but the butler shook his head.

I pleaded desperately as well.

“Think hard. Please.”

But perhaps perfume and lullaby weren’t enough.

Could one forcibly recall memories that had been erased long ago?

That day, until the sun dipped below the horizon, the butler never regained a single memory.

“Utel.”

Finally, in front of the carriage that would take me away, Adrian whispered.

“I know you’ve worked hard in many ways.”

“….”

“But this also makes it more certain.”

“….”

“That the Duchess and her minions have deceived the Velas family beyond repair.”

I could only remain silent, my face grave.

Because Adrian’s words were true.

“They must pay with their lives. Not the petty, ‘just’ punishment you were thinking of.”

“Adrian.”

No.

This is all going to fall apart.

If I can’t restore the butler’s memory and can’t prevent Adrian from succumbing to darkness,

All quests will fail, and all that lies ahead is a bad ending.

“Please…”

Without realizing it, I grabbed Adrian’s sleeve and clung to him.

When our eyes met, surprisingly, Adrian didn’t immediately push me away.

“Don’t worry.”

His gentle hand slowly released mine.

The boy whispered softly.

“For now, I’ll go along with your plan. And I’ll attend that ridiculous party you’ve planned.”

I shook my head.

Even without using the “Best Actress” skill, tears fell freely.

“Adrian, please…”

He helped me into the carriage.

His blue eyes swept over the tear stains on my dress and my wet eyes.

Then, for the first time, his usually emotionless gaze flickered gently.

“Crying won’t help.”

“….”

“See you at the banquet, Rohesia.”

Adrian smiled.

A smile very much like the one I had seen in my dreams of the grown-up version of him.

Once the carriage doors closed, I buried my face in my hands.

“Why did it turn out like this?”

I had done everything the system instructed.

And yet, everything suddenly collapsed.

What about everything I’ve built so far?

Is there no way to fix this?

“Administrator.”

Why was the administrator completely silent when things had gotten this bad?

Everything was confusing.

“I failed the quest. What now, you idiot?”

I’m the only one who can save this world.

You want this world to be safe, don’t you? Then shouldn’t you have appeared by now to help?

“…So if I can’t save the world, the administrator has no more use for me?”

A sad thought I’d had before crept back into my mind.

“Or maybe, it wasn’t something only I could do?”

If I fail, could they just bring in someone smarter, someone better at clearing quests?

Then I’d be abandoned by the system?

“There is only one chance. For you, and for me.”

“Liar!”

Bang.

In my hasty panic, I instinctively punched the front seat of the carriage.

A sharp pain shot through the back of my hand.

“Miss, are you all right?”

The driver shouted, startled by the noise.

“N-no!”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes!”

Only after checking on me several times did the carriage start moving again.

I stared at the still-throbbing back of my hand.

Seeing the red, raw wound, I thought:

Yes.

It’s not over yet.

I am still alive, and there’s still time.

“Status screen, Adrian Velas.”

-Beep.

[Status Screen – Adrian J. Velas]

Bound Beast
Status: Latent Anger
Charm B
Fame B
Affinity -1
Sociability 25
Darkness Rate ?

The system offered no additional help, but it was still functioning.

[SYSTEM: Use 1 coin to check Darkness Rate?]

[Yes]

[Adrian’s Darkness Rate: 78]

The number needed to reduce his Darkness Rate to 70 was 8.

Although things hadn’t gone as planned, there were still two days left.

Maybe it just takes time for memories to return?

Adrian and I might have been too hasty.

The perfume was still with the butler, and I had memorized the lullaby.

I’ll visit the butler one more time.

And the banquet…

At the very least, I had to prevent Adrian from losing control and killing everyone.

Even if it meant hitting him on the back of the head to knock him out.

Morning.

I dressed in a prettier dress than usual for the banquet.

Then I packed one last item.

A hypnosis orb.

If the lullaby didn’t work on the butler, this would be my last attempt.

After all, in detective stories, hypnosis is often used to recover a witness’s memory.

It could also be useful if I needed to knock out Adrian in an emergency.

I carefully hid the orb under my dress, and just as I was about to step outside, someone appeared.

My father.

“Rosha.”

“Father.”

I felt a pang of guilt.

Of course—it was because I had taken the hypnosis orb without the head of the household’s permission.

“Already on your way to the Velas estate?”

“Yes.”

I smiled brightly on purpose, as much as I felt guilty.

“I’m a friend of the Duchess, after all. I should go early and help her.”

“Oh my. Going early probably won’t help the Duchess much.”

My father’s response was measured and adult-like.

Of course, Melisandre had invited the Utel family to the banquet according to my plan, which involved inviting all the major noble families and even royalty.

“I still want to go early and meet Adrian.”

The Utel family were scholars and recluses.

They didn’t usually appear at social events, but this time was an exception.

Since I would be attending, both my father and Erden would also come to the Velas estate once the banquet began.

My father looked at me sternly, then sighed.

He seemed used to my stubbornness when it came to matters involving the Velas family.

“Rosha.”

He sat at my level and spoke with a calm expression.