TCHB 32

Chapter 32

I wandered around here and there with Kiel.

We did some shooting, and even though we’d just eaten cake, we still bought snacks. Every time I tried to pay, he stopped me and paid himself. So I decided to think of him as my wallet for the entire day.

I felt a little guilty, but every time I tried to insist, he blocked me. What was I supposed to do?

Kiel even said he wanted to pay, to the point where he started setting all kinds of conditions, clearly eager to let me do everything I wanted.

They say people change when they’re about to die…
This was already the second time that thought crossed my mind. At this rate, something really might—

While I was walking along, lost in pointless thoughts, I heard footsteps approaching. Unlike earlier, when someone had been following at a distance, this time they were openly heading straight toward us.

Just as I sensed a gaze and prepared to strike the solar plexus to knock them out—

Suddenly, the Holy Sword’s voice echoed in my head.

—Oh, it’s Ventus! Ventus!

Ventus? Why is he here?

As Ventus came closer, our gazes met in midair. He strode straight up to me and opened his mouth.

“Why did you go out with him and leave me behind? …Is this a date?”

The tone was like a husband interrogating his cheating wife, and I let out a hollow laugh. A date, my foot. We just had dessert, ate a meal, and went shooting.

…Now that I thought about it, that did sound a bit strange.

“No.”

I shook my head quickly. Sure, we hit quite a few date-course staples, but we didn’t go to the opera or anything. And more importantly, I’m in the middle of revenge!

We’re strictly in a creditor–debtor wallet relationship, okay?!

“I was planning to go to a frilly, cutesy café that you probably wouldn’t like, so I didn’t bring you. I just happened to run into Kiel, and we ended up going together.”

The moment I looked at Ventus’s face, I knew. This guy was sulking because I hadn’t taken him along.

“Ventus, the world isn’t going to end just because I hang out with someone else, and it doesn’t mean I’m not your friend anymore, you know?”

And honestly, you’re way more comfortable than anyone else. If I were going out, who do you think I’d rather go with? Why are you so anxious? I whispered the last part quietly enough that only he could hear.

At my words, his lips twitched upward before he forced them back down. I could totally see him holding back a smile.

When I looked at him like he was pathetic, he pressed down on my head firmly. Annoyed after receiving this forced acupressure, I thrust my head upward, closing the distance between us.

In an instant, his face turned bright red. He covered it with his arm and stepped back.

What’s with him?

“Are you okay?”

“…I’m fine.”

When I looked away from Ventus, who was desperately hiding his face, I noticed Kiel standing there with a cold expression.

And what’s his problem now…?

—Shuri. You’re really clueless.

“Zngh hff. (Be quiet.)”

When I muttered through clenched teeth, the Holy Sword burst into laughter.

Me, clueless? Not at all, okay?

“Shuri. Is there anywhere else you want to go?”

Kiel deliberately grabbed my hand and interlaced his fingers with mine. Maybe because he wielded a sword so often, his hands were rougher than I’d expected.

Judging by his appearance, you’d never think he even touched a blade.

Feeling the warmth coming from him, I looked at Kiel—then turned my head at a gaze that felt like it was stabbing the back of my skull.

Ventus was staring at our interlaced hands with burning eyes, silently pressuring me. His face practically had the words Let go! written all over it.

Seeing how his face crumpled every time I touched Kiel, as if he thought his friend was being stolen away, I decided to tease him just a little more.

“Kiel, lean down a bit. You’ve got a flower petal in your hair.”

With my free hand, I gently tugged him closer and plucked the petal from his hair. I’d started this just to mess with Ventus, but there really had been a petal there.

I’d noticed it earlier and deliberately chosen not to say anything or remove it.

Ventus stormed over with a sulky expression and grabbed my wrist, pulling my hand down. Seeing how pouty he’d become, to the absolute limit, I burst out laughing.

I felt a little bad for Ventus, but teasing him was just too fun. To the point where I finally understood why he enjoyed teasing me so much.

“What’s so funny? Let’s just leave him behind.”

Should we?

Originally, I’d only come out for dessert, and I’d run into Kiel by coincidence. And honestly, I still wasn’t planning to forgive him so easily. Forgive might not be the right word, but whatever!

“Shuri. Can’t you come with me?”

Once again, I fell into a maze of indecision. Even if he’d done it of his own will, he had spent quite a bit of money because of me today.

I mean, I’m not—uh—that shameless. Even if I pretended not to care, it did bother me a little.

No matter how rich he is, it still felt like I was bleeding him dry…

“Then how about the three of us—”

…Yeah. Nope. I don’t like that either.

I couldn’t finish my sentence. The expressions I caught in that brief instant clearly said absolutely not. I knew there was no point in even suggesting it.

What should I do? Ah. I’ve got it.

While thinking for a moment, a fun idea came to mind.

There were two of them—I couldn’t discriminate. Let’s be fair! I grinned and asked,

“Do you hate the idea of the three of us hanging out together?”

I hesitated between speaking casually or formally because Kiel was here. The decision didn’t take long. Thankfully, I couldn’t detect any offense in his expression.

“Yeah.”

“Yep.”

“Hmm, I see.”

Smiling, I lightly clapped my hands. Ventus must have sensed something was wrong from how amused I looked, because he reached out toward me—but it was already too late. I took a light step back to avoid him and snapped my fingers.

“Then you two have fun together!”

Bye-bye.

In an instant, I teleported away, and they were no longer in sight. The looks on their faces when I disappeared were so utterly dumbfounded that I couldn’t help laughing.

Ah, this is fun. The Holy Sword seemed to agree, giggling right along with me.

“It should be around here…”

After moving into an alleyway, I looked around. The very end of this street led into a slum, and I was now near that area.

I won’t get pickpocketed, right? Even if I do, I can just take it back, so it’s not a big deal. It’s just annoying.

“Hey. Do you know where there’s a dead end covered in green moss?”

When I spoke to a young boy wearing tattered clothes, he flinched. I understood his reaction.

My clothes didn’t exactly belong in this place.

“I’ll pay you if you guide me there. Is that okay?”

The boy shook his head—but then gestured at me with his hand. It meant follow me.

“Rel. Lie detection.”

I whispered very softly. Catching my voice, the Holy Sword activated its ability.

—It’s the truth!

That’s a relief.

When the boy stopped, I stopped too. In front of us was a dead end thickly covered in green moss. I’d arrived exactly where I needed to be.

As I approached to give him his reward, the boy flinched again. He was trembling just from me getting a little closer. My heart softened.

In the slums, no matter what happened or who did what, the country rarely cared.

Even if there were guards, they were useless. Even if nobles bribed them and dragged women away, they’d stay silent.

“How much should I give you? I’d like to give you a gold coin because I’m so grateful, but that would put you in danger.”

At the mention of a gold coin, the boy’s eyes widened before he lowered his head and fidgeted with his fingers. He looked only five or six years old, and he was painfully thin.

“…Three copper coins.”

“Isn’t that too little? Do you live alone?”

He nodded.

Oh dear. A headache surged in.

There were countless parentless children in the slums. This place was filthy, disease was rampant, and even the food ingredients were questionable.

“Are there a lot of kids here who live alone like you?”

Instead of answering, he nodded again.

…Should I build an orphanage?

I’m no saint, but I’m not heartless enough to ignore children like this. At the very least, I wanted to do what I could.

Money wasn’t an issue. If I could just secure some land…

While seriously thinking this over, I remembered the boy standing in front of me and took some money from my pocket.

“Three silver coins. Don’t let anyone see, and take them carefully. Will you buy something tasty and share it with the other kids?”

“…Is that really okay?”

“Of course. And I’ll come back next time. I’ll bring you something delicious then.”

I smiled warmly.

After hesitating, the boy bowed deeply and ran off.

The surroundings grew quiet, with no presence to be felt. It seemed there was no one passing through this area.

“Neupho.”

I spoke the spell and walked toward the wall. As I passed through it naturally, bright light poured in—completely different from the pitch-dark slums.

I had arrived at the Mage Tower, commonly called the Magic Tower.

From the beginning, mages rarely interacted with non-mages, so they tended to live clustered together like this. Besides, mages were usually obsessed with a single field, which made socializing with non-mages awkward.

Using magic, I naturally altered my appearance. This time, I specifically changed into Alena’s adult form.

The person I was about to meet didn’t know my current self, so I had no choice but to borrow my past appearance.

Looking around, nothing in the Magic Tower had changed. Mages lived long lives. It had only been about a hundred years since my death—of course nothing would have changed.

“Leonero.”

After teleporting to the third floor and using magic to enter a certain room, I saw a gentle-looking young man. Though appearances were deceiving—he was nearly two hundred years old.

His eyes widened when he saw me, as if something impossible stood before him.

Wait. Had he come to my funeral?

Then again, most mages cut themselves off from the world and devoted themselves to a single pursuit.

I’d assumed he wouldn’t know… but maybe not?

“Y-you—who are you?!”

Why is it that bad premonitions are never wrong? I sighed.

If I explained reincarnation from the start, would I get dissected? Yeah. Definitely dissected…

“Possession.”

“What?”

“It just… happened. Leonero.”

I waved my hand lazily up and down, and his pupils shook along with it.

He must be confused. Anyone would be, if someone they thought was dead suddenly appeared and said, I got possessed.

“What happened with Rinka? I left without seeing you two make up.”

Rinka was his wife. Coincidentally, they’d been fighting at the time, and he’d come to me for advice, lamenting about how it was their first real argument.

“…Tell me my achievements.”

“Youngest Archmage at eighteen. Once the top authority of the Magic Tower. Retired and ran a bookstore while dating. Escaped from here once long ago, and oh—got falsely accused of cheating, cried his eyes out while drunk—”

“That’s enough.”

He sealed my mouth with magic. My lips stuck together, and all I could make was muffled noises.

Ungh! Let me talk!

“You can undo it yourself, can’t you?”

Ah. Right.

Feeling stupid, I cleared my throat awkwardly.

While I was still embarrassed, Leonero spoke. He told me to explain everything. Putting everything else aside, I was practically forced to start explaining.

I summarized it as, “I died, reincarnated, and ended up possessing someone,” and promptly got smacked. Boohoo. So cruel.

In the end, he kept pressing for details, but I dodged the questions.

If he knew too much, it’d be troublesome for me, okay? Take a hint, Leonero!

“So the reason you came here is because you need materials on dark magic.”

Leonero stroked his chin. Given how dangerous the request was, his expression grew serious.

Gulp.

As I watched him in the stiffened atmosphere, he stood up. Using layered magic, he tightly locked the door and motioned for me to follow.

Huh? Is there some kind of secret archive? Why is he telling me to follow…?

“Here.”

“Whoa!”

He pressed a certain spot on a bookshelf marked with warnings, saying it was for private books only. A hidden door opened. When we went down, a library packed with books came into view.

Wow. So the bookstore was just a cover? And he even had a research lab upstairs.

When I narrowed my eyes at him, he turned his gaze away. I knew it meant let it go, so I decided to do just that.

Still, it felt a bit unfair. We’d known each other for ages, and he never mentioned this? I felt slightly hurt—but if I asked, he’d definitely reply, You never asked.

“These are all the books on dark magic. Even these were hard to obtain. Ah, and we’ll sign a confidentiality contract.”

“What? Is that really okay?”

“You’d trust me whether we signed it or not, but wouldn’t it feel better to have insurance?”

He seemed to remember how I’d been betrayed countless times on the battlefield. My chest tightened, and I suddenly pulled him into a hug.

“Thank you. Really.”

“Then later, just one strand of your hair—”

“Do you want to die?”

Seriously, he always ruins the mood.

Almost everything related to dark magic had been burned during the execution of the dark mage, so even his study had very little on the subject. After skimming through what I could, I left the Magic Tower—and Ventus appeared.

“Ventus?”

No external magic worked on the Magic Tower at all. Judging by his presence here, he must have been tracking me when his spell suddenly cut off.

Even dragon magic couldn’t break through spells layered by thousands of mages over thousands of years, huh. Well, it was ancient magic built up long before he was even born…

“Did you have fun?”

“Do I look like I did?”

“Y-yeah—no, wait! Sorry! But where’s Kiel?”

When I asked about Kiel’s whereabouts, his already frightening expression grew even more vicious.

“Let’s go.”

Before I could protest, the scenery changed. We were standing in front of the count’s mansion.

“…Ventus. Did you leave Kiel behind?”

“He’ll find his way home.”

Saying that, Ventus walked into the estate.

Is my conscience really okay with this? While reflecting on myself, I realized something.

My conscience had always been tiny since childhood.

Oh no! It feels like even the little conscience I had is gone now!

After some pointless internal flailing, I reached a quick conclusion and happily skipped inside.

We hadn’t even planned to meet today—it was Kiel who’d suddenly appeared. I decided not to worry about it.

Besides, my desire for revenge was still burning fiercely!