novelraw Chapter 86 : Chapter 86
Chapter 86 : Chapter 86
Chapter 86: Delegation (3)
That bastard.
We had a conversation like that in my past life.
Back then, Elaine really enjoyed teasing me.
It was because she thought that the more she teased, the closer we would become.
Like a child who plays pranks on the one they like.
Pelatz had come as part of the delegation.
Gazdag. That family with a lot of gold was the centerpiece of this delegation.
But Ellen's attention was drawn to the name Pelatz, not Gazdag.
'She remembered the dream, not the delegation.'
It was proof that she was confusing reality and dreams.
It was a good sign. Most would worry about mental illness, but Ellen was an exception.
She needed to be more confused. Until she realized that the dream was another reality.
"My apologies. It seems our young lady hasn't sobered up yet. She's a drinker."
I pulled out a chair next to me and tapped it. Ellen sat down as if hypnotized.
Her daze was brief.
Ellen quickly came to her senses.
"Ah. I'm sorry. I'm not sober yet."
The Tunnel-Digger, Rick, seemed to have been helpful.
This wasn't the first time a character from the dream had appeared in reality.
"It's, it's all right."
In fact, it didn't matter whether she was drunk or not.
Pelatz was just a knight brought by Gazdag, and Ellen was the blood of Serzila that Gazdag had to win favor with.
No matter how Ellen acted, he was in a position where he just had to endure it.
"You were a knight of Iagar."
"Yes, that's correct."
Ellen's posture leaned forward slightly.
Her eyes were shining as if she had never been flustered.
"How long were you in Iagar?"
"Until three years ago... that is, until the year Young Master Harad turned eighteen."
"Then you wouldn't know what happened that day."
Pelatz's eyes widened.
His gaze turned to me. It was because Ellen had mentioned the day of the annihilation.
"It's fine. Swallowing it doesn't make it undone."
"Bu, but..."
"So you're lucky, Sir Pelatz."
I smiled brightly.
If Pelatz hadn't resigned from his knighthood in Iagar, he would have died with Iagar that day.
"...You've changed a lot, Young Master."
Pelatz's pupils trembled.
His face looked as if he were moved.
"I'm relieved. The rumor that the Young Master was a demon was indeed nonsense."
It was Harad who had turned the Iagar Inner Fortress into a sea of fire. In reality it was the Torch, but that's how it was known in the domain.
"You, did you actually believe that rumor?"
"O-of course not. How could the Young Master Harad be?"
Pelatz said, looking around.
The annex of Serzila, which stands against the Otherworld.
A place a mage could not enter.
This space was proving that I am not a mage.
"As expected of Sir Pelatz."
Pelatz's pupils, which had returned after scanning the annex, trembled again.
I gave him another bright smile.
In truth, my memory of Pelatz was faint.
He had resigned from his knighthood and left while I was in seclusion.
That was why I hadn't recognized him immediately when we met at the leather shop.
"You've truly changed a lot."
"I've grown a bit bigger."
"It certainly doesn't seem to be just your appearance."
"Is that so?"
"Yes. In the past..."
Pelatz's pupils rose.
He seemed to be reminiscing about the past.
"What was he like in the past?"
Ellen suddenly asked.
Her head was sticking out like a turtle's.
"It's fine."
I said to the flustered Pelatz.
"It's all thanks to this young lady that I'm staying as a guest of Serzila. So speak comfortably. Without adding or subtracting anything."
Pelatz let out a small sigh.
It was very shallow and short.
"...Young Master Harad was an introverted... no, a quiet person."
"He disliked going out?"
"Yes, yes. That's right."
I subtly lowered my gaze.
Pelatz's fingers were constantly moving. It was a careful movement.
"Was that his personality originally?"
"Not when he was very young. He was very bright and lively."
Ellen pried relentlessly.
She had a curious personality, but today she was particularly peculiar.
The questions came out so quickly, it was as if she had prepared them in advance.
'The thing she was hiding during the day was my information.'
No wonder Arika was working late every day.
Ellen had clearly requested information about me from Arika.
She must have finished reading the report while taking Shura.
It wasn't surprising.
The Elaine of the past life had also requested information about me from Arika. Of course, we had looked at it together then.
-Look, you. No. Just listen.
No, to be precise, Elaine had forced me to read it next to her.
-You were cute when you were young. Now you're so hideous.
-...
-Tsk, tsk. Oh dear. You shut yourself in your room for something like this?
-Are you insulting a child in the north?
-I'm insulting you.
-...Fuck.
Well, whatever.
There was nothing to be ashamed of. I was blameless.
-You were quite a loser.
-That's even more impressive. Do you think it's easy to hold back?
-Then why can't you hold back now?
-Back then, there wasn't a bastard nagging me from the side.
-Are you perhaps referring to me?
-Yes.
And the information Arika of the past life had brought back was not perfect.
'It will be the same this time.'
The survivors of the annihilation are extremely few.
Iagar is occupied by the Church.
It meant that only I accurately remembered the past.
-First murder at twenty. Not exactly early.
Looking back, it was a joke and also a consolation.
A crude consolation not to worry too much.
-It was at twelve. Not twenty.
-...Really?
-Really.
-Then why did the rumor spread when you were twenty?
-Huh?
Come to think of it, there was that question too.
* * *
Ellen's and Pelatz's voices spread quietly through the annex.
I listened silently. I also lightly patted the stiff shoulder of Kubel.
Kubel, understanding it as praise, smiled awkwardly.
It was a bit disappointing, but still not bad. Kubel, though nervous, did not reveal any weaknesses.
'Pelatz.'
The young me could not associate much with knights.
I was afraid of people, and knights were even scarier. They had the power to sever a young mage's neck in an instant.
Just as I knew little about him, what Pelatz knew was also limited.
What Pelatz knew must have been just things he had picked up from someone's gossip.
"What was he like during puberty? They say it can start as early as thirteen."
Not everyone goes through puberty just because they're in their growth period.
It was a developmental stage that I, who had been cooped up in my room, had not experienced.
"Did he not go out then either?"
"He did not. He just stayed in his room. He did come out occasionally, but it was always to see the Count."
As the questions and answers went back and forth, Pelatz seemed to be relaxing. The thick fingers that had been constantly wringing each other had at some point stopped moving.
"Then did anyone come to see Harad?"
"As far as I know, no one. The servants did visit occasionally, but... he did not see them."
Pelatz said, glancing at me.
"Until when was it like that?"
"He was like that until I left Iagar."
"He's a boring young master, no fun at all."
"Haha. He was loved by everyone in Iagar."
Pelatz even showed a smile.
It was a pleasant laugh. His voice was deep, not loud, and calm.
"I told you to speak without adding or subtracting."
I subtly interjected.
"Pardon?"
"The servant. Didn't I meet one once? In my room."
"Ah..."
Pelatz froze, his mouth open.
It was brief.
"Are you referring to the rumor that the Young Master killed a maid? The Young Master I know is not someone who would do that. He is certainly not a demon."
"Is that so."
"Yes. The demon is the vile mage bastard who attacked Iagar."
Pelatz added. His fingers were already moving.
"The Young Master's false accusation will be cleared soon. Not only do I know, but Serzila has also allowed the Young Master as a guest like this."
"Thank you for saying so."
Pelatz smiled, pointing at Ellen.
I smiled back.
"Enough about me, let's talk about you."
"Yes, yes."
Pelatz answered and turned his gaze.
Following its end, I saw a clock.
"...It's already so late. I'm sorry. I must go and report to the head of the family."
"Ah. You said you stopped by the leather shop to get a magical beast hide armor."
"Yes. I heard that in the north, magical beast hide is more efficient than armor. The head of the family is someone who follows any trend."
Pelatz said, lightly tapping his armor.
"The delegation leaves in five days, doesn't it?"
"That's correct. But these days, armor made of magical beast hide is popular in the central part of the Empire."
"I see. I didn't know that."
"It's understandable that the Young Master wouldn't know. Haven't you been only in the north for half a year already?"
"That's right. Now this place feels like my hometown."
"What are you saying? The Count would be disappointed."
"Disappointed. With whom, I wonder."
I muttered quietly.
The sound was very faint.
"Pardon?"
Pelatz asked again.
"It's nothing. Just talking to myself."
Seeing him in person, recalling memories, and having a conversation, the memories gradually came back.
"Come to think of it, you. You had a son, didn't you? I remember he was around my age."
"...Did you remember?"
"As you said earlier, I was interested in everyone around me."
I smiled brightly.
On the other hand, Pelatz was somewhat stiff.
"The golden Gazdag. A wealthy family. You won't have to worry about your old age. Your daughter's future will be bright too. So, what is Loque doing?"
Loque. At the mention of his son's name, the stiffness rose to his face.
"...Loque dreams of becoming a knight."
"A son who wants to follow his father's path. You must be proud."
"I, I have to go now. I'm sorry."
Pelatz got up.
"The rumor that I burned a person to death this year."
"...It was a false rumor."
"That's right. It was a false rumor."
Pelatz couldn't move.
His path was blocked by flames.
"I burned her to death when I was twelve."
"W-what are you saying..."
"You have very good ears."
The flames licked Pelatz's ear.
Sizzle. The earlobe stretched long.
"How did you know the deceased was a maid?"
"..."
"Even the Serzila Intelligence Bureau doesn't know her."
* * *
"Ah."
Ellen's mouth fell open.
Her pupils, having realized it belatedly, widened.
The Serzila Intelligence Bureau had not identified the victim's gender. They had just lumped them together as a servant.
In the dream, she was a maid. Lily. That young maid had died while wiping Harad's tears.
'Lily.'
I had mentioned the name of the maid from the dream.
The fact that the dream was true was not important right now.
The problem was that Pelatz knew a truth that only I knew.
"You're not that surprised, for a precious magic."
...And that he was surprised by the firepower of the magic, not the magic itself.
"At the time, I didn't feel anything strange. Because it's true. Whether rumors spread or not, it was my fault."
"..."
"But looking back later, it was strange. Why did the rumor suddenly spread eight years later?"
Ellen nodded.
It was a question she had had earlier.
"Why was that?"
I seemed to be certain that the person who had spread the rumor was Pelatz.
Ellen did not doubt that certainty.
For the past half year, my choices had never been wrong.
"Mi-mistake...!"
"Don't think I won't be able to find Loque."
Pelatz's eyes widened.
His eyes briefly flickered to Ellen.
Ellen gave a slight nod.
It was an expression that if I wanted, the Serzila Intelligence Bureau would find Pelatz's daughter.
"How her death... no."
How did he know of Lily's death?
That was a meaningless question.
Iagar was already annihilated.
"Why didn't you report it then?"
"...Loque. My son was also a mage."
In short, they were of the same kind.
Pelatz felt sympathy and kinship with Iagar, who had given birth to a mage.
"Is that all?"
"I judged that Iagar was the safest place."
Count Iagar had made great efforts to hide the fact that I am a mage.
Pelatz had wanted to ride on the coattails of such a Count.
"Then why did you leave?"
"...My son joined the Liberation Tower."
Pelatz wanted to live as close to his son as possible, and he needed money for his son.
Gazdag was one of the wealthiest families in the Empire.
"So?"
"...My son was ordered to make contact with a mage from the Otherworld."
It was an order similar to the one given to Isotta.
The Liberation Tower wanted to make contact with the Otherworld.
"There's a mage who always comes running to fire, and they said that mage is the biggest fish..."
"The Torch. You sold me out, for your son's achievement."
For his son, Pelatz had brought out an old memory. He had spread rumors and lured the Torch to Iagar.
He had created an opportunity for his son to make contact with the Torch.
"Now I understand a bit. If I were in the same position, I might have done the same. The more achievements he makes, the safer his son becomes."
I said, as if organizing my thoughts.
I seemed calmer than expected. The flickering flames even felt gentle.
Ellen found that surprising.
He had cursed Tyrell Aquins out of the blue.
"So, did your son make some achievements? It must have been a rare opportunity to find the Torch."
"..."
"Well. I'll know when I ask him myself."
I spoke as if I would go find Pelatz's son.
At that, Pelatz lifted his head.
"...I wasn't the only one."
"I know. There might have been others who knew besides you. My father was not good at hiding things. He was such an upright person."
Even without Pelatz, the rumor might have spread.
"I-I'll live in silence for the rest of my life."
"I'm sorry, I'm not alone."
I smiled faintly.
My gaze briefly lingered on Ellen. I was worried about Serzila's safety.
"I have a son! He's in the same situation as the Young Master."
"I'll tell Loque. That I killed you."
"...?"
"Because he shouldn't wander around, unable to find me, like I did."
The gently flowing fire melted the face of the wide-eyed Pelatz. It flowed into his armor, using his neck as a passage.