(EP-272.2) #4

272 – Reconciliation #4

“I believe it is Solomon’s curse. Theo Gospel, you might not escape its clutches either. After all, it is the disease that resides within you.”

“But I don’t have any of those symptoms?”

“You might, or you might not.”

That sounded unsettling…

As I was trying to recall whether I’d had any hallucinations or heard any voices recently, I started to hear noises coming from all around. The clatter of armor and the loud conversations of people.

━There, I think they went that way!

━Is it the training ground? There’s someone standing there!

They must be coming toward us. Just as I started to get a headache from thinking about how to deal with the mess that just happened, the man said.

“Are you confident?”

‘Confident.’

At Reinhardt’s serious question, I remained silent for a moment. But there was no need to think it over—my answer would always be the same.

“I’m confident. If I weren’t, I wouldn’t have even tried.”

For me, there was only one button to press: forward.

I’d keep moving toward my goal, no matter what!

“I like your decisive answer. You were the same back then, too. When you said you’d get the Queen into Ark. You were confident, but I didn’t believe it.”

“But I succeeded. I will this time as well.”

“Once could be a coincidence. But twice is skill. Show me your skills, Theo Gospel…”

* * *

“Theo, how many times a day do you get into trouble?”

I had to stand before Aira and get scolded. Seated on her throne, she reprimanded me in a stern voice as I bowed my head before her.

“First, you refuse to be captured quietly, stirring up the entire city. And now, you’ve gone and caused a ruckus in the palace with Lord Reinhardt.”

“I… I’m sorry….”

As I lowered my head even further, Aira looked away, as if holding back the urge to say more. Her gaze shifted to the tall figure of Reinhardt.

“Lord Reinhardt, I’m disappointed in you as well. Not only did you fuss over that supposed nymph fever, but you also fought with Sir Theo.”

“……”

Reinhardt, standing beside me, remained silent as Aira, his niece, scolded him. If he were to open his mouth, it would be even more explosive than a bomb going off.

Because of this, I watched him anxiously, but he simply spoke in a quiet voice.

“When men have differing opinions, sometimes they clash like this. While the Court Mage, Sir Theo and I had a political disagreement, it was resolved.”

“Are you planning to settle every political disagreement with a fight from now on?”

“That’s…”

“Actually, that sounds fun. From now on, whenever opinions are evenly divided, we’ll settle it in the training grounds. The victor’s view will prevail~.”

“…….”

Reinhardt didn’t say anything, and only bowed his head slightly. Perhaps losing interest, Aira waved her hand dismissively.

“You may all leave now.”

Since no one was seriously injured or killed, the confrontation between Reinhardt and me was surprisingly overlooked and not treated as a major incident or problem.

Perhaps it was because of Aira’s lack of attention to detail that things were so haphazard.

“Sir Theo, don’t forget that I’ll be watching you.”

“Understood.”

After parting ways with Reinhardt, I headed to the quarters prepared for me in the palace. It had been an incredibly eventful day. I wanted to get some rest.

As I walked through the garden, something rustled nearby.

When I turned my head, I saw Elga’s blue eyes peering at me from behind the bushes, under the glowstone streetlight.

“What are you doing there?”

“I figured you might pass by here… I heard you had a fight with my father…?”

“I think the match went well. He should leave me alone for a while.”

“Hmm…”

Rustle, rustle.

Elga, who had been hiding behind the bushes, approached me. Her face was flushed with embarrassment as she hesitated, then finally, as if she couldn’t hold it in any longer, she closed her eyes tightly and blurted out the words she had been holding back all day.

“… I thought we had to burn your mana circuit…! But I knew if I told you the truth, you’d never do it. So I….”

“I know… Elga-nim’s thoughts. You were going to use the excuse of the nymph fever to capture me and extract my mana circuit, right?”

Elga flinched, as I had hit the nail on the head.

Then she shouted.

“B-But you’re going to live for 200 years…! I feel stupid for making such a fuss…! I thought you only had a year or two left…!”

“You could have given me a heads-up. Then I wouldn’t have ended up in a cell or had to go through those tests.”

“You didn’t tell me the truth either…. And if I told the truth, would you have followed me?”

That was a fair point. If I were in Elga’s position, I might have taken matters into my own hands too. In that way, Elga and I were similar.

“So, how about we call it even?”

“… Even?”

“Let’s just consider it as if nothing happened. Though, of course, it won’t really be like it never happened.”

“……”

“In any case, this incident helped me understand what the problem was. If you keep too many things hidden, they can come back as bigger issues later on.”

“That’s right.”

“If I had been honest from the start, you wouldn’t have had to go such lengths, Elga-nim.”

“Exactly…!”

Elga seemed to gain some confidence from my admission of fault, appearing rather triumphant. In truth, that was the reaction I had intended.

Since I was unsure what kind of trouble a depressed Elga might cause, I felt the need to emphasize my own faults more, to alleviate the heavy guilt weighing on her.

“So, I’m thinking of telling Lady Mirna the truth as well. What do you think, Elga-nim?”

“W-What?”

Elga looked utterly taken aback.

But I wasn’t done speaking yet.

“Of course, I’d like you to be there with me.”

“… Telling her the truth?”

“That way, something like this won’t happen again, right? Or is there a reason why I shouldn’t tell Lady Mirna the truth?”

“No, it’s not that…”

Elga hesitated.

Whether it was due to the things she had just said or because of the significant mistake she had made, she reluctantly nodded.

“… Ugh, I don’t know anymore. Whatever happens, happens, I guess…”

“That’s the spirit!”

[T/N: mana circuits and magic circuits seem to be used interchangeably by author]

Edited by: faker