Chapter 93
"So the eight-star Talent Jewel really did exist..."
"Yes. Though I never saw it myself."
The count told me everything that had happened at the temple.
Ah... Of course the young lady thought Louis's death was her fault.
"The eight-star Talent Jewel was apparently needed to offer up a member of the Holy King's family—an innocent person who had not received a Talent Jewel. I don't know what they were meant to be offered up for, but according to the documents we have found so far, that Talent Jewel appears roughly once every one hundred to three hundred years. Every member of the Holy King's family who received that Talent Jewel disappeared without exception. They are believed to have departed for the 'Other World.'"
"Did His Majesty the Holy King give it to Louis-sama because he didn't want Kurvshrat-sama to die?"
"It would be hard to say that wasn't a factor."
This was ridiculous.
And it was even more ridiculous that the young lady was suffering over something like that.
"However, we cannot blame His Majesty the Holy King alone."
"What?! Why not?! You gave him what was essentially a poison with a high chance of killing him!"
"If Louis-sama hadn't volunteered, it was supposed to be given to Kurvshrat-sama. I hear His Majesty agonized over whether this was really the right thing to do until the day before the presentation ceremony, and even so, decided to give it to him."
"But!"
"Louis-sama apparently told His Majesty, 'Opportunities must be equal for everyone.' Anyone's heart would waver when confronted with such lofty, righteous words—that is what it means to be a parent."
"............"
I clenched both hands.
Was there really no other way? Why had things turned out like this?
If Young Louis had known he would die, would he have refused?—No. If he had merely been told that he would be going to the 'Other World,' he might have willingly accepted the Talent Jewel.
"The Holy King's family stands at the center of this country and wields tremendous power. At the same time, however, they accept the inhumane duties that come with it."
"...Was my achievement really protecting the life of Kurvshrat-sama, who had only just been saved?"
"Reiji-san."
At the count's reproachful tone, I brought my right fist down on my thigh.
"...Sorry. That was a shitty thing to say. Forget it."
Even I was always putting my own interests first—and I hadn't even told the young lady everything about what was going on. I couldn't go around pretending to be some paragon of virtue.
"No, I won't forget."
Although I was thoroughly disgusted with myself, the count said it with a perfectly serious expression, a faint smile even playing at his lips.
"I was glad that you finally showed me your human side. When I speak with you, I somehow find myself feeling as though you're not fourteen, but a full-grown adult. But apparently you do have a human side after all."
"...You're saying that?"
"They say the blood flowing through my veins is as cold as ice, so perhaps it would be unreasonable to expect such feelings from me. ...In any event, His Majesty the Holy King will not be punished, but many difficulties await him from here on."
"Difficulties?"
"One is the possibility that another eight-star Talent Jewel will appear before long. I only learned this myself, but while commoners give Talent Jewels to their children as early as possible, nobles apparently wait until the age of twelve in order to create a twelve-year period of 'innocence.' If they have another child during that time, all is well. If not, the child with that holy-water color must remain 'innocent' without using a Talent Jewel, under one pretext or another."
"So the presentation ceremony was something the other nobles were made to go along with?"
"It may have been a sort of camouflage... There are far too many secrets surrounding all of this. In any event, I don't know whether even El-san is unaware of what the eight-star Talent Jewel means, or whether its meaning is being concealed—but I don't know it myself, at least for now. When the eight-star Talent Jewel appears again, it must be given to the Third Holy Prince, Kurvshrat-sama's younger brother."
"I see..."
So the chain of sorrow would continue.
"The previous eight-star Talent Jewel appeared two hundred and fifty years ago, so there was no one left who knew that era. On top of that, it seems it took time to determine its meaning because no one could even read the writing."
"I wonder what meaning it could possibly have for this so-called 'Other World'..."
"...When you go to the Holy King's Palace, His Majesty may speak to you about that as well. He may also explain what this thing called the 'Pact' is."
The Pact.
That was the word the dragon had used, too, if I recalled correctly.
"There is one more major difficulty awaiting His Majesty the Holy King."
The count continued.
"You remember that giant snake, don't you? It destroyed a mansion in the Second Holy District. Did you know that?"
"Ah... yes. I went there. The Riviere family, wasn't it...?"
I think that's what Artur-sama had said.
"That's right. The problem was the man who died after being trapped beneath a collapsed wall at the Riviere family's estate."
"He was a victim... right? Why is that a problem?"
"He was a victim this time, but he was the perpetrator a month ago."
A month ago—you mean the 'Banquet of New Shoots and Deep Green'?
"That very man was the one who poisoned the sauce dish meant for Kurvshrat-sama."
Seeing my shock, the count went on.
"House Riviere, one of the Six Great Ducal Houses, may very well have plotted Kurvshrat-sama's assassination, and the dissolution of the Riviere ducal house is currently being debated. House Riviere is objecting and gathering the knights of its ducal house, creating an extremely tense situation—in short, a civil war could break out at any moment."
Should I go to the Holy King's Palace or not?
Count Slyries said, "I'm going to take a nap," and retreated to his room—essentially telling me, "If you're going to run, now's the time."
The count expected that the Holy King would not let me go now that I knew this much. At the same time, however, His Majesty felt indebted to me, so he would consider my escape unavoidable.
With all the turmoil that was likely to come—including the dissolution of one of the Six Great Ducal Houses—what benefit was there for me in staying here?
(An enormous sum of money in exchange for entering into contract magic, perhaps?)
I didn't need anything like that. All I needed was enough money to live on for the time being.
(And information about the 'Pact.')
I was interested in that information, but it wasn't absolutely necessary. In this world, too, only a 'tiny fraction' of the important people needed to know about it—I could remain one of the 'vast majority.' It was obvious that I would be dragged into trouble.
(In other words, there isn't a single benefit.)
On the other hand, the disadvantages were considerable. If I were forced to enter into contract magic and became unable to leave the Holy Capital, I would no longer be able to search for Lark and Lulusha-san. There was also a high chance that I would be made to deal with all sorts of troublesome matters connected to the Holy King in the future.
"...If I weigh the pros and cons, there's only one answer."
I left my room and went outside the mansion. I greeted the gatekeeper and told him, "I'm heading out to buy a few things."
I passed through the Second Holy District, the Third Holy District, and the Fourth Ward, eventually arriving at the Fifth Ward.
I had to ask for directions several times to reach my destination, but that was only natural in a world without smartphones or navigation apps. Most of the people I met were happy to point me in the right direction.
"Here it is."
Before me stood a four-story stone building. It was narrow and deep—the sort of architecture not often seen in this area. This was the Silver Citrus Inn, where the adventurer party "Silver Scales" stayed.
"They probably chose this place just because it has 'Silver' in the name."
When I opened the entrance door, whose colored glass depicted a wood-grain pattern, a bell rang with a cheerful clatter.