Chapter 44
The next morning.
I claimed I wasn't feeling well and shut myself in my room.
Then I left an illusion on the bed. This should make it look as if I were sleeping there.
I teleported to a city near the Empire's southern border, then from there to the Imperial Capital.
I arrived in the old man's hidden room.
A familiar face was there. The old man himself was nowhere to be seen. He was probably resting inside the book. Even as a spirit, he couldn't stay awake all the time. Without taking proper breaks, his mind would wear down.
"Welcome home."
"Sebas? How did you know I'd be coming back today?"
"I didn't. I merely waited here every day."
"Every day...? You're diligent."
"A butler cannot fulfill his duties without diligence."
With that, Sebas handed me Silver's mask and robe.
I asked Sebas about the situation while changing into Silver's clothes.
"How are things going?"
"The power struggle is proceeding smoothly. Linfia-dono has proven exceptionally capable."
"Good. Bringing her into the fold was the right choice."
"Indeed. However, Fiene-sama has been somewhat..."
"Did something happen to Fiene?"
Judging by the way he put it, nothing had happened to Fiene herself.
If something had happened to Fiene, Sebas wouldn't have been this calm.
As I tried to reassure myself, Sebas gave me his answer.
"At Linfia-dono's suggestion, we held talks with the representative of the demi-human merchants' guild. Apparently, Fiene-sama persuaded their representative at the time, but..."
"But...? I told you not to leave her side, didn't I? I trust Linfia, but it's too soon to place complete faith in her."
"My apologies. I thought having both Linfia-dono and me accompany her might make them wary."
"...Fine. So? How did Fiene persuade their representative?"
"Apparently, she offered herself as a bargaining chip. She offered them the right to use her as they pleased and asked what they could offer in return. In the end, they couldn't put forward anything of equal value and gave in, after which she easily secured their cooperation. Their demand was a perfectly ordinary one: they wanted permission to use Fiene-sama's name."
"Sigh..."
Honestly.
She really did reckless things.
I'd known she was the type to disregard her own well-being, but this was taking it too far.
I suppose she thought that if they offered something worthy of her in return, that would be fine.
"What a troublesome girl."
"And you have the nerve to say that?"
A faintly translucent little old man suddenly appeared as he said this.
My master and great-grandfather. My old man.
"What do you mean by that, Old Man?"
"You put your reputation second to everything else, too. In that regard, you're just like her, aren't you?"
"I'm fine. Being in that position makes it easier for me to act."
"That girl likely thinks much the same. That she's fine, and that this is better for her. It is always a sad thing, Sebas, when children cannot be children."
"Quite so."
The two old men sighed in unison, lamenting.
I felt rather uncomfortable.
They were making it sound as though I was the one at fault. Give me a break.
"If a certain someone had changed the tradition of the succession struggle while he was Emperor, I could have stayed a child forever, you know."
"If wise emperors were born every time, I'd have abolished it. But such a thing is impossible. That is why there is a struggle for the throne: so that even someone unfit to be emperor can still do a passable job. It is rare for a group of exceptional people to gather."
What a self-serving rationale they were imposing on me.
My pent-up dissatisfaction threatened to erupt, but there was no point in letting it out, so I said nothing and headed for the door.
"Al."
"What?"
"Do not blame that girl. You understand, don't you?"
"...I know. You didn't need to tell me."
I had no right to blame her.
Thinking that, I used an illusion to erase my appearance and left the room.
■■■
Leo's room.
Even when Leo and I are away, this is still Fiene and the others' base.
I stood there waiting for Fiene.
Fiene eventually returned with Linfia, presumably after finishing her discussions with her supporters.
"?! S-Silver-sama!?"
"Silver..."
"Good day, Fiene-jou. I need to speak with you."
"Y-yes..."
I shifted my gaze to Linfia.
Linfia obviously intended to hear what I had to say as well, but that wouldn't do.
"Could you step outside, adventurer I met in the Duchy of Kleinert?"
"I'm honored you remember me. However, I'm this person's bodyguard now."
"I want to speak with her alone. Please give us some time."
"...I don't mean to be suspicious, but I can't simply say yes and leave. Please forgive me."
Linfia's refusal to budge was very reassuring.
If she had backed down so easily, I wouldn't have entrusted Fiene to her. But right now, she was in the way.
As I thought that, Sebas threw me a lifeline.
"I will stand guard. Please don't worry; I will not interfere."
"...Very well."
"Then, Linfia-dono, would you wait in the next room?"
"...If that's what Sebas says."
With that, Linfia finally left the room.
Once he confirmed that Linfia had indeed left, Sebas moved to the adjoining room.
At last, we were alone.
"Welcome home. Since you've come here, did something happen over there?"
"A lot, but... we'll discuss that later."
"? Later?"
Fiene tilted her head in puzzlement.
She couldn't imagine I had anything else to discuss with her.
That was because she placed herself very low on her list of priorities.
"...I heard you met with the representative of the demi-human merchants' guild."
"Yes! We reached a successful agreement! The representative was a good person, too."
With that, Fiene smiled brightly.
It hurt to see that smile.
I knew why it hurt. It was like looking at myself in a warped mirror.
I had no regrets about anything I'd done up to that point. It had been necessary, and I would continue to do it.
But realizing that I'd made the people around me feel this way filled me with guilt.
"...Fiene, I know I'm not one to talk. You may resent me for it, but I want you to hear me out."
"Yes?"
"I want you to take better care of yourself."
It was the height of hypocrisy. How many times had Leo told me the same thing? But I'd chosen to be there. Unlike Fiene, I hadn't been working hard to push myself down my own list of priorities.
I could easily imagine how she would react to what I was about to say.
But I still had to say it.
Even though it was painful, I continued.
"It pains me to see you disregard your own well-being, Fiene. I know you're trying to be useful to me. But you don't have to go that far."
"...B-but... I... I haven't been of any use to you, Al-sama..."
Fiene murmured, looking ready to cry.
Seeing her like that, I regretted it. I'd been inconsiderate. Because she never complained or voiced her concerns, I'd simply assumed she was fine.
Fiene had never left the ducal territory before. She must have felt terribly alone after coming to the Imperial Capital. Even so, she had desperately tried to be useful.
And I hadn't done anything to support her. How many times had I taken her out? Had I given her a chance to unwind?
All I'd thought about was the struggle for the throne. To be honest, I probably hadn't had much leeway myself.
Mother's words came back to me.
You always push yourself too hard. That was what Mother had said when we parted.
I'd brushed it off at the time, but perhaps I really had been pushing myself too hard.
I hadn't had time to rest, but I should have made some.
If this warped situation had continued indefinitely, I might have lost Fiene.
"Fiene... You're special."
Saying that, I removed the silver mask.
Only Sebas and Fiene had ever seen me remove it like this.
Sebas had known from the very beginning. That meant Fiene was the only other person who knew my true identity.
"Al-sama..."
"You're the only person besides Sebas to whom I can show both faces like this. Sebas is my guardian, and he's like a parent who's always been by my side. So... you're the first person outside my family. And from the moment you learned this secret, you stopped being a stranger. If Leo is my one and only brother, then you're the one and only person who shares this secret with me. There's no substitute for you. As long as you stay by my side, that's enough. Just having someone to share this secret with makes things so much easier..."
That's right. It was easier.
Perhaps I'd been relying on her.
Thinking that made my guilt grow even heavier.
"I-I... I'm not that special... I'm not amazing like you or Leo-sama... B-but I know your secret, Al-sama, so... I have to be useful to you..."
"You always help me. Thank you. I'm sorry—I should have thanked you sooner."
Being needed brings people joy.
Yet I had never conveyed that to Fiene. That's why she'd been anxious. The mere fact that she knew my secret had put pressure on her.
So she'd kept moving herself lower and lower on her list of priorities, putting the interests of our faction first.
Because it made me happy, I suppose.
How pathetic of me. I hated this side of my personality in moments like this.
At my words, tears spilled from Fiene's eyes. They kept flowing, and she covered her face with both hands and began to sob.
Fiene was still only a sixteen-year-old girl. Even if she'd wanted it herself, I had taken her away from her territory and involved her in a succession struggle where assassins might strike.
I had a duty to support her emotionally.
"Please forgive me. I was stretched thin myself."
"H-hic! Hic! It's... not... hic... Al-sama's... fault..."
"Then it's both our fault. Shall we both reflect on what we did?"
Saying that, I gently stroked Fiene's hair.
Fiene was the one and only person who shared my secret.
We could share our regrets and joys, too.
I continued stroking her hair until she calmed down.
And then.
"...I'm... all right now..."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes... I'm all right."
Saying that, Fiene looked straight at me with her reddened eyes.
Her eyes were pure yet strong. They held firm resolve.
"Please tell me... what's happening in the south. Let me help."
"Yes. I'm counting on you."
With that, I began telling her everything that had happened in the south, without holding anything back.
That the Sea Dragon would probably make a move soon; that someone in the Empire was trying to intervene in the crisis in the south; and that I had to stop them.
"That's about it. There is only one person who would scheme to intervene by mobilizing the military. If that person fails, that's fine by me, but I feel sorry for the soldiers who would be sacrificed on the front lines. Ideally, the Empire's intervention would be kept to a minimum, and I would subjugate the Sea Dragon."
"Yes. I agree. And... I have an idea for how we can save the south while minimizing the Empire's intervention..."
"What a coincidence. I have an idea too. The problem is whether I can persuade the key person involved, but I can't leave here. Could I count on you?"
"Leave it to me. I'll persuade them."
At my request, Fiene gave me a gentle smile and gave me a graceful bow.