~Chapter 38~
“…Of course, I’d choose my own side.”
“Don’t say things like that. Try to judge it objectively.”
Did he not understand what I meant? I was trying to answer indirectly.
For some reason, talking with Abrelshud felt like a waste of time.
Maybe he had nothing else to do here, but I was here to figure out how to survive!
“How could I know that? I’ve never even seen you and my captain spar.”
“Ah, I see.”
I expected Abrelshud to push for an answer a few more times, but he gave up easily. Even though things went my way, I felt uneasy.
I guess I just didn’t know what he was thinking or what he might do. The only thing I really knew was why Conrad wanted to kill him.
From Conrad’s view, Abrelshud was a problem. But as a reader, I thought Abrelshud was a just and refreshing character.
Still, just as I didn’t know he looked like a delinquent, maybe there’s more I didn’t know about him.
“I’ll try to arrange a meeting soon.”
“A meeting?”
“Anyway.”
Abrelshud ignored my question and straightened up, walking closer.
Standing this close, he looked like a giant. I thought Yushen and Aydin were tall, but Abrelshud was even taller.
He stretched out his big hand, even bigger than my face.
“Give it.”
“Sorry?”
“What you’re hiding behind your back.”
No wonder Conrad tried to get rid of him. Abrelshud was sharp and quick to catch on.
When I hid the book behind my back, he noticed my eyes moving. He must have amazing eyesight.
That made it even more important to not let him see this book.
“Behind my back?”
“Give it here.”
“It’s nothing, really.”
“I don’t want to waste my strength.”
He really wasn’t someone I could deal with easily.
I shook my head, acting like it was no big deal.
Abrelshud let out a shallow sigh.
“I warned you.”
“Huh?”
Suddenly, my whole body froze up and I couldn’t move at all. He must have done something with holy power.
Abrelshud saw my shocked face, smirked, and snatched the book I was hiding.
I squeezed my eyes shut, afraid of what would happen next.
Was he going to interrogate me about why I was reading this book, or who I really was? But the room stayed quiet.
I opened my eyes just a bit to see Abrelshud staring at the book.
But… why was he holding a beginner’s magic book?
I was sure I’d been holding the black magic book…
He looked back and forth between me and the book, sounding suspicious.
“Is this the right book?”
“Sorry?”
“Is this the book you were reading?”
Even though the title had changed, I was sure it was the one I’d been holding—I hadn’t dropped it or picked up another.
I had no idea why the title changed.
I nodded my head.
Abrelshud crossed his arms and tilted his head.
“Tell me everything you read in this book.”
“…Can’t you read it yourself?”
“What?”
He gave a dry laugh at my question.
“You might not know this, but even though the cover looks fine, this book gives off an evil aura. So I asked, and you ask if I can’t read?”
Abrelshud spoke like a rapper, fast and sharp, and his face turned red with anger.
Was it really that insulting? The title was right there, so it was possible to misunderstand why he wanted to know the contents.
“Wow, never thought I’d be treated like I can’t read by someone so tiny.”
“Well, the title says it all, so when you asked me, I misunderstood.”
I purposely smiled innocently.
They say no one can get mad at a smiling face, and maybe it was true—Abrelshud only pouted, then tucked the book under his arm.
He looked like he was planning to take it away to investigate it himself.
I decided it was time to leave. With Abrelshud suspicious of me, I’d better stay away from the library for a few days.
“Then, I’ll be going…”
“Where do you think you’re going?”
Suddenly, he grabbed the back of my neck.
I made triangle eyes, trying to plead my case.
“You may not know, but as a low-level member, I have a lot of work to do!”
“That’s your problem. I’m not done talking with you yet.”
“Sorry, Your Excellency, but I’m really busy.”
“And I’m not busy?”
You don’t look busy at all… I bit my lip and held that back.
Abrelshud frowned, but then his face relaxed faster than I expected.
Then, he smiled slyly.
…Why was he smiling like that? It made me nervous.
“You’re that person, right?”
“Huh?”
“The new member who’s been spending time with the captain.”
Damn it. Why was his intuition always spot-on? Sometimes I wished he was wrong.
When I made a straight face, Abrelshud grinned even more, like he was playing a joke.
For a second, he looked just like Winter.
“No, I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
“No, I’m not.”
“Far as I know, you’re the only woman in Luche, and you said you were in Luche, right? That group’s all men.”
“….”
I had nothing to say.
Ugh, why are there no other women in Luche? Where did they all go?
There was no choice. I’d have to get through this with my best skill: shamelessness.
“…So what?”
“I was just curious who the woman was that the captain cares about so much.”
“Now that you’ve seen me, you’re done, right? I’ll be going.”
“Sure, see you soon.”
“I hope not.”
So that’s why he didn’t want to end the conversation—how childish.
I walked past Abrelshud with a cold face. This time, he didn’t stop me.
I really didn’t want to see that sly cardinal again, no matter what happened with the Day of Prayer.
When I got back to the office, I glanced over at Aydin, who was busy with work.
I had to tell him I got my memory back after meeting the person at the center of the case. But I couldn’t interrupt when he was so focused.
I couldn’t just skip my direct boss and report to Yushen, either.
“Letitia.”
“Yes, sir!”
Luckily, Aydin noticed my stares and called me over.
I said we needed Yushen in the meeting too.
Aydin seemed to understand what I wanted, so he quickly brought me to Yushen’s office.
But… even though I’d asked for this, it felt really awkward.
Yushen and Aydin seemed to be on better terms now, but I still felt strange being in the same room with Yushen.
Maybe I should have just told Aydin and asked him to pass along the message.
But it was too late now. Since I called the meeting, I couldn’t leave until it was over.
I faced the two pairs of eyes fixed on me and began to speak.
“…There’s going to be an incident before the Day of Prayer event starts.”
“What kind of incident?”
Unlike Aydin, Yushen didn’t realize this was about foresight and asked with wide eyes.
I was silent for a moment, then continued.
“A murder.”
Both of their faces grew dark.
Yushen went quiet, but Aydin asked,
“Who’s going to die?”
“Cardinal Abrelshud.”
“What? Who would do such a thing…?”
“The culprit is…”
I looked down, then up at Yushen.
“It’s someone else, but you’ll be blamed, Captain.”
They were both so shocked that neither spoke for a moment—especially Yushen.
That was because they shared a secret relationship no one else knew. I only knew about it because I’d read the original story: the two were like crocodile and bird, helping each other in secret.
After a long silence, Yushen finally spoke, his voice heavy.
“…On that day, I’ll have to change my plans and avoid meeting the cardinal as much as possible.”
If that could stop the incident, or at least keep him from being blamed, that would be good…
But could the world’s cause and effect really be changed that easily?
Like in other stories, this world probably had its own rules. Would they change so simply?
Plus, I knew there were things I couldn’t control.
What if Leana tries to interfere?
If that happened, the event would go just like in the original story. That would be really bad for me.
“So who is the real culprit?”
“Ah, well…”
I hesitated, stalling for time.
Thinking it over, I decided not to say who the culprit was. Because of the rules of this world, if I told them, something even worse might happen.
Not telling them was probably the limit of what this world would allow me to change.
Besides, I didn’t have real evidence—nothing that proved who the culprit was.
“I… can’t really see that far yet.”
“Can you find out before it happens?”
“I’ll try.”
After that, Yushen didn’t push me anymore.
I was glad I’d already told them I couldn’t see everything I wanted with my foresight.
“Um… Captain.”
Aydin spoke up, breaking the silence.
Both Yushen and I looked at him as he spoke, a little awkward.
“Shouldn’t we tell His Excellency about this?”
“About that…”
Yushen trailed off, glancing sideways. When our eyes met, I realized he was thinking the same thing as me.
Yushen knew the cardinal’s true personality, and so did I, after meeting him earlier.
“We can tell him later.”
“If we really need to, I’ll do it.”
For once, Yushen and I agreed.
Honestly, as long as Abrelshud didn’t fall into Conrad’s trap, he could handle any danger on his own.
So I didn’t think there was much to worry about.
If anything, I needed to worry about myself—if I broke the rules of this world, I had no idea what could happen.
Besides, I had no idea how many rules I had as someone who’d possessed a body in this world, so I had to be even more careful.
Anyway, after that, Yushen and Aydin started discussing what to do. The meeting ended with them planning how to handle things.
There was nothing I could do to help. This was my first time experiencing the Day of Prayer, and I’d never even seen the outdoor cathedral where it would be held.
All I could do was hope and pray that nothing bad would happen to Yushen.
