Chapter 51
- What the—Give Me Back My Good Kids (4)
Cassian, who had arrived late, asked.
“So—are you saying that Rasiel is the one behind this incident?”
“That’s right.”
Count Gale answered at once. Then, as if he’d been waiting for the chance, he began badmouthing Rasiel.
“That man—ever since he was studying black magic I knew he was trouble. He’s been hiding his whereabouts for three years, scheming things like this!”
“…Isn’t that an unconfirmed rumor?”
Astair’s objection didn’t faze Count Gale; he was convinced Rasiel was the mastermind.
Elsez, who had been listening quietly to that talk, finally spoke.
“Lord Rasiel—”
“Lord, my foot! That man is a traitor. He put innocent citizens of the Empire in danger and dared to impersonate His Royal Highness the Crown Prince—that’s a heinous criminal. Calling him ‘lord’!”
What an old fool.
Ignoring Count Gale’s furious objection to the honorific, Elsez deliberately used it and continued.
“How did you find out that the Lord of the Mage Tower was behind this?”
That was a sharp question that needed to be addressed.
Count Gale, glaring at Elsez for not yielding and for using the honorific, answered as if he’d been waiting for Elsez to ask.
“I personally interrogated Count Lort. Yesterday, while everyone else was away. You can even ask the jailer.”
Saying it like that, Count Gale straightened his neck proudly, clearly pleased with his accomplishment.
Astair, watching the situation with folded arms and a stiff expression, asked,
“What did Count Lort say?”
“He claimed the Lord of the Mage Tower threatened him. Said if he didn’t follow his orders, he’d blow the whole county apart. Honestly, it’s possible with that man’s power, isn’t it? He’s a monstrous person.”
Count Gale clicked his tongue, adding that he didn’t know how someone who once called himself a hero had fallen so low.
“For that reason, Count Lort asked for protection. He confessed everything, saying they wouldn’t leave him alone otherwise.”
“But three years ago the Lord of the Mage Tower saved this world from the Demon God. Someone who went through that wouldn’t have any reason to resurrect the Demon God, right?”
“That’s something we can’t know. Where he’s been these past three years, what wind changed him—no one knows. Suddenly being obsessed with black magic and wanting to destroy the world—how could we tell?”
Elsez wanted to refute him but couldn’t find a better argument, and bit his lip.
‘I can understand why the count suspects him.’
Rasiel had killed the previous Lord of the Mage Tower, abandoned the Empire, and had been missing for three years—he was a person to watch.
If Count Lort, who had met the masked man, pointed at Rasiel as the mastermind, it wasn’t hard for everyone to believe him.
Elsez looked at the three people who had been Rasiel’s companions and asked,
“You three were the Lord of the Mage Tower’s comrades. Is the Rasiel you know that kind of man?”
Elsez asked, hoping at least one of the three would vouch for him—
“He’s more than capable of that.”
Tezette’s merciless reply came first.
Whenever Rasiel was mentioned, the expression in Tezette’s usually vague eyes flared—no, it looked like bloodlust. This was the reaction one would expect from someone who’d been at odds with Rasiel from the start.
“Crazy bastard. Figured he’d cause trouble eventually, I did.”
Cassian clenched his fist, his face twisted.
He had always called Rasiel a “sullen fellow” and was distrustful of him; he seemed to believe Rasiel was behind this incident.
Astair, meanwhile, remained silent, lost in thought with a stern face. Whatever the case, he didn’t look like he trusted Rasiel either.
Elsez sighed inwardly as he watched them.
‘Rasiel—what’s with your trust rating…?’
After all, they had been comrades who’d fought back-to-back for ten years. Could trust fall this low?
But Elsez himself couldn’t get rid of his doubts.
‘That masked man we met—’
That look in his eyes. That voice. That hand.
It was Rasiel. Honestly, with all candor now, it was definitely him.
Elsez had only been avoiding and denying it because he didn’t want it to be true.
‘Even if the hair is a wig, changing the eye color with a magical item risks blindness… Why go that far?’
What on earth for?
Just then, Astair, who had been deep in thought, spoke.
“First, we should try to make contact with Rasiel. If he doesn’t respond—”
“No, there’s no need for that.”
Count Gale interrupted Astair’s words and butted in.
“You are that man’s old comrade, aren’t you?”
At the clear subtext of those words, Astair’s fine brow narrowed.
“…Are you insinuating that I’m in league with Rasiel? That I, a Cardinal, collaborated in resurrecting the Demon God?”
“Of course I don’t think your Eminence, so pure and upright a Cardinal, would join hands with such an atrocity. But there are appearances to consider.”
Count Gale continued with a nasty smile.
“The Crown Prince recommends, for the sake of transparent and righteous resolution of this incident, that Your Eminence and Sir Cassian withdraw.”
‘Recommend’ was a polite word, but coming from the Crown Prince it was effectively an order.
Cassian leapt up at once.
“Hah! After going to the trouble of mobilizing guild manpower to dig this up, you want to tie us up with that man?”
“Well, that’s not exactly what I meant… Old ties can be dangerous, right? Even if you’re not in league with him, how difficult it would be to catch an old comrade yourself—this is a considerate measure so you won’t be unduly burdened. Don’t take it so harshly.”
“You nobles know how to beat around the bush.”
“What did you say?”
“You’re going to take everything we’ve uncovered, cover up what suits you, and expose what you want, right? Isn’t that it?”
When Cassian—much larger in build—approached threateningly, Count Gale gulped and backed away in obvious fear.
Then he jabbed a finger at Cassian and shouted even louder.
“P-people shouldn’t behave so crassly—!”
Astair stepped between the two as tensions rose.
“I put my father in prison with my own hands; do you think I’d hesitate to correct the sins of an old comrade?”
Astair’s cold intensity made Count Gale flinch and fall back.
Even though there had always been a subtle chill beneath his gentle appearance, seeing his face without that soft mask struck fear into those who looked at him.
In a voice lower than usual, Astair calmly stated his intent.
“I appreciate His Highness’s generosity, but the Empire cannot be absent from matters involving the Demon God.”
“…”
“This incident was started by me; I will finish it. Especially if Rasiel is involved.”
There was unbreakable resolve in Astair’s raised gaze as he looked at Count Gale.
Count Gale, retreating under Astair’s forcefulness, gritted his teeth and snapped,
“F-fine, do as you wish! Just remember you might be misunderstood as being in league with him if you’re not careful. I’ve made myself clear.”
Having said his piece, Count Gale vanished like a fish that had been caught and released.
Astair finally turned his gaze to Tezette beside him.
Count Gale had not told Tezette to step away from this matter.
That meant Tezette would continue to participate in this case under the Crown Prince’s orders.
Astair asked Tezette, who had his usual indifferent face.
“Tezette. What do you plan to do if you meet Rasiel?”
“Kill him.”
Tezette answered without the slightest hesitation.
“I’ve wanted to kill that bastard for a long time.”
Cassian seemed not entirely pleased with Tezette’s blunt answer, but he neither defended Rasiel nor tried to stop Tezette.
Tezette glanced at Elsez’s face and at the jacket where Leti was hiding, then moved toward the temple’s entrance.
Astair watched Tezette walk away and said,
“First I’ll interrogate my father. It might be that Count Lort, cornered, falsely confessed to pin this on Rasiel.”
“I’ll look further into that masked assembly.”
While Cassian and Astair were discussing, Elsez—who had been watching them—cleared his throat.
“I have something to tell you two.”
Both men turned their eyes to Elsez.
“I will step out of this matter.”
Astair and Cassian were visibly surprised by Elsez’s sudden declaration, but soon accepted it.
“All right. Now that the matter is public, we aren’t short-handed. We’ll handle it from here.”
Elsez nodded at them, sensing a hint of regret in their faces.
“I hope it finishes the way both of you want.”
That was also his wish.
“You did well, miss. If anything happens, come to the temple anytime.”
“Don’t go rushing into dangerous things again—just keep earning money quietly, okay?”
Astair loosened the stern expression he’d worn moments before and smiled as he saw Elsez off; Cassian, as usual, fussed, gently ruffling Elsez’s hair in a worried way.
Elsez returned their gestures with a nod and turned away.
When the others had gone, Leti poked his head out from Elsez’s inner pocket and looked up at her intently.
Elsez looked down at Leti, puzzled.
“Why are you staring like that?”
“Human. Am I your friend?”
“Huh?”
“You said I was your friend earlier.”
“Oh.”
Elsez remembered his earlier conversation with Tezette one beat too late and scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“Well… we’re comrades who’ve shared hardships and also friends, I guess.”
For some reason, Leti’s black eyes seemed to sparkle when he heard that.
Leti, watching Elsez intently, quietly climbed out of the pocket, hopped onto her shoulder, and asked,
“But are you going to stop being involved in your friend’s matters?”
“No. I’ll meet that masked man myself.”
She was tired of the anxiousness that came from denying her suspicions and tiptoeing around them.
“What if he’s not your friend?”
“I’ll kill him.”
“And if he is your friend?”
Elsez toyed with the half-glove on her hand and answered without a moment’s hesitation.
“Then I’ll leave him half-dead. So he can’t do it again.”
