Chapter 277
Sitting quietly in a solitary room that feels barely three mats wide is an absolute bore.
Especially in a situation where I’m wrapped up like a burrito and can’t even get drinking water, it would be enough to drive me to wish for death.
But at this moment, I feel freer than ever.
It’s like galloping on horseback across an endless meadow, or maybe even better than that.
I’m feeling a sense of openness.
‘…I’ve been sharing this body with that guy until now.’
Ah, when I say ‘that guy,’ I’m referring to Vargan, the original owner of this body.
Two souls living in such a cramped body? How uncomfortable must that have been?
Of course, it didn’t really hit me back then, but now that I’m alone, I almost feel sorry for the last two years.
The body that was handed over to me as a reward for fulfilling that guy’s purpose.
After getting rid of the pesky terminal illness that was bothering me, this body is now entirely mine.
I know it for sure.
That guy… Vargan, the original owner of this body, is dead.
And it’s a rather clean exit.
“…I thought you’d come eventually. But you arrived just on time.”
“…….”
“Oh, feeling a bit out of place? If it’s awkward, I can switch it up. I couldn’t care less about how I speak. I’ve gotten pretty used to my original way of talking anyway.”
As I was enjoying my freedom, I glanced through the bars at my visitor.
Liam. The protagonist of this story.
His expression clearly reflected surprise.
Seeing that dumbfounded look made me chuckle.
I purposely gave him a cue, and thankfully, he has at least that much insight.
From here on, I’ll have to use a tone that feels friendly… No need to make anyone feel out of place. I’ve already conveyed my situation enough.
Acting is as natural to me as breathing.
“Why the long face? Confused, are we? Liam.”
“…Vargan. You… you’re not serious!”
“There’s no need to be that shocked. This was all part of the plan from the start. From the very beginning and going forward….”
I subtly tilted my gaze to guide Liam to scan his surroundings.
This meeting is merely a pretext for extracting information from me. The Church wouldn’t let me mingle with outsiders without a plan.
That’s why I’ve preemptively shut Liam up before he can blabber on.
“…….”
Liam, realizing that there’s no longer a ‘Vargan’ soul inside me, showed signs of reinforcing anxiety as the muscles in his fingertips trembled in an unusual way.
At the end, an unusual twitch of muscles was observed.
The enhanced senses after the trial of the Unique Spell feel great for this reason. I can scrutinize the situation more closely than before.
I won’t miss the opponent’s subconscious manifesting outwardly.
What a convenient body this is.
“So, do you have something you want to ask me?”
“…”
“You didn’t come to mock me while I’m trapped in this prison, did you? How long do you plan to stay lost like that?”
“…What the… are you?”
I gave Liam a moment to gather himself as he struggled to regain his composure.
The method is simple.
Just keep your mouth shut and stare into your opponent’s eyes, counting approximately 15 seconds in your mind.
By maintaining silence for a moment, the opponent adapts to the newly changed environment.
They will sort their thoughts out.
As expected, exactly 15 seconds later, a calmer Liam asked,
“Did you really… collapse the Academia?”
“Direct, aren’t you?”
As soon as Liam’s question fell, the gazes of the two Heroes standing beside him like guards flickered.
They seemed quite interested in my reaction.
I asked nonchalantly, as if I hadn’t noticed their responses.
“What if I say I didn’t?”
“…What?”
“That’s the thing with all negotiations and conversations. If the opponent firmly closes their heart, it can’t even begin. It will just be a waste of time.”
“What are you trying to say?”
“You asked the wrong question. Don’t you already believe I collapsed the Academia?”
“….”
Liam could neither deny nor affirm it.
I let out a laugh and continued.
“You have the ability to act with caution and conviction. Didn’t you recklessly stir things up during the End of the First Semester exam in the First Year, leading your teammates to death?”
“….”
“Stop looking so troubled and listen, Liam. If you thought I didn’t collapse the Academia or at least had no idea, you wouldn’t have come here.”
“….”
“You would have continued to investigate individually to grasp the situation. To view the situation objectively, you need to gather more information. You would only see my face when the trial happens. Am I wrong?”
Ultimately, what Liam wants to ask is not whether I collapsed the Academia.
He wants to know ‘why’ I did it.
What I’m thinking and the picture I’m drawing.
But I can’t directly address that.
Thus, I decided to keep the conversation going and use a metaphor.
To give a rough hint about what I need to achieve in relation to the materials I’m collecting one by one.
“…Liam, do you know how to make plants grow well?”
“…Plants?”
“Yes. Of course, providing sunlight and the right amount of water is essential. You also need to manage them so they don’t rot from bugs, among other things. There’s a lot to do.”
“….”
“But you must know that, crucially, the resource of land is limited. Nothing will grow in dead soil. For a plant to grow, the nutrients of the land must be sufficient.”
Liam seemed to be racking his brain to interpret the meaning of my words.
Well, it won’t take him no time at all to figure it out.
After all, the amount of information between him and me is fundamentally different.
“You don’t have to rush. Take your time and think it over slowly.”
“I have no intention of growing plants in dead soil. There’s nothing more foolish than that.”
“Just remember this: I won’t waste you, the protagonist of this story, who holds value.”
*
Eventually, Liam’s meeting time ended, and it was only in the afternoon that I was transferred to the interrogation room.
The person who came to interrogate me was none other than the second-ranked hero, Ferangis.
It was quite the deal that the hero herself, who must be busy with other matters, was here to see me personally.
Facing her, I said, “Is it really necessary for me to speak? You can directly check the opponent’s brain, can’t you, Ferangis?”
“…You’re still as composed as ever.”
Ferangis smiled incredulously. Her totally different attitude from before was quite striking.
Previously, she regarded me as the only disciple of Helion, a capable student. Now, she treats me like a ticking time bomb, ready to go off at any moment.
Well, given my current situation, it would be strange if things didn’t change.
“Ferangis, I share your opinion. There’s nothing I can say right now. It wouldn’t be convincing anyway.”
“If this goes to trial, things will get bigger, you know? Even if you’re found not guilty, you won’t be able to wash away that stigma.”
“I’m aware I can’t avoid the trial. Even if I speak here, it would just end up being the same words repeated.”
I said confidently. And I reaffirmed that Ferangis cannot examine my brain.
My total mana has transcended limits, and she cannot access it freely, much less approach it.
“If that’s how you feel, I won’t stop you.”
In the end, Ferangis stood up. She left, leaving behind only a strong scent of perfume, indicating she didn’t want to chat.
I was curious about how Helion and the other heroes were reacting, but she provided no answers.
Well, it can’t be helped.
…And so, two days passed.
A day before entering the courthouse.
Another visitor came to see me.
With cold, transparent blue eyes that seemed to drop the temperature in the prison further.
“……”
“If you’ve come, you should at least say something. Are you just going to stare at me like one of those animals in a zoo? Erica.”
Portlet Troa Erica.
The woman who received the desperate love of Vargan, the original owner of this body.
Yes, I’ve been waiting for you to come.
You, who were one of Vargan’s weaknesses along with that incurable disease.
“…I still don’t remember.”
Erica, who had been silently staring at me, spoke.
She treated me like a complete stranger.
The power has taken effect. At least the dead Vargan won’t have to regret this.
“I assume you’ve heard endless bad things about me. You don’t seem to be deterred by that, do you?”
Reading her expression, I asked.
She must have been told about the various accusations and how I had used her without her consent, then erased her memory.
Yet, Erica showed no signs of distaste.
“I’m not the type to judge someone just based on others’ words.”
“That’s an interesting statement. The opponent is suspected of committing a heinous crime.”
“Nothing has been accurately revealed yet, has it? If you end up being a criminal, then I’ll gladly insult you then.”
“By then, I’ll be a death row inmate awaiting the guillotine, but hey, that’s not too bad.”
I smiled brightly and met Erica’s eyes.
She, too, didn’t look away. She was staring right at me.
Erica, who had completely unraveled the threads entangled with Vargan.
The noblewoman, who erased his traces, seemed proud and psychologically stable.
Me, Vargan, trapped inside a prison.
Erica looking at me from outside the bars.
I remembered a situation that was the exact opposite of what I was seeing now from the original story.
—Why? Do I look pitiful? Schugenharz?
—……Erica.
—Don’t call my name! Who do you think you are to call me by my name! What right do you have!
Erica, who had twisted faith to become the Bishop of the Goddess Church.
She and the Formists were captured and imprisoned in the original story.
Vargan had come to that place the day before Erica’s death.
Described in those times, Erica was a complete wreck.
She didn’t have the shiny black hair like she did now. Her cheeks, still chubby with baby fat, were nowhere to be seen.
A believer who hated humanity and only followed the Goddess.
—You don’t need to pity me. I’m just going to the Goddess’s side sooner than the other believers.
—…….
—The Goddess is omniscient. She knows everything. I want to go to her side quickly. To escape from this hellish place…….
—…….
—I simply want to be happy now.
Comparing the anxious Erica then to the completely different one now is something else.
She looks so full of life right now, what’s the deal?
“…That guy would probably be happy to know this.”
“That guy?”
“Just talking to myself. Anyway, isn’t this enough for now? Visiting hours will be over soon.”
“Right… Yeah. Seems about enough. No need to dwell on it any longer.”
Erica opened her mouth in front of me.
What came out were sentences without the slightest hesitation.
“I won’t give any testimonies that could be disadvantageous to you, even though I don’t know much.”
“Looks like there are people around you egging you on?”
“A bit…? But I’m trying to ignore them.”
“Is there a reason?”
“I told you, what can I say when I don’t know much? Others say I’m the victim, but here I am, looking at you without any feelings at all.”
Erica said.
That she feels no emotion at all.
At her response, a smile crept onto my lips.
“Good to hear. I also feel no emotion seeing you.”
It was just like reading a story.
Only faint memories remained.
* * *
Finally, the day came.
The courthouse in the church located in Quillen was so packed that most people stood due to lack of seating.
If you only looked at its form, it resembled more of a coliseum than a courtroom for judgment.
The jury members surrounded in a circle, overlooking the defendant.
The courthouse’s heavy and monotonous dialogue continued as the defendant, chained up, stepped forward.
It was a scene that drew everyone’s attention.
Amidst that, Vargan appeared.
Jury members hurled all kinds of insults.
The atmosphere was so fierce that it often led to a child bursting into tears, complaining about the noise.
—Bang! Bang! Bang!
The judge banged the gavel to silence the crowd.
Then, as two heroes who brought Vargan took their places, the judge shouted.
“From now on, we will commence the trial of the defendant Vargan to ascertain the truth behind the collapse of the Academia and various charges.”
