Chapter 297
“Say hello to Organon. This is Beled, a woman who has recently become a Magic Instructor’s apprentice, just like you.”
“…”
I nodded and quickly assessed her.
Cardinal Beled.
It must be her… but she looked quite different from what I remembered.
Her height was slightly reduced, and her hair and skin color were different, but that wasn’t the point.
The aura and posture felt entirely different.
Cardinal Beled radiated the stature of an absolute being who had the entire world beneath her feet.
Yet this woman seemed quite intimidated, avoiding eye contact with me.
She looked scared, even.
Could she really be Beled?
“She possesses incredible power,” Schugenhartz added as I observed her.
It felt like he was trying to bolster Beled’s confidence.
“Do you have any idea what kind of magic she can wield? You’ll be amazed. She can even interfere with space!”
“…That is surprising,” I responded with a chuckle, playing along.
It’s surprising, indeed.
Not because she can use space-related magic.
But because it seems like she truly is Beled.
“…”
Since I was a stranger, Beled didn’t close the distance. Suddenly, she glanced around and started muttering.
Her words were so quiet that I could barely hear them, but somehow Schugenhartz smiled and replied.
“I see. It’s about time to prepare for the night. So, I’m sorry, but could you fetch some firewood? In the meantime, we’ll take care of the bodies.”
“‘We’… Naturally including me, huh?”
“Weren’t you here to help? Then you should assist with the cleanup as well. I’d appreciate it, Organon.”
“…”
“…”
Receiving Schugenhartz’s request, Beled nodded and quickly walked away.
Her thin legs, resembling those of someone who hadn’t eaten for days, looked precarious as she moved.
If I hadn’t known about Beled’s past, I would have been worried about her going off to handle tasks alone as dusk fell.
“She’s a beautiful woman, isn’t she?”
Schugenhartz murmured, watching Beled disappear into the distance.
However, despite the line that could easily be misconstrued as lustful, there was a profound sadness reflected in his eyes.
There was a deep sadness in his eyes.
It seems Schugenhartz intentionally arranged this meeting.
“Does she have some kind of story?”
“A story… indeed. Organon, do you know? Sometimes beauty can be a poison.”
“Poison.”
“Just like a beautiful flower wilts when picked… her beauty became the very cause of her wilting.”
“…….”
I pondered the meaning of Schugenhartz’s words and asked.
“Was she a courtesan?”
“…I heard she was sold to a brothel at a young age. With that appearance, people were lining up to pay a hefty price for her.”
To say she was sold means her parents recognized her worth and exploited it.
I understood that her striking beauty was indeed a poison for her.
As I remained silent, Schugenhartz sighed deeply and said.
“She lived for others… they say Beled had one child during her time there.”
“A child….”
Schugenhartz didn’t mention the father of that child.
Perhaps it was a life born from a mistake while working.
“They say Beled cherished that child deeply. Balancing work and childcare must have been incredibly tough, yet she persevered… she was a wonderful mother.”
“…….”
“But as you know, the war with the monsters created chaos all around the world… because of that, she lost her only child. She still hasn’t recovered from that shock, leading to her unstable state.”
“I see… But is it okay for you to share such stories with me? It doesn’t seem like something one should easily say.”
“…That’s true. However, it’s better than you accidentally blurting out the words ‘child’ or ‘kids.’”
He stated firmly.
Thinking about it, Schugenhartz had mentioned he was going to spend the night outdoors.
I had joined them in that situation. We would have to be together for at least a dozen hours.
That’s probably why he wanted to silence me beforehand.
Given his practiced demeanor, it seemed that a topic related to children had come up in front of Beled before, triggering her anxious reactions.
“Well then, let’s incinerate the corpses of the dead monsters. There’s quite a lot, so it may take some time.”
“Ugh… I’m not really in the mood, but I’ll help.”
“Much appreciated!”
*
I didn’t understand why I was back in this past again.
Since I was practically an outsider, I needed to gather information.
Schugenhartz, who was generally easy to talk to, was the perfect target for that, and I decided to help him while camping out together.
I asked if we should just use Beled’s magic to move instead of camping outside.
But it was to prevent her mana from overheating.
I wondered where the mad scientist Lafez was, only to find that he seemed to be playing a sort of guardian role for Beled.
Crackle, crackle.
As night fully fell, we sat around, listening to the sounds of the campfire.
Without saying anything, Beled curled up, and Schugenhartz kept trying to engage me in conversation on her behalf.
While crouched, Beled was being persistently spoken to by Schugenhartz instead of me.
It was a good thing for me, who needed to extract information without any doubts, but it was strange to feel such familiarity from someone I had just met.
“…So back then, the fact that we couldn’t hold off Frikkanrisk’s military is still a regret. If only we had one more ally like Lafez…”
Schugenhartz brought up a story from 15 years ago.
It matched the tale of the captives trapped in Frikkanrisk’s castle during my trials.
The only difference was that it was a world where I hadn’t intervened.
Because at that time, it had been just Lafez and Schugenhartz, and they couldn’t handle Frikkanrisk’s forces all on their own.
Now, they were barely able to save a few, including Ami, who has now become a magician’s disciple.
‘So that’s a story from 15 years ago…’
I secretly observed Schugenhartz, who continued the conversation.
Looking at his accomplishments, it didn’t seem like a lie. He had indeed made remarkable progress.
However, looking at him, it was hard to believe that 15 years had passed.
It wasn’t just that he looked less aged; he didn’t look aged at all.
Had he received the power of immortality from a magician? Whatever it was, it certainly wasn’t the norm.
And while conversing, I came to another realization.
“Schugenhartz. With the demon king dead, isn’t it a peaceful time? The only remaining task should be to deal with the remnants; that’s not difficult.”
At this point, the first magician and his disciples had already brought down the demon king.
I noticed that our conversation might contain clues about the current situation, so I subtly probed.
Schugenhartz just smiled bitterly.
“You’re right. I thought so too, but it wasn’t that simple…”
‘He seems reluctant to talk about it.’
Schugenhartz, who had been spilling information freely, suddenly grew silent.
His expression revealed embarrassment, self-deprecation, and anger.
And the current situation.
‘If the first magician and his disciples defeated the demon king, they must have positioned themselves at the center of power. Yet, they are continuously recruiting disciples. This indicates that their force is still expanding.’
These are soldiers armed with the mystery of magic.
The enemy has already disappeared.
If conflict arose in this situation, it might have been a clash with the existing powers, like the royals, who found their positions threatened.
Or perhaps a problem arose within the magician’s domain itself.
‘…Based on Schugenhartz’s reaction, it seems more likely to be the latter.’
I concluded and subtly mentioned the name of the most probable source of conflict.
The name of the partner who had been with Schugenhartz.
“Is it about Lafez?”
“…You guessed it.”
As Lafez’s name came up, Schugenhartz’s expression darkened.
He washed his face as if to shake off drowsiness and let out another deep sigh.
“They say position makes the man. Yes, we are the magic instructor and his disciples, praised by everyone in the world, so we’re all riled up. That’s why we’re pursuing pleasures we haven’t been able to enjoy until now…”
“Now, I seek pleasures that I have never enjoyed before…”
“…”
“However, Lafez has crossed the line heavily. Turning innocent citizens into monsters? That’s insane. Using the followers of our Magic Instructor as test subjects…”
Monsters.
I couldn’t quite picture what kind of monsters Schugenhartz was referring to, but I had a vague idea.
“No, I shouldn’t have let it come to this. No matter how lacking our forces were, I should have stopped the Magic Instructor from going through with it.”
Schugenhartz’s face twisted in regret as he recalled that day.
Sharpening his teeth, he continued.
“Creating monsters out of prisoners to fight? What’s the difference between that and what the Demon King does?”
“…”
“But I turned a blind eye. Maybe I was just exhausted. The prolonged battle. The mounting casualties. All in the name of a greater cause.”
They had committed sins that could not be washed away.
“That’s what I mean,” Schugenhartz said.
“Organon, you’re not the sinner here. We can’t drag you into the problems we created.”
He forced an awkward smile.
Truth be told, if I had been there, I might have joined in on the idea of turning prisoners into monsters, but I didn’t voice my thoughts.
“By the way, I’m worried that the Magic Instructor seems to have changed recently. He’s letting Lafez get away with such things.”
He murmured as if talking to himself.
The internal situation seemed complicated, but I kept quiet, knowing that even Schugenhartz, who was generally trustworthy, might raise an eyebrow if I probed further.
As the silence lingered,
Schugenhartz attempted to change the subject by asking,
“Is that fancy outfit meant for the procession?”
Fancy outfit?
Was he talking about the suit I was wearing?
I nodded to ride the wave of conversation.
“I knew it! After all, it’s a grand occasion for the Magic Instructor and all his disciples to be celebrated.”
Now that I think about it, they said it’s been a year since they caught the Demon King.
I suspected they were planning some sort of parade to commemorate the one-year anniversary.
Others might be causing problems, but those who defeated the Demon King would surely be treated like heroes.
I innocently asked,
“Then, am I really allowed to participate in the parade? I wasn’t a disciple when the war against the Demon King happened.”
“Well, it doesn’t matter. Organon, you are a proper disciple of the Magic Instructor.”
“That contradicts what you just said about me not being included among the sinners.”
“That’s a different case. Don’t worry about it; you can join.”
“Really?”
I pretended to accept this nonchalantly.
There’s no way I could participate in the parade when I wasn’t a disciple.
I’d surely be caught and it would all come crashing down.
…Still, there was something that bothered me, so I committed the event of the parade to memory.
The disciples.
And the first Magic Instructor.
This seemed like a valuable opportunity to see them all together.
