Chapter 63
Mentally Too Tough
Translator : PolterGlast
Veda kindly offered me
a handkerchief as I sobbed uncontrollably. Socius, who was completely
disheartened and on the verge of tears, received one as well. Such
thoughtfulness. I accepted them with my right and left hands and used them
gratefully. Lotus, on the other hand, was being swarmed by the
handkerchief-wielding slimes, who were offering their moisture with enthusiasm.
Each was unique. Well, it was fine.
I sniffled loudly,
trying to mask the slight awkwardness. Anyone would feel awkward after crying.
"So, as you have
come all the way here, I believe there must be some significance to it."
Perhaps he thought of
me not so much as someone to be overestimated, but as someone he could have a
dialogue with. That alone was more than enough. Many people would assume that
even if demons could use the same language, they couldn't have a conversation.
"What exactly are
demons in the first place? Beings that suddenly appeared in human history, they
were like black boxes that everyone hesitated to open. Generally, they are
thought to wither leaves and destroy countries, and I myself, I am ashamed to
say, had the perception that they were 'that kind of thing.' However, as I
observed you, I began to think that demons and humans might be very
close."
This idea of Veda's
was the same in the story. Traveling the world with Yuko and confronting
demons, he learned that they acted with purpose. He understood that it was a
perfectly natural action to try and protect their own territory, and depending
on the route, Veda would be the first to assert that 'demons and humans are the
same.'
Yuko, as someone from
another world with no common sense of this world, accepted those words without
any conflict, but for the other characters, it was difficult to swallow. There
was a grand finale ending where they formally allied with demons and tried to
develop the country, but it seemed there were various factions even among
demons, making it more of a 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend, so let's team
up' kind of ending, not exactly a happy one.
In any case, even if
it was the ideology that Veda would eventually reach, it was happening far too
early. The thought that it had changed as a result of my actions gave me a
strange feeling. It was somehow ticklish. Facing Veda, who saw me as El, I had
to see him as "Veda" as well. "I understand," I said.
"...We came to
this place seeking the Mirror of Foresight."
"The Mirror of
Foresight?"
The mirror was a treasure
that even he, as the Vice-Tower Master, didn't know about. It couldn't be used
unless the Saint was summoned to this world, so it couldn't be helped.
"Yes," I nodded and gave the same explanation I had given to Socius.
"If such a thing exists, I would certainly like to confirm it
myself," he said, stroking his monocle, unable to suppress his
intellectual curiosity.
"However, I do
have a question. You should be from Cloudy Country. Why do you know about the
existence of this 'Mirror of Foresight' in Soleil, and in this secluded
tower?"
...That was a very
painful question. I gently placed both hands around my stomach. Behind me, I
even heard Socius mutter, "That's true." If I couldn't just gloss
over it, shouldn't I just not explain that part to begin with? I thought and
skipped over that part in my explanation to Socius. I thought I could get away
with it, and I did. As expected of Socius, my childhood friend. He looked
smart, but he was actually a bit of a klutz like me. We shared a sense of
camaraderie.
(If I were to say,
"I knew it from an otome game~," I feel like the trust he's showing
me right now would vanish in an instant...)
Seriously tough.
I groaned. In times
like these, Lotus didn't interfere. It wasn't that he was abandoning me. He
trusted me. Still, when there was some kind of decision to be made, I would
check with Lotus and Ichi, but they would basically nod in agreement as if it
were a done deal. So, to live up to that trust, I groaned even more. I couldn't
think of anything.
When dealing with
smart people, the best way to survive is to avoid lying as much as possible.
Saying something clumsy would only lead to a deeper grave. Something that was
somewhat based on fact and could deceive Veda. It was too difficult, my brain
was boiling.
Seeing me like that,
Veda chuckled. "Fufufu, please don't think too hard. I understand
everything." He pinched the edge of his monocle with a chakitt sound. What
did he mean?
"You said
earlier, 'I know.' This must be related to that, right? In that case, it must
be quite difficult to bring up."
"...U-uh,
uh!?"
That was the line I
had shouted when Lotus pointed his sword at Veda, telling him to stop. It was a
line packed with the meaning that since I knew the character Veda from the
otome game, it would be okay not to attack him. So, in terms of relevance, it
was definitely relevant. Or rather, it was the real deal. Seeing me act so
suspiciously at such a thing, Veda chuckled with a knowing look, "As I
thought." Did intelligent people transcend time and space? Did he even
know that this world was an otome game?
"El-san, this is
related to your unique skill, isn't it?"
"...Mmm, uh,
yes?"
"No, you don't
have to say anything further. All demons possess a unique skill. I myself
possess a unique skill as a talent for handling magic tools, but among humans,
there are only a handful. For you to reveal your skill to others would be
fatal. I vow not to say a word about your ability."
For some reason,
making the lens of his monocle pure white against the backlight, Veda stated
firmly.
"Your unique
skill is the ability to 'know the future,' isn't it!?"
That's totally
wrong...
I thought, looking up
at Veda, who had a smug look on his face. The expression on my face died.
"That's right..." No, really, it's wrong.
The genius of magic
tools, who seemed to have constructed his own hypothesis, nodded excitedly,
"As I thought!" I couldn't help but think that it was the
silver-haired demon who seemed to be targeting me who possessed that power, not
me, but I kept my mouth shut.
"In that case,
all of your actions make sense. Because you can see the future, you sometimes
do incomprehensible things. And the future you can see is only fragmented,
right?"
The reason I do
incomprehensible things is because I'm a klutz, you know. Sorry for making you
overthink. "That's right." I had no choice but to agree. That was
fine now.
"Hmm? No, but
that's strange. I thought you possessed a skill that hindered recognition, like
concealing your presence or changing your appearance..."
That was the correct
answer. He had seen my actions so far, so he should have known that the chibi
El and the adult El were both me. Even the appearances of Ichi and the others
were usually concealed. Veda gasped.
"That person over
there, was it Lotus-san? You are also a demon, which means the skill to conceal
presence... could it be that you..."
It was like a Daruma
doll being knocked over. When my ability was knocked away by the hammer, it hit
Lotus. Lotus was an incomplete existence as a demon, so he didn't possess the
unique skill that all demons should inherently have. "...Ah, that's
right," Lotus said, probably reading the room, and agreed. Lotus-san, who
could read the room, was so cool. I like him.
"I see, in that
case..."
Just as he said that,
Veda's expression suddenly changed. When I wondered if there was something
else, feeling utterly exhausted, Veda looked at my figure with a very troubled
expression. At first, I had been wearing a black robe, but since I ended up
going flustered with the wind that occasionally blew anyway, I had taken off
the black robe, thinking it was better to just show it off than to have a slut
sleeping inside my coat.
"That outfit,
Lotus-san, is that your hobby...?"
It was a full-on
bodycon style.
A terribly awkward silence
filled the air. It was painful. Just plain painful. Lotus quietly crossed his
arms. And replied, "Ah, that's right." That's right, my foot.
Well, I knew it was a
convenient excuse to deceive Veda. But I felt a considerable amount of fear
towards Lotus, who replied without even changing his expression. His mental
toughness was beyond comprehension.
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