43 – Episode 5. You were just pretending to be a fool? (5)
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‘Abel Sirius… ….’
The Emperor, Frey Ilustern Ferrator, narrowed his eyes as he looked at him sitting on the sofa.
Frey was receiving regular reports from Houston Sirius.
I knew most of Abel’s actions in the Sirius Territory during the winter vacation, and I had even heard about everything that had recently happened at the Academy.
At first, he was skeptical.
Abel Sirius is a famous bastard even among nobles. He was also the type of person who viciously played with people.
He is full of desire, but his ignorant and immature behavior made many people resent him. It was to the point where he could be said that no one, noble or commoner, liked him.
That person made a great contribution to diminishing the power of the Beral Church, which was hiding like a cancer, and obtained a fragment of the World Tree.
‘No… …. It would make more sense to say that he had a fragment of the World Tree.’
I couldn’t help but have doubts about the situation where everything seemed too fitting to be dismissed as mere coincidence. Furthermore.
‘It’s definitely different. The appearance is exactly the same Abel Sirius I remember, but the feeling is completely different from the one seen at the crown prince’s birthday party a few months ago.’
A few months ago, Frey warned Abel, who had called the party under the guise of a party.
Don’t live like a fool forever and tarnish the name of the Duke of Sirius or the Ferrator Empire.
That’s why Houston issued a stay-at-home order during winter break.
He thought it would quiet down after that, but he didn’t expect it to suddenly stand out like this.
Frey has long believed that it is not possible to change people, and that thought was so firm that it was almost his belief.
Even if it were to change, it would inevitably take a long time, and he could not understand the situation because he thought it was impossible for an incompetent person to achieve results in a short period of time.
‘The bottom line is that Abel Sirius was waiting for this moment and was hiding it from the beginning. But the question is why he moved now. Is it because he has no reason to hide anymore? Or is it because I have no choice but to move now?’
Once you come up with one guess, two or more questions arise and the cycle continues.
He was also experiencing the frustration that Mine felt while thinking of Abel.
However, one thing that was slightly different was that the amount of information coming to Frey was much greater than to Mine.
‘What Abel Sirius has done recently is definitely beneficial to the empire, but there are some parts that are unclear to just trust.’
He continued his thoughts while looking at Abel, who was still not avoiding his eyes.
‘Starting from the fact that Abel Sirius knew the location of Beral’s hideouts that neither I nor Houston knew about, and the fact that the witch of Vemoni Village was actually a saint, it is the first time that she has any abilities to say that she has now obtained the fragment used in the dukedom. From what I knew, to the fact that the person who gave the fragment was Irene Tersi.’
He frowns as he thumbs through Houston’s reports on his desk.
‘Abel Sirius possesses a vast amount of information that makes not only the dukedom but also the imperial family look ridiculous. It certainly seems like someone is helping from the side, but could there be an informant within the empire that I don’t know about?’
If there had been an informant, the emperor would not have suspected him. However, the more I dug into Abel’s actions and the information that came with them, the more the sense of incongruity that arose raised questions and expanded possibilities.
‘At first, I thought it was a hastily made excuse to diffuse the situation. But if you were really going to make an excuse, there should have been something more acceptable. ‘To mention Irene in the first place means knowing about her and at the same time intending to know something about her.’
He regularly tapped the desk with his index finger.
‘Beral. A fragment of the World Tree. ‘Irene Tersi.’
Frey looked back at the information he knew one by one, and checked the possibilities he could infer.
‘…… Maybe Irene’s disappearance is related to Abel. Considering the fact that Abel is protecting the saintess and increasing her divine powers…… It is difficult to say that he is on Beral’s side, but it is clear that he knows something about the Irene incident.’
Frey had no choice but to suddenly stop thinking as if he was blocked by a wall. And in the end, the conclusion he reached was to ‘listen’ to Abel Sirius, who had all the answers.
‘If you’re trying to hide the truth here, you can’t let go of the possibility that she’s related to Beral.’
The emperor gently closed his eyes and then opened them. He cast a silent glance at Abel.
Abel looked at Frey and still kept her mouth shut. Because she couldn’t understand what she said about pretending to be a fool.
‘Now, tell me quickly. Everything you know… !’
· * * *
What is it? Frey’s meaningful question.
Pretending to be a fool…….
How can you think of Abel’s actions up until now as pretense?
The amount of trash I know about Abel is considerable. Other people witnessed it, and she was called a b*tch because she didn’t accept it was just an act.
But now you’re pretending to be a fool…….
“…… “I’m not sure what that means.”
He sighed at my vague question.
“I’m not just saying this because I feel a difference in your words and actions between the person I saw a few months ago and the person I’m seeing now. “What I’m saying at this point is that what you’ve been doing is inconsistent unless you’re pretending to be an asshole.”
The front and back do not match.
It was a story about the steps I have taken so far. Among them, I think the mention of Irine Tersi may have been problematic.
It is impossible to suddenly receive a fragment of the World Tree from a person who died 12 years ago.
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I guess they think Abel took it from her when she was young, and she hid it for some reason and has now moved on.
“Explain it. “Why did you pretend to be a fool?”
“That’s… ….”
I have a plausible excuse that I thought of in advance.
When I mentioned Irene, I expected that she would question either Mine or Frey.
But it was better not to talk about this.
The more I shared the information I had with others, the more likely it was that there would be contradictions in the conversation.
The sources of information I had were ‘novels’ and ‘quests.’ It was natural for causal discrepancies to occur.
Still, it is not an entirely bad development. If you speak well here, not only will you be able to get rid of your image as a scoundrel, but you may also be able to get your indulgence from the emperor.
Considering what I will ask for in the future, it would be necessary to make the emperor well-liked in advance.
“… ….”
I glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw Isis standing undisturbed next to me. Frey follows me and looks at him.
Frey must have sensed the intention in my gaze and called an aide.
“Isis.”
“Yes. Your majesty.”
“While I speak with Abel Sirius, you will bring your guests here.”
“Yes. All right. Your majesty.”
Guest…… ?
Bringing guests to my place?
Isis bowed silently and walked out of the room. After he heard the door close, he saw the emperor, his chin slightly lifted and his eyes fixed on me. “Since I listened to what you wanted, you should also say it, right?” It seems to be saying.
“Whoa…” .”
I exhaled. Good. Let’s give it a try.
“…… “I don’t think we can fool His Majesty the Emperor.”
He trembled with a smile that put iron on his face.
First of all, you buy time by talking nonsense.
The important thing is that it must be a story that makes plausible sense and cannot be verified. Coincidentally, Irene Tersi is deceased, so it was the perfect condition to use her here.
“That’s right. I pretended to be a fool. No, it would be more accurate to say that he had no choice but to pretend to be an asshole.”
“Why?”
“I thought that would be a good way to attract Beral.”
Attracts Beral.
I was possessed at an early age, so even if only a year had passed, Abel would have been in Beral.
This is certain, considering that it was thanks to Veral that he was able to do such a stupid thing as releasing monsters at the academy.
If I had been possessed during that time, I think the level of difficulty would have been the highest.
There is no possibility of that happening now, so I will explain this information in a plausible way.
“Bring Beral in?”
“Yes. “Irene Tersi’s disappearance was related to the Veral Church, so I had to go to great lengths to find out that information.”
“What…… ?”
The emperor’s brows narrowed at the appearance of unexpected information. After looking at him with his mouth open and mesmerized, I picked up the tea cup and took a sip. He gathers his thoughts by pretending to feel the taste of black tea spreading in his mouth.
“How do you know that?”
“…… “It is not a confirmation.”
I said this after laying the groundwork in advance.
“This pendant.”
He took Irine Tersi’s pendant out of her pocket and showed it to her. When he saw the emerald leaf pendant, his pupils grew unusually large.
“Haven’t Your Majesty the Emperor seen it?”
“That’s… ! It’s definitely Irine’s…… !”
“Before the news of Irene’s disappearance spread, a bird flew to me carrying this pendant, a fragment of the World Tree, and a piece of paper with a skull and horns symbol in its mouth.”
There is a setting that the elves do not use scrolls, but tools made directly from mana or by communicating with animals.
However, it was not possible to read the experiences or thoughts of the interacting animal, so even using the setting, no evidence could be found.
“I was trying to move Beral to find out about the disappearance based on these mementos.”
“But, if you knew about the disappearance case… …. “Why didn’t you tell the imperial family until now?”
“If you had told me, you would have put pressure on me to get a fragment of the World Tree rather than focusing on the incident. So, Irene wouldn’t have been able to achieve what she wanted.”
I spoke with a deliberately low voice.
Now I have to play a person who had a close relationship with Irene. Otherwise, the probability of receiving the keepsake is not met.
“What was your relationship with Irene?”
“It wasn’t a special relationship. “We just met and talked occasionally.”
Be vague about things you don’t know much about.
The emperor had a strange expression upon hearing my answer. You don’t think I’m the main culprit in the disappearance, do you?
But at that time, Abel Sirius was a young child. He probably knows that there is no way he could kill Irene who can use magic.
“…… So why has she stopped pretending to be a b*tch now? Are you ready to bring Beral in?”
“No.”
I shook my head without hesitation.
“Then…” ?”
“That’s… I didn’t expect it at all either. “Because I unintentionally discovered that the demon worshipers were planning to turn the saint into a witch.”
I picked up the cookie, took a bite, and cried. Chew leisurely and reassemble your thoughts.
“I’m sure Your Majesty knows about the Fran Doshi murder case.”
“Okay. Know. “I heard from Houston that it was done by demon worshipers.”
“If left alone, the saint would have been kidnapped by the Church of Veral and turned into a witch. So, I had no choice but to take the initiative and use the fragments that I had hidden.”
All the stories were explained so that they were connected like a single thread.
I am trying to avoid contradictions as much as possible, but it is unknown whether the emperor will believe me. To reach a position like that, distrust and suspicion are the default values.
“…… It certainly makes sense. I don’t understand. How could a fragment of the World Tree be handed over to you, so young? “That precious item?”
“…… Irene came to me sometimes and talked to me. I wish everyone liked elves as much as I do. “I promised that when I grow up, I will work together with Irene to bring about racial harmony.”
I smiled, pretending to be lonely.
As Irene looked at her young Mine, she said, ‘I hope other people like the elves too,’ as she said in the novel.
It’s probably not 100% a lie.
“They handed it over with just those words…” … ?”
“I probably didn’t hand it over because I wanted to. She probably thought that the way to protect the descendants of the elves in a situation where she had no choice but to die was to receive help from the empire. “Irene must have felt the limitations of being an elf.”
“Then isn’t it right that we should give it to Jim even more?”
“At that time, His Majesty the Emperor was prepared to break the trust with the elves and cut off supplies, so she must have thought it was too risky to give away fragments without thinking.”
“… ….”
There will definitely be parts that cannot be understood rationally, and there will be holes in the logic. However, unless the person involved is dead, there will be no way to raise a counterargument.
In the end, there is only one choice: whether to believe it or not.
Anyway, whether Frey believes it or not, the fact remains that only I know the truth, so I think I did a good job if it raises suspicion.
“…… I understood. But questions still remain.”
“What part?”
“It’s the ‘information power’ you have. “Where does it come from?”
He asks, pointing at me.
This is something I cannot answer. If I want to tell this story, I inevitably have to talk about quests or novels.
“If you heard revelation from God, would you believe it?”
“What…… ?”
To be precise, it is a quest concept, but it is not wrong.
“It’s a joke. I don’t know anything else, but I think it would be difficult to say anything about that. However, I want to tell you that I love the empire, and that I am prepared to sacrifice my body for its eternal well-being.”
I naturally laughed with flattery.
“As a subject.”
“… ….”
“If you have any doubts, please continue to watch me. We will prove it with our actions. “Whether I am someone who will benefit the empire or not.”
Frey was silent. She was lost in her thoughts, covering her mouth with a stiff face. A noise echoed inside her office, which had been quiet for a long time.
Knock knock.
At the sound of a knock on the door, I went through Frey and headed towards the door.
“Your Majesty, we have brought you guests.”
“… “Come in.”
The double doors open and men wearing green robes come in.
As described in the book, they were all handsome creatures with flowing blond hair and impressive pointed ears.
They were elves.
As expected, the elves were here.
“How can the elves…… ?”
But she pretended not to know, pretended to be surprised, and carefully made her fortune. Then green eyes turned to me. An elf said as he scanned my entire body with colorless eyes.
“Are you Abel Sirius?”
“… That’s right. “Why are you doing that?”
“Luckily I didn’t die.”
I flinched at the mumbling of the elf in front.
“…… I beg your pardon?”
What luckily didn’t die? He gave the assassination order.
“Okay…. “This problem still remained.”
Frey sighed heavily after hearing the conversation between me and the elf.
“Abel Sirius. From now on, you must prove to those elves that you have no connection to Beral.”
“Yes? What is that—”
As she was about to answer Frey, a window appeared in front of her.
[Quest has arrived.]
[Would you like to view? Y/N]
What is it… why…… ?
[Let’s create a relationship with the elves. #2]