157 – Negotiations
I had a good time at the club with the members after a long time, and it was late at night when everyone had gone back to the dormitory, so I was able to head to Modest through the sewer.
I wonder if my lateness is dissatisfaction. Estelle, in her black cat mask, sat on her couch, twitching one of her paws with her legs crossed. As she cautiously sat across from her like a criminal, the beating came flying as if she had been waiting.
“Because it’s a pig, it must have had a heavy butt? Thank you so much for making me do nothing and wait while I’m busy. Thanks to you, did you have a lot of time to keep your mouth shut and think? Why are you here so early? Are you coming tomorrow at all? If I told you that humans and pigs have different concepts of time, I would have fully understood.”
The purple eyes that were as beautiful as jewels were full of anger. She turned her head to the side, scratching her cheek as if she hadn’t seen it.
Amber standing next to Estelle met her eyes and bowed her head at me with a bright smile. She is probably her gratitude for helping her get her lost brother back.
“Keuheum, first of all, I apologize for being late….”
I started off with a clearing of my throat, but Estelle cut me off right away.
“All right. Do you think I’m narrow-minded like you? If you’ve been cursing this much, you can just move on. Hey, what if you don’t notice?”
The word “What can I do?” Came out of my throat, but I held it in with superhuman patience.
To Mesgaki, getting angry is losing. She thought to herself. I am a grown up I can stand it… !
Let’s control our hearts like that. As Estelle loosened her legs, she murmured softly like a spoiled child.
“… Thanks anyway.”
Still, you have a conscience. I nodded and joked to lighten the mood.
“Why, it seems that saying thank you is quieter than cursing….”
“Poem, noisy! I just wish I could have figured it out!”
I’m not sure if there’s a difference between mesgaki and tsundere by one shot, but their cute reactions seem to be what they have in common. Oh, it would be nice to add that we want to feed honey chestnuts in common.
“Thank you too. Lily.”
I shrugged my shoulders at Amber who thanked me once again.
Maybe it’s because of my lack of experience, but I felt uncomfortable being thanked by someone older than me. Should I just say that my back is itchy?
“Now that I have proven my abilities… The Modest will trust you completely now. It has become a true joint destiny.”
At Estelle’s serious voice, I lightly nodded.
But the story about Amy isn’t over yet. Sorry to those who were happy, but the confirmation process was essential.
“It’s late, but can I see Amy now? There is something I must check.”
At my words, Estelle kindly nodded her head. After Amber left the room for a while, she came back with a child who couldn’t get out of her youthful tee.
She might be wary of strangers. Amy, hiding behind Amber’s back, couldn’t hide her curiosity, and she slightly poked her head out to look at me.
As I shook her hand, a snail suddenly came to mind as she hid her exposed face.
I looked up and asked Amber.
“Mr. Amber. Can I check Amy’s body for a moment?”
Amber’s smiling face hardened. I guess I just thought I was going to have a conversation.
I could see how much Amber loves her sister by looking at me with a wary look in an instant.
“… Amy’s examination has already been thorough in several ways. There is nothing wrong with her body except for her low weight. I can prove it.”
It was a fact I already knew. She was saved years later, and Amy lived happily ever after without any problems.
It was just a confirmation to get rid of the variable. There was also a sufficient possibility that the probability worked at its own will.
“I just want to confirm that Amy has magical powers.”
As I said that, I glanced at Estelle. It was a rude act of passing the responsibility to the decision maker, not the person concerned, but this method is always effective.
Estelle raised her head proudly.
“Don’t worry, Amber. No matter how trashy he may seem, he’s not the worst of them to hurt a child. Perverted, but not inferior.”
“… Thank you for watching.”
I turned my head to Amber with a sigh at the sale under the guise of praise. Amber, biting her lip, comforted Amy behind her with her careful hand.
“Like I did during the day, I just hold out my wrist for a moment. Are you fine?”
“Okay, okay….”
As Amy cautiously approached me and held out her thin wrist, I took out something to eat from her storage room, hoping to ease her guard.
“Do you like candy? There is also chocolate.”
She gave her pretty big smile as I squeezed her candy and chocolate in her hand with her hand at her nodded Amy. She also suits children to smile.
“Shouldn’t you ask an adult first?”
Ignoring Estelle’s immature words beside her, I gently placed my hand on Amy’s wrist as she was eating her candy. Then, he focused his magic on her fingertips.
The released magic power ran through Amy’s body without any resistance and returned again.
As if it tickled Amy, she smiled brightly.
I laughed bitterly at using such a cute child as a slave.
I, who thoughtlessly created such a setting, had no right to criticize anyone.
“Thanks, it’s late, so I’m going to brush my teeth and go to bed now.”
He stroked Amy’s hair and winked at Amber. The moment Amber walked out of her room with Amy, I let out a sigh of relief that I had been holding back.
“Why is there no magical power?”
“When Amber returns, I will explain it at once. It’s a matter that Amber needs to know anyway.”
After a while, Amber returns and I open my mouth with a smile.
“First of all, I will organize things before explaining. How much do you all know about Ludwig’s ruler, Roman the Undead?”
“I know that the count who owns the city of pleasure is Roman. But I’ve been curious about it before, what does it mean to be immortal?”
A question mark appeared in Estelle’s eyes.
“And the guy named Roman isn’t even related to the church, is it?”
“That’s right. Roman has nothing to do with the Church. I will explain about the Undead in a moment.”
Is Estelle like this? Turning her head to look at her Ember, she kindly explained what she knew.
“Count Roman Lyrik. He is 42 years old. He is the ruler of Ludwig, the city of pleasure, and is said to be the richest of the western nobility. He is proficient in magic and swordsmanship, and has various abilities such as alchemy, sorcery, and ancient languages. He is a well-known philanderer and loves his children dearly. He donates a lot for the development of the city. He is regarded by the world as the greatest aristocrat in the West.”
I smiled and nodded. Fortunately, nothing has changed in Roman’s setting.
“Roman is getting very good reviews from people. If you curse at him in Ludwig, you will be beaten by the citizens. But in fact, Roman’s real identity is not a person. He is a man-eating monster.”
“Cannibals?”
I nodded at Estelle’s question.
“Not just cannibals. It’s not that I enjoy human flesh. Over the years, Roman has developed his own magic by merging black magic and alchemy. He parasitises by injecting his own blood into his body using magic.”
“Gisaeng… ? Then the reason I checked Amy’s body earlier….”
Estel nodded as if she finally understood. Seeing Amber’s expression change seriously, I hurriedly added my words.
“Amy is fine. Roman’s parasitic body always has magic power. It is to use the magical power in the body to gnaw away the life force and avoid one’s own death. If the host body is killed by someone, it is resurrected using the parasitic body as a host. That’s why I’m immortal.”
Roman does not die. Although the body may change, its abilities and memories are inherited and nested in the body of the new host. I smiled bitterly.
“The reason he loves his children is simple. Because he is another self who will inherit all of his own. Roman survived by constantly changing his body, and his current age is probably over 500 years old.”
“… It’s a real monster A monster that never dies.”
Amber nodded in agreement with Estelle’s muttering.
I took a deep breath for a while and then opened my mouth after a moment of moxibustion.
“The future I saw is a great tragedy. In the beginning, Roel, who blocked the emperor’s immortality plan, confronted Roman, who was trying to make a deal with the emperor, and at the end of the battle, Roel killed Roman.”
“Isn’t that fine then? Even if you come back, you can kill me again.”
Estelle tilted her head. If you think about it simply, it might be. But the opponent is immortal. It also resurrects in a different body.
“Roman attacks Roel with a different face and gender each time he disturbs him. Even at the academy, disguised as students.”
Roman also attacked the people around Roel indiscriminately. Roel almost collapsed at the thought that someone could attack him anywhere and that his loved ones might be in danger at every moment.
Estelle, who finally understood how difficult it was to deal with the fire lion, lowered her gaze.
“… Your worst enemy It would be perfect to fall prey to human mistrust.”
She nodded at Estelle’s words.
“That’s right. For Roel, Bella will solve Roman’s secret with the help of Modist. Bella kills all of Roman’s family and relatives to prevent him from resurrecting.”
“Right! If you kill Roman’s family and relatives first, he won’t be able to resurrect!!!”
Before I could answer, Amber next to me said.
“Lily checked Amy’s body. It means….”
As Amber slurred her words, Estelle belatedly clenched her fists.
“The parasite of Roman wasn’t the end of the family….”
“That’s right. Roman, who ruled over Ludwig for a long time, was parasitic to the citizens in his sphere of influence just in case.”
Estelle sighed. She drooped her shoulders as if she didn’t want to hear it anymore. She probably doesn’t want to get involved with a fiery emissary who has nothing to do with the church. But I need Estelle’s help.
I said in a low voice.
“Roman is a minority who even possesses magical powers from birth. The Eurons have been made citizens of Ludwig for a long time and have induced disturbance. He doesn’t let anyone find out who he was parasitized on. However, what Roman couldn’t bear to calculate was Bella’s madness for Roel.”
Estelle raised her head. At the word madness, he looked at me with eyes full of interest.
“I didn’t expect that the Imperial Knights and 130,000 soldiers would come out and kill everything alive in Ludwig. Roman couldn’t even calculate that among the knights and soldiers who went out, those with magical powers were poisoned with the poison mixed with the alcohol that was handed out at the ceremony.”
Roman, who endlessly repeated resurrection, eventually dies in vain because there is no one to parasitize anymore. He is one of hundreds of thousands of innocent citizens of Ludwig.
The room was enveloped in a strange silence. I just watched in silence until Estelle opened her mouth.
“… We joined hands against the cult. I can’t shed my family’s blood on something unrelated to the church.”
I had already predicted how Estelle would react. Thanks to that, I was able to respond smoothly.
“No. 2 Of Confsion. Cassis will use these corpses to break the demon’s seal.”
For a moment, Estelle’s eyes flashed with life. It will have no choice but to be.
Cassis has a history of slaughtering Estelle’s clan under the order of the religious leader. And he uses the corpse as his subordinate.
The successor of the clan will never forget that disgrace.
So I am forcing a bargain. Words that Estelle could never refuse.
“If Estelle kills Roman, then I will kill Cassis.”