Episode 320
“What?”
It was a completely unexpected question, so I even forgot about the honorific.
Luisa, seeing that, actually smiled.
Logan seemed to have found some composure after seeing himself embarrassed, but even though he knew that, he could hardly calm his mind.
Because it was such a fascinating story.
‘An alliance against the empire? With the enemy inside?’
What a charming story.
You will be able to achieve your life’s goals much more easily.
But at that moment, the mountain of corpses he saw at the end of his previous life came to Logan’s mind. Furthermore, the face of the Mad Emperor Baros, who was laughing like crazy above him.
However, it seemed like the other person had no intention of answering meekly.
“…That’s the end of the conversation.”
Luisa put down the teacup with a firm word that cut off the flow and immediately stood up and tried to turn around.
but.
The red beast biting her heel had no intention of letting go of its prey easily.
“I think if the information about your magic becomes known to the imperial family, you and the Eastern King will be in big trouble. I’m fine with that, but will you be okay, princess?”
“…I heard it was a question-exchanging deal?”
There was a lot of chill in his blue eyes as he turned his head just as he was about to turn, but Logan just smiled and raised his teacup.
“It’s a deal. It’s just that we have the collateral.”
“…It wasn’t McLane’s sun, it was a snake.”
“Thank you for the compliment. So, shall we continue the transaction?”
Luisa, whose complexion hardened at Logan’s sly smile, held out her hand with a cold smile.
“…The next three. Let’s exchange only three questions.”
“Hah? You’re probably not in a position to argue, are you?”
“Anyway, all I have to do is abandon the king and hide. How about exchanging three questions. We can answer as honestly as possible.”
The princess has no regrets about Dongwangbu.
Is this an appeal that Dongwangbu is not related to that organization?
Or is this even a deception?
Logan nodded obediently, keeping the questions lingering in his head engraved in his heart.
“Haha. Well, I feel like I’m losing a bit, but that’s okay.”
“Then let me go first…”
“Before that, you have to answer the question I asked, right?”
“…First question?”
Sheesh.
I tried to eat one for free.
“Of course.”
When Logan nodded, hiding his true feelings, Luisa blurted out a few words.
“Request from the Empire.”
request?
Are we fighting but also cooperating when necessary?
I frowned because the identity of the organization seemed to be becoming more ambiguous.
“That’s an ambiguous answer.”
“If you don’t like it, can we end the conversation?”
It was clear in his blue eyes that he would not give in any more.
‘Did I push this too far?’
However, since he was someone who could not be appeased anyway, Logan had no choice but to accept the answer with a small sigh.
“Then it’s my turn. Why are you antagonizing the Empire? There’s no reason to do so.”
Has there been one or two wars with the empire in the history of Grandia? All you have to do is prepare.
Logan, who was trying to evade it, quickly changed his mind as he looked into Luisa’s blue eyes.
The moment this woman gives an unconvincing answer, this conversation will end.
Feeling that resolve again, Logan briefly clicked his tongue. To some extent, the facts had to be unraveled.
“Because I knew the Empire was planning to go to war.”
“How do you…?”
“Now it’s my turn. What is your organization’s goal?”
To be honest, what I was most curious about was why the princess of the royal family called herself an enemy of the empire.
‘Is the Dongwangbu itself part of the Black Snake? ‘
This was a question I asked in the hope that this question might be able to answer that question.
However, I did not like Luisa’s answer after hesitating for a moment.
“Changing the order of the world.”
What bullshit?
A vague answer that makes you think that way.
However, the tightly closed red lips did not seem like they would spit out any more words.
‘I thought I was holding the leash properly.’
It was as if a dog held on a leash was protesting that it would die, even if it meant biting its tongue.
Is this why we have the right to ridicule Luisa for not having the qualities of a negotiator?
‘If we change the order, it at least means we won’t continue to conform to the empire.’
Logan smiled bitterly, keeping that fact in mind.
Then this time Luisa asked a question that she had not finished before.
“How did you know the Empire was preparing for war?”
How should I answer?
After racking his brain for a moment, Logan came up with an answer that was neither true nor false.
“I met the emperor. I thought he was not a person who was satisfied with reality.”
“…Just that?”
“Part of the truth. Like your answer.”
Red eyes and blue eyes crossed coolly, and soon a sigh and a laugh came out of both of them.
“If this happens, neither of us will have any income at all. How about we both answer the last question sincerely?”
“In other words, I will only answer questions that I can answer truthfully. How about that?”
“…great.”
How far can we trust each other?
With that fact in mind, words were spoken in calm tones, and the final question and answer were exchanged.
And the conversation for that day ended.
* * * [You knew about your power?]
“Yes. That’s right.”
[…It is possible to guess about our symbols. If reports from Macline’s superhumans who clashed with Gerohin or the alliance war were included, that could be enough. But did you see through your seal and understand its nature?]
“He himself told me that. He only knew with his senses.”
At those words, I saw the teacher’s expression harden.
[Just with the senses? Huh, the seal I put on myself… is ridiculous. Is the power of the fate changer much stronger than I thought?…]
“It seems that the people around me were not deceived because they knew about my power from the beginning.”
[It would be inevitable if he had the power to change fate and his true identity was discovered long ago.]
Luisa did not tell him that she had broken the seal and caused the whole incident. If you listen to King Logan’s words, he must have already guessed it independently of that incident.
‘Anyway, last night’s failure has no impact on the organization.’
Even though I tried to make excuses to myself, I couldn’t help but naturally smile self-deprecatingly.
‘That’s pathetic.’
Merits are inflated and achievements are hidden.
It was extremely miserable to realize that I was engaging in the disgusting behavior that only members of the lower-ranking organizations of the Tower had done.
The end of failure is either brainwashing or sacrifice.
It was a bad practice created by the culture of severe punishment that the Kassel Tower had maintained in order to maintain the organization while avoiding the eyes of the imperial family, and as a result, there were many cases where the transmission of information was disrupted and things went awry.
The culture of harsh punishment was also one of the customs she wanted to change, but now she’s just making excuses to avoid it.
‘How could this happen…’
Suddenly.
The image of King McLane, who had cornered him once again, came to mind and he automatically gritted his teeth.
Then, startled by the sound he made, he looked at the communication port and saw that the teacher was just lost in thought.
Looking at that scene, Luisa calmly recalled her last conversation with Logan.
To be exact, the question he asked and the answer that followed.
– What do you think about the temple?
An unexpected question that did not fit the context of the conversation at all.
However, since it was not a difficult question, the king’s answer came easily.
– …representative of the gods. I don’t think you want to hear that answer, do you?
– I am asking about the temple that your Majesty sees. I heard there was a problem some time ago.
– …It was just a problem with the corrupt priests. Since the Pope will change, won’t the temple also change? 9I just hope that the Minister will select the right representative.
– Ah… you think so.
– …Is that really the end of the question?
– yes.
Since the last conversation that came out after a fierce confrontation was such a meaningless thing, the expression on King Logan’s face as he looked at himself was absurd.
However, Luisa was certain of one most important fact from those unexpected questions and answers.
“King Logan has no idea about the source of his power, and what is beginning to happen in this country.”
[…You have that kind of power, but you have no self-awareness?]
“Yes. Our knowledge about us is only fragmentary, and it is clear that we have no information about ‘the one who changes fate’ or ‘the era when the gods left’.”
At Luisa’s confident tone, the teacher’s expression in the communication box also changed strangely.
[A person who changes fate knows nothing about his role? I have to get a feel for it to be normal, right? Hmm. This is…]
“Yes. I think it’s fully usable.”
A smile appeared on Luisa’s face.
It may seem trivial, but it is a direction that will achieve the organization’s goals. Because it showed a signpost that would be a shortcut in that direction.
[good night. I will review it first, so please return now.]
“Yes, Master.”
Because of that, she was able to laugh, letting go of some of the burden of her disastrous failure in the royal castle.
* * *
“What happened, Your Majesty?”
“I confirmed that I was a party and also confirmed what I was curious about.”
“What are you talking about…?”
In response to Dwayne’s question, Logan recalled his last conversation with Luisa.
– What is the name of your organization?
– Kassel. Kassel Magic Tower.
“Gibrik Kassel.”
“yes?”
“They are the descendants of the magic saint. It was definitely them. Huh…”
“Yes?”
“There are. Those who don’t look like humans.”
A delusion that accumulated at the end of a previous life. The questions about the leaders who created the mountain of corpses were clearly resolved.
Those who used to hang out with the emperor inside the empire are now fighting each other, so I thought this might be a change I liked among the variables I had created through regression.
So I had another worry.
“Should I convey this to the imperial family or not?”
If, contrary to what the princess said, the entire Eastern Kingdom is related to the Kassel Magic Tower, the kingdom could benefit greatly just by informing the imperial family about this.
Isn’t it likely that one of the four kings will come into conflict with the imperial family?
But what if what the princess said is true?
When the Eastern Kingbu is punished to some extent, the internal strife will end and the black snakes will go into hiding again.
‘The group of wizards who are hostile to the empire, no matter how many, will turn into enemies.’
It was an adventure not easy to choose.
“How…”
I had a strong intuition that the choice I had to make now would have a huge impact on my future.
and.
‘Why did you ask about the temple?’
Luisa’s last question also bothered me a lot.
As the night progressed, Logan’s worries deepened.
