Ch.197197. Invisible Mask (3)

The girl remembers clearly. The scene of people hurling stones of blame at an innocent senior.

That scene was firmly imprinted, never to be forgotten.

Renias knew it best of all.

The moment her eyelids drooped and her body collapsed, Junon would once again be surrounded by the townspeople’s anger and branded a criminal.

There was a time when they hesitated and stopped throwing stones.

When she had just completed her discharge procedures from the hospital and immediately intervened, spreading her arms wide to block her senior.

Their target was so clearly aimed at one person that they had to stop what they were holding in their hands.

And then they said this.

That with that silver tongue, he had even deceived this good person.

At the same time, they told her that white lies weren’t meant to be used like this.

In other words, if she were there.

As a member of the Lantana family, as a member bearing the name of the Arcab Party, as a magician bestowed with the middle name Posterior.

Even those who harbor grudges and rush forward cannot easily step up.

The closer she sticks to him, the more effective it is.

What if it flies off in another direction? What if they aim wrong and hit an innocent person? For them, the size of the target shrinks for these reasons.

Therefore, this alone is effective. If she just stays close to her senior.

Even if there are people who act aggressively, as long as she stays by his side so she can take action first.

That alone would prevent her kind senior from being branded a criminal.

“Ugh…”

But her eyelids want to close. Her body is also making a fuss, saying, “Go to sleep now! I’m dying of exhaustion, so sleep!”

Sleep, that inner beast, has been clinging persistently and shows no sign of letting go.

That’s why she had to ask for coffee, which she rarely drinks. From her senior who worried, saying her drowsiness was visible.

“Ugh… No, Renias!”

Renias tries to endure by pressing her cheeks with her hands.

Just sitting is now difficult. The more tired people get, the more they want comfort.

When standing, she thought walking might help, but her legs started tingling before she’d walked very far.

Wanting to rest her tingling legs, she sat down like now, but then wanted to lean against the wall.

After leaning against the wall for a while, her back hurts from the hardness.

Then the table catches her eye. If she could just lie down on that table for a moment, she could sleep comfortably.

The more she endures, the greater her expectations grow.

To prevent sleep from taking hold in her mind, she pulls her cheeks and pinches her thighs, doing her best to push away the desire for deep sleep.

Still, the body is honest.

The silver rabbit tried her best to push her desires outside the wall, but what was pushed back was rather her reason.

Finally, the heavily weighted desire completely took over the place of reason.

“Maybe it’s okay to just close my eyes at the table for a bit…?”

It happened during the end-of-term evaluations too. Her senior said that taking turns napping increases efficiency.

She could take a quick nap on the table and get up when her senior returns, right?

‘Yes, yes, that must be right!’

It wasn’t wrong, in a way. Applying it to daily life wasn’t that strange, and the reasoning was sound…!

Nodding at what she considered a clever idea, Renias laid her head on her folded arms on the table and drifted off to sleep.

“Zzz…”

***

I’ve heard that in the Empire, they use sleep deprivation as a form of torture.

That’s how arduous it is to fight sleep. So this nap was incredibly sweet. Sweet enough that she might fall into a deep sleep if not careful.

When would her senior return? He said he was going in to buy coffee, so it shouldn’t take too long.

Five minutes? Three minutes? Or, if there are customers waiting, could she sleep longer?

…Somehow, a longer waiting time is becoming her hope.

She thought that if she was conscious of not falling asleep, even for a moment, she wouldn’t drift off.

“No. At this rate, I’ll really fall asleep!”

With that, Renias straightened her back from the table and came to her senses.

But to her surprise, as soon as she lifted her face, her mind seemed completely clear.

Her heavy eyelids now felt as light as if they could fly away, and her stiff body felt refreshed and moved well.

“Phew, that’s a relief.”

She had worried about falling asleep here. If she had, she would have been a complete burden to her senior.

Ding.

The bell attached to the main entrance rings as the door opens.

It’s obvious who will come out, so Renias, with her now clear face, demonstrates that she’s fine.

“I’m sorry, senior. For making such a strange request… But I’m fine now after taking that short nap you mentioned!”

She points to her eyelids, asking if there are any dark circles.

Feeling refreshed, she even jumps around and spins to ease her senior’s worries.

But…

“Senior?”

Somehow, there’s no response from Junon.

He doesn’t have coffee in his hands either, which is strange.

And his eyes are cold. Could he have been harmed inside the café?

“Did something happen in there? Who is it? I’ll go in right now and…!”

Thud.

Their shoulders brushed. Moreover, they brushed while moving in opposite directions.

Junon passed by without saying a word, which made Renias anxious, and she quickly turned around.

Then,

“Senior…? You’re walking too fast! Let me…!”

He was walking ahead without listening or looking back.

And not just walking, but at a quick pace.

She had to run to keep up with her senior.

“Senior! Where are you going! Why are you…!”

She tries to grab his arm, but he coldly shakes her off.

“You could at least talk to me. What happened in there to make you like this?”

When she blocks his path, he mercilessly sidesteps her.

“Senior Junon! Please!”

Grab.

She ended up hugging her senior from behind as he tried to escape.

“I won’t let go. Do you think I’ll let you get beaten up like before?!”

Squeeze.

She embraces his arms with both of hers. To prevent him from escaping, she interlocks her fingers and pulls back with all her might, shifting her center of gravity backward.

“I don’t think it’s your fault at all. I know the whole situation, so please stop making such judgments on your own!”

I hate it. The sight of my overly kind senior admitting his own fault.

It’s painful. Having to just watch as he was stoned like a criminal by those people.

With so many people taking his side, what happens if he concludes it was his fault?

You did your best to minimize the damage, but something beyond your control happened. What if you take the blame for that?

If you accept that, what becomes of the people who acknowledged you?

“If you’re thinking of going there, I’ll do everything to stop you. I won’t let go of these arms, I tell you!”

At that, the force trying to move forward stopped.

And then, his fingers touched her disheveled hair.

Soon after, Junon completely stopped walking, turned around, and began to gently stroke her hair.

“Senior…”

Renias looks up at Junon’s face. She finally shows a relieved smile.

His expression was like looking at an incorrigible tomboy. It was his usual face.

Just as she thought she could relax now and loosened her tight embrace,

“Senior…? Senior!”

In an instant, he moved away.

The image of Junon who was right in front of her, the senior she had just been holding tightly in her arms, receded at an impossible speed.

She shouted and ran after him, but the distance only grew wider, never narrowing.

Moreover, obstacles increased.

“Ugh, why is there suddenly so much sunlight…!”

It was a hindrance. It was already impossible to catch up to Junon running at full speed with just her body, and she needed to use magic to bind his feet, but this made it impossible to pinpoint his location.

“No, senior. No, I say!!”

After crying out like that and opening her eyes once the bright light passed,

The scene had changed so dramatically it was as if she had teleported.

“Where is this…?”

What Renias sees is the ceiling of some building.

The common factor is that Junon is nowhere to be seen, but what’s different is that her body, which had been running, is now lying on a soft surface.

There’s a teddy bear in her arms, a pillow under her head, and a cozy blanket covering her body.

She had been sound asleep.

“It was… a dream…”

A deflated sigh escaped from her chest, which had been soaked in anxiety.

And then the sound of hurried slippers approaching gets closer.

“Renias? Is something wrong?”

“Ah, Aunt Dalia.”

“Oh my. Why are you sweating so much? Had another bad dream?”

“Ahaha… Yes.”

She had sweated so much that her pillow was soaked.

“You want to know why you’re here and where Junon is, right?”

“Huh? Ah… Yes, that’s right.”

She had no choice but to admit it.

Dalia sat beside Renias and wiped away her profuse sweat with a dry towel while gradually explaining what had happened.

With each explanation, the anxious expression on the girl’s face eased a little, and by the time she heard Junon’s message that he wouldn’t just stand there and take it, her expression had become much more relaxed.

“More importantly, Reni, how did that happen? Falling asleep suddenly outside.”

“Ah… Did senior tell you?”

“Yes. He said he went in to buy coffee and when he came out, you were asleep at the table. Didn’t you sleep at all last night?”

So that means she fell asleep as soon as she tried to rest her eyes. How embarrassing.

“Ehehe. It’s not that, but Ronelion suddenly woke me up so I had to get up really early.”

“Hmm… Is that so?”

Dalia gave Renias a curious look as she scratched her cheek awkwardly while avoiding eye contact.

There’s no need to tell her what happened to Junon here.

She already has the face of a young girl.

Instead, this can be taken as an opportunity.

“Aunt? Why are you suddenly holding my hand?”

Renias tilts her head in confusion, then says brightly that she’ll hold her aunt’s hand too, and Dalia decides to be a little greedy.

“As you go through life, Reni, you’ll face difficult times too. When that happens, you need to honestly ask others for help. Understand?”

As one lives, truly difficult trials come to humans.

It would be nice if they could be resolved, but there are too many things in this world that cannot be.

Strength, money, power.

Things related to the secular world might help, but only temporarily. In situations where one is pushed to the edge, none of these matter.

What’s needed then is a person who can hold onto your mental thread when you’re about to collapse.

After finishing this story, Dalia smiles brightly and says,

“In that sense, our Reni can go to Junon, right?”

“S-Senior? But there are aunts and uncles, and Ron and Ophi too, so why specifically…”

“Why specifically? How many people would carry you in their arms like today? I’d say he’s the only one.”

“Whaaaat?! He, he carried me? That’s…!”

Steam rises from Renias’s head as she startles in shock.

“Ugh…! First with Maria, and now this, why does this keep happening…”

Emotions that are gradually budding in a girl of this age are glimpsed. And given her intense reaction, his existence must be special to this lovable girl.

Until she didn’t open up about it herself, it seemed fine. But looking inside, it couldn’t be better.

‘That’s the right answer, Reni.’

Then it’s reassuring.

It’s perfect if Junon is by her side.

He’s reliable and a genuine person with no rough edges. He’s also good at taking care of Renias, as he did today.

Someday, trials will surely come to this brightly smiling child, and that time is not far off.

That’s precisely the mask this fragile child has put on herself. The many emotions surrounded by debt, burden, and obsession will torment Renias without being neatly organized.

But it’s okay. Even if difficult phases come, that wise boy will embrace Renias well. That’s why it’s perfect.

If they could develop into an even deeper relationship, there would be nothing more to wish for.

‘Your mother, Rainesia, always said that. That she just wanted Ronelion and Renias to live happily without such troubles.’

The daughter of the hero who saved the Artena Empire, the child of Lord Alcaide, the jewel of the Arcab Party.

More than all these grand titles, what mattered most to Dalia was the fact that Renias was just a girl.

Probably all those who witnessed the couple’s deathbed would think the same.

***

In the morning, there weren’t enough people walking around to confirm, but now that it’s midday, it’s sufficient.

And still, they look at me with distrustful eyes. It means no other measures have been taken.

There doesn’t seem to be anyone following me as a guard either.

‘Yes. This will do.’

Professor Dalia offered to help for once, but that absolutely cannot happen.

It’s not that I enjoy being cursed at or welcome getting into fights, but paradoxically, these gazes are what I need right now.

I’m sorry to Renias and to those who defended me earlier, but it must be this way.

Once this is over… then it won’t be too late to thank them and honor their intentions.

This quarter of this year. Following the plague-bearing Shanbereshu, another named monster appears.

Shanbereshu actually reached named status due to its terrible mechanism of continuously giving birth to plague-bearing offspring, Devourers.

However, this named monster was ranked based on the power of its main body, and there is no way to prevent its occurrence.

Although there are said to be ways to reduce damage, they are virtually impossible.

Therefore, the best option is to eliminate it as quickly as possible.

That’s why I haven’t reversed my reputation.

The more people who are hostile to me, the fewer victims there will be.

Ironically, this is the key element to defeating that creature. The reason I’ve silently accepted my reputation becoming trash is all to catch that monster.

The events that will unfold are firmly embedded in my mind.

From the day I first realized the regression, I never forget incidents that were published in newspapers or directly commissioned by the Tembris Party.

The problem is insufficient information.

What I’m looking for is not the watermelon rind spread throughout newspapers or the entire country, but the flesh inside that hard shell, where all the seeds are clearly visible.

But the books piled on the table already number twelve.

Each one is an enormous tome filled with the history and incidents of the country.

This one was also a dead end.

“This one’s a bust too.”

After searching throughout the library but finding no plausible information, I close this book in disappointment as well.

“This won’t do. There are too many, so I should put them back in their places.”

Just as I was about to return the books to their places,

Something fluttered and fell from inside one of the books.

“Hm? A piece of paper… with a photo too?”

I picked up the paper thinking it was nothing special. But it wasn’t nothing.

“…Algenib Central Branch Newspaper Office?”

One piece of paper. And one photograph.

The paper points to the newspaper office, and in the remaining photo, one person is captured.

“Wait, now that I look at it, this person is the one from that time…!”

Bingo.