episode_0017

Chapter 17 – Shadowing

Neat brown hair and orange eyes. He wore horn-rimmed glasses. His age seemed similar, but he didn’t look like an Academy student.

‘Who is this?’

Even after racking my brain, I couldn’t grasp who it was, so I decided to ask directly.

“Why were you following me?” “……” “You’d do well to tell me. The Saintess-nim is here, too. You wouldn’t want to meet the Inquisitors like this, would you?”

Just as in various media on Earth, the image of the Inquisitors here was akin to that of the grim reaper. As proof, the man’s face turned pale upon hearing my threat.

“I, I…” “Don’t even think about lying. If you show even a hint of suspicion, I’ll hand you over to the Inquisitors without hesitation. You know what will happen then, right? You’ll suffer terrible torture until you spit out all the information, neither dead nor alive.” “Gasp! P-please don’t do that! I’ll tell you everything truthfully!” “That’s a wise choice. The Inquisitors are busy people. They judge the demons of the Dark Church year-round─”

Wham!

Just as I was making up every word to pressure the man, a heavy fist smacked the back of my head.

“Ow!”

Screaming from the unexpected pain, I rubbed the back of my head wildly and turned around. Then I saw the huffing Saintess.

“Why did you hit me?” “Are you asking because you don’t know? You’re distorting the Church’s image! The Inquisitors don’t do cruel things!” “So, when they interrogate the demons of the Dark Church, do they only intimidate them with words?” “Of course! They make them repent by preaching Repentia-nim’s benevolence!” “Hmm… that can’t be right.”

That claim was hard to believe. Humans cling to stubbornness even in simple opinions, so how could they change an entire ideology with mere words? Was she perhaps being unreasonable?

Just as I was staring at the Saintess with suspicious eyes, I suddenly glanced behind her. There was a Holy Knight there. He, who had been standing there without much presence, was sending me a desperate look.

“Ah…”

Only then did I realize. The Saintess truly believed that the Inquisitors used gentle methods. Everyone in the Church of Light had kept such dark aspects completely hidden from the Saintess.

‘Well, I understand why.’

They probably didn’t want to deliberately shatter the innocence of such a kind and beautiful Saintess-nim. I let out a small sigh.

“The Saintess-nim is right. The Inquisitors are a very devout and gentle organization. I made a mistake.” “You admit it surprisingly easily. Excellent. I’ll forgive your previous blunder.” “Thank you for your mercy. Then, I’ll continue the interrogation.”

After casually dealing with the Saintess, I focused again on the mysterious shadow.

“There was a slight commotion. So, what’s your reason for following me?” “……” “What? Why are you suddenly silent? Don’t tell me it’s because of what I just said with the Saintess-nim? You know that was a lie. Speak up quickly. Do you want to die?”

The man, who had seemed about to spill everything just moments ago, was now exercising his right to remain silent. When I unleashed threats at him again, he also grasped the reality of the situation and cautiously opened his mouth.

“A-actually, Lady Isis ordered me.” “…Isis? And ‘Lady’?” “Yes. Young Master, you might not know, but I am Endison, the squire of Sir Paris, who was Lady Isis’s escort knight.” “Paris…?”

Paris was a considerably veteran knight responsible for the security of the mansion I had just left a short while ago. I never thought Isis would use a knight to shadow me.

‘That was close.’

If time had passed without me knowing anything, I might have made an irreversible mistake. I should thank the Saintess.

‘Now the problem is how to respond…’

Playing the part of a scoundrel is one thing, but to prevent this from happening again, I really need to make a firm decision and turn things upside down. Having made my decision, I immediately twisted my face into a sneer and slapped Endison’s cheek with all my might.

Smack!

“Ugh!”

“You son of a bitch! Isis tells you to shadow me, and you do it? Do you want to die? No matter what, Isis is a woman. She can’t inherit the family. Do you think I’ll just leave you alone when I become the family head later? Huh? Do you think Paris will be fine? You crazy bastard!”

Curses were a given, and he even dragged out parts Endison hadn’t mentioned, raging and overtly expressing his inferiority complex. His hands and feet didn’t rest, striking blows all over Endison’s body, making the atmosphere hostile. My current appearance was truly that of a scoundrel.

“Ah, ah! Y-y-young Master. Stop!”

The Saintess, who had been watching from the side, was so shocked by this ferocious behavior—which she had never seen when talking with him—that she even stammered. At her words, I stopped hitting him as if I had just snapped out of it, and stared at her.

“…I apologize, Saintess-nim. I showed you an unseemly sight.” “Oh, no. I’m sorry for rudely butting in myself.” “It’s alright. Even I would be bothered if such a commotion occurred. I’ve calmed down now, so you should go, Saintess-nim.”

This was exclusion disguised as consideration. At the warning to not interfere further, the Saintess glanced worriedly at Endison before slowly nodding.

“…Alright. See you later.” “Yes. We’ll see each other if the opportunity arises.”

After the Saintess left, I immediately returned to my previous state and kicked Endison’s shin.

“Hey, get up. You know where Isis is, right? Lead the way.” “Ah, understood. Please follow me.”

Endison wiped his messed-up face with his sleeve, then led the way.

*

Ten minutes later, Iris and the Holy Knight returned to where Ruan had left. Iris pouted sulkily.

“I need to go to the Academy too.”

Currently, she was on a crucial mission, dispatched to the Academy branch. Naturally, the only place she could return to was the Academy, but she had ended up heading for the Holy City, overwhelmed by Ruan’s forceful presence. Although she had returned midway, she felt it would be awkward to face him again, so she couldn’t even dare to approach the Academy. The Saintess’s dignity was in shambles. As she grumbled, she suddenly recalled Ruan beating Endison.

‘He was like a different person.’

It was such a shocking sight that she doubted if he was the same person who had always spoken politely to her and occasionally made silly remarks. Perhaps the reason she couldn’t head to the Academy now was because she was scared of that Ruan. Which one, truly, was the real Ruan? Pondering, Iris decided to ask her escort Holy Knight, Dale.

“Dale. May I ask you a question?” “Of course, Saintess-nim.” “…What do you think of Young Master Ruan Friuli? Was the appearance he showed in front of me a false one?”

Dale felt troubled as he met her light pink eyes, which gazed up at him. Personally, he saw Ruan as a typical petty person who changed his behavior depending on the individual, but the Saintess seemed to view him not unfavorably. If he spoke ill of him for no reason, he’d end up arguing with a much younger lady.

“Is there really a need to call one of them false?” “What do you mean by that?” “It means both appearances are likely real. In the underground waterway, he… didn’t he say he liked the Saintess-nim’s chest? Naturally, his attitude would be different.” “Ah, I see!”

She had overcomplicated her thoughts, failing to face the simple truth. Ruan was kind because of her chest.

‘There’s room for rehabilitation.’

If he were an evil person to the core with no room for compromise, that would be one thing, but if he knows how to be kind for what he desires, his behavior can certainly be corrected by offering a ‘carrot’. The problem, however, was that the ‘carrot’ she had to offer was her own chest…

‘It’s alright.’

If rehabilitating Ruan could save many people’s lives in the future, then she could offer her chest without hesitation. However, she couldn’t just go and present the conditions, so for now, she decided to observe him.

‘I won’t let him go astray!’

*

Upon arriving at the Academy, Endison took out the temporary pass he had received from Isis, presented it, and then guided me to the student council office.

‘Isis is in the student council office again today.’

With her workaholic tendencies, she was always buried in her work. Soon, Endison’s footsteps halted.

“It’s here.” “Move.” “Yes.”

As soon as Endison hastily moved aside, I roughly kicked open the student council office door.

Thud!

The door swung open violently, slamming against the wall with a loud sound. Inside, Isis and Regina, who had been chatting while working on documents, focused their gaze on me at the sudden appearance of the uninvited guest. Two pairs of silver eyes met in mid-air.

“Ru-Ruan?”

Despite Isis’s call, I said nothing and walked silently until I stood before her. Isis’s eyes were trembling subtly with agitation. She also knew why I had come. I could feel her glancing at Endison over my shoulder. I placed both hands on the table and leaned in.

“Why did you assign someone to follow me?” “Ruan, that’s…” “I don’t need excuses, just tell me the reason. It’s best not to think about lying. Because then I don’t know what I might do.” “……”

My curiosity was genuine. No matter that she was my older sister, I couldn’t understand why Isis would bother assigning someone to follow an extra like me. If there was some important reason, I absolutely had to figure it out. Of course, Isis answered with silence.

“Why can’t you speak? Tell me the reason. There must be a reason why you followed me!” “…I’m sorry.” “Do you know you’re sorry? Then why did you do it? You’re a smart person. Didn’t you know I’d hate it? No, you did. You knew, and you still did it. Because a good-for-nothing worm like me would never notice. If it weren’t for the Saintess-nim, I wouldn’t have known either. You thought that, didn’t you?”

I deliberately used self-deprecating words. As I intended, Isis, startled, was busy denying it.

“N-no, Ruan. I never thought that. A worm? Don’t call yourself that.” “Then tell me the reason! What’s the reason you followed me? Just tell me that, and I’ll leave. Please?” “……I can’t tell you that.” “Damn it, seriously. Do you want to see me go crazy? Why are you so unable to understand─”

Thump!

Before I could even finish my sentence, I clamped my mouth shut at the hand pressing down on my shoulder. Turning my head, I saw Regina smiling brightly. However, unlike her face, her eyes were chillingly cold.

“Young Master? Your words seem a bit too harsh. How about you calm down a little?”

As if to say she would shatter me if I didn’t calm down, the grip on my shoulder tightened. But I couldn’t back down here. I absolutely had to get a promise from Isis’s own mouth that she would never tail me again.

“Your Royal Highness. This is an issue between me and my older sister.” So stay out of it.

At the will instantly conveyed, the smile vanished from Regina’s face as if it had been wiped clean. Her hand slipped off my shoulder. Regina took a step back, crossed her arms, and then spoke.

“Oh really? This is the student council office, you know? Kicking the door open and causing a disturbance like this greatly concerns me too. If my older brother were here, I wonder what he would say…”

It was an appeal that she also had grounds to interfere, mixed with a warning asking if I dared to disregard the authority of the Imperial Family. Since neither side would yield, a standoff naturally ensued, and the atmosphere grew cold. In such a situation, the one caught in the middle, Isis, was the most uncomfortable.

“Both of you, calm down! Your Royal Highness, thank you for thinking of me. But there’s no need. I can resolve this myself. Ruan, you calm down too. I’m sorry, but I can’t tell you the reason why I had you followed. However, I promise I won’t do it again. So, can’t you be satisfied with just that much? Please, I’m begging you.”

Finally, Isis relented. I barely managed to suppress the sigh of relief that threatened to escape.

“For now, I’ll let it go. But if I catch you tailing me again, then just you wait. I’ll do something you can’t even imagine.” “Ruan…” “Then let’s not see each other again from now on.”

Leaving a final warning, I left the student council office without looking back. For now, the goal is achieved.

‘Now I need to prepare myself.’

It’s not just limited to Isis; I don’t know when or by whom I might be followed, so I need to prepare in advance from now on. The eventful first weekend passes.