episode_0035

“Wait a moment.”

And so, the uncomfortable meeting in the student council room came to an end.

Well, to be precise, it was after school, not just the student council meeting. Since I was still in a state of not fully committing to the student council, we didn’t have anything else to do after classes.

Yesterday, I studied in the library, but Claire seemed to want to see me for a moment after school. However, with a lot on my mind, I quickly returned to the dormitory. Well, maybe there will be another chance once I’ve sorted out my thoughts. If I set my mind to it, I can spend time with Claire by turning back time.

As for being a heroine… Honestly, I don’t have any desire to be in a relationship. It’s true that I immersed myself in the game as Leo Grace. I’m not as handsome, successful, or skilled in academics or martial arts as Leo. When I think about myself, who barely manages a job and spends spare time playing games or watching cartoons, comparing myself to Leo, who effortlessly attracts women, is just impossible.

But even so, the character I controlled in the game was Leo. The choices weren’t that extensive, and they didn’t make a huge difference in the ending, but feelings of affection as my alter ego naturally arose.

And I found myself inside the game I was playing.

I am interested in the coupling. I was curious about who Leo would end up with and how the changed story would unfold. Honestly, it was quite enjoyable to be the reason for the story changing.

In fact, from the perspective of the player who played the original game, I am a character to be reckoned with.

An ability for infinite regression without any risk. It may not be as powerful as a superhuman ability, but ultimately, it’s an ability that can outsmart even the strongest characters.

Moreover, with this ability, I have read all the information that I wouldn’t have known otherwise, even the prophecies stored in the depths of the royal library. I don’t even need to think about escaping. If I can pass through just once, read the contents, and return, that’s all.

…Anyway.

For these reasons, I rejected Claire’s offer and returned to the dormitory.

As befitting a high-class dormitory, it was clean and had excellent facilities, comparable to my room in the royal palace where I originally lived. In some aspects, it was even better.

As I entered my dorm room and was about to close the door, Alice grabbed the doorknob and spoke.

I couldn’t overpower Alice with force. Unless I knew in advance and avoided her.

“…”

Knowing that well, I let go of the doorknob. Alice opened the door and entered my room, the door closing with a bang.

It seems like… she’s a little angry. Or maybe her emotions are just running high. Is that it?

“Earlier, Crowfield didn’t seem too pleased when he looked at you.”

After firmly closing the door, Alice, with her arms crossed, asked me. She seemed to be asking the question more out of curiosity than anger.

“Do you know anything?”

“…”

What should I do?

Alice probably knows that Viscount Crowfield is dead. She may not know the exact cause of death. The Emperor wouldn’t have told Alice that fact willingly.

She might have some suspicions. Alice is not foolish; she just lacks information. She might even suspect that the Emperor is killing off his enemies one by one. After all, she’s the daughter who has lived her whole life watching her father.

“Answer me. This is…”

Alice, who had been speaking, suddenly closed her mouth. After a moment of contemplation, she frowned as if in deep thought, then opened her mouth decisively.

“This is a question as the next emperor. It’s information I need to know.”

“….”

That’s how it goes.

There was a scene like this in the original work as well. However, back then, most people didn’t pay much attention to that fact. Alice’s attitude was not so serious, but rather like catching a straw. Perhaps it was because most of the time she was dealing with the emperor’s children.

But the Alice in front of me now had a very serious expression. She wasn’t just using her position to manipulate, she was seriously putting her authority on the line and asking me a question.

And I was the one who created this Alice.

…In that case, it would be right to respect that authority.

“I killed him.”

“….”

Even after my words, Alice remained silent for a moment, looking at me with the same posture, then, after about 5 seconds, her expression blankly relaxed and she made that sound.

“The carriage that the viscount was riding in exploded because I planted a bomb on the carriage floor.”

“….”

Alice, who had been standing with her mouth open, staggered and sat down heavily on my bed. Then she looked up at me and asked.

“Why?”

“The Emperor ordered it.”

“…And you were…”

“I was twelve.”

“…After that, were there any other assassination orders?”

“That was the first and last for me.”

“Then, what about the others?”

“I don’t know. But given the circumstances, there wouldn’t have been just one order.”

“….”

Alice closed her mouth and fell into thought.

It was a different look from when I had spoken openly about the truth in the student council room. Perhaps because there was not only Alice who heard the story there. In such a situation, it would be almost impossible to contain the situation.

“…Did you kill the viscount just for that reason?”

“….”

In Alice’s gaze as she looked at me, there were mixed emotions.

Alice trusts me. But that doesn’t mean she knows everything about me. Regardless of the fact that I came from another world, she doesn’t know everything about what I did in this world.

The Emperor may think of me as a difficult tool to handle, but Alice doesn’t see me as a tool. Just by looking at the morphine I kept, it’s clear.

“The viscount was involved in the opium trade within his territory.”

“….”

As Alice continued to look at me as if urging me to go on, I continued.

“And he brought orphaned children to create a brothel. He himself frequented that brothel.”

Whether the viscount made it himself or received something in return, I don’t know. But at least Viscount Crowfield frequented that place.

It wasn’t just a one-time thing. I went back in time several times to confirm it myself. I also heard it directly from the viscount.

“They must have been children from the orphanage.”

“….”

“And I am also from an orphanage.”

“….”

Alice, who had been silently looking at me, let out a small sigh as if relieved.

“Then… one last thing I’ll ask. If, hypothetically, the viscount was truly innocent, and your father wanted to kill him just for power, what would you have done?”

“I wouldn’t have killed him.”

I don’t know what would have happened after that. Whether I would have revealed the truth and disguised the death, or just left him alive because I didn’t kill him. Since such an event has never happened, I can’t say for sure.

However, one thing was certain: I wasn’t going to kill him. I had played the game before, so I knew what the Viscount Crowfield was up to, but I wanted to double-check the reason for that. His actions could have been different from the game for any reason.

The conclusion was to kill him.

“Got it.”

Alice nodded, taking a deep breath and nodding her head.

“That’s right.”

Then she closed her eyes, sat still for a few seconds, and got up.

“Alright.”

Standing up, Alice looked straight at me and said, “From now on, there won’t be such incidents.”

Huh?

I wondered what Alice meant by suddenly saying that. She looked at me with determination on her face and said, “From now on, there’s no need for your hands to be stained with blood.”

“….”

Uh, well.

That…

“As the future emperor, I won’t make you do such dirty deeds.”

Uh.

I couldn’t help but think that even a person who would become the emperor wouldn’t completely refrain from doing dirty deeds. Even in modern times, national leaders sometimes order soldiers or spies to do dirty work, right? Reality doesn’t always follow the code of chivalry.

“If the Emperor himself gives the order—”

“Ignore it. I’ll handle it somehow.”

“….”

What’s this?

Did I touch some button inside Alice?

Alice’s words seemed lacking in realism in many ways. Frankly, it didn’t seem out of place to think of them as the words of a petulant child. Even if the person who would ascend to the throne of the emperor, the current emperor is quite stable. It would take decades to inherit the emperor’s position.

If I were asked to refuse a perfectly healthy emperor’s command, what should I say?

… Even though it seemed absurd, I somehow wanted to answer like that.

I didn’t think that Alice would perfectly keep her word. But apart from that, I could tell that Alice’s words were sincere. She seemed to genuinely want to nullify the Emperor’s orders.

And seeing that side of Alice made me feel oddly proud.

“Why are you making that face?”

Alice looked at me as if she was displeased, speaking bluntly.

Huh?

“What kind of face are you talking about?”

I should be expressionless. If I changed my expression, I would have noticed it too. Maintaining a blank expression was the part I had trained the hardest on, so I was conscious of it.

I wanted to touch my face with my hand, but I resisted. If that statement was fake, I would fall for it. It would be better to have the confidence that I had no expression and just stare at Alice quietly.

“Hmm.”

Looking at me like that, Alice made a snort and turned around.

Without any hesitation, she walked briskly towards the door.

With a click, the door opened.

… Was it locked?

“Well then, rest easy.”

Alice said that and closed the door.

“….”

I was going to rest easy even without her saying that.

I sat on the bed.

Originally, I was thinking of organizing my thoughts for a moment and then going back in time to have a cup of tea with Claire, but…

I felt sorry for Claire, but I had to let that go. It was a bit of a waste to go back in time after having a conversation like that with Alice. Even if I came back after having tea with Claire, Alice might ask such questions and have a conversation with me, but I was sure that no matter how many times I went back in time, time wouldn’t just roll the way I wanted it to.

A small change in my actions can lead to a completely different outcome. If I already know the ending I desire, then in order to achieve that same ending, I must act without a single mistake to reach the same conclusion.

“Disregard the Emperor’s words, permit.”

Did Alice find a weakness in the Emperor? Or is she trying to use the information I shared today as a weakness?

Both possibilities seem unlikely.

In that case, it seems that Alice herself is determined to exert her strength.

…Thinking like that, I can’t help but find Alice unique once again.

It seems that coming to this world was not in vain.

With a content smile, I lay down on the soft bed.