Arc 15: Fishing (4)

“Mr. Ales.”

Ales turned at the voice behind him. Frondier stood there. Making no attempt to hide his annoyance, Ales waved him away.

“What is it, Frondier? I told you your reward would come lat—”

“I found the rat.”

Ales’s hand stopped. His expression stiffened as he looked at Frondier again. Frondier’s face was unchanged, as listless and sleepy as ever, as he stepped closer to Ales.

Ales narrowed his eyes and asked, “What do you mean by that?”

“I’ve found out who the traitor in Constel is,” Frondier said.

Ales’s eyes flew open. Lowering his voice even further than Frondier’s, he asked, “Is that true?”

“Yes. But this isn’t the place to discuss it. This way.”

“Hmm.”

Frondier led the way, and Ales followed.

CREAK

The door to an empty classroom swung open easily, and Frondier stepped inside. It was a classroom tucked into a corner of an isolated building.

“I’ll cast a soundproofing spell.”

“Please do.”

Frondier walked farther into the classroom, then stopped. Without turning his head, he spoke.

“Sir.”

“What?”

“There’s no need for that.”

“No need for what?”

Frondier turned to look at Ales with a faint smile. “You don’t need to draw that sword.”

Just as Frondier had said, Ales’s hand was on the hilt of the sword at his waist.

He had found the traitor? That was impossible. Ales himself was the traitor.

To tell Ales himself that he had found the traitor, when Ales was the traitor... Frondier had the wrong person.

Still, whatever had led him to that conclusion, he must have had his reasons for being so certain. What if those reasons could tighten a noose around Ales’s own neck? Worse, what if they could harm the princess?

“... Don’t hold it against me, Frondier. You’re the one who stuck your hand into the fire.”

“Sir,” Frondier called softly, his stance unguarded, his voice languid.

“You don’t need to be wary of me.”

“... What is that supposed to mean?”

Ales’s face was taut with tension. Frondier let out a small chuckle. Then he said something unbelievable.

“I’m a rat too.”

As he spoke, Frondier raised his right hand. On his index finger was a ring—one of only four in the imperial family.

‘The princess’s ring...!’

Ales’s eyes widened as far as they could go.

* * *

After my conversation with Philly on the rooftop, I looked her over briefly. Befitting an empress, she wore an assortment of luxurious jewelry. The ring on her index finger caught my eye in particular, and I asked about it.

“About your ring, Ms. Philly.”

“Yes?”

Philly had returned to speaking politely to me. That apparent openness of hers seemed to have lasted only a moment. I was a little disappointed, but I asked anyway.

“Do you and all your children happen to wear the same ring?”

“Yes. I personally gave these to my daughters... Oh.”

Philly broke off her answer as she realized something. That brief exchange had been enough for her to grasp my intent. Her gaze grew sober, and she brought a hand to her lips.

“... I see. I understand what you mean.”

“Do the rings look completely identical?”

“Completely. But there are no spares. They were specially commissioned for my daughters and me.”

Then there were only four rings. Their intricate design would immediately expose a clumsy replica.

“But I can’t take this ring off. My every move is watched in public. If anyone notices it’s missing, our enemy will be on guard.”

“There’s no need for that.”

I took hold of my necklace, Black Lotus. I had always figured I would show this skill to someone eventually. But the empress of the empire? What an overwhelming honor.

Fabrication, Black River

Grade: Unique

Philly’s Ring

[Philly’s Ring]

- An exquisite ring Philly gave her daughters.

- It has no magical traits, but its artistry and the rarity of only four existing give it comparable value.

I demonstrated Weaving right before Philly’s eyes. A ring took shape in an instant and settled into my hand. It looked exactly like hers.

“... My goodness.”

Philly stared blankly at the sight and uttered those words. I thought it was the most honest voice I had ever heard from her.

“What do you think, Your Majesty?”

I held out the ring. Philly examined the ring made of Black River from every angle.

“... It’s identical. The feel, the luster, even the design. No one could tell it was fake by looking at it.”

“I’m going to use this to hook Constel’s traitor.”

At my words, Philly examined the ring from every angle once more, then gave a small chuckle. “This should prove useful.”

* * *

Ales trembled as he pointed at the ring I had shown him. “How did you get that ring...!”

“It was given to me. I didn’t think you would take my word for it.”

Ales would know what this ring meant.

“No, even so, even then...!”

He seemed thrown into confusion by the fact that I was wearing this ring.

Ales didn’t know about my connection to Philly. Even if he did, he would never imagine she would give me her own ring. In fact, this was a woven item, so she hadn’t given it to me at all.

“D-did Lady Elysia really give you that?”

Oh dear. He had said it himself. Just as Ales had revealed, Elysia was the mastermind behind everything.

To Ales, it would look as though I had received this ring from Elysia. He might consider the possibility that one of the other daughters, Aten or Sale, or even Philly had given it to me. But those theories fell apart because I had approached him myself and claimed to be a traitor.

I was the only one who knew Ales was the traitor. If anyone else had suspected him, someone with his keen senses would have noticed immediately. Ales believed it was impossible for anyone to discover his true identity.

That was why my lie would work on him now. If I knew something that could never have been exposed, it must be because I had been an “ally” all along. Because Frondier de Roach was the reinforcement Elysia had sent him. How could he resist taking the bait of such a sweet, reassuring lie?

“D-did she really give you that ring? That precious ring?”

“She did.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“Would you like to see for yourself, then?”

I held out my hand. Ales, who had been ready to kill me at the slightest provocation only moments ago, now flinched and drew back at that simple gesture. Even so, his eyes carefully inspected the ring on my finger.

Well, even Philly, the ring’s owner, couldn’t tell the difference. Ales had no chance of spotting it.

“... But you’re the one who interfered with Renzo’s plan! How could you possibly be Lady Elysia’s subordinate?”

Yes, that was the problem. It made no sense for me to be on Elysia’s side when I had interfered with Renzo. This was where things got important.

Ales had just called me “the one who interfered with Renzo’s plan.” He would never have put it that way if he knew I had cut off Renzo’s arm. In other words, he believed the false information I had fed Constel. That was his blind spot.

During the practical midterm exam, Renzo had replaced every drone in the area with a fake to keep his abduction of Aten from being discovered. Because of that, no one at Constel had witnessed his crime.

That’s right. No one. Not even his accomplices, Ales and Elysia, had seen what happened.

“That isn’t true.”

“W-what?”

“Lady Elysia began planning Aten’s abduction when she confirmed that I was accompanying her. But she wanted a more foolproof method. That’s why she brought me over to her side as well—to minimize the possibility of anything going wrong.”

“B-but the plan failed.”

“Yes. It failed anyway. Eden Hamerlot, the professional, discovered it. Why do you suppose that was?”

“Why...?”

Ales’s flustered face was a treat to watch. His eyes darted as he considered my words, then suddenly widened as if he had realized something.

At last, Ales had arrived at the false truth I had created.

“... No. It can’t be. That’s impossible. Lady Elysia would never...”

“...”

I let a moment of silence pass. I knew it would make the bluff more effective. Then I spoke slowly.

“Lady Elysia suspects you.”

“That’s impossible! You’re lying!”

“This plan could not fail. You were the only person who could possibly ruin it. You, who knew all of Lady Elysia’s plans in advance.”

“The same goes for you!”

“Everyone knew I was with Aten. More importantly, do you really think I could have informed someone of Mr. Renzo’s intrusion without him noticing?”

What an irony. I had originally made up that flimsy lie to hide the fact that I had cut off Renzo’s arm. Now I was using its very flimsiness to pressure Ales.

“... It wasn’t me. Lady Elysia will understand if she hears me out herself.”

“Lady Elysia said she needed clear proof.”

“Proof of what?”

“Are you truly Ales, sir?”

“... What?”

I narrowed my eyes at his question. “Lady Elysia suspects you were ‘replaced’ somewhere along the way.”

“Replaced...?”

“Are you really Mr. Ales?”

Both magic and science were highly advanced in the world of Etius. Altering one’s face and body to impersonate someone else was difficult, but entirely possible.

In other words, someone had swapped Ales out without Elysia’s knowledge. The real Ales was imprisoned somewhere or dead, while the current Ales was a third party unknown to her. That was the false scenario I had invented.

“Nonsense! I am Ales!”

“Then you must know about the plan.”

Of course, I already knew all of Elysia’s plans. The problem was that my reason was “I played the game.” That wouldn’t convince anyone at Constel.

So Ales, not I, would be the one to convince Constel’s teachers.

Go on, Ales. Talk. Choose the easy path. I’ll make you a grave as comfortable as a cradle.

Ales’s jaw bulged as though he were clenching his molars. He spat out his reply heatedly.

“Of course I do! The ‘Attack’!”

“What attack?”

“We were going to lure monsters in and have them attack Constel!”

“How?”

“By deploying a large-scale magic circle, ‘Rafflesia,’ at Constel to draw the monsters here!”

“And why?”

“To eliminate Aten Terst and Rodrick Terst!”

A brief silence followed Ales’s shout. I had finally drawn it out of him: Elysia’s attack plan.

Just as Ales himself had said, Elysia would use him to construct a magic circle that summoned monsters to Constel. Once activated, the monsters would attack Constel indiscriminately. Every student inside would be in danger, and Aten would be no exception.

And Elysia knew that if Aten was in danger, Rodrick would come to save her. Her plan was to overwhelm them both with a wave of monsters and kill them together.

That was right. The quest notification that had appeared on my smartwatch before—this plan of Elysia’s was the Main Quest, “Attack.”

Even cornered by me, Ales could divulge the plan so freely because he trusted his soundproofing spell. That was his final mistake.

I stared at Ales for a moment. This was the final stage of my performance. Smiling as if relieved, I spoke.

“What a relief. It seems Lady Elysia’s fears were unfounded.”

“... Of course they were.”

“Then I’ll be on my way. Please proceed according to plan, sir.”

With that, I walked past Ales toward the classroom exit. The important part was that I had walked past him. In that instant, Ales had missed his last chance to kill me.

When I opened the classroom door, two women stood in the doorway.

“Ales.”

“Shall we have a little talk?”

It was Malia and Jane.

“Huh...?”

Ales was briefly flustered at the sight of them, but soon regained his composure. “What is there to talk about?”

He played innocent, trusting the soundproofing spell he had cast on the classroom.

Malia smiled and pointed to her ear. “Did you forget my ability?”

Malia’s hereditary ability, “Sensory Sharing,” allowed her to share one of the five senses with someone else. If she shared hearing, she could hear whatever that person heard.

In that case, a soundproofing spell became meaningless. Whatever reached my ears reached Malia’s as well.

Ales’s eyes darted wildly, unable to comprehend what had happened. When he finally, belatedly understood and turned to look at me, his expression was truly a sight to behold.

“You son of a bitch...!”

Weren’t you listening earlier? I said I was a rat, not a son of a bitch.