Part 28: Return (2)

Night fell, and Selena returned to the Ten Thousand Capes.

She had braced herself for Frondier to punish her for threatening him, but nothing had come of it. Apparently, he had passed out after reaching the wall. Thanks to that, she had made it through the day without incident.

“Jay.”

“Lord Hagley.”

At the voice behind her, Selena turned and bowed her head.

“Any progress?”

“... Frondier went beyond the wall. He took me with him. I believe I have at least earned enough trust for him to let me watch his back.”

... Had she?

Nothing she had said was a lie, but did Frondier really feel that way?

What did he think of her? No, did he even trust her in the first place?

... No. The same went for her.

Did she trust Frondier?

“Frondier went beyond the wall, you say. Jay, give me a detailed report.”

“... Yes, sir.”

Selena told Hagley what she remembered of their trip to the lake. The Sacred Forest, the lake, and even Excalibur.

“He obtained Excalibur? Frondier did?”

“No, well, he didn't obtain it, but...”

Selena had no idea how to explain what she had seen. Still, she began.

“Excalibur was in the lake. Frondier went into the water and emerged a little later. He was empty-handed then.”

“Then he failed to obtain it.”

“... But then it appeared before I knew it. The sword.”

“... A sword appeared? Out of thin air?”

“Yes.”

Hagley stroked his chin. It was a difficult story to believe.

“Did that sword truly look exactly like Excalibur... No. You would have no way of knowing.”

“... No. I've never seen the real thing.”

“Then it was most likely a fake. Excalibur is a famed sword that chooses its own master. There's no way Frondier could possess it.”

A fake.

For some reason, the word made Selena tense.

Nimue, the Lady of the Lake, had declared the same thing when she saw the sword Frondier had made. [“That's a fake!”]

And how had Frondier reacted?

With a startlingly bright smile and a nod of wholehearted agreement, hadn't he answered:

[“Yes. It's a fake.”]

Did the word “fake” really mean much anymore?

'Besides.'

Besides, Selena hadn't witnessed what happened because Frondier had flown off ahead of her—which was astonishing in itself—but by the time she reached the wall, the battlefield had already been blown to hell.

There was a crater as though a meteor had struck, with monster corpses strewn beyond it. And that was only around the edges. At the center, not even a drop of blood remained, let alone a monster's corpse.

Who had done that?

The idea that Frondier had done it was absurd, but the idea that he hadn't made even less sense.

“Jay. I know what you're thinking.”

Selena's head snapped up at Hagley's words.

“The monsters outside Teibeon Wall were annihilated, weren't they? Word has already reached us. You're wondering how it happened, aren't you?”

“I-I'm sorry. I didn't witness it myself.”

Selena broke into a cold sweat as she answered.

The Ten Thousand Capes' intelligence network was impressive indeed. This had happened in the north less than a day ago.

And Hagley himself could see right through her thoughts.

“Don't worry. Given the circumstances, the Ten Thousand Capes already considers it the work of Lidwe von Urpa. He's the only one capable of something on that scale.”

“... I see.”

“His powers have declined, and he has withdrawn from the front lines, but Lidwe was once an archmage worthy of joining the Zodiac. If not for his injury, he would have stood shoulder to shoulder with Heldre of the Zodiac.”

“So he hasn't lost his touch entirely after all.” Hagley seemed satisfied with his own explanation.

'... So Lidwe was responsible for that annihilation.'

Yes, that sounded right. Frondier couldn't possibly have done it. The thought put her somewhat at ease.

“Does that conclude your report?”

“Yes, sir,” Selena answered, bowing deeply.

... There was something she hadn't told him.

And it wasn't just the traces of massive destruction outside the wall.

She hadn't reported the ancient language. That was perhaps the most important thing about Frondier to the Ten Thousand Capes—their foremost reason for placing Selena at his side.

[“Your name is Selena de Vanier.”]

[“If you doubt me, go tell the Ten Thousand Capes what I said. Find out whether it's true.”]

Frondier's words wouldn't leave her mind.

How did he know? About her mother, her father, and her full name?

'No, what am I thinking? It's obviously a lie. He just said whatever came to mind to escape that situation. That has to be it.'

... But if so, why?

Why couldn't she bring herself to tell Hagley?

What if it really was true? What if she could find out where she had been born?

What if she could see her mom and dad?

'Then would the Ten Thousand Capes...?'

Would they really let her see them?

Would they readily hand her over to nobles after raising her as an assassin?

... Would the Ten Thousand Capes, a band of exiles, really do that?

* * *

It was morning when I opened my eyes.

Actually, I'd woken because my mouth and face felt terribly smothered. Something was lying on my face. No, something was caught between my teeth.

“What is this...?”

I opened my mouth and lifted it. A cloth. A long, broad cloth. I stared at its very familiar shape.

“... Oh. Penelope’s Cloth.”

Come to think of it, I'd been holding it in my mouth just before it disappeared. It must have covered my face as it underwent Form Reversion.

“Ugh.”

I sat up. Looking around, I found myself in the guest room where I'd been staying at the Richae estate.

Yesterday, I'd attempted Restoration and passed out on the spot. That had to rank among the five stupidest things I'd done since coming here.

[You have successfully Woven a new Legendary-grade item.]

[The Unique skill ‘Weaving’ has leveled up.]

[The ‘Restoration’ function has been unlocked.]

[Restoration: Returns a target to its undamaged state. Requires the original materials from before the damage or replacement materials. Mana consumption varies depending on the target's size, grade, and degree of damage.]

I'd seen those messages when we left the forest.

Restoration, a previously locked function of Weaving.

From the description alone, it looked similar to the reversion Aten had performed before. But reversion only worked on living things, and it was close to a miracle, turning mana itself into matter.

That meant even Aten could fail. Back then, she had turned the mana I'd expended back into my own flesh and blood, so her chances of success had been relatively high even on her first attempt.

Conversely, true reversion could restore another person's missing body parts using Aten's own mana. She wasn't an indispensable member of the protagonist's party for nothing.

'Restoration, on the other hand, feels like a rewind with a time limit.'

Restoration returned a target to its undamaged state, but it required the original materials.

For example, if a statue's arm broke off, the arm had to remain. Things that had weathered or worn away too much, or whose materials had changed state, couldn't be restored.

My restoration of the wall had been interrupted midway, but even if I'd finished it then, it wouldn't have returned the wall to exactly how it had been when first built.

Some parts would still have been worn, and some cracks would have remained. It was fine if time had merely reduced something to stone fragments, but once it had turned to dust and scattered, or become mana, I couldn't bring it back.

“Still, I do need to restore it.”

I turned toward the window.

Outside looked peaceful.

Well, after what I'd done in front of the wall, there was no way another horde of monsters would come charging in. They wouldn't have the numbers to begin with. I'd been a little worried, but it seemed I still had time to restore the wall.

... But.

“Selena.”

“Yes.”

I addressed Selena, who had been sitting quietly in front of me all this time.

She was sitting formally on her heels. Or was she kneeling in punishment? I couldn't really tell. Her posture was perfect, but she'd been trembling for a while now.

One look was enough to tell me she'd never sat like that before.

“What are you doing?”

“... Well, I'm... resting.”

“Anyone can see you're shaking with pain.”

“No. This is a very... comfortable... position.”

Hmm.

I got up and walked over to Selena. Then I gripped both her shoulders and pressed down firmly.

“...!”

“Glad to hear you're comfortable. There's something I need to discuss with you.”

“Well, if you could let go of my shoulders...”

“Nonsense. This is important. Holding your shoulders like this will help you listen.”

“I can listen... perfectly well... without that.”

“What are you talking about? Even now, you're squeezing your eyes shut and turning your head away from me.”

“That's not... because I'm not... listening...”

Selena's face was twitching. Even so, she stubbornly maintained her posture.

This was fun, but it was time to stop.

“All right. Stand up and listen, then. Looking down at you is uncomfortable anyway.”

“Oh, thank—ah, no, understood.”

Selena staggered to her feet. Her legs must have gone numb, because even standing up was a struggle.

She ought to be accustomed to torture, yet merely sitting on her knees had reduced her to this. Just how many hours had she been sitting there?

“Why sit like that when you're clearly not used to it?”

“... I heard it helps organize your thoughts when you have too much on your mind. It certainly helps. After about five hours of this, I can't think of anything else.”

... No, that's because it hurts. You're supposed to meditate in that position.

Five hours, though? I checked my smartwatch.

It was eleven in the morning. Sure, I'd slept late, but had she really come here at six and been doing this ever since?

“So, what did you want to discuss...?”

“Your punishment.”

I'd said it matter-of-factly, but I saw Selena's expression stiffen.

Hmm. She seemed reasonably afraid of me. Unless that was an act, too.

“You held a weapon to my throat and threatened me. Under normal circumstances, I could kill you right here, and the Ten Thousand Capes would keep their mouths shut. That ‘ancient language’ business is nothing more than your own imagination.”

“...”

Selena lowered her head.

“The Ten Thousand Capes doesn't want me. It wants my ability to decipher the ancient language. Those were your own words, Selena. But are you really worth more than that ability? Does your life matter that much to the Ten Thousand Capes?”

“... No.”

Selena quietly shook her head. I studied her face.

... I couldn't read her expression. Selena was an assassin trained by the Ten Thousand Capes. She was probably an excellent actress, too.

Empress Philly might have been able to sound her out, but I had neither the talent nor the skill to read people's minds.

After spending the past few days together, I'd thought I had come to understand her personality a little.

Her expression and tone when she played innocent, the way she looked when she protected me, her speech after she dropped the act, her tearful face as she imagined being tortured—I remembered all of it.

But.

As an assassin of the Ten Thousand Capes, she could have been acting through all of it.

Our relationship had been one of mutual exploitation from the start. Of course, the Ten Thousand Capes probably believed I was smugly enjoying ordering them around, but no one was more afraid of them than I was.

“Selena.”

That was why I'd made my decision.

“Be selective about what you report to the Ten Thousand Capes about me.”

I would bring Selena over to my side.

“That's your punishment.”

Selena wouldn't be able to refuse.

I would make sure of it.