TOM Chapter 27

If you're going to use me as an excuse, shouldn't you at least give me a heads up as a decent human being?

Kruelo really has no business ethics whatsoever.

I should have managed my expression, but my eyes naturally contorted.

"Even if she's a lover, I suppose she still gives the Duke headaches all the same."

"...Yes, that's right."

I want to deny the word 'lover.' I want to refuse it. I want to get angry.

But I have to endure it.

The Crown Prince smiled slightly.

"I'll send the reward money to the Count's estate."

"Thank you, Your Imperial Highness!"

"Your complexion has really improved. Is there anything else you'd like? I could handle small matters within my authority."

You don't have to, really it's fine.

I couldn't pretend not to notice the situation flowing like spoon-feeding.

I said with half resignation:

"Then I would like to request permission to enter the imperial library."

The Crown Prince's attendant guided me to the library.

Even though this was what I had wanted, I wasn't particularly pleased, but thinking of the reward money helped me manage my expression.

Let's just focus on earnestly saving money!

The moment I clenched my fist with determination, the attendant stopped walking.

"You can enter through here. I'll give you an entry pass, so please show it to the guards."

"Yes, thank you."

The attendant bowed politely and disappeared.

I showed the entry pass to the guard and went inside.

A librarian approached and spoke.

"I'm sorry, the librarian in charge of the theology section has stepped away for a moment."

"Then could you just tell me where the ancient theology books are located?"

"I'll guide you there."

The bookshelves were large, thick, and wide.

Incomparably more related books than Bonetti's study, and they seemed to be of higher quality too.

Just from the titles alone, most of them were written in the divine language.

This wasn't particularly pleasant news for me.

"It was called 'Ancient Gods, 500 Years' Volume 13, right?"

I searched the bookshelf for the title I'd heard from the Rekaenon priest.

It didn't take long.

"Heave-ho."

The book was extremely thick, but the table of contents had only three sections.

Among them, the only name I recognized was the one in the middle.

The name of justice, Rekaenon.

I opened that section and skimmed through it.

「3-2 The Saint, Molmoro's Sacrifice.」

The content was the same as what I'd seen in the puppet show.

The saint of Phebula offered sacrifices to elevate the god's status and fought against the Rekaenon Order.

In that process, Molmoro died.

This series of events was written in refined language.

「This is an unofficial history compiled from stories circulating among the people. However, it cannot be definitively stated that it lacks credibility. To give a few examples... (omitted below)」

"...Please say it lacks credibility."

Reading it in print made me feel even more unsettled.

It was definitely a story I was hearing for the first time and had never imagined.

This story might be false, or conversely, my ancestors might have concealed a shameful history.

"But what can I judge from just one book."

I sighed and quickly skimmed through the remaining pages.

There didn't seem to be any other stories about Phebula...

Just then, something fell with a thud from between the bookshelves.

"Huh."

It was old paper, bearing traces of time.

What was tucked away here?

I looked at the contents.

「A Prophecy of Hormeia.

That being was woman and man, elder and child, angel and demon, human and monster all at once.

That being came forth wearing the faces of all people, scattering the deepest of sins in their wake.

Countless lights found themselves unable to pass judgment, for they were overshadowed by the great radiance that rode upon that one's back.

The prophet Hormeia declared: "Humanity shall know 900 years of peace, and in that span, evil shall only graze the world with its hem from within the shadows."

The disciple Telga questioned his master:

"Then what fate awaits after those 900 years have passed?"

Hormeia gave answer:

"When that time comes...」

"Then the brilliant light will embrace the world."

Startled by the sudden voice, I turned my head.

"I tucked that historical material in there. They say it's a prophecy from around that time. Scholars declared it worthless, but since it's in a corner of unofficial history, it seems quite plausible, doesn't it?"

"Ah, yes?"

"I should introduce myself first. Hello, Lady Siora Bonetti."

A man with a benevolent smile greeted me familiarly.

Long hair reaching down to his waist and glasses.

Except for his red eyes, he had an appearance that anyone would associate with a scholar.

Making eye contact with him, I received a strange impression.

A contradictory feeling that was somehow both familiar and unsettling... Wait, I really have seen him somewhere before, haven't I?

After thinking briefly, the memory came back to me.

Brown hair and red eyes!

"The hostage in front of the temple?"

"That's right, you remembered."

He smiled shyly.

It was that person who had been captured by the leader of the mob.

At the time, I didn't have the leisure to properly see his face, so I was slow to recognize him.

However, I still felt uneasy.

Having such feelings about someone I just passed by?

While I looked at the librarian suspiciously, he smiled and properly introduced himself.

"Thank you for last time. I'm Eden Whitedesert. I work as a librarian for the theology section."

"Siora Bonetti... Ah."

A second realization came to me.

"Who is this in the portrait, Roy?"

"Ah. That's Eden, Amy. He's like a brother to me. He's really good to me."

A conversation from the past flashed through my mind like an afterimage.

So this is that Eden.

The person young Kruelo used to follow exclusively, probably.

Did they grow apart as they got older, so he mentioned him less?

Finding a proper cause cleared my head.

Separately, the man in front of me became even more uncomfortable.

Because this person… 

"He's handsome. Is he Roy's relative?"

"No, Eden's father is the Grand Elder."

Was the son of the Elder Council's leader.

The hostage from that time just happened to be the Grand Elder's son?

I'd be stupid not to be on guard.

Suspicious, suspicious. It's also extremely suspicious that he happens to be working as a librarian for theology books.

"It seems Kruelo hasn't talked about me at all."

Whether my feelings showed on my face, Eden smiled bitterly.

Even in this situation, he looked pitifully forlorn.

"I haven't heard about you."

However, I've spent too many years watching Kruelo to fall for this level of honey trap.

This man too, sure, he might have been innocent as a child.

But would he still be like that all grown up? He's definitely been tainted by his father's wickedness...

"That's understandable. That ki— ugh, cough!"

"Excuse me...?"

Red liquid flowed like a waterfall from Eden's mouth.

Suddenly coughing up blood when nothing had happened?

Being out of the blue has its limits, but if it's this lacking in context, he must have prepared fake blood to deceive me...

"...No way! Are you alright, excuse me?"

Maybe protagonist disease rubbed off on me from hanging around Kruelo too long.

Flustered, I rummaged through my belongings.

Still no handkerchief.

Such delicate habits don't develop easily.

Meanwhile, Eden vigorously displayed his sickliness.

"Ah, cough, I'm fine. I'm just not feeling well."

"You don't look fine at all. Excuse me, hey?"

"Really, I'm fi... Ah."

"E-Eden sir!"

Wow, he collapsed.

Fortunately, a librarian who came running at the sound caught his body, but he had already lost consciousness.

Watching the librarians take emergency measures, I blankly looked down.

There was blood splattered on my hands.

Looking down at it in front of busy people, what is this, how should I put it.

Why do I feel like I've become the bad person?

Feeling subtle emotions, I left the library.

Since it was close to lunchtime, quite a few people had gathered at the library entrance.

Several of them spotted me and seemed to recognize me, their eyes lighting up.

Mass hyena outbreak!

Anyway, that damn rumor has increased troublesome incidents.

I hoped no one would approach, but people were already gathering nearby...

"Excuse me, Bonetti—"

"Hello, sweetheart."

My wish came true.

Kruelo, who had approached closely without me knowing when he'd arrived, smiled brightly.

"I came to pick you up."

This time his face is genuinely welcome.

Inside Whitedesert's carriage.

Throwing off all pretenses of courtesy and dignity, I leaned back comfortably against the backrest.

Ah, this is nice.

"Did the confirmation go well?"

"..."

"Darling has a talent for answering with expressions."

Yes, I confirmed it.

I directly saw that lengthy abuse calling my god an evil deity.

I muttered gloomily:

"I can't believe it from just seeing one book."

"You don't need to believe it."

"What?"

"You received tremendous holy power as a gift from that god. That means you're quite aligned with the values that order pursues, doesn't it?"

So I'm Phebula's ideal believer?

That makes sense.

"If darling judged that to be immoral, then those ancestors probably thought the same way."

"Oh."

"Moreover, history is recorded by the victors. That's just how Rekaenon saw Phebula."

"How unusually logical of you."

"I'm always logical."

"Why are you speaking so nicely to me?"

"Because I need to be loved right now."

Kruelo smiled slyly.

Looking at his crescent moon-curved eyes, I suddenly remembered something I'd forgotten.

"Right, the theology librarian was a Whitedesert?"

"Eden."

"Yes. That person who was taken hostage at the temple was him too."

"I know."

"He coughed up blood and collapsed just now?"

"It's not a new occurrence, so there's no need to worry about it."

He showed no interest whatsoever.

When he was young, he seemed to follow Eden quite a bit—though I mostly only heard about it—maybe because he knows too much now.

I felt strange, but it's better than blindly trusting.

"Let's stop the boring talk. I think I've given you enough time to think, haven't I?"

"People who rush aren't attractive."

"That would be problematic."

He made a deliberately serious expression and tapped his chin with his index finger.

Well, I had just postponed it, shocked by the Phebula evil god theory, but the answer to the proposal was already there.

What Kruelo demanded was exactly the same as what I needed to do.

It was suspicious how much he was spoon-feeding me, but even if it were a pit of fire, I'd have to jump in.

I immediately opened my mouth.

"First, Phebula doesn't need to be revived."

Kruelo stopped moving.

Though he didn't make it obvious, his subtly widened eyes revealed his bewilderment.

"Are you concerned about the sacrifice story?"

"No."

There's nothing certain about that problem.

Whether Rekaenon distorted it in their records, or whether there really was such a crazy saint.

If I can't know, I should use something else as a standard.

Seeing Rekaenon's decline made me think a lot.

As the ancient gods began to be forgotten, our order went into hiding.

Whether to maintain dignity, or to flee from people who accepted us as evil gods.

Whatever the reason, we abandoned people.

With the power we protected that way, make deals with those in power to obtain artificial glory?

It doesn't resonate with me.

To put it bluntly, it's cowardly and unnatural.

I wasn't confident this was the right choice, but if what Kruelo said is true, then my choice would be correct.

"I'm just going to leave it to happen naturally."

"If you leave it alone, it will disappear. Do you have some other means to maintain divine status?"

"Mm, I do but I don't. It'll become meaningless when I die anyway."

I have to accept it.

Like how people who are born die, like how every story has an ending.

Kruelo looked at me with a strange expression, as if he couldn't understand.

The shadow under his eyelashes felt deeper than usual.

"You're different from Rekaenon."

"Of course I'm different."

That one is a god of discipline and restraint.

Since it's a value system that's meaningful only when learned and practiced, it's exceptional in terms of proactiveness.

"Then you're rejecting my proposal too?"

"I'll accept it."

"What?"

"I've thought about the price too."

I nodded greatly and said,

"Please pay me in money."