“……Hey, wait a sec.”
So, after the awkward meeting in the student council room, or rather, after the school classes ended in the afternoon…
Since I hadn’t really joined the student council yet, I was in a ‘maybe I’ll join’ state, which meant I had nothing else to do after class.
I studied at the library yesterday, though.
Claire seemed eager to see my face for a bit after class, but I hurried back to the dorm to sort out my thoughts. Well, maybe there’ll be another chance after I get my thoughts in order. If I really want to, I can just rewind time and hang out with Claire.
As for a heroine… um, to be honest, I’m not thinking about romance.
It’s true I got immersed in the game playing as Leo Grace. I’m definitely not as good-looking, wealthy, or skilled in studying or swordsmanship as he is. Honestly, comparing myself to Leo—who can have women flocking to him just by sitting still—while I’m just scraping by with a job and spending my free time on games and comics is simply impossible.
But still, the character I moved around in-game was Leo. The choices weren’t that plentiful, nor did they create huge differences in the endings, but of course, you tend to develop some fondness for your avatar.
And now, I found myself thrown into that game.
I’m interested in who Leo might end up with, how the altered storyline will flow. Honestly, I get a kick out of the fact that ‘I’ am the catalyst for the changes in the story.
In reality, I’m a character that would still be remembered even if I were to put my heart into it during the original game.
An infinite reincarnation with no risks! While my physical abilities aren’t superhuman, I still have the capacity to outsmart quite a few powerful characters.
Not to mention, thanks to this ability, I’ve absorbed all the information I normally wouldn’t know since my childhood.
I’ve read all the prophecy texts in the forbidden storage deep within the Imperial Palace. I don’t even need to worry about escaping back; if I can get through just once, I can read the contents and come right back.
…Anyway.
For that reason, I had turned down Claire’s request and returned to my dorm.
As a luxury dorm, it was clean and well-kept, comparable to my own room in the Imperial Palace. In some ways, there were even better amenities.
Just before I entered my dorm room and closed the door, Alice had stopped and said something while grabbing the doorknob.
I couldn’t overpower Alice. If it was a matter of avoiding her, that would be different.
“……”
Knowing that well, I let go of the doorknob, and Alice opened the door, stepping into my room.
Bam!
The door slammed shut a little hard.
Somehow… it seemed like she was mad. Or maybe just emotionally charged. Is that it?
“Earlier, Crowfield didn’t look at you just any old way.”
After securely closing the door, Alice crossed her arms and asked me. She seemed mad but also took an approach that was rational.
“Do you know something?”
“……”
What should I do?
Alice probably knows that Count Crowfield is dead. She might not know the exact cause. The Emperor wouldn’t have specifically informed her of that.
She might be suspecting something. Alice isn’t stupid; she doesn’t lack information. She might be wondering if the Emperor is potentially assassinating his own political opponents. After all, she’s lived with her father all her life.
“Answer me. This is…”
Just then, Alice suddenly went quiet, her face contorting in thought for a moment, then she seemed to resolve something and opened her mouth.
“This is a question I need to ask as the next Emperor. It seems like it’s necessary information.”
“……”
So that’s how it is.
There was a scene like this in the original story too. But at that time, most characters didn’t really care about it. Alice’s demeanor back then was more like grabbing at straws rather than a serious attitude. Most of the time, she was dealing with the Emperor’s children.
But right now, Alice in front of me has a very serious expression. She’s not just throwing her weight around; she genuinely is asking me a question while putting her authority on the line.
And the person who created this Alice is me.
…Then, I should respect that authority.
“I did it.”
“……”
Alice just stared at me silently for a moment, her posture unchanged, then said,
“……Huh?”
Her expression finally loosened up about five seconds later, letting out that sound.
“The carriage that the Count was riding in exploded because I planted a bomb underneath it.”
“……”
Alice, who had been staring blankly, wobbled and plopped down on my bed. Looking up at me, she asked,
“Why?”
“Because His Majesty the Emperor ordered it.”
“……At that time, you were….”
“I was twelve years old.”
“……Since then, have there been other assassination orders?”
“That was the first and last one for me.”
“What about the others?”
“I can’t say. However, it’s likely that there have been more such orders.”
“……”
Alice fell silent, lost in thought.
This was different from when I had openly stated the facts in the student council room earlier. This time, she was the only one hearing it, and in such a situation, it would be close to impossible to manage things.
“……You just killed the Count for that reason?”
“……”
Alice’s gaze as she looked up at me was tangled with complex emotions.
Alice trusts me. However, that doesn’t mean she knows everything about me. Forget the fact that I’m from another world; she doesn’t know about everything I’ve done in this world either.
While the Emperor might see me as a difficult tool to handle, Alice doesn’t think of me as a mere tool. Just look at how shocked she was to see the morphine I had kept.
“The Count was involved in the opium trade in the territory.”
“……”
Seeing Alice waiting for me to continue, I continued speaking.
“And he brought children to create a brothel. He often used that brothel.”
I couldn’t tell if he made it himself or if he was receiving something in return for turning a blind eye. However, it was clear that Count Crowfield frequently used that place.
It wasn’t just a one-time encounter. I’d gone back in time several times to confirm it myself. I had also heard it directly from the Count himself.
“They must have been children from the orphanage.”
“……”
“And I’m also from an orphanage.”
“……”
As I spoke and looked down at Alice, she let out a small sigh as if feeling a little relief.
“Then… I’ll ask one last thing. If that Count really was innocent. If your father was just trying to kill the Count for power, what would you have done?”
“I wouldn’t have killed him.”
What I would have done afterward is uncertain. I could have helped to conceal the death by uncovering the truth or just left it as it was, having not killed him. I can’t say for sure since that situation never occurred.
But one thing is certain: I wouldn’t have killed him. Since I’ve played the game, I know what kind of deeds Count Crowfield has committed, yet, I also wanted to confirm once more. His actions could have differed for any reason in this world.
The conclusion was drawn as killing him.
“I understand.”
Alice let out a long breath and nodded at my words.
“So that’s how it is.”
She then closed her eyes and sat there for a few seconds before standing up.
“Alright.”
Standing up, Alice looked straight at me as she spoke.
“From now on, such things won’t happen.”
Huh?
I stared at Alice in confusion over what suddenly emerged from her mouth. Alice looked at me with a resolute expression, her face set with determination.
“From now on, there’s no need for you to stain your hands with blood.”
“…….”
Um, well.
Uh, that…
“If I become Emperor, I won’t make you do such dirty things.”
Uh-oh.
Even if she’s becoming Emperor, I can’t imagine someone in such a position would never do something dirty.
Isn’t it common for modern-day national leaders, if not to the extent of assassinations, to have soldiers or spies do their dirty work? Reality doesn’t turn by chivalry.
“If His Majesty directly orders it—”
“Ignore it. I’ll take care of it in any way.”
“……”
What’s this?
Did I somehow press some button within Alice?
What she was saying seemed far from reality in many ways. Honestly, it sounded like something a spoiled child would say. No matter how much she is the future Emperor, the current Emperor is still alive and kicking. Even if she takes over, it’ll be decades down the line.
If she’s telling me to refuse orders from an existing Emperor, what should I say in response?
…Even thinking that this was nonsense, I found myself wanting to answer.
“……Understood.”
For some reason, that’s what I felt compelled to say.
I don’t believe that Alice’s words will be completely fulfilled. But separate from that fact, I could tell that Alice was speaking from the heart. She genuinely intends to soothe the Emperor’s orders.
And that sight of Alice made my heart swell with pride.
“……Why are you making that face?”
Alice spoke bluntly, acting like she felt displeased looking at me.
Huh?
“……What do you mean by ‘that face’?”
I was expressionless. If I had changed my expression, I would have noticed it too. After all, I had trained to keep my face expressionless diligently.
I wanted to raise my hand to touch my face but stopped myself. If that’s a fake, then I’d fall into her trap. It’s better to just quietly observe Alice with full confidence that my face holds no expression.
“Hmm.”
While looking at me, Alice made that sound and turned her body around.
And without a moment’s hesitation, she stomped toward the door.
Click
The door opened with a click.
…Had she locked it?
“Then, rest well.”
Alice said that and closed the door.
“……”
I was going to rest anyway, so she didn’t need to say that.
I sat on my bed.
Initially, after collecting my thoughts for a bit, I was thinking of rewinding time to grab a cup of tea with Claire but…
I feel sorry for Claire, but I’ll have to skip that. After having such a conversation with Alice, it feels a bit wasteful to rewind time. Even if I returned after having tea with Claire, I’m not sure if Alice would still have those questions or if I’d even have a chance to respond. Trust me, having rewound time multiple times, I know for a fact that time doesn’t roll the way I want it to.
If I change my actions just a little, the results dramatically differ. If I already experienced the ending I desire, it would require me to act without a hitch in order to achieve that same conclusion.
“Ignore the Emperor’s orders, huh.”
Did Alice manage to catch a weakness of the Emperor? Or is she planning to use what I told her today as leverage?
Neither possibility seems very likely.
Then again, it seems Alice is genuinely determined about this herself.
…Thinking like this again makes me realize Alice is quite unique.
Seems like coming to this world wasn’t a waste after all.
With a pleasant smile, I laid down on my soft bed.
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