Rudell opened his eyes again late at night the next day.
And the first thing he saw was Leje sitting in the corner of his room, staring at him.
“…”
“…”
An awkward silence hung between them.
Well, it was natural considering what had just happened.
It was only to be expected that both found the silence uncomfortable.
“Leje…”
“Rudell…”
Both, glancing at each other, opened their mouths simultaneously but shifted their gazes away again into silence.
To an outsider, this would seem like a bizarre situation, but it was quite significant to the parties involved.
“You go first.”
“No, you go first.”
Honestly, it didn’t matter who spoke first.
They both just wanted to apologize to each other.
“Pfft…”
“Kuhk…”
As they playfully bickered, they exchanged glances and chuckled.
No matter how much disappointment there was, in the end, they were inseparable.
“Okay, I’ll go first.”
“Alright.”
“I’m sorry for trying to handle everything alone without seeking your help.”
“Alright. I’ll accept that apology.”
Leje, crossing her arms while looking at him, nodded as if she was satisfied.
Then, it was her turn to speak.
“I’m sorry too. I got swept up in my emotions and didn’t listen to what you were saying.”
“It’s okay. I would’ve reacted the same way if the roles were reversed.”
If Leje had tried to shoulder everything alone, he would have gotten angry.
Rudell was sure of it.
“By the way… how long was I out?”
The last thing he remembered was the remains of Subject 121 being obliterated and emitting a bright flash of magic power.
Then, there was the intense shock that hit him.
“One whole day. It was complete chaos.”
“What on earth happened…?”
“I don’t want to talk about it. Just thinking about it still gives me chills.”
“…”
What state had Leje been in to react that way?
With that question in mind, Rudell looked at her.
“Hey, Rudell.”
“Yeah? What is it?”
At that moment, Rudell tilted his head at Leje, who was hesitating to speak.
She seemed to have something to say but couldn’t quite get it out, her expression uncomfortable.
“Um… that is to say… thank you.”
“Uh? Out of nowhere, what’s that about?”
“For saving me during the coming-of-age ceremony.”
“Ah…”
At those words, Rudell let out a low sigh.
“If it weren’t for you back then, I probably… wouldn’t be here right now or I would be very different from who I am today.”
“You don’t need to worry about it. It wouldn’t have been much different if it were you.”
Rudell smiled faintly at her words.
“I’ve wanted to find you and thank you for a long time. But I never imagined the protagonist would be right next to me.”
“Don’t mention it.”
He hadn’t done it expecting gratitude, but receiving thanks felt nice anyway.
“By the way… I’m getting a bit hungry… Ugh!?”
Maybe it was because he had been unconscious for a whole day without doing anything.
As Rudell tried to get up feeling the hunger pangs, he wobbled and lost his balance.
“Don’t just get up suddenly! You were way more seriously injured than you thought… Ahh!?”
“Wahh!?”
Leje, seeing that, hurriedly tried to support him, but everything happened so suddenly that they tripped over each other…
And both fell to the ground.
“Ouch, ouch, ouch…”
“Are you okay?”
“Ugh, yeah… I’m fine…”
However, Leje abruptly stopped speaking.
“…”
And Rudell was also at a loss for words, staring at the situation before them.
After all, they were looking at each other with just a few centimeters of distance apart.
Usually so casual with each other, they hadn’t fully recognized it, but in reality, they perfectly hit each other’s preferences.
“Uh, uh, Rudell…? If you keep staring like that, it’s a bit, um… embarrassing…”
“Ah, my my my apologies!!”
Rudell, startled by Leje’s words as he turned away, scrambled to get up.
As Rudell cleared the space, Leje also got up…
“…”
“Ahem…”
There was a strange atmosphere between them that was hard to describe.
A situation where they felt like they should say something but found it hard to be the first to speak.
“I’ll go get something to eat!”
In that awkward moment, Leje was the first to break the silence.
“Take your time!”
As she opened the door and stepped outside, Rudell yelled after her.
With a click the door shut…
“Haah…”
Watching that, Rudell got up and walked towards the window.
Looking down at the scenery of Priscillium, he muttered to himself.
“That was close…”
What that meant was something only he understood.
*
The next day.
“So… Count Weinstein is that killer, huh?”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
At Kaylee’s question, Leje and Rudell nodded almost in unison.
Seeing them, Kaylee let out a short sigh as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.
“How much more are you guys going to shock me before you calm down?”
“S-sorry.”
“To be fair, it’s not really something to apologize for…”
As Kaylee replied to Rudell’s comment, she rubbed her forehead and let out a low groan.
Honestly, it wasn’t that surprising.
A count from a slightly capable noble family turned out to be a notorious killer, and actually involved in hunting the cult of a dark god, how could anyone easily believe that?
Switch the positions, and Rudell also wouldn’t find it believable if he were in Kaylee’s shoes.
“Ugh… How am I even supposed to report this…”
Kaylee muttered, seeming to have a headache, and just then…
Knock knock.
Someone knocked on the door, which opened to reveal familiar figures entering.
[Ah, hello…!!]
“Good to see you.”
It was none other than Kurt and Silphier who came in.
Now that Rudell’s status as a killer and his connection to the death-eating cult had been revealed, there was no longer a reason to hide those facts from them.
“So, these kids are also allies, huh?”
“That’s right.”
Upon Rudell’s statement, Kaylee silently examined Kurt and Silphier.
Her golden eyes were scrutinizing them as if appraising.
“You guys, you’ve heard the situation, right?”
[Yeah, yes…!!]
“Right.”
They nodded at her question.
“Is it really okay? It might be dangerous.”
“It was something we prepared for from the start.”
[Me, too. I’m fine… because I owe Count Weinstein my life…!]
Kaylee narrowed her eyes at that response.
After some time passed…
“Alright, I’ll consider you two as allies for now. Welcome aboard.”
[We’ll do our best!]
“…”
Kurt and Silphier bowed earnestly as an expression of agreement…
“So? What do we do now?”
“First, just wait. Once the investigation is done, something will come up.”
The incident in the slum had thus far been reported as a conflict between criminal organizations.
Battles among organizations in the slum were quite a common occurrence, so most people found that explanation to be credible.
Of course, beneath that, investigations involving the kingdom’s agents were underway.
If anything were discovered, it would be reported to Kaylee immediately.
“Speaking of which, Peleniess?”
[Y-yes!!]
At the call of Kaylee, Silphier shouted energetically.
“I heard Count Weinstein provided a blood sample of the fake killer to you. Any results yet?”
[Yes, yes!! The investigation is all finished!!]
“Oh…? Can we hear the results?”
Since it had only been about two days since Rudell gave her the sample.
Yet the kingdom’s researchers hadn’t come to any conclusive results.
That might be the reason Kaylee’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Silphier.
[So, um… the genes of this fake killer are infused with a massive amount of magic power… and through manipulation via magic theory and divine power, along with several other techniques…]
Seemingly unaccustomed to being the center of attention, Silphier stuttered more than usual as she struggled to explain herself.
However, even if that weren’t the case, there wasn’t anyone in the room who could comprehend her explanation anyway.
[And then… it goes like this… this way…]
“Hold on a second, Peleniess.”
[Yes, yes…!!]
Unable to bear it anymore, Kaylee raised her hand to interrupt her, and Silphier looked at her with an alarmed face.
“Could you please explain a bit simpler? Like… in a way that ordinary people could understand…”
[Uh, then…]
At Kaylee’s request, Silphier thought for a moment with a troubled expression and then, after a short sigh, spoke again.
[In conclusion… this fake killer is a composite creature of human and monstrous beast… which means it’s a chimera…]
“…”
“…”
“…”
At her words, everyone present stared at her in speechless astonishment.
[Um… did I say something… wrong…!?]
And Silphier, taken aback by the frozen expressions around her, directed her flustered gaze at them.
