Chapter 260

I am uncertain whether Eleris believes that I know the future.

Yet, I had no choice but to reveal the most crucial secret to Eleris, as she now must undertake the most important task. Time will prove the truth of my words.

Eleris seemed to accept, to some extent, that my desire to contact the mage conspirators and my many peculiarities stemmed from that knowledge. Therefore, discussing the finer details with Eleris became somewhat easier.

We must prevent an immense crisis looming in the future.

With such a grand premise laid out, there is no need to hold back our words.

However, the problem remains.

“…You don’t know?”

“Well, not quite.”

“Did you not claim to know the future?”

“I don’t know everything, there’s much more I’m unaware of.”

“But, what do you expect to happen if you deceive the Black Order with lies!”

Eleris exclaimed, seemingly astounded.

Uh, well…

It feels as though I’ve caused trouble and am being scolded by my mother.

“What I know is that Aaron Mede is a member of the Black Order. It doesn’t mean I know where to find them. I threw whatever I could at the situation because it seemed there would be no opportunity to engage with them if I missed it.”

“Sigh… What should we do then? I assume you don’t know much about Cantus Magna either?”

“That’s true.”

“Sigh…”

As I write, the problem that arises from the length of this story becomes apparent.

Long-term serialization challenges human memory and ability, inevitably causing issues. One might forget the breadcrumbs they’ve scattered or be unable to retrieve them due to growing complexity.

The mage conspirators are such ‘unretrieved’ breadcrumbs for me. I haven’t forgotten them, but the matter seemed to become too vast, so I just… let it go.

It’s the product of my irresponsibility.

The Black Order appeared once during Aaron Mede’s arc and was mentioned regarding the Golden Huntresses, but that’s all.

Though I described them with an impression of grandeur and had ideas in mind, they never appeared again. Smaller breadcrumbs were either absorbed or forgotten during the Gate incident.

I never spoke of what they did during the Gate incident either.

All that remains in my mind are the thoughts I had when I first conceived the mage conspirators.

Mage conspirators act and move according to their own standards, regardless of societal morals. This is true for the Black Order, Golden Huntresses, and Cantus Magna alike.

The Black Order made a single appearance.

Cantus Magna was only mentioned but never appeared.

In the end, it is my mess to clean, and I must uncover the information myself.

If the Gate incident stemmed from the mage conspirators, I must learn about them.

The problem now is that I pretended to possess enticing information on the Black Order when I had nothing of the sort.

Thus, Eleris is currently looking at me with pity.

“Um… I don’t know much about Cantus Magna, but I do know how to meet them.”

“Do you know of such a method?”

Ah.

But saying this might…

Earn me a severe scolding…

No, it isn’t complicated; it’s actually quite simple.

There’s nothing better than this.

“They’re the Golden Huntresses, right?”

“Yes.”

“So, naturally, if we use a forbidden curse, they’ll come, won’t they?”

“…”

Eleris’ expression turned icy. It reminded me of the times when Ellen would glare at me with a cold look.

Still, Ellen always maintained a stoic demeanor, which made it somewhat bearable. But when Eleris, who always

To summon the Golden Huntresses, one must employ the forbidden magic.

This statement is not incorrect!

“What am I to do with this burn?!”

Eleris eventually burst out and yanked my hair.

Snap!

“Ouch!”

“What have I done…!”

She then startled herself with her own action, stroking my head vigorously and apologizing profusely.

My proposal to use Golden Huntresses to summon Cantus Magna was, of course, rejected.

“Eleris, think about it calmly. If the Black Order finds out I lied, we will have to fight them anyway. Either way, we will inevitably clash with one of the two, right?”

“Silence!”

Eleris sighed, sputtering.

“There might be someone in the Council who knows something. Let’s start by seeking clues there. Some families are deeply involved in the matter, after all.”

“Really?”

“Vampires who have lived a long time inevitably become mages. There’s nothing better than difficult studies to pass the time.”

We decided to put the extremely dangerous method aside for now and seek clues from the Vampire Council.

Our course of action would be decided there. It was of utmost importance whether they could be placed in our hands.

——

I instructed Eleris on the tasks to be carried out outside the Temple, while our daily lives continued within.

Though we had not yet prepared any clues for the Black Order, the likelihood of fighting them was very low. If need be, I could threaten to use Golden Huntresses to summon Cantus Magna. The Black Order would have their own reasons for not using that method.

Aaron Mede’s case was resolved, and Eleris was the only one with whom I shared the secret.

The problem.

“…”

“You know, you two are rather obvious.”

“What do you mean?”

As I was quietly eating breakfast, Riana glanced at Ellen and me while chewing on the end of her fork.

“Did you fight again?”

“No? What do you mean ‘again’?”

“We didn’t fight.”

However, everyone’s expressions read, “You fought.”

“These two don’t usually talk much, but it’s clear when they’ve fought or not, right?”

Upon Riana’s words, Adelia laughed and scratched her head, perhaps considering that the moment she spoke, I would snap.

After the previous incident, Ellen and I fell into an awkward silence, as though we had fought but not quite.

Ellen was angry with me, and I was angry with Ellen.

We were worried about each other, but the result was that we had a negative impact on one another.

What should I say?

Externally and internally, the Temple was filled with matters that made my head feel like it would explode.

Ellen was not the only problem. Riana turned to the person next to her and asked.

“And why are you like this lately?”

“… No, I’m fine.”

Harriet, who had been nibbling on her breakfast, lowered her head with a gloomy expression.

Harriet had been suffering from something akin to PTSD due to the shocking scene she witnessed in Aaron Mede’s mansion.

Harriet had not engaged in the fight directly. After she had spread the anti-magic field, Ellen took care of the rest.

However, she saw the humans who were controlled by Homunculus fall under the effects of her anti-magic spell.

Although it wasn’t murder, Harriet seemed to view it as such.

Then there were the horrifying chimeras she saw in the underground workshop.

That must have been the direct cause of her trauma. I didn’t enter the workshop, so I hadn’t seen it, but Ellen seemed to think it was a sight she never wanted to recall.

It couldn’t be helped.

——

Upon the conclusion of our lesson, Ellen, Harriet, Liana, Adelia, and I exited the temple.

Ellen walked at some distance from me, while Harriet accompanied Adelia. Naturally, Liana and I took the lead, walking side by side.

“So, it seems the matter from before has been resolved?”

“…More or less.”

Had it not been resolved, there would be no reason for me to follow her out. Liana was an odd one, seemingly possessing a keen intuition but also not at times.

“It seems that due to that incident, we’ve found ourselves in this situation…”

She likely suspected that trouble had occurred in some unknown place but refrained from asking about it. However, it was rather unexpected for us to end up flower-viewing.

Such pastimes held no interest for me. Considering Ellen and Adelia, they seemed to be immersed in magic, not having much to do with flowers. Of course, Harriet must have lived in a palace with a garden.

Ellen probably wasn’t much different.

“Do you like flowers?”

At my question, Liana cocked her head to the side.

“Not particularly? I might care more if it were clothes.”

It was clear that she was not particularly interested in the flowers themselves, but rather sought a change of pace.

For whom were we going on this flower-viewing trip?

——

Irene Dahae.

In other words, the banks of the Han River in Seoul, named Royal Gradium.

I used to visit the area quite often when the Rotary Club was located here, but since they moved, I had no reason to come.

Autumn flowers bloomed everywhere, attracting many people out for a stroll. It was a world after the death of the demon king—a peaceful world.

In this place, people viewed flowers without any worries.

We were one of them.

Everyone came to enjoy the flowers without much thought, and Liana was no exception.

However, since we were here, we walked along the path, admiring the flowers scattered all around.

Liana grabbed my arm and pointed to a certain type of flower spread throughout the area.

The most abundant flower.

“What kind of flower is that?”

“That’s a cosmos.”

“…Why do you know that?”

“Well… it’s common knowledge.”

How could she come for flower-viewing without knowing what a cosmos is?

But it seemed that not only Liana didn’t know, as everyone else also cocked their heads. Their gazes toward me seemed to have changed.

Suddenly, I was thrust into a different world.

“You all didn’t know either?”

At my question, Adelia scratched her cheek.

“It’s not that we didn’t know it was a cosmos…”

“…You’re all surprised that I know about flowers.”

Ellen, Harriet, Adelia, and Liana all nodded.

Well, then.

To think it would be astonishing for a person like me to know the names of even common flowers.

Good grief.

While I wasn’t particularly interested, I knew a reasonable amount.

Of course, I had once memorized the names and meanings of various flowers to expand my vocabulary. It wasn’t helpful when it came to writing, but it did help me remember the names of common flowers and the meanings of a few others.

“Hey, what’s that one?”

“A chrysanthemum.”

“And that?”

“…That’s also a chrysanthemum.”

“But the colors are different? The first one is white, and that one is yellow.”

“You’re kidding, right? Don’t you know that a red rose and a white rose are both roses? Are you really that ignorant?”

“Ah, I see. They do look the same upon closer inspection.”

Though it was hardly extraordinary knowledge,

In this world, there were many flowers whose origins I could not discern—whether they were unique to this realm or simply blooms unknown to me from my own world.

I could not know them all, of course. It was inevitable that there would be more that I did not recognize.

But as the sun began to set, the expressions of those around me grew strange.

It seemed as if they had witnessed a side of me entirely different from before.

“Ah, why do you all react this way? Is it so surprising that I know a bit about flowers?”

“Of course.”

Liana spoke on behalf of the group.

“You are truly an enigma, the more we see of you.”

In the end, it seemed my newfound aspect was not received unfavorably.

For some unknown reason, Harriet’s face was flushed.

These fools, it seemed as though they had misunderstood something.

I decided to shift the atmosphere.

“However, I find this flower viewing to be rather peculiar.”

“Why?”

Their faces showed curiosity as to what I would say next.

“Technically, flowers are the reproductive organs of plants, aren’t they?”

More precisely, the pistils and stamens.

“Isn’t it amusing that we gather to observe reproductive organs?”

“Ah…”

“…”

“…”

“As expected, you are a madman.”

Successfully, I had lightened the mood.

——

I could not say for certain whether the flower viewing truly changed our spirits. As everyone prepared to leave, Ellen held me back.

“Just a little.”

“…Huh?”

Ellen signaled with her eyes.

“Stay a bit longer.”

It was clear she wanted some time alone with me. The others seemed to accept this.

Perhaps because of the misunderstanding that we had fought, they believed we needed time to talk privately. Without protest, they left us alone.

The evening of autumn neared, the sun setting.

We sat side by side on the steps near the Irine River.

“…”

“…”

We had been angry with each other.

I would become involved in more dangerous affairs, most of which I could not share with Ellen, nor would I want to seek her help.

Because this matter was far too perilous.

Even the slightest knowledge of what I was to do would be detrimental to Ellen. If she knew, the problem would not be my involvement in danger, but the secrets she would uncover.

I could not fathom what would transpire after that.

I did not want to imagine it.

“It seems strange.”

Ellen spoke softly.

“What does?”

“When someone is precious to you, you should speak kindly to them, treat them well, and do what you must.”

“…”

“But when someone is too precious, it seems we only end up saying hurtful things and causing pain.”

Ellen gazed quietly at the tranquil surface of the river, its waters reflecting the red glow of sunset.

“It’s foolish.”

“…It is.”

For some reason, I threw a stone into the river. I watched as it created small ripples before sinking beneath the surface.

Beneath the burning autumn sunset.

“I’m sorry.”

“Me too. I’m sorry.”

We apologized to each other.

Ellen leaned her head against me.

It had been a long time since we had done so.

“Reinhardt.”

“Yes?”

“Arron Mede. You didn’t kill him, did you?”

“…”

Ellen had known all along.

She had no choice but to know.

The lie surrounding Arron Mede’s death—his head had exploded, a wound I could not have inflicted.

Although I had hidden the body, Ellen might have seen it.

“Yes.”

Ellen did not pry further.

“When you become a Swordmaster, will you share your secrets with me?”

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