漫画大王

Chapter 196

“What the—h-hey, what kind of nonsense is this all of a sudden?” I asked.

“I just... said what I saw...” Detomorian replied, staring straight at me.

“No, come on. How could that make any sense, no matter how you spin it?”

“Th-Th-that’s right. It’s, well, it’s ridiculous to even say this, but... I’m of royal blood,” Charlotte stammered, her face becoming pale and her lips trembling.

Although we were at the Temple, she was still royalty, and I was a commoner. How could the two of us get married? As much as she hated to even speak of this absurdity, the ludicrous prediction of the future had forced her to make such a statement.

“People’s futures... are unpredictable,” Detomorian replied.

Sure, that was a reasonable statement. No one knew when, where, or how something might happen.

But still, a shiver ran down my spine.

I wasn’t sure, but did this mean that Charlotte would eventually discover I was a Baalier? And then, somehow, in some way, we’d end up reconciling and getting married or something?

No. Before all of that...

Wouldn’t this whole prediction make Charlotte begin to suspect that I might be a Baalier? If Charlotte began to doubt, it wouldn’t be long before my true identity was revealed.

This was a big problem.

I had only planned to get my fortune read for fun, but if Charlotte began to make strange deductions, things could get complicated.

“It might be wrong... I just said what I saw,” Detomorian insisted.

“Yeah! Then it must be wrong! Aha... ahaha. I’m not doubting your abilities or anything. It’s just not possible, right? The difference in status is too great. It wouldn’t make any sense at all. Right from the start, something like that could obviously never happen!” I exclaimed urgently.

“Y-Yeah... That doesn’t make sense, right?” Charlotte nodded, still looking dazed.

“Exactly. Something that ridiculous could never happen.”

We needed to dismiss this before Charlotte started entertaining strange ideas. There was definitely a possibility that Detomorian was wrong.

“Right?! Me... getting married to Reinhart? Ha, what a preposterous idea! That’s impossible!”

“Exactly, how could something like that happen? It’s a totally impossible scenario.”

Charlotte and I vehemently denied that such a future could ever come to pass. Our eyes met for a moment during our frantic objections.

“...”

“...”

For some reason, it became increasingly difficult to look each other in the eye.

***

After returning to the Royal Class dormitory, Charlotte changed out of her uniform and was now in the shower, washing herself.

She had asked just for fun, but Detomorian had hit the nail on the head by revealing that she had a secret she could not tell anyone. That moment had sent chills down both her spine, as well as Reinhart’s.

Even though he might not have discovered the details, the fact that he’d identified the existence of such a secret was enough. That’s why she found Sorcery terrifying—it was a strange, inexplicable force. She had always thought so.

“Ha. Ridiculous.”

But what had come after that had been even more outlandish.

He’d said she would marry Reinhart, and the moment she’d heard it, Charlotte believed it to be nonsensical, and couldn’t help but feel dumbfounded. Her mind had gone blank for a moment, leaving her at a loss for words.

Marrying Reinhart.

If there were ever a scenario with zero possibility, that would be the one.

The fundamental difference in their statuses meant immediate opposition from the imperial family, which would end any such notion right there. Even some of the highest nobles weren’t considered suitable suitors for her. A commoner, who had been a vagrant and former member of a criminal organization before entering the Temple, becoming her husband? It was an impossible proposition.

More importantly, Charlotte had never considered Reinhart as anything more than a friend, unlike someone else.

For that someone else, however, she might be willing to do whatever it took, even facing the opposition of the imperial family, or even if she had to leave the imperial family. That, she could understand. But Reinhart? And all of a sudden?

Detomorian had given a simple answer: “You never know with people.”

Charlotte knew that too. You could never predict what could happen in life. You could be living a perfect life within the imperial household and then be kidnapped to the Demon King’s castle one day.

Regarding the whereabouts of that child, a mage named Elena knew, and Reinhart was the link between her and that child.

What if something happened to that child?

Reinhart was the only person Charlotte could consult about that child’s situation. If in the course of discussing matters with him, she came to rely on him...

Was it really an impossible scenario after all?

People’s lives were unpredictable, and there was a small chance that it wasn’t truly impossible. Could she be so sure that falling in love with Reinhart was absolutely impossible?

“What am I... even thinking...”

She often imagined worst-case scenarios in her head, and now she was doing it again. Thinking about something happening to that child, and feeling like she might end up relying on Reinhart.

It was disrespectful to both the child and Reinhart.

It was an impossible occurrence. She wasn’t doubting Dettomorian’s abilities, but there was no reason to be shaken by just one statement. Even Dettomorian himself had said it could be wrong. And while she indeed had no feelings in that regard, even if she did, what of it?

Reinhart’s reaction had also been one of extreme denial. He’d vehemently rejected the notion. Very vehemently.

“...”

Thinking about it, Charlotte felt a strange sense of discomfort.

‘Who does he think he is? ... How ridiculous of him to have such a reaction,’ Charlotte thought.

Sure, it was an impossible situation, but he had denied it so intensely, almost to the point of appearing angry.

Was such a reaction really necessary? What did he have to lose as opposed to her?

Although they were both living as Temple students and not bound by status, in the whole continent, her status was second only to the emperor’s.

She took pride in her intellect, wealth, and abilities, and was confident that she lacked nothing.

As for her character... She believed she presented herself well on the outside.

So who was he to react like that?

Even if he were to kneel and beg, she wouldn’t even consider it, and yet he’d acted as though he was repulsed by the very idea.

Who did he seriously think he was?

He had a terrible personality, insignificant status, and there were terrible rumors about his private life. The only noteworthy thing about him was that he had a somewhat decent-looking face.

‘The audacity,’ she thought.

The idea that she might marry such a guy? Absolutely ridiculous.

Of course, when she seriously considered it, it wasn’t entirely baseless.

Yes, he had a nasty personality, but she had been worse, and he had still helped her and kept her secrets. Despite the possibility that it might cause him to fall out of favor with Vertus, he didn’t hesitate to maintain his friendship with her. She knew the rumors about his private life were just misunderstandings and slander.

He also had courage, audacity, and undeniably good abilities. More than good—there weren’t many among their peers who could compare.

When she thought about it... Really, seriously thought about it, regardless of their differences in status, she had to admit he was an extraordinary person.

“...”

Charlotte realized she had to give credit where credit was due.

Her focus had always been on the other child, and she hadn’t given much thought to Reinhart. Thanks to Dettomorian’s sudden statement, though, she found herself thinking seriously about Reinhart, which led to a strange feeling.

“... Unbelievable.”

In the end, Charlotte found herself feeling irrationally angry at Reinhart’s vehement disgust, and she impulsively punched the shower wall.

Thunk! Thunk!

Of course, given her lack of strength, it didn’t make a very satisfying sound, and only left her with an aching fist.

‘As if I would ever be interested in someone like you. Even if you were interested, I’d still be the one rejecting you. How could you say something like that could never happen?

‘If I decided to make it happen, it could. If I became the empress, there would be no such thing as an impossible scenario, regardless of the imperial family’s opposition.

‘Who is he to react like that? Someone like him?’

Fuming, Charlotte looked at herself in the shower mirror, as water streamed down her face.

Her reflection stared back at her.

“...”

As she stared at her angry reflection, she suddenly thought of the one plausible reason for his extreme rejection.

‘Am I... not attractive?’

Charlotte found herself gazing blankly at her reflection in the mirror.

At that moment, she realized that she couldn’t view herself objectively.

***

Without much time to organize my thoughts, I decided to head out that Monday night for a brief outing.

I felt it necessary to inform my people about the matter regarding the Holy Sword Tiamata.

Still, Detomorian’s words left my mind in turmoil.

‘Charlotte and I getting married...’

Of course, there was a chance he was wrong, so it wasn’t a certainty.

But if we did end up getting married, what would lead to that?

Would it be because Charlotte discovered that I was a Baalier and decided to forgive me? Would that somehow lead to us getting married?

Even so, my social status was completely incompatible with royalty. This current situation only worked because we were both at the Temple. In the hypothetical scenario where Charlotte became the empress, it was highly unlikely that we would ever marry. Unless, of course, she wielded such absolute imperial power that she could override all opposition.

Otherwise, perhaps Charlotte would lose her competition for the throne, escape somewhere, and end up marrying me—something along those lines.

If such a thing did occur, while the specifics of the process were unknown, the result would be clear. Charlotte and I would survive the upcoming gate incident. Reaching some endpoint called marriage indicated as much.

If Dettomorian’s words were true, what they signified wasn’t necessarily our marriage, but the fact that both of us would survive.

One vague prediction was enough to make my head spin.

And yet, despite my personal feelings, I found it strange to ponder how such an event would occur, and what it would ultimately mean. I realized I hadn’t even considered whether I liked or disliked the idea.

As I walked the streets outside the Temple, this thought struck me.

It felt as if I was so preoccupied with pointless causal reasoning that I was losing something important within myself.

***

“Is this it?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

I had arrived at Eleris’s new address. Eleris had managed to secure a semi-basement room near the Aligar shopping district, just as she wanted. From the look on her face, she was absolutely thrilled.

The place was damp and musty, but Eleris seemed to like it. Considering how pitiful she’d been, having to use the morning sunlight as her alarm clock... I suppose she didn’t have that problem here.

She seemed to have found a good place. There were no unnecessary neighbors, and the upper floor was a commercial space rather than a residential one, so it would be empty at night.

Eleris had carefully picked a secluded, rarely frequented place that I could occasionally visit without causing much concern.

She had chosen well.

Seeing Eleris so delighted with her new home made me feel slightly pleased as well, although, under normal circumstances, someone might ask if she really had to live in a place like this. It was barely furnished, and honestly looked like a haunted house.

“I still need to do some cleaning, but I’m planning to take my time with it. I’d like to even do some interior decorating this time,” Eleris said.

The contrast between Eleris dreaming about how to decorate her new home and the damp, eerie atmosphere of the room was stark.

I hoped she planned on decorating it in a normal way. She wouldn’t just put a coffin in here or something, right?

“By the way, what brings you here, Your Highness?”

“Oh, that.”

It would be too risky to visit frequently just because I was bored, so I typically avoided coming unless it was to ‘deliver’ a letter from Charlotte or something equally important.

“You know that sword we brought from the Dark Land?”

“... Yes. Has the Temple figured out what it is?”

“Uh, well, it wasn’t the Temple staff that figured it out, exactly.”

Given what she was, it was difficult to just show it to her directly.

“It turns out, it’s the Holy Sword Tiamata.”

“... Excuse me?”

As expected, Eleris had no idea what I was talking about.