Episode 189 – Jumbled (2)

Jumbled (2)

I arrived at the address on the note. The city block itself was identical to the heart of the actual capital, Edsilla, so I found it quickly.

“…It’s Presidium.”

Presidium is a top-tier apartment complex in the actual capital, Edsilla. I bet the rich like Elise, Soliette, and Kain all live here.

The problem is, whether real or fake, the security is strict.

I walked through the Presidium gate, which was on par with an airport. Naturally, a security guard stopped me.

“Stop.”

“I’m a detective.”

I quickly showed my ID. The guard chuckled and pulled out a scanner.

Beep-

His expression turned slightly surprised.

“…It’s real.”

“Of course. Why would it be fake? I’m here to investigate.”

“Do you have a warrant?”

“Yes.”

I pulled out a piece of paper from my pocket. It was a search warrant I had instantly created with ‘Deception’.

“…”

The guard slightly opened his mouth.

“Wait, you came alone?”

“There are many around. You just can’t see them. It’s a top-secret case, and since it’s Presidium, I came alone to avoid causing a disturbance.”

“Hmm… How long will you stay?”

“I don’t know. Not yet.”

He stepped aside. I entered the apartment lobby.

I got on the elevator and pressed the button for the 13th floor.

Ding!

I quickly arrived at the 13th floor. As befits a luxury apartment, there was only one unit per floor.

Hem hem. I cleared my throat with a fake cough and pressed the doorbell.

Ding dong-

This sound is somewhat familiar.

“…Is anyone there.”

─Yes. Who is it?

A voice flowed from the intercom. A deep and charming baritone.

I threw him the passphrase.

“Do you have a nail clipper?”

─…Pardon?

Thud-

The door opened immediately.

I stepped back at that moment.

“Who are you?”

“…”

I just stared at him, asking that question.

A man who was scanning me up and down from across the threshold, slightly furrowing his brow.

In my childhood, a man I dared not approach, only admired from afar.

Jared Arkne.

He was really there.

From the image of that time, with a slightly aged face….

“How did you get up here?”

“Uh… um.”

I showed him my ID.

“I’m a detective.”

“Detective Victor Randel….”

He alternated between looking at my ID and me.

“It’s even more suspicious. Why would a detective come here?”

“…Do you have a nail clipper?”

I repeated the passphrase to him. He might have misheard.

“A nail clipper?”

Jared furrowed his brow.

“Yes. A nail clipper.”

“I have one. But did a detective come here to find it?”

“…”

Apparently, Jared doesn’t know about the soul’s number. He doesn’t even know where he is, or why he’s here.

But why did that agent tell me to find Jared?

“…You. You don’t know.”

I looked at him closely. Blue eyes resembling Soliette. Red hair, a symbol of the Arkne.

He was definitely Jared.

“What don’t I know.”

“That this world is fake.”

“What?”

One of Jared’s eyebrows furrowed.

The corner of his mouth turned into a sneer.

“If you’re a scammer, please leave quietly. I won’t ask how you got up here.”

“…….”

I turned around silently, got on the elevator, and pressed the button for the first floor.

Through the slowly closing door gap, I saw Jared staring at me.

My head hurts.

* * *

I sat on a bench at a 24-hour convenience store. I sighed and looked up at the night sky.

“What the hell is going on…….”

“What’s going on indeed.”

Then someone sat down in front of me. He placed a banana milk with a thud- on the table.

“Who are you…….”

It was a man in a hoodie.

The agent who had given me the note.

“You?”

“Yeah. It’s me.”

He chuckled and pointed to the sky with his finger. I looked in that direction.

……In the dark clouds, there was a ‘crescent moon’.

“It was you.”

The Spectres──Noah Lucille.

He spoke, pulling his hood down tightly.

“Yeah. I was commissioned by Aventagher. I also made those goggles.”

“……Why did you send me here? Jared doesn’t know anything.”

“Because he doesn’t know anything, you have to tell him. Did you tell him?’

“I told him this place is fake. He probably doesn’t believe it, though.”

“That’s a relief. I couldn’t even do that much. If I go, Knightmare will find out. Since my entire soul has entered this container, if I’m discovered, I’ll die on the spot.”

“……How do you break the bottle? Haven’t you found a way yet?”

Thud-!

He stuck a straw into the banana milk.

“This bottle was made by Knightmare to fulfill his wish. As long as that wish itself does not break, the bottle will not break.”

“What’s the wish.”

“……To fully revive Jared Arkne. Right now, he’s barely restored half a soul. The moment the container goes outside, it dies.”

Suddenly, the wrinkles on my face twisted.

“He kills him and then revives him?”

“Yeah. Knightmare has changed.”

“I don’t understand what you’re talking about. Has he repented?”

Noah Lucille shook his head. He sucked on the milk and continued speaking.

“You guys are misunderstanding something. Knightmare is not a ‘form’. It’s a ‘phenomenon’.”

“A phenomenon?”

“Yeah. Knightmare is literally a nightmare. You can think of it as a ‘parasitic spirit’. When it erodes the host’s body, it controls the sleep and kills the person as a nightmare. I don’t know who invented it, but it’s the worst invention.”

“…….”

For a moment, a cold awl pierced my brain.

If what he said is true, Knightmare may not necessarily have framed someone. If the bastard could originally be ‘multiple people’…….

Thud- Thud-

He tapped the table with his finger and spoke.

“In that regard, the old Knightmare is dead. To be precise, it moved on.”

“……Speak clearly. Who did Knightmare die as, and who did it move in to?”

“Haha.”

He laughed as if amused.

“I don’t know who the old Knightmare was. I don’t know who he died to either. But, I do know who the ‘current’ Knightmare is.”

Noah put down the banana milk on the table.

I put my hand in my pocket.

It felt like I was about to have a seizure.

“…….”

But then he suddenly closed his mouth.

“…….”

I also closed my mouth.

“…….”

“…….”

An oppressive silence, only for me. The guy who seemed to be teasing me by widening his eyes.

I clenched my teeth.

“Speak.”

“Hahaha. Alright.”

He laughed and sighed. He muttered in a very soft voice.

‘Felix Altea’.

I thought I heard wrong. I reflexively asked back.

“What?”

“He’s the current Knightmare. He didn’t die. No, Knightmare revived him. As a host.”

“…….”

This time, my whole body sank. I couldn’t muster strength in my fingertips or toes, and it felt like my entire brain had stopped.

On the other hand, Noah Lucille continued to speak as if he was enjoying himself.

“But, you know what? Interestingly, you were at the place where Knightmare transitioned to Felix.”

“……Me?”

“Yeah. You’re interesting. You seem to be connected, big or small, to all the important moments of the people on this continent. It feels… almost ordained.”

He stopped talking. Suddenly, he looked at his wristwatch.

“We’ll continue this later.”

“……Looks like time’s up. Is there anything else I need to do next time?”

“No. You’ve ‘awakened’ Felix. That’s enough for now. Now, it’s time to end.”

Thud──!

The sound of a switch turning off.

At that moment, the connection to my consciousness was cut off, and I took off the goggles.

“……Haah.”

I took a deep breath and looked around quietly.

It was Aventagher’s mansion in[Bethune].

“How was it?”

Raelro asked.

Without answering, I looked at Soliette. She seemed to be fascinated by the experience itself, repeatedly clenching and unclenching her fist.

* * *

We stepped outside of [Bethune]. It had grown dark outside the window.

“Now I can finally see a clue.”

I looked at Soliette, who was murmuring that.

“Soliette. Can I see your Bethune CD for a moment?”

“My CD?”

“Yeah.”

Without any suspicion, she handed it over. As I received it, I assembled the 「Delivery Box」.

“What’s that box?”

“This? Well, it’s…”

After putting the CD in the 「Delivery Box」, I immediately sent it flying out the window.

“Wha, what?!!”

Soliette jumped up. She hastily tried to chase after it, then turned back and shook my arm.

“What, what are you doing, Shion!”

I shrugged my shoulders.

“I made a promise. With Mr. Gillion. To reduce your gaming time.”

I hadn’t actually made a promise, but Mr. Gillion would probably want that anyway.

“What?! Was Shion the family’s steward?!”

“I can’t help it. If I don’t, they’ll come looking for me from the main house.”

Soliette’s hand, which was holding onto me, trembled. Her face was full of a sense of betrayal.

“I’ve already told Mr. Raelro. From now on, we’re only going to play Bethune once a week, and always together. It’s too dangerous for you to play alone.”

“But-”

“Let’s change the condition.”

Suddenly, Elise interjected. Soliette turned to look at Elise and nodded her head vigorously. She seemed to be under the illusion that Elise would help her.

“Not just the two of you. Us, all three of us, together. Let me join in. It was quite fun, wasn’t it?”

“……What is that supposed to mean?”

Soliette’s eyes widened like a completely empty mackerel.

* * *

Drip-drip-drip──

The late winter rain drizzled down on Endex.

[Edsilla National Magic University] sincerely congratulates Soliette Del Luna Arkne on her acceptance into the Knight Department. There is no specific registration period, and the tuition for the first year of Magic University is fully covered by a scholarship.

Congratulations on your acceptance.

Soliette looked at the message with bleary eyes.

“……Ah.”

She blankly stared at the ceiling.

The current time was 3 a.m.

Sleep wouldn’t come.

Insomnia was striking again.

……Was it because of Bethune?

No, it couldn’t be because of Bethune.

Whether she played Bethune or not, she always slept well here.

But why……

Soliette was quite perplexed.

Honestly, she felt like she had been scammed.

She had prepaid the rent of 2,500 ren, and it was only the first day since she moved in, so why was this happening?

Knock-knock-

A knock.

Soliette sluggishly got up. She opened the sliding door.

It was Shion.

“Hello?”

She tried to close the door quickly, but Shion stuck his foot in first.

Thud-

The door hit his foot.

“Please remove your foot.”

“……Hey. Let me in.”

“Why are you here?”

“This.”

He showed her the game console he held in one hand. Soliette’s face almost brightened for a moment, but it wasn’t a Bethune console.

“What is this. This crappy thing.”

“Crappy? This is a much more advanced game console than Bethune. Let’s play this together.”

Soliette’s eyes became fierce.

“I refuse.”

“You might change your mind if you try it.”

He stubbornly pushed his way in. Soliette glared at him with sharp eyes.

“You’re trespassing, Shion.”

“Whatever.”

“Give me back the rent.”

He sat down on the floor. He set up the game console on the TV and inserted a CD.

[Elders Ring: Sky Scroll]

“……The opening is pathetic.”

“It’s better than pixel art.”

“Bethune only uses pixel art for visuals.”

Soliette was grumpy, but Shion didn’t care and started the game. Soliette lay on the sofa pretending not to watch the screen.

As he controlled it, the game character moved, swung a sword, and did this and that.

[DIE]

Shion kept dying.

Not only did he die, but he was also terrible. Anyone would think he had three fingers.

[DIE]

The corners of her mouth twitched.

[DIE]

What she was curious about was, why didn’t he use the roll function? The tutorial kindly explained it. He should use the roll.

“Ah~ this is hard.”

Shion scratched the back of his neck, tilting his head.

“Tsk. What’s so hard.”

Soliette grumbled without realizing it. Shion turned to her and handed her the gamepad.

“Then you try.”

“……Hmm. If you’re pretending to be bad on purpose to get my attention, then you’ve succeeded.”

Soliette snatched the gamepad and sat down next to him. Shion asked with a small smile.

“Couldn’t sleep?”

“……Yes.”

“You said you sleep well here.”

“I think the psychological damage of being betrayed by Shion is too great.”

Shion just stared at her.

Drip-drip-drip───

The sound of rain hitting the drainpipe. The faint mist spreading outside the window. The humidity fills the room.

In the midst of this, Shion Ascal was lost in thought.

We have a chance to revive Jared. No one knows yet if he’s the real Jared.

Felix is also alive. Even if he is a ghost resurrected by Knightmare.

But……

Shion had pondered hundreds of times before coming to Soliette today.

He had asked himself like a madman.

Why didn’t Felix and Jared’s lives happen before the regression?

Simply because Knightmare’s plan would fail?

Because Aventagher’s plan would succeed?

No.

At least Shion doesn’t think so.

“Look. I was born to control.”

Soliette, who passed the tutorial in no time.

Maybe, it’s because of her.

Thud─── thud──

From the quietly falling rain, Shion imagines.

Soliette before the regression,

Killing those two with her own hands.

The two people she loved the most, the most precious,

The scene of her cutting them off herself.

Crying bloody tears, cutting off their necks who ‘should not be resurrected’.

“Soliette.”

“……Yes?”

[DIE]

Soliette quickly covered the screen and looked back at Shion. He also gently looked at her. He put his hand on the small head.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

What he wanted to say now. Even though she from that time is gone, he wanted to convey this, even if it’s belated.

“……?”

She looked at Shion with slightly widened eyes. She turned off the game console with her toes wriggling.

“……Is it because of Bethune?”

Soliette asked. Shion shook his head. He quietly pulled her who was about to say something. He warmly embraced her.

“Sh, Shion?”

“……I didn’t know.”

He didn’t know why she from before the regression committed suicide.

So he was a little resentful.

Did she have to live?

Did she have to think about what I would be like living without her?

“I didn’t know…….”

But now, he knew.

That no one can blame your choice.

No one can blame you for wanting to let go of life……

Thud─ thud─

The small grudges in his heart melt away in the rain.

Thud─ thud─

The sorrows from before the regression bubble up.

Shion held Soliette tightly in his arms, burying his face in her shoulder.

“I’m sorry…….”

“No, no, Shion. There’s no need to apologize. It’s, it’s okay. Now. You said it was okay once a week, right? I’m not addicted to the game.”

On the other hand, Soliette’s face was as red as a tomato.

Thump─

Suddenly, she could even feel her own heart pounding.

Thump- Thump-

It wasn’t clearly audible amidst the sound of the rain…… but a definite turmoil of the heart.

If it wasn’t arrhythmia, then they were some new emotions sprouting like buds.

“Shion……. I’m sleepy.”

Along with that, a gentle breeze of sleepiness blows.

An overwhelming wave of sleepiness is pouring down.

“……Ah.”

Then, Soliette realized belatedly.

My problem wasn’t ‘space’.

It was ‘people’.

People…….

Soliette slowly closed her eyes.

She fell asleep to the sound of the rain.

* * *

[A painkiller with absolutely no side effects has been released.]

At the same time, in the ‘fake’ Presidium.

In the living room where only strange news is flowing, Jared Arkne is lost in thought.

‘……You. You don’t know.’

Detective Victor Randel, who visited him last week.

He keeps bothering him.

‘That this world is fake.’

“Fake…….”

Jared bit his lip slightly.

It’s definitely a cult’s nonsense, but it doesn’t disappear, lingering in a corner of his brain. It doesn’t shake off for a whole week.

“Ha.”

He gritted his teeth. Eventually, he picked up his smartphone and made a call somewhere.

Ring- Ring-

“Hello.”

─Yes. This is Edsilla Metropolitan Police Department.”

“I have a question. Is there a detective named Victor Randel there?”

─……Yes?

“Detective Victor Randel.”

Jared furrowed his eyebrows. Even while on the call, he wondered what this was all about.

─Speaking. What can I do for you?

“……Victor Randel?”

─Yes.

“You’re Victor Randel? The one who visited my mansion last time.”

─I am Victor Randel, but who are you?

Jared switched his grip on the smartphone. Clearly, he was a detective. He thought he was a cult member.

“I’m Jared Arkne.”

─……You’re a celebrity. But, what’s the matter? I’ve never visited your mansion.

What’s this strange talk now?

“What, do you have dementia?”

─What? Are you picking a fight now?

Jared unknowingly threw a medical question, but soon remembered the strange question the detective had asked him.

“Do you have a nail clipper.”

─A nail clipper? No, seriously…… what are you talking about. Are you joking? If you’re Jared Arkne and have something to say, come and see me in person.

Click-

He hung up the phone.

“……What’s this.”

He didn’t know what kind of trick this was, but Jared got up. He picked up his jacket and put it on.

If he’s asking me to come and see him in person, then I should go and see him in person.