Chapter 89: Mistaken for a Criminal (4) |
*
The day after Perisia became my bodyguard.
During dinner, I relayed several things to my family.
That I had become a Senior Wizard,
that I was now a professor,
and that Perisia had become my bodyguard.
My once-peaceful daily life had reached an inflection point, but what I had to do hadn't really changed from the usual.
At an hour when the dawn mist had yet to clear.
Today, too, I rose from bed to go to work as Director Schun.
She was bowing her head, her military cap tucked under her arm.
She slowly raised her head.
"Have you risen, Lord?"
She called to me in a dry, monotonous voice.
I think I knew the cause of the dark circles settled heavily under her eyes.
"Don't tell me you've been like that all evening?"
"It's fine. A bodyguard's duty is to guard the most vulnerable hours."
She put on the military cap she'd had tucked under her arm.
"Once you go to work in Limbus Pit, Lord, I planned to hand over bodyguard duties to the Holy Knights and catch up on sleep then."
"That's a relief... huh?"
Wait.
What did she say?
"What did you just say?"
"I said I could sleep while Lord Nihilrit is taking care of patients in Limbus Pit."
"...But I don't go down to Limbus Pit?"
Conscious of Director Schun's identity, I feigned ignorance.
"I'm merely going to see His Highness Edmund, then assist my fiancée with her investigation..."
"You don't have to hide that from me. I have already been handed over the information about you, Lord, from the Board of Inspection."
“...”
Those guys at the Board of Inspection.
They said they'd be thorough with secret-keeping.
I even heard they used Recognition-Altering Magic.
So why does it feel like it's spreading all over town?
'This isn't The Truman Show, is it?'
No way.
It can't be.
It better not be.
"...Does the Military know, by any chance?"
"Only I am aware of your situation, Lord. And to correct one misunderstanding, I am not affiliated with the Military."
"What?"
"I ask for your understanding regarding the difficulty in explaining my affiliation in detail. However, it is true that I have taken on your protection at the military's request, so please trust me."
After saying that, she checked her watch and took a mask out of her overcoat.
It was an ornate red mask, the kind you might see at a ball.
She turned her back to me and put on the mask.
And when she turned back around with the mask on,
a young man with black hair was facing me, like my reflection in a mirror.
The young man—a being in the form of Yulian Nihilrit—opened his mouth.
"This is a magic tool I was given to strengthen your protection, Lord. With this, creating an alibi for Director Schun and Lord Nihilrit will be much easier."
"Are you saying you'll act as me while I'm gone?"
"Yes. That is also why I was dispatched. My current mission is to observe you as much as possible before you go to the Academy."
"I see."
So it was their consideration to have us practice acting together before I go to the Academy.
I thought the bodyguard had arrived a bit too early.
"The Board of Inspection is quite thorough."
"I am not affiliated with the Board of Inspection either."
Now that I think about it, that makes sense.
The Board of Inspection is, at its core, a place that only controls information.
I heard from my Teacher before that they don't provide bodyguard services.
Then if it's not the Military, and not the Board of Inspection...
'Where in the world are you from?'
I couldn't guess her affiliation.
The Special Affairs Bureau?
Those people operate outside the Empire.
In the first place, I'd never even heard of them taking on bodyguard missions.
In the end, the more I thought about it, the more Perisia's identity sank into a mystery.
She seems to have more secrets than I do.
She continued speaking.
"For the disguise to work, you must be in front of me, Lord. Therefore, please be sure to find me before you change your identity. Also, since I am the only one aware of this matter, you may continue to keep it a secret from the Holy Knights as you have been."
I think I get the gist of the reason.
It must be a sort of power struggle.
To make it clear that my allegiance lies with the Empire's side, not the Holy See.
The Church will only know my facet as Director Schun, while the Empire will know all my secrets.
It wasn't a bad thing for me, either.
Secrets are always better when fewer people know them.
It's not that I don't trust the Church's Heresy Inquisition.
But with the Empire doing such a good job of hiding things so far, there was no reason to increase the number of people sharing the secret.
I checked my watch again.
Six o'clock.
It was about time to go to work.
She also checked her watch and took off her mask.
The blonde-haired, blue-eyed elf beauty reappeared before my eyes with a pop.
"As I have not yet fully grasped your character, Lord, my acting is still unpolished. It would be best for you to act as you normally do while you stay in the Capital."
The disguise is planned to start at the Academy.
"I plan to escort you only as far as the Head of the Inspection Department's mansion, Lord."
Until now, I've used the Marquis Hausen Family's mansion to switch between the identities of Director Schun and Yulian.
Yulian goes to the marquis family's mansion for a deduction battle with his fiancée, and then the Head of the Inspection Department's car leaves the mansion.
After that, I switch cars a few times in a secluded place, and finally, complete my disguise as Director Schun inside the car driven by Otto.
Then, as Director Schun, I'd meet the Holy Knights at the Merchant Guild Building and head to work in Limbus Pit.
Perisia meant she would only accompany me as far as the Marquis Hausen Family's mansion.
"Then let us go. I will escort you safely to the Head of the Inspection Department's mansion."
***
The morning sun rose.
In front of the Marquis Hausen Family's mansion.
Perisia—the woman wearing Yulian's outer shell—listened to the sound of her charge's carriage disappearing into the smog.
She surveyed the surroundings for a while.
Wondering if anyone might be tailing the route.
Fortunately, there were no uninvited guests to disturb this peaceful daily life today.
She relaxed her shoulders and returned to the Nihilrit Mansion.
Head Butler Wilhelm greeted her upon her return to the mansion.
"Welcome back, Escort Officer."
"Yes."
"Then, may I introduce you to the Young Master's daily life?"
"Please do."
Head Butler Wilhelm.
A member of this mansion.
A being like a paternal grandfather to Yulian.
The only man who had attended to Yulian even during his difficult times in this mansion.
Trust Level and Closeness Level both at the highest.
A target to be protected with a priority similar to the family in a crisis.
Perisia followed the Head Butler, recalling the bodyguard priority details she had received from Yulian.
"I was told by the Young Master. You said you wished to confirm his daily routine?"
"Understanding his schedule is a crucial matter for his protection."
"Indeed it is."
For some reason, Wilhelm looked to be in a good mood.
And he was.
A superhuman of the 4th Rank, no less, had been assigned as his escort.
A 4th-Rank superhuman is at a level of mastery where they could obtain the title of Viscount or Count if they possessed secret magic.
Such superhumans were personnel that usually only big shots like Dukes could hire.
In other words, this meant the Empire also valued Yulian that highly.
"...You seem to be in a good mood."
"The Young Master received his Senior Wizard Certificate, and Lady Erika passed her first-round interview for the Academy's Undergraduate Division. Lady Freya is also distinguishing herself in High Society. With only good news for the family lately, this old body finds itself getting excited unbecoming of its age."
Watching the old man be genuinely happy as if it were his own affair,
Perisia felt she understood why Yulian cherished this Head Butler so much.
The old man guided Perisia and introduced Yulian's daily life.
"The Young Master usually spends his time in the laboratory he made by modifying the warehouse in the backyard, his own room, and the annex where Lady Erika stays."
Perisia nodded, committing the details to memory.
Wilhelm, who was guiding her, stopped in front of the laboratory warehouse.
"On days he doesn't go to work, he's usually in this laboratory. Please think of it as a rehearsal and stay inside until I come to get you."
Perisia nodded wordlessly.
Wilhelm unlocked the laboratory and turned away.
Perisia hesitated at the laboratory door before stepping inside.
'The person I'm guarding this time is a bit peculiar.'
A wizard usually loathes having an outsider set foot in their laboratory—a space often called a workshop.
Who in their right mind would want to show others all the secret methods they've built up over a lifetime?
But Yulian was different.
He didn't seem to mind much, not just Perisia, but anyone who came into his laboratory.
'He doesn't seem aware of the danger this workshop poses.'
Perisia thought as she looked around Yulian's workshop.
She could see the research notebooks packed tightly in a corner of the workshop.
Along with them, the research topics Yulian had scribbled down, which she had seen yesterday, came to mind.
'...This is a Forbidden Library that would make Black Sorcerers drool.'
If he leaves for the Academy, he'll probably move these notebooks too.
Depending on the case, their contents could well be considered grimoires.
'I'll need to contact headquarters and be careful about the route when they're moved.'
Thinking about it based on what I saw yesterday...
If even a single volume were to leak, the Empire could suffer a fatal blow.
'I'll have to raise the bodyguard priority for these grimoires.'
With that thought, she quietly picked up a research notebook.
Before parting with Yulian.
He had given her permission to read the notebooks outside the safe, so she acted without hesitation.
The topic of the opened notebook was 'Clinical Anatomy—Department of Healing, 1st Year'.
It was filled with moving black-and-white photographs and annotations explaining them.
'Looks like this is a textbook to be handed out to students when he stands on the podium as Director Schun.'
Even for her, who knew nothing of anatomy, the explanations were well-written and easy to understand.
The moving black-and-white photographs showed how to locate the structure,
and circles and lines would appear over the photograph, connecting to the annotations.
======================
[Longitudinal incision along the sternal midline. The thymus is isolated and surgically removed as a single specimen from the superior mediastinum.
In standard anatomy, the thymus is classified as a vestigial organ that atrophies during childhood and is nearly nonexistent in adults,
but in this specimen, it remained with a weight of about 18.4 grams in an adult male, age 29.
Clear boundary observed between the cortex and medulla.
Multiple concentric microstructures distributed within the medulla.
— Conclusion: Establishes a theoretical basis that the thymus may remain even in adult males. Provisionally named the remnant structures Hassall's Corpuscle.
======================
It was 0-Rank Beginner Magic.
Magic that a wizard learns as a basic, which can be cast with just a pen, ink, and paper.
It was also a magic that wizards, for whom a grimoire is life itself, must master.
And yet, Yulian was using such magic to create textbooks for his students.
'The cost must be enormous...'
For a moment, Perisia became envious of the students who would learn from him.
She turned the pages, losing track of time.
Before she knew it, she had reached the very back of the book.
There, information about the people who had donated their bodies and their last words were meticulously recorded.
— Imperial Calendar Year 1046, 4th Month.
— An adventurer from the Expeditionary Force Outside the Brass Wall donated their body.
— Cause of Death: Multiple traumas from a demonic beast attack.
— Age at death: 31. Unmarried.
— Treatment was attempted, but died due to irreversible spinal injury.
— Last words left before body donation:
: I came back alive from outside the Wall seventeen times. Ten of those times, the healers saved me. If this body can't get up again, give it to the healers. I'm repaying the debt I owe you after I die.
— Imperial Calendar Year 1047, 12th Month.
— An elderly person from Limbus Pit passed away at my clinic.
— Cause of Death: Natural causes.
— Age at death: 71. All 3 children entrusted the body with the deceased's consent.
— Last words left before body donation:
: I never learned a single letter in my entire life. If, at the very end, someone can gain enlightenment from my body, wouldn't that be an enlightenment of its own?
— Imperial Calendar Year 1049, Spring.
— An adventurer whose leg was amputated below the knee in a drawbridge accident during an emergency evacuation donated their body.
— Cause of Death: (Unrecorded)
— Age at death: 29. Passed away at my Limbus Pit clinic. Unmarried. Family — None.
— Last words left before body donation:
: I hope my body can be of help to the students of the Department of Healing. If it's the students who watched over my last moments, I feel I can entrust my body to them.
“...”
Perisia looked down at the anatomy records for a long while.
'To think he bothers to seek consent for the corpses.'
In this harsh world, even dead corpses are objects of trade.
There were people who sought to gain knowledge from corpses, and people who wanted to process them into magical catalysts.
If you were lucky, you could even research the magic circuits left in a corpse.
That's why gravediggers secretly sold corpses for money,
and nobles and clerics would bury or cremate bodies in their family tombs to prevent magic from leaking or ancestors from being insulted.
But in Limbus Pit, even such permission was a luxury.
Not to mention the freshly made, still-warm corpse in the alleyway yesterday,
graves are dug up in front of everyone, like selling fish at the market.
In H-Sector, they even delivered corpses made five minutes ago.
Everyone knew it wasn't a desirable practice.
It's just that they didn't have the leeway or interest to question it.
But Yulian was different.
Perisia's hand lingered on the last page.
— May you rest in peace. My deepest, deepest thanks.
He was always reverent in the face of death.
He meticulously recorded all details about his patients, always treated them with respect, and never used them carelessly.
'Lord...'
The things she had heard about Yulian (Director Schun) from headquarters suddenly came to mind.
It is said he took revenge on the black magician who attacked him in the most gruesome way imaginable.
It is said the Lizard Man who attacked his students is still suffering in the Merchant Guild's basement for some research.
It is said his first two submitted papers were initially discussed for Forbidden Rank, but only one was downgraded to First-Class.
It is said.
'If by any chance... any suspicious movements are detected from him, report immediately, and depending on the circumstances...'
Summary execution is authorized.
The above order came directly from the Imperial Court.
Perisia was his bodyguard, but at the same time, his surveillance officer.
Therefore, Perisia was on high alert against the man named Yulian.
A double-edged sword, clearly helpful to the Empire, but one that could be fatal if mishandled.
That was the Empire's evaluation of Yulian.
However,
'Looking at this notebook, maybe we were too suspicious of him, Lord.'
Of course, the fact that he is dangerous remains unchanged.
She had a feeling that Yulian could do something secretly even with her by his side as a surveillance officer.
But she couldn't help but change her mind after seeing this anatomy textbook.
A man this respectful in the face of death.
She thought it unlikely he would misuse that knowledge against the citizens of the Empire.
Tap.
She closed the research notebook.
At the same time, a question suddenly arose.
What about this man's other research?
She wanted to check the traces he had walked.
If only so she wouldn't have to suspect him.
With that thought, Perisia reached her hand toward a book.
It was then.
Creeak—
The laboratory door opened with the sound of a hinge.
Through the crack in the open door, someone peeked their head in.
It was Erika, her red stray hair waving like an antenna.
'A... Retriever?'
The moment she saw Erika, that thought came to Perisia's mind.
Why a Retriever, of all things?
Even she didn't quite know.
Erika's round eyes turned toward Perisia.
“...”
“...”
Breaking the silence, Erika spoke first.
"Huh? Why are you here without Teacher?"
"I, Escort Officer Verbois. I have been ordered to stay at the main house and learn Lord Nihilrit's daily routine while he is out today. This is because preliminary study is required to be able to more accurately simulate his daily life in his absence for the operation of the disguise magic tool, Young Lady."
"...?"
Erika's brow furrowed deeply.
Perisia's diction was still too difficult for her.
Just one thing. The one thing she understood was that Perisia was calling her 'Young Lady'.
"I'm not a Young Lady. I'm just a dependent retainer."
"Yesterday during dinner, I confirmed that Young Master Fried addressed Young Lady Erika with the form of address 'Eldest Sister'."
"Fried's just young. You can just call me Erika comfortably."
"I. Am currently on a mission, so I will address you as Lady Erika."
"Soldiers are so difficult..."
She almost said she wasn't from the Military but barely held it back.
There was no need to inform someone other than Yulian.
"You and the Escort Officer are both having a hard time."
Perisia stared intently at Erika.
Originally, she wasn't the type to enjoy private talk.
But if she had to act as Yulian during her mission, she needed to develop some ability for private talk.
Staring at Erika for a while, Perisia opened her mouth.
"Before I was assigned, I was informed that you, Lady Erika, were personally in charge of his private protection."
"Ah, that's true, but not anymore."
Erika waved her hand.
"Teacher has become too much of a big shot for me to protect him now. What kind of protection can I offer when I'm barely scraping by at Rank 1?"
Erika let out a small laugh.
But Perisia's eyes widened in astonishment.
'Already Rank 1 at this age?'
Even among the noble young ladies and young masters called the prodigies of High Society, those who approached Rank 1 this quickly could be counted on one hand.
Even Perisia herself had only become Rank 1 after matriculating at the Academy.
'This child is...'
Admiring Erika, Perisia brought up another topic to continue the private talk.
"In that case, may I ask what you have been doing recently, Lady Erika?"
"Lately, I've been preparing for the entrance exam for the Academy's Hero Department. I passed the first-round document review and interview, so I just have to pass the second-round sparring test and the third-round written test."
"I am certain you will pass, Lady Erika."
The Imperial Eschenwald Academy is always open to the capable.
She couldn't imagine a future where Erika failed to cross its threshold.
"Thanks."
Hehe. Laughing foolishly, Erika sat up on the chair with a light hop.
It was the chair that Perisia hadn't dared to sit in, the one that seemed to be where Yulian usually sat.
Erika naturally dragged the chair over and took out a few books.
Drrrk—
As the five books were pulled out in order, the bookshelf slid to the side, revealing a classic secret safe.
Perisia, too, was aware of the safe's existence beyond the bookshelf.
She simply hadn't examined it as she hadn't been given permission.
Erika turned the safe's dial.
"Hmm-hmm-hmm~"
She turned the dial to a beat.
With a click, the safe opened.
Inside, a few notebooks were placed.
[Three Divine Instruments]
[Complete Collection of Black Magic Variations]
Inside the safe, notebooks with meaningful titles were visible.
Those must be Yulian's (Director Schun's) true grimoires.
But Perisia pretended not to see them.
She couldn't betray Yulian's trust.
Perisia was a sign of the Imperial Court's goodwill toward Yulian.
Her betrayal would be tantamount to smearing the Imperial Court's name.
Therefore, she decided to cleanly forget what she had seen inside the safe.
However, there was one thing to confirm.
"Lady Erika. Is opening the safe a permitted act?"
"Huh? Ah, yes. He's allowed me to since I was 12 years old."
"Then, is there anyone else besides you, Lady Erika, who has permission?"
"Nope? It's probably just me."
Confirmed.
Perisia logged into her mind the exclusion of anyone approaching the safe other than Erika.
Erika took out a stack of thick, leather-bound notebooks from inside the safe.
"You see, my magic seems to be a bit different from normal magic. So I only learned the basics and technical parts from my teacher, and he told me to refer to Teacher's notes for things like symbolic objects and principles to use in my magic."
A wave of anxiety crept over her.
Is this really okay?
"Are you a... black magic user?"
"I thought so too, so I asked if it was okay, and he said it wasn't that important. Using black magic itself isn't a taboo, after all."
"That is true."
Learning black magic itself wasn't taboo.
But for some reason, she wanted to dissuade Erika from learning it.
Even though she had just learned that Yulian was a trustworthy person.
Erika dangled the leather notebook and tilted her head.
"But if the Black Magicians' Magic Tower and research societies are taboo, why isn't black magic itself a taboo?"
"That is something you will gradually learn after you matriculate at the Academy, Lady Erika. For now, you should focus on your studies."
"Hmm. Really? Then I'll listen then."
She turned her gaze back to the notebook.
"Blood... blood, Hematology, Hematology..."
Her finger quickly traced down the notebook's index, line by line.
"...Here it is!"
The single strand of hair on her head twitched upward like a tail.
Watching her brightly smiling crimson eyes from the side,
Perisia thought of an animal.
'No matter how I look at her, she's a Retriever.'
And so, Erika committed the hematology contents to memory.
She put the book back in the safe, slid the bookshelf back into place, and hopped down from the chair.
Grumble—
The red-haired girl's stomach rumbled.
"Oh? It's already lunchtime?"
"Please go have your meal."
"Aren't you eating, Ms. Perisia?"
"I..."
She briefly explained that the Head Butler was coming to get her.
"As I am currently learning Lord Nihilrit's lifestyle, I will eat at the time Lord Nihilrit eats."
"If that's the case, you should be coming now."
"Pardon?"
"Usually, Teacher sneaks off to the kitchen around this time without the Head Butler knowing."
Confirmed.
Will head to the kitchen during mealtime without the Head Butler's knowledge.
"He mostly does it at dinner, but on weekends, he goes at lunchtime too."
"Does he cook there?"
"Yes. Do you know how to cook, Escort Officer Perisia?"
"I will make an effort."
“...”
Erika looked at Perisia with an unconvinced expression.
Perisia simply maintained her usual expressionless face.
"Then shall we practice starting today?"
"What dish should I make?"
"For that, you should check the desk."
Erika pointed to a stack of cards on the desk.
"Those are recipe cards. When Teacher cooks, he draws one from there and cooks that recipe."
Perisia nodded and drew a card.
Literally translated, it was crispy veal thymus.
Loosely translated, it was veal thymus sweetbread.
“...”
Perisia's brow narrowed.
She's supposed to cook this?
For a moment, her gaze turned to the anatomy book on the desk.
And the knowledge about the thymus she had just seen came to mind.
—In standard anatomy, the thymus is classified as a vestigial organ that atrophies during childhood and is nearly nonexistent in adults,
but in this specimen, it remained with a weight of about 18.4 grams in an adult male, age 29.
'Veal thymus... It has to be, right?'
Is this a coincidence?
Perisia silently picked up the card and followed Erika to the kitchen.
An hour later.
"Uhm... Ms. Perisia?"
“...”
"Have you ever cooked before?"
"I learned for survival when I was isolated in a Demonic Realm during a mission in the past."
"By any chance, how many years ago was that..."
"Half a century ago."
“...”
Erika said, poking at the blackened, stuck-on meat.
How on earth do you cook to get a result like this?
The ingredient that was once veal thymus had gone beyond merely burnt and become an alien substance of unrecognizable shape, screaming on the frying pan.
"I don't think... effort is the problem here."
"I agree."
"Let's agree not to cook when you're in Teacher's form."
"I actively agree."
Even to Perisia, this didn't seem like something that could be fixed with effort.
There was nothing wrong with her own cooking skills (?),
but the level of mastery of Yulian's cooking was too high.
Afterward, Perisia deliciously ate the food left in the frying pan.
"...Is it good?"
"Perhaps because it's beef, it's more delicious than the worm emergency food for survival."
“...”
That day.
Erika had no choice but to admit it.
The fact that there existed a dish she couldn't eat.
And the fact that there existed a person who could eat even such a dish.
