༺ Say You Want To Live – 1 ༻
A master’s favor was like the heavens, but the true role of a master was to make the disciple accept such maxims as truth. In that sense, I was truly the very definition of a master.
Seeing Sephi, who came to help her solitary master, I was moved to tears.
“Geeee. At least one disciple was raised well by me. Look at her rushing over immediately when her master is in danger.”
It truly was worthwhile to devote my youth to nurturing her.
To survive in the back alleys, you needed at least one line. One connection. One bond that always had your back. Mind Reading alone was not enough to depend on; after all, this world was not so easy of a place to live in. So, as soon as I arrived in Amitengrad, I entered a host bar with the intention of making connections.
Meeting the successor of a holding company there was truly fortunate. Pretending to be Sephi’s home tutor, I flitted between Sephi and her godfather Alexei, sweetly sucking up the benefits from both sides.
And then, as soon as I saw signs of Alexei’s downfall, I quickly cut ties with him and stuck right next to Sephi.
Sheeeesh, even thinking about it now, I did so very well. Mind Reading could be quite useful like this, you see?
Anyway. Should I say some nice words to my dear disciple who has come to help me?
“I’m so touched right now. To think you have such a deep regard for your master…. Indeed, it’s worth having nurtured you so well.”
“How could it possibly be as deep as the regard you have for me, Master?”
｢Regard, my foot. You probably just assumed I would follow you, so you left first without a word. How shameless. You never think about those left behind.｣
The gap between her words and thoughts remained quite severe, huh.
But in the end, words were also a part of thoughts. The fact that she said such kind words meant I still had some points earned in her good books.
Anyway, if she brought the full force of Seamless Cloths, there wouldn’t be any cases where I would be in dange….
Eh?
“But I don’t see anyone behind you. Where’s the rest of the troops?”
“Troops? We are a holding company. The only people we can hire are specialized workers for professional labor. Peto here is the only one who can even pretend to fight right now.”
Sephi said this calmly, pointing to Senior Peto. I asked incredulously.
“The entirety of your forces is a clothes hanger on a horse?”
Senior, who had suddenly become a clothes hanger, retorted.
“What’s with calling someone a clothes hanger right to their face….”
“Yes. That clothes hanger is all we have.”
“President, why… Nevermind. I am a clothes hanger.”
That really was no different from a clothes hanger. If all that was needed was someone who could manage to not fall off a horse while wearing armor and wielding a weapon, anyone would do; the very definition of a case where tools were stronger than people.
“What in the world? Come on. That’s hardly any help at all then.”
“I’m sorry we can’t be of much help. If we at least had mercenaries in the Military State, I would have brought them.”
｢Alexei’s downfall resulted in a change of policy so that the holding company is not allowed to employ staff that are no different from private soldiers. And it was you who tore it apart piece by piece with your very own hands. To have the nerve to pretend not to know.｣
I thought you were a child who would commit illegal acts for your precious self and respected master. Like getting mercenaries or hiring strong soldiers for a short-term. It seems that’s not the case, huh. Master is disappointed in the disciple.
Tch. If that’s the case, it’s not perfectly safe then. Senior alone doesn’t feel reliable enough to take on the threat of the Shadow.
But it’s okay. After all, I have a slightly different connection I made for contingencies.
That’s right. A Captain of the Military State.
“Ah, Sephi. I have something to discuss briefly with the Captain, so would you mind giving us some space?”
Sephi, who would normally have agreed immediately, gave a delayed response this time, as if something was holding her back from speaking.
“…After all you’ve taken advantage of, after manipulating everything to your own liking, now you want to blatantly keep a secret from me? Do you not have a conscience, Master? I didn’t expect a fair trade where you give as much as you take. But if I gave, shouldn’t Master give something in return to at least maintain the form of a transaction?
｢I’ll step aside so the two of you can have a quiet conversation. In the meantime though, I guess I’ll be waiting outside, all in my lonesome.｣
Something’s strange. Wasn’t her thoughts and words reversed?
“Sephi. Why does it somehow seem like your true feelings slipped out?”
“It’s not a matter of true feelings but a legitimate request. I have followed Master’s wishes. I held the Captain back and provided the necessary equipment. But neither the Captain nor Master tell me anything. Not a single word. Is this how it’s going to be? Seriously?”
｢Not at all. I have never lied to you before, Master.｣
The points I had accumulated were rapidly diminishing. Resentment and doubt about having to keep following me around were apparent in her expression.
Before my Sephi Points ran out, I hurriedly spoke.
“It’s not because of me, but because of the Captain. She is currently on a confidential mission.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“Apparently, if her secrets are exposed, she will die.”
The mention of death clearly shocked Sephi. She glanced nervously inside the carriage, her gaze flitting about.
Soon after, Sephi regained her composure and replied.
“…I understand. I am sorry for having raised my voice, Master. I’ll step aside so the two of you can have a quiet conversation. In the meantime though, I guess I’ll be waiting outside, all in my lonesome.”
Saying this, Sephi leaned against one side of the automaton carriage. After nodding slightly in thanks, I entered through the open door.
Inside, the Captain, clad in uniform, sat stiffly with her hands resting on her knees, waiting for me.
I closed the door. And with it, the small window towards the coachman’s seat. The night was quiet, but closing everything made it feel even more suffocatingly silent.
Even at the sight of me, the Captain did not say a word, just gazing intently.
｢In truth, it was strange from the very beginning. A life too prosperous for someone of District 15, a leisurely attitude, an extensive network of connections, and diverse coping abilities. How did I not suspect anything from the start?｣
Now then.
｢Or it may be that I did not wish to suspect. Perhaps I wished he was just an ordinary person in order to enjoy that mundane life just a little longer. It seems even I am disqualified as a soldier.｣
It’s time to face the Captain.
｢But now, even that has come to an end.｣
Her thoughts had concluded and so, I chose my words carefully.
The Captain broke the silence first.
“Are you the existence known as the Magician?”
“Ah, that. It’s just a nickname, nothing much.”
I smiled ambiguously, affirming her suspicion. At this point, there was no other choice. Better to pretend to be someone of importance than to be dismissed as a petty criminal.
Even if that renown was filled with mere pretense.
Swallowing hard, the Captain pressed on.
“Your actions are clearly illegal. After days of investigation. I have identified criminal circumstances associated with your actions.”
How rigidly formal. Just as always. That’s how it is with principled people.
As such, principled people should be dealt with by principle.
“Do you have evidence?”
I asked for evidence, expecting at least some kind of hesitation if asked so boldly, but the Captain remained sharp and incisive.
“The Magician. There is an abundance of circumstantial evidence to specify your actions. Even if only a tenth of the rumors about the Magician are true, you will not live long enough to see the end of your sentence.”
“Does a Captain of the Military State arrest people based on rumors? Jeez, come on. Even for the Military State, that’s not right.”
“There is also testimony. Three days ago, there was a situation where you personally disciplined a criminal who attacked Anna.”
“I told you to bring evidence, not a description of a situation.”
When I spoke brazenly, picking at my ear, the Captain’s frown deepened as she continued her questioning.
“The testimony of a Captain such as me serves as evidence. I witnessed a death right before my eyes. That person, with spices in his stomach, mentioned the Magician until the very moment of his death. If you are the Magician, then I suspect a strong connection between you and his passing.”
“What? I simply retrieved the stolen spices. That’s all.”
There’s no way I would stuff someone that expensive into someone’s stomach, you know? I pulled a golden spice from my pocket and shook it. The sight of it left the Captain speechless.
“That’s…?”
｢But they had undoubtedly stated that there were spices in his stomach….｣
What kind of nonsense was that? How could all that go in the throat of a human resisting with all his might? That’s impossible. It was just a result of a prank by scaring him with a round card.
All that man swallowed beyond his throat was a beer bottle cap.
“Did that man perhaps cut open his own stomach and die because he coveted the spice? There’s no way, right? Surely, he’s not that dumb.”
“….”
“Gosh. What? What was it then? Did someone else cut open his stomach?”
Wait a minute. Seriously? Is that actually true? How could anyone think to cut open a person’s stomach? How utterly ruthless.
｢Looking back, he was clutching his stomach…. That action was not because he ate spices, but because he was stabbed….｣
Ugh. Jeez. How dreadful. As a man of keen susceptibilities like me, it’s a horrifying scene that I don’t even want to imagine. Humans aren’t packaging or something, you know? How could they even think of cutting him open and taking it out?
｢A simple…prank…? Or something he engineered to induce the situation itself? What exactly was the true intention…?｣
“Oh yeah, Captain. Rather than something like that, there’s something far more important.”
Let’s stop this unfavorable narrative of me and move on to something that sees me in a more favorable light, okay?
Seeing the Captain’s questioning look, I spoke confidently.
“You should thank me. I took care of a problem the Military State couldn’t handle, after all.”
The Captain was speechless. Apparently she still hadn’t grasped the situation, so I kindly explained.
“Thanks to the Captain going around, trying to stop the Shadow, I too was able to roughly figure out the enemy’s identity and objective. But then, my goodness. I found out that people marginally connected to me were in danger, you see? So, I had no choice but to act first. I infiltrated their ranks, misled them into thinking the day of action was today, and while their ill-prepared surprise attacks unfolded, I warned my acquaintances.”
If an ambush was no longer an ambush, its effectiveness drastically decreased. If there was no force like the Shadow deliberately intervening, their attack would end as a mere disturbance. Just like any other ordinary incident.
My prediction was spot on. The majority of the group, instigated and gathered, failed to achieve even half of their goal and was thwarted.
“That very result is this! Thanks to me, peace in the back alleys was preserved! Today’s events will be recorded as a mere happening! All thanks to my efforts!”
The Captain, who had monitored the situation with a surveillance golem while riding in the automaton carriage, somewhat grasped the entirety of the events. The back alleys of the State were particularly noisy, tumultuous, and disorderly today, but there was not as much turmoil occurring as expected.
If left as is, it was a noisy disturbance, but small enough to be brushed off without digging any further.
“…However. The situation is not over yet.”
But judging from the Captain’s complexion, she still seemed unable to feel relieved.
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