Chapter 82 :

Episode 82 - Persuasion

Before reaching our destination, we briefly stopped by a village and got lodging in order to abandon the carriage and switch to horses.

There was also a need to let Ratel, who could not easily open his eyes, recover for a while.

At least, that was what I had thought until Jing laid Ratel down on the bed.

Shing.

Though I might have thought differently if I had known in advance that the moment that guy opened his eyes, he would thrust a sword at my throat.

The well-honed blade was maintaining a precarious distance from the tip of my throat.

“It seems the two of you roughly finished talking while I was unconscious. Is it my turn now?”

Ratel said, looking between me and Jing.

“Ratel, stop at once! He is not the kind of person you think he is!”

Jing shouted in panic, but Ratel’s sword, fixed at my throat, did not move.

“Did you not call that man a prince in the tower?”

Ratel’s golden eyes, which answered sharply, turned precisely toward me and slowly scanned my face.

Yes, this much was something I had expected.

Because from the moment I decided to reveal myself before him, I had at least resolved myself to answer the many questions he would have about me.

I barely swallowed past my dry throat and slowly opened my mouth.

“Yes, you must be curious about many things. But choose carefully after narrowing them down. We don’t have much time right now.”

Before Dito’s power grew even stronger, Ratel also had to become stronger.

Before that, I needed to convince him of my usefulness and the current situation.

I looked at his face as he pondered something, while repeating several answers he might demand from me in my mind.

At last, his mouth opened.

“How old are you?”

......This was a question I had never imagined.

He truly was the protagonist of the novel after all.

Not a single one of my predictions was right.

Feeling the various answers I had prepared in my head fly away, I let out a sigh at his crooked sense of etiquette, checking whether I was older or younger than him even in this situation.

“Twenty...... Nineteen. I’m probably older than you.”

It was so absurd that I almost said my real age.

Perhaps he was wondering whether a difference of about two years meant he could speak casually to me or not, because his face crumpled in dissatisfaction.

“Has your hair always been that color?”

This time, a relatively sensible question came back.

“Yes, my hair has been like this since I was born. Thanks to that, I’m treated as an unwanted prince in the imperial family. I don’t have any power, you see.”

Ratel quietly listened to my answer, which had lies mixed into it.

Not that he removed the sword aimed at my neck, though.

“That is also the reason I’m helping you. If I had stayed still, it was obvious I would die at Dito’s hands.”

“Dito is targeting you, even though you have no power?”

Ratel asked, frowning.

“He is not only targeting me. Every member of the imperial family will die by his hands.”

Just as it had been in the original work, he would want to obtain the power of every member of the imperial family.

Of course, Ran Abiran’s role was merely to be his experimental subject.

The Ran Abiran in the original work had desperately wanted to escape his powerless situation.

To the point that he swallowed the unidentified red lump Dito offered him without a single suspicion.

“Did Dito eat something strange in the middle?”

At my question, Ratel seemed to have something in mind and nodded slightly.

“That is the power he stole after killing Rasia. Ah, Rasia is this country’s First Prince.”

“Since Prince Rasia is dead, it is only a matter of time before Dito becomes the next emperor.”

At my answer, Jing muttered with a devastated expression.

“And Dito has no intention of becoming emperor. What he wants is greater power. For the time being, though, he’ll be racking his brains over the red book he failed to obtain.”

“What exactly is that red book?”

Perhaps he had been holding back his curiosity all this time, because Jing forgot to stop Ratel for a moment and asked me.

“If you want to hear the answer, could you not move this away first?”

My timid resistance did not succeed.

“Don’t try anything foolish.”

It only resulted in his sword moving even closer.

I swallowed with difficulty and obediently opened my mouth.

“To put it simply, it is a travelogue. To explain in more detail, it is a history book without any personal comments from a certain historian. Because Sierra Abiran wrote it herself. The method Prince Dito used to kill Rasia is also written inside it.”

My answer must have been quite shocking, because the duke and Jing’s eyes widened.

“S-such an important thing was burned like that...... No, more importantly, if the remaining parts of a book containing such dangerous content fall into Prince Dito’s hands, would that not be a serious problem?”

“Yes, it would be a serious problem. That is why I made sure he couldn’t take it.”

As if he could not understand my answer, the duke’s brow furrowed toward the center.

“But you clearly said you left it under Prince Rasia’s corpse.......”

As if I would do something that dangerous.

If that fell into Dito’s hands, it would become incredibly troublesome from now on.

“I did leave it there. Though I burned everything that contained important content.”

I saw the duke squeeze both eyes shut, but I no longer had the leisure to wait for his mind and body to stabilize.

I turned my gaze and looked at the sword still threatening my throat without trembling, and at its owner.

“Now you understand, right? I’m the only one who can guide you now. So why don’t you move this terrifying thing away?”

The red book that could have served as that guy’s guide on his adventure was gone, so he would need my help in order to leave the capital and set out on his journey.

Whether that period was long or short.

Whether someone wanted him to or not.

* * *

At last, the protagonist of the novel had opened his eyes.

Though unlike in the original work, he had suffered a miserable defeat.

If everyone found out that there had been an originally fixed fate, and that the reason it had gone off track was because I had possessed a book, what expressions would they make?

I could say with certainty that Ratel would not have shown me the generosity of giving me time to explain, like he had just moments ago.

So this was a secret I had to take to my grave.

* * *

The confrontation between the protagonist and me did not last very long.

Clatter.

“I brought your meal...... Oh dear.”

It was thanks to the kindness of the innkeeper, who had even forgotten to knock while bringing us the meal.

“P-please enjoy.”

He set three bowls of stew down on the floor almost as if throwing them, then quietly closed the door again and left.

“What are you going to do if he calls the village vigilantes at this rate?”

I said that to mean he should hurry up and move this thing away.

Ratel stared at me with eyes whose depths I could not read.

Watching the blade that had been aimed at my throat slowly withdraw, I quietly exhaled.

Without waiting for me to catch my breath, he opened his mouth.

“For a prince who supposedly has no power, you seem to know far too much.”

“Because I have no power. I ran around everywhere in order to survive.”

I hurriedly answered in order to efficiently convey that I had no hostility toward him and would help him as much as possible.

“How did you learn that the Second Prince steals Manis?”

My confession had been full of lies from the beginning, but what would begin now was true fraud, threats, and coercion, so I secretly swallowed without taking my eyes off the opponent in front of me.

“Why, thanks to you.”

Fortunately, at the lie that came out more smoothly than expected, Ratel’s eyes darkened.

“What does that mean?”

“Because six years ago, thanks to you running away from the capital, I came to learn about ‘Amica’s prophecy’.”

Unfortunately, I realized through a rather unpleasant method that the threat he had posed until now had merely been vigilance.

“Ran away.......”

Ratel murmured my words repeatedly.

“If you don’t believe me, I can tell you everything that happened in that room that night. Is that not enough?”

I had to work hard not to avoid his eyes.

Because aside from the fact that I could tell him everything about that night, all of it was complete nonsense.

There was no way Ran Abiran had been there that night.

It had been late at night, so although I could not know for sure, he had probably been sleeping comfortably in his room.

But there was no way for him to confirm that.

The eyes staring at me blinked once.

Even if he could not completely believe it, it would be ambiguous to dismiss it as a lie.

Besides, this was not a situation where he could spend a long time nitpicking.

“I learned about the prophecy, and through a book I found in the Empress’ room, I also learned about the holy relics. In a situation where Dito could kill every member of the imperial family at any moment, you were my best choice.”

“Lord Ran, this prophecy you speak of.......”

While observing Ratel’s unusual air, Jing carefully asked.

“It is a prophecy given by Amica. To put it simply, it says that a black-haired savior will defeat the imperial family and save the world.”

“Savior.......”

Jing chewed over the word and looked at Ratel.

“You said before that he could become stronger. Is that method related to these holy relics?”

I raised the corner of my mouth at him as he finally brought out the most important question.

“If the holy relics can be destroyed, Ratel can become stronger. And the authority of the imperial family in Abiran will fall further as well.”

Therefore, Ratel had to set out on an adventure to destroy the holy relics.

On the right path, as quickly as possible.

Before Dito’s power grew even stronger.

* * *

In the original work, after stopping Dito’s evil deed once, Ratel steals the Empress’ red book from the imperial castle and flees.

That is the part where Ratel’s adventure truly begins.

What is written in the red book is the location of the five holy relics of the Abiran Empire.

There are also additional effects each time a holy relic is destroyed.

Each time a holy relic is destroyed, the brainwashing of the imperial family ruling Abiran is undone.

When Ratel destroys all the holy relics, Abiran will gain true salvation, just as the prophecy says.

For the sake of proceeding according to the original work, I was fully willing to become a temporary navigation system.

Of course, that would only be possible if Ratel accepted it.

From his perspective, an imperial family member had suddenly appeared and said he would guide him, so happily following along would be as insane as it could get.

Perhaps he might even think that my saving his life had been an act.

I raised my index finger toward him, as he still held his sword in his hand.

“I’ll take you to the place where the first holy relic is. If you don’t find it, kill me on the spot. In whatever way you want. You can even take out your grudge against the imperial family on me.”

At my answer, which held no hesitation, Ratel tilted his head.

“In whatever way I want?”

“Yes, whatever.”

For the first time, a smile appeared on his face.

Though it was a sneer with one corner of his mouth raised unpleasantly.

“You must not be afraid of death.”

“I am afraid. But this is the only path that lets me live.”

And I’m confident I can guide you safely to the holy relic.