Chapter 67

“So, regardless of whether it’s a Holy Relic or not—even if it’s just a regular item—as long as it follows those rules, Van is guilty,” Kirio said bluntly, giving voice to the very thought I had been carefully avoiding.

What the hell is wrong with her, saying it so casually?

“Now, I wonder about that. If it’s not a Holy Relic, the absolute nature of its rules weakens. There might be exceptions,” Ray interjected.

He wasn’t going to agree with her, of course. It was more convenient for him if the country of Shark cooperated with the Holy Relic appraisal.

“I cannot let that slide. I told you the rules are infallible; the Yazaki family guarantees it.”

“Hmph. Well, I guess a country like Isu, which has used those rules to get away with all sorts of things, can’t afford to have that statement challenged,” Bob sneered.

“Alright, wait a second.”

I hurriedly stopped Bob before they could start another round. At this rate, we would never get anywhere.

“Let’s organize the facts. First, it seems there is no mistake that the compass is currently pointing at me.”

“Indeed.”

In response to my words, Django pulled the golden compass from his breast pocket. The needle was undeniably fixed on me.

In the next instant—

Ray lunged onto the table in a single bound, drawing his sword in a flash and striking at Django—or more accurately, at the compass in Django’s hand.

But the blade never touched the compass. It was stopped just inches away by Watch’s spear.

“Again?” Watch sighed, sounding exasperated.

Hauser had dropped into a combat stance, but Rose hadn’t even moved; her expression remained unchanged.

“You…”

On the other hand, Django, who had been composed until now, looked different. His eyes narrowed, taking on a predatory, beast-like glint.

“I figured if I struck it and didn’t leave so much as a scratch, that would serve as a Holy Relic appraisal,” Ray said shamelessly as he sheathed his sword.

“Are you kidding me?!”

For some reason, Bob was the first to explode in anger, likely feeling slighted by Ray’s reckless behavior.

“Master Ray. This is the only time. I will forgive you just this once,” Hayanosin said. His tone remained gentle, yet I felt a chill run up my spine as if I’d been dipped in ice water. “But if you use such violent methods again, I will have to reconsider my stance. And I believe the country of Shark would agree with me.”

“I have to say, Master Ray was in the wrong this time. Even I might have attacked him if I were in your shoes,” Neitz, his own guard, added—saying something almost unbelievable.

Surely she wouldn’t actually go that far… right?

“I understand.”

Ray returned to his seat.

Django continued to glare at Ray with a terrifying intensity for a while, his indignation clearly not yet cooled.

“Um, can I… can I keep going?”

I felt forced to speak up. Ray had made a mess of things, but my point had been interrupted.

“There’s no doubt the compass is pointing at me, so I’m forced to argue that the compass’s rules are wrong. Or, perhaps the rules are right, but there was a mistake somewhere else. Regardless, I have no memory of killing Kijiitsu.”

I looked around at everyone’s faces. No one raised an objection; they were all waiting for me to continue.

“And whether the compass is a Holy Relic or not doesn’t directly solve the issue. I mean, if it’s not a Holy Relic, the compass’s reliability drops, sure, but that’s not a fundamental solution. So, while we’ll verify the Holy Relic status tomorrow afternoon, I want to prove my innocence independently of that.”

“And how do you plan to do that?” Hauser asked, his gaze sharp but his tone curious.

“Well, that’s the problem.”

I’d talked a big game, but I didn’t actually have a method yet. However, the point was simply to show the possibility that I wasn’t a Blue Wolf, right?

Which meant…

“Okay, first, is there a possibility that someone other than Kijiitsu became the owner of the compass?”

But immediately after saying it, I corrected myself. “No, wait, that’s pointless. Whether it was Kijiitsu or not, I have no memory of killing anyone in the first place. If anything, I’ve killed monsters—can a monster be the owner of the compass?”

“They cannot,” Hayanosin answered, not Django. “We have already experimented to see if non-humans could be owners.”

Hmph. I groaned inwardly. What now?

“In the first place, do you have any proof that you didn’t lie about giving the compass to Kijiitsu or having him infiltrate the Shark slums?” Bob interjected on my behalf.

“I hate to say this, but we have nothing to gain by telling such a lie,” Rose replied with perfect logic, silencing him. “As you can see from the current situation, things are already troublesome enough with our relationship with Pace. Why would we go out of our way to lie and start a fight with Shark?”

She was right. That was the most puzzling part of this whole affair.

Even when they first accused me, Django’s side had seemed genuinely perplexed. If Django were faking it and manipulating the compass to point at me, it might make sense. But I couldn’t see the benefit in him doing so.

Moreover, I couldn’t imagine a noble like Hayanosin conspiring to fabricate rules. What could they possibly gain by framing me as a criminal?

“Hmm.”

As I pondered Django’s motives, something struck me.

Django had claimed the compass was a rare item, not a Holy Relic. True, if that were the case, Ray—or rather, the country of Pace—would lose their immediate pretext for eliminating him.

But if Ray was right, and the compass turned out to be a Holy Relic, Django’s credibility would partially collapse. And that would only lead to his downfall anyway.

Well, I suppose even if it is a Holy Relic, Pace is going to try to get rid of him regardless.

What exactly was the “ideal outcome” Django was aiming for?

While I was lost in thought, the discussion stalled, and we eventually adjourned. Everyone probably figured that once the Shark appraiser arrived tomorrow afternoon, things would be forced forward anyway.

Before I knew it, only Kirio, Ray, Neitz, and I were left in the dining room.

“Hrmmm.”

Kirio was sitting there, swinging her legs back and forth. Like a child.

“What’s wrong?”

“I don’t know… I just have this nagging feeling of ‘offness’ regarding the Kijiitsu System. I can’t put my finger on it.”

Come to think of it, she’d said something similar at the start. Personally, I felt like everything they’d said was “off.” I didn’t even want to think about it.

“Van, what do you think?” Ray asked, sitting with perfect posture, not even looking in my direction.

“Hmm?”

About what?

“About Django’s goal. Either way, he is headed for ruin. He is an overinflated balloon. A single prick of a needle will pop him, and even if it doesn’t, he’ll burst if he expands any further.”

“By that, do you mean whether the compass is a Holy Relic or just a regular item?”

That’s exactly what I had been thinking until just a moment ago.

Ray finally turned his eyes toward me.

“Exactly. It’s ruin either way. That said, I intended to dispose of him the moment he admitted it was a Holy Relic. He likely knows that, so I can understand why he’d claim it isn’t one. But that’s just a stall for time. The fact is, tomorrow afternoon the conversation will reach its end; even in the unlikely event it’s judged not to be a Holy Relic…”

“Then things just end for him anyway, right?”

I groaned, thinking it over.

“So, you’re saying Django is in checkmate?”

“Yes. In the end, once the country of Pace—his greatest protector—decided to discard him, he was finished. The fact that he’s secured the Yazaki family as a protector was unexpected, but that didn’t mean they had any obligation to pick a fight with all of Pace. In fact, based on what we’ve heard, if we disposed of him in the shadows, it might actually have been more convenient for them.”

“It’s a strange business,” Neitz mused. “Because Django has power, he has utility, but he’s also a danger. So, while you want to stay on his good side, the moment he crosses a certain line, you want him gone. That went for Pace, Isuu—everyone.”

“How deep,” she added, sounding a bit self-satisfied with her own words, though it didn’t strike me as particularly profound.

“It’s nothing special. It’s the way of the world,” Ray agreed coldly. “But… having said that, I’ve known Django a long time. He even took one of my fingers before.”

He showed us an old scar on his finger.

“Even if ruin was inevitable, I knew he wasn’t the type of man to just give up, nor was he the type to try and drag an unrelated party like you or the country of Shark down with him just for the sake of it. The man is a mass of vital energy. His whole life has been one long, desperate struggle against the odds. He’s a jungle snake, a desert scorpion, a venomous insect in the dirt. That’s exactly why I didn’t understand what he was aiming for right now.”

Ray stroke the scar.

“It’s not as if something is going to happen between now and tomorrow afternoon.”

“You never know, something incredible might happen,” Kirio chimed in playfully. Uncharacteristically, Ray’s stoic expression softened slightly.

Then, he departed in silence with Neitz. Watching his back, I finally realized that look just then had been a wry smile. Now that the two of them were gone, it was finally just Kirio and me left in the dining room.

“Hehe.” Suddenly, Kirio let out a muffled giggle.

“W-what is it?” I asked. Had she finally lost it?

“No, it’s just, you know…” Kirio’s face turned bright red in an instant. “I was just thinking… it’s been a while since we’ve had a moment to ourselves like this.”

She fidgeted, looking down at the floor. Mm, cute.

“My apologies, but you are not alone.”

“Gyah!” A sudden voice made Kirio jump.

“I am sorry for startling you.”

Rick had entered the room without us noticing, a cloth in one hand. He’d probably come to wipe down the tables—Ray had been standing on one, after all.

“Oh, haha… ha…” Kirio tried to laugh it off, but her ears were crimson. “W-well, I think I’ll head back to my room too!” she announced in a strangely loud voice before scurrying off.

“You two get along quite well,” Rick said with a smile that made me feel incredibly awkward.

“Yeah, well…” Scratching my head, I stood up to make a quick exit myself.

“By the way, Rick, where are you from?” I asked, trying to fill the space with a bit of small talk.

“I am from the country of Pace,” Rick answered pleasantly while wiping the table.

“Oh, I see. So that’s how you ended up as Rose’s disciple.” I opened the door and added,

“What part of Pace, exactly?”

“Wald.”

“I see…”

I stepped out of the dining room and froze. Wait.

The door clicked shut behind me automatically. My body remained rooted to the spot. Did I hear that right? No, but…

I turned around, about to open the door again, but stopped. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t open that door.

The details of the Wald Incident flooded my mind. If he was actually from Wald… what was I even supposed to say? “That must have been hard, I’m so sorry.” There was no way I could say something like that.

I stood in front of the door for a while, lost in hesitation. The room inside was silent. In the end, I simply went back to my own room.

There was nothing I could do. I couldn’t collect my thoughts. In a way, I was more shaken by this than I was when I was told I was a member of the Blue Wolves.

I’d just go to sleep. By tomorrow afternoon, the situation would move forward on its own.