Chapter 13: The Oblivious Protagonist

Chapter 13:
The Oblivious Protagonist

 

WE LEFT JEAN AND ELLE with each other, and I stepped out into the garden. Almost immediately, an exhausted Marie strode over with a sheaf of papers in her hands and promptly passed them over. Judging by how she continued to shrink away from me, I really had gone overboard with the threats.

“If you’re tired from all the healing you’ve been doing, then go get some sleep,” I told her.

“I-I couldn’t relax until I handed this over.”

I flipped through the papers she’d given me. They contained information about the black-market merchandise Pierre had sold.

“Oh?” said Luxion, taking a peek. “These detail Pierre’s dealings with that shady merchant.”

“He seriously kept records?” I asked.

“I assume that the merchant didn’t fully trust Pierre,” said Luxion. “I suspect he kept them as insurance.”

“Huh, okay.”

Amongst the things that Pierre had sold off were some Precious Orbs. Those items weren’t supposed to leave the country, and a stiff punishment awaited anyone who sold them abroad.

“Now we’ve got even more to blackmail them with.”

“Master, that look on your face isn’t very becoming.”

I shook my head, chuckling. “Can’t help it. I was born this way. Sad how many people judge me for it.”

Marie stole an anxious glance at me. “Um, Leon—I mean, Brother, er… Sir! I am so sorry!” She prostrated herself on the floor. “All these events were completely my fault. I will do better in the future, I swear! Please forgive me!”

I felt bad for scaring her so awfully. At least the collar around her neck had disappeared—the tree’s curse was no longer in effect.

“Looks like you’re free from the tree’s grasp,” I said.

She blinked up at me. “Huh?”

I offered her my hand. “Did you really think I was that angry with you?”

“Of course I did, ding-dong! You had that vicious look on your face.”

I knew how old she really was, so hearing her use a cutesy expression like “ding-dong” made my skin crawl.

“Luxion told me that Pierre was the aggressor, end of story.”

“What?!”

Luxion’s eye bobbed up and down. “Yes, but there was still much we didn’t know. I deemed it too dangerous to fight until we had more intel. It also provided the perfect opportunity to get close to Pierre. Thus, I infiltrated their ranks without notifying Master of my intentions.”

Marie slumped to her knees. All of the tension suddenly drained from her body, and color returned to her face. “You should have told me that sooner! I was scared out of my mind!”

I tucked the paperwork under my arm. I stared down at her, and Marie gasped, her shoulders hitching.

It’s almost dizzying how quickly she cycles through different emotions.

“But hold up,” she said. “What’s going to happen to Pierre? Do you think he’ll come back to the academy? You beat him up pretty badly. Aren’t we risking war with the republic because of that?”

I’d worried about the same things, but Pierre had pushed me to my limits. Either way, it wasn’t going to end in war.

“We don’t have to worry about that. That’s why we showed them how powerful the Einhorn is. As for Pierre, I doubt we’ll see him again.”

“Isn’t that, like, a huge problem?! Don’t forget, he’s meant to meddle with the protagonist in the middle of the game!”

She had a point. His event determined who the protagonist ended up with, so it was pretty pivotal. However, I just couldn’t get behind forcing Noelle into a relationship she didn’t want. Better to let her live however she wanted, especially considering how close she was to Jean. And besides, we had a backup protagonist.

“Emile seems pretty earnest about Lelia.”

“He does seem genuinely interested in marrying her,” Luxion added, spelling it out in a way that was easy for Marie to understand. “Also, whether or not someone can inherit the Sacred Tree’s seal seems to be based on their bloodline.”

“What do you mean?”

“Since Noelle and Lelia are twins, either of them could become the Priestess.”

Even if Noelle was picked, that just meant Jean would have to become the Guardian instead.

He may not be one of the romanceable characters, but I’m sure it’ll all work out.

No matter how things went, the world would avoid annihilation.

Marie’s shoulders slumped with relief. “Oh, then I guess we’re out of the woods!”

I was glad Luxion had temporarily gone over to Pierre’s side. The information he’d extracted provided us with a much better understanding of the republic’s internal affairs.

“Only one thing still bothers me,” said Luxion.

“What’s that?”

But before he could answer, Noelle came dashing into the garden. “Leon!”

The tearful look on her face said everything. Elle was gone.

 

***

 

“I appreciate you taking such good care of her,” Jean said, his eyes still red and puffy as he cradled the box of Elle’s ashes in his arms. “And for taking care of me. I swear I’ll find a way to pay you back for the hospital fees.”

I raked a hand through my hair. “No need.”

“But…”

“I’m gonna use this whole incident to make myself rich. So ridiculously rich that your fees will be chump change. Seriously, don’t worry.”

Jean frowned and dropped his gaze, smiling slowly. “You’re a kind person, Earl Bartfort.”

“Not sure I agree.”

Especially considering that I should have stepped in sooner. Paying Jean’s hospital bills seemed like the least I could do.

“You looked after Elle for me, so I can confidently say that you are.”

I cleared my throat. “Anyway, feel up to returning to the academy?”

“Yes. Although school is on break for a while. Um, a lot seems to have happened.”

Yep, and it’s basically all my fault.

At this very moment, the Six Great Houses were probably quibbling over what to do with me.

“It’ll all be taken care of soon enough,” I said. “You and Noelle…take care of each other, yeah?”

His eyes widened. “Uh, sure…okay.”

Oh boy, don’t tell me he really is the oblivious protagonist type? Had he still not realized how Noelle felt? Give me a break.

“Well, take it easy,” I said. “And if you’re in any pain, let Marie know.”

“Yes, thank you for everything.”

Jean bowed his head low, then took off. As I watched him go, my thoughts turned to the next step.

Namely, sucking the republic’s treasury dry. They owe me compensation!

 

***

 

Louise answered her father’s summons and entered his study. As soon as she closed the door, Albergue began questioning her about the incident with Pierre.

“What exactly were you thinking?”

Louise stared at her feet. Her father didn’t sound entirely reproachful, probably because he knew that fault truly lay with the republic. However, he was still nobility, and it was his duty to censure Louise for her part in the fiasco.

“You have an obligation to prioritize Alzer’s well-being,” he told her.

“Yes,” Louise said, her voice barely above a whisper. “I understand.”

“I realize Pierre went too far,” said Albergue. “But that outsider—the Holfortian—stole a sapling of the Sacred Tree. He still has it even now. And what was that ship called again? The Einhorn? That vessel poses an unmistakable threat.”

Honestly, Albergue wanted to get his hands on those items, and right now, Leon had them both. Although Leon had agreed to negotiate, the republic was clearly at a disadvantage.

Louise said, “If you meet Leon, you’ll understand.”

Albergue’s eyes narrowed. “Leon is dead,” he snapped. “You know that. I won’t tell you to forget about him, but remember what your attitude has done to Serge.”

Louise clenched her fists and bit her bottom lip, trying to hold back the tears.

It’s odd to see her this fixated on someone, Albergue thought.

Louise could be a bit of a tomboy, but she was level-headed and mature for her age. Considering her actions over the past few days, perhaps she was shouldering a larger burden than he had realized.

“You know how things are with Serge,” he said. “You need to stop talking about Leon.”

“You don’t have to explain it to me.”

“Then you may leave.”

As Louise slipped out of Albergue’s office, he heaved a deep sigh. He put his elbows on his desk and rested his chin on his folded hands. “All of this seems suspicious.”

He unlocked a drawer in his desk and took out the picture frame within. In the photograph, a black-haired, five-year-old boy grinned back at the camera. A young Louise was hugging the boy from behind. The boy’s name was Leon Sara Rault, and he had been Albergue’s son. He had died of an illness not long after this photo had been taken.

“Everything would be so different if you were still with us, Leon.” Albergue murmured. If he were still alive, he would be about the same age as Earl Bartfort.

But such wistful thoughts only made Albergue hate himself.

“If only Serge would settle down a little,” he grumbled. His adopted son had yet to return to the academy.

Albergue stowed the picture back in the drawer and returned to his paperwork.

 

***

 

The next day, Albergue arrived at the agreed-upon location to negotiate with Leon. When he saw the boy, he could hardly hide his shock.

Beside him, Fernand frowned with concern. “Acting Chairman? Is something bothering you?”

“N-no, it’s nothing.”

Albergue played it off, but he finally understood why Louise had gone out of her way for this boy. Leon looked exactly as he imagined his late son would have appeared now. Black hair and black eyes weren’t all that uncommon, but even the atmosphere around this boy reminded Albergue of his son.

Leon stood with his head held high and the sapling in his hands, oblivious to what was happening. “Huh? What’d you just say?”

Lambert’s face turned purple. “Don’t make me repeat myself! I said my house suffered terrible damages thanks to your ship! I demand reimbursement!”

“Sorry, can’t hear you!” Leon sang. He showed no sign of listening to any of them.

While the other house leaders were visibly irritated, they were also on guard. After all, Leon had a sapling of the Sacred Tree in his possession.

Did Louise tell him about the saplings?

Leon stood in a room full of people with divine protection, but he didn’t seem the slightest bit intimidated. Albergue couldn’t discern whether his attitude was a product of ignorance or whether he understood the circumstances all too well.

“It seems like you guys wanna pin this all on me,” said Leon. “But…are you really sure you wanna do that?”

“Why shouldn’t we? It’s clearly all your fault!”

“Lord Lambert, let us listen to what the boy has to say,” Albergue said. They wouldn’t get anywhere with Lambert babbling on. “Earl Bartfort, do you mean to say that our accusations are misplaced?”

“Obviously. Pierre tricked us into making some kinda oath to the Sacred Tree and put a cursed collar-thing on our prince. Not only that, he stole my ship and used it to make a mess of your territory. But you’re acting like this is all on me? I was the one who stopped the Einhorn from doing any more damage than it already had, and here you are, rewarding my kindness with contempt.”

Leon grinned from ear to ear as he laid out his argument. It was difficult to tell what he was really thinking.

“Anyway,” he continued. “Enough preamble. The real question is: Are you guys truly prepared for the consequences of deciding this is my fault?”

“What rubbish is this?!” Lambert snapped.

The other lords silenced him with a glare.

Leon smirked. “A single ship almost wiped you out. If you blame Pierre, well, it’s a stain on his reputation, for sure. But, if you blame me, then all that talk about how the republic is undefeated goes out the window.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” Fernand cut in. “You never actually fought in the battle, and it was never truly concluded. At best, you could call it a draw.”

Leon saw right through that point. “Then go ahead and blame me. But the second you do, it’s curtains for the republic. Do you realize how many ships the Einhorn sank? And you guys couldn’t lift a finger to stop it. You wanna find out how many ships just like it are waiting back in the kingdom?”

“Seems the Hero of Holfort has a short fuse,” Fernand snapped.

“If my fuse really was short, House Feivel and all its lands would be drowning in fire right about now.”

Lambert balled his fists.

Albergue stepped forward to take over the negotiations. “I understand what you’re saying. What is it that you want from us?”

“Monetary compensation. Although valuable items would suffice. Include some hush money on top of the damages, and I’ll recognize this whole fiasco as republic infighting. Of course, I also expect an official apology.”

“I see.”

Leon would protect their pride and honor—as long as they paid him for it.

Lambert slammed his fists on the table. “You’re trying to take us for a ride! We have never once lost to the kingdom!”

Leon’s smile didn’t falter. “You want to see what we’re really capable of next time? Do I need to remind you that your republic has only ever gone undefeated in defensive battles? Oh, wait, but if you’re blaming me for this, you can’t even say that, can you? Guess you’re not so unbeatable anymore!”

The other lords grimaced.

If they admitted that the kingdom had beaten them, their international reputation would suffer. And if it turned out that other countries were creating stronger airships en masse, then the republic really couldn’t solve its problems with war.

Nevertheless, Albergue saw this as a golden opportunity. Hm. Not bad. In fact, this works out in my favor.

“Very well,” he said. “The republic will compensate you for your troubles.”

Fernand bristled. “Acting Chairman, do you truly intend to accept his demands?”

It was admittedly a dubious call as chairman, but it benefited Albergue personally, and he had his own objectives. He silently apologized to his daughter.

Louise, this must be how you felt. He did feel a twinge of regret. He had gone easy on Leon simply because the boy reminded him of his own son. He had no right to blame Louise for doing the same.

Leon’s eyes widened. “Wait, you’re really going to agree?”

“Surprised?”

“Well, yeah, actually.”

All Leon’s bluster from moments ago had faded, providing Albergue a glimpse of a more mild-mannered boy underneath.

“You and the other exchange students have had quite a poor experience in our country. I wish to apologize for that. And I have my own personal proposal to make.”

 

***

 

Once the negotiations were over, Fernand pressed Albergue to reconsider.

“Acting Chairman, respectfully, this will only help the kingdom. Please rethink your decision.” Fernand was young and talented, but he was also deeply patriotic. When it came to anything that might disadvantage the republic, he was rather sensitive.

“It’s a small loss,” said Albergue. “You needn’t worry so over it. Besides, it presents us with the perfect opportunity for reform.”

“I’m not sure I understand.”

“We can no longer afford to rely on the Sacred Tree for so many of our needs. It’s simply backward.”

Fernand gaped. “That’s a rather controversial statement, isn’t it?”

“How so? Our confidence in the Sacred Tree has led us to look down on our neighbors. It’s no wonder we have such a poor reputation. If nothing else, we need to be warier.”

Fernand couldn’t argue with that. “Very well, but do you truly think it’s wise to invite Bartfort to your estate? He was practically taunting us.”

“He has the sapling. We needed another opportunity for further negotiation,” Albergue explained.

“I understand the necessity, but I fail to see why the responsibility falls to you.”

“Let’s just say that I have a personal interest.” Albergue was throwing out excuses, and honestly? He just wanted a chance to speak with Leon privately. I know he’s not my son, but I can’t shake my fascination. Maybe it’s solely because they’re so similar.

What would his son have been like if he had grown to Bartfort’s age? Albergue couldn’t help but think back on years long past.

 

***

 

A few days after negotiations concluded, I made good on House Rault’s invitation to visit their home. The republic had already compensated me for everything that had happened, and government officials had taken over discussions between Alzer and the kingdom.

Roland must be squirming.

I wasn’t about to get involved—it was the perfect opportunity for me to sit back and enjoy the show.

House Rault went out of their way to welcome me, sending an airship to ferry me to their home. Their stronghold was nestled inside a fortified city, and the atmosphere was incredibly different there.

“It’s like their own little country,” I murmured.

“Master,” Luxion whispered in my ear. “The odds of an assassination attempt here are minimal, but please remain vigilant.”

He was using a cloaking device to mask his presence and had investigated the whole castle while we waited in a reception room. He’d even made sure that the food wasn’t poisoned. It seemed House Rault’s invitation was genuine after all.

“Are they trying to charm me so that I’ll give them the sapling?”

“Yes, I believe that’s probable. Or perhaps they are interested in discussing our technology. Regardless, the situation is…unusual.”

“Unusual? How so?”

“All the servants who saw you looked shaken. The older ones were particularly baffled.”

I’d noticed this with the ones who’d guided us to the reception room. They had almost looked shocked when they saw me.

“Miss Louise was thrown off when she first looked at me too. And I remember her asking me to call her ‘Big Sis’ or something.”

“I wouldn’t have thought a woman like her would nurture such eccentric proclivities.”

“Hey, if I could swap her for Jenna, that wouldn’t be so bad.”

My jerkbag sister was probably having a rough time back in the kingdom. Even the thought of her made my eyes well with bitter tears. If someone really did offer to swap her for Miss Louise, I might just jump at the opportunity.

While I chatted with Luxion, someone came to inform me that the meal was ready.

 

***

 

The dining room had an insanely high ceiling, and the four of us sat down at an enormous table. Something about this felt strange. Servants bustled around, laying out our meal. Mr. Albergue was seated across from me, with his wife on one side and Miss Louise on the other. Both women were wearing dresses. It gave the meal an almost royal atmosphere.

The food was a bit cold, but it was delicious.

“Does it suit your palate?” Mr. Albergue asked.

“It’s amazing,” I admitted. “The sauce is different from anything in the kingdom, but I like it.”

Each nation had its own range of flavors, but I had no problem with the republic’s cuisine. The meat was tender and accompanied by a variety of veggies I had never seen. I tried them, but the flavor definitely didn’t agree with me. I could still swallow them down, but I wasn’t eager to have them again. I tried to mask the disgusting flavor by combining them with the meat and realized that the other three were staring at me.

“Uh…did I do something wrong?”

Mr. Albergue’s raised his eyebrows in surprise. “N-no, it’s not that. Are you…not fond of vegetables?”

Apparently, my distaste had shown on my face. “I’ve never had these before. They have a real unique bitterness that’s kinda hard to stomach, but I can manage.”

Mr. Albergue looked flustered. “Oh, really…”

As I eyed him suspiciously, his wife burst into tears.

“I’m sorry. Please excuse me.” She stood up and left. Several servants followed after her.

“I’m sorry about that,” Miss Louise said. “She’ll return in just a moment, I’m sure. Please understand, she doesn’t have anything against you.”

“Then what’s the problem?” I asked.

This whole situation was putting me on edge.

Mr. Albergue stared down at his lap. “I had a son.”

“You mean Serge?”

“No, I mean my biological son. His name was…Leon.”

This was the first I had heard of it, but it did explain a lot of things. Like why Miss Louise was always so receptive to my requests.

“Oh,” I said. “I never realized.”

“I hope you won’t take offense. We never dreamed we would meet someone who so closely resembles him.”

“Well, they do say that statistically, everyone’s got like two doppelgangers out in the world.” I shrugged. “It’s just a coincidence.”

Mr. Albergue smiled sadly. “I suppose so.”

Miss Louise glanced at me and grinned. “Leon…I mean, my younger brother…he also hated those vegetables. He would force himself to eat them, though, just like you did. It must have brought a wave of memories back for my mother.”

He had been only five when he died. Come to think of it, that’s how old I had been when I regained the memories from my previous life.

Surely it was all just a coincidence…right?

“By the way,” I said, “Serge hasn’t been coming to the academy, has he? Where is he?” I’d noticed his absence at the table.

Louise’s expression clouded. “He stormed out during spring break and hasn’t come back. We get messages from him every now and again, so we know he’s alive.”

“So…he’s just hanging out somewhere?”

“He’s a troublesome one,” Mr. Albergue mumbled. He turned toward me. “I hear adventuring is a legitimate profession in the kingdom, but the same cannot be said of the republic.”

Here, adventurers were at the lower end of the hierarchy.

“Serge longs to be an adventurer. He even takes a ship out on breaks so he can go exploring. Perhaps you can understand where he’s coming from.”

“I suppose I can. I am where I am because of my success as an adventurer.”

Although in my case, I’d had no choice. My life had been in danger. I had no idea what would drive a rich brat to go off adventuring. The pure thrill of it? If anyone could understand, it would be Julius and his bozo brigade.

“I’m sure he’d get along swimmingly with Prince Julius and his friends.”

“Perhaps I should consult with them and arrange a meeting,” said Albergue.

Miss Louise frowned. “I will not acknowledge Serge’s predilection. He cannot be an adventurer. It’s ridiculous. He’s the heir of our house.”

“Louise,” her father scolded. “That’s disrespectful to Leon.”

“O-oh, I’m sorry.”

“It doesn’t bother me. But doesn’t the fact that he hasn’t returned to the academy cause problems?” His absence certainly screwed with our plans. It was worth finding out why he was playing hooky.

Miss Louise dropped her gaze. “He’s just being rebellious. Trying to cause trouble for us.”

“Louise, enough of that. My apologies for exposing my family’s issues like this, Leon.”

“Not at all,” I said, returning to my meal.

I can’t believe that I look like his dead son. At least now I understand why Miss Louise was asking me to call her “Big Sis.” Looks like they have some deep-seated issues with Serge too.

 

***

 

The moment I got back, Marie started whining. “I’m so jealous! Why didn’t I get to enjoy some luxurious dining?”

I’d been staying at her estate for a few weeks now, and my days were far noisier than they’d been when I lived alone.

“I didn’t go there for fun,” I reminded her.

“But it was luxurious, right?”

“It absolutely was.”

Marie bit her lip, vexed by my answer.

I held out a cake. “Here, a souvenir.”

“Yay! Older brothers are the best!”

She was pretty easy to placate these days, considering the fact that a cake was all it took to improve her mood. If she was this simply pleased, then I couldn’t understand how she’d managed to take those five idiots for a ride and mess up their lives so badly.

We headed to my room, and Marie carried the cake along with her as I set about preparing tea.

“Where’s Luxion?” she asked.

“Performing repairs on the Einhorn. He’s brought his main body to lurk over the capital, so the Einhorn should be as good as new in a few days.”

He’d also mentioned overhauling Arroganz—clearing off those gaudy decorations and thoroughly sanitizing the cockpit that Pierre had occupied. With the Einhorn, the biggest issue was the trashed interior. Perhaps it would have been more accurate to say Luxion was cleaning and redecorating.

“You mean he hadn’t brought his ship here already?”

“It was hovering on the border between the kingdom and the republic so he could relay messages for me. However, after everything that’s happened, it seemed best to move. I won’t be able to send any emails to Angie and Livia in the meantime.”

There was so much interference that it was impossible to send messages without transmitting them through Luxion’s ship. I hoped Angie and Livia were doing all right.

Marie pulled the cake out of its box, her eyes lighting up. “It looks delicious!”

“Make sure you save some for the others.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m not a kid,” she said, waiting patiently for me to serve the tea. “Are talks with the republic bigwigs going smoothly?”

“They are. Almost worryingly so. House Rault seems to have taken a liking to me.” It was still hard for me to believe I resembled Leon Rault so closely.

“You sure that’s safe? Their leader is the final boss of this game.”

“I’m keeping my guard up.”

I finished pouring tea, and we dug into the cake. I watched Marie for a moment before slipping a hand into my pocket and taking out a manila envelope.

“This is for you.”

Her eyes went wide as saucers. She snatched it away from me even more greedily than the cake. “Ah, I know what this is!”

“Yep, it’s the money I siphoned from the republic. Well, not much more than pocket change to me.”

It was a reward for her hard work, but it was also sympathy money. The way she’d been living was miserable. It almost brought me to tears seeing how hard she scrimped and saved to cover household expenses and the jerk squad’s other needs.

Marie slid the notes out from the envelope and started counting. “Oh, holy crap. Are you sure I can have this?!”

I had given her ten million in the republic’s currency. Sadly, that would hardly be enough to cover her time studying abroad. Not when she had to pay for those idiots too.

“You guys worked hard this time. Use it wisely.”

Marie tucked her money into her pocket and launched herself at me. Tears burst from her eyes as she threw her arms around my shoulders.

“Big Broooo! Thank yoooou!”

I tried to pry myself away. “L-Let go of me! Jeez, you’re every bit the gold digger you were back in Japan.”

She wiped away her tears. “Now I won’t have to worry about our summer uniforms.”

That’s right. The seasons are changing.

“I hear the republic is chock full of summer activities. We’ll have to keep our guard up. Lelia might become the Priestess, but Noelle could still land the position instead.”

Marie counted the bills again, then paused and tilted her head. “Why do you think Noelle is a candidate?”

“Hm? Because she likes Jean, of course. Although he seems pretty oblivious. I don’t think he’s realized how she feels about him. It might be hard for them to start dating. Although I guess we could give them a shove in the right direction.”

It’s one thing to be an oblivious protagonist, but I wish Jean had more of a will of his own. If he likes her, he should just tell her.

“Um, you know…”

“What?”

“I don’t think she sees him that way. I mean, she likes him, but it’s not love.”

“Huh? But they’re so close.”

“Duh, they’re friends. But she doesn’t really think of him as a member of the opposite sex.”

What was Marie on about?

“Okaaay,” I said. “But Jean seems to be pretty hung up on her.”

“Yeah? They just look like friends from where I’m standing. And anyway, are you really telling me you haven’t realized? You’re pulling my leg, right?”

I had no idea what she was talking about. “Wait. You mean they’re actually just friends?”

Her gaze went cold. “Oh, forget it.”

“No, tell me! I wanna know!”

Marie slipped the cash back into her pocket and resumed picking at her cake. “I’m not telling you anything. It’ll only cause a headache. Also, I think you should seriously consider what you’re going to do now. If you keep living in the same house as Noelle, you’ll be digging your own grave, you know?”

Digging my own grave? I balked. “Hold up. Do you think I’ve fallen for her? I hate to burst your bubble, but I already have two girls back home. And no, I haven’t cheated on them.”

Marie snorted. “I hope you’re right about that. If you’re not, then I don’t want to deal with the mess.”

What was her problem? And what exactly was she trying to say?