Chapter 32

Chapter 32: Secret Meeting (3)

◆  

Several questions arise immediately upon hearing this proposal.  

First and foremost,

“What exactly would working together entail?”  

“Gray-related matters.”  

“⋯⋯”  

Ah.  

That single answer resolves many doubts.  

It is about saving people—  

The fate of all humanity hangs in the balance.  

“You’re asking for something extremely valuable.”  

Undoubtedly so, given her offer of ‘giving her everything.’  

“But we’ve had this conversation before regarding the Miss—”  

“I’m not involving Gray. This is about you.”  

“⋯⋯The ‘love support‘ you mentioned last time?”  

“The opposite.”  

Felix smirked.  

“Stop what you’re doing with Gray.”  

“⋯⋯”  

“Whether you’re trying to befriend her, care for her, or dream of something more—continuing will lead to disaster.”  

She elaborated two reasons,  

First—Gray deviating from her ‘purpose’.

Felix had witnessed Gray’s weakness in the cave—  

A hero who should cut down anyone without hesitation freezing mid-swing.  

“Your cover-up was transparent.”  

She’d noticed.  

Not that Carlisle expected complete secrecy.  

“⋯⋯Forgive me, but do you view her as some kind of weapon?”  

“Yes.”  

“⋯⋯”  

“Most efficient approach. I sponsored her precisely because she excels at that.”  

The hero must remain a tool.  

Great power demands great responsibility.  

Power to save multitudes must be used solely for that purpose.  

Personal emotions breed unnecessary sacrifices. Efficiency crumbles.  

“Those bearing immense burdens must act rationally, like machines. Otherwise—”  

Felix hesitated.  

“⋯⋯Countless died each time I failed.”  

Her words carried the weight of blood, tears, and regret—  

Hard-earned experience.  

Frankly, Carlisle couldn’t refute this.  

His previous regression’s final act—sacrificing everyone based on cold calculations—resurfaced.  

Whenever his ‘emotions’ interfered, unnecessary losses occurred.  

⋯⋯Undeniably true.  

“The second reason?”  

“For your sake.”  

“Huh?”  

“The closer you get to Gray, the more danger you’re in.”  

⋯⋯This—  

Carlisle had never considered.  

“Every past hero remained unmarried, without family. Know why?”  

A moment’s thought yielded the obvious answer,  

“⋯⋯They become targets?”  

“Vulnerabilities. Inevitably.”  

Attachment creates fear of loss—  

A weakness enemies exploit.  

Especially against foes who’ll stop at nothing.  

“You’ll be endangered, Carlisle Belfast. So distance yourself.”  

“⋯⋯”  

“⋯⋯I know this is coercion. Hence—”  

Her offer of ‘everything.’  

“⋯⋯You’re paying quite the price.”  

“I mean it.”  

“⋯⋯”  

“I respect you, Carlisle Belfast. You’ve no ulterior motives toward Gray. So I’ll accommodate any request within my power.”  

Within the Gray Cardinal’s means, she’d fulfill his demands—  

In exchange for distancing himself from humanity’s guardian.  

Better for both Gray and Carlisle.  

A rational proposal—  

So rational Carlisle couldn’t dispute it.  

Yet—  

“Your Eminence.”  

“Speak.”  

“I must decline.”  

Again.  

“⋯⋯Unlike last time, I’ve laid all cards on the table. This benefits you both.”  

“I understand. Still no.”  

“May I ask why?”  

“Two reasons.”  

Felix smirked at the mirrored response.  

“First?”  

“Miss shouldn’t remain a tool. Even if it’s the ‘correct‘ approach.”  

“Why?”  

“Because it fails.”  

“⋯⋯”  

“I can’t explain how I know, but I do.”  

Having seen her sincerity, he reciprocated.  

Conventional wisdom might apply to ordinary evils—  

But their foes are anything but ordinary.  

Carlisle witnessed firsthand the future where Gray was raised that way.  

If old formulas fail, try new ones.  

Felix nodded.  

“⋯⋯Second?”  

Carlisle sighed.  

“I dislike you, Your Eminence.”  

“⋯⋯”  

“I understand your ideals, but not your methods.”  

Remember—  

She’s the Gray Cardinal.  

Realizing pure ideals through darkest means.  

He saw her purity today—no lies detected.  

But the darkness remains unspoken.  

“Do you know Elena Lyndel Anastasha?”  

“⋯⋯Marquis Anastasha’s daughter?”  

Carlisle remembers precisely.  

“That banquet hall incident—you orchestrated her harming Miss.”  

“I can explain. Necessary circumstances—”  

“I’m sure. You’re far wiser than I.”  

Countless justifications likely existed—layers of complexity beyond Carlisle’s grasp.  

Perhaps sacrificing Elena saved countless others.  

The Cardinal excels at such calculus.  

But—  

“Senior Elena is a good person.”  

The Elena he knew was a warm, boisterous upperclass—  

A kind soul who boasted to avoid being overlooked, yet helped others despite struggling herself.  

A good person.  

Someone that deserves happiness.  

“Expendable to you, perhaps.”  

He could never accept such methods.  

Call it foolishness or sentimentality—  

But countless regressions taught him,  

The moment lives become numbers—  

The future that awaits.  

Having stood upon countless promises, memories, and regrets—  

This final cycle, he refuses to walk her path.  

“Thus, I’ll decline any request from you. I won’t risk more bloodshed.”  

Abandoning Gray would mold her into the same weapon as before—  

A future he cannot abide.  

“⋯⋯”  

Felix sighed, running fingers through her hair.  

“You omitted a third reason.”  

“Huh?”  

“What about you?”  

Staying near the hero endangers him.  

Enemies even Gray can’t stop will target him.  

In the end, not even she could protect him.  

Her unspoken question—is that acceptable?  

“Quite the opposite.”  

Carlisle’s answer was unequivocal,

“If not me, who will protect Miss?”  

Make no mistake—  

Grown-up Gray would protect him.  

But now, he protects her.  

Who else could shoulder the unparalleled duty of raising the hero?  

◆  

“How was your tryst?”  

Siona grinned from the motorwagen’s driver seat.  

“Rare to see you so interested in someone.”  

“Ugh. Don’t make me talk.”  

“But I’m dying of curiosity.”  

Siona leaned toward the backseat.  

“First hands-on recruitment in ages, no?”  

“Recruitment? More like close observation.”  

To understand him.  

Felix analyzes people like reading books—  

Thoughts, intentions, desires appearing as legible text.  

A born prodigy at this—  

Her achievements prove it. A mundane human becoming Cardinal.  

“Observations?”  

In this regard, Carlisle Belfast was—  

“⋯⋯A library.”  

If a person is one book—  

He’s an entire library.  

“Huh?”  

“A person’s demeanor follows one trajectory—shaped by accumulated experiences.”  

But Carlisle—  

Speech, demeanor, thoughts, ideals—  

All suggest someone who’s lived more than one lifetime.  

No single lifespan could accumulate so much.  

“Vast. And deep.”  

Especially regarding—  

“He knows Gray in ways I don’t.”  

“⋯⋯”  

“Sure he’s human? Not some long-lived species in disguise?”  

“⋯⋯Unlikely.”  

Siona forced a laugh.  

“Right. You’d have noticed.”  

No supernatural being could escape Siona Rebel’s notice.  

⋯⋯Kin recognize kin.  

Yawning, Felix continued,  

“Wish he’d listened.”  

Though recruitment failed—  

An intriguing subject nonetheless.  

“You approached expecting failure though.”  

“Half-serious. Hence revealing my weaknesses.”  

Siona’s eyes widened slightly—  

Utterly emotionless.  

Her following words were equally casual,  

“⋯⋯Will you kill that student?”  

“What?”  

“Those who learn your weaknesses usually end up that way.”  

“No killing. He seemed decent.”  

Carlisle inspires trust—  

The kind who’d never exploit others’ vulnerabilities.  

“⋯⋯Sounds like you’re saying he’ll die if necessary.”  

“Shut it.”  

She unfolded the locket shown earlier.  

“I told him because I genuinely liked him.”  

The familiar face inside—  

Mannerisms, speech—  

Quite similar.  

Looks too.  

Yes. Similar.  

Uncannily so.  

“Siona.”  

“Yes?”  

“You investigated him, no?”  

“⋯⋯”  

“Thought I wouldn’t notice?”  

“My, you’re unstoppable.”  

As Siona feigned innocence, Felix smirked.  

“—Check ‘Valtheimer’. Guaranteed connections.”  

Closing her eyes, Felix recalled—  

A memory so old it gathered dust.  

A voice.  

The reason she’s here.  

Words etched into her soul,  

Felix. Make weak people happy.  

She was born for that.  

Of course.  

She’ll keep fighting for that purpose.  

◆  

-System Message  

▶ Target ‘Felix’ added to Training List!  

▶ Trait ‘Cardinal’s Ideal Type’ unlocked!  

▶ Develop the trait for rewards!  

-Specialty Info  

<Cardinal’s Ideal Type>  

You strikingly resemble someone who inspired the Cardinal to fight for ordinary people.  

Perhaps your connection runs deeper than even she realizes.  

But even noble causes require moderating extreme methods.  

Help the Cardinal balance ideals and means!  

▶ ‘Pending Traits’ unlocked  

▶ ‘Pending Traits’ will automatically unlock later without conditions  

▶ Utilize the Cardinal’s feelings toward you to develop traits!  

[ ♠ Regret 0% ]  

[ ♠ Guilt 0% ]  

[ ♠ Obsession 0% ]  

◆  

“⋯⋯Holy Sword.”  

[What.]  

“Seems I’ll be seeing the Cardinal often.”  

[⋯⋯]  

With this window appearing, choice is illusory.  

After a long silence, the Sword spoke,  

[Any theories?]  

“⋯⋯None.”  

This is his first regression interacting with Felix.  

He recalls no connections to her ‘past’. 

‘Resembling someone…‘  

He doesn’t even know who.  

As he pondered, the Sword mused,  

[Is this bad?]  

“Huh?”  

[When uncertain, ask—is it good or bad?]  

“⋯⋯”  

Hmm.  

If pressed—  

“Good, I suppose?”  

[Then there you go.]  

“[Good things are good.]”  

They chuckled in unison.  

Well then.  

Overthinking wastes energy.  

Better approach future events clear-headed.  

Yawning, Carlisle hugged the Sword and collapsed onto bed.  

“⋯⋯Exhausting day. Shouldn’t oversleep.”  

[No classes tomorrow anyway.]  

“Miss will barge in to harass me.”  

[Speaking of which.]  

“Hm?”  

[Have you studied at all?]  

“⋯⋯”  

Oh.  

That mundane but pressing issue.  

[Hardly trivial soon.]  

“Huh? Why?”  

[Midterms approach.]  

“⋯⋯”  

[Failure means expulsion. This is the prestigious Cradle.]  

“⋯⋯”  

[⋯⋯]  

Ah.  

Completely forgot.  

“⋯⋯As humanity’s guardian, must I worry about such trifles?”  

[Take that up with this timeline’s me.]  

“⋯⋯”  

[How do you think she’ll react if poor scores make you vulnerable?]  

“⋯⋯”  

[What if you get expelled?]  

Unassailable logic.  

Carlisle bolted upright to check the calendar.  

Time remaining until exams—  

“Holy Sword.”  

[Yes?]  

“Any cheating methods using your power?”  

[⋯⋯]  

One week until exams.  

Classes attended: 0  

Study time: 0 minutes 0 seconds  

Carlisle Belfast faces imminent crisis!  

◆