Sybil menggigit bibirnya.
Ini pertama kalinya dia menyadari bahwa dia punya kebiasaan menggigit kuku saat cemas. Dia belum pernah merasa cemas seumur hidupnya.
Sybil tahu dia tidak bisa mengandalkan keberuntungan dalam situasi ini.
Kemampuannya untuk memanipulasi takdir sangat personal dan egois. Itu hanya memperbaiki situasinya sendiri dan tidak peduli pada orang lain.
Sejauh ini, itu baik-baik saja. Sama seperti takdir yang tidak peduli pada orang lain, Sybil juga begitu.
Mengulang masa lalu di kepalanya, Sybil tidak sama seperti sebelumnya, matanya dingin dan menggigit kukunya sambil berpikir dalam.
'... Aku harus berpikir.'
Dia baru saja bertemu Frondier, jadi dia tidak tahu banyak tentang dia.
Mustahil untuk tahu di mana Frondier sekarang. Di mana tempat dia bisa beristirahat tanpa diganggu siapa pun?
Kalau begitu, orang yang mungkin tahu adalah—
Dia tidak tahu apakah Frondier dan Elodie dekat atau tidak.
Namun, persaingan antara keluarga Roach dan keluarga Rishae sudah dikenal luas. Dia bahkan tahu bahwa mereka rutin bertemu untuk mengonfirmasi persahabatan mereka. Sepertinya mereka memamerkannya ke keluarga lain.
Kalau begitu, wajar jika Frondier dan Elodie punya semacam interaksi.
'Meski begitu, tidak ada jaminan Elodie tahu di mana Frondier sekarang.'
Kemungkinannya sangat tipis.
Dia belum pernah melakukan perjudian nekat seperti ini.
Sybil mengambil keputusan dan berbalik.
Dia pergi ke mansion Rishae untuk berjudi dengan peluang kecil.
──Namun, apakah dia benar-benar anak yang disayang takdir?
Pilihan itu jelas jawaban yang benar.
Hampir sore, matahari sudah terbenam.
Saat ksatria itu berbicara, aku turun tanpa berkata sepatah kata pun.
Di sisi kiri mobil, ada jalan panjang. Sepertinya sebuah pondok akan muncul jika aku mengikuti jalan ini.
Jalan kecil yang melintasi hutan lebat ini jelas menunjukkan jejak orang yang lewat.
Jalan ini sepertinya sudah ada sejak lama. Ini mungkin jalan yang hanya digunakan oleh keluarga Roach dan Rishae.
Untungnya, tidak ada masalah berjalan sendirian, dan jalannya datar.
Suara gagak sesekali di hutan cukup berisik.
Aku berjalan beberapa saat, dan untungnya, aku melihat sebuah pondok di kejauhan.
Aku meraih gagang pintu pondok itu.
Gagang pintu dan tanganku menyala biru, dan gagang pintu yang terkunci itu berputar dengan mulus.
Sepertinya gagang pintu itu punya sistem identifikasi.
Aku masuk dan menghela napas pelan.
Pondok itu berbau kayu.
Saat aku menyalakan lampu, aku bisa melihat bagian dalamnya.
Rak buku kayu dan meja memenuhi dinding, dan perapian tertanam di dalamnya.
Apakah ini rumah terpisah keluarga Roach?
Aku menyentuh dinding dengan ringan.
'… Saat mereka masih muda, Frondier dan Elodie berada di tempat ini.'
Aku menikmati momen itu dan berjalan berkeliling.
Tempat yang tidak akan pernah bisa dicapai hanya dengan bermain game.
Terasa baru melihat batas-batas game yang kucintai.
Saat aku berjalan, aku merasakan sesuatu yang aneh di bawah kakiku.
Ada sesuatu di karpet yang membuat kakiku tersangkut.
Aku mengangkat karpet di lantai.
Di bawah karpet yang digulung, ada pintu dengan gagang yang bisa dibuka.
Indus adalah organisasi yang begitu luas sehingga tidak ada satu individu pun yang bisa memahami sepenuhnya.
Serf, juga, tidak menyadari skala spesifiknya atau bahkan siapa pemimpin Indus. Serf hanya melakukan tugasnya.
"Frondier meninggalkan mansion?"
Serf menerima laporan dari seekor gagak di kediamannya.
Secara harfiah, seekor gagak yang bertengger di ambang jendela berkicau pada Serf.
Sore ini, Frondier diam-diam keluar dari mansion, hanya ditemani satu sopir.
Mobil itu menempuh jarak yang cukup jauh ke hutan terpencil, dan setelah Frondier turun, mobil itu kembali ke mansion.
"Kamu tidak diikuti, kan?"
"Kamu tahu sihirku, kan?"
Identitas asli gagak itu adalah Gregory, anggota Indus.
Keahliannya adalah menjinakkan.
Dia bisa melatih hewan untuk melihat melalui mata mereka. Sihir yang digunakan untuk ini sangat minim sehingga terhapus oleh sihir bawaan hewan itu. Bahkan mereka yang punya indra tajam tidak akan pernah bisa mendeteksinya.
Dan dia bisa memilih hewan untuk meminjamkan suaranya untuk menyampaikan kata-katanya sendiri, seperti sekarang.
Untuk spionase, itu adalah keterampilan terbaik.
"Ada banyak gagak di hutan itu juga. Mustahil untuk menyadarinya."
"Hmm. Frondier sendirian sekarang."
Serf mengusap wajahnya dengan tangannya, senyum menyelinap di sela-sela jarinya.
Awalnya, dia hanya ingin menakuti Sybil.
Dia sadar bahwa mereka sudah saling kenal setelah eksplorasi dungeon.
Sybil Forte ramah pada semua orang. Itu pasti sama untuk si pemalas manusia, Frondier.
Tapi perkenalan itu hanya formalitas.
Serf berpikir jika dia menyelidiki dengan tepat, Sybil akan menghubungi Frondier melalui teks atau telepon. Itu saja sudah cukup untuk memenuhi kewajibannya.
"Ada kontak dari pihak Sybil ke Frondier?"
"Tidak ada. Dia tidak punya riwayat panggilan dengan siapa pun sejak kemarin."
Jadi, apakah itu berarti Sybil bahkan tidak berpikir untuk menghubungi Frondier?
Apakah dia benar-benar mengabaikan peringatanku?
Atau apakah dia menyadari bahwa aku menyampaikan informasi dan memutuskan untuk melindungi Frondier... tidak, dia tidak akan pergi sejauh itu.
'Mungkin dia pikir itu terlalu mewah untuk menghubungi 'si pemalas manusia' secara terpisah.'
Itu berarti aku punya caraku sendiri.
Rencana awal adalah memulai nanti, tapi aku tidak bisa melewatkan kesempatan dengan Frondier yang sendirian.
Serf mengambil keputusan.
"Rencananya sudah berubah. Saatnya mengubur Frondier."
Sybil stood in front of the Roach mansion with a distraught face.
"Yes, he left just a moment ago."
The gatekeeper guarding the mansion entrance replied.
Sybil's shoulders slumped in exhaustion.
Sybil felt the anxiety inside her grow.
Yesterday, she heard an ominous word from Serf.
She didn't think they would attack Frondier right after saying such a thing.
But she thought she should inform Frondier in advance.
Initially, she pulled out her SagePhone, then changed her mind. Texting or calling would be too risky.
'Serf intentionally told me that Frondier is the target. Why?'
There's only one reason I can think of.
Serf wants it to be known. He wants to broadcast across Constel and its surroundings that Frondier has become a target of 'Indus'.
Though Frondier's reputation has somewhat improved recently, that comparison is meaningless.
You can't escape being the worst in Constel by adding a few points to the worst reputation.
Fake Mistilteinn, dungeon, golem.
The incidents involving Frondier are either unknown to the general public or not understood by them.
Instead, his actions seem eccentric, causing some reputations to further decline.
'So, is that why he's the target? Does 'Indus' aim at the 'incompetent noble' Frondier?'
But behind Frondier lies the colossal Roach family.
Is Indus an organization that can touch Roach? Or do they have assurance that they would be safe even if they did?
'...An organization seeking to empower the commoners.'
Indus wants to increase the influence of the commoners. To do that, they need to sway public opinion to their side.
Then, they won't attack Frondier outright. That would make them nothing but a criminal group.
If being designated as a 'target' doesn't simply mean they intend to attack, then Sybil can't carelessly share what she has heard elsewhere.
If a call or a message from Sybil to Frondier gets leaked and becomes known in Constel.
Indus would greatly embellish that leak with various additions.
Since Indus operates under the guise of 'for the commoners', the general public has a very favorable perception of them.
If Frondier becomes a 'target', that is, if Indus starts proclaiming that Frondier is a problematic noble.
The citizens will come to view Frondier as a 'villain' deserving of becoming Indus's target.
That's why she came all the way to the mansion.
“So, where did he go?”
“I am a friend of Frondier. Can't you make an exception?”
“Mr. Frondier has requested not to be disturbed by anyone.”
The gatekeeper's words were polite and kind, but it seemed unlikely that he would divulge anything.
Sybil bit her finger.
It was the first time she realized that she had a habit of biting her finger when anxious. She had never been anxious in her life before.
Sybil knew she couldn't rely on luck in this situation.
Her ability to manipulate fate is extremely personal and selfish. It only improves her situation and has no concern for others.
So far, that had been fine. Just as fate had no interest in others, neither had Sybil.
Replaying the past in her mind, Sybil was not the same as she was before, her eyes were cold and biting her nails as she thought deeply.
‘... I need to think.’
She just met Frondier, that’s why she didn’t know much about him.
It was impossible to know where Frondier is right now. Where could be the place where he could rest without anyone disturbing him?
If that’s the case, the one who might know is—
She didn’t know if Frondier and Elodie were close or not.
However, the rivalry between the Roach family and the Rishae family was well known. She even knew that they were regularly meeting each other to confirm their friendship. It looked like they were showing off to the other families.
In that case, it was natural for Frondier and Elodie to have some kind of interaction.
‘Even so, there’s no guarantee that Elodie knows where Frondier is right now.’
The chances are very slim.
She had never done this kind of desperate gamble.
Sybil made up her mind and turned around.
She went to the Rishae mansion to gamble with low odds.
──However, is she really a child favored by fate?
That choice was definitely the correct answer.
It was almost evening, the sun had set.
When the knight spoke, I got off without saying a word.
On the left side of the car, there was a long path. It seemed like a cottage would appear if I followed this path.
This small path crossing through the dense forest definitely showed traces of people passing by.
This path seemed to have been around for quite a long time. This was probably a path that only the Roach and Rishae families used.
Fortunately, there was no problem walking alone, and the path was flat.
The occasional cry of a crow in the forest was noisy.
I walked for a while, and fortunately, I saw a cottage in the distance.
I grabbed the door handle of the cottage.
The door handle and my hand glowed blue, and the locked door handle turned smoothly.
It seemed like the door handle had an identification system.
I entered and let out a silent sigh.
The cottage smelled like wood.
When I turned on the light, I could see the inside.
A wooden bookcase and a table filled the wall, and a fireplace was embedded inside.
Is this the Roach family’s separate house?
I lightly brushed against the wall.
‘… When they were young, Frondier and Elodie were in this place.’
I indulged myself in the moment and walked around.
A place that could never be reached just by playing the game.
It felt new to look around the game’s boundaries that I loved.
As I was walking, I felt something strange under my feet.
There was something in the carpet that my feet got caught in.
I lifted the carpet on the floor.
Beneath the rolled-back carpet, there was a door with a handle that could be opened.
Indus is an organization so vast that no single individual can grasp its full extent.
Serf, too, is unaware of its specific scale or even who the leader of Indus is. Serf simply does his job.
"Frondier left the mansion?"
Serf received the report from a crow at his residence.
Literally, a crow perched on the windowsill chattered away to Serf.
This afternoon, Frondier had slipped out of the mansion, accompanied only by a single chauffeur.
The car traveled a considerable distance to a remote forest, and after Frondier got out, it returned to the mansion.
"You weren't followed, were you?"
"You know my magic, don't you?"
The true identity of the crow was Gregory, a member of Indus.
His specialty is taming.
He can train animals to see through their eyes. The magic used for this is so minimal that it's erased by the animal's innate magic. Even those with keen senses could never detect it.
And he can choose an animal to lend its voice to convey his own words, just like now.
For espionage, it is the best skill.
"There are plenty of crows in that forest, too. Impossible to notice."
"Hmm. Frondier is alone right now."
Serf stroked his face with his hand, a smile peeking through his fingers.
Initially, he only wanted to scare Sybil.
He was aware that they had become acquainted after the dungeon exploration.
Sybil Forte is friendly to everyone. That would have been the same for the human sloth, Frondier.
But that acquaintance was merely formal.
Serf thought that if he probed just right, Sybil would contact Frondier by text or call. That alone would have fulfilled her obligation.
"Any contact from Sybil's side to Frondier?"
"None. She hasn't had a call record with anyone since yesterday."
So, does that mean Sybil didn't even think to contact Frondier?
Did she completely ignore my warning?
Or did she catch on that I was conveying information and decided to protect Frondier... no, she wouldn't go that far.
'Maybe she thought it too much of a luxury to contact the 'human sloth' separately.'
That means I have my own way of doing things.
The original plan was to start later, but I can't pass up the opportunity with Frondier being alone.
Serf made up his mind.
"The plans have changed. It's time to bury Frondier."
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