When I regained consciousness, my body had already been propped up unsteadily.
A dull sensation caused a sharp pain. Although I was conscious now, the effects of the anesthesia still lingered, causing my thought process to spin in circles.
Memories came pouring in,
Fragmented words surged like seawater meeting the tide. Memories of death, memories of parting, and the man was always standing between them.
Of course, these were not my memories.
However, amidst the vague and hazy boundaries of that memory, I caught onto a thread.
“……Neoris Findlestone.”
I could not tell whose name it was.
Hearing that Neoris had a last name was something I had never heard before. Yet, my voice calling out that unfamiliar name was strong and full of conviction.
As if to prove that information as truth, Neoris’s body trembled violently.
Given that the remnants of the anesthesia were still strong, my recollection of subsequent events was patchy at best.
As Neoris surged toward me, my pupils dilated. It was a sensation I was somewhat familiar with.
The feeling when tracing the curves of space.
Only then did I understand how to write the blood-curse character. The world I had regarded as ‘space’ contained more complex elements than I had realized.
Space does not exist in isolation.
Time and magical power were closely interlinked with it. The blood-curse character was a kind of qualification that allowed entry into the realm of magical power.
This was just before Neoris’s dagger reached me.
For the first time, I drew the blood-curse character in the void. My use of magic was limited, and I had no means to physically overpower Neoris.
Only the blood-curse character was the best response available to me.
Magic that activated instantly without even using power was generally quite useful. If its power was strong, it was even better.
Flames and explosions engulfed the surroundings.
Among the chaos of scattered, broken, and rebounding objects, there was only me as an exception. Even I was not unaffected by the fallout of the shockwave.
Again, I staggered and stepped back. The effects of the anesthesia had not completely worn off, and I was still unsteady in controlling my body.
Of course, it was nothing compared to the Neoris who had been directly hit by my blood-curse character.
She flew away as if struck by a kick, colliding with the wall before rolling across the floor. Flames spread over her.
“Kyah! Kyaaaaaaah! S-save me!”
It was a confusing feeling. My mind was still hazy, and I couldn’t come up with a viable way to save Neoris.
Then my thoughts drifted to the water bottle hanging at my waist.
Right, water would do.
It was a very simple judgment. There was no way that a small amount of water could extinguish such flames. However, my thought process had long since been muddled.
So I had forgotten.
The liquid in the bottle was not water, but alcohol, and as the flames grew fiercer, Neoris’s eyes filled with an even more intense terror.
It was the look of someone seeing a madman.
It was a frequent misunderstanding I had been living with recently. But no matter how I tried to explain that my intentions were not like that, it seemed futile.
A sigh escaped me involuntarily. Either way, I couldn’t let Neoris die, so I devised a contingency plan.
As soon as I kicked Neoris, she was flung out the door.
It was natural, as I couldn’t move a burning woman with my hands. Neoris didn’t even have the mind to worry about the pain from her foot being caught.
That was a relief. I could just sprinkle water on her.
I immediately doused Neoris with the water from the basket that had contained the mop.
What followed was even more awkward.
“……Um, where did you come from?”
Neoris lowered her head and asked, and I fell into a momentary silence.
What should I do to conceal my identity for as long as possible?
The blood-curse character was like a symbol of authority bestowed by the Emperor. Naturally, the Emperor would know who had access to the blood-curse character.
What if information about me were to be reported to the Emperor?
It wasn’t long before the true powers of the Imperial Intelligence Department could come to visit me. While I pondered in confusion, my mouth moved of its own accord. As if it was only natural to say it.
“Neoris Findlestone, let me tell you one thing you need to be careful about when dealing with me.”
And then the hand axe sliced through the air.
It was instantaneous. I never realized that such a soft trajectory could be fatal. Even if I was the one moving, I was astonished by myself.
So fast.
Even without using magic, it was like that. A swift, precise trajectory, a clean strike that wasted not a single bit, lodged itself in Neoris’s shoulder.
With blood erupting forth, a scream escaped.
Regardless, my hand gripped Neoris’s wet brown hair. Her eyes, dampened by fear, were stained with tears.
A chilling voice flowed from my lips.
“……Do not question me.”
At that, Neoris nodded her head frantically, tears streaming down, and I contemplated her in that state.
It seemed impossible to resolve the misunderstanding for a while.
My mind became fully clear only after receiving a drug that neutralized the anaesthetic’s effect.
As my consciousness surged forward,
The sensations of my body, which had been hazy and dulled, returned to normal. Only then did I slightly grimace at the pain radiating from my limbs.
An unpleasant headache stabbed at me, as if trying to carve a stone with feelings. It must have been a remnant of the anaesthesia.
It looked like a conference room.
To my surprise, the News Department’s building was not just two stories tall. They had secretly appropriated a vast space underground.
The lighting was sufficient.
The high-intensity magical lights symbolized the imperial royal family’s capital. They were high-class items that must have cost hundreds of gold coins.
There was a table large enough to seat dozens of people. The most esteemed seat was in the center, with places left beside it for guests, followed by a long line of chairs.
Naturally, I was seated at the highest position.
The one who had administered the neutralizing agent in my arm was Neoris. She slowly withdrew the syringe with trembling hands.
Neoris still looked pitiful.
Covered in water that smelled musty, her uniform was full of burn marks from the remnants of the flames.
In several places, the fabric had been torn, allowing her pale skin to be visible.
It was shameful for a woman, but I decided not to care.
Right now, it was better to buy fear.
After all, they were the ones who first laid hands on my people.
Besides Neoris, few of the familiar News Department members appeared uninjured. The other personnel who had rushed in at the sudden call were merely swallowing dryly.
I was the one who had single-handedly wrecked the Academy branch of the Imperial Intelligence Department.
Even the strongest among them, Neoris, was unable to move in my presence. The gazes of the men glancing at Neoris fixated on her pale skin.
It was clear that they harbored the desire to see even further, as if they thought it possible to glimpse into her most private areas.
Because of that, Neoris looked even more embarrassed, but I was more uncomfortable about another aspect.
Why were the Empire’s intelligence agents unable to hide their feelings this much?
Did they scream just because they got hit by an axe, and weren’t they spreading rumors about me because I neutralized their opponent?
It was serious. Even if they weren’t official agents, it was the same.
I had never been part of the Imperial Intelligence Department, and I didn’t understand why I felt so uncomfortable. Naturally, a cold voice emerged from my mouth.
“Drop your gaze.”
Some of them flinched, their gazes immediately lowering. I clicked my tongue at that sight.
Neoris was even more agitated.
The level of the organization’s personnel was entirely the responsibility of the branch head. The more my mood soured, the more nervous Neoris would inevitably become.
I wanted to say a few words, but I restrained myself. It would only be meddling for a person with no experience in intelligence work to speak up.
Instead, I let out a sigh and got to the point.
“……You’ve had your fun for a while. You’ve meddled with my people quite a bit too.”
Fear flickered in the eyes of the News Department personnel. Neoris was no different.
She stammered as she tried to explain.
“Um, uh… because Her Imperial Highness requested it…”
“So I came here, didn’t I?”
My eyes momentarily darted toward Neoris. She didn’t even dare to meet my gaze and immediately lowered her head.
There was nothing more to say. I made my point with a dull voice.
“……From now on, don’t touch my people, if you don’t want me to come back. Today was merely to give you a warning, and I could have taken it further.”
The faces of the News Department personnel who had faced me turned pale. Of course, Neoris was the same.
They had likely heard my infamous reputation numerous times by now.
And in truth, I was prepared to show actions deserving of that infamy.
If I warned them and they still repeated their mistakes, I had more than enough reason to retaliate.
At that moment, a voice pierced my ear.
“Uh, um, then what about Her Imperial Highness…?”
One of the News Department personnel, who had tried to raise a question about me, immediately fell silent as my gaze turned toward him.
He had realized it was nonsense.
The owner of the blood-curse character was the Emperor’s deputy. No matter who she was, even if she were the First Prince or the Second Princess competing for the Imperial throne, they could not supersede my commands.
My words were equivalent to the Emperor’s will.
The authority of the blood-curse character was that immense. So even now, I was sweating coldly inside.
Did I impersonate the Emperor’s agent?
It wouldn’t just end with myself.
Initially, I had intended to test the waters, but it was a situation I had unconsciously blurted out while hazy from the anesthetic, making retraction impossible.
It was still a question.
The actions I took while the effects of the anesthesia lingered were those I wouldn’t typically have undertaken.
Above all, the axe strike that pierced Neoris’s shoulder.
It differed qualitatively from the trajectory I had drawn.
Of course, pondering wouldn’t provide immediate answers.
At the moment, I could only speculate that I was absorbing past experiences of my ‘future self’ with every memory that flowed in.
Having sorted out my thoughts, I turned my gaze back to Neoris.
“And Neoris, investigate ‘the procession,’ ‘the cave,’ and ‘the eye of the dragon.’”
“……Um, what?”
At my sudden request, Neoris looked at me in confusion.
‘The procession,’ ‘the cave,’ and ‘the eye of the dragon.’
All of them were contents written in a love letter from the future. To be precise, I was guessing the last one was a memo left by my ‘future self.’
None of them were anything I could guess today.
If so, there was only one answer.
I could leave the information gathering to the experts. Fortunately, an intelligence organization had landed in my hands, so there was no reason not to use it.
Neoris stared at me blankly for a moment, but as I silently met her gaze, she was startled and hastily lowered her head.
Her trembling eyes and nervous clasped hands conveyed her feelings.
At this point, a phrase I had left behind was probably replaying in her mind.
“Don’t question me.”
Neoris lowered her head immediately.
“I-I will follow your orders… um, may I have your name…?”
She cautiously glanced at me.
It seemed she was half convinced that ‘Ian Fercurus’ was a false identity. After all, it made sense if I were among the Emperor’s close confidants.
It was safe to say that the chance of a second son from a rural noble family ascending to become the Emperor’s top aide was virtually zero.
It was a question I had expected, so my answer was straightforward.
“……Just call me Ian.”
Neoris might have thought that sounded like a line drawn, but I couldn’t help it.
It was also a ridiculous situation to use a pseudonym.
Neoris bowed her head without further comment.
“Yes, yes! Ian-nim. Then, who should I report to about today’s matters…?”
That was an important question.
The pinnacle of the reporting system in the Imperial Intelligence Department was the Emperor. Naturally, matters concerning blood-curse characters would reach his ears.
Thus, it was crucial not to activate the reporting system for at least a while.
I deliberately spoke with a cold demeanor.
“A report is made from a subordinate to a superior, isn’t it?”
In other words, it meant not to report arbitrarily to anyone who wasn’t my superior.
The intelligent Neoris seemed to grasp my meaning immediately and gave a dutiful response.
“……Yes, I understand.”
Of course, it was not a sincere answer.
Neoris’s body was still tense and stiff from anxiety, and the beads of sweat trickling down her forehead testified to her fear.
But for now, that would suffice.
I stood up and silently made my way to leave the conference room.
However, I suddenly remembered something and left one final warning.
“Once again, don’t touch my people… deal with it properly, got it?”
At my firm tone, the seated members of the News Department hurriedly stood up.
They bowed their backs in response.
“Yes!”
Only then could I move with a sense of satisfaction.
At this point, there likely wouldn’t be any bold fool who would dare to touch Reto or Emma for a while.
*
And the next day, I received the daily newspaper published by the News Department.
[The truth that 98% of Academy students were unaware of that day! In fact, Ian Fercurus has no weaknesses at all?! The Yuridina Clan is shocked, and the royal family is astonished! “If you touch little Ian Fercurus, you’re in big trouble.”]
My mouth momentarily fell silent.
After a while, the only thought I could express was one.
“……What the hell is this ridiculous title?”
I found myself seriously contemplating whether I should visit the News Department again.
