Midterm written exam.
I wrote down all the answers and then left the room.
I was worried that what I had stored in the workshop might not be enough, but that wasn't the case at all.
Is this the power of a cheat sheet?
It feels like I'm cheating in this world for the first time in a while.
I was the first student to leave the classroom.
No one really looked at me strangely.
They probably think I either scribbled something down or handed in a blank sheet.
It doesn't matter what they think.
Today is the day to test the 'WizardGram.'
I hadn't had a chance to use it with midterms right around the corner, but now that the written exams are over.
As I hurried toward the mansion,
Squeak-
The car stopped.
"……?"
It's a very luxurious sedan.
Just owning it suggests wealth.
The window in the back of the car opened.
"Hellooo-"
There was a woman offering a languid greeting.
White hair, red eyes.
Her face, innocently resembling a rabbit, I knew it.
Philly Terst.
She had come looking for me.
"Get in. There's a place we need to go."
"……."
I silently opened the car door.
I couldn't refuse anyway.
It's an offer from the empress, what can I do.
And Philly is just an uncomfortable person to face, not a villain.
There's no reason for me to be scared now.
As I sat in the backseat, the car started.
It seemed the destination had already been set.
"Why didn't you respond to my message?"
"I thought Her Majesty was joking."
I hoped it was a joke.
If the Empress suddenly says, 'Let's meet sometime soon,' it would naturally be so.
Philly tilted her head.
"You know why I contacted you."
"I have no idea."
"Ahahaha."
Philly laughed out loud.
And then she opened her hidden red eyes with a smile.
"Lies."
"……"
"You know, don't you?"
I deliberately kept silent.
Philly dislikes people who are needlessly kind to her, those who seem too easygoing.
Being intimidated by her status as the Empress, one cannot have a proper conversation with her.
"How do you know about the Dragon Heart?"
Philly asked.
Red eyes different from Aten's.
Eyes and expressions that seemed genuinely curious, along with her tone of voice.
I looked straight at her and smiled.
─Lazily.
"Who knows."
"Have you seen it before?"
"Maybe."
"How did you know it turns people into invalids if they eat it?"
"It's a secret."
My answer was as good as not answering.
Philly smiled slyly and said, "Aren't you curious what will happen if you die here?"
Before I knew it, her left hand was holding a dagger.
And she lightly placed it against my throat.
I looked at the dagger.
It naturally gets included in the weaving workshop.
[Terst Imperial Ritual Dagger]
- A dagger needed to conduct various imperial ceremonies.
- Being ceremonial, it lacks lethality.
Well, even a blunt weapon can kill if stabbed in the throat.
In this way, the laughter between Philly and me is quite similar.
"I'm curious. What will become of Her Majesty."
"……"
At my words, Philly's expression stiffened slightly.
"To obtain information about the Dragon Heart, you've created bizarre events like department store quizzes, sneaked around the palace, and arranged for a man who has never seen your daughter to meet her."
I closed the distance with Philly.
I didn't care about the dagger at my throat.
Because Philly had backed away that much.
"If such a man were to die in this car, and all the painstaking efforts you wished to hide from the royal palace were to vanish, I'm very curious about what would happen to the empress."
"…Frondier de Roach."
"Yes. That is my name. You are correct."
"What do you want?"
Typical Philly Terst.
Quick to judge.
I said, "I want to see the actual Dragon Heart."
"…Hmm. Is just seeing it enough?"
Philly asked.
Oh, you’ve made a mistake.
My smile deepened.
"It seems even the empress would find that insufficient."
I hear Philly's hollow laugh.
Well, since you've said as much.
Let’s grab a bonus.
"Allow me to choose a weapon from the royal armory."
In truth, choosing a weapon from this offer holds little meaning for me.
The important part is 'seeing' the armory.
It seemed like the workshop was running low on weapons.
But if I simply said looking was enough, that might raise suspicions.
"…Sigh. Fine. You have a different idea, Frondier de Roach."
Philly sighed and grumbled as if bored.
There’s never been a time I’ve been more grateful to be Frondier.
A poor reputation led to complacency, allowing me to draw out Philly's mistake.
"But it’s all worked out. I intended to bring you along from the beginning."
"Where to?"
At my question, Philly spoke as if it were nothing.
"This car, we’re currently on our way to the royal palace."
