「Sui-kun. I want you to head to the core of the castle. The innermost part of the Sky Castle, District Zero—there lies the very cause of the 『Outbreak』」
It wasn’t me who reacted first to Emishi-san’s words. It was my mother.
「…Are you saying this was a man-made disaster?」
Short but firm, quiet yet heavy.
Even as her son, I could feel the chill of the overwhelming magical power in her voice.
It was only natural.
This concerned the death of Karen’s biological parents—her dear friends.
If it were a natural disaster, it could be dismissed as an unfortunate event. But if it were man-made, that was an entirely different story.
Karen stiffened. Beneath the table, I clenched my fists and waited for Emishi-san to speak.
After a moment, Emishi-san let out a heavy sigh.
「—No, it wasn’t man-made. But neither was it an accident. I’m sorry, but that’s all I can say for now.」
「You used the word 『vengeance』 to call us here, didn’t you? If it wasn’t man-made, was that just a pretext?」
「It wasn’t a pretext or a lie. It was the truth. At least, that’s what I believe.」
「That 『I can’t answer everything』 thing you said earlier—why? Not even here in this closed room?」
「No, I can’t. Everything I’ve learned as a member of the Council of Elders is classified information, forbidden to be spoken of outside District One. This has been a law since the founding of this nation, and I cannot break it.」
「…Tch.」
Mother clicked her tongue, and an awkward silence fell over the room.
I thought deeply, looking at Emishi-san, mother, Karen, and everyone else.
…His words are straightforward and sincere.
They’re different from the roundabout, indirect expressions meant to guide others that he used before we arrived at the inn. It’s likely because Emishi-san has chosen to open his heart to us.
And yet, because of that—because he tells us there are things he cannot say—it only leaves us more in the dark.
It’s frustrating. I’m sure Emishi-san wants to tell us as much as he can.
As I wrestled with these thoughts,
「Kuuhn?」
Chocola looked up at me, as if to ask, ‘What’s with this tense atmosphere?’
「Ah, it’s okay.」
I smiled and stroked him from head to back. He wagged his tongue happily and rubbed against me, making me smile despite myself.
「Ah…」
In that moment, a thought struck me.
I always try to figure out what Chocola, who can’t speak, is thinking or feeling by observing his expressions and gestures.
Chocola is generally straightforward, but there are still times when I can’t quite grasp the subtleties. In such cases, I ask questions and gauge his reactions. Like, “Do you want more dog food?” or “Is just milk okay?”
It feels odd to compare this situation to that.
But when it comes to narrowing things down, perhaps the approach isn’t so different.
I don’t know if I can pull it off. But I’ll do everything I can.
「Emishi-san. I’d like to ask you some questions. Is that alright? Just answer what you can.」
「Of course.」
I began questioning him. Emishi-san nodded.
「…Am I the only one who can take on this task?」
「Whether you can or not remains to be seen. However, if it’s possible, then there’s no one else but you. That’s the judgment of the Council of Elders.」
「Does that mean the Council knows about my magic? Where did they learn of it? Was it from my father?」
「I can’t say. That information is classified.」
It’s likely common knowledge that my magical attribute is darkness.
However, specific details about dark magic—what it can do and who can use it—are scarce because there are so few practitioners. My father serves as a precedent, so Emishi-san might have some understanding of it.
But since his response here was “I can’t say”…
「Does the Council have knowledge or records of dark magic that didn’t come from my father?」
「…I can’t say. That information is classified.」
—As I thought.
When Emishi-san says, “I can’t say,” he’s being honest about it.
In this context, that answer is as good as a “yes.”
「Let me change the question. This is about the matter of Athenak in the Void Forest. Did you know about Athenak’s mission?」
「…That’s classified information.」
「Did you hear the report from the two of Ejetia when they rescued Dolce-san?」
「Of course, I’ve heard it.」
「Is there anything you can disclose to us about the rare existence?」
「That’s classified information.」
「Then, at the end of last year. Did the two of Ejetia report on what happened between us and the city of Sidera?」
「…No, no report has come to us.」
「Then…」
After narrowing it down, I asked him directly.
「Do you have any understanding of what we’ve done?」
「…Hah.」
After a pause, Emishi-san’s lips curled into a grin—a smile unlike any I’d seen from him before.
He gave me a clear answer.
「That’s classified information. …Shall we leave it at that? At this rate, I feel like I’m going to be stripped bare. Though, to be honest, part of me does want to tell you everything. Still, even I have to maintain some semblance of dignity.」
「That’s more than enough. At the very least, I’m satisfied.」
Rick-san and Noemi-san stared at me in blank amazement.
Meanwhile, Hajime-san, seemingly surprised by his father’s rare smile, gazed at Emishi-san in astonishment.
As for Mother and Karen—they seemed to have caught on to what I was trying to achieve.
Both of them, wearing confident expressions, began to piece together the information gleaned from the conversation.
「I see. The Council of Elders learned that Sui-kun pacified the Void Forest’s Teikou. With that knowledge, they decided to approach Sui-kun for this task. In other words, the heart of the castle—or rather, this country—is dealing with a problem akin to or possibly the same as the one in the Void Forest.」
「Hmm. And that issue is undoubtedly tied to the ‘Great Outbreak.’ This problem takes precedence over the nonsense spouted by those bloodline supremacists. If their top priority was capturing me or Dolce, they would’ve forcibly summoned Dolce as well, and Emishi-san’s proposal wouldn’t have passed Immigration in the first place.」
「If they’re monitoring Sidera without reports from Rick and Noemi, does that mean they’ve planted spies in the city? Well, to be fair, that’s something every country does.」
「I’ll contact Grandma later, just in case. I can’t imagine they’d harm Mint and the others, but it’s better to be safe.」
There were still questions I wanted to ask and things I wanted to know. But since Emishi-san had essentially surrendered, it felt like pushing further would only compromise his position.
Mother, wearing a sly, mischievous smile, cast him a sidelong glance.
「Emishi, you’ve been had. Or perhaps, was this part of your plan?」
「I’ll withhold my answer. However, I will say this—he truly is his father’s son. …Though I was never particularly close to him, I always knew he was an exceptionally perceptive man.」
He must’ve intended for me to guide him into this line of questioning by openly presenting the condition of answering with “I can’t say” when necessary.
I’m glad I caught on.
「Fufufu. Sui is so clever.」
…Let’s set aside Karen, who automatically puffs up with pride whenever I’m praised.
「It’s thanks to you. Really, thank you.」
「Bark? Bork!」
I ruffled the underside of Chocola’s chin as he rested his front paws on my lap, wagging his tail. Taking a deep breath, I let it out slowly.
Now that I had this information, I no longer had any reason to refuse.
The Elven Nation of Alfheim—and by extension, this Sky Castle—seemed to be facing an unprecedented crisis.
Whether it could be resolved or not, I wouldn’t know until I tried. But I was determined to do everything in my power.
As I solidified my resolve, I recalled the smiles of the residents I’d seen on my way here. Then, with that image fresh in my mind, I downed the now-cold tea in one gulp.
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