The plan for winter break as of yesterday was simple.
First, go to the Demon Castle. Then move to the Saliere estate under the guise of going to get research materials.
That was the deal I’d made with Jǫrmungandr–that she’d produce more uranium by winter break so I should co get it.
So I could use that as an excuse to go to the Saliere estate and co back. I’d spend a couple weeks there with Lotte, then return to the Demon Castle afterwards for the rest of the break.
Either way, I had to go to the Demon Castle. I had no choice as I’d promised Rosemary.
That was courtesy and the least I could do for my sworn sister.
At the sa ti, I had to be considerate of Lotte.
It was for no other reason but that my closest friend had suddenly beco strange, so I couldn’t not worry about it.
If I thought about it, it had been since that early morning when Friday becaSaturday. She’d scolded more than usual for coming ho late, then had given pointed looks all weekend.
But coincidentally it seed that she herself wasn’t conscious of it. When we talked like usual, Lotte was herself.
Except in one case, when Rosemary was involved.
“S-sis?”
Monday morning.
There was only silence in the classroom. Rosemary looked up at with a face like she was about to cry.
The scarf in her hand dropped with a fwup. It was a black muffler that looked microfiber-soft.
On the other hand, I was wearing a white muffler that I’d received from my best friend.
“Who gave you that...?”
“It was from , Lady Blanton.”
A smile curved Lotte’s lips as she said this. Rosemary’s gaze was heading past my neck.
My eyes shifted slightly. Lotte’s face ca into view and it was calm and serene.
Her deep eyes that glowed red were on Rosemary. Lotte smiled as she looked at her.
It was a smile creepy enough to give goosebumps. It was as if Lotte had beco a different person.
Rosemary glared at Lotte with murder, releasing ‘Intimidate’ and concentrating it on her.
But there was no reaction, strangely enough. At Lotte’s confident attitude, it was Rosemary instead who hesitantly picked up the muffler.
“I knitted this scarf for you....”
My sworn sister’s hands holding the scarf were trembling pitifully. I couldn’t just stand by and watch this.
This couldn’t go on.
I smiled lightly and took the black muffler, and Rosemary went ‘uhh, uhh’.
“Thanks, little sis. Guess this winter’s going to be warm.”
Human or Beast, what did it matter? I was just thinking that I couldn’t keep being an to soone who was devoted to .
Tap tap. I dusted off the scarf and wrapped it around my neck. White and black yarn wound together like snakes, and honestly speaking, it wasn’t the best-looking fashion.
I ended up looking like a dumbass wearing two scarves, but it was fine.
Blueberry’s face brightened. It had been a mushy, bitter kind of face just a mont ago, but now it was plump and bouncy.
“Of course, sis! I hope you make good use of it.”
It was as Rosemary was standing there pleased.
Lotte’s face hardened a bit. It was a slight change, but even at a glance I could tell that the corners of her lips had gone down.
It was her own version of a disgruntled face. Soon, Lotte and Rosemary were in a glaring contest.
Crackle. It seed like electrical sparks were flying. The spirit of crimson and the flash of yellow light under a blue guise clashed.
Jealousy raged on both sides. With a sigh, I went to my seat first.
I understood why Rosemary was acting like that; rather, it was like her.
To her, ‘Aether’ was comparable to the Demon King. At least, that was the case if this body’s mories were correct.
Rosemary was once the princess of the kingdom of ‘Tarkenil’ that the Golden-Eyed had established.
That country had been destroyed due to the invasion of the Empire. Rosemary had only been about fifteen-years-old at the ti.
She had had neither power nor mana. The only thing she could do in the face of the Imperial Mage Order attempting to violate her was to jump off the palace spire.
Obviously, she’d sustained serious injuries; she’d lived but her body had been shattered. If this one hadn’t gotten there in ti and helped her after hearing about Tarkenil’s devastation, she would’ve died on the spot.
Many other mories ran through my mind after that. Surgery, transformation, and even rehabilitation–this one had helped with all of it.
So Rosemary’s current behavioral pattern was easy to understand.
Her plans had all failed because of , yet she couldn’t act hostile. Rather, she was whining for to co ho and committing herself even to the small things.
That is to say that Rosemary’s affections and obsession were sothing predictable.
However.
Not Lotte.
“You should be getting to your seat, Lady Blanton. It’ll soon be ti for the morning eting.”
She spoke quietly, her tone clearly barbed.
Watching the way she was acting, I could only narrow my eyes.
My best friend wasn’t like this before; she was soone far more kind and considerate. Her personality shouldn’t be so caustic that she’d unwittingly pick a fight with soone.
That was the kind of person she’d been these past few months, and couldn’t possibly have beco pathologically obsessed over soone like .
This ant one thing.
Sothing was clearly not right.
“And you only have to wear one scarf indoors. It’s uncomfortable.”
Lotte added while pulling out her textbook. It was a cold and heavy tone.
I felt like I’d been hit with ice magic, her tone cold enough to make my feet frost over.
But I shook my head.
“It’s fine, I’m plenty cold.”
It was a stance that I wouldn’t take it off since it was cold.
I wasn’t actually hot because my body was a machine. I couldn’t really feel hot, let alone cold.
“R-really? Is the classroom that cold? Maybe we should get a heater on...”
“Lotte.”
“Y-yes?”
“It’s still autumn, so don’t bother. This is fine.”
Lotte’s eyes blinked like they were flickering. Her face was a mix of different emotions.
It was hard to gauge her thoughts completely, but I could pretty much guess what she was trying to say.
I felt bad to do this to a good friend, but I decided to wear a mask for a bit, to treat her like soone I t for the first ti.
I continued with a stiff tone, a dry voice like a machine.
“The teacher’s coming.”
**Rosemary returned from the Academy.
She stood in front of the full-length mirror and brushed her hair. With each brush of her elegant hair, she couldn’t help but chuckle.
“What is making you so happy?”
“Hehe, ahh, how funny.”
Rosemary kept giggling even at Blanton’s question. Her face seed to be saying ‘serves you right!’
“You should’ve seen that sly bitch’s face.”
“Did you deliver the scarf properly?”
“Yeah.”
“What did Secundus say?”
“She didn’t say much.”
A ‘thank you’. It was a bit embarrassing to boast to her adjutant about that.
“Anyway, it really is funny. How could that red change like that?”
“Well, I may have ddled a bit with that....”
“What?”
It was an admission that ca out of the blue. Hearing Blanton’s confession, Rosemary stepped away from the mirror with a dumbstruck face.
“What did you just say?”
“That I was the one who interfered with Lady Saliere’s mind.”
“What, it was an arbitrary decision on your part?”
Duke Blanton... that is, Orléans shook his head.
“She has quite the high resistance. It wasn’t easy to give her stress, either.”
“I’m asking if it was your arbitrary decision.”
Rosemary’s expression went cold. Even if it was for the sake of Beasts, it was against the rules to take care of things on your own when your superior was right there.
But Blanton maintained the sa attitude towards Rosemary.
“The Lodestone will be arriving soon, isn’t it?”
“What about it.”
“When that ti cos, we don’t know what else the chairman might do. Then shouldn’t we be laying so groundwork before then?”
“You fucking son of a bitch, so you take a gamble and pull sothing which might make us lose her?!”
Rosemary’s voice was rising angrily as she said this.
“It can’t be helped, since all of our plans have been falling through.”
“And I’m telling you that we can make up for all of it if I just bring sis ho.”
“At this rate, Octavus may laugh at us.”
“And why the hell are you bringing up that bastard?”
Rosemary sat on the bed, seething. Regardless, Orléans relayed what he’d saw and heard in a consistent tone.
“Did you know that Octavus recently executed a major raid on the southern coast of Kaurelia?”
“You an the elf nation?”
“That’s right.”
“No, I didn’t?”
She had been spending a lot of ti focusing on the plans for destroying the Empire and trying to convince big sis to co ho. She wasn’t that interested in the accomplishnts or activities of the other Great chas.
“They say they’ve successfully secured the Lodestone of Water.”
At least, up until a mont ago.
“R-really?”
“Would I lie to you?”
As he said that, Orléans held out a faxed paper. Rosemary’s eyes soon began scanning down the neatly printed sheet.
[Content : Lodestone of Water secured]
[Site : Secured at the coastal bay of Iliad Academy.]
[Operation classification : Ambush]
[Damage to allies : None]
[Damage to enemies : 8 academy professors and 30 other faculty mbers dead, 100 students injured.]
After finishing reading, Rosemary crumpled up the paper and threw it. It was a goal, going straight into the garbage bin.
“Dull as ever, this one.”
“What good is it for a Beast to be emotional? It’s better to only say what’s needed and do the work.”
“This is ridiculous. As if I’m not working....”
Rosemary fell into thought as she rolled around on the bed.
Blanton might have used ‘Mind Control’ and ‘Emotional Manipulation’. No, he definitely did. Otherwise, it was difficult to explain the change of ntal state of the young Lady Saliere whom she had observed for a long ti.
Still, there was sothing that was suspicious.
Lotte had ignored Rosemary ‘Intimidate’, which ant that she was highly resistant even to mind control skills.
That is to say, it was difficult to attribute Lotte’s change in personality to Blanton’s skill alone.
There must be sothing else.
She had to be missing sothing.
Another fax was delivered to Rosemary who was thinking such things.
[Additional info : The exchange undergraduate students have left Iliad Academy earlier than expected and will be arriving ahead of schedule.]
[So seem to have ford contracts with higher Elentals, so be careful not to get caught during the operation.]
“What the.”
Rosemary snapped to her senses. It wasn’t the ti to be concerned with Aether.
At this rate, they might have to pull out of the Empire.
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