Chapter 60: A little closure [1]

".....Did you kill him?"

A familiar woman sat on the opposite end of where I sat. Her presence felt suffocating, and her deep eyes seemed to lure me in the more I looked into them.

"..."

Even so, I kept calm. While pressuring, my mind was firm. The vision had messed up with my mind and the resentment I felt from Wesley was still present.

The current me...

Couldn't be fazed by this much.

"I didn't."

My voice came out rather dry.

Delilah's blank face suddenly cracked as her lips gently pulled up. Then, amidst the silence, her finger pressed against the silence.

Tap—

A subtle whistle sounded as the space between the two of us froze.

"....Alright, you're free to go."

"Hm?"

I thought nothing could faze the current me, but this was an unexpected development.

"Are you surprised?"

".....I wouldn't say I'm not."

Surely, while I had hidden my traces quite well, there was still a reason to suspect me as the culprit. At the very least, there was reason to believe I knew something about Wesley's death.

She had even more reason to think so.

Especially when I knew she had seen the tattoo on his arm and that his true face had been revealed.

I thought she was going to mention it during our talk, but she didn't. Rather, she didn't even bring the topic up once and just let me go.

Why?

"There's not enough evidence to assume you did anything. All of our tests suggest that it's unlikely for you to have done it."

"Then...?"

"....We're not unreasonable. Since it seems like it was an accident, we don't have any right to detain you for any longer. You're free to go."

Just like that...?

I stayed rooted in my seat for a few moments, attempting to comprehend the situation. I gazed intently at her expression, which resembled that of a blank piece of paper, before gradually rising from my seat.

".....Okay."

There were a lot of things that I wanted to ask, but decided otherwise.

I knew she had some answers to some of the questions I had, but I chose to remain silent. It was still too risky. I didn't have enough leverage for myself, and how would I even explain to her my situation?

For what reason would she even believe me?

It was with such thoughts that I stood up from my seat and bid her farewell.

For now...

I needed to thread carefully.

It wasn't the right time yet. I knew it was going to come soon.

***

In the ensuing silence following Julien's departure, Delilah continued to fix her gaze on the door of the room.

She could see the surprise etched on the faces of the school board members from the other side of the door as they closely stared at the leaving Julien. She didn't blame them. The choice to release him rested solely on her shoulders.

But it wasn't without any reason.

Primarily, she knew that it would've been a wasted effort. If he did do it, there was no chance he was going to come clean.

There was also not enough evidence to pin the blame on him...

Since that was the case, why hold him in for longer?

Delilah cared a lot for her time.

Since it was just going to be a massive waste of time, she let him go. As if she was going to let those old bastards take her weekend again.

"....."

Delilah kept those thoughts to herself.

But outside of that, there was something else that intrigued her.

".....An internal conflict?"

While she couldn't prove Julien's role in the cadet's death, she was more or less certain that he had played a part in it.

And... if that was the case, then did that mean that there was some sort of internal conflict within the organization?

Or maybe, he was someone who had betrayed the organization.

"....."

Delilah couldn't fathom why Julien had never bothered to conceal the tattoo on his arm. Despite the organization being known to only a select few important figures within the empire, she was certain that if anyone discovered the tattoo on his arm, he would have hell for it.

The fact that he never intended to hide it was what aroused Delilah's curiosity the most.

She felt like there were a lot of possibilities for such a situation. Perhaps there was an internal conflict between the groups within the Inverted Sky.

....Or perhaps he was a traitor.

Maybe it was just a random tattoo he got and he had no part in all of this at all.

Delilah wasn't exactly sure the exact reason, but...

"....I'll know soon."

Of that she was sure.

Regardless of what he did, his actions were sure to bring those from the Inverted Sky over to the Institute.

All would become clear then. Whether he was with them or not, or a traitor... It would all become clear the moment they came.

It was for this reason that she let go of him.

Whether he was an enemy, she wasn't so sure anymore.

However...

That didn't matter anymore. She had to get ready now. They were coming, and while she didn't know when or how she knew it was only a matter of time.

"Finally..."

Delilah's eyes flashed coldly.

"....I've got something."

***

In light of the events that happened, I was given a day off.

I took that chance to leave the Academy. I had a certain destination in mind. Taking the train from the Academy to Lens, I took a change and headed for 'Rosea'.

Located two hours from Lens, Rosea was a much smaller town located near a sizable mountain range.

The air was fresh and greenery covered the surroundings.

I retraced my memories and walked along a small path. It was a place I had never been before, but I knew exactly where I was and the path I was following.

Soon enough, the remains of a large mansion appeared within my sight.

".....I'm here."

I could still picture the mansion in my mind.

It stood tall and grand, capturing the attention of all that passed.

....Such was how it was before the vision.

Right before the flames came.

"....."

The silence that gripped the surroundings felt stifling, but I paid no attention to it.

I just felt like I had to be here.

It brought me a strange peace of mind. Especially towards the anger and rage that was gripping my chest.

Even now...

I was still under the effects of the vision.

The anger that had been transmitted to me refused to leave.

Scrunch... Scrunch...

I stepped around the mansion and looked around. The entire structure lay in ruins with charred spots all over the place. Vegetation had already started to reclaim the remnants of what was once a grand and imposing mansion.

Eventually, my steps halted.

I stood before a headstone.

[In loving memory of William Kenneth]

"..."

I gripped my chest.

The anger that resided in my chest threatened to boil all over all of a sudden. A voice echoed within the depths of my mind.

'Which one was she trying to save...?'

'Me.'

'....Or her?'

'Who?'

The voice continued to whisper within my mind as I had the sudden urge to break the headstone apart in front of me.

Unknowingly, my jaw clenched tightly and so did my fists.

'Who?'

Even I was starting to question this.

But it all stopped by a sudden voice.

"Who... are you?"

I turned my head to see a young girl with long black hair standing not so far from where I was. Her appearance seemed vaguely familiar.

"....What are you doing in front of my brother's tomb?"

Brother...

I closed my eyes for a brief moment.

'Right, it's her.'

Eleonora Kenneth.

William Kenneth's sister and the little girl in the vision.

I lowered my hat to hide my face.

"I was just passing by when I saw this place. It seems like an unfortunate event has happened here."

"Yes. It's been over a decade since."

She walked up to the tombstone and sat down. Then, under my watch, she placed a rug over the stone and started cleaning it.

The way she cleaned the stone seemed to be extremely thorough. As though she was treating an extremely precious object.

I broke the silence between us.

"You must really care about your brother."

"....Uh?"

Her movements stopped and she turned to look at me.

I didn't mind and continued.

"How old was he?"

She was hesitant at first, but glancing at the headstone in front of her, her eyes lowered and she answered.

"...My brother was just eight then. I was six."

"You must've forgotten about the incident then. So long has happened."

I could hardly remember anything from back when I was six.

"No."

Unexpctantly, Eleonora did.

"....I remember everything. I've never forgotten."

Perhaps because the topic was brought up, she recalled the events in her mind.

Her lips pursed, and her arms trembled slightly.

"I... can never forget that day. It haunts me every day."

She blinked rapidly to hide her tears.

But I could see them from where I was.

"It's my fault... I-f I hadn't started to fire... If Mother had taken his hand instead of mine..."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she started to choke on her words.

"I shou—"

"He never resented you."

I cut her off dryly.

"Ah...?"

Her eyes widened.

"What are y—"

"Not once."

I stared at the headstone in front of me.

He had never once resented his sister for taking the hand.

".....He was happy you were safe."

He resented the idea of her going through something he had had he taken the hand.

Not that she had taken the hand instead of him.

"And he's also happy that you still think about him."

His mother may have abandoned him.

But she hadn't.

The feelings that boiled within my chest started to ease.

It no longer felt as suffocating.

"W-why are you saying this...?"

Eleonora choked on her words. Her eyes were red, and her hands were trembling. I could see that the events of the past had been eating at her every day as well.

He wasn't the only one.

I smiled then.

I didn't need to pretend to be Julien. I could smile now.

".....I know because I felt what he felt. It's part of my ability. I felt it in his soul right now."

I didn't mind lying a little.

Because it was partly true.

"H-hah..."

The rug fell and she began to cover her eyes with both hands as tears finally streamed down her face.

"B-brother... Ah..."

Her sobs echoed quietly in the surroundings.

I felt my lips quiver slightly and I looked up at the sky.

'Neither one resents each other for what happened.'

They truly were...

Siblings.

"....."

I had no obligation to do this. I didn't feel responsible for his death. I had done what needed to be done to survive.

But...

I was also human.

I needed to do this for myself.

"T-thank you..."

Suddenly, I heard a soft whisper.

For some reason, it hit my feelings. I had a hard time grasping the meaning behind her words of gratitude, but I soon understood.

For over a decade...

She blamed herself for his death.

Thinking that his death was because of her. That he resented her for it.

....And for someone to tell her the opposite. Even if it was a lie.

"Haaa..."

Staring at the sky, the weight that pressed down on my chest disappeared.

What replaced it was a lighter feeling.

A warm and embracing one.

I didn't understand it well, but I let myself sink into the feeling.

∎ Lvl 1. [Joy] EXP + 4%