Wizard of the Deep Sea

TL/ED – Miso

As soon as I returned from the kingdom, I went to find Dersia, who had gone ahead.

“…Ah, Jern nim.”

But only Head Maid Ciel with a troubled expression and a mansion turned into a mess and on fire greeted me.

“An attack…?”

The first thing I thought of was that the Crimson Circle had caused trouble in the Capital.

But upon closer look, only Dersia’s mansion was burning slightly in places. Ciel let out a sigh and answered.

“Well, this happened while Master was having a lesson with Princess Lumia.”

“Ah.”

Right. That was the arrangement. Lumia and Dersia. Not exactly the most compatible combination.

I asked, a bit worried.

“Did it go as far as treason?”

“No. It just got a bit too intense, so I think we should leave it alone for now. No matter how out of it Master may be, it’ll probably just end with correcting Princess Lumia’s manners a little, so don’t worry too much.”

“Understood.”

Given the situation, it seemed right to first have the conversation with Karos, who had come with me.

When I explained the reason for my visit to a guard at the Imperial Palace, he handed me a letter.

The letter had a map of the tearoom we had visited the last time I met the Princess.

“…Hmm.”

I hesitated a bit on the way.

Was it okay to meet Karos alone? She didn’t seem to like me very much.

I had a slight feeling it might be dangerous.

‘Still, I need to know the executives.’

If there was anything I realized in the battle against Lump, it was that I knew far too little about the Crimson Circle.

Even if they were good at keeping secrets, by now I should at least have a sense of what kind of people they were. But other than knowing they’re a bunch of psychopaths who crazily create Fallen, I had no particular knowledge.

With no better option, I headed to the tearoom, opened the door, and looked for Karos, but the person in black armor was nowhere to be seen.

I looked around for quite a while.

Until I heard someone clear their throat at the table right next to me.

“…Over here.”

“…?”

I frowned slightly, looking at the woman with a sullen expression sitting at the table, as if she had just arrived from the countryside.

“U-um. You look more ordinary than I expected.”

That was the softest expression I could muster. I hadn’t expected the Princess’s foremost sword to look so plain.

“I am aware that I don’t have a dignified appearance. That’s why I always wear that armor.”

As I hesitantly took a seat, Karos let out a sigh.

Then she raised her hand and swept it around the surroundings.

Immediately, the surrounding sounds became almost silent. The voices from the table right next to us now sounded as faint as if they were a hundred meters away.

An impressive feat. I let out a small sound of admiration and asked,

“Sir Karos, are you also a wizard?”

“I am, without question, a child of commoners. This is not magic, but merely a petty trick that slices the domain of sound.”

…Can that really be called a petty trick?

“Isn’t that more amazing than magic?”

“Only after reaching this level can one barely manage something like this, so what’s so great about it? Even 3-Star wizards can perform similar simple magic. It’s nothing more than producing an inferior result with more time and effort.”

As I looked at her self-mocking smile, a sudden sense of familiarity hit me.

I thought I’d seen that face somewhere before…

“Come to think of it, that’s the face of the Princess when I first met her. I didn’t recognize you because the impression was so different.”

“Yes. At that time, the Princess briefly borrowed my body.”

“…Borrowed, you say?”

“We can exchange our consciousnesses using a specific artifact. It’s a secret only the Princess and I know.”

“But now I know. Is it okay to tell me something like that?”

Is this some kind of setup to take me out?

I asked, slightly tense, and Karos smirked and nodded.

“Compared to what I’m about to tell you, that’s trivial.”

“Weren’t we going to talk about the Crimson Circle executives?”

“That’s right. But bringing up that subject, means that I intend to betray Her Highness. In that situation, is sharing consciousness really such a significant secret?”

“…”

I examined Karos’s face.

Only now did I realize, it was a face full of resolve.

I quietly shook my head, trying to dissuade her.

“If it’s really going to come to that, then I won’t listen. Don’t go crossing dangerous rivers unnecessarily. Princess Sharmia probably knows everything already.”

“It’s not a perfect prophecy.”

“No, wait a moment. I didn’t come here to hear something like that.”

Sensing that the situation was serious, I frowned and stood up from my seat.

For her to say something like that truly meant betrayal.

And I had no intention of becoming hostile toward the Princess.

To bare fangs at the true ruler while living in the Empire? Without any particular reason? That would be an act of utter stupidity.

And now, Karos, as the Princess’s personal knight, was trying to speak of the Princess’s prophecy, a secret that should absolutely be kept hidden.

It was clearly a hostile act.

“I had thought you were a knight who upheld loyalty with unwavering faith, so why are you suddenly acting like this?”

“Loyalty, huh…”

Karos looked down at the table and answered in a lowered voice.

“Have you ever heard of the discourse on the difference between a dog and a knight?”

“I have not.”

“A well-trained dog obeys humans absolutely and listens to commands. If told to bite, it bites. If told to chase, it chases. In that case, can it be said that the dog is loyal to its master?”

“Isn’t that a bit ambiguous? In the end, it’s just doing what it’s been ordered to do.”

“A knight’s loyalty has a similar side. Carrying out orders as commanded. Becoming a sword wielded according to the master’s will. If you think about it like that, dogs and knights differ only in power and method, but to the master, there’s no real difference. A knight with the mind of a dog, a dog knight, wouldn’t that be the most excellent knight of all?… That was an argument from ancient times, with many others debating against it.”

“Hmm.”

I wasn’t quite sure what she was suddenly talking about, but I nodded in acknowledgment for now.

“What do you think, Sir Karos?”

“I… still don’t know.”

Clasping her hands together, she gritted her teeth.

“I don’t know if what I’m doing now is the right thing, or if I’m just having an outburst based on my own arbitrary standards. To be honest, all I feel is that I’m making a mistake.”

“There’s a saying that if you’re unsure whether or not to do something, don’t do it.”

“I’ve been living by that all this time. But, I’ve come to regret it. The more time I spend by Her Highness’s side, the more I come to know. It’s impossible not to know…”

Clench. She tightly gripped her hands until they turned pale as she continued, her voice trembling with sincerity.

“Seeing the future is not simply within the realm of magic. It’s actually closer to a shamanistic ability. The Princess uses her life in exchange for seeing the future.”

“You mean, her lifespan?”

“Her life.”

Karos answered firmly and was about to speak again when I raised my hand to stop her.

“Please don’t explain any further. I really don’t want to become a traitor.”

“Didn’t you say last time that we couldn’t work together if I didn’t tell you?”

“Yes. But I said that because I expected you wouldn’t be able to tell me. Even if I’m going to hear it, it should be from Lady Sharmia’s mouth. Hearing it from you means nothing except becoming a traitor.”

“…Yes. I understand.”

She nodded and changed the subject.

“Ten years old. From that age until now, Her Highness has protected the Empire without a single crack. However, since the emergence of the Crimson Circle, that burden has grown even heavier. To the point she reached out even to a child like you.”

“Ahem. I know you’re not particularly fond of me.”

“This is not a matter of liking or disliking. Her Highness can now only see the short-term future, but when she was ten, just once, she saw a very distant future…”

Her eyes became wistful as she looked at me.

“Her Highness saw you in that future.”

“Did she?”

Is that why the Princess is so obsessed with me?

I became quite curious and focused as I asked,

“What do I become in the future?”

“You become an executive of the Crimson Circle.”

“…What?”

“Exactly as I said. You become the worst enemy who hinders the Empire.”

“Did the Princess tell you that herself?”

“Yes.”

“That’s impossible. I’d rather die than work with those bastards.”

Karos’s shocking revelation was, to put it simply, something I couldn’t comprehend at all.

I didn’t like the Crimson Circle. Honestly, knowing that they were a group that kidnapped and tortured children made me feel disgusted by them.

I had absolutely no desire to become one of them. Even if I ended up with them, it would be because I was forced, not because I sincerely became one of them, much less rose to the rank of executive, not at all, not even slightly.

Karos slightly nodded, but still spoke with certainty.

“But it is the truth. You will join them one way or another. It’s something like fate, something that cannot be changed. Her Highness said there are things that can be prevented and things that cannot, but you becoming an executive of the Crimson Circle falls into the latter. Something that cannot be prevented.”

“I see…”

I nodded slowly, understanding.

“So that’s why you disliked me?”

“It’s not a matter of liking, but it’s true that I was wary. If someone is destined to become an executive of the Crimson Circle, then killing them is the right choice. That was my judgment… I apologize.”

“There’s no need to apologize. That makes perfect sense.”

Rather, I felt at ease knowing the reason behind the unexplained wariness Karos had shown until now.

If one of the Crimson Circle’s core members was right in front of me, I wouldn’t be able to hold back either. In fact, the fact that she even allowed me to speak with the Princess could be seen as a show of superhuman mental restraint.

“But Her Highness tried to make use of you. I believe the reason is probably because, in that first vision of the future, she saw your potential.”

“Potential?”

“Jern. You’re eleven years old.”

“Right. What about it?”

“It means you’re still young, and that means you still have a lot of growing to do. You’ll develop even further from your current position.”

A flicker of fear briefly passed through Karos’s eyes.

“I couldn’t understand it at first, but now that I know who you are, I can understand Her Highness’s judgment. She believed you to be a card that, just by holding in hand, could multiply her options by the dozens.”

“I don’t get it. You just said that no matter what, I’ll become an executive of the Crimson Circle, right? If I’m just a card that ends up in the enemy’s hand anyway, then what’s the point of nurturing me?”

“Because Her Highness is that cornered. To the point that she must reach for even that kind of card.”

Karos looked straight at me.

“She told me not to speak of any of this to you.”

“…Why did you break that order?”

“I saw your abilities. You have great potential, and even at your current level, you’re someone who can already be of use. I came to understand your nature. That you’re someone who cannot be moved by any reward or temptation. But what I focused on was your humanity.”

“?”

“Jern. You are a good person. Someone who can consider others, who can get angry for the weak. At least, that’s what I concluded.”

She said such embarrassing things without hesitation, then stood up and bowed her head.

“More than any offer of reward or temptation, I thought this kind of sincere request would be more effective. That’s why I arranged this meeting. I’ve told you everything I know. Please, won’t you help Her Highness?”

“I’m just a Fallen who’s struggling to survive. It sounds like you’re expecting too much from me.”

“I’m not asking for help just because I believe you’re a good person. As Her Highness’s knight, I swear to you. If you help her, I will betray her once more.”

“…What?”

“I doubt anyone else has heard more from Her Highness than I have. I will share with you the knowledge of the future that you desire.”

“Like what?”

“I know a few of the hidden hideouts the Crimson Circle is keeping secret. The places where they store their research materials.”

Now that was truly tempting.

Getting information directly from the Princess about the future, it was unimaginable how steep the price might be for that.

But if I helped the Princess through Karos’s request, I could lighten the debt on my conscience while getting the actual rewards from Karos instead.

Two birds with one stone. Unless Sharmia discovered the secret contract between the two of us through her prophecy, this was a deal with no downside.

And that prophecy wasn’t invincible anyway.

More than anything.

“…”

I met Karos’s clear, transparent eyes.

Even if the Princess couldn’t be trusted, this person could.

There was a distinct resolve unique to someone telling the truth.

I slowly nodded.

“Alright. But there’s one thing we should settle before moving forward.”

“…If it’s about the tests I put you through, I sincerely apologize-”

“That’s not it. You said me becoming an executive of the Crimson Circle is something that can’t be avoided, right?”

“…? Yes. That’s correct.”

“If that’s true, then even I’m starting to be afraid of myself. Are you really willing to make such a contract under those circumstances? Isn’t it too dangerous?”

“I’ve accepted everything and still came to ask for your help.”

I looked at Karos, whose expression had hardened, and offered a small smile.

“Mind if I ask a few questions?”

“Of course. Ask as much as you like.”

“First off, when does this thing, me becoming an executive of the Crimson Circle, happen?”

“I don’t know. It could be tomorrow, or it could be ten years from now.”

“Do I kill someone, or attack anyone while I’m in the Crimson Circle?”

“None of that has been determined. In fact, that kind of thing falls into the category of futures that can be changed, unlike your entry into the Crimson Circle.”

“Hmm.”

That narrows down the possibilities.

I opened my subspace and took out the red steel necklace.

Karos tilted her head when she saw it.

“What is that?”

“During the last battle with the Crimson Circle, I received a recruitment offer. I refused, of course, but they gave me this along with the message to contact them if I changed my mind. I believe it’s some kind of tool for communication with them.”

“Why do you still have it…?”

“Sir Karos. You said I would one day become an executive of the Crimson Circle. That it’s an unchangeable future, and that I’m a dangerous person because of it.”

“Ah, yes.”

“Then shouldn’t I just go ahead and do it now?”

“What are you saying…? I don’t quite understand.”

“I’ll join Crimson Circle as an executive and work as a spy.”

“…What?”

As I looked at the dumbfounded expression on Karos’s face, I steeled my resolve.

A great figure I respect once said something.

If you can’t change the future?

Then you can deceive the world instead.