The Lady Only Deals With the Real Ones - Chapter 187

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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“Hah.”

Crescens, who had gulped down the water that was barely a fraction of a fraction left after spilling most of it, let out a sigh.

Then he readily opened his mouth.

“That’s right. I have met Eivor before.”

Unlike the serious matter at hand, his answer carried no weight, and I could hear the sound of Tesagh clenching his fist tightly.

Crescens must have heard it too, but he continued speaking as if nothing happened.

“I’m curious how our sister figured that out… but I suppose I won’t get an answer?”

“I saw it.”

“Hmm. Then I have no choice but to answer faithfully first.”

Crescens smiled vaguely and tapped the table as if recalling a memory.

“It was about a year ago. So, before the series of fires occurred in Moro Duchy.”

In other words, before Eivor appeared in Moro Duchy like a savior after solving the serial fire incident, Crescens had met him.

“Late on a cold night, I went out on a secret patrol in the capital and saw some man sprawled out in a deserted alley. People occasionally passed by, but no one paid him any attention. Did they think he was just a drunk?”

“…”

“But I’m not someone who should act that way, right? So I approached him. I helped him sit up properly, offered him warm tea, and asked what was wrong.”

There was a faint disillusionment in Crescens’s words.

Whether it was disappointment in people who don’t care for their neighbors.

Or regret that he should have passed by that man like everyone else, I couldn’t tell.

“So the man who was staring at me with empty eyes said this. Do you know what it feels like to be alive but not feel like you’re living? I answered that I did.”

Crescens, who had paused for a moment, looked intently at my expression.

“Do you think I was lying? To comfort that man?”

“No. It seems like you answered sincerely.”

Crescens, who looked slightly surprised at those words, muttered ‘I’ve been found out.’

“How did you know? Anyway, whether that man felt my sincerity, or whether those words were just an opening, he started telling me about his life.”

I know what’s coming next.

“It was a long and tedious story, but to summarize, he said he was magic immune. And he’s a mage.”

“Life is really… like a ridiculous joke, isn’t it? A mage who’s magic immune. Haha, haha…”

Because I had seen Eivor muttering like that.

It wasn’t like that from birth either. He said he was training well as a mage when it suddenly manifested overnight.

Like Tesagh, he can’t drink magic potions or use healing magic. Teleportation magic is out of the question too.

Since he had training experience, he could use magic through unconventional methods, but it came with tremendous pain.

“I hate this world. I hate God. If you were going to give me such a life…”

“He resented everything in the world. He said he was in such agony, receiving sudden divine punishment, yet he was sick to death of seeing others laughing.”

Eivor’s green eyes as he spoke were blazing with extraordinary hatred.

They were the eyes of someone who wouldn’t be strange to do something terrible at any moment.

“He muttered about wanting to burn everything down and immolate himself too. So what did I say to that…”

What did Crescens answer to those chilling words?

“Resent it.”

“I told him to resent it to his heart’s content.”

Tesagh, who had been suppressing himself all along, couldn’t stand just that and asked back.

“What?”

“I told him to resent it, to hate it. I said the World Tree wouldn’t care at all about some mere mage like him.”

“How is that something a cardinal should say?”

Crescens, who met Tesagh’s glaring gaze, twisted his lips into a crooked smile.

“Because I’m a cardinal, I can say such things. I know, you see. That God is originally unfair.”

“What…!”

“If there are people like me who receive God’s ‘love,’ then it’s natural that there are people who receive God’s ‘hatred,’ isn’t it?”

Tesagh, who was about to retort,

“Duke.”

Stopped when I gently called him while holding his hand.

Eventually, Tesagh took a deep breath and said while rubbing his face.

“…Sorry. I failed to keep my promise.”

“It’s okay. You lasted longer than I expected.”

“Huh?”

I patted the bewildered Tesagh’s hand and looked at Crescens.

As if to say, that’s not all you said, is it?

The strength left Crescens’s body as he stared intently at me and Tesagh.

He smiled somewhat weakly.

“That’s right. That’s not all I said.”

“The World Tree acts without any meaning. It’s us weak beings who assign meaning.”

“Whether the World Tree has some grand plan, or you just got unluckily caught up in it, the answer is the same. That you still have to live on regardless.”

“So if you want to hate, then hate. The World Tree won’t be hurt by such things anyway. But if it’s painful, use that pain as nourishment.”

“So if you go beyond hatred and find a way to live for yourself, wouldn’t that be no different from defeating God? I told him to achieve victory like that. …That’s what I said. I even gave him a blessing.”

“Shall I bless you?”

“That, that kind of thing…”

“It’s okay. It’s not like it wears out. Even if you’re magic immune, divine power should work, right?”

“…”

“So, live as you wish.”

After a moment of silence, Crescens asked.

“Those are really good words, aren’t they?”

“Yes, they are.”

“But the person who heard those good words became a thief who shook the nation. What should I do about this?”

Crescens laughed as if deflated.

It was a cynical smile.

“As I was about to leave, he told me his name was Eivor. To remember it. And I saw that man’s name again in an urgent letter from Moro Diocese. Is that why he told me to remember?”

“…”

“Well, there’s no way to know… Anyway, that’s everything.”

Crescens, who swept back his silver hair, glanced at me.

“Are you disappointed, our sister?”

“Yes.”

“Ugh…”

I added to Crescens, who looked dejected at my firm answer.

“I’m not disappointed that you failed to recognize a future criminal, but that you haven’t told this story to anyone until now.”

“Huh?”

“It could have been a clue to figuring out his motives. No one knew about the magic immunity. So why didn’t you say anything?”

“Ah, uh, um.”

Crescens, who had an expression like he’d been hit where it hurt, stammered.

“Just like how you’ve kept your identity secret until now, do you just like making secrets?”

“N-no, that’s not it!”

“Or did you maintain silence under the guise of confession for such a bastard?”

“That’s not it either! …It just… seemed like it.”

“I can’t hear you. What did you say?”

“…It seemed like you wouldn’t believe me.”

It was instantaneous.

Crescens’s eyes became hollow.

“Just like our Sister first said, how could I not recognize a future criminal? How could I let such a person go? The Imperial Palace and the Duchy would think that way.”

Crescens’s tone was extremely self-deprecating.

“The Church brothers… would probably try to cover it up. After all, it would look like the Cardinal, who receives everyone’s respect and love, was deceived by a criminal and even gave him a blessing.”

Crescens, who had been biting his lips, opened his mouth.

“But now it’s all just excuses. It’ll only sound like making excuses. …I was wrong in my thinking.”

After a moment of silence, he spoke in his usual contrived, playful tone.

“Look, if it weren’t for our Sister, Brother wouldn’t have even tried to listen to the rest of my story. There’s a living example right in front of us.”

“That’s a bit different though.”

“How ridiculous. That was because of your attitude.”

“Ah, changing the subject didn’t work…”

If it was going to be like this, I should have just said I like making secrets, Crescens muttered as he lowered his gaze.

“I’m sorry. For not being able to tell you all this time.”

He added in a voice so small it was barely audible.

“…Thank you. For listening. For making the decision to hear my story.”

I looked at Crescens with complicated feelings.

‘Seeing that this memory remains, it seems like this was the starting point when Eivor decided to commit crimes.’

Could I say this was Crescens’s fault?

‘That’s not right. That would be nitpicking based on results. It might be different if Crescens had known that person’s true identity.’

Glancing at Tesagh, he seemed to be thinking similarly.

While it was true that Crescens was disagreeable, it wasn’t like he had conspired with Eivor either, his face seemed to say.

He had simply done his job as a Cardinal.

‘That bastard Eivor, if his victim complex was so severe, how did he manage to smile so brightly at the Duke’s Residence? And how did he overcome his magic immunity?’

The Eivor in the remaining memories and the Eivor in the photos had the same face but completely different atmospheres, like different people.

It seemed necessary to get testimonies about Eivor from the people at the Duke’s Residence again.

‘The original testimony was mostly about his abilities and personal information, but I should look into things about his character this time.’

As I organized the stories I heard and the scenes I saw in my head, I rummaged through my bag.

I hadn’t come here just to hear about meeting Eivor.

With a rustle, I spread out the documents and clicked my pen.

“Cardinal.”

“H-huh?”

“I listened well for now.”

“What else is left?”

“Of course there is.”

I showed Crescens the list of treasures Eivor had stolen, marked with circles here and there, and asked in a businesslike manner.

“Information about the divine-grade holy relics. Spill everything, not missing a single thing.”

“Whaaaat?!”

Hmm, this reaction feels somewhat familiar.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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