As soon as I returned from the kingdom, I went looking for Dersia, who had gone on ahead.
"... Ah, Sir Jern."
But all that greeted me was Ciel with a troubled expression and a mansion in shambles, currently on fire.
"An attack...?"
The first thing I thought of was that the Red Lotus had caused trouble in the capital. But looking closely, only Dersia's mansion was slightly burning. Ciel sighed and answered.
"Well, this happened while Master was in the middle of a lesson with Princess Lumia."
"Ah."
Right.
They had made such an agreement. Lumia and Dersia. They were not a very good match.
I asked, slightly worried.
"Did it go as far as treason?"
"No. But it got so heated that I think it's best to leave them be for now."
"No matter how unhinged Master is, it will likely end with her just teaching Princess Lumia a small lesson, so please don't worry too much."
"I understand."
Since it had come to this, it seemed right to go and talk with Karos first, who had come with me. I found an Imperial Palace guard and explained my reason for being there, and he handed me a letter. The letter had a map to the teahouse where I had met the princess last time.
"... Hmm."
I hesitated for a moment. Was it right to meet Karos alone? She didn't seem to like me very much.
The thought that it might be dangerous crossed my mind, but— 'Still, I need to know about the officers.' If there was one thing I learned from the battle with the mass, it was that I knew far too little about the Red Lotus.
Even if they were good at keeping secrets, by this point I should have had some idea of how they operated, but aside from them being a group of psychopaths who drive people into becoming fallen ones, I knew nothing particularly special. I had no choice but to head to the teahouse.
I opened the door and looked for Karos, but I couldn't see anyone in black armor. I looked around for a long time. Until I heard a cough from the table right next to me.
"... Over here."
"?"
I looked at the woman sitting at the desk, who had a sulky expression as if she had just come up to the capital from the countryside, and narrowed my eyes.
"Uh, umm. You look more ordinary than I thought."
That was the gentlest way I could put it. I hadn't expected the Princess's foremost sword to look so plain.
"I am aware that I lack an imposing presence. That is why I always wear that armor."
As I hesitantly took a seat, Karos let out a sigh. Then she raised her hand and drew a line through the air around us. At the same time, the surrounding noise became quiet, bordering on complete silence.
The chatter from the next table sounded as faint as if I were eavesdropping on a conversation a hundred meters away. It was a surprising power. I let out a small gasp and asked.
"Sir Karos, were you a mage as well?"
"I am, in name and reality, the child of a commoner. This is not magic, but a simple trick of slicing through the domain of sound." ...
Can that be called a simple trick?
"Isn't that more impressive than magic?"
"All I can manage is this simple feat after finally reaching this realm, so what's so impressive about it? It's a simple spell that even 3-Star mages can perform."
"All this is is spending more time and effort to produce a more inferior result."
As I looked at her self-deprecating smile, a sense of familiarity suddenly washed over me. I thought I had seen her face somewhere before...
"Come to think of it, that's the princess's face from when we first met. Your impression was so different that I didn't recognize you."
"Yes. At that time, the princess was borrowing my body for a moment."
"...'Borrowing'?"
"We can exchange our minds using a certain artifact. It's a secret known only to the princess and me, which we've never told anyone."
"Well, now I know. Is it alright to tell me something like that?"
Could this be a setup to get rid of me? As I asked with a bit of tension, Karos smirked and nodded.
"Compared to what I'm about to say, it's a trivial matter."
"Weren't we going to talk about the Red Lotus' officers?"
"That is correct. But to bring up that topic is... the same as me betraying Her Highness. In such a situation, is sharing our minds really that big of a secret?"
"..."
I studied Karos's face. I realized it now, but it was the face of someone who had made their resolve. I quietly shook my head and tried to dissuade her.
"If it truly comes to that, then I will not listen. Let's not cross such a dangerous river. Lady Sharmia probably knows everything."
"Her prophecies are not perfect."
"No, wait a moment. I didn't come here to hear something like that."
Sensing the gravity of the situation, I frowned and stood up from my seat. For her to say that meant she was truly committing betrayal. And I had no intention of making an enemy of the princess.
To bare my fangs at the de facto ruler while living in the Empire? Without any particular reason? It was an incredibly foolish thing to do.
And now, Karos, as her escort knight, was about to speak of the princess's prophecies, a secret she absolutely had to protect. It was a clear act of hostility.
"I thought you were a loyal and faithful knight all this time, so why are you suddenly acting like this?"
"Loyalty..."
Karos looked down at the desk and answered in a low voice.
"Have you ever heard the discourse on the difference with a dog's knight?"
"No." "A well-trained dog obeys its human master absolutely. If told to bite, it bites; if told to chase, it chases. In that case, can the dog be seen as being loyal to its master?"
"Isn't that ambiguous? In the end, it's just carrying out orders."
"A knight's loyalty has a similar aspect. To carry out orders as they are given."
"To become a sword wielded as the master wishes."
"By that logic, isn't it that a dog and a knight are no different to their master, aside from the difference in their strength and methods?"
"A knight with the spirit of a dog, isn't the dog's knight the most superior of all knights... It's an ancient discourse composed of such claims and the many arguments to refute them."
"Hmm."
I didn't know what she was suddenly talking about, but I nodded in acknowledgment.
"What is your opinion, Sir Karos?"
"I still do not know."
Clasping her hands together, she gritted her teeth.
"Whether my current actions are right, or if I'm just throwing a fit based on my own arbitrary standards. To be honest, I just feel like I'm making a mistake."
"There's a saying that if you're debating whether to do something, you shouldn't do it."
"I have been doing so all this time. However, I came to regret it. The more time I spend by Her Highness's side, the more I know. It's impossible not to know..."
Tightly.
Clenching her hands so hard they turned white, she continued her impassioned plea.
"Seeing the future is not merely in the realm of magic. It is a power closer to that of a curse. As a price for seeing the future, the princess is using her life."
"You mean, her lifespan?"
"Her life."
As the resolute Karos was about to open her mouth, I raised my hand to stop her.
"Please don't tell me the details. I really don't want to be a traitor."
"Didn't you say last time that we couldn't work together unless you told me?"
"Yes. But I said that expecting that you wouldn't be able to tell me, Sir Karos. If I'm to hear it, it should be from Lady Sharmia's own lips."
"Hearing it from you, Sir Karos, means nothing other than becoming a traitor."
"... Yes. I understand."
Nodding, she changed the subject.
"She was ten years old. Since that age, Her Highness has protected the Empire without allowing a single crack to form."
"However, after the appearance of the Red Lotus, that burden has become even heavier. To the point where she would even extend a hand to a young child like you."
"Ahem. I am aware that you do not approve of me."
"This is not a matter of personal preference. The princess can only see the near future now, but once, when she was ten, she saw the very distant future..."
Her eyes became wistful as she looked at me.
"The princess saw you in that future."
"Is that so?"
Was that why the princess was so obsessed with me?
Quite curious.
I focused and asked.
"What do I become in the future?"
"An officer of the Red Lotus."
"... Excuse me?"
"It is as I said. You will become the worst kind of enemy, one who stands in the Empire's way."
"Did the princess herself tell you that?"
"Yes."
"That can't be. I'd rather die than be with those people."
Karos's bombshell, what should I say, was something I simply couldn't comprehend. I didn't like the Red Lotus. Honestly, knowing they were a group that kidnapped and tortured children, I found them repulsive.
I had no desire to become one of them. Even if I did, it would be by force, not because I sincerely wanted to become one of them and rise to the rank of officer. I had no such desire, not even a little.
Karos nodded slightly, yet she asserted it.
"But it is the truth. You will join them one way or another. It is like destiny, something that can never be changed."
"Her Highness said there are things that can be prevented and things that cannot—you becoming an officer of the Red Lotus is the latter. She said it cannot be prevented."
"I see..."
I nodded, slowly understanding.
"So that's why you hated me?"
"It is not a matter of personal preference—I said that, but it's true I was wary of you."
"It is right to kill one who will become an officer of the Red Lotus. That was my judgment... I apologize."
"There's nothing to apologize for. That's the right way to think."
If anything, finding out the reason for Karos's inexplicable wariness made me feel more at ease. Even I wouldn't be able to stand it if a key member of the Red Lotus was right in front of me.
The fact that she went beyond that and allowed me to speak with the princess could be seen as a display of superhuman mental fortitude.
"But Her Highness sought to employ you. I believe the reason is that she knew of your competence from the first future she saw."
"Competence?"
"Jern. You are eleven years old."
"That's right. What about it?"
"It means you are still young, and that you have much more room to grow. You will develop even further from where you are now."
A hint of fear flashed in Karos's eyes.
"I couldn't understand at first, but knowing you now, I can understand Her Highness's judgment."
"She must have thought of you as a card that could increase her options by dozens just by holding it in her hand."
"I don't understand. You said it's impossible to stop me from becoming a Red Lotus officer, right?"
"If the card is bound to fall into the enemy's hands anyway, is there any reason to nurture it?"
"It means Her Highness is so cornered that she must grasp at even such a measure."
Karos looked at me straight in the eye.
"She ordered me to keep all of this from you."
"... Why did you disobey that order?"
"I saw your abilities. You are promising, a talent who can be of use even at your current level."
"I learned of your character. I knew you were someone who could not be moved by any reward or temptation. But what I focused on was your humanity."
"?"
"Jern. You are a good person. You know how to think of others, and you know how to be angry for the sake of the weak. At least, that is how I judged you."
Without batting an eye, she uttered words that made me blush, then stood up and bowed her head.
"I believed that a sincere request like this would be far more effective than any offer of reward or temptation, so I went out of my way to arrange this meeting."
"I have revealed everything I know to you. Please, could you not lend your aid to Her Highness?"
"I'm just a fallen one who has a hard time just trying to survive. I think you're expecting too much."
"Even if you are a good person, I am not asking for your help just trusting in that alone."
"As Her Highness's escort knight, I will make a vow to you. If you help Her Highness, I will betray her one more time."
"Excuse me?"
"No one has heard more from Her Highness than I have. I will give you the knowledge of the future that you desire."
"For example?"
"I know of several hideouts that the Red Lotus is concealing. The places where they have stored their research data."
This was a truly tempting offer. If I were to receive knowledge of the future directly from the princess, I couldn't even imagine what kind of price I would have to pay. But if I helped the princess at Karos's behest, I could make the princess feel indebted to me while collecting the actual reward from Karos.
Two birds with one stone. As long as Sharmia didn't find out about our secret contract through a prophecy, it was a deal with no downside. And that prophecy couldn't be invincible.
Above all.
"..."
I met Karos's clear eyes. Even if I couldn't trust the princess, I could trust this woman. I could feel the unique resolve of someone speaking the truth.
I slowly nodded my head.
"Very well. However, there is one thing we need to settle before we proceed."
"... I apologize for all the times I have tried to test you."
"That's not it. You said that me becoming a Red Lotus officer is something that cannot be prevented, correct?"
"...?"
"Yes. That is correct."
"If that's true, I'm starting to get scared of myself. Are you really making a contract like this so recklessly? Isn't that too dangerous?"
"I am asking for your help fully aware of all the risks."
I looked at Karos's stern expression and gave her a slight smile.
"May I ask a few things?"
"Yes. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."
"First, when does me becoming a Red Lotus officer happen?"
"I do not know. It could be tomorrow, or it could be ten years from now."
"Do I kill or attack anyone in the Red Lotus?"
"That is not set in stone either. To begin with, things like that belong to the kind of future that can be changed. Unlike you joining the Red Lotus."
"Hmm."
This narrowed down the possibilities. I opened my workshop and took out the red steel necklace. Seeing it, Karos tilted her head.
"What is this?"
"During my last battle with the Red Lotus, I received an offer to join them."
"I naturally refused, but they gave me this, telling me to use it if I changed my mind. I believe it's some kind of tool for communicating with them."
"Why do you still have that...?"
"Sir Karos. You said I will one day become an officer of the Red Lotus."
"That it's an unchangeable future, and because it will surely happen, I am a dangerous person."
"Ah, yes."
"Then wouldn't it be fine if I just do it now?"
"What are you talking about... I don't quite understand."
"A Red Lotus officer. Let's give it a try as a spy."
"... Excuse me?"
Looking at Karos's dumbfounded expression, I steeled my resolve. A great person I admire once said something. If you can't change the future?
Then you just have to deceive the world.