Chapter 694: Return to Empire [2]

"So you are saying that you were

that

guy all along?"

"....Er, yes."

Arriving at Virith-Anash, before continuing our journey back to the Empire, Delilah granted us a few hours of rest. This wasn’t merely due to her kindness, but also because some of the cadets needed some time in order to recuperate from the long teleportation.

I was generally fine, but I did feel a little nauseous.

Long-distance teleportation took quite a heavy toll on a person’s body. I could only imagine how big of a toll Delilah’s body took.

’Is she okay? I’m sure she’s fine. She didn’t show much of a reaction. But what if...?’

Before I knew it, I found myself worrying about her. This was something that I couldn’t help.

In general...

These couple of hours would do good for me too.

But there was still one issue.

"So you’re also that weird Lazarus guy who these people claim to be a merchant pirate?"

"You became a pirate?"

...The sudden onslaught of questions was starting to get to me. The emotional reunion that I had expected never materialized. Rather, I was immediately strangled before suddenly being reminded of my time back when I was here.

Back when I was Lazarus the merchant, who somehow ended up being a pirate, and a sort of legend within this city.

’The one who defied the Light.’

Was what they called Lazarus.

Just thinking about it made me wince.

’Wait, how do they even know all of this?’

Actually, thinking about it, it probably wasn’t hard to know.

In the end, we all managed to enter a more spacious bar where all the cadets sat around as they bombarded me with questions.

"Kek."

"...Kuk."

Of course, the topic still lingered on my pirate days.

"So what did you do as a pirate? Did you go to other ships and take their loot?"

"Haha, I bet that you managed to get a lot of loot."

"Yeah, a lot of..."

Right then, everyone paused, and the previous smiles suddenly faded as realization dawned on them. Staring at their reaction, I immediately got a bad feeling as I shook my head.

"No, I didn’t loot anything. I have my own morals."

I could tell from just a glance that they were eyeing my money. But no. I wasn’t going to give it to them.

"Then what about all the bones you were selling not too long ago?"

My lip twitched as I looked at Leon.

The more I looked at him, the more useless he seemed to me. I was just about to open my mouth to say, ’I should’ve sold you’, and whatnot, but recalling the time when he insulted me in the past, I hastily shut my mouth.

’Right, he’ll just say I overuse my jokes, and how I wasn’t funny and all that...’

For clarification, I didn’t.

...And even if I did, it didn’t matter. What mattered was my delivery, and my delivery was great.

At the very least, it was leagues better than Leon’s.

"So? You seriously didn’t plunder any unlucky soul? If you don’t have money, how did you manage to survive? No, how did you even get here before us?"

At Aoife’s sudden question, the atmosphere turned quiet.

"Right, how was he here before us?"

"...It makes no sense at all."

Looking at everyone and seeing the confusion on their faces, I replied rather quickly.

"Actually, I was on a secret mission."

I had been thinking about how to explain the entire ordeal to them for a while, knowing that I was going to reunite with them eventually. The answer was simple.

"The Chancellor sent me on a mission to scout the area before you guys. It was part of my graduation mission. The reason why she sent me first is because, as the Black Star, my evaluation is a bit different."

"Ah, that makes sense."

"...Right. Why didn’t I think of that?"

Many of the cadets bought my excuse as they all snapped up their fingers in understanding. Of course, that was merely for those who were unaware of my supposed ’death’. Those who were aware all looked at me in silence, their gazes digging into me.

I could only pretend not to see their expressions as I talked with the other cadets.

However, staring at everyone who was speaking to me, asking me questions, some smiling, some laughing, I couldn’t help but feel that the scene was strange.

’Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that this would happen in my first year.’

I thought back to my first year in the world.

Those had probably been my hardest days. During those days, it felt as though the entire world was against me, and I was fighting against it in order to survive. I shut everything around me and just focused on myself.

But then...

Somewhere, some time, everything changed.

The cadets no longer appeared scared of me. I was also not scared or against interacting with them. Looking at the comfortable smiles as I talked to them, I realized just how much had changed since the first year.

Was it them who changed, or was it me?

’Maybe it’s both.’

Whatever the case was, this was... kind of nice.

*

"Ugh."

While the atmosphere was nice and all, it still ended up tiring me out by the time the second hour clocked in. Feeling a headache starting to form, I excused myself and went out of the bar, wandering about the city that I had once lived in for a bit of time.

Memories of the time I was Lazarus resurfaced in my mind as I walked around the bazaar, now a lot quieter than before, until I eventually came to a stop in front of a familiar place.

"This was where I worked for a while. I called it the Gray Chamber Merchant Group. I sold a lot of things."

"...So you did end up making a lot of money."

"I lost it all."

Feeling my lips pull up, I turned around to see a pair of gray eyes staring directly at me. While his appearance was a little different since we were outside, his eyes were still the same, and so was his voice.

"I take it that you’re here because you’re not satisfied with the answer I previously gave?"

"The one about you being here on a secret mission?"

"Ha."

I let out a soft laugh.

"...I take it that I’m right."

Well, this didn’t surprise me. The excuse wasn’t exactly the greatest, and knowing Leon, he was probably curious as to why I had to fake my own ’death’.

I thought about telling him the truth, but...

’I don’t know.’

Leon. Leon... I thought back to how his name was Noel, inverted, and everything that Noel had done to him in the past. From teaching him to guiding him to some extent.

I knew that Noel wouldn’t simply name him Leon and guide him for no reason.

He had plans for Leon, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

’Perhaps, when I get back, I should consider asking Noel.’

But whether Noel would give me an answer or not was an entirely different matter

That bastard...

"Nope. I’m not interested in knowing what you did."

Surprisingly, Leon shook his head, prompting me to raise my brow.

"You aren’t?"

"No, not really."

Leon scratched the side of his neck as I replied.

"You probably have your own reasons, and I’ve been quite busy recently. Life as a prince isn’t as easy as one might think."

"Oh, right."

I was suddenly reminded of this guy’s other identity.

’Right, right. He is a prince, isn’t he?’

"A lot of politics and attempted assassinations. Life without you was quite hectic. You can say that this trip to the mirror dimension has been one of the most relaxing times of my life."

"Is that so?"

Good for him, I guess.

"In that case, do you want to be my knight again?"

"No, fuck that."

"That’s..."

There was not even a hint of hesitation in Leon’s voice.

That...

It kind of hurt.

’It’s not like I treated him badly or anything like that.’

Save from the occasional, ’I’ll sell you’, comment, I felt that I treated him well. The one who treated him badly was the other Julien.

"Even if I wanted to be your knight, now that my identity has been revealed, it’s impossible. It’ll create a mess of the Verdant Empire. The chaos will be pretty big, and..."

Leon suddenly stopped mid-sentence, covering his mouth as he looked at me.

"Now that I think about it, that does sound pretty entertaining."

His lip pulled up slightly as I took a step back.

’What the hell is going on?’

I thought he hadn’t changed while I was gone, but he certainly did. Looking at him and seeing the expression he was making while thinking about the possible chaos his actions would bring, I started to have a bad feeling.

"Say..."

Leon looked at me, his eyes flickering.

"On second tho—"

"Fuck that."

I cut him off before he could even get his words out.

"You’re fired."

"I’m not even hired."

"Doesn’t matter. You’re fired. Don’t even think about it."

"Tsk."

Leon clicked his tongue, and then the two of us paused. Briefly after that, we both smiled.

Well...

Only briefly, as we both started to cringe.

"...Ukh. Never again."

"Yes."

By the time it was all said and done, the two of us returned to the group, and we soon headed back toward the meeting spot where Delilah was waiting. The meeting spot was located a little bit off the main city, in a more desolate area near the cliff where one could still hear the raging waters of the Crimson Sea smash against the cliff. As I stood by the group, I saw her gaze linger over everyone but me as she snapped her fingers.

"Is everyone ready?"

The moment Delilah asked the question, she was met with several nods as some of the cadets paled, some even holding onto their stomachs.

Not that Delilah seemed to care as she suddenly raised her hand and snapped it.

Snap!

One by one, the cadets began to fade before my eyes, disappearing right in front of me. I stared at the sight, waiting for my turn to inevitably arrive, but as the cadets faded one by one, I felt a sinking feeling.

One that became glaring the moment everyone disappeared from view, leaving behind a pair of obsidian eyes staring directly at me.

Splash! Splash!

The crashing of the raging water against the cliff echoed louder than ever as I stared at Delilah.

A question arose in my mind at that moment.

’To jump, or not to jump?’