Chapter 229

Heike looked up at the streetlamp illuminating us and let out a deep breath before speaking.

“I told Narce and you that I wanted to try living with Mom after graduation, but the possibility of that happening is close to zero. It was just… literally a dream.”

“…….”

“I feel sorry for being able to stand shoulder to shoulder with you guys despite my lacking skills, but separately from that, I honestly like being at Eszett. Maybe, even by chance, just once, there might be a possibility of running into Mom.”

Ever since the talk about her mother started earlier, that usually quiet one kept talking without stopping.

At least regarding the Eszett matter, I was about to console her that there was no need to feel indebted, when Heike muttered.

“If our mom was also a mage affiliated with the imperial family, it would have been easier to hear news about her.”

She was almost obsessively folding the empty paper bowl in half repeatedly. I snatched that paper and asked.

“Then, do you know absolutely nothing about Mom’s news?”

“No, I know a little. She’s a teacher at a magic school in the northern part of the capital. She said she lives in the faculty dormitory there.”

When I just looked at her, Heike added a bit more.

“It’s 10 o’clock now. At this time, she’d be reading the evening edition of the Imperial Newspaper and an education journal, and around midnight, she’ll take a walk by the lake in front of the school. She’ll come out for another walk before going to work tomorrow, and from 7 o’clock, she’ll start morning classes. She doesn’t eat lunch at school but always goes out to eat.”

“…Huh? What? Why do you know so well?”

I just said it casually, expecting her to tell me the source of the information….

Is this delusion? Or did she really hear it from somewhere?

My reaction must have come across as quite flustered, because Heike clamped her mouth shut and then explained.

“I hired someone at the beginning of the year.”

“…….”

When I gave an incredulous smile, Heike rolled her eyes.

“…That’s all I know besides that.”

“…….”

“…Sorry. Actually, I also know that Mom likes beer. Um, I know she doesn’t eat much for dinner… But really, I don’t know more than this. Trying to find out without crossing into dangerous territory meant I couldn’t learn much.”

‘…Well, yeah.’

For nobles, investigating one person isn’t that difficult.

It’s not right, but this kind of investigation happens commonly even in the 21st century, so it’s not that surprising. Wasn’t the commercialization of background checks starting around this time anyway?

It’s just that for the usually emotionless Heike to go to the extent of spending time and money on this, it’s hard to gauge just how curious she was about her mother.

I organized my thoughts and said.

“Heike. If you meet your mother, does it not matter what kind of reaction she shows you?”

Would it really be okay if her mother came out hostile?

It was a bit off from the flow of the conversation and slightly rude.

However, I had no choice but to point it out. In my opinion, it seemed a little dangerous.

No matter how much she thought it would be fine, if things went wrong upon actually meeting, she might get genuinely hurt. Heike’s resolve was firm, but until she experienced it firsthand, nothing could be certain. People know less about themselves than they think.

Heike answered without hesitation.

“It doesn’t matter. As you know, I don’t even properly know why I wanted to get close to you. I already told you I don’t know if it’s simply because I wanted a friend too, or if I liked you. It’s the same. I’ve already imagined the worst-case scenario countless times and grew up hearing from my uncle that Mom doesn’t think about me, but I’ve never really been hurt by it.”

“I see.”

“Moreover, even if I get hurt by directly witnessing that Mom hates me….”

Heike continued with a nonchalant face.

“I want that.”

“…….”

“I want to be someone who can feel such emotions. Also, if Mom hates me, that means I, who was made from Mom’s blood, can become someone who can hate someone like Mom does. So, someone who can feel clearer emotions.”

I thought the approach was wrong.

There was no need to obsess over not feeling emotions properly; if that emotional deficiency didn’t cause harm to society, there was no need to force herself to fix it.

Also, her mother and Heike were separate beings. Was it healthy to seek justification for affirming herself from others? How much could that justification obtained from others sustain her?

“…….”

My answer clearly pointed in the opposite direction of what Heike aimed for.

But regardless of what I thought, Heike wanted to feel richer and deeper emotions. Also, even if it wasn’t the healthiest method, if she could gain a foundation for growth through her mother, it wouldn’t be all bad.

In the end, I had no reason to preach to her to ‘find grounds to affirm yourself from yourself,’ and since she wasn’t seeking my help, I had no reason to rashly encourage her to try hard to feel emotions.

If it weren’t a suggestion, I wouldn’t have intervened in Heike’s life in any direction. That was my intention.

However, she was a character who could become a worse villain than Adelbert in the future, and the system used the ‘suggestion’ to induce conquering Heike to change her future.

So….

I would try meddling in something I originally wouldn’t have bothered with in my lifetime.

“Heike.”

Heike’s half-lidded eyes turned toward me. Under the streetlamp, Heike’s ash-gray eyes had sunk into a different light from usual, darkly.

“If I help you now, would you want to go see your mother?”

Heike’s eyes widened. An indescribable anticipation appeared on her face and quickly vanished. An expression close to resignation emerged, and she replied in a tone devoid of any excitement, as if reading from a textbook.

“It’s a contract violation.”

“What if we can avoid violating it?”

“…….”

She realized my voice was utterly serious. Heike’s eyes narrowed. The corner of her mouth that was about to rise into a scoff twisted.

I grabbed the necklace chain from inside my shirt and pulled out whichever of the two artifacts my hand caught. What came out in my hand was the artifact Tsheringen gave me. It didn’t matter which one, since Heike didn’t know the purpose of my artifacts anyway.

I couldn’t reveal that I could use divine power, and I didn’t want to mess with her brain, so I needed to deceive a little. I lightly channeled divine power into the hand holding the artifact.

“…What is it?”

Heike’s eyes widened. To make the transformation spell I cast on her look like it came from the artifact, not my magic, from now on, this had to appear as power from the artifact.

Without answering that question, I continued what I was saying earlier.

“If you were to meet your mother in my appearance.”

So, if she borrowed the transformation magic of divine power. Even if she couldn’t go before her in her own appearance, if she could stand before her mother and converse with her that way?

Heike looked at the white light shimmering like a star in the darkness, then raised her head.

“…….”

Heike’s pupils shook.

Staring at her pale face, I said.

“Then, would that still be a contract violation?”

“…Of course. Even if covered in divine power, it’s still me. Of course….”

Heike’s voice trembled.

A faint smile appeared on her face, then distorted again. It was closer to not being able to settle on a reaction due to the unforeseen situation, rather than a rejection response.

When I showed a smile, an indecipherable smile rose on her face again. I could tell she copied my expression because she didn’t know what face to make.

Breath mixed into Heike’s voice, and the sound gradually faded. A chilling obsession I’d never seen before flashed in her eyes.

“…But since no one would know it’s me, the contract would lose its meaning now.”

“You know it well, Heike.”

“…….”

“Decide. If you want, I’ll help.”

*  *  *

“Really, what are you doing at this hour….”

Back at school.

Richthofen, who came out wearing casual clothes with just a robe over them, shook his head with a wry laugh.

We needed to borrow space magic, so we needed a skilled person. Even now, we were standing on his space magic.

I greeted with a serious expression.

“It’s already 11 o’clock, so thank you for helping at this late hour.”

“It might be better not to greet me so formally. You know why I’m saying that?”

“Get used to it.”

“Yeah. Keep asking with that reckless attitude.”

Richthofen waved his hand roughly and stuck his face close to Heike’s.

Precisely, to Heike who was wearing my face thanks to the overlay of divine power.

Since Heike wanted to meet her mother, I cast a spell on her to change her appearance.

Actually, going disguised as a complete stranger would be the safest. Because there’s no weight attached to the name.

But if a complete stranger suddenly went to her and brought up her child, there’s a chance she’d cut it off with ‘I have no such child.’

Then, what if disguising as a mage from the imperial family?

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