Chapter 230

Then, Helene Ainsidel looked back and forth between me and Heike.

“Eszett? This person is also from the Imperial Second Academy. What’s the matter…?”

“I’m sorry for not making an appointment in advance. To assess the eligibility of our Eszett team members, we are visiting the families and acquaintances of each team member. I know it must be very confusing, but could you spare a moment for an interview?”

Heike spoke with a more proper expression and an appropriate voice than I had expected. It was nothing like the usual Heike.

Helene Ainsidel frowned with a smile that seemed troubled.

“Eligibility…? This must be the security clearance procedure I’ve only heard about.”

It might seem unusual to conduct it after already joining, but in fact, many background checks are periodically done even after entering the organization.

I checked the probability of change for a moment, and the value was still 51.9%. Since the value hadn’t decreased, it seemed no troublesome issues would arise from this.

Helene Ainsidel’s expression was already richer than Heike’s. Her face clearly showed confusion and displeasure.

“How did you know I was here…? More importantly, I am not that child’s parent. Heinrich Ainsidel is that child’s father, so it would be better to go to him.”

“…….”

Heike froze without saying a word. I glanced at her and answered instead.

“We plan to visit Heinrich Ainsidel as well. And since Heike and you haven’t met directly, it’s fine.”

“…That makes sense. But I don’t know much about that child. I raised her only until she was five, and after that, Heinrich Ainsidel took her and raised her.”

“That’s fine. We came to ask you about Heike Ainsidel’s early childhood. Could you answer a few questions?”

“…If there’s anything I know about her.”

Helene looked around the lake enveloped in space magic, realized there was no one listening to our conversation right there, and nodded.

The questions and answers went smoothly. We asked the questions listed in the security clearance procedure manual, and she answered everything as she remembered.

After about 20 minutes, Heike wrapped up the conversation appropriately.

“Thank you. Since she’s already joined, we intend to just keep this for reference, so this should be enough.”

“How odd. It’s simple.”

Helene Ainsidel had a relaxed face, unlike at first.

Heike, who had been fiddling with the end of the leather clipboard until it frayed, quietly asked.

“…By any chance, is there anything you’d like to say? I’ll pass it on later.”

“No.”

Helene Ainsidel smiled as she answered. She opened and closed her mouth repeatedly, then spoke with difficulty.

“If I were to have my story told now, it would only disturb Heike unnecessarily. Since we separated when her memories weren’t clear, she probably has no particular feelings about me now. It’s better to leave it be; that’s the way to help her.”

Silence flowed. The faint sound of insects chirping came from the opposite side of the lake.

I could see Heike wanted to say something. I waited for her, but Heike didn’t speak until the end.

Helene Ainsidel continued slowly, looking at the rippling surface of the lake.

“Instead, there’s something I’d like to ask you. Is Heike still quiet now?”

“…Are you curious?”

“Of course.”

Helene Ainsidel smiled with a face immersed in memories.

“Heike was extremely quiet from a young age. She was a child who spent the whole day casting magic at the sky. So, I remember the servants found her very hard to handle.”

“…Was she…, Ahem, no, why was that.”

“She had the qualities of a perfect mage from then on. Simply being able to use magic is different from having passion for it. That child was prepared to devote herself to the discipline of magic, both in passion and ability. To the extent that a small magic school in the territory couldn’t handle it. Ah, perhaps her talent doesn’t stand out much at the Imperial Second Academy?”

“…….”

Since Heike didn’t answer, I quickly replied instead.

“No, she was sufficiently outstanding there as well.”

“That makes sense. That’s why she entered the imperial family. …It’s satisfying. Until recently, I didn’t think so, but lately, I’ve come to feel that handing Heike over to Heinrich Ainsidel was the right thing.”

“Weren’t you sad when you parted?”

Heike asked without expression.

In the situation where the person standing next to Helene appeared as Lucas, not Heike, it was quite a rude question, but I had no intention of stopping Heike.

As if proving she couldn’t feel emotions well, no resentment or sadness could be felt in Heike’s eyes. It was just a feeling of wanting to know something academically unknown, purely that.

The silence was long. I could feel the air growing heavy. Helene Ainsidel remained silent, then exhaled and said.

“How could I not be.”

Heike’s gaze sank slightly.

Her mother could naturally feel emotions, unlike herself. It was clear evidence regarding emotions.

“But what’s important isn’t my feelings and desires, but the child’s future, right? If I were Heike, I wouldn’t want to grow up under me, who has neither the wealth nor the ability to let her study at the empire’s best school.”

“…….”

“In contrast, Heinrich Ainsidel is far more socially successful than I am. The world he sees is broader and holds more possibilities than the world I could show Heike. A parent who can fulfill whatever the child desires is better than one who can’t let the child walk the path she wants. So, what should I have done?”

“…….”

Heike still moved her lips with a face devoid of any emotion. Unlike her expression, her throat seemed choked. I couldn’t tell exactly what thoughts were causing that.

“I often regretted it, but after hearing she was selected for the imperial family, those regrets vanished completely. My choice wasn’t wrong, after all. Isn’t it that my wish from back then, for her to fully unleash her talent, has come true?”

“…….”

“I’ve been scrapbooking all the newspapers featuring that child so far. Hahaha…. I don’t know how such a child came from my blood.”

“Don’t you want to see her in person?”

“I did see her. I attended the launch ceremony. Ah, you know it’s not a contract violation, right? Since I didn’t face her directly.”

“You came to the launch ceremony.”

Ignoring Helene’s defensive attitude, Heike, fixated on the previous words, murmured as if dreaming.

“If you could go back 13 years and change your choice, would you do it?”

“You mean, would I raise her myself without handing her over to Heinrich? I didn’t know, but Mr. Askanian, you’re quite curious.”

I wondered if it meant to stop the rude questions, but Helene Ainsidel didn’t seem to have said it with that intention, as she continued smiling.

“…That’s a bit troubling. But I couldn’t do that.”

“Why?”

“As I said earlier, I don’t have the ability to properly raise a child with such potential. Someone destined for greatness should play in big waters; you can’t raise them in a small vessel. If I had raised Heike, she wouldn’t have been able to go to the imperial family like now. Even with ability more than enough for the Imperial Academy, she’d be studying at an ordinary high school.”

“…….”

“Wouldn’t that be doing wrong by my child?”

Heike didn’t answer. The wind blew from the lake. The sound of willow leaves fluttering and colliding in the wind sounded like rain.

“…I don’t think she’d think that way.”

Heike’s voice was cracking. Helene Ainsidel stared at her and nodded.

“I hope so.”

Helene Ainsidel looked at the clock tower in the distance and said.

“Well, I should go now. I need to prepare for tomorrow soon.”

Instead of Heike, who just stood there without answering, I greeted her.

“Thank you for today. You must not speak of this incident anywhere.”

“Of course. If it becomes known that I was with people who know about Heike, it would only cause unnecessary trouble anyway.”

With that, Helene Ainsidel stood still in her spot.

“This might not be appropriate to say, but it was enjoyable. It’s the first time in 13 years I’ve talked about Heike again.”

She smiled and extended her hand to me. After briefly shaking and releasing it, Helene now offered a handshake to Heike.

Heike looked at the hand, then slowly took it. Helene Ainsidel lightly shook it, then drew her wand from her waist, broke the space magic, and disappeared.

Heike stared quietly at the spot where she had vanished.

She stood there for a long time, as if her legs didn’t ache, then turned to look at me. The face she wore, which was mine, still showed no emotion.

“Are you okay?”

Heike nodded.

We went back the way Helene had come and returned to Richthofen.

Richthofen, who had been playing with a small unnamed dog on the opposite walkway—fortunately in human form—stood up when he saw us.

“You’re back. Did the conversation go well?”

Heike, who had been silent all along, finally answered.

“Yes. Thank you for helping today.”

“No problem.”

Richthofen pointed at me and said.

“I owed this junior a bit anyway, and it didn’t feel like someone else’s business. If you need help in the future, let me know.”

“Yes.”

Richthofen seemed to empathize, as he was also adopted into a family.

He was from a declining lower nobility but was adopted into a Junker family due to his high mana amount.

We returned to the dormitory.

Richthofen to his room, Heike and I to Heike’s room.

It was closer to following because Heike wouldn’t let go of my sleeve.

I worried that if there was another person in the room, they might wonder why we were entering together, but fortunately, Heike’s roommate, Tsheringen, wasn’t there.

Heike sat me on the sofa in her room, pulled out two beers from somewhere, and plopped down next to me. No one spoke, so the room was quiet. I took the beer from the blank-eyed Heike and sank into thought.

‘Hm.’

It was now past midnight.

The suggestion would end at noon today.

Since she still hadn’t given favorability… Well, it was regrettable, but let’s say it’s fine.

I did my best, but that didn’t mean the other party had an obligation to repay my efforts. Naturally, I wasn’t disappointed or angry with Heike for not giving me favorability.

If I had to point out the real problem, it wasn’t Heike not giving me favorability, but this system that semi-forced me to obtain others’ emotions.

More than that….

I examined my face. Precisely, Heike with my face.

With no expression, I couldn’t tell if she was in an okay state now. Since she had the potential to walk the worst future path, Heike’s state after receiving a shock she might never forget in life was more important than the suggestion. I wondered if this would cause her to derail.

‘If there are signs of that, I’ll turn back time immediately.’

I checked the probability of change window.

The probability of change had risen by 2%p, becoming 53.9%. It felt like just yesterday it started at 0, but now it was over half.

‘Since the value rose compared to before meeting her mother… It seems I can relax for now.’

I would keep a close watch to see if anything happened to her, though.

With that thought, I looked at Heike. As I absentmindedly poked her cheek, thinking this was how my face looked to others, Heike turned her head.

“…Huh?”

“What are you thinking.”

“Do you play pranks like this too?”

Heike smiled faintly now.

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