CH 80

Obey, or Forced to Obey

As the academic conference was just around the corner, doctors became busy. They either walked around the hall like sleepwalkers, poured coffee into the pot, or tried to drink ink. Kyrie came to observe as she worked next to them. The lights in the room didn’t go out until dawn. Looking at the swaying candles and the darkness outside the window, Kyrie was lost in thought.

「What are you going to present?」

“The End of the world. We are mainly related to history. Other than that, there’s a variety of magic, science, and so on.”

「I don’t know what it’s like to study the apocalypse.」

Dr. Poe replied. His white, plump cheeks were steeply shaded by the lanterns.

“The End doesn’t just happen once in history. I’m sure he’ll show up again. That could be tomorrow or right now.”

「Usually aristocrats learn that ‘End’ is just a metaphor, and that it was hostile forces, famine, disease, etc. Did I get it wrong?」

“I wouldn’t say it’s particularly wrong.”

Dr. Poe leaned back. Because of his weight, the chair he was sitting on made a terrible sound, covering the sound of grasshoppers from outside.

“Even the academic community didn’t focus on what The End was at first. We had thought that the founder, Vallabriga Orewinbridge, was just exaggerating a little to elevate dignity.”

「So?」

“Several traces were discovered, and the academic world was turned upside down! You know about the ancient times, don’t you?”

「Not as much as you guys, but a little bit. I know it was a time of great prosperity in many ways.」

“Right, a lot of unfamiliar technology was able to figure this out. Even in those ancient times, there are some signs warning of The End.”

Kyrie put on a surprised look. She had never learned such a thing despite being taught by a great teacher, Gervannis, who was even recognized by Zhenya. Dr. Poe smiled at Kyrie.

“You don’t have to know. The Orewinbridge dynasty is rather rare to record, perhaps because it was founded after The End. As you know, a little…”

「You’re talking about the branch. Founder designated many books as forbidden books, collected them in the royal library, and burned the rest.」

“Yes, that’s why scholars don’t like the founder very much.”

“Vallabriga was a madman.”

Dr. Seward barged in. He was frowning, rubbing his forehead to see if the problem was solved.

“I’m sure he was afraid of something. Otherwise, there’s no reason to do such a thing.”

The ‘something’ he’s talking about is probably Nathaniel. 

Kyrie fell into thought. She heard Vallabriga woke Nathaniel up in the ice to defeat The End.

‘But if Nathaniel is the apocalypse, what kind of apocalypse was he before he woke up?’

It is unlikely that Nathaniel hurt others by using his limbs in the ice. He’s a man who kills someone without hesitation, but doesn’t feel much enthusiasm for it. This always boils down to one thing.

‘What the hell is he?’

“So, if you’ve heard anything from the Legendary Lord…”

Dr. Poe implored furtively. She thought he actually wanted to inquire about this from the beginning. Kyrie shook her head, hesitating. She didn’t know if she could tell others about the founder.

“Is that so…”

Looking at Dr. Poe, sullenly fiddling with the corner of the paper, Kyrie moved her pen and asked.

「So you guys actually want to talk to the Legendary Lord.」

“It would be great if it were possible.”

The answer this time came from Dr. Hawksong. She was transcribing something until the day before yesterday, and said, pressing the bridge of her nose with glasses on it.

“I’ve already asked the Lord Protector to cover it a few times, but he never never responded. There are two survivors of that time, however we can’t hear them. It’s sad for a scholar.”

Doctors were sullen and silent like a seven-year-old child who got banned from having the cake that was in front. Kyrie, who saw her, blinked motionless, then got up and approached Dr. Poe’s desk.

「Can you lend me your scissors?」

“Scissors?”

Dr. Poe asked back curiously.

“Here it is, but…”

The pair of scissors was carefully handed over to Kyrie. And, to everyone’s surprise, she grabbed her own hair and snipped it off.

“Ahh!”

Dr. Poe leaked out a scream. Kyrie placed her cut hair on an empty sheet of paper.

「Show this to Lord Protector. He’ll probably allow you to uncover it. I don’t think he will tell you everything, but it’ll be better to meet him.」

Anyway, when this hair is delivered to Leschaux, it will be after she disappears. Nathaniel wouldn’t even notice it because of the power of the veil. The eyes of the three doctors were wide open. Even Dr. Seward seemed embarrassed.

“N—no, doesn’t hair matter to a noble?”

「It’s not even my neck. It’ll grow back.」

“Yes?”

「Do you not like it?」

“No way!”

Three doctors shouted at the same time. Kyrie gave a weak smile.

「My mother forced me to. However, trying to hide someone from the Legendary Lord is not something I usually do with courage, so please consider it my own sincerity.」

Dr. Poe was the first of the three to respond. He buried his face in the palm of his hand.

“How sweet of you! Finally, there’s progress in the research!”

“Amazing.”

“Can I ask you a little bit about the market?”

Dr. Seward sneaked in. Kyrie smiled and moved her pen to write a letter.

「This is Kyrie Buchanan. My apology will still be valid, right? If you don’t mind, I’d like you to tell the people who deliver this letter the story they seek.」

When she folded the note and handed it over, Dr. Seward’s mouth wriggled. She felt like he was holding back his smile. With a softer look on his face, Dr. Hawksong turned to Kyrie.

“We’ve got more than we can do for you.”

「It’s nothing.」

“You don’t realize it, Miss. Buchanan, but you’ve given us a tremendous opportunity.”

Her eyes glimmered behind her eyeglasses.

“From Phronois to Libra. I’ll do my best to help you. Is there anything else you need?”

Kyrie, who was about to shake her head, stopped moving. Her eyes turned to the pictures on the wall.

‘Is Nathaniel really The End of history?’

Kyrie clenched her fist and hesitated.

「This may sound funny, so please don’t laugh. By any chance, The End… Can he die?」

“Oh.”

Dr. Hawksong replied calmly with her shining olive-colored eyes.

“Of course.”

Kyrie was speechless for a moment.

「Of course?」

Dr. Hawksong shrugged.

“Don’t all the people of Trevereum grow up learning that ‘the three heroes have defeated the apocalypse?’

「Wait a minute.」

Kyrie blocked her from speaking. She needed to dig deeper. Suddenly, it occurred to her that Zhenya had sent her to Aldrelm for this moment.

「Not with heroes, but with the power of ordinary people.」

“Are you assuming that Vallabriga Orewinbridge isn’t even a wizard?”

「Yes, only by the power of ordinary people.」

Dr. Hawksong became worried, holding her chin.

“…In fact, we suspect that The End is something that cannot be killed with pure human strength.”

「What do you mean?」

“You can’t kill death or love, can you? We think that’s what ‘End’ is.”

After the last words, she hesitated a little and added.

“To be more honest, all you have to do is avoid it.”

「Dr. Poe thinks the same, too. Is it possible to avoid it?」

“I’m not sure yet. It’s just a hypothesis.”

「Please tell me.」

Dr. Hawksong calmly examined the reactions around her. Dr. Poe was dozing off in front of his desk, and Dr. Seward was listening to the story with  interest while repeatedly teasing the pen. The pen point concealed the sound of grasshoppers and wind that rang quietly at night.

Margaret Hawksong sighed.

“If I may say so…, he probably won’t open the door.”

She raised her eyebrows and took off her glasses and she then put them down on the desk.

“First of all, I have to tell you the beginning of how we came to this conclusion. This hypothesis started with the idea that The End is a tangible but ideological existence.”

Dr. Hawksong searched through the piles of paper on her desk and began to look through them.

“You know, especially the ideological threat, people don’t say it directly. In order to keep children from going to the water, they would say that there’s a demon in the shape of a horse living in the water.”

Kyrie quickly hit the nail on what she was about to say.

「That’s what you mean by how to avoid The End.」

“Exactly.”

Dr. Hawksong lowered her voice significantly. Just in time, the grasshoppers stopped crying for a while. She was appalled for no reason. Kyrie clenched the veil tighter without saying a word.

“We explored a lot of traces. Additionally, I’ve sorted out a few stories that are too suspicious to be just a warning to ticks and intruders.”

Kyrie held up her pen, somehow feeling like a thief digging into the tomb of a dead king.

「For example?」

“For example… Let’s see…”

Dr. Hawksong put her finger on her lips and looked out of the window.

“Don’t open the door to anyone beyond the window.”

Kyrie’s body was shivering. Dr. Hawksong did not notice. Her appearance showed the mature comfort that only old people could have, but Kyrie’s hands began to tremble.

She had a sense of déjà vu. A very strong sense of déjà vu.

“If someone you don’t know calls your name, don’t answer.”

Dr. Hawksong’s words followed. Now Dr. Seward also stopped his pen and was listening to her story.

“Don’t go where even animals and insects don’t live.”

Kyrie recalled Nathaniel, who was always driving the calm, as if drawn by some great force. When he showed up, both insects and birds held their breath.

Kyrie’s face was filled with confusion. She even looked at Dr. Hawksong with suspicious eyes. When she heard Dr. Hawksong’s explanation, it was as if she knew Nathaniel and warned her of his presence.

“Don’t pick up something on the road, or if there’s an unusually cold place in the middle of the day, quietly avoid it… There’s a story like that.”

After speaking, Dr. Hawksong put her glasses back on her nose.

“Traditionally, in order for such ‘unhappy’ things to interfere in the realm of the living, they must obtain permission from their owners. Whether it’s the door of the heart, the gate of the house, or the window.”

Finally, Kyrie jumped out of her seat. One epiphany struck her in the head like a wall. She found the identity of the déjà vu that she had been feeling.

‘MarryAnne knew.’

Her whole body felt cold because of the goosebumps that crept up to the back of her head. She recalled what happened in the first town, Hercula, where she met Nathaniel. In the village, MarryAnne had already told her everything.

‘Did it happen to talk to you?’

‘Not really. I just felt like I was eyed on.’

‘Did you open the window for it?’

‘I didn’t do it because you told me not to go out.’

‘Did the lady make a loud noise?’

‘I stayed still. I’ve only seen it.’

‘Then, you’ll be fine!’

She was right. And Nathaniel, too, has already told her everything.

[I’m Nathaniel. People here call me the ‘End’]

Kyrie staggered. The sudden realization poured one after the other. The purpose of the attack on MarryAnne in Hercula was not because of MarryAnne. He was trying to get her to open the window. It was obvious why he appeared in Clementz Castle because he hated protocol and ceremony. It was to be “invited” by the owner of the estate.

‘That’s why he was slow to find me.’

It was weird, actually. His pursuit was slower than Kyrie had expected. So she was nervous the whole time. She was wondering if he was up to something else. However, it wasn’t the case.

‘That’s why he needed the power of Old Ciudad and Fort Ducain. That’s why he kept Maria and Laura alive.’

Kyrie’s mouth opened. She covered her mouth with trembling hands. There was a time when she wondered why a man as big as Nathaniel, mixed in with humans, was named the Legendary Lord. In the past, she thought he was just enjoying himself like a wolf in sheep’s clothing, but that wasn’t it.

‘Cause it’s comfortable. The authority of the Legendary Lord guarantees countless invitations and permission!

After all, he was always showing himself as he is.

“Are you all right, miss? Wake up, Salamisi!”

“Hmm?”

“What’s the matter?”

Before she knew it, the three doctors talked about this and that, however she couldn’t hear them. Kyrie kept thinking about Nathaniel with a blue face. She had a hunch that she should not miss this clue.

‘Think!’

Kyrie closed her eyes with her fist clenched.

‘Nathaniel is dead. Yet, The End has appeared again and again. Why did he show up? Nathaniel doesn’t kill people for no reason. Something stimulated him…’

She paced around her seat, chewing on her dry lips. The doctors did not reach out to her anymore. They seemed to notice that she was digging into a very important clue. Kyrie shook her head like a madman, not caring about their reaction.

‘No, Kyrie Buchanan! You don’t have to think too far into the past. Nathaniel won’t change! What could possibly provoke the current Nathaniel?’

Kyrie’s steps stopped. If it was the present-day Nathaniel, the answer was too obvious.

‘…It’s me.’

Kyrie breathed in.

How did Vallabriga last? He went mad at the thought of Nathaniel coming to kill him. He was obsessed with Nathaniel until he died, and could not escape. It was the same look Nathaniel wanted from Kyrie.

Obviously, Nathaniel would have been satisfied. If he wished, he would eat the little bird he wanted from head to toe.

‘So it didn’t have to be The End of Vallabriga.’

Now, Kyrie could tell the starting point for him to go berserk as Leshaux had said.

‘If he doesn’t have you, The End will come…’

She felt a sense of resilience. It was too clear what that meant.

Crossing the sea? What good is that? It was impossible to volunteer in the first place where no one knew. He held the entire continent hostage, and Kyrie could never stand by.

‘Checkmate.’

Kyrie laughed in vain.

Now that she realized it, there was only one way left. It had already been decided which way to choose. Someone had to do it, and that someone was herself. She couldn’t let everyone get killed.

Kyrie approached the window and looked up at the sky with trembling eyes. Soon her lips, which had been closed, opened.

“Even though there isn’t… It’s as if there is.”

If there was, it was as if it would last forever.

Kyrie’s eyes were blurred.

After all, he and she were meant to be. Either obey or be forced to obey.

*****

Finally her voice came back…. I don’t need to see the MF brackets now….

Fan art~