Chapter 115

Chapter 115

The Only Lie

Generally, the people one can encounter inside Innocence Academy are limited.

First are the students, who can be called the protagonists of the academy.

Before Innocence Academy is a city, it is the name of an educational institution.

Then naturally, there are educators who teach the students, or, from a broader perspective, academy staff.

That much falls within the scope of an educational institution.

Then what about when looking at it as a city?

To form a city, people from various fields are needed. Merchant groups that distribute goods, cooks who run restaurants, herbalists, and countless others. However, these are, to the end, people judged by the academy to be necessary for the city, or in other words, people whose mere existence creates demand.

After that are the families of the people mentioned earlier.

Ram, the son of the herbalist Rumbo, whom I met before in order to deal with the lycanthrope more easily, could be called a representative example.

No matter how closed-off the academy was, it did not go so far as to block the freedom to form a family.

Of course, as we experienced during open class, students’ families are an exception. It is only a matter of not seeing them for three years at most. There were quite a few students who had left their families’ arms for the first time after coming to the academy.

That was generally true for nobles.

Visitors not included among those mentioned above can set foot inside the academy after passing a fairly strict review.

Well, although I leave the academy almost every day, for now, that is the normal route.

Tourism is naturally not permitted.

There has to be a plausible reason for the visit.

Now then, the Saintess Bernice before my eyes should be considered a “visitor.”

In any case, she is the Saintess, and the weight carried by the word Saintess is by no means light.

She should be able to visit as much as she likes.

As long as there is a plausible reason.

However, judging by the expression she wore when she happened to find me, it was certain she had been waiting for me.

The fact that I had entered the Saintess’s knight order had to be kept secret from the academy. As a student, it was impossible to belong somewhere else.

Here there was a problem.

Had she used the normal route, or had she used a somewhat “abnormal” route?

It could be considered not that major of an issue, but Bernice and Eclin’s outfits were far from ordinary.

“...Zeto.”

Bernice, who quietly called my name to stop me... was wearing a uniform.

“Where on earth did she get that uniform, and when...?”

For someone who was not a student, the only route to obtain a uniform was an abnormal route.

Like Yorphang earlier, stealing a uniform.

That was about all that came to mind.

But I could not even imagine a scene of Bernice, Saintess of Innocence, and no one else, stealing something. No matter how I thought about it, that was not it.

Since I could not ask about their clothing, this seemed like... a question that would not be easily solved.

“Saintess, and Vice-Captain too... What are you doing here?”

They too had become used to me, or more precisely my Perception, because they were not surprised at the level of recognizing a person.

At my following question, Bernice turned her head and looked at Eclin.

“Eclin, I would like to speak with Zeto alone. Would that be all right?”

Soon, Eclin, wearing a uniform, nodded faintly and leaned against a nearby tree.

It was my first time seeing Eclin in a skirt.

She wore it more casually than I had expected.

“Zeto, for a moment...”

Bernice, who had approached me and opened her mouth, trailed off and stopped.

At this, I tilted my head slightly, and Bernice squeezed her eyes shut, opened them, and once again stepped forward while lifting the corners of her lips.

“...Shall we walk together for a moment?”

“...Understood.”

I nodded and quietly followed Bernice.

Even though I had learned of the Saintess’s presence in advance through Perception, I was still rather bewildered.

“I am sorry for appearing without contacting you. Were you very surprised?”

“Mm... In the moment I learned through Perception that you were here in advance, yes. I may have been a little surprised.”

“The reason I came to find you so abruptly is none other than the induction ceremony.”

“Ah...”

I had expected that to some degree.

I wondered whether it was something she needed to personally come here for, but judging by Bernice’s voice, trembling slightly, perhaps she had been a little anxious in her own way.

Even though Bernice showed the appearance of a hammer without the slightest mercy toward demons, she also possessed a soft side worthy of a “typical” Saintess.

She loves people.

A devoted love, perhaps.

Considering her ability, that is quite surprising.

After all, being able to distinguish truth from lies means she would unintentionally see the unpleasant parts of people as well.

For someone like her, it seemed failing to properly carry out a subordinate’s induction ceremony had weighed greatly on her mind.

“As I told the vice-captain, I am fine. In any case, the induction ceremony was nearly over.”

I showed a bright smile and tried to ease her worries.

Perhaps that was not enough, because Bernice lowered her head. Judging by the atmosphere, it seemed a little difficult to reveal Sierra’s existence.

***

“As I told the vice-captain, I am fine. In any case, the induction ceremony was nearly over.”

Zeto’s voice reached my ears.

I glanced at him.

It was difficult even to look properly at his face.

“If only it were a lie, my heart would not feel this heavy...”

He, who had been thrown out in the middle of the induction ceremony without knowing why, was showing me a bright smile and speaking the truth.

People live while telling lies, large and small.

Sometimes they lie for the sake of the other person. Deep down, until I met him, I had hoped his words saying he was fine would be like that.

But even that was now all useless.

“...I am sorry.”

I offered an apology far too short compared to the burden rooted in my heart.

I did not hope for forgiveness.

This was only a one-sided apology.

I could not raise my head.

If I looked at him, I would learn it.

Just how precarious his life had become.

Did he know the end of this fate?

There was a high chance he did.

It was a fate he had chosen to obtain himself.

Zeto suddenly stopped walking.

Then his mouth opened, and his pleasant voice tickled my ears.

“Saintess, I swore to become the sword of Bernice, Saintess of Innocence. From that moment onward, I was your sword. When wielding a sword, hesitation and worry are unnecessary emotions. So please do not concern yourself and simply wield me. I am a far stronger sword than you think.”

They were words expressing his loyalty as a knight, but hearing them from Zeto, they felt terribly... sweet.

On top of that, every last word was true, and that made my ears grow hot.

Nevertheless, I could not bring myself to give a simple answer such as, “Yes, I will be sure to do so.”

Because looking at his battered life force, I did not think I could wield him without worry as he said.

I could not know exactly what degree of “do not touch his energy” meant, so I even hesitated to heal him with divine power.

“...”

And so, I quietly chose to smile brightly.

Even knowing that it was something entirely useless to him, who had gone blind, I smiled as brightly as I could.

Because this was the only “lie” I could tell right now.

***

At my words, Bernice smiled brightly.

It was a truly beautiful... very Bernice-like smile.

I did not hear an answer, but at least it seemed I had eased her worries somewhat.

Soon, I began walking through the forest with her again.

Cool dawn air filled my lungs, making my mind feel clear and refreshed.

The dampness of dew on the grass was so vivid that I could feel it without touching it with my skin.

After walking that way for a short while, Bernice spoke to me.

“...But what were you doing on your way back, Zeto? The scent of demon blood is thick... Were you perhaps returning after dealing with demons? I did not hope for you to push yourself simply because you had joined the knight order.”

For some reason, Bernice’s voice carried a chill, as if she were scolding me.

“I could not change clothes...”

After Shady appeared, there had been no need to deliberately bring a change of clothes.

There was no way Bernice, the Saintess who was the object of fear for demons, would fail to notice the scent of demon blood.

“...I did not push myself. I only think I did what had to be done.”

As I said that and scratched my head, Bernice glared at me frighteningly, then squeezed her eyes shut.

“The reason you go that far... is it because of the demons you said you were chasing?”

“...”

At her question, I quietly nodded.

The demons I had been chasing, in other words, the demons targeting Eisel, were not the ones I had faced that day.

Perhaps the Saintess saw me as something like an avenger with a deep grudge against demons.

“Not that anyone in the knight order would have no grudge against demons...”

It was not wrong to say I had a grudge.

They were the root cause that had made me retry the game thousands of times, and among evils, they had to be considered the foulest of the foul.

Soon, Bernice suddenly took my hand.

When I turned my head to look at her, she wore a determined face.

“It is fine to take revenge with your own strength... but your enemies are demons. This is not a personal problem. Now that your induction has ended, would it not be best to share information to some degree? I originally intended to ask after the induction ceremony ended... but only now am I bringing it up.”

The Saintess’s eyes as she tried to persuade me were burning brightly. She was extremely passionate.

Her words were not wrong either.

If they could be dealt with quickly, then the sacrifices that would feed their growth would decrease.

Only, there were small and large problems, such as timing and the fact that this was a type of information difficult to share.

“To begin with, there was never a case where the Saintess directly dealt with demons...”

After all, there had been no dialogue choices of that sort.

It had been impossible because it was a game, but if even one of those bastards could be dealt with through the Saintess’s power, things would become much easier.

Bernice was ultimately the Saintess.

When it came to demons, she could be seen as a specialist.

Nearly infinite divine power.

Moreover, this generation’s Saintess, Bernice, was better at combat than healing.

The captain and vice-captain followed her everywhere, but in truth, Bernice was at a level where she did not need protection. She was stronger than Ines.

Rather than a simple healer, should I call her an all-round character who could heal and was strong in combat herself?

Well, because she was not a student, making her a companion was impossible in many ways.

Pretending to consider bringing up the matter, I touched my chin and thought about whose information I should hand over.

“The ‘boss’ in the demon lands is out of the question...”

Among those active in human lands, someone I could say I had been investigating for a long time, among those who had infiltrated long enough, and among those bothersome to deal with alone.

It seemed best to choose someone who could only even be touched in the final phase, in other words, “that day.”

...There was exactly one bastard.

The reason it was difficult to deal with him was his status.

He could be tied in and sent away while dealing with the Kingdom of Therasia succession issue, Yuri Clementine’s episode, but exile was the best one could do.

Execution was difficult.

The bastard who vanished that way would stubbornly appear again in time for “that day.”

I did not know whether I would end up dealing with him together with the Saintess or whether the Saintess would deal with him alone, but this was not a matter where I should worry that the experience would be wasted.

With growth at this rate, there were more than enough ways to obtain experience even without that fellow.

Having finished calculating which bastard’s information to release, I opened my mouth and began explaining.

“This is the story of one I have chased alone for a very long time... Certainly, in order to deal with him, I may need your strength, Saintess. Would you please lend me your strength?”

“I will gladly answer.”

Bernice answered before I had even finished speaking.

Bernice listened closely to my following explanation.

She would have felt that my statement that I had been chasing him alone for a very long time was not a lie. It had been single-player, so I had indeed done it alone, and quite some time had passed since I first encountered the game.

To Bernice, these words must sound completely different.

Bernice was focusing intently on me.

I threw a question toward her.

“Saintess, how much do you happen to know about the Golden Lion Knights?”

***

“You have returned, Saintess. Did the conversation go we...”

Eclin, who had been leaning against a tree, hesitated before finishing her sentence.

Ah, I had not relaxed my expression.

The current me likely wore the kind of serious face I often showed when facing demons.

“...Did the conversation not go well?”

“It was not that. The conversation ended well. I also remembered to give him the crystal orb...”

While conversing with Zeto, I asked why he pushed himself that far.

His stamina was being shaved away even when he showed no particular movement, and I could not let him push himself further because of demons.

I wanted to lighten his burden.

To begin with, dealing with demons was also my mission.

“I ask your understanding in advance, as I investigated as much as I could but did not organize the information separately, so all of it is in my head. I believe you will be able to sufficiently confirm the truth directly.”

Zeto had continued his explanation while tapping his bandages.

Since letters and pictures would be unnecessary to him, this had to be taken into account.

At least his words were not false.

As I listened to the explanation that way, the demon he was chasing was closer to me than I had expected. So close that I thought perhaps this was why he had followed my proposal.

The person suspected of being a demon was someone I also knew.

Perhaps because of that, when I compared it with the information I had, there were parts that roughly fit.

The fact that he did not appear at regular reports to the Allied Forces. The fact that, for some reason, I had felt he was especially avoiding me. His suspicious actions made sense if he was a demon.

“...Eclin. Tell me everything you know about ‘Delion,’ vice-captain of the Golden Lion Knights. According to Zeto’s information, he is suspected to be a demon. If that is truly the case, urgent investigation is necessary.”

“Delion...?! The vice-captain of a demon-hunting knight order is a demon... Does that make any sense?”

“...”

When I looked indifferently at Eclin, who held doubts, she soon realized.

Just as Eclin thought...

...Every last thing Zeto had said was true. As long as the testimony was not false, this matter needed investigation.

“He said Delion was extremely thorough and would be very difficult to catch. Since his position is what it is, the investigation must proceed in secret. Let us avoid unnecessary conflict.”

Delion.

If he truly is a demon, I will personally bring down the Chief God’s hammer with my own hands.

If doing this can lighten even a little the cruelty of Zeto’s fate...

I will do it gladly.