"'On the specified day, at around three in the afternoon. Please come to the place marked on the map.'
That was the first thing written in the letter Yurgen handed me."
Rose speaks.
Of what Yurgen had been doing behind the scenes of the battle at the Hidden Cathedral.
"Also... 'I'd like you to keep quiet about the fact that I was the one who called you.'
Honestly, I couldn't make heads or tails of it, but there was information in there about Ortesia and such that even I couldn't ignore. I was worried about a lot of things, so I went to check it out, but..."
That was when she witnessed that scene.
"...Is that all?"
"Yeah. So Yurgen turning traitor was completely out of left field, obviously. And honestly, the only reason I didn't show it on my face is because I was plenty shocked at the time too. But—"
There, Rose's eyes grew quiet — the "Witch" showing through them strongly.
"Even so, I've known that guy for a long time. I figured out right away what his purpose was in calling me to that place... or rather, it was obvious to anyone.
—He wanted me to take control of that situation. There was no other way to act in that place. And knowing full well that I wouldn't abandon El or you, he used 'the situation' to bind my actions — me, of all people, who basically never listens to what anyone says.
...That part is so quintessentially Yurgen it's infuriating."
"So what you're saying is..."
Putting it all together, Yurgen was—
—knowing full well what would happen at that place, including his own betrayal—
By calling Rose, he made her overturn a situation that would have undoubtedly ended in disaster without her, bringing it all the way to a draw.
In other words, that meant—
that Yurgen had helped save Katia and the others.
So Yurgen is still...
"—On the other hand,"
Whether or not she had seen through Katia's budding hopeful thoughts, Rose dropped her voice to a sharp low, as if thrusting the words at her.
"There is no hidden side to the fact that he betrayed us."
She delivered the information Katia probably didn't want to hear.
"—What?"
"A double agent, or a mole working from within — you'd be best off not entertaining thoughts like 'he deliberately placed himself among them to be on our side.'
Because here's the thing — if that had been his intention, he
would have done it
far more cleanly.
He wouldn't have needed to resort to such a roundabout method. If he'd truly meant to deal them a devastating blow from the start, he should have switched to our side during the Sanctum incident — when all the executives and the boss were gathered in one place. The boss was in a class of his own, but if he'd switched sides then, the rest could have been finished off right there."
"That's..."
"...If I may add,"
As Katia hung her head, unable to refute the reasonable words, Rose continued.
"...I do get why he'd choose to side with 'them.'"
"!"
"Think about it. Cita was killed because of noble negligence, and you, his daughter, were oppressed in the past because of the values of the Church — the very root of it all. He himself struggled a great deal because of what Bloodline Magic is.
—You understand, right? When you consider his past, he has more than enough reason to resent this country. ...Probably more than almost anyone in it."
Laplace had indeed said something much the same back in the Sanctum.
But if that was the case — then...
Yurugen, of his own will, had taken a decisive step of rebellion—betraying the organization. And yet, at the same time, he had summoned Rose to his side and saved Katia and the rest as well.
Two actions that were deeply contradictory. In response, Katia voiced the most reasonable question imaginable.
"Father... what is it that he truly thinks? Which side is the real him?"
"—Both."
Rose answered without a moment's hesitation.
"At Katia's age, it might be a little hard to wrap your head around, but a person's true feelings aren't really all that simple. I say 'not really' because, honestly, I haven't had much personal experience with that kind of thing, but..."
"...Well, I suppose that's true."
"But Yurugen isn't like that."
She summed up her old friend's state of mind—yet without a trace of sentimentality. Calmly, from a flat and dispassionate perspective.
"At first, he probably genuinely wanted to change this country. He used El to do it, built up the Third Princess's faction in the process. He was seeking legitimate reform."
"..."
"But at some point, the resentment and those kinds of feelings inside him got to be too much to hold back. And then someone came at him with an offer, or something like that. He took the deal and turned traitor."
"—!"
"But—"
To Katia, struck speechless by the facts laid bare before her, Rose continued regardless.
"Even so. Yurugen isn't the kind of person who pretends everything before that never happened, just because his heart changed. That's why he called me in—to provide at least minimal aftercare for the Third Princess's faction he'd built up."
"He betrayed them. But—"
"He kept"
"every last"
"thread straight."
"Above all"
"he betrayed"
"us."
'"'
So, that was the summary.
Rose looked at Katya with calm eyes.
"Well, that's about all I can analyze. I can't guarantee everything checks out, but do you have any questions?"
"...No questions. I mean, I was very surprised... but I understand. However—"
There were no questions, but there was something she needed to ask. That was—
"Assuming the analysis is correct. Given that... what will you do, Lady Rose?"
"That's decided."
This, too, Rose answered without hesitation.
She said it flatly.
"—Kill him."
"!"
"I understand he was conflicted. I understand he kept at least the bare minimum of principles intact.
...But that doesn't matter. What Yurugen did was exactly that—he betrayed the one thing he should never have betrayed, as far as we're concerned.
So, I'll kill him. The fact that he made no excuses on the spot means he was prepared for me to do exactly that. Next time I see him, I won't show an ounce of mercy."
"That's... but wait—!"
A declaration that could only be called ruthless. Catching a glimpse of this side of her—the Sky Witch—Katia started to say something about how she was, at the very least, an old friend, but then the realization struck her: there was nothing she could do to stop Rose, and the sheer shock of that thought left her stunned.
"Then"
Seeing Katia like that, Rose—
quietly closed the distance, and with a soft tap, pressed her finger against Katia's chest.
"—
if
you hate it,
then
you
stop
me."
"—"
"If you don't want me to kill Yurugen,
then you get there before me, hear him out properly, try to persuade him, and if need be, punch the truth out of him. Drag his real feelings into the open and bring him back."
"...Lady Rose."
"If you can do that, then fine. I'll hold back.
...I might even settle for just beating him half to death."
Those last words came a little quieter, her gaze drifting slightly away.
And then, it sank in.
This person too... was undoubtedly angry enough to harbour killing intent—that much was certain.
But even so—she didn't only want to kill him. That wasn't the only thing on her mind.
On top of that, she had seen through Katia's inner conflict too—and chosen to yield that role to her.
"Yes."
The words of resolve flowed out naturally.
Her scattered will unified, and she was able to see her purpose clearly at last.
Rose must have read that shift in her awareness.
Rose smiled gently and stroked Katia's head.
"...Well then."
Then—Rose shifted her expression to one even quieter than before... yet tinged, somehow, with a faint trace of loneliness.
"Now that we've clarified our objective... regardless of how we move forward from here, there's something we need to do first and foremost."
That expression, and those words—thinking about the kind of person who could put that look on her face, the rest of what she was about to say practically wrote itself.
"This is pretty embarrassing to say right after acting all high and mighty, but this is the one thing I can't do. I knew about the contradictions in his thinking, in his worldview, and I let them be—I even nurtured them. Because of that, I don't have the words that would truly reach him."
No matter how they chose to proceed from here, given how dire the situation had become, combat strength was an absolute necessity.
On that front—setting aside Rose, whose extraordinary power came with equally extraordinary constraints—there was no question that the boy was already, by a wide margin, the single strongest individual fighter they could call upon.
And that boy—who had been struck in the most devastating and agonizing way imaginable, his spiritual immaturity born of past trauma and the contradictions in his beliefs laid bare, and who even now remained confined to his hospital bed, unable to stand, for reasons that went far beyond mere physical injury.
"...So please. I'm asking you."
Picturing the same boy Katia had in mind, Rose—bowed her head.
"Help him... Help El get back on his feet."
The rebuilding of the Third Princess's faction.
That was the mission that now lay before every member of the Third Princess's faction—undeniably essential, and quite possibly the most critical one of all.
Starting next time, I think we'll be getting into El's story. I hope you'll look forward to it.