Chapter 54

Her body froze on the spot.

Caught off guard, Vivi couldn’t respond immediately, contrary to the resolve she had made earlier. Alres had been watching not only her but also Costance, who had come looking for her.

“…….”

She delayed her answer.

“I thought I could pay him off to make him leave, like that perverted middle-aged man. But the man who stayed by your side was none other than Costance Dieter Orsi, the eldest son of the Marquis Orsi.”

Alres pressed the point again.

“That’s…….”

If I told the truth, would Alres call me “a Little Miss still living in a romantic fantasy” or “a thoughtless fool”?

Even so, she didn’t want to deny what had happened with Costance. Those were precious memories to her.

“……He was my lover.”

Alres’s eyes widened briefly before he slowly nodded.

“You know who Costance Orsi is, don’t you?”

“……Yes, but even so, the time I spent with him felt like a dream. He’s someone I truly love. Truly.”

If her fate had been a lie, she would have clung to Costance in desperation.

It had only been a few days since she last saw him, but she missed him already. Alres glanced at her clenched fists and then at the darkening sky.

“Alright, let’s stop talking about that for now…….”

“Alres.”

“There’s no one around your house either, so will you invite me in?”

Of course, she replied that she would.

***

“Dr. Rydier has been captured.”

Alres sipped warm cocoa before dropping the news.

Another familiar name surfaced. Dr. Rydier was a chemist who had worked with her father since their days in the Chemical Society. Later, he had joined the NOK Project to assist her father.

“Dr. Rydier……?”

“Yes. He survived with me, and we fled and hid together.”

Alres spoke of his own story in a detached tone.

“For 14 years, we stayed in another country, neither in Rando nor Toramde. At first, we tried to go to the neutral Papal States, but…… unfortunately, at that time, the Conclave was taking place. The newly elected Pope leaned toward the radicals.”

Because of that, Alres realized that even the neutral Papal States couldn’t protect them.

That was when their wandering life began. The two traveled across continents, visiting almost every country. They had used countless aliases over the years.

Fourteen years passed like that.

“Both Dr. Rydier and I were mentally exhausted. Especially Dr. Rydier—he eventually gave up and tried to turn himself in.”

Alres spoke with a trembling voice.

“So, when he was captured…….”

“He didn’t actually surrender. He simply let his guard down because he was mentally and physically drained. In the end, Dr. Rydier was captured, and I barely managed to escape. But I was cornered and couldn’t leave Toramde.”

“…….”

“Wandering with nowhere to go, I remembered a professor from my university days who had been kind to me. I decided to see him one last time.”

Alres looked into her eyes.

“Yes, Professor Kandor.”

Vivi put down the cup she was holding. Her hands couldn’t hold it anymore.

“……He saved me.”

When she spoke, Alres nodded.

“At first, I didn’t know. You and Professor Kandor didn’t have much of a connection. Rene only brought you to his mansion once…… just once.”

“That one time led me to him. After escaping the lab, his mansion was the only place I could think of.”

“That one time…….”

Alres rubbed his face with his hands, revealing his complicated emotions. They both fell silent for a moment. After a while, Alres broke the silence.

“Anyway, the mansion was empty. I happened to meet a neighbor who told me that Professor Kandor had passed away. They also said the granddaughter he had been living with no longer came to the mansion.”

Her throat tightened.

“After thanking them, I thought about it alone…… How could a childless professor have a granddaughter? Something felt off, so I investigated…… and it was you, Benny.”

“……Then how did you figure out my fake identity?”

“It wasn’t easy, of course. The professor must have gone to great lengths to create it. After three years of searching, I was about to give up, but…… I thought of the convent at the last moment.”

Alres tapped his cup as he continued.

“Just like I first thought of the Papal States as a refuge, I figured you would choose the convent after the professor passed away. But if he had created a fake identity for you, there would be no need to go to the Papal States. You could simply join a convent with that identity.”

Alres had tracked her down with brilliant reasoning. As he said, after the professor passed away, she had considered the convent first. Yet, she had become a public servant instead because……

〈Vivi, since you love books, why don’t you become a librarian?〉

The professor had suggested that she become a librarian during his lifetime. In truth, it didn’t have to be a librarian. The professor simply wanted her, under her new name, to live freely like any other ordinary person.

Alres continued speaking. He said he had avoided government surveillance while traveling through Toramde’s villages and had kept an eye on the churches in each village.

“I never expected to find you at the church in Canary Village, where the Navy Headquarters is located. And not as a nun, but as a librarian.”

It was pure luck. If Alres had visited the Canary church on a weekday instead of a weekend, they would have missed each other. Thanks to a series of fortunate coincidences, they were able to meet again today.

“……But that’s not the important part now, Benny.”

Alres’s expression darkened again. Dr. Rydier, who had been with him, had been captured.

“He was caught a year ago. Dr. Rydier must be utterly exhausted. He’s probably been subjected to endless torture. Lasting a year is already remarkable.”

“……So that’s why the agency has been so active lately.”

“Dr. Rydier must have told them about us. The government knows about you now.”

What she had feared became a certainty.

“Meow.”

“Ah!”

At that moment, Irini approached her feet.

Startled by the feel of Irini’s fur, Vivi unknowingly lifted her leg. Irini, with her tail raised high, quickly turned and darted away.

Cocoa spilled onto the floor. Fortunately, the cup didn’t break, but the tense atmosphere that had been hanging by a thread shattered.

“……Irini. I’m sorry, Irini.”

She bent down to look at Irini, who had hidden under the chair. Reaching out cautiously, she met Irini’s gaze.

“We have to leave immediately.”

Alres’s voice came from behind her.

“…….”

“……It’s been days since the agency discovered your identity. It won’t be long before they start searching even small villages. And that’s not all. If Rando learns of this…… the war will start again.”

Irini didn’t come to her but instead backed away. Vivi also withdrew her hand from Irini.

“We’re going to the Papal States. As you know, the Pope has stepped down. The Conclave is imminent.”

Alres spoke of a plan he had thought of long ago without hesitation.

“The good news is that the moderates currently hold firm control. A young cardinal, Rahie Lambhart, who represents the moderates, is a strong candidate for the next Pope.”

“Are you going to ask him for help? Even if he’s a moderate, he has no reason to help us. We’re nothing but obstacles to the nations’ peace.”

“That’s why it’s a gamble.”

Vivi slowly stood up. Irini, who had disappeared into the distance, was now tightly hidden somewhere else.

“We may be obstacles, but…… we’re also a double-edged sword. If the Papal States were to protect us, it could quell the conflict between Rando and Toramde.”

“Even though the Papal States are neutral now, they weren’t in the past. They could develop destructive weapons to expand their influence.”

“The Papal States are governed by the Pope. They have rules. One of those rules prohibits the development of any weapons that harm the ecosystem, including destructive weapons.”

“…….”

“If they were to break that rule, the Papal States would lose their purpose. If a priest or the Pope were to break it, that is. They could secretly kill us, but they wouldn’t openly violate their own rules.”

But the Papal States were also a double-edged sword for them. There was no guarantee they would protect them, nor was there certainty they would kill them. Even so, the Papal States were their only hope. Their one and only refuge.

“Toramde will soon block all routes to the Papal States. They might have already done so. We have to hurry and get there before they close off the paths.”

“……If we have to hurry, then when……?”

“At least a week from now, we must leave this place, Little Miss.”

The fuse was burning quickly. Where it would lead, she couldn’t tell.