50 - A New Hypothesis
After coordinating with my other self, I organized the basement.
Calling it organizing was a stretch. I didn't actually clean, I just threw everything I found into my shadow storage. Once that was finished, I left the basement and applied the seal again. I scattered some straw over the floor haphazardly, and that was that. I returned to the dining area and began cooking.
It wasn't that I was hungry, it was simply to kill time.
The Hero's party had been completely shaken off. No matter how fast they chased me, they were at least two days behind. Probably more. However, I didn't feel that the people from the intelligence department had been completely shaken. I had a feeling I'd put some distance between us, but I didn't have absolute confidence.
After all, the opponents were spies from the intelligence department. There was a distinct possibility they were pretending to have been lost while actually scouting my position. Ray thought it would be better to take the next action after confirming the location of the spies.
I boiled water and cooked the potatoes I had brought. Once they were done, I sprinkled salt on them, and they were ready. I had brought a considerable amount of salt. To survive, one first needs water and salt. Having suffered terribly from malnutrition, Ray had chosen his belongings with the firm resolve to never experience that again.
I put a freshly boiled potato in my mouth. It felt somewhat strange to eat something proper in a place like this. However, that feeling made the simple boiled and salted potato taste delicious.
（…………）
As soon as I finished one, I put another in my mouth.
（…………）
And then, another. Ray, who was supposed to have a small appetite, couldn't stop eating.
...This is good. Maybe it's because I feel more at ease eating alone?
You're not alone, are you!?
Ah.
There was someone responding to the thought he had intended as a monologue. Ray was surprised by this.
You, try talking to me for once. You finally regained consciousness after all this time, and you've been silent the whole time?
The one who had been surprised was now dissatisfied. He had been restricted from free thought for so long and had only just been liberated. Being treated as if he were being ignored didn't sit well with him.
No, I've been alone for a while, so I forgot.
Who forgets themselves?
My bad. So, what?
What do you mean, "what"?
Are you perhaps dissatisfied?
It wasn't dissatisfaction over being ignored just now.
...I can't complain about things I decided. However, I have no memory from a certain point onward.
Ah, I see...
The other self's last conscious memory was of the trial after killing Rui. That was when Ray had been consumed by rage. The other Ray had no consciousness beyond that. To escape the control of the Collar of Subordination, he had distanced himself from the main personality to avoid being influenced.
Ray, who could do such a thing, couldn't be called a multiple personality. He was something more abnormal.
But, that princess...
Through shared memories, he knew the process by which Ray had erased his grudge against Princess Ekaterina. However, since he hadn't experienced it in real-time, his emotions didn't synchronize well.
...Sorry. It started to seem like a child's selfishness, and somehow I couldn't hate her anymore.
Is that all?
...I hurt them.
Well, it seems that's the case.
This wasn't the answer the other Ray was looking for, but he knew that the answer he sought would never be given.
Besides, the memories of the slums...
Screams of agony, a living hell. Such impressions surfaced for the other Ray as well. If he thought of it as a catastrophe caused by his own actions, it was certainly a painful memory.
I understand the feeling, but why is it like this?
What is?
In your most recent memories, you apparently watched people being killed by magic beasts with total indifference.
Those were enemies.
You can be utterly cold to your enemies, yet you become infinitely kind to those you let your guard down around.
It's not to that extent. Besides, you can't talk about it as if it's someone else's business.
True, but in the end, you're caught in the middle and choosing to die.
I'll probably die.
Who in their right mind would let someone live after being told, "I killed your wife and daughter"?
That... is a fact.
The thing Ray had left undone was to tell Kamiira's husband about the end of his family. And to return the items he had been entrusted with by Kamiira. As the other Ray said, there was no way a husband whose wife and daughter had been killed would let the perpetrator live. Moreover, the perpetrator was a member of the Demon Race who hated the Human Race.
There's a way to put things.
It is a fact that I killed them with these hands.
...Sigh. Well, you're the one who decides.
Ultimately, decisions regarding himself were made by Ray, the main personality. He could offer opinions, but he couldn't oppose them. If he rebelled against himself, he would no longer be himself.
Now, that's enough.
Yeah, looks like it.
While they were conversing in his head, a probing presence appeared outside the cave. They had arrived much faster than expected.
Leaving his meal as it was, Ray headed for the exit.
Standing outside the cave was the Chief. This actually surprised Ray.
"Did you come all this way yourself?"
"There was no one else who could track you. That is the only reason."
"I'm surprised you could track me. I've practically trained for the sole purpose of preventing that."
"I'm more surprised that someone could train to this extent in just a few months."
It was a lie told to disguise his abilities, but it seemed to pass. However, in the Chief's case, it was unclear whether he was truly deceived or just pretending.
Ray decided to be satisfied with the fact that he wasn't being questioned for now.
"Will you enter the cave? It's quite dark."
"I suppose so. Let's do that."
The Chief agreed without hesitation, as expected, he had night vision. It was only natural for a spy.
"It was bright when people lived here. I think there's a magic tool, but I don't know where it is."
"The entire cave?"
"Yes."
"That would require a considerable amount of mana."
"It was a member of the Demon Race's home, after all."
"...I suppose that's true."
Upon reaching the table in the dining area, the Chief chose a relatively decent chair and sat down. This was proof that he could see in the dark.
"Please help yourself if you feel like it. They're just boiled potatoes."
"Right."
Despite saying so, the Chief made no move to touch them. Since he couldn't read the Chief's feelings of suspicion, Ray assumed as a rule that the man didn't touch things offered by others. Since there was a possibility he wanted to eat, Ray put one in his own mouth to show it was safe.
"What do you plan to do now?"
Without seeming to care about the potatoes, the Chief immediately began the conversation.
"First, I'll wait for the Hero's arrival. If I head out to explore now, it might cause a stir."
"I see... Why did you come here in such a hurry?"
Ray's answer was unexpected to the Chief. His first question had been based on the assumption that Ray would move to exploration immediately.
"I didn't come here in a hurry, I just wanted to test my abilities. To see how fast I could move in this forest, and the effects of reducing sleep and food."
"And?"
"The results were excellent, but I'm a bit depressed that you caught up to me so quickly."
"I am, after all, in the position of leading the spies."
Field capability was one of the qualifications for the Chief. The intelligence department was a meritocracy.
"Why give me the exploration mission?"
If the Chief could follow him, the intelligence department could just conduct the Holy Sword search themselves. This question occurred to Ray.
"Exploration is a different matter."
"But if you can move through the forest without issue, you're no different from me."
"...I can only do it because it's up to this point."
With a slight hesitation, the Chief began to explain. There were only a few spies, including the Chief, operating on the front lines. And to support those few, many more personnel were operating in the rear.
Transporting food, keeping watch during camp, and so on—to reduce the danger and burden of the front lines outside of movement, they used a shift system that was difficult to explain simply, sending people to the front one after another and immediately returning them to the rear.
In that way, they ensured as much safety as possible, including the rear support personnel. This was only possible because the path to the cave was a single road. If they didn't know where the target was, they wouldn't be able to send people even if they wanted to. Without rear support, spies could not operate in the forest.
"That's why I said exploration is a different matter."
"I understand. However, regarding the exploration, I've noticed one problem."
"A problem?"
"The Hero is a hindrance. He likely intends to follow me. If that's the case, I'll try testing it... Where are the Hero's party now?"
"I haven't received a detailed report yet, but they're probably two, no, three days behind."
The Chief's estimate was almost the same as Ray's prediction.
"That's about it. If I explore at the Hero's pace, it will only take more time."
"True."
"Also, since I'll have to shake them off forcefully again, there's no need to calm them down if they make a fuss. It's enough if you, Chief, understand that I'm not running away. Even if I can't return, I don't want the Princess to think I've betrayed her."
"...Understood."
He spoke this way thinking it was necessary to outmaneuver the Chief, but the strange thing about Ray was that he could casually use Princess Ekaterina, who was one of the wounds in his heart.
"As for the plan, I want to proceed with the exploration in ten-day intervals."
"What does that mean?"
"I mean the number of days for continuous exploration. To stay light, I'll keep food to a minimum, so I thought ten days was the limit. Well, I think I'll change it to a suitable number of days after actually trying it."
"I see."
"As for the assumed center, I'm thinking of heading southeast from here and climbing the mountain?"
"Yes, that's not wrong."
"Then, for these three days, I'll spend the days training and the nights observing the stars."
"I can tell you the stars in the southeast immediately."
"Will they always be visible in the forest?"
"I suppose so. You'll have to keep the arrangement of the surrounding stars in mind and judge the direction from the sliver of night sky you can see."
"Do I pass?"
"You pass."
For the first time, the Chief's face softened. To the Chief, Ray was truly a promising newcomer. Sensing this feeling, Ray felt guilt rather than joy.
"Speaking of which, there was one thing that bothered me."
To hide that emotion, Ray brought up a new topic with the Chief.
"What is it?"
"Do the Hero and the Royal Knights get along poorly?"
"Ah, that. You didn't know?"
"No. On the contrary, since we trained together, I thought we were on good terms."
"There was a problem with that training."
"What kind of problem?"
"In a word, arrogance."
"Ah, I can somewhat understand. I can feel it even in short conversations. There's something about him that looks down on people."
"Exactly. He was quiet at first, but as he gained strength, he began to look down on the other knights. The Hero is just the Hero, he exists outside the knights' hierarchy. The Hero perceives the knights as being below him, and the knights see him as acting arrogant despite not being their superior."
"I see. What does the Knight Commander think of the Hero?"
"He finds him even more bitter than the average knight does."
"Eh? To that extent?"
"You know far too little about the kingdom's affairs."
"I'm sorry."
Ray apologized honestly, but this was indeed an unreasonable demand. Even though he had been in the castle, Ray's range of activity was narrow. It was fair to say he knew nothing about events outside the vicinity of Princess Ekaterina.
"The Knight Commander is often badmouthed as being a mere ornament. You know about the Three Pillars, right?"
"Yes. My master is one of them."
"Right. The Royal Knights are run by those three. Especially Myriad General Sieg, his strength and popularity are outstanding, to the point where he's called the true Knight Commander."
"I can somewhat understand. But why does that lead to hating the Hero... By any chance, did he say this to the man himself?"
"You're quick. Myriad General Sieg is one of the few people the Hero respects. And of all things, the Hero declared in front of His Majesty that to make the demon king's subjugation a success, Sieg-dono should be made the Knight Commander."
"...He's an idiot."
Ray knew Fumiya's selfishness well, but the Fumiya from the original world had a strong desire to be seen favorably by those around him and wouldn't have done things that caused conflict with others. He wondered if the title of Hero had changed Fumiya. That didn't mean Ray felt any sympathy. He simply thought he was a complete idiot.
"Hmm. You know that the Royal Knights and the Mage Corps get along poorly, right?"
"I'd heard that. However, as the Chief says, I don't know the inner workings of the kingdom, so I might be thinking about it incorrectly."
"...True."
The Chief knew what was incorrect without it needing to be put into words.
"May I ask something now that I couldn't ask in front of His Majesty?"
"Whether I answer depends on the content."
"That's fine. Does the Commander of the Imperial Guard lean toward the Prince or the Princess?"
"You can ask that even in front of His Majesty."
"Meaning it's public knowledge?"
"Yes. The Commander of the Imperial Guard clearly supports the Prince. You could say he's the leader of that faction."
"I see. Then I was mistaken."
"In what way?"
"I thought the Commander of the Imperial Guard supported the Princess."
"What's your basis for that?"
"He's leaving the seeds of the Prince's scandals untouched."
"That, huh..."
The rumors of male prostitution between Prince Neil and the Royal Guard Knights. Ray had thought that if it were the Commander of the Imperial Guard, he would have moved quickly to resolve it. Not doing so meant he wanted to keep the bad rumors alive. If the Commander of the Imperial Guard was the leader of the Prince Neil support faction, the reason would be different.
"Is the hierarchy clear? Assuming the rumors are true."
"...Hmm."
The Commander of the Imperial Guard had sworn such allegiance that he couldn't even correct Prince Neil's mistakes. No, that's not it. The Chief thought there was something else.
"By the way, does the Imperial Guard Knights as a whole support the Prince?"
"It's about half and half. No, the Princess might actually be in the lead."
"Is that so?"
"It's thanks to your work."
"Pardon?"
Ray, who believed that his actions as a slave had no influence, didn't remember doing anything to gather support.
"In front of the Royal Guard Knights, you brilliantly demonstrated your loyalty to the Princess. It was a level of loyalty that couldn't be dismissed just because you're a slave. The Princess who can receive such loyalty is wonderful. That is the evaluation of many Royal Guard Knights."
"I see..."
This was also a painful story for Ray. He wondered what would happen if it were discovered that his loyalty was fake.
"And... the final blow was the incident in the slums."
"That one..."
"The Princess brilliantly showed the knights the dignity befitting royalty. And her heart of compassion for the residents. That solidified the evaluation."
"I suppose so."
The Imperial Guard Knights, as an organization, was not entirely on one side. This wasn't so much a mistake as it was a lack of thought. It was Ray's failure to look at the people within the organization.
"Was that helpful?"
"One more thing. Why am I viewed with hostility by the Royal Knights? At first, I thought they were aiming to assassinate me, but based on this action, it seems that's not the case..."
"It's simple jealousy."
"Huh?"
"You, in your own way, wounded the pride of the Royal Knights. You, who were laughing at first, became a pupil of Geel-dono and even won a sparring match against a Commander of a Thousand. You probably don't know how much the knights were scolded by the Knight Commander and Myriad General Sieg after that, do you?"
"I don't."
"The Knight Commander called them the shame of the knights. The Myriad General told them quite harshly to realize their own immaturity and lack of effort."
"...Isn't that just misplaced resentment?"
"Exactly. But whether it's misplaced or not, the fact remains that you are hated."
"True..."
Based on the conversation so far, if he made a slightly forced judgment, the situation began to become clear to Ray. The Mage Corps was excluded because, despite being the ones to plan this, they hadn't sent their own people and had handed the initiative to the Royal Knights. And the Royal Knights were excluded because the initiative they took wasn't to target Ray's life, but for another purpose. This narrowed down the characters significantly. Now he just had to assign roles.
"Then, it's someone close to the Hero who is dissatisfied with the current state of the kingdom."
"And you'll reach the truth with that?"
"A hypothesis can be formed. If I can find supporting evidence, it becomes the truth."
"...And your hypothesis at this point?"
"Now?"
He had no supporting evidence at all. Ray felt a resistance to speaking such a haphazard hypothesis.
"It doesn't matter if it's wrong."
"...First, there's someone dissatisfied with the current state, and that person is using the Hero to try and change the country."
Prompted further by the Chief, Ray reluctantly began his explanation.
"How?"
"That's a bit much. But if the Hero's fame grows and he gains influence over the citizens, his words will become impossible to ignore. The service activities in the slums were the first step."
From the kingdom's perspective, the Hero didn't need the support of the citizens. Ray believed that all they wanted from the Hero was his fighting power.
"Hmm... and then?"
"The Hero doesn't think he's being used, he happily accepted the activities in the slums, believing it was simply to save poor people. In reality, he was told by someone that they wanted to do this, and it was approved."
"And after that?"
"Someone noticed that this was just a way for the Hero to gain popularity—in this case, a supporter of the Princess. That someone tried to use it to gain popularity for the Princess."
"I see..."
It wasn't that the Princess was lured there to be attacked, but rather an action born of goodwill. This hypothesis was completely different from his previous thoughts.
"Then, they bring the proposal to the Princess. I believe this was the Royal Guard Knight who brought the proposal to Miria-san."
"No mastermind?"
"Probably not. If it was born of goodwill, there would be no real 'plan.' And I suspected there was an attack plan."
"That's likely."
"Then, a person with malice found out the Princess was going to the slums and hurriedly began preparing an attack, seeing it as a perfect opportunity. I have some evidence for this."
"What kind?"
"The fact that I was able to overhear the plot to attack at the place of the thugs in the back alleys. Come to think of it, if they had planned the attack from the start, they would have settled things with those thugs long ago."
"That also explains why the executors entered the slums at the very last minute."
"Yes."
For a hypothesis, it felt far too realistic. The Chief decided to seek supporting evidence based on this hypothesis.
But the Chief didn't know. Ray was actually much closer to the truth, and there were facts he hadn't mentioned because he lacked confidence.
Ray didn't realize it at the time. If he hadn't thought so seriously and had just told him everything, he might not have suffered so much later.
And no one in the world knows. That because of this, the history of the world might have changed.