Bonus chapter thanks to @HotJava on Ko-fi
The night when Frondier made the bombshell announcement.
Enfer invited Azier to his room.
In the silent room with only a small light on, Enfer asked Azier.
“Azier, what do you think?”
“Your will is my will, Father.”
Enfer smiled at Azier’s answer, but shook his head.
“I thought you would say that. You have been faithfully following my words without any rebellion since you were young.”
He overcame all the expectations of his family, including Enfer, and the attention and pressure from Constel.
The standard that the world wanted from him was undoubtedly a high position for ordinary people.
But Azier climbed up without any problem, as if he should.
There was no sign of difficulty in getting here, so to Enfer, Azier was a proud son but also a concern. Too strong steel is also easy to break.
“But Azier. You, who have seen Frondier up close, must have something in mind. That’s why you were silent in the restaurant.”
When Frondier said he would go to Tyburn.
That remark was even more dangerous than the sudden comment Frondier made during the nobles gathering.
But at the time, Azier, who had stopped Frondier, kept silent at the mention of going to Tyburn.
“Azier, I’m still unfamiliar with Frondier’s change. It means I was lacking in my role as a father.”
Surprisingly, Enfer spoke of his shortcomings. It was the most humble posture he could take towards his son.
“I need wisdom now. What do you think? Do you think it’s okay for Frondier to go to Tyburn?”
Azier closed his eyes for a moment. He couldn’t back down when his father was saying this much.
And Azier also felt the need to tell Enfer a few things about Frondier.
“At least,”
Azier seemed to be choosing the most appropriate words,
“He won’t die.”
In the end, he muttered such a heavy statement.
“Do you really think so?”
Enfer asked suspiciously again. Tyburn was such a dangerous place. Literally, a place where one had to contemplate life or death.
“The Frondier now is different from the one last year.”
Azier was the one who saw Frondier’s growth rate the closest.
Of course, even he doesn’t know all of Frondier’s abilities, but he personally taught him close combat.
It seemed like he would give up in three days, or even less than a day, but Frondier stubbornly followed his teachings.
From what he had seen so far, Frondier was the type to move while thinking. He was the type to set traps in advance and engage in psychological warfare to narrow the gap with the enemy.
This was definitely a different tendency from Azier, who dealt with all situations based on his fundamentals.
Therefore, even if it seemed like he was showing off his tricks, it definitely had an effect. The same was true for this final exam. He changed the situation in his favor through hidden moves and information superiority, and deception, and he didn’t miss the opportunity.
Perhaps because of his habit of setting multiple traps, Frondier does what he thinks he can do himself.
He’s been collecting tools for psychological warfare one by one. It must have been for that reason that he asked Azier to demonstrate ‘Falling Edge’.
The part that Azier had come to accept in his own way was that part.
The reason why Frondier had been lazy and done nothing so far was because he considered most things ‘impossible’.
But for some reason, he thought it was ‘possible’ again. The result is the current Frondier.
“Frondier is not being arrogant.”
“Do you think there’s something to gain by going there? Does Frondier believe that?”
“If it was just a belief, Frondier wouldn’t have tried. Frondier knows. That he will gain something from there.”
From Azier’s perspective, Frondier has been living stubbornly since one day. As if he had really become someone else.
It was unexpected for Azier that he said he would go to Tyburn, but he didn’t think that Frondier, who had been living so stubbornly, would suddenly make a foolish decision.
“Unless it’s excommunication, Frondier will live on with the name of the Roach family.”
The original plan was that by kicking him out with excommunication, they would send Frondier to a relatively safe place, but if it’s not excommunication, in the end, Frondier would be walking the same path as Enfer and Azier.
“If there’s a hell to see someday, it wouldn’t be bad to see it in advance.”
* * *
I was in a dilemma.
Who should I tell that I’m going to Tyburn?
I thought about telling Aten, who had helped me a lot, but then, she might follow me to Tyburn. No, would she really follow me to Tyburn? Just in case, should I tell Aster or Sybil first? But do I really need to say anything? It’s not like I’m going to die──
I had such worries, but they were all useless.
“You’re going to Tyburn, you said.”
This was what Aten said as soon as I entered the classroom.
It wasn’t just Aten. As soon as I entered the classroom, the students murmured as they looked at me. I could faintly hear the word ‘Tyburn’.
How did all the students know this fact? I thought about it and then Elodie came to mind.
That kid, she spread this story all over the school!
“Ah, yes. I was going to tell you, but it seems the rumor spread faster.”
I didn’t know what Elodie was thinking, but there was no point in denying it now that it had spread this far.
Aten looked at me as if I was about to die.
“Why are you so willing to throw away your life?”
It was as if she was really looking at someone about to die.
“Who’s dying? I’ll come back just fine.”
“Then why are you going to Tyburn…?”
Hmm. It’s definitely a question.
To me, Tyburn is a high-risk, high-return place, but to others, it’s just a high-risk place with no return. An incredibly high risk. Some even called it a Die-risk.
“I have something to get.”
I answered after much thought. I didn’t want to lie to Aten, but she wouldn’t understand even if I explained everything.
It’s about half the truth. Aten blinked at my words, as if thinking about something.
“I see. You have something to get…”
It sounded like she was saying something very extraordinary.
“Aten. I’m just asking in case, but you’re not coming with me, are you?”
“Of course not. I’m a woman who knows her limits.”
…Hmm, right.
I nodded, sensing that asking more questions might lead to unfavorable results.