“You came here?”
Ellen asked back in a bewildered voice.
Dier shrugged.
“Well, I didn’t just come here. I didn’t know which research lab it was. So I went around to all the plausible research labs in Constel. Under the pretext of a tour. A legitimate research lab wouldn’t be able to just block a Constel student.”
And in the meantime, he lowered his presence and stole the syringe from the lab.
Of course, Dier didn’t just steal the syringe. He didn’t know which lab was the right one, so he stole anything suspicious from each lab.
“It’s just luck that one of them worked.”
Dier smiled wryly. Even though he had prepared in advance, he still had to rely on luck in the end, which made him feel pathetic.
But Ellen’s doubts deepened after hearing that.
“Then you weren’t the one who made Dier get the syringe?”
“No. I never thought Dier would inject himself.”
“Then how could you say I was the ally? If he hadn’t injected himself, Dier would have remained restrained there.”
At that, Frondier tilted his head as if asking what she meant.
“Well, of course, you would have saved him.”
“…….”
Frondier looked at Ellen with innocent eyes.
Ellen honestly wasn’t sure. If Dier hadn’t used the injection to become stronger and turn the situation around, would she have saved him?
Frondier believed she would have, but Ellen herself wasn’t sure.
“Then let’s go back now. I’m tired.”
Frondier said that and walked straight out. There was no hesitation in his steps, and he didn’t look back.
“Frondier is always so cool.”
Dier said, watching him.
“……No, I think.”
But Ellen had a slightly different thought.
Frondier’s back didn’t look cool, but rather, just incredibly exhausted.
* * *
As night deepened, I climbed up to the roof of the Constel building. There was no particular reason, I just wanted to get some air.
I had told Ellen and Dier that things were settled for now.
But in reality, I still had a task left.
‘I haven’t found the monsters yet.’
Of course, I had learned the location of the monsters by analyzing Eden Hamelot and Angus Mason. The monsters that humans traded with to dispose of corpses.
But if I stirred things up now, they would just run away. They still didn’t know that the lab had been destroyed, so they would show up at the usual meeting place. That would be the opportunity to attack the monsters.
…But.
Why am I so tired?
‘Even when I fell asleep after taking down Indus, I didn’t feel this exhausted.’
Back then, the fatigue from continuous battles and work had been building up. Eventually, it led to the situation where I fell asleep while tied to a chair.
Compared to that, the most I’ve done this time is just today. Yet, the fatigue I feel now is incomparable to back then.
The fatigue from Indus led me to sleep.
But the fatigue now is trying to break me down.
“Frondier.”
I turned around at the voice coming from behind me. Ellen was standing there.
“……Senior.”
“You said you were tired, but you didn’t go home.”
Ellen’s light voice, trying to brighten the mood.
“……That’s true.”
I tried to smile in response, but it didn’t work well.
Ellen didn’t say anything for a while after that. She just stood next to me, seemingly enjoying the breeze with her gaze fixed on the empty air. I liked that. I still needed time to talk to Ellen.
And how much time passed?
Was my heart ready, or did Ellen’s wait come to an end?
At some point, when I wasn’t sure which it was, Ellen’s words flew cautiously towards me.
“……Why did you save me?”
It was a familiar question. This time, a genuine smile came out. Ellen was asking me the same question from the Golem incident.
“Senior is someone who shouldn’t die.”
Therefore, I could only give her the same answer.
Ellen’s lips pursed slightly.
“You know that’s not an answer, right? I thought the same thing last time.”
“I also said last time that you’re like a child left by the water. There aren’t many people I worry about.”
Ellen had nothing to say. She had actually caused trouble.
I chuckled at her silence and let out a sigh.
Somewhere at the end of that sigh, I realized that my voice was trembling slightly.
“Senior.”
“……Yes.”
“Today, I…”
I raised one hand and covered my eyes. It wasn’t because I wanted to hide. I just wanted to close my eyes.
“─Do you know what I did?”
“…….”
Ellen didn’t answer that question.
My excessive reaction to the word ‘death’ that I accidentally let slip today, the anger I desperately suppressed in front of Angus.
Ellen would understand what I was asking.
But she didn’t answer, and she didn’t ask further.
Whether she thought it would make things harder for me, or because she knew the reason better than anyone else.
“I did something very cruel. Something far more outrageous than anything I’ve done before.”
I said.
Something I had been holding back inside slowly started to flow out.
I lowered my hand and looked straight at Ellen.
I finally let out the words I had been holding back.
“It’s all your fault.”
Ellen’s eyes widened slightly.
Then she lowered her gaze and replied with a faint smile.
“……Yes.”
“Because you’re in danger, I end up doing things like that.”
Ellen’s smile slowly faded, and her eyes began to tremble.
With tearful eyes, she spoke to me in the most sincere voice I had ever heard from her.
“Yes. I’m sorry.”
I turned my head away after hearing Ellen’s apology.
I could see the students still remaining below the rooftop.
At that moment, a strange thought came to mind.
“Don’t ever secretly bottle things up and suffer alone, trying to die by yourself again. If anything happens, come straight to me.”
The enemies underestimate me, so they target the people around me.
My comrades don’t trust me, so they don’t ask for my help.
So, to solve all of that, I killed, threatened, and deceived.
Covered in all that filth, I spoke in a dark voice.
“I will take care of everything.”
I don’t know what kind of expression Ellen made after hearing those words. She might be dumbfounded, or she might be bewildered.
But whatever her reaction, it didn’t matter.
This was my decision.
This is what will happen next.