Chapter 40: Clue (1)

'She's gone in a circle six times already… She really takes me for a fool…'

Leonel gazed toward Joan's slender back.

In reality, maybe it wasn't Joan's fault. Leonel's calculative abilities were too sharp and he hadn't revealed anything about his true powers just yet.

However, where she was at fault was in the fact that though Leonel portrayed himself as innocent and somewhat ignorant, he never pretended to be stupid. This Joan was looking down on him too much. Leonel was certain that he would see something wrong with her actions even without his abilities.

The tug of war in Leonel's mind raged on. On the one hand, he truly couldn't bring himself to see her as an enemy. But, another side of him was constantly hiding the most important aspects of himself as though instinctually.

Leonel felt that his ability was somewhat tempering his more emotional side, and he decided that he didn't particularly dislike that fact. But, he still needed to make a decision.

Should he continue to follow Joan? Or… Should he steel himself and kill her here?

Without Joan, completing the hidden quest would be next to impossible. The morale of the Frenchmen was almost entirely reliant on her. And Charles wasn't eager to attack Paris to begin with.

However, a hidden quest was ultimately a hidden quest. They could leave this place without completing it. Though, Leonel wasn't exactly sure of the ramifications for doing so.

It had to be said that though this was structured like a game, Leonel was keenly aware that it wasn't. The 'side', 'main' and 'hidden' quests all had their own purpose. Their ultimate task was to deal with the anomaly in the timeline and save the present from being eaten away by it. How important completing the hidden quest was to that end… Leonel didn't know.

He could only make decisions based on the information he had. And, according to Aina, this Sub-Dimensional Zone might very well be a Unique Zone. In such a case, with so many potential variables, the quicker they could get out… the better.

Leonel's jaw set. This was probably the first real test his new morals faced. Was his conscience really fine with taking on this burden? Was he really okay with taking the life of a woman he had dined with? Shared life and death with? Exchanged laughs with?

'… No. I'm not okay with it…'

Leonel made a decision. The relationship he had built with her, shallow as it might be, warranted Leonel following to the end of this path. If danger lied at the end, Joan would be his enemy. It was as simple as that.

It was a naive decision, a foolish one even. The smartest thing to do was to take out the spear he had used Aina's special pockets to help hide and stab her heart through her back at this very instance.

If he did this, he and Aina's lives would be guaranteed. Whether they succeeded or failed in recapturing Paris, they would be able to leave this place. But… He didn't.

"We're here."

Joan stopped at a shorter than normal latched wooden door. It had almost been impossible to see in the shadows, one might easily miss it if wandering around randomly… almost like how hidden Joan's smile was in this darkness. Leonel could only barely make out the whites of her teeth and the blues of her eyes even with his sharp senses.

"I cannot follow you in, the B — Archbishop has very strict rules. Even I am not allowed to see him freely. Take hold of this opportunity well, it could change your life."

Joan didn't wait after unlatching the door for Leonel and Aina, bowing slightly to them almost out of an odd habit that didn't seem to fit the situation. Then, sidestepping to go around them, she aimed to leave.

"… I hope I'm wrong."

Leonel's words were spoken in a striking English. The change was so jarring that Joan froze. She had only just brought her shoulders level with Leonel's, but she didn't dare to turn and face him despite the fact his cheek was barely a meter from her own.

That tone… It held a level of command and conviction to it that Joan couldn't overlap with the Leonel she had come to know.

In her opinion, Leonel was almost perfect in every aspect. His abilities, his loving and caring demeanor, he was even handsome. His only flaw was that he was a bit simple, to put it nicely.

To say it plainly… she liked him far more than she liked Charles.

However, the moment his words entered her ears, despite the fact she couldn't understand what they meant, she felt a sense of loss she couldn't explain. For a long while, she wasn't even certain if she had simply misheard or imagined it all. By the time the beating of her heart had stopped, the latched wooden door had opened and closed.

**

Leonel and Aina appeared in what seemed like a stone-built underground sewer system. There were many semi-circular arches along the sides, branching out into several other tunnels with winding paths of their own. But, there was a distinct lack of the horrid smell or dampness one would expect. In fact, it was oddly spotless.

If the branching archways were ignored, the corridor was at least 20 meters wide. About 200 meters ahead, there was a dead end. Its wall seemed impossibly high, the kind of structure that had no business being underground. But, there it was.

Still, even with this being the case, there was something else that pulled Leonel's attention away. It was a simple wooden desk. It had three draws attached to its two legs on the right side, and two bare legs on the left. It wasn't even two meters across and had nothing but a single candle lighting its entire surface.

Before this desk, a gray-haired old man wearing worn gray robes sat, his back to them, curving as though he was too worn to sit straight.

"So you've come… Tell me, I've always been curious. What is the world like a thousand years from now?"