Once noticed, Koyor only has two choices: His Majesty invades them, or His Highness Arnold, who evades it, will. Prince Kyle’s life would be at risk….
Pushing aside those concerns, Rishe said cheerfully, “It’s not a problem, Prince Kyle. In fact, I was thinking that since your meeting with His Highness Arnold will not happen until the day after tomorrow, it will give us a day to prepare.”
Kyle breathed a sigh of relief.
“… Thank you very much. If there’s anything I can do to help, please let me know.”
“Fufufu. I’m glad to hear that, but it’s late and you need a good night’s sleep.”
“No, I can still move. The medicine you gave me has helped me feel much better.”
“Prince Kyle.”
Rishe smiled while sorting through the assortment of items.
“Did you forget? I can tell at a glance how tired you are. Have a good night’s sleep, and let’s look forward to tomorrow.”
“…Forgive me, Rishe-dono. For the sake of our country, you’re working like this.”
“Not at all. Besides, I’m happy to have more friends in the country I married into.”
When Rishe assured him that, Kyle’s eyes widened, and he bowed deeply.
****
After returning to her room, Rishe who was supposed to be sleeping hurriedly set about preparing for her next move.
After a certain amount of work, she checked the next room for signs of life.
There was no sign of anyone in Arnold’s room, and he seemed still on official business.
After carefully checking that, she got out on the balcony with a rope.
From her room on the fourth floor, she descended into the garden and stealthily headed in the direction of her field.
As she approached, she sniffed a floral scent from the field, just as she had expected.
“–Teacher.”
She knew he’d be there.
When Rishe called, the man standing by the field looked up.
The golden-haired man had a scented cigarette in his mouth.
With his fingers in his sideburns, Michel smiled, pinched the cigarette on his fingers and said, “Hello, Rishe, good evening. Are you ready to go on a journey with me?”
Rishe shook her head.
“I said no to that. I just came to talk to you.”
“…Fine, let’s have a chat.”
When Michel took this stance, Rishe couldn’t help but remember.
She recalled the day in her life as an alchemist when Michel and she took a wrong turn.
With a certain amount of nervousness, Rishe spoke, “Do you really intend to give the gunpowder to His Highness Arnold?”
“I wonder if I should…Because he seemed terribly productive. He’s going to stir up the world with gunpowder.”
Michel took a drag on his scented cigarette and blew a puff of smoke, and then continued, “I have a responsibility to do so.”
“Responsibility?”
“Well, let me compare it to poison for you to easily understand. Poisons are created with the power to harm people. So, if you don’t use it to kill people properly, poisons have no reason to be born, right?”
She heard the same line in her previous life.
“It’s the same with gunpowder. If it’s born with the power to change the world, you have to use it to properly screw up the world.”
Michel’s eyes, which never ceased to smile, took on a cold, icy glow.
“Everything has to fulfill the purpose for which it was created. It’s the same with my own existence.”
“…”
Rishe knew exactly what a stubborn-sounding argument was.
“A man who is born to stir up the world must move in accordance with his mission-?”
“Yes. You know exactly what I was going to say, Rishe.”
Of course she could understand everything, because Michel had said it repeatedly.
With the same absolute, non-negotiable expression as now.
“If I can’t do that, I have no reason to exist. Likewise, gunpowder must be used ‘properly’. Otherwise, it’s birth will be meaningless.”
“Do a lot of people have to die for that?”
“Peace, ethics, human morality…What’s more important than promoting the world at large?”
“–Teacher.”
“Pfft, I’m troubled. I’m sorry Rishe, I don’t mean to be mean to you.”
Michel giggled and then smiled somewhat sadly.
“That much is true.”
“…”
She clenched her hands at his declaration.
“Teacher has always been like this.”
“Hmm?”
“You behave more freely than anyone else, when in reality you are more inconvenienced than anyone else. There are so many things you want to do and so many things you don’t want to do, but you are trapped in what you think is your ‘role’. You’re investing all your talents as an alchemist into your research, and you’re setting yourself up to do what needs to be done, right?”
“…What…”
“There are certainly things in this world that only you can accomplish. But the reason for your presence in the world isn’t simply to achieve that feat.”
Rishe let out a deep breath.
Then she looked him straight in the eye and said, “People can exist in this world, even if they meant nothing.”
“…”
Michel’s eyes widened a bit.
It was but a moment, and it was so trivial that it couldn’t be called a change.
But even if it was less than a second, Michel looked dumbstruck.
It was the first time she had ever seen this look on his face, even for Rishe, who had spent years with him.
“–You say the strangest things.”
Michel quickly dismissed the emotion and smiled the same soft smile he always had.
“Nothing in the world is conceived for nothing. As long as you’re born, you have to live up to that meaning.”
“Teacher, I am…”
“I’m sleepy now. Let’s get back. Good night, Rishe.”
“Teacher!”
Michel turned around and looked at her once more, before going on his way.
“See you tomorrow.”
“…”
Rishe was somewhat relieved to hear his farewell that meant future meeting.
In her third life, she heard a very sad farewell, “Goodbye, my student”.
After meditating and taking a deep breath, she gently opened her eyelids.
I have to hurry.
She only had one day left.
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