In a way, this was like the cliché of a mystery novel. All circumstantial evidence pointed to a culprit, but fundamental physical evidence was missing. That was exactly the situation I was in now.
What kind of gift is this?
Perhaps if this were before the notion that I was an evil spirit had already been established, this would be helpful. But to prove my innocence in this situation, I needed adequate concrete evidence. Otherwise, it would seem more suspicious, like now.
«Repeat after me. I am a woman». This was the request Raven made to me after the strange misguided Trust breakdown. His objective was clear. I wanted to find out why Misplaced Trust stopped when I spoke, and although I had no way of finding out the truth, I was going to perform different experiments until I got closer to it.
Now he could only do one thing. »I-! Ugh, my voice...! I don't think I can say it because it's a lie-»
«Stop fucking around!»
Uh... that was a genuine attempt. Unsurprisingly, that strategy won't work.
«Anyway, just say whatever.»
«...I'm not really an evil spirit. Believe me, Raven.»
When I repeated the same words, the hand once again stopped. The only difference was that Raven didn't waste that brief opening and quickly said, «I'm a man». What... was I able to say?».
So the anti-lie effect stops working on others as well when it freezes. I just learned something new. Damn.
Tick, tock.
But even though it kept stopping, it started working normally again a moment later, the needle on the disc still moving.
«I'm an m- Hmm, now it doesn't work anymore. Mr. Yandel, you did something, didn't you?»
Wait, why do you automatically blame me? Well, I'm the cause, but...
I had to flatly deny it. «T-that's unfair! Why are you accusing me when you bought a defective product?»
«Defective product? How can it be normal for this to happen every time you open your mouth?» That was definitely strange. If I were Raven, I would have used the same reasoning.
But I couldn't admit it just like that, right? I raised my voice. «I haven't done anything! It's true. Believe me». The fact that it was now impossible to distinguish truth from lies with Wrong Trust meant that the chances of the person with the loudest voice winning the argument had increased.
«...Please shut up. You are too loud».
Gosh, why do you have that stone face? Scary.
When I reflexively fell silent, Raven also paused for a moment, lost in thought. «...Tell me».
«¿Eh?»
«What you were going to say before. Tell me».
«Ah...» In a way, this was like in ancient times, when there was no magic or science, a time when it was enough to talk to someone to trust them. Ugh, what a wonderful world that was.
«What do you mean 'you came back'? What the hell were you doing before?».
«Tell me everything».
With that, I went over what happened after Amelia and I were left alone on Farune Island in chronological order. In the end, we both defeated the Water Storm and an essence appeared.
«So you took out the Lighthouse Keeper first with...».
«Yes, I used it along with Bayon's Transcendence».
«I guess everything up to that point is true. Keep going.»
Before moving on to the next part, I told her about the treasure Amelia and her team had been searching for, the Stone Fragment of Records that had once been in the possession of the lord of Noark Castle.
Raven was convinced with surprising ease. «I had already heard about that object. But he had no idea that it was the treasure that the Drous man fled with. Anyway, legend says it can be used to change the past, right?».
«It was not a legend but a fact. Although it was impossible to change history. You'll understand in a second».
I told him how the Records Stone Fragment was activated and how I woke up twenty years in the past.
«...That's impossible, but if something like that really happened, I guess that explains how only your team was left on the island».
The further the conversation progressed, the more doubts Raven began to have. But he didn't interrupt me, probably planning to judge the veracity for itself once my explanation was finished.
«Nivelles... Enze?» When I got to the part about how I borrowed my identity from the IDs we got from a looter on the island, Raven tilted her head in confusion.
Do you remember what happened then?
I began to hope, but the reality remained relentless.
«...That sounds familiar to me, in some ways».
Well, I was like five years old then. How could he even remember my name? Anyway, after that...
It was Dwalkie's turn to make his appearance. I told him how I tried to change his destiny, but I soon realized that no matter what I did, the story would always flow in the same direction.
«Everything I did had already happened in the original timeline».
«The study of time has existed since ancient times. It's the one-dimensional timeline theory... Don't worry, please keep going».
«Clear.»
So I told him how I got down to Noark and explained in detail the efforts I made there for six months to save Amelia's sister. Of course, I omitted everything that had to do with evil spirits.
«When I came back, I had only been in Noark for a month. At that moment, I ran into Amelia and Erwen, and Erwen believed me».
«And the reason you didn't announce your survival right away was because the announcement made by the palace was suspicious... right?».
«That's right. Although I don't know if they will believe me». He had already said everything he had to say. So what conclusion would Raven come to?
Waiting for Raven to speak, I felt a mix of expectation and worry. When he did, his voice was harsh. «What a ridiculous story. The kind that children like».
To some extent I expected this reaction. After all, she was a magician, not a normal person. The more intelligence someone had, the more absurd my story would have seemed to them.
«Do you have proof that your words are true?».
I knew you'd ask that, so I made something. Do you know why I didn't tell you about our meeting? Typically, these things stick best when taken out in dramatic moments.
«Try... Of course I know. You said that the name Nivelles Enze sounds familiar to you, right?».
«Sí, ¿y?»
«Of course it sounds familiar to me. Because you and I already met twenty years ago».
Faced with Raven's confusion, I explained those events to her in detail: our first meeting in the library, how I saved her from getting into trouble while she was out there electrocuting everyone, and how after that we saw each other almost every day to chat.
«Was that person... you...?». Soon, Raven's eyes filled with amazement.
«I guess you've finally remembered who Nivelles Enze is».
I may not have remembered the name, but I did remember who I was. It was great luck. Raven was silent for a while, looking at me with a mixture of amazement and bewilderment.
«It can't be... How could it happen...?».
«I know how you feel. But it really happened. You remember the conversations we had, right?».
«Faintly. I just remember that someone like that existed... I was very busy after entering the Magic Tower. And then that happened not long after...»
«That?»
Raven shuddered, her voice turning cold. «You don't need to know that, Mr. Yandel».
Haha, and I was so good to you when you were little. How could it grow like this? Oh, I guess I was even more feisty then. At least now he speaks more politely...
«Anyway, are you considering believing me now?»
Raven didn't answer my question and kept her mouth shut.
Tick, tock.
As the silence lengthened, Mistaken Trust's rotating hand sounded especially loud. There were less than two minutes left. He may have stopped every time he spoke, but it wasn't like he spoke non-stop at all.
Tick, tock.
Time moved on.
«It doesn't matter what I want to believe. Amelia Rainwales, you answer. Are all those stories true?» Only remembering then that I could validate my incredible account through someone else did Raven's attention shift to Amelia next.
Tick, tock.
Although Wrong Trust was working normally, Amelia had no problem responding. «Everything Yandel said is true». Yes, I may have left out some details, but the experiences themselves were facts. «Yandel and I traveled back twenty years and went through a lot. All those things really happened».
That was the final blow. Although it was a difficult story to believe, it was impossible not to believe it at this point.
Well, I think I'm done persuading her...
With that thought in mind, I let my guard down a little.
«But...» Raven said, squeezing out the words. «That... does not prove that Mr. Yandel is not an evil spirit».
«...Eh?» I couldn't understand it. Because? Wasn't my story believable enough? Why did he keep digging into this so persistently?
Could it be... that she had another reason to suspect me as an evil spirit other than the palace announcement?
That possibility made my mouth dry.
«Amelia Rainwales, I'll ask you one last question.»
«...Speak.» Amelia nodded.
Raven hesitated for a moment, but when she finally asked her question, she left no room for ambiguity. «If you have the slightest doubt or don't know for sure, please tell me. Is Bjorn Yandel an evil spirit?».
Damn sea.
Amelia did not answer Raven's question. No, he couldn't answer, to be more exact. How could? He couldn't even tell a lie in front of that Numeric Object. The only thing he could do was sit quietly.
Thus, a heavy silence fell. The only sound was the click of the Wrong Trust needle moving around the record.
Tick,tock, tick.
However, that didn't last long.
Tic.
Once the needle completed a single revolution and stopped, the light from the disc also faded. Wrong Trust was disabled. However, the tension in the air persisted. That happened sometimes, in situations where a beat of silence provided a clearer answer than ten thousand words.
«I guess there's no point in responding now», Amelia said quietly a moment later.
Raven's mouth showed no signs of opening. Nor did it reactivate Confidence out of place to repeat the same question. I didn't ask, but it probably wasn't because she was out of use.
«Raven...»
«Please don't say anything. At least... not now...».
Raven stared at me from her spot in front of the bars for a long time. It seemed like he was silently ordering his thoughts. But maybe that process wasn't as easy as she expected.
Raven began to mutter to herself. «I am the deputy commander of the Third Magic Corps and I feel proud and responsible for my role. I also have no intention of abandoning the obligations of my position. That's why I have to report this. Because if I don't, it will not only be a betrayal of our country, but also a betrayal and deception of those who have placed their trust in me.»
It was not difficult to find out who those words that echoed in the dark room were trying to convince. It wasn't me, or Amelia, or Erwen.
«YO... »
It was herself.
«I shouldn't do that. No, I can't do that...» Raven muttered, clenching her fists as she tried to unravel her confused thoughts. Then he turned around and headed towards the stairs.
Caminating, caminating.
He seemed to be walking a tightrope.
«Yandel, if you let her go like this, you'll get into quite a mess», Amelia advised me over her shoulder, but I couldn't hear her. Of course, he knew it logically. If Raven left now, she would bring men next time.
Squeeze.
What could he say to stop her? My comrade, who had tried to believe in me, finally realized the truth and decided to walk away from me.
Hit.
My heart tightened. At the same time, I had this thought: if I were not an evil spirit, if I had been born in Bjorn Yandel's body, I would have met these people and become their teammate, how would things have been?
Ridiculous. If that were the case, we would never have become teammates.
I tried to get rid of that meaningless fantasy, as well as the guilt I felt for Raven. It wasn't the time to think about that.
I guess I have no choice but to move on to plan B.
Now that the situation had taken a turn for the worse, I had to focus on getting out alive, regardless of my current situation. After all, it wasn't just my life that was at stake. I also had to take responsibility for Amelia and Erwen.
When the troops arrived and the steel bars opened, he would have to use Gigantization to keep them out of the room and buy time. Instead of going out on deck, he would have to smash the ground to escape into the lake. The breathing problem could be solved with a water spirit... and from there...
While I was preparing plan B, Raven stopped walking and slowly turned back to me.
«Before... why did you save me?». She looked me straight in the eyes as she asked, as if that was the only thing she was still stuck on. «If you had not used Gigantization, your identity would not have been exposed. Why... did you save me? Even being hurt like that... being hurt like that. There must have been a reason.»
So, that's what he was wondering.
I could understand why he was asking, but that only deepened my sadness. Raven would never have asked something like that in the past. The reason I was asking now must be because I was an evil spirit. All my sincerity up to that point was in question, and the time we had spent together had been nullified.
I guess this is what Baekho must have felt.
The emotions he must have felt once saturated my entire body to the bone. The walls of my heart closed as if they had never opened. I doubted anything he said here meant anything.
However, I spoke. «Yes, he had a reason».
«...I see. As I thought, there was something else that drove you».
It may have seemed like a monster that had stolen someone else's body, and all of this seemed like a lie. But even though I knew it wasn't my place to say something like that, if there was something driving my actions, it was one thing.
«Raven, it was because you were in danger. That's why I saved you».