Chapter 141

“What kind of nonsense is this?!!!”

I couldn’t help but shout at the leader’s words. To disband this party and give up on Media… I wondered if he even understood the meaning of his own words. Werner knows what this party means, and he knows what kind of person Media is. How could he say something like that?

“Calm down, Camellia.”

“Do I look calm to you? Are you really giving up on your wife now? I wonder if you even know what kind of nonsense you’re spouting!”

“I understand better than anyone, and I’ve thought more deeply about the meaning of this decision than anyone else.”

With an expressionless face, he was telling me to kill my friend. Without even a twitch of his brow, he was telling me to kill the first person Werner ever loved. He was talking about killing his own wife as if he were discussing slaughtering livestock.

Then Squar threw a chair. Of course, the leader dodged it easily, but Squar was breathing heavily, filled with rage.

“Disband the party? Don’t make me laugh, you damn bastard! Even if you’re the leader, you don’t have the right to do this!”

“Then let me rephrase it. I, Melchior, and Melissa will leave the party. I recommend the rest of you leave as well.”

“Stop spouting nonsense!”

“I believe the right to withdraw as an individual is sufficient. Surely you’re not denying even that right?”

“Hey, you bear and loli couple! Say something! You’re not really thinking of leaving too, are you?”

Squar seemed to expect them to deny it, but Melissa and Melchior’s response was firm.

“Sorry. We’ve decided to follow the leader separately. Especially since that murderer’s spawn is part of the reason.”

“Honestly, I was getting tired of this childish friendship game. Plus, I can’t stand the indecisive elf, and frankly, I’m sick of looking at the face of the brat whose family killed my husband.”

Ricardo couldn’t say anything in return. His grandfather had killed Melchior’s parents on mere suspicion, so this reaction was only natural. If things continued like this, the party’s disbandment was inevitable.

Squar shouted, tears streaming down her face.

“…What would the Heavenly Demon have said if he saw this…?”

“Don’t drag the dead into this. There’s no greater insult to the deceased than speculating about what they would have done.”

“You’re the one insulting the dead Heavenly Demon! How could you disband the party he loved so much!”

“It goes against my nature to say this, but… if the Heavenly Demon had heard the circumstances, he would have agreed to disband the party.”

Squar completely lost her composure and grabbed the leader by the collar, shaking him. Of course, the leader didn’t resist.

“Then tell me what the hell those circumstances are, you damn bastard!”

“Unfortunately… I can’t tell you right now.”

With that, the leader shook off Squar’s grip and left with Melissa and Melchior.

I wanted to ask the leader something, no matter what.

“Then what will you tell Werner…? This place is his home… If you suddenly disband it…”

“Right… I’ll have to explain it properly to Werner.”

The leader turned around and looked at me. Up close, I could see it. He was no longer the person he used to be.

“Tell him his mother asked for it. He’ll understand my words now.”

“Wait… did you know Werner’s mother…? Why did you hide it?”

“That was also her request. I had no choice but to honor it.”

“Wait! I still have so many questions…”

“I can’t say more. That was also her request. And… congratulations on passing her test.”

After spouting those cryptic words, the leader left. The hall, now devoid of even his footsteps, felt empty. Our adventure had come to an end.

Squar collapsed and started crying, while Ricardo sat in silence for a moment before leaving.

Should I leave too? Or should I collapse and cry like Squar? I don’t know. I wanted to cry, but my tears wouldn’t come. What should I do in times like this, Mother? Why did you love someone like Father, Mother? Where did I go wrong, Mother?

And what should I do now?

When I entered Werner’s hospital room, he was struggling to sit up, talking to the Crown Prince.

“Werner…!”

Then the Crown Prince suddenly started vomiting.

“Ugh… Blaaargh!!!!”

“Are you okay…?”

Werner explained his condition as the Crown Prince was too busy vomiting to speak.

“The Crown Prince has a condition where he vomits at the sight of a normal woman’s face. If it’s from the second floor, maybe not, but at this distance, vomiting is guaranteed.”

“Ah, I see… But are you okay?”

“Mostly. Sister Melissa’s spells have side effects, but they’re effective. It’s a bit disappointing that Sister Media isn’t here, though…”

Media… Does Werner know that today there was talk of killing her? Could you handle all the information that drove Squar to despair and made me so sad…?

“Werner… The Heavenly Demon… he’s…”

“I know… he’s dead.”

“I’m really sorry….”

It was my father who killed him. Just being part of that person’s family made me unbearably sorry.

“It’s not like you killed him.”

Werner peeled a fruit the Crown Prince had brought and put it in his mouth. The sound of crunching and chewing followed.

“Werner….”

“The Heavenly Demon always said it. Even if he died, don’t mourn and starve yourself… Eat well and live as usual. I’m just doing that.”

There was so much more I needed to tell him.

“And about our party…”

“I heard. It’s disbanded.”

“What?”

“Brother Zick came and told me. Along with the reason.”

It was surprising that the leader had come here and told him about the party’s disbandment. No… Given how heartless he is, I wonder what he said to hurt Werner. If he treated that child the same way he treated Squar… I’ll kill him.

“Did he say anything else?”

“Well, he did say something…”

Werner scratched his head. Surely he didn’t keep up that damn tone…

“He said he was sorry…? That they’d handle everything, not to worry too much. To take care of Airi and Glacia. And… that it’s okay to resent him as much as I want.”

It was unexpected. I thought he’d become a heartless monster, but maybe there’s still a bit of humanity left in him?

“Gurgle… May I make a statement?”

“Ah, Your Highness, I’m sorry for suddenly visiting like this…”

“Blaaargh!”

He started vomiting into the trash can again. Werner handed me a large towel.

“Go. If you stay, the sun will set.”

“Yeah, I should.”

I covered my face with the towel, and only then did the Crown Prince stop vomiting. I really wonder how someone with that condition got married.

“Teacher… About the Tower Lord of Earth being a member of the Black Round Table… Could it be misinformation…?”

“Misinformation…?”

“Given how famous he is, I’ve been keeping an eye on him, but he really doesn’t have any notable characteristics. He did buy a slave under the guise of adoption once… but that was just one person, and it’s customary for sorcerers to buy slaves as assistants, isn’t it?”

Most sorcerers do hire assistants that way.

“Still, we should check if he really only cares about work. His slave assistant might know something…”

“Unfortunately, that method won’t work. The first assistant he hired died over ten years ago. He didn’t shed a single tear at the funeral, though…”

“You seem to know quite a bit about a mere assistant.”

“Well, Teacher, you might not know, but it’s a pretty famous story. Even though she was a slave, she had zero aptitude for magic, yet he used her as an assistant.”

Werner thought for a moment and then asked.

“You said he adopted that child… Is it possible he really loved her like a daughter?”

“Well, I don’t know… He didn’t shed a tear at his assistant’s death, and after the funeral, he just locked himself away to research… I think it’s safe to say that’s not the case.”

“Then I’ll have to meet him and talk. Today, if possible…”

Werner tried to get up, despite not being fully recovered. I tried to stop him, saying he needed more rest, but…

The Crown Prince, instead of stopping Werner, said this.

“It’ll be difficult today.”

“Well, it’s generally hard to meet sorcerers who lock themselves in their labs…”

“All the Tower Lords are gathering at the Earth Tower for a meeting today.”

“…Then is Lorcha there too?”

“Well, she’s a Tower Lord, so of course, right?”

“Damn it!”

Werner shook off my hand and ran out.