Why You and Women

Chapter 34

She once joked that the more self-loathing a person possessed, the more adept they would be at using the Sky Eye.

At first, those words didn’t register. But now, I understand them perfectly.

Sky Eye users, employing the vast information and imagination gleaned through various means, can construct an entire world within their minds.

However, the price is a dramatic simplification of thought and emotion.

When one surpasses the limits of humanity, the brain attempts to maximize efficiency by creating the simplest possible patterns.

In other words, the stronger the self-loathing, the more intense the desire to lie to and deceive oneself, the more energy can be devoted to concretizing the world inside the mind.

Though it’s not quite akin to developing a split personality.

In any case, through the Sky Eye, everything becomes clear.

Individual anger, sorrow, joy—all converge into a single point.

I don’t see one person, but hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of currents simultaneously.

It is less like feeling emotions and more like surveying a colossal chessboard.

I wondered if I could understand the emotion of a piece feeling sorrow, but when Sylphid died, I unexpectedly realized I could feel grief.

That wolf, the most magnificent, beautiful, and valiant in this world, kept its promise to me until the very end.

Therefore, I, too, must do my best to keep my promise.

So that Sylphid wouldn’t be exploited after death, I burned its body and scattered the ashes into the air. Then, I rose to my feet.

Alright, time to get back to work.

I returned my gaze to the sky.

—

“Huh?”

The girl, in the midst of moving a piece, widened her eyes as if seeing something unbelievable.

The piece in her hand wasn’t hers, nor even her opponent’s.

It was a piece entirely from a third domain, yet it had been moved into the opposing camp by her hand.

And it fell.

“How in the world…?”

Erich approached the girl, who was visibly flustered and bewildered.

“Huh? What is it, Mother? What now…”

“Silence yourself for a moment.”

“Guh?!”

Without even turning her head, the colossal pressure exerted by the girl’s flicked finger pinned Erich down.

Ignoring the cries of her adopted son begging for mercy, barely able to breathe, she muttered to herself.

“…Vanished after heading to the Empire? If he died there, then surely… no, but that’s… could he have gone so easily…?”

She frowned, seemingly unable to comprehend, endlessly repeating the same questions to herself, before abruptly stopping.

A smile, accompanied by laughter, escaped from the corner of her mouth, hidden by her hand.

“Ha, hahahahaha! Ah, so that’s it! That’s what it was! It wasn’t as though I hadn’t been suspicious a time or two, but Chief, so you *are* human after all!”

Tears streamed from her eyes as she clutched her stomach, roaring with laughter, as if truly delighted.

They weren’t tears of sadness. These were tears born of sheer amusement.

“Haa, you truly are the best, Chief. It is because of *that* that you are able to stand against me… Erich? What are you doing over there?”

“S-save me…”

The girl flicked her finger once more, and the crushing pressure instantly vanished.

Erich, finally freed, scrambled to his feet, trembling, but still managed to speak.

“Wasn’t that a bit much? I really thought I was going to die.”

“Hehe, apologies. I had things to consider for a moment.”

“So, have you considered them all?”

“Just now, yes.”

At those words, Erich’s gaze shifted to the game board. He tilted his head in confusion.

“What was so funny that made you laugh like that?”

“The Chief made a mistake.”

“A mistake? So even *that* one is only human, huh?”

The girl simply shook her head, looking at her adopted son with a disappointed gaze.

“Don’t go thinking he’s like ordinary folk. He acted with a clear understanding of the mistake he was making.”

“Why? Are you even sure it *is* a mistake?”

“It *is* a mistake. A colossal one at that.”

This move the Minister had just made held the potential to upend the entire game so far.

There’s no way he didn’t know that.

“And yet, he made the move without hesitation.”

“Uh, right. Still not making sense here.”

“Well, of course it isn’t. You and I could never truly grasp the concept humans call ‘affection,’ you see.”

Luckily, the girl had a vague, intellectual understanding of the irrationality inherent in this emotion called *jeong*, and so it was possible for her to understand that the Minister’s move was a blunder.

If not, she would still be mired in confusion.

“…Hmm?”

“Anyway, with this, our objective has become clear.”

The girl’s hand, having picked up a fresh piece, began to move once more.

—

“S-Celine. Um, I’m not being treated like a traitor, am I…?”

Lisana, who had subtly approached while searching through old records in the archives, asked this question. Celine responded with a face that said, “What nonsense is this?”

“Of course not. Why would you think that?”

“Well, I was under mind control not too long ago…”

Lisana, who possessed perfect recall, remembered every conversation she’d had with Alina, who was posing as her older sister at the time she was under mind control.

Because of this, she knew she hadn’t said anything that could be a problem, but she still couldn’t help feeling anxious.

“Still, it feels like…”

“On the contrary, thanks to you, we were able to expose another Oracle executive and inflict some damage. The Minister thought so too, which is why he gave you paid leave as a reward.”

“That was a *reward*!?”

“…What did you think it was, then?”

Why did everyone in this department invariably think that receiving leave was a punishment?

Celine, feeling bewildered, soon realized that she wasn’t much different herself.

“Anyway, don’t worry about pointless things. If the Minister thought you were a traitor, would you even be here talking to me right now?”

The Minister never forgives traitors.

Though they no longer existed now, there had been employees and agents who sold internal information back when the Minister had just taken office as the head of the Intelligence Department.

Perhaps that was why. The moment the Minister assumed office, the very first thing they did was cleanse the house.

The refuse born of that cleansing was all burned, incinerated.

And let me clarify, this is not a metaphor.

“Th-that’s incredibly persuasive… Ah, but apart from that, there’s something else that’s been bothering me…”

“Yes?”

“Um, is the Minister perhaps… a magician…?”

Celine tilted her head, bemused by the seemingly out-of-the-blue question, but it wasn’t long before she grasped Lisana’s meaning.

“You’re referring to the matter of you being freed from the enchantment?”

“Ah, yes.”

Celine recalled the event.

The moment it was discovered that Lisana had been subjected to an enchantment by the enemy, the Minister had convened nearly the entire intelligence division, including herself and the Owls, for an emergency assembly and had directly interrogated her.

After confirming that there had been no information leak, they had dissolved the enchantment placed upon Lisana, and all the Minister had done was raise their right hand and place it upon her head.

“It’s certainly perplexing. I’ve heard Alina Rippenshtal is a very powerful magician, despite her…personality.”

The Minister had effortlessly undone an enchantment that such a dedicated magician had carefully woven.

She had later cautiously inquired how it was done, but, unsurprisingly, received no explanation whatsoever.

“M-maybe they learned it from their famous magician sister…?”

“I doubt it. I don’t know much about magic, but I can’t imagine it’s something you can easily learn just by studying.”

It was always like this.

She, along with the Owls, intelligence division operatives, and staff, had so many questions about the Minister, but the individual in question kept their lips sealed, making it impossible to learn anything.

“Speaking of which, where *is* the Minister…?”

“They’ve gone to inspect the Department Store. Now that I think about it, they loosened the leash a bit, and it seems some of the shopkeepers, including the manager, have been engaging in some less than honest business.”

The Magical Artifact Department Store was fundamentally run by the Imperial government, so the intelligence division wasn’t usually involved, but in cases like this, they would occasionally conduct surprise inspections.

Thereafter, the two finished their idle chat and returned to their respective tasks.

Before long, Celine found the documents she needed, gathered them all, and went to her table to begin organizing them.

‘There were three main reports the Minister highlighted for me this time.’

Reports on the suspicious stolen goods that were recently flowing into the Empire, reports on the flow of immense funds that were gathering in one place, regardless of faction – aristocratic, anti-aristocratic, merchant guild, or the criminal underworld.

That alone would have been enough, but the final report was the clincher.

‘A large space beneath a building nearing completion, abandoned mid-construction without any apparent reason.’

It was a familiar pattern to the intelligence division. Though this was Celine’s first time experiencing it.

‘A black market auction. It seems it’s about to be held again after a hiatus of three years.’

—

There are things you buy thinking they’ll be incredibly useful, but once you get them home, they just sit unused.

Like exercise equipment you buy with grand intentions for your health, only for it to become a clothes rack within a week.

These days, my own place was accumulating more and more of those sorts of items.

Strangely, they feel so different when you buy them compared to when you see them at home.

One might suspect there’s some kind of magic spell on them, compelling you to purchase.

Anyway, having all that stuff piled up isn’t good for appearances, and it makes the house messy, so I decided to get rid of everything I wasn’t using.

Minimalist living, you know?

But I blinked, and somehow I was at the department store again, browsing through more things.

Someone, please, stop me.

“Ah, Minister? What brings you in today…?”

Perhaps it was because I came so often? The department store manager was at the door to greet me every time.

No, maybe not so much the frequency, but more that I always bought so much?

Is this what VIP treatment feels like?

Maybe I should give the department store manager a heads-up before I come here in the future.

“Do I need to report my visits?”

“Ah, a-a-absolutely not! Not at all! We, we simply wish to provide the Minister with even better service…!”

Judging by how he was emphasizing customer service, it must be the VIP treatment.

But what perks do department store VIPs get?

“Even better service, you say.”

“Yes, yes…”

“Are the things that the Chamber of Commerce executives receive from the department store part of this ‘better service’ as well?”

They seemed to be getting a lot of freebies. I wondered if I could get some too, so I asked. The department store manager vehemently shook his head.

“N-n-no, no! Those g-gentlemen, those individuals, were merely visiting the department store on personal business, and this establishment did not specially provide them with a-anything!”

Denying that they even gave them anything when I know they did. Guess I’m not getting any freebies.

What a pity.

Wait, but that changes things, doesn’t it?

“That’s what he claims, Jamel Branch Manager.”

Turning around, I asked. The agents, in response, brought forward the head of the Jedo Branch of the Chamber of Commerce, Jamel, whom we had happened to run into at the department store entrance.

You said you’d just give them to me if I asked…

“Who’s the liar here, then?”

I wouldn’t normally make such a petty fuss over something like a freebie, but if there were discrepancies in the treatment of VIPs, I couldn’t just let it slide as one of their customers.

And don’t get the wrong idea, I’m not just sulking because I didn’t get one!

“…Th-the Merchant Guild threatened me! They said if I didn’t give them a bribe, they’d use their influence to have me removed as manager…!”

A bribe? A threat?

What nonsense is this?

“D-don’t lie! We never did such a thing! You lot were the ones who first proposed striking a deal with us!”

Striking a deal?

Huh?

“The Magitech Department Store is Imperial-owned. Consequently, His Imperial Majesty forbade the Merchant Guild from establishing a presence here as a protection measure for the Empire’s merchants. Am I mistaken?”

Or is my memory failing me?

Strange. I distinctly recall hearing that directly from His Imperial Majesty.

Hmm, never mind. I can always have my subordinates look into the details.

“Take them both to the Intelligence Bureau.”

“Y-your Excellency! Ah, no, Great Lord!”

“P-please, spare me! I’ll tell you everything!”

Yes, just tell them there.

And really, “spare me?” Such melodrama. It’s only a little chat, why all the fuss?

After having the agents escort them to the Intelligence Bureau, I intended to head for the department store rooftop.

Lately, I’d developed another addiction besides shopping: the ice cream sold on the rooftop terrace.

The soft, swirling cream drizzled with caramel syrup was unbearably sweet and delicious, you see.

So, leaving the screams behind, I was about to ascend when an odd sight caught my eye.

Alexander?

Why are you being stabbed by a woman?