EDTATO 42

Chapter 42

If I fall in love with Dekiel again, I lose.

If I fall in love with someone other than Dekiel, I win.

The winner and loser would each have to grant the other’s wish.

—No matter what that wish may be.

I emphasized the final condition as I spoke and watched Dekiel carefully.

I couldn’t tell whether he was listening to my words or staring at my lips.

His eyes gave nothing away as he let out a small breath.

—That’s too vague.

He answered in the same bright tone as always.

His face was cold, true to his nature, despite the smile on his lips and his cheek resting against one hand.

It was early morning.

The three of us—Dekiel, Fayden, and I—were seated around a white table set up in the garden, pretending to enjoy breakfast.

It seemed to have rained during the night, because the fresh scent of grass lingered pleasantly in the air.

A few flower petals scattered in the gentle breeze, and spring seemed to fill every corner.

It was a day so beautiful it was almost nauseating.

The table was covered with dazzlingly elaborate dishes, all beautifully arranged, yet none of us touched the food.

—I thought you were going to tell me something interesting, but instead you’re proposing such a peculiar bet.

Dekiel tapped the table lightly, dressed in a splendid formal uniform befitting the young head of some ducal family.

Fayden, who silently watched him, looked almost like one of Dekiel’s servants because of his dark navy suit.

He wore a rather convincing conman’s smile.

I, meanwhile, was dressed like a precious young lady being escorted by these two men, repeatedly prodding at the salad on my plate for no reason before setting my fork down again.

Really, the weather that day was absurdly beautiful.

Brilliant spring sunlight poured down, dazzling my eyes.

The castle where Dekiel and I lived had also been transformed into a landscape of vivid colors beneath the blue sky.

It was a strange morning, so completely different from our reality.

Everything about us was a lie.

—Heine, your friend confidently promised that I wouldn’t regret spending my time on this, but what should I do? I’m a little disappointed.

Unable to endure the boredom, Dekiel set down his cup.

He had clearly been deeply intrigued by Fayden’s proposed bet, but there was still a trace of suspicion in his expression.

Even Raul, standing in the distance, narrowed his eyes.

He looked as though he were wondering what sort of scheme we were plotting this time.

I had remained silent throughout Fayden’s explanation, but now I spoke elegantly.

—There’s no way your time could be wasted, is there?

Not when even time itself is nothing more than a worthless consumable to you.

As usual, I smiled softly while looking down on him.

It was a mocking smile that said, The moment you became interested, you already fell into my trap.

Of course, Dekiel had no idea what was going through my mind.

He simply offered his prediction with almost unbearably sincere confidence.

—Of course I’ll fall in love with Heine the moment I see her.

His certainty was sweet enough to be chilling.

—Even if I remember nothing. Even if I know nothing at all, I will.

—……

—Because you’ll always be the only person who can steal my heart.

—……Ah, I see.

And I suppose you’ll always be the only madman in existence, too.

I simply sipped my tea, telling him silently to say whatever he pleased.

His eyes, overflowing with love, stared at me so passionately despite how thoroughly I ignored him.

It was so disgusting that I wanted to hurl every insult I knew at him.

Dekiel spoke with infuriating certainty.

—And just as I do now, I’ll try to win Heine’s heart.

But that was strange.

How exactly do you intend to accomplish something you can’t even do now?

Even at this very moment, he couldn’t win my heart, and yet he was about to make this ridiculous bet.

The only way you’ll ever be able to have me is by giving me death.

Therefore, Dekiel would never have me.

Not even if he gave me eternity.

—About this game. There seem to be many things we need to decide—the duration, the location, our powers, and so on.

Dekiel’s question made it clear that he was genuinely interested.

Fayden didn’t bother hiding his delight and smoothly gave the answers he had prepared.

—The duration will end when the third season arrives after Heine wakes up. At that point, we determine whom Heine loves, and the winner will be decided accordingly.

—Hmm.

—There is nothing for you to worry about. We can make a binding contract that forces you to accept the outcome of the bet regardless of your power.

Fayden clearly looked like someone who had painstakingly prepared every detail of the wager.

Thanks to that, Dekiel’s red eyes sparkled with even greater curiosity.

Soon, his gaze shifted toward my face as well.

He seemed curious about why I had gone to such lengths to prepare this bet.

—What are you thinking, Heine?

—……

—What is your wish? I’ll grant it.

—You’re curious about my wish? After all this time? I’ve told you thousands of times already.

—Then there’s no need to make a bet like this.

—I want to die.

I calmly stated my wish as casually as if I were saying something as trivial as I’m sleepy.

—I have always wanted to live like a human being. To do that, I suppose I would need to love someone normally, build a family, do the things I want to do, and eventually reach a peaceful old age.

—You mean…

—Yes. In the end… I suppose I simply want to die.

This time, I hoped my words would finally pierce Dekiel’s heart.

But Dekiel smiled with horrifying gentleness.

—That’s not allowed.

Even as he rejected my wish—something I had heard countless times before—his expression was tender, utterly at odds with his cruel nature.

I merely shrugged.

—I knew you’d say that. So let’s do it. Let’s make the bet. We’re going to do it anyway, aren’t we?

—How can you be so sure?

—I know you well.

—Me?

—You’re a madman.

—……

—A madman who cries out that he loves me even after I’ve ceased to be myself. If that’s the case, isn’t the answer obvious?

Even with Fayden and Raul clearly listening, the conversation between Dekiel and me was so blunt that it felt as though we were alone.

But I didn’t care.

In front of these people, we were nothing more than beasts who had lost all sense of humanity and morality anyway.

—A madman, huh? I don’t think that’s such a bad thing.

I had intended those words to hurt him.

Naturally, they didn’t hurt him in the slightest. They simply shattered meaninglessly.

Dekiel was still smiling, but the atmosphere around the table froze as though a blizzard had swept through it.

Spring wind blew through the garden.

A flower petal carried by the breeze became tangled in my hair.

Dekiel reached out to remove the pale pink petal.

Of course, I was the one who roughly knocked his hand away.

—Anyway, let’s do it. The bet over our wishes.

He smiled awkwardly and ran a hand through his hair.

—A bet in which I have nothing to gain?

Though his lips were smiling, his red eyes were growing cold, strangely at odds with their vivid color.

—This is a good excuse for you to escape from me.

His next words made it clear that he had thought much more deeply about the bet than I expected.

—You’ll do everything you can not to fall in love with me. You’ll reject me no matter what it takes, even if you have to give up everything you have.

Dekiel turned his head and stared intently at Fayden.

—This man’s medicine always exceeds expectations. I doubt it’s simply a drug that makes you lose your memories.

For the first time today, I could agree with something Dekiel said.

In all my time, Fayden was the only person capable of creating medicines as strange as his.

The same was true for Dekiel.

When our powers were combined, Fayden would create even stranger and more entertaining medicines, and countless times he had relieved our boredom.

Even if I hadn’t been involved, Fayden was undoubtedly a talent who would have been kept by Dekiel through eternity.

—There are plenty of ways for you to avoid me during the bet.

—Avoid you?

—You could run somewhere you can’t possibly encounter me, or hide somewhere secret and avoid me. There are many methods. We’ve already been through so much together.

At some point, Dekiel had begun staring directly at me.

He smiled brightly as if to say, Isn’t that right?

Everything he said was exactly what I had expected.

So I had no choice but to throw him the bait he liked most.

—Then we’ll simply make those things forbidden under the rules of the bet. We didn’t gather here to argue over trivial details.

—Then what?

—To confirm our wishes.

—But even if I win, there’s nothing I particularly want.

—That’s not true. There is still something you don’t have.

I swallowed dryly.

—If you win, I’m going to give you that. The one thing you’ll never be able to have.

With Fayden helping me, my victory was already assured.

So there was no chance I would lose.

But if, somehow, I did…

I closed my eyes as I imagined the worst.

I held my breath as though I were about to die right there.

Then, at last, I opened my mouth.

—I’ll love you forever.