? Eyes of a Dragon and the Human Heart (9) ?

The moment I saw Leto buried under a pile of garbage, anger surged through my mind.

I knew those close to me might get harassed. However, there was a world of difference between imagining it and witnessing it firsthand.

For a while, I grinded my teeth before kicking the ground.

“..Those fuckers!”

“Easy.”

Yet, to my surprise, Leto’s calm voice stopped me in my tracks.

Leto, still groaning and unable to lift himself, shot me a gaze that seemed to say he found me pathetic.

“You’re going to, what? Stick by my side all day to protect me? On the contrary, showing anger would only backfire on you. If you think it would do any good, think again.”

His words made perfect sense. Still, I found them hard to accept and responded after a brief silence.

“But still..”

“Drop it, Ian. I’m fine.”

With that, he slowly lifted himself with a grunt. I offered my hand to help, but he declined with a shake of his head and insisted on getting up on his own.

With a heavy sigh, Leto leaned his back against the wall.

He looked quite shaken.

I found it hard to meet his gaze. Although it wasn’t directly my fault, I couldn’t deny that I was the cause for it.

After all, the problem stemmed from the soul of my future self possessing me.

For a while, I remained silent, scratching the back of my head, before cautiously offering an apology.

“I-I’m sorry....”

“It’s fine.”

But as always, Leto answered dismissively.

He brushed the dirt off his clothes with his hands, but his expression twisted momentarily, perhaps due to the lingering smell.

Soon, another sigh escaped Leto’s lips. Then, he tried to comfort me in a reassuring tone.

“..It’s not your fault, you know. And this, well, it’s all to prevent the destruction of the world or something, right?

Honestly, I wasn’t so sure.

Thus, I remained silent. The thought that not just Leto, but all those who were close to me might be facing similar torments, weighed heavily on my heart.

Seeing my expression, Leto seemed to roughly grasp my thoughts.

He chuckled softly, tilting his head down. Perhaps his head was throbbing as he began to press hard on his temples.

Still, he was the only person I could confide in, so I had no choice but to share my troubles, almost as if lamenting.

“Why do you think future ‘me’ did that?”

That question was at the centre of all the problems I faced.

The future ‘me’ had provoked the princess. Even if the princess had initiated the conflict, the response wasn’t justified; it was downright brutal.

Even if I didn’t know the detailed conversation between the princess and ‘me’, at least it appeared that way externally.

What if it was just a momentary loss of temper?

If so, there was no real answer. It meant I had to overcome the issue solely on my own strength.

As always, Leto’s logical reasoning was the only thing that eased my anxiety.

He quietly shook his head.

“He wouldn’t have done that without reason. Even though it only happened two times in the past, there was alway a reason whenever that person took the initiative.”

With that, he snapped his fingers. Images began to form in thin air.

Lines of faint blue light connected to shape a figure.

It was the image of a wolf. The Named-Class Demonic Beast that I had hunted for the first time.

“When the first letter arrived, the ‘you’ from the future bonded with Seria over a week. Although it was through violence, without Seria, you wouldn’t have been able to participate in the hunting festival, let alone win.”

That was true.

Without Seria, I wouldn’t have gotten involved with Seniors like Elsie or Delphine, and I couldn’t have formed a team powerful enough to win the Hunting Festival.

The next image depicted the view of the Gilford Orphanage.

“The second letter was the same. If you hadn’t obtained information from the Saintess then, you wouldn’t have been dispatched to the Gilford Orphanage.”

“..So, what about this time?”

To my question, which followed as if it were a matter of course, Leto pondered, resting his chin in his hand.

The last image formed was a question mark.

“We have to figure that out from now on. But at least we have a clue.. We need to find out where he went and who he met before provoking the Princess during that week.”

“So, unusual actions or any proactive moves..”

All I could do was swallow hard.

There was a dire lack of information. I had no idea what actions I took during the time I lost my memory.

At that, Leto chuckled as if my reaction was one he expected.

With a clap of his hands, the shapes in the air dispersed like mist. Then Leto, with a serious look in his eyes, advised me.

“First, you need to visit two people today. The first is Senior Delphine, and the other is the Saintess.”

“But why Senior Delphine?”

While it made sense to approach the Saintess, as she was relatively independent from the Imperial Family due to her affiliation with the Holy Nation, I couldn’t understand why he suggested visiting Senior Delphine.

In response, Leto clicked his tongue as if I should’ve known better.

“Hey, do you think the Empire’s five major noble families are a joke? Of course, they would know more about the Imperial Family than anyone else. Dig out whatever information you can and start by keeping them in check. Can you imagine the state of the Percus’ territory right now?

In other words, he meant to buy time and minimise the damage using Senior Delphine.

I wondered if I might be a burden to Senior Delphine, but I had to prioritise saving my family first.

Once the five major noble families started to act, it would be too late. The Percus household, being a mere countryside Viscount’s family, without a doubt, wouldn’t last more than a month or two.

Leto, who had been watching me deep in thought for a while, casually threw in some words.

“You should try visiting the Saintess first.”

“Why?”

“I remember, Yuren mentioned it before? He said you went to see the Saintess.”

Of course, I had no memory of it.

This meant that the future ‘me’ had met the Saintess and a clue likely lay in that meeting.

The list of places I had to visit kept piling up. Now, there were three places.

The Press Club, the Temple, and Aedalus Pavilion.

I decided to take Leto’s advice and head to the Temple first. As I was about to turn around after a brief goodbye, I hesitated and checked Leto’s reaction.

He simply had a wry smile.

“Don’t worry about it and just go. It would be best if you avoid seeing me and Celine for a while.”

“..Alright.”

Understanding the sentiment behind his words, I nodded and set off.

As I moved forward, Leto shouted at my retreating back.

“And the next time that jerk comes around, can I smack him just once?”

If it were possible, sure, but honestly, I wasn’t sure if anyone could stand up to someone who could defeat the Princess’s Imperial Guards in a few moves.

With such thoughts, I clenched my teeth.

I had to devise a plan.

**

Having finally arrived at the post office, the content of the letter I received was surprisingly short.

The letter was as concise as a postcard. But the weight it carried was heavy, making me sigh once again.

—-

To. My Oh-So-Admirable Elder Brother,

Thanks to your splendid support, the business is on the brink of getting ruined. I will be cheering for your life at the academy.

From. Your Loving Younger Sister, Ria Percus.

—-

It seemed the storm had already begun.

The consequences of provoking the Imperial Family were this swift. Pressure from all sides would begin to build up, suffocating our household and territory.

Throughout this process, the Imperial Family would do nothing but stand back and watch.

This was what made the Imperial Family an even more disgusting existence. If their underlings could cause such harm, I couldn’t imagine what would happen if the supreme power, which even these formidable underlings bowed to, became angry.

In the long history of the empire, the Imperial Family only took direct action on a few occasions.

But it always had the same outcome.

Complete devastation. Even the most influential families couldn’t survive if they crossed the Imperial Family. Given this, perhaps I should be thankful that my sister even had the leisure to write a letter.

It was while I was walking with such a gloomy expression.

I felt someone constantly following me from behind. In fact, I had been aware of who it was for quite some time, but deliberately ignored it.

I casually thought that they would eventually go away if I didn’t pay them any heed.

It didn’t take long for me to realise I was wrong. I let out a deep sigh and eventually looked behind.

When our eyes met, the woman flinched before bowing her head deeply.

She was a girl with a doll-like appearance, fidgeting with the brim of her pointed hat. Without any need for guesswork, her identity was clear.

Elsie Rinella, with whom I had said my farewell just yesterday.

“Senior Elsie, why do you keep following me? Didn’t I tell you yesterday? Let’s not see each other for a while.”

However, Senior Elsie just gazed at me with a downcast look, constantly checking my reactions. That pitiful expression once again made my heart heavy.

I tried to persuade her in a comforting tone.

“Didn’t you hear the rumours? If you hang around someone who’s at odds with the Imperial Family, it might affect you too.”

“..I, I don’t care.”

Senior Elsie, who had been hesitating earlier, responded firmly.

“I-I just need you.. any, anyways it was that bitch’s fault to begin with, isn’t it?!”

“Shush!”

I was so startled that I instinctively brought my index finger to my lips. My heart raced in shock. Regardless of the situation, how could she refer to a member of the Imperial Family as ‘that bitch’?

My eyes quickly scanned the surroundings. Fortunately, there were no passersby in sight.

My heart was still racing audibly. I hurriedly approached Senior Elsie and whispered.

“Have you lost your mind?! No matter what, speaking about a member of the Imperial Family like that..!”

“B-But she messed with Master!”

Senior Elsie protested as if she was wronged, but there was no way her arguments would work.

My hand instinctively wiped my face. Even as I tried to calm myself, the suffocating feeling wouldn’t go away.

I continued to whisper to Senior Elsie.

“It’s not just about you, Senior Elsie. This could affect your entire household.”

“I don’t care! Le-Let them disown me from the family or whatever..”

She started off boldly, but the thought of being expelled from the family seemed to scare her, and her voice began to falter.

Yet the way she looked at me with those sorrowful eyes was truly frustrating.historical

I had made the decision for Senior Elsie’s sake, but she kept trying to cling to me. It was then, when I’d momentarily forgotten what I was about to say.

“B-Big Sis!”

From somewhere, such a shout was heard.

I quickly glanced back. There stood a familiar looking man I had seen somewhere before.

Ah right, it was ‘Lupine Rinella’.

A fleeting thought reminded me that he was Senior Elsie’s younger brother. He clenched his teeth, sending me a hostile glare.

After quickly gauging my reaction, he suddenly grabbed Senior Elsie’s wrist and dragged her. Her eyes widened in surprise.

Lupine with his veins popping in his neck, yelled out.

“Big Sis, did that fucker do something to you? I, I told you.. that fucker’s completely insane! He even dared to mess with the princess!”

Senior Elsie looked completely baffled as if wondering what he was talking about.

However, Lupine continued to speak. His fleeting glances at me were filled with animosity.

“Did.. did he threaten you? It’s okay now! I’ll report it to the Princess.. He’s like a plague, so being with him will only lead to trouble!”

Calling someone a plague to their face could hardly be considered polite.

As I was considering giving him a piece of mind, a clever idea crossed my mind.

What if I just let this play out?

My persuasion might not work, but this was Lupine, Senior Elsie’s cherished younger brother. If the words came from a family member, she might understand.

Since the issue involved the entire household, it would be hard for her not to consider the family’s feelings.

Having made such a calculation, I promptly nodded in agreement.

“He’s right, Senior Elsie. Listen to your younger brother.”

“....?”

Lupine briefly sent me a puzzled look, but he seemed to be still confused and simply let it go.

His persuasion continued.

“It-It was absurd for a lowly noble to even mess with us in the first place! Getting involved with that psycho will only bring you harm!”

“Regrettably, that’s true, Senior.”

“Her Highness will surely deal with that scoundrel! So, you can rest easy now.. Big Sis, let’s go.”

“Indeed, your brother truly is reliable. I’m envious, Senior Elsie.”

Lupine’s words and my responses alternated back and forth. Thinking that, by now, Senior Elsie should’ve understood, I turned my gaze towards her.

But then I fell silent.

It was because Senior Elsie was trembling while pressing down on the brim of her hat.

No matter how I looked at it, it wasn’t a positive sign. Only then did I firmly shut my mouth.

However, Lupine, just like the last time, seemed particularly clueless. He continued to slander me, spitting as he spoke.

“This murderer bastard! He must’ve killed dozens without anyone knowing! I have even heard that his hatchet is the vessel for the soul of a devil..”

“No, that’s a bit..”

That was an outrageous slander. I thought I needed to correct that at least, so I began to cautiously intervene.

“..Oy, Lupine.”

A voice, trembling with anger and seeping through gritted teeth, flowed out from Senior Elsie.

Now it was Lupine’s turn to look stunned. With a swift motion, Senior Elsie brushed off Lupine’s hand and stood by my side without hesitation.

Her blue sapphire-like eyes blazed fiercely. The once-shivering Senior Elsie now shouted with blazing emotions.

“You.. you.. What did you just say to my Master!”

With a sudden jolt, Lupine froze on the spot.

From his mouth, only a stammering voice, as if he was in shock, could be heard.

“..Ma-Master?”

“Yes! How dare you use such words towards the very Master your Big Sis serves?”

After coldly confronting Lupine, Senior Elsie soon sent me a pitiful glance. It was a surprising change in demeanour.

And then in a fawning voice she continued.

“Ma, Master.. Lu, Lupine probably doesn’t know what he’s saying. Ple-Please forgive him.. He’s just immature. I’ll, I’ll make sure he’s educated properly!

Seeing her appear like a whining puppy begging for forgiveness, The blood vessels off Lupine’s already bulging eyes began to pop.

Only then did it occur to me.

I shouldn’t casually cast aside Senior Elsie in the future.

Senior Elsie was, after all, a bomb.