Chapter 91

Harold had made a bitter decision. While Sumeragi Territory held no direct threat to his life, for Harold, it was a place where "death flags" were just as rampant as they were under Justus’s watchful eye. After all, this was the home of Erika—the ultimate emotional landmine.

Furthermore, given that Justus had been fully aware of Lifa’s movements, it was safe to assume he was tracking Harold as well. In other words, his connection to House Sumeragi was almost certainly about to be exposed.

The reason he had ventured into Sumeragi Territory despite the risks was simple: if left to her own devices, Lifa would likely be killed. If that happened, worrying about preserving the original story would become a moot point.

Judging by Rainer’s progress, there were probably only a few months left until the game’s final battle. From here on out, Rainer and his party would keep Justus occupied. Harold calculated that he could make his escape before Justus gathered enough evidence to prove that Harold’s secret schemes had actually been designed to sabotage him. It was a gamble, but it was one he was willing to take.

Truthfully, Harold had sensed he was under suspicion for some time. It wasn't that he had picked up on any specific change in Justus’s behavior; rather, it was glaringly obvious that his actions were suspicious when viewed objectively. There was no way a man like Justus would overlook that.

The fact that Justus was monitoring Lifa was also Harold's fault for carelessly bringing her along. Once again, for what felt like the hundredth time, he was reaping exactly what he had sown.

However, the reason he was still being kept alive was likely because Justus lacked decisive evidence—or perhaps he still saw some utility in Harold. Regardless, Harold had steeled himself to do as much as possible while Justus was still giving him this much leeway.

Currently, Lifa was the final piece necessary to defeat Justus. Once he successfully merged her with the protagonist’s party, Harold’s primary duties would be complete. After that, he could recover the one remaining secret treasure and direct Frieri from the shadows to ensure the rest of the "conquest" proceeded smoothly.

If they wanted to suspect him, let them. They were running out of time to act on those suspicions anyway.

If he could just fulfill his necessary roles and survive until the final battle, Justus’s misdeeds would finally be dragged into the light of day. Even if Harold became a wanted man, disappearing for a few months was a trivial task.

At this point, it was a matter of grim resignation. As long as Lifa refused to back down, her life was in danger unless Harold or Rainer stayed by her side. Harold had realized that no matter how much he tried to reason with her, it was useless.

Therefore, the only way to ensure she joined the party as the original story intended was to guide her through his actions.

And so, he had brought Lifa all the way to Sumeragi Territory. As a pathetic form of resistance, he had scribbled a half-baked excuse to Justus on a single sheet of stationery: "Killing her is a hassle, so I'm kicking Lifa back to her village." It was a lie so transparent it was almost insulting.

He would surely be interrogated and showered with sarcasm later, but if he simply insisted he had no interest in killing a brat who had poked her nose in out of curiosity, it would limit Justus’s grounds for a rebuttal. If asked why he had brought her to Sumeragi Territory specifically, he could just say he happened to run into an acquaintance and dumped her on them. Since Sumeragi Territory sat directly between the Royal Capital and Weiss Village, the logic held up—barely.

"Heh, so this is Sumeragi Territory. It’s a unique-looking town, isn't it?"

They had been in the territory for a while. As they entered the residential district, Lifa looked around with wide-eyed curiosity. Her behavior reminded him of her first visit to the Royal Capital’s main street.

"Is this your first time? It’s relatively close to your village."

"I never had a reason to come here. Besides, I spent all my time cooped up at home doing research."

Lifa gave a light shrug. In this world, traveling to neighboring regions involved the risk of monster attacks, even for short distances. Unless someone had a clear purpose, they wouldn't travel for fun. Though in Lifa’s case, her shut-in personality was likely the bigger factor.

"So, you said you had work. What are we doing here?"

"First, we're looking for someone."

"Looking for someone?"

Indeed. The mission was to find the trio of Rainer, Colette, and Hugo and integrate Lifa into their group.

His pretext would be that she wanted to help them. While Rainer and his party were currently trying to recover the Sacred Swords, they were also using their meddlesome kindness to solve various anomalies popping up across the land.

Rainer was a man destined to be the future Knight Order Commander. He would surely hear rumors of the mysterious miasma in Sumeragi Territory and come running. This was the exact reason why Harold hadn't fully solved the miasma problem earlier—because, in the original story, this was where Erika joined the protagonist's party.

The ideal scenario was to tell Lifa to join Rainer’s group while Harold remained out of sight. To avoid unnecessary complications, meeting Rainer face-to-face was a last resort.

"We're looking for a trio: one red-haired, one blonde, and one blue-haired. Start by investigating if a group like that has entered Sumeragi Town."

A group of teenagers with such colorful hair carrying weapons would be impossible to miss. If they had arrived, someone would remember them.

Based on El’s latest report, they were due to arrive any time now. However, Harold couldn't help but feel that communication in this world was agonizingly slow. Without phones or email, the lag in information was a constant headache. That delay was the reason he hadn't realized Lifa had left Weiss Village in the first place.

"Hey, Harold."

As he was lost in thought, Lifa called out to him.

"What?"

"By the way, do we not have to look for a duo of a black-haired guy and a blonde guy?"

"...What are you talking about?"

He sounded suspicious, unable to grasp her meaning. Ignoring his confusion, Lifa simply raised her right arm and pointed behind him.

"Because—"

Before she could finish the sentence, two hands clapped down on Harold’s shoulders simultaneously. Then, from both sides, he heard voices he had hoped to avoid.

"That duo refers to..."

"...The two of us."

Both voices were annoyingly cheerful.

Harold’s heart plummeted. He broke into a cold sweat as his mind raced. Even though he knew exactly what sight was waiting for him, he slowly turned around.

"It's been a long time, Harold."

"Though I must say, accompanying a woman other than Erika is quite poor form."

"And right in the middle of Sumeragi Territory, no less."

Itsuki wore that intimidating smile the Sumeragi siblings were so famous for. Beside him, Francis shook his head with an exaggerated, theatrical sigh.

The "Bad Friend" duo had arrived. They were acting like they’d caught a husband cheating on his wife, but Harold had more pressing concerns.

"...Why are you here, Francis?"

"Just visiting a friend’s house."

"I already told him about Erika, and since he doesn't seem to intend any mischief, I let him stay," Itsuki added.

"That’s only because I know that if I did anything, a terrifying guard dog would come flying out of nowhere to bite me," Francis joked.

"Would you like me to tear your throat out right now?" Harold growled.

"Easy with the bloodlust! Honestly, you’re still as humorless as ever."

Who’s the one who isn't joking? Harold thought.

Colette wasn't with Rainer, Hugo wasn't at the Cadis Ruins, and Lifa was digging into Harold’s past. Now Francis, who wasn't supposed to join the story until much later, was making an early appearance.

Why was everyone diverging so much from the original plot? So far, Rainer was the only one following the script. He’s not the protagonist for nothing, Harold thought with a strange sense of respect. Still, he couldn't help but worry that Erika would cause some new disaster at this rate.

(No, wait... depending on how I look at it, maybe this is better?)

He tried to look at the situation calmly. Francis's early arrival meant he could be integrated into the party sooner. If Harold sent him home now, it might create even more unpredictable variables. It was better to push him toward the protagonist's party right here and now.

Adding a member early would speed up the game’s "conquest" and allow the party to build combat synergy much faster than in the game. Even if it was a departure from the original story, Harold’s current priority was clearing the game as fast as possible. The choice was clear.

"Hey."

Lifa tugged on his sleeve.

"Who are these people?"

"A man with a disturbing obsession with his younger sister, and a womanizer who deserves to be stabbed at a moment’s notice."

"Uwah..."

"I'll thank you to stop those malicious introductions!" Francis protested.

As they bickered, the gazes of the townspeople began to linger. In Sumeragi Territory, where traditional Japanese-style clothing was the norm, the outfits of Harold, Lifa, and Francis were incredibly conspicuous. Furthermore, Itsuki was the next head of the household and highly recognizable. A group like this making a scene was bound to draw attention.

"We’re standing out a bit too much. Why don't we move to my mansion?" Itsuki suggested.

"I refuse. I have no time for you fools."

"Do you have other business?"

"We're looking for someone," Lifa chimed in. "A trio with red, blonde, and blue hair."

"Are you in a hurry? If so, I can have my servants find them for you. It would be much more efficient, wouldn't it?"

Itsuki’s proposal was tempting. Searching the massive Sumeragi Town with just Lifa would be an ordeal, and they were short on time. The only problem was that Erika was waiting at the mansion.

However, Lifa knew almost nothing that would be dangerous to reveal to Erika. In Lifa’s mind, Harold was dying because he was overusing his power—as long as he warned her not to mention that specific detail, it should be fine. He could just tell Lifa the "remaining lifespan" thing was a lie, but given his own abrasive personality and Lifa’s temperament, that would turn into another headache.

If not for the circumstances, he would have loved to tell everyone the truth, but at this point, he was prepared to simply apologize profusely after everything was over—even if it meant getting slapped by both Erika and Lifa. Given what he was putting them through, a slap was a bargain.

"What are we doing, Harold?"

"...Fine. I’ll make use of you."

"Then, allow me to lead the way."

They followed Itsuki and Francis to the mansion. After walking for a while, they boarded a carriage and traveled along the main road for another hour. Finally, the Sumeragi mansion came into view, beautifully framed by pink cherry blossoms.

"It’s amazing..."

Lifa stepped off the carriage, overwhelmed by the exotic atmosphere. Even to Harold, whose soul was Japanese, the scenery of Sumeragi Territory always stirred a sense of nostalgia. It clearly had a similar impact on Lifa.

He gave her a light poke on the head to snap her out of her daze.

"Ow!"

"Let’s go."

"Ah, wait for me!"

Itsuki and Francis led the way, with Harold and Lifa following behind. As they neared the front gate, they heard a commotion.

"What’s all that noise?" Itsuki asked, tilting his head.

They walked toward the voices gathered at the gate. Lifa blinked and whispered under her breath.

"Red, gold, blue..."

"..."

Harold lowered his gaze and pressed his fingers to his temples in silence.

Standing right there, in front of the gate of House Sumeragi, were Rainer, Colette, and Hugo.