Proposal

With large hands that were unexpectedly deft, Randolf took the piece of cloth off Theodore's forehead and dipped it in the bucket of cold water, twisting it before neatly folding it and placing it back onto Theodore.

Silently, Theodore watched the man work, saying nothing until the paladin sat down on the bed next to his.

"How is Maria?" asked Theodore, finally summoning up the courage to do so.

"She's unconscious, but not in any danger. Thanks to you, the wounds that would have been fatal were healed almost completely."

"I see."

Having heard that, the weight upon his heart was lifted. With Maria confirmed to be safe, Theodore could focus on his own problems.

With the wet cloth on his head, Theodore couldn't turn to see the room, but he could hear whispers from around the door. No doubt it was the other orphans. Strangely, they do not seem to be entering. Perhaps they had already arrived at some kind of agreement beforehand.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Randolf asked, not intending on beating around the bush it would seem.

Right out the gate, Theodore found himself in hot water. How he decides to answer this question shall determine what will happen going forward. As he thought about how he was going to approach this, Lina returned with a cup of water.

Entering, Lina gave Randolf a look that contained a slight bit of hostility. It was clear that she did not trust him.

"Go ahead, I'm not in *that* much of a rush," said Randolf.

After giving the minimum amount of acknowledgment, Lina went to Theodore's side, removing the cloth on his head and propping his heavy body up with one hand while handing him the cup with the other.

"Thanks," said Theodore.

"Drink slowly, alright," Lina said solemnly, worry apparent on her face.

Theodore did as he was told, sipping on the water bit by bit as he used this borrowed time to come up with a plan of action. Eventually, perhaps sooner than he would have liked, the cup was emptied and Theodore found himself having to decide his future course right then and there.

"I could do it for as long as I remember," Theodore said plainly.

Hearing his response, Lina appeared somewhat surprised while Randolf gave away nothing with his stoic expression.

"Why so surprised?" Theodore turned to Lina, a gesture meant to buy him even a bit more time. "I told you didn't I? I'm a genius."

"That's what you keep saying, but I couldn't have imagined this..."

"Well, that's not the entire truth I suppose." Theodore turned back towards Randolf. "I also remember things that I couldn't have experienced. For the longest time, I thought they were just dreams, but thinking about it now, they were probably memories, memories that weren't mine."

The fact that Randolf's eyes grew sharper as he spoke did not escape Theodore's notice. It was an expected reaction as this was likely what Randolf had wanted to hear. After all, the magic technique performed by Theodore was far too complicated for anyone his age, even for some kind of freakish genius. It was the only explanation Randolf could fully accept. Anything else would have left him suspicious.

Having disarmed that suspicion with the surprisingly honest answer, Theodore gave himself some wiggle room in the rest of the story. While rare, the Demon Lord was not the only one capable of reincarnation magic. There existed others possessing memories not of their own, memories that were not necessarily the Demon Lord's.

For a moment that seemed to last too long, Randolf gazed intently into Theodore's eyes. It was unknown what thoughts were swimming around in his head. While Theodore was confident that he would have enough of an opening to escape certain doom, the prolonged silence was wearing away at his self-assurance.

"Does the name 'Nero' ring any bells?" Randolf suddenly asked.

"Nero? I'm Theodore... Though, that's the name they gave me when I was adopted. I don't know what name my birth parents gave me."

Theodore was playing dumb. He knew very well who this 'Nero' was. He was the condemned sixth hero that stood with the army of the Demon Lord, erased from all official records and songs, to be lost in the annals of history. For the world, he was a traitor most vile, but that was only a mere part of the story. Nero was, in truth, an incarnation of the previous Demon Lord that went undercover on the empire's side.

From the Demon Lord's memories, Theodore understood that Randolf and Nero were rather close friends, or so Randolf had thought, at least.

"I see... I apologize for the strange question." For reasons privy to only Randolf, he seemed just slightly disappointed. Perhaps he still believed, even if only partially, that the friendship from back then was real, that if the Demon Lord reborn was indeed before him, perhaps 'Nero' would say something to him. It was, of course, nothing but foolish fantasies. "About those memories, what do you remember specifically?"

"Most of it was vague, but there is one thing that I remember vividly There was a tower, a very, very tall tower. It reaches all the way into the clouds. Of everything, that tower left the strongest impression on me."

"A tower... I see." Randolf muttered and sank into thought. As far as he knew, there was only one such tower that matched Theodore's description. It was called the 'Mage Tower', the base of operations of the Circle of Mages.

In Randolf's mind, it was possible that Theodore had once been a mage from the Mage Tower. One that had managed to reincarnate themselves. Or, perhaps it was but only of the Demon Lord's many trickeries. Perhaps the memory about the tower was but a lie to throw him off.

(But in that case, why did he save the clergywoman? Would that Demon Lord truly risk his reincarnation just to save one mere human? I find that hard to believe.)

"Listen..." spoke Randolf after a few moments in silent contemplation. "You are currently considered dangerous by the Paladins of Eustia. In a few days, they will come to take you away. You will be put through an inquisition trial in which you would not be treated fairly. In truth, I am officially here to watch you and ensure that you do not escape."

The air in the room froze upon Randolf's confession. Theodore, already knowing what the zealous Paladins were like, was not surprised. After all, if the Demon Lord was the ultimate evil, then Eustia, the Goddess of Justice, would be their nemesis. They weren't always like this, but they've gotten progressively worse ever since they got themselves that new Grand Master.

"However," Randolf continued, "there is a way you can avoid that. There is a group called the Circle of Mages and all mages within the empire are officially under their jurisdiction. If you become an apprentice mage, the Paladins will have a harder time getting to you. The downside is that, given your particular circumstances, you will be put under special supervision, though I would say that it's far better than ending up in an inquisition trial. You need only give me your approval and I can send a message immediately. I have a friend in the Mage Tower, you see. If I send the message now, we might just make it in time."

Of the few organizations that knew of the Demon Lord's method of resurrection, the Circle of Mages was one of them. And unlike the Paladins, the Circles of Mage weren't as fervent, taking a more observational approach towards subjects that some might consider too dangerous to be left alone. That being said, though they were without the zealotry of the Paladins, they had instead paranoia in plenty and were opportunistic to a fault. Under their jurisdiction, Theodore might not be executed, but at the same time, he might find himself atop a dissection table as the mages attempt to figure out all the secrets of the Demon Lord. It was a choice between facing certain doom and taking his chances with what might be a fate worse than death.

"Do I have to? Can't I just stay here?" Theodore asked a question that he already knew the answer to.

"I am afraid the Paladins will take you whether you want to go or not and they will not be kind."

"Then... Then I will enroll. If that's the only way..."

"Excellent!" Randolf seemed almost relieved. "I'll have the message sent at once."

With that, Randolf rushed out of the room, likely to send that message. He wasn't lying about sending it immediately.

***

End of Chapter 12

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