Cold Heart (End)

Aobana, the curse that forced me to comply with its caster's will. For its beautiful flowery design, it hid a heinous magic that could chop one's head. I wonder if every curse bearer is forced to abide by the whim of its caster and face the full wrath of society. That was a sad way of living.

"Master Arthur, tell me more about The Order, "I shot Arthur with a question, with an ever-serious face while eating another batch of food. This time It was a crispy meat full of spices called Martabak. Yum! One bite and soon you'd get addicted to it.

Arthur squinted his eyes but then sighed, "Soon after the treaty, a deadly plague known as Nyght engulfed the world, claiming countless lives. The disease was indiscriminate in its victims, striking both the young and the old, the rich and the poor," the man sat beside me and continued his story,

"Symptoms included a raging fever and seizures that would wrack the body, leaving the victim writhing in agony. In just a week, the disease would consume the body, causing blood to burst out from all the pores in the body. They would die slowly in excruciating pain."

"That's horrible, so, does Hero Eclair save the world again by conquering the plague?" I asked.

Arthur shook his head, "She became the first victim who died because of the plague. And with her death, all hope is lost and the world fell into the dark age for over 90 years. Until one day, a Daemon Doctor came to Alexandria and claimed that she had found the cure to the plague."

"... Does this doctor affiliated with the Butter Order?"

"Yup, her name is Hollow Ataraxia... A Lector who betrayed the Order to save the world from the plague," Arthur pointed at the Yggdrasil and continued,

"She erected the Yggdrasil, protecting the town from Superadicals that caused the plague. She introduced the wonder drug known as Mutterbeweisen. It quickly gained a reputation for its effectiveness, as patients began to recover in just a matter of days. As word of the cure spread, the doctor's fame grew, drawing the attention of even the Mahamagi, the greatest magician who rule Alexandria.

For the greater good, The Mahamagi demanded the famous doctor reveal the Mutterbeweisen formula. However, she refused to reveal the secret recipe, citing that the world had not ready to know its secret."

"Mahamagi? You mean Lady Quina?" I asked.

Arthur looked reluctant as he nodded and continued, "Lady Megistus was Mahamagi of Order... and Order was always just but cruel. She imprisoned the doctor and had her tortured for days. But even after so much pain, The Doctor kept silent. Impatient and angry, Lady Megistus ordered the Black Company to investigate the doctor's secret lab, to reveal the secret of Mutterbeweisen."

... Secret that was worth so much pain, I wonder what actually behind the Mutterbeweisen was.

Arthur scratch his head and continued, "It's still the first time Black Company handled a case that complex, so the record is… Questionable. So, I could know what was written of the report, though," Arthur said, showing the Aobana curse etched on his neck. So he was also a prisoner like me.

I nodded, understanding his circumstances, "You mean, how the hell The Mahamagi found out about the Doctor's 'secret' lab, when she kept silent all the time, right?" I replied while enjoying the magical view around me. Daemon and Human were mingling with each other like buddies. Yet I noticed that the color of the clothes of the Daemons… was not as bright as the Humans.

Arthur kept silent and took the night snack to me. Probably, my guess hit the nail.

Arthur sighed and continued, "According to the report, it was a scene of unspeakable horror, a testament to the depravity of the lab's owner.

Dozens of pale, emaciated bodies hung limply from the rafters of the abandoned factory. Thick pipes connected each of them to a massive contraption at the center of the room, which pulsed and hissed as it greedily drained their life essence.

All of them feed The Yggdrasil to produce its fruit... It had similarities with the Mutterbeweisen."

The man walked to the riverside, " As soon as the contraception was destroyed, without even a trial, Hollow Ataraxia was executed publicly. Years after that, Lady Kiara created alternative ways to run the Yggdrasil. Now, we live in peace, knowing that none of us would end up being killed horribly like that again," Arthur explained.

"Similar… doesn't mean it's identical," I commented while sipping the booba tea Arthur kindly bought for me, "This whole story sounds suspicious," I continued.

Strange, but Arthur slightly looked satisfied when I said that.

"Care to elaborate?" Arthur asked me.

Is this some kind of test? How troublesome.

"It's just my guess… The Doctor is a Daemon in a city that was ruled by humans. For thousand years, Daemon was always looked upon as a Sub-human. So my point is… This whole case is a repulsive example of how hypocritical the world is," I crossed my arm reminiscing how cruel Earth was.

"Those that held the majority and power would always exploit the weak minority. The Doctor as a Daemon didn't have a chance to defend herself to the court. A civil war almost erupted. But somehow, it was stopped and the flame died off. I wonder why?" I answered carefully, cold sweat dripped from my head as I watched my curse. But Arthur silently listened as if saying it was okay.

I cleared my throat, "And that's how The Order comes in. If someone put The Order behind the drug to spread its propaganda, provided with the cruel 'evidence' behind it, then the story would change dramatically. So much so that the mass bought it. Well, that's my hypothesis. Could be wrong, hehe," I concluded carefully.

Arthur looked at me in disbelief, "… I can't believe it. To conclude by yourself, are you smart, Princess?"

"Ugh, h-how rude! I am the smartest Princess of all time," I grumbled.

I could see a slight smile from Arthur before he continued, "Well, our genius Princess, you're wrong."

I raised my eyebrow, "W-What a jerk! You just wanted to tease me, aren't you?"

Arthur nodded his head and said, "Your point is interesting, at least. But you should refrain from saying that to a Black Company, especially when it was just groundless opinion," but his tone quickly turned into a cold one, "Next time, I might have to report you to Lady Megistus. We don't need someone too creative disrupting the peace."

I smiled, feeling bad, "I'm sorry… It's just a wild guess," I said while looking down.

"No, no, no. What's more important is you know how dangerous The Order is... and how to bring the result to Mahamagi. Who knows, maybe you will be the first Greyhound that had been released from their curse," Arthur said and then enjoyed the snack he bought.

He took another bite and started chewing the food deliciously.

"To make it clear, the riot did start because of the Doctor's popularity. But soon it resolved when Black Company found out that it was just one of The Order's plots to disrupt the peace. It wasn't someone from above plotting something scandalous as you've said," Arthur answered calmly as if he was citing from a book, "Well, it's the official statement of the case, so it must be true."

"Then how they proved The Order had hands on it? Don't you think, it's kind of... Fishy?" I asked out of curiosity.

"You're imagining things. Anyway, if you are finished, let's hurry. It's already late."

But I noticed his eyes contrasted with what he said. Probably, like me, he stopped voicing strong opinions like that to avoid The Mahamagi's ire. My hypothesis was right. Dammit, that was just messed up! This city, everything about it was just an illusion.

Everyone here was just like me, the prisoner of order and justice.

After leaving the riverside, we continued the walk. The great tree of Yggdrasil stood high at the center of the town. Her light dimmed, simulating the nighttime in Alexandria. The cold breeze passed me as my body shivered.

...?

As I stood amidst the suffocating crowd, lost in my thoughts, a sudden warmth enveloped me. I turned to find Arthur standing behind me, his gaze filled with concern. He draped his jacket over my shoulders, "You're going to catch a cold like that. Let's hurry," he said.

"I'm a goddess, you know. I can't catch a cold," I protested.

"Heh, no need to act tough, " Arthur replied with a slight smile.

For a moment, time stood still as we gazed into each other's eyes. At that moment, I saw a reflection of myself - a lonely being lost in this vast world in his eyes. Now that I realized, if not for Arthur, where would I go now? Even though I might be his enemy, he still treated me so well.

That kind of compassion, I had forgotten how warm it felt in my heart.