Chapter 36 36: The Weight of the World

The night ended shortly after a brief discussion, with me being led by a maid to a guest room in this mansion residence I had 'spawned' in. I didn't know much about the history of aristocracy on Earth, but as it turned out, an archduchess was practically royalty, so everything she owned was an item of far superior quality than I knew even existed. I did bring things like blankets from back home in my Storage, but I didn't even need them thanks to being provided with spares of exceptional quality from this world. Needless to say, those items went right into my Storage the following morning. Call it an additional tax? Not only that, but the clothes provided to me by my disguise were also top-tier. Donning the deep purple garb which bore a number of eye-catching silver embellishments, as well as the archducal emblem of a dragon's wing superimposed over two moons on its chest and shoulder, I felt strangely empowered. [Certainly, I agree! You do appear rather dashing in that attire, Enki!] It even earned the Librarian's seal of approval... although, I'm not quite sure how she knows what it looks like when she's supposed to be blind. Either way, it was a pretty sweet suit if I do say so myself, and just wearing it emanated an aura of nobility even from someone like me, inspiring a level of confidence I wasn't certain I deserved to bear. In any case, despite her grand title of archduchess, the Antagonist, or rather, Lucretia, was only a student, meaning she had school to attend. For that reason, I couldn't extract information for long during breakfast before time was up. Regarding the specific danger of the Protagonist, she only had one thing to say. "You will come to comprehend the circumstances throughout the daily schedule, I suppose." It wasn't ideal, but if time was tight, I guess I could understand it. There were still other concerns, though. "But can I really enter the school just like that? I'm a bit old to be parading around as a high-school student. I don't have a uniform, either." I was able to pull it off without an issue in the second Contract because they were 7th-years and practically adults at 17-18 years old, so there really wasn't much of a difference there, not to mention the fact that the disguise assigned to me at that time was as a student, meaning the ordinary residents of that world also saw me as someone who belonged there... This 'Royal Academy' Lucretia attended, on the other hand, was for kids aged 15-16, it seemed. Speaking frankly, there was no way I wouldn't appear conspicuous, and that isn't even taking into consideration the lack of a suitable disguise. Despite all that, she looked up at me blankly and elaborated quite succinctly. "Noble students are permitted attendants to accompany them throughout their academy routine. That is precisely the role you will be taking." So, because I was her attendant, it was okay? Honestly, I didn't understand why a student needed a personal attendant in the first place, but I guess nobles could more or less do what they wanted, right? At least, for an archduchess, I couldn't imagine there being many restrictions, if any at all. Well, if it works, I wasn't going to complain. "Does that mean I'm replacing the attendant you had before?" Asking that out of pure curiosity, she sent me a curt glance in response. "There was no previous attendant; my father deemed it unnecessary for my growth as the future empress." 'Oh... Her father must be an archduke, right? Goodness.' "I see." 'It seems I've found myself in quite the high-stakes scenario...' That's right... One thing Lucretia did brief me on was that she was to be engaged to the current Crown Prince of the Empire. Although, whenever she uttered anything to do with that topic, I noticed her brows subtly furrowed for a reason she seemed unwilling to disclose. The only details she mentioned was that it had something to do with the relationship between her father and the emperor. 'Sounds like it's probably something sad... An arranged marriage? Figures that something like that would be customary in a place like this.' Regardless, my task here remained the same. So long as the Antagonist was kept safe, whoever she was or wasn't engaged to was something irrelevant. I had but one vision for the end of this Contract, and I shouldn't lead myself astray by getting concerned with unnecessary things. It was the same for the previous three, and there was no reason why this time would be any different. "Won't the archduke have something to say about it if you suddenly take me in as an attendant?" Considering the nature of it as a disguise assigned to me by the power of the Illusory Library, I honestly thought there would be no real problem concerning it, but I asked just in case. "There will be no concern. My father would not reverse a matter as mere as my own decision to enlist an attendant. If ever he did question it, there would be no further action nevertheless, as I know Father to trust in my decision should I act out of turn. I believe I have established enough credibility until now to be worth that much faith." The one person in this world who this girl could rely on, her father, was said to reside in the empire's northern archduchy state of Christina-Rasa, not the capital of Drakon-Rasa in which the empire's Royal Academy and this mansion was located. For a brief moment, I wondered why she didn't just contact her father for help when she realised the Protagonist might cause the downfall of the empire, guessing that he was simply too far away physically to do anything about it. However, according to Lucretia, the answer was something entirely different. "It is a test..." She looked down towards the plate containing her breakfast and muttered. "If I, with all the power, knowledge, and time that I have in my current possession, cannot prevent our empire's destruction, which will occur at the hands of a single, despicable girl... then, I am simply unfit to be the empress that will steer its future. Certainly, such argumentation is what Father would provide." Giving a transient pause, she swiftly continued. "Alas, were that not to be the case, there would nevertheless be no assistance. "Should Drakon-Rasa become under threat, and that fool unable to stop it, the subsequent fall of His Majesty's state is one that was just from the beginning"... Such were the words of my father." 'Huh...' Honestly, I didn't really understand much of what she was saying, but I think I got the gist of it. What her dad said sounded a bit harsh to me, to simply let an entire nation fall like that as if it deserved it, but if that was what the relationship between the archduke and the emperor were like, then what could I say to that? Plus, though it was no more than a feeling, I got the idea that Lucretia herself actually agreed with that ruthless notion. "Father is under the impression that no matter what happens to the empire, our Christina-Rasa Archduchy will remain strong. In that, he is undoubtedly not mistaken. However, it simply means the pressure of preventing the destruction of the empire is solely mine to endure." For one reason or another, this girl was the one to bear the weight of 'saving the empire'. Naturally, my first thought was one of conflict. First of all, even if the archduke refused to help, weren't there plenty of others who could do something? Other noble families, her soon-to-be fiancé the crown prince, or even the emperor himself? She remained silent when I questioned her about that, but I was sure it had something to do with the Protagonist one way or another. Or perhaps, she was just adamant on doing it herself―excluding the fact that I was here now to assist her, I guess I could understand that sentiment. Above all, though, I felt just a little troubled. Lucretia was doing all this under the assumption that it's only this empire that will be affected by the Protagonist's ruin, but that couldn't be more wrong. After all, if the Antagonist loses, it wasn't just the empire. The entire world would collapse, right?