I Don’t Want To Be the Main Character

91. In-group bias (3)

1.

“……It’s a little late.”

As soon as Ludrick opened the door and entered, he came face to face with Arwen. Arwen opened her mouth with a somewhat bewildered look on her face.

If it had been normal, she would have greeted him in cat form, but now she looked like a normal human.

No, it would be a bit of a stretch to describe her as a normal human being. The black bat wings that sprouted from her shoulder blades and the purple eyes that always gave off a mysterious vibe sometimes gave off a red glow, creating a sinister atmosphere.

And this was the true form of Jinjo, who revealed his true power before the fight.

He is known as the Elder Vampire, and is the king of all vampires who have lived since ancient times thousands of years ago, with powers comparable to dragons since birth.

As the months have passed, her cat acting has reached the point where she is almost one with the cat, except for the occasional awkward acting. Just because she sits leisurely and spends her time leisurely like a real cat doesn’t mean she is a real pet.

“…….”

“……?”

As soon as she sensed signs of change, she recalled the secret agreement she had made with Sylphia beforehand and prepared to fight in her own way.

As if the work was already over without any preparation, Ludrick returned to his room and passed her by without saying a word. Then Arwen made a confused expression.

She knew that, having lived for a long time, she possessed a wealth of magical knowledge that was incomparable to that of ordinary wizards. The beings that attacked from beyond the gate that Lorenzo opened were beings from another world that operated completely differently from the laws of this world.

In other words, it is a product of other worldly laws, not a creation created by the hands of God.

But I couldn’t help but wonder why the situation was already over and why Ludrick passed by without saying a word and without even greeting me.

“……Your expression is dark. Did something happen?”

“…….”

Arwen doesn’t burn or anything when exposed to sunlight like low-level vampires, but she still feels reluctant to do so, so when Ludrick is not around, all the lights are turned off and the curtains are drawn to make the room dark.

Maybe it was because it was dark, but Arwen suddenly felt that Ludrick’s expression was dark.

It’s not just that the face looks dark due to a lack of light, but also that the lips are tightly shut and the eyes look as if they have lost their light.

Moreover, crucially, Ludrick did not respond to Arwen’s words this time either, but just sat down on the bed.

Arwen, who was watching, couldn’t help but think that something had happened.

Surely Ludrick had been there just a moment ago. If Ludrick had come back, it would have been after the incident had already been resolved.

Arwen, whose thoughts had wandered to this point, cautiously approached and examined Ludrick’s face.

Perhaps he was mentally shocked after witnessing Lorenzo’s death just a moment ago, or perhaps he was injured somewhere during the fierce fight.

As he approached Ludrick with a worried expression on his face, wondering if he had been hurt somewhere, a low voice echoed through the dark room without any lights.

“Don’t come.”

“……huh?”

“Is what she just heard true?” Arwen asked with a puzzled look on her face, but Ludrick muttered softly.

“I told you not to come.”

“…What happened? Did something bad happen?”

Arwen paused for a moment at his completely different attitude than usual, and before she could open her mouth, Ludrick kicked and burst out laughing.

“Acting as a cat is sometimes awkward, but your acting skills are good in this kind of thing. No, did you improve a lot as you kept doing it?”

“I don’t know what that means.”

Arwen, who was hit on the nail in the head in an instant, tried to ignore it, but Ludrick, who had been mumbling, added.

“I heard everything from Sylphia.”

“…….”

“You said it was a situation that the two of you planned together.”

There was no change in his confused thoughts. However, Ludrick could not just sit by and watch Arwen’s behavior of trying to deceive him as if she knew nothing.

Why on earth?

A question that you understand with your head, but still cannot understand with your heart.

Just as Sylphia was a dragon who fell in love with a human, and not a human, she planned this incident. She also agreed to this incident because she was a true ancestor, not a human.

Anyway, in the end, I thought that if it was beneficial to Ludrick, it would be beneficial, and I thought that it would not be detrimental, so that was my decision.

She was not focused on human morality or universal empathy. Rather, she was in the group that didn’t care about such things. Just as the standards created by human standards cannot be applied to Sylphia, they cannot be applied to Arwen either.

The only reason Arwen agreed to this plan was because she believed that this would ultimately give Ludrick the greatest benefit over the other options.

Yeah, that would definitely be the case.

“…Why did you do that?”

“…….”

Arwen was unable to answer Ludrick’s question.

Just as the relationship between Ludrick and Sylphia was, the relationship between Arwen and Ludrick was also parallel. Even though they were looking at the same direction, they were parallel lines that could not ultimately reach each other.

And then, looking at Arwen who was speechless, not knowing what to say in response, Ludrick kicked and laughed lightly as if he had known that would happen.

It was not a mockery, nor was it a laughter that contained passionate anger.

Rather, the meaning contained in that short laugh is self-mockery.

“I knew it.”

“…….”

“You go out too, Arwen.”

“……Okay, I understand.”

Arwen nodded with difficulty, her expression devoid of soul as if those words were a death sentence. Then, watching her back as she left the room, Ludrick muttered softly.

“Right now… Right now, I just don’t want to look at it.”

It was not a word that contained a curse or a reproach, but simply expressed Ludrick’s feelings as they were.

Arwen flinched as she left the room, knowing that was what it meant.

It felt like an arrow was stuck in my back.

Inside the room after Arwen had left, Ludrick was left behind, sitting listlessly on the bed, muttering quietly.

“……Was I too complacent?”

Actually, I still don’t know where the tangled thread started. I never heard anything like this when I heard stories from Elena about the past. Looking at the circumstances surrounding the incident, it seems like it was treated as an unexpected accident, with only Arwen and Sylphia knowing the details.

That’s why he could make excuses like he didn’t know, but regardless of the excuse, Lorenzo, who was already dead, would not come back.

Just as you can’t take back words that have already been spoken, a person who is already dead cannot come back to life.

At most, we were only together as teacher and student for a little over a month, and not all of the time we spent together was good memories. There is nothing more meaningless than weighing the pros and cons of a person’s life.

This time, I was just shocked by the fact that someone I could consider close to me had died in this way.

That was all, I kept telling myself, but my mind was still in disarray and was swaying back and forth like reeds on the riverbank, blown by the wind.

Suddenly, Sylphia’s words flashed through Ludrick’s mind.

‘… … There are too many variables to change a fixed future.’

future.

I didn’t know what form this would take in the future. I had already learned a valuable lesson in the same way, so I wouldn’t experience it again, but the method might be different.

Just as you thought.

‘It was easy.’

Ludrick muttered quietly to himself.

I was complacent. I was too easygoing.

Yes, perhaps it was a foreseen misfortune.

2.

“So this is how it ended up this time too.”

Use it.

Elena clicked her tongue and touched her throbbing forehead. The report from the inspection agency was a type of report that Elena had already seen once.

Before the return, she had seen a report during a fierce civil war with her older sister, the Crown Princess of the Esgeland Empire, over the throne that could only be held by one person. Of course, she couldn’t not remember it.

If I were to summarize the contents of the report in one sentence, it would be something like, ‘An unexpected accident occurred during the experiment, resulting in the death of the court magician Lorenzo Tonali.’

Before the regression, there was no such bad news.

Although Lorenzo could hardly be called a mainstream figure in the magical community, he was considered a key figure even in the magical community that did not particularly consider seniority, along with his outstanding achievements that rivaled those of the continent.

For example, you could say that she was the leader of the pro-Elena faction in the magic world.

The sudden death of Lorenzo was an accident that mixed the joys and sorrows of Elena and the Crown Princess, but after experiencing a regression and changing the future, some kind of corrective power came into play. Lorenzo died in the same manner much earlier than expected.

As the civil war was in full swing, we didn’t have time to properly investigate the incident, so we don’t even know what the situation was, but this time, the story will be a little different.

“If this is the case… first of all, we will have to select a new court magician.”

Elena muttered softly.

The investigation of the incident can be left to the wizards invited from the Magic Tower. Elena’s wandering around and poking around for no reason will do any better than the experts.

In that case, Elena has no choice but to think from the position of the ruler.

The investigation into the matter will be delegated to the inspection agency and the magicians invited from the Magic Tower, and since the position of the court magician cannot be left vacant, the process of selecting a new court magician must begin.

“……It seems like there’s no one else but Ludrick.”

“Isn’t it the best picture for a disciple to take over his master’s position?”

“Well, Kyung-yi thinks the same way as I do. I think the same way too.”

Sherin hesitated for a moment, wondering if it was a bit off topic, and then carefully began speaking. Elena nodded in agreement.

It is not uncommon in the magical world for a disciple to take over the research of a master when he dies. Since the position of court magician is not hereditary, it may be controversial to pass on the position as is, but it is something that can be proven with skill.

The next archmage to succeed Lorenzo, who was the archmage. As the reputation of being the next court magician was circulating among the nobles who frequented the palace, it would not be an unusual appointment.

Of course, the final approval authority would lie with the Crown Princess, not her, but it wouldn’t be impossible if Elena put in just a little effort.

“The next court wizard… then it would be Ludrick.”

Elena made her decision without knowing the details of the matter.