The Art of the Accomplice

“If we create a secret, will you let me call you by your name?”

“I’ll let you use a nickname.”

At those words, Cedric Klein, who had been smiling loosely, sprang to his feet.

To commit their “bad deed” together, they moved immediately to the Principal’s office. Cedric, having shed his heavy, thick robe and tossed his glasses aside carelessly, looked to be in high spirits. He didn’t even ask where we were going.

Upon seeing the crossed swords guarding the door tucked neatly into their scabbards—or more accurately, bound tightly within them—he simply remarked, “That’s Chloe’s work.”

If Louis had heard that, he would have shrieked in horror and yelled, “See! I told you!” I had wondered if Cedric was just making a point after hearing Louis’s grumbling, but perhaps Louis’s suspicions weren’t a delusion after all.

The room of Pisa Tecon, where the holy relic was protected, looked quite ordinary on the surface. While a massive celestial globe commanded attention, it didn’t immediately scream “mage’s workshop.” As I’d noticed back at the Magic Tower, he seemed to favor a luxurious, clean aesthetic that felt almost uncharacteristic for a mage.

Books were packed tightly into high shelves, and a faint, heavy fragrance lingered in the air. The reddish wooden desk and leather sofas were clearly high-end, and even the flooring was of a different quality than the hallways.

True to Louis’s word that he would take care of the initial measures, no alarms triggered as I stepped inside. Out of nerves, I habitually rested my hand on the sword at my waist while scanning the room. Cedric Klein, who had been sticking close behind me, began to wander through the interior with newfound interest.

“What do you need?”

“An entrance.”

“Leading where?”

“I don’t know where it leads yet.”

I moved along the wall, pressing my ear against it. Despite my appearance, my hearing had been trained to a useful degree. It wasn’t a special talent, but a skill I’d honed while tumbling through the mountains on the Spellman estate. After about three years, I’d become so familiar with footsteps that I could instinctively tell if an enemy was someone to avoid or someone I could catch; it was a skill that served me well during hunts. If there were a hollow space behind the wall, the sound would change.

However, no matter how hard I concentrated, the sound remained the same. I checked several times, but the conclusion was always the same: there was nothing behind the wall.

Knocking might reveal something, but I couldn’t risk moving blindly without knowing what traps were where. If this were a swordsman’s room, I would have just ransacked it. Realizing it was a mage’s room made it difficult to guess what I should be wary of.

Time is running out…

I looked at my ring, which had turned orange—Louis’s signal—and worried. Just then, my senses picked up a faint fluttering sound. Instinctively, I reached out and snatched it.

The object that went limp after a few rebellious flaps of its wings was a paper folded into the shape of a butterfly. For some reason, a strand of hair in a familiar color was wrapped around the antennae, but I assumed it was just my imagination.

[Hello, friend.

I can hear the speeches in the distance. I was fine earlier, but my heart is starting to race. I should have done one more round of “fighting!” before coming here to make sure I can hold onto the old man.

Actually, I picked up some of your hair. I needed it for this to react to you and fly… Plucking it directly works better, but I was too scared of what you’d do if you woke up. Anyway, I didn’t pluck it, so please forgive me.

Since you said you’re moving with that guy, I won’t explain in detail. He’ll understand. If not, just show him this.

☆

Be caref—!]

The handwriting became more frantic toward the end, as if he were in a rush. The last line was just a scribble he hadn’t even managed to finish. Holding Louis’s note, I turned to Cedric Klein. He was standing there quietly, waiting for me.

“A star?”

In the midst of such messy handwriting, the drawing was hardly clear. Still, based on the distorted shape, that was my best guess. It seemed Louis had put the most effort into that specific part of the note, meaning it was likely the most important piece of information. When I muttered it without much expectation, Cedric Klein nodded.

“Did Chloe say that?”

“Yeah.”

“You two must be… very close.”

His eyes met mine for a moment before dropping to the floor. His face looked dejected and gloomy, yet his hand moved without hesitation to tilt and pull a book from the shelf. At that, blue sparks crackled and then died out.

I nearly raised my voice to scold him. Why are you touching something that clearly looks dangerous? But despite my tensed shoulders, nothing happened.

“I think it means he placed concealment magic on five points in the shape of a star. There happen to be some… strange spots.”

His black eyes swept over the Principal’s office. There were roughly five places where his gaze momentarily paused.

“…In the future, tell me before you pull things.”

“Okay…”

And so, Cedric Klein began the task of “undoing” rather than “destroying” Pisa Tecon’s magic.

Cutting a tangled thread is easy, but untangling it is hard. Even if our mission succeeded, we couldn’t let Pisa Tecon realize something was wrong with the room immediately; we intended to leave as little evidence as possible. He would eventually find out the relic was gone, but the more time we could buy, the better.

Everything went smoothly until the fourth spell. I couldn’t tell if the effect was wearing off faster than expected or if Cedric was being stubborn before the final spell. I sighed, looking at Cedric Klein, who had suddenly turned huffy despite doing so well. I’d praised him because he asked for it, and even clapped for him. What more did he want?

But with only one left, Cedric held his ground.

Seeing him pouting and turning his head away, clearly unwilling to undo the fifth spell, I stepped closer.

I placed my hand on his cheek and turned his face back to me. His cheek felt surprisingly soft and supple against my palm. Cedric tried to resist, but he was no match for the strength I’d gained from fighting monsters barehanded. That seemed to irritate him further, so he settled for avoiding my eyes.

I tapped his cheek lightly, urging him to look at me, but he kept his eyes downcast, only shifting his pupils. From this close, his eyelashes were long and delicate enough to cast shadows on his cheekbones. When I simply brought my face closer without a word, the eyelids covering his dark eyes began to tremble.

His pale lips parted as if he wanted to say something. I spoke firmly before he could open his mouth.

“Elliot.”

“…….”

“You should call me Elliot.”

I emphasized that if he continued to feign ignorance, I would play along, meaning the person he was helping would be “Elliot Dylan,” not “Llewellyn Edwill.”

As a small compromise, I placed my hand on his head and stroked it a few times. Despite the gesture being less sincere than petting a dog, Cedric Klein’s glossy face turned bright red as he feigned overwhelming shyness.

“…Elliot.”

“Good boy. When I said you were amazing, I wasn’t just being polite. Did it sound that way to you?”

The posture was similar to before, but the context was different. Cedric rubbed his cheek against my palm. He was more like a cat than a dog. I knew how to speak coldly with a sugary sweet voice—I had a great example to follow, after all. Imitating the Crown Prince’s characteristic tone, I locked eyes with him.

“But if you stop halfway, everything we’ve done becomes pointless. I think you know as well as I do how ridiculous it is to say, ‘Well, at least I tried hard,’ after failing.”

“You’re going to work hard for me, right?” At my whisper, his eyes narrowed. As soon as I saw him nod, I pulled my hand away without lingering. A lingering, longing gaze followed me, but I ignored it.

Things like this had to be rationed; giving too much would only make him expect more.

Cedric Klein obediently undid the final seal. I tensed my body, ready to react to anything, but again, there was only a brief spark and no visible change. After carefully scanning the silent office, I looked at Cedric Klein.

He was the type of guy who would leave me wandering by not mentioning further traps, and then, when I asked why he hadn’t told me sooner, he’d cheekily reply, “You didn’t ask.” Whether he knew I was looking at him suspiciously or not, Cedric just feigned indifference, fiddling with the note Louis had left.

“Do I have to do more bad things to use the nickname?”

“Yeah. A lot more.”

At my words, Cedric stood in the center of the office. I watched him suspiciously before moving to his side. Thanks to his pale, vacant face, Cedric looked fragile, yet he was still more than half a head taller than me. My pride took a bit of a hit as I gave him a quick once-over. His long, thick clothes hid his physique, and his exposed wrists, neck, and legs were on the slender side. Still, he seemed to have a large frame; either that, or he hadn’t spent his entire life holed up in a room researching like Abel, because he didn’t look frail.

“Once we’re done, will you call me by my nickname too?”

“We’ll see.”

I smiled, feigning leisure. In truth, I wanted to scream at Cedric to hurry up and move to the next step. But my gut, sharpened by experience, shouted that I absolutely must not do that. If I showed this “obedient” Cedric that I was dying of impatience, he’d find it entertaining and stall for even more time.