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gayuu-the-necromancer · 11 months

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William Rex Chapter 16

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Several police officers appeared at Mr. Brian's signal and drew their handguns.

Policeman: "Miss Kate...right? You seem to be very close with Sir Rex."

Policeman: "Tell us what you know about him. We will protect you.. We are not going to do anything bad, just come with us."

Kate: "Mm..."

The shiny gun was pointed at me as if trying to figure out if I am William's ally or a victim.

I got down on my knees next to the fallen Mr. Brian.

(If I resist, it might be a problem for the Crown?)

(No...if we don't get caught, the police can't find out who we are. The Crown should never be revealed)

(If I leave now...I'm not sure if I'll get another chance to convince Mr. Brian again...!)

Jude: "Ahh, you seem to have got us all confused. We don't know anything about Rex or whatever."

Ellis: "We're here....for our collection."

Policeman: "These guys are useless. But I heard this woman talking about Sir Rex."

Policeman: "We are not convinced by your reasoning...."

Policeman: "I judge you guys also to be associated with Sir Rex. If you don't want to be killed here, come with us."

Jude: "Haa.....this is why I hate the police."

Mr. Jude gave Ellis his signal and Ellis instantly moved.

Policeman: "Stand back!"

Ellis: "It's not safe to fire in such a small space."

Policeman: "Argh!?"

Policeman: "Nn..What the hell!? My hand...!"

Ellis easily leaps overhead and touches the heads of the police officers.

One after the other, the wrists were detained and the officers dropped their guns and panicked.

Mr. Jude responds to the officer who barely avoids Ellis's hand.

While I was watching the situation with a bated breath---I heard a sharp voice.

Policeman: "Mr. Brian! Get that woman!"

(Eh!?)

Brian: "...!"

When I turned around, Mr. Brian had raised his upper body and was reaching towards me with his still bound hands.

(No---)

Kate: "Ouch!"

I tried to wriggle out of the way, but Mr. Brian caught me by the hair.

Brian: "...Got you!"

Kate: "Nn....Let go!"

Brian: "No, I won't let you go. Come with us. You have to wake up and go back to your normal life... you're being deceived!"

Kate: "I'm not being deceived...!"

The more I try to get away, the more tightly he pulls me by the hair.

Brian: "You'll regret it one day! There's no way you can be happy with someone like that....!"

------Options-------

There is no such thing.

That's for me to decide.

I don't think so.

--------

Kate: "That's for me to decide...!"

Brian: "I'm trying to help you!"

(I won't be able to get him to listen to me calmly anymore)

(Let's get away from here and now and wait for another chance to convince him)

(Even if I get caught, I'm sure Mr. Jude and Ellis can make an escape....)

(I'm sure I will be detained at the police station, and then I could persuade Mr. Brian)

(But if that happens, we may not even be able to get the slightest information about where William is and what he is doing)

(I'm not going to let that happen)

The frustration of being drawn closer and closer to an opponent you can't match and the frustration of being driven to the edge of your heart.

(This hand, I have to shake it off. I don't know what to do or how to----)

That's when something came to my mind.

Kate: "....!"

A hard, cold touches my fingertips that had been shoved into my pocket.

A moment later, I gripped it tightly---I couldn't afford to be lost.

Brian: "Nn!? What the?"

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Brian: "Nn!? What the?"

As soon as I took out the knife, I cut off the chunk of my hair, he was grabbing.

Brian: "...!!"

I quickly backed away before Mr. Brian could reach out to me again.

Kate: "Haa....Ha...!"

Brian: "....Why...Why did you do that? ....Why would you go this far?"

Kate: "....I know you're worried about me."

Kate: "...But I'm sorry."

He was stunned for a second...but then mumbled.

Brian: ".... Grimsley."

Kate: "Eh...?"

Brian: "The head of the Privy Council's Secretarial Section, Grimsley."

(Privy Council's head....Grimsley...that's it...!)

Kate: "Was he the one who led you to that mansion?"

Brian: "....Yes."

The next moment, the tip of a leather shoe sunk into Mr. Brian's belly.

Brian: "Arghh!?"

Jude: "And he dared to call the police on us....looks like he has no hopes of waking up tomorrow, huh?"

Kate: "Please stop! He just told me the name of the person who gave him information!"

Jude: "Huh? He did?"

When he looked down with disdain at the sobbing Mr. Brian, Mr. Jude sniggered.

Jude: "Looks like your life is saved for now, I guess."

Looking around, the brawl in the post office had somehow been under control.

The officers were all lying on the floor with their hands restrained as if they were praying together.

Kate: ".....Did you kill them?"

Jude: "You idiot."

Jude: "You're just another Count Rex fanatic, who tried to intimidate a newspaper reporter."

Jude: "Then we just happened to come to collect a debt and they got the wrong idea...what's the need of killing them?"

(....I see. If they pursue you, you have that excuse)

(On the other hand, killing them would be like a confession to something you're guilty of)

Jude: "I just put them to sleep. They won't be waking up for another 3 hours."

('Putting people to sleep'.....is that Mr. Jude's ability?)

(I think I understand what Victor meant when he said it was easy to clean up afterwards)

Ellis: "Jude, I've checked everything. No one's hiding and no one has escaped."

Jude: "Good. Then we're done here."

Ellis: "Mm....'now, we're done."

Brian: "Ah!? M-My hands...I can move my hands now...."

The police officer's restrains were also lifted, perhaps signalling that we're actually done here.

I was amazed by Mr. Jude and Ellis's teamwork, but I couldn't just sit back and take it easy.

Kate: "Let's get out of here. We also need to hide Mr. Brian."

Jude: "Huh!?"

Brian: "....!"

Kate: "If they find out that you have leaked info about them, you risk retaliation as a traitor."

Ellia: "Oh I see. But if that happens,he wouldn't be able to correct his article."

Jude: "Then how about making him write it here and now and get done with this?"

Kate: "Whether or not you write an article is another matter than protecting Mr. Brian."

Kate: "I want the article to be corrected...but I don't mean to put Mr. Brian in danger."

Kate: "Just as I came here to see and feel with my own eyes and to help William."

Kate: "Mr. Brian is free to believe and act on what he sees and feels."

Kate: "So I don't hold it against you. Mr. Brian....and I can't leave you alone knowing that you will be in danger."

Kate: "If that happened....William would be sad."

Brian: "..........."

Jude: "Haa, there you go being nice to the person who almost grabbed you."

Brian: "....Miss Kate, thank you. ...But I can't just hide like this."

Kate: "What do you mean....?"

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Brian: "To decide whether or not to write a correction article...."

Brian: "I have to be sure...I have to make sure that where I'm standing is justice!"

Mr. Brian's eyes were looking straight at me with a different, calm light.

Brian: "I will definitely contact you again. So for now, please let me go."

Ellis: "....What do you wanna do, Miss Kate?"

(I feel like Mr. Brian really got my story)

(And now he's trying to make sure if it's true or not)

(He will be convinced about the Marquis's death and will correct the article on that basis....)

(It's all up to you, Mr. Brian. It's a gamble to let him go at this point)

(But...if we take away his freedom here, we are crushing even the slightest hope we have)

I take one deep breath.

Kate: "....Understood. I'll be waiting."

Brian: "....Thank you."

I prayed for his back as he melted away into the thick fog and disappeared.

Jude: "Tsk....What if he contacted you later and said 'I can't do it'?"

Kate: "Then I will try to persuade him again and again."

(It's okay. I believe that I voiced my thoughts and delivered them and that it wasn't in vain....let's just hope and wait)

(First, we need to tell everyone in the Crown who's behind this)

.............

After returning to the castle.

(....Something's not right)

It was early in the morning before the sky was even white, but the lights were on and the air was buzzing with a sense of restlessness.

Ellis: "Did something happen?"

I feel a similar stirring as I did a few days ago when William left the castle, and I involuntarily run quickly to the dining room where I hear people's voice.

.........

Kate: "We're back."

Liam: "Miss Kate! Thank god you're safe...!"

(Everyone in the Crown is here again. Did something happen to William....!?)

Victor: "Welcome back, you guys. How did it go?"

(Yes, let's calm down first and give the report)

Jude: "The name of the mastermind was easily spelt out. Grimsley of the Privy Council."

Victor: "....Grimsley, huh..I see."

Kate: "Also about the article correction...we were able to convince Mr. Brian."

Kate: "Now we just have to wait and trust that Mr. Brian will find out the truth."

Ellis: "Also, the police ambushed us and we got into a bit of a scuffle."

Elbert: "About the police....well..."

Master Elbert, who was sitting in his chair, muttered anxiously.

Alphonse: "Good for you, Kate. If you'd been caught, you'd have been tortured in the Tower of London too."

Kate: "Tower of London...?"

When I asked back, unable to follow the sudden topic, Harrison tossed the paper onto the dinner table.

Harrison: "Citizens who were connected to Count Rex are arrested and being held in the Tower of London."

Harrison: "They are being severely tortured and forced to confess to Will's whereabouts and his complicity in the crime."

Kate: "What....!?"

Harrison: "This is the list of the prisoners."

Kate: "How did you get this list?"

Harrison: "....Is that important? Look here. Do any of these names look familiar?"

(Fawcett...James...these are...)

Kate: "....I've seen them interacting with William."

Some of them are from the tea party, special wards in this hospital, and on the street corners.

It was the names of people who he had once set free.

Elbert: "....Never before has the Privy Council taken such drastic measures."

Elbert: "With this uproar, they want to crush Will."

Elbert: "In a way....they're trying to piss Will off, by trampling on their freedoms, which Will hates the most."

Ellis: "It's cruel to torture innocent people for it."

Roger: "Cruel, sure, but certain. Because I don't think Will is going to sit this one out."

(Capturing innocent civilians to provoke and lure them out...for sure that makes sense)

(But something...something feels uncomfortable)

Kate: ".....How do the tower guards and prison guards plan to counteract and capture William's abilities?"

Liam: "Eh?"

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Kate: "Tower guards and prison guards who trample on the freedom of innocent citizens are 'evil' to William."

Kate: "William would not hesitate to use force or take a life if it was against 'evil'!"

Kate: "I don't see it being easy to catch him."

Liam: "....Indeed."

Kate: "Plus, what will happen after they capture William....?"

Kate: "If they want William to be judged by 'justice', you need to judge him under the law, but...."

-----FLASBACK----

Wiliam: "At the time, I learned of the existence of the 'butterfly' the organisation was already beyond judicial scrutiny."

William: "In this country, the House of Nobles is the highest court. If the legislators collude, it is easy to cover it up."

----FLASHBACK ENDS-----

Kate: "There are legislators in the courtroom who have been caught up in the wrongdoing of the 'evil that cannot be judged by law' that William has been trying to bring before the court."

Kate: "I don't think William will be silently judged by them."

Alphonse: "Fufu...it's certainly going to be a bloodbath the moment he is invited into the courtroom."

Alphonse: "The defeat of clean 'justice' and the breakdown of order. A development the Privy Council loathes."

Kate: "I don't see how the Privy Council could not have foreseen that."

Kate: "No prison officer or judge with a charge against William could kill him.

Kate: "That said, the people on the Privy Council themselves are not willing to get their hands dirty."

Kate: "So how do they intend to bring William to justice....?"

A bad feeling stirs in my head and forms one.

William: "...What do you think?"

(Maybe...no, I don't think so....but...)

Kate: "....Is it possible that they are trying....to get innocent people they have captured to kill him....?"

Liam: "Eh....?"

Alphonse: "Oh, I see. With a script like that, it makes sense for a cat to go a little overboard with an innocent prisoner."

Alphonse: "The prisoners are used as bait to frighten Mr. William. At the same time, they instill hostility towards Mr. William in the prisoner!"

Alphonse: " 'It's all William's fault. We were deceived by him. We lost our family, job, honor, and happiness.' "

Alphonse: " 'If you want to hate him, hate him. Well, here he comes. Look. The guards are getting killed one by one. He's a bloodthirsty murderous maniac.' "

Alphonse: "If you don't want to judged, prove you're not on his side. Come on. I've got the knife right here."

Alphonse: "---Well, it's not a bad plot. I'll be interested to see Mr. William's reaction if that's the case."

Roger: "....Whether it's what Al just told us or not, it's not impossible."

(If I could guess, William must have assumed it too)

(Still, the William I know is the one who chooses to go to...Tower of London)

(William will never allow the freedom of his loved ones to be trampled on)

At the hands of the innocent, executed in the Tower of London as a major sinner....Would that be the destruction he wants?

Jude: "You've been yammering on and on about the Crown going to the Tower of London."

Jude: "If you go in there in this situation, that's exactly what the Privy Council wants you to do, it's suicide."

Victor: "...Right. Jude is right. I cannot move the Crown in Her Majesty's name."

Victor: "Everyone should be as quiet as possible so that they don't realise what's going on....okay?"

(....Certainly not the same as a secret meeting with a newspaper reporter)

(If you go to the Tower of London, you'll be jumping into the enemy's hands)

I try to swallow what Mr. Jude and Victor said, but I can't shake off this bad feeling.

(---Anyway, I'll think about what I can do for now)

Elbert: "..................."

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As dusk approached, the sound of the rain beating against the windows, joined with the merciless ticking of the clock.

After returning to my room early in the morning. I spent half of a day thinking it through.

I stare at the closed door of my room with quiet determination.

"I will rescue the innocent prisoners before William does. I will have to negotiate with Victor for that."

It was the best solution I could come up with and the best I could do at the moment.

(There may be less than a 1% chance of William being harmed as I speculated)

(Conversely, William may want that 1% chance to be dead)

(However....)

(I, for one, cannot allow that to happen)

The breathlessness that has haunted me when I thought of my fate had now vanished without a trace.

At that moment when I cut off my hair with the knife William gave me, it was like I cut off my hesitation along with it.

Far from a sense of helplessness and guilt----only my selfish joy is in my heart.

(If William is going to be hurt. I want to do everything I can to protect---even if it's a 1% chance)

(Because if I don't...I won't be able to be my own master)

I don't want to go back to being the one cowering in front of a closed door, killing my heart.

(William...)

----FLASHBACK----

William: "Because I like to see people act as their own masters."

Kate: "Act as their own masters....?"

William: "It's about facing your desires, being prepared to accept the consequences, and following through."

William: "There's a lot of fear involved in wanting to do what you want and having to pick and choose among so many options."

William: "Whether happiness awaits you or misfortune awaits you...."

William: "You can't blame anyone for the consequences of the choices you make and want to make."

William: "......That's why the moment you're about to step out is so beautiful."

----FLASHBACK ENDS----

(If you saw me now, would you laugh and say I'm beautiful?)

(I am no longer trapped by what my heart doesn't want me to 'have to accept' my destiny of destruction)

(I want to protect...William, no matter what contract I sign and what I have to offer in return)

I want to be true to my desire to do so.

(William, my freedom is not compromised by my love for you)

(Because I'm probably the freest I've ever been in my life)

I put my hand on the doorknob.

What I am about to cross is the last line that William was not willing to let me step over.

With cruel kindness, I let go of the contraindicated lie.

----"Come, come"

I thought I heard an inviting voice from behind the door.

"You knew from the start"

"From the moment you heard that piano that night, everything that has ever happened...has been for you."

"You weren't wrong."

"That very night"

"You could have even left the mail and walked away"

"And yet, you couldn't stop."

"His piano melodies were just too irresistible."

"Because you fell in love with that horrible, beautiful tone."

(That's why I've come this far. My heart chose it)

(Crossing this line means)

The voice from the other side of the door has been echoing in my head for some time now.

(I don't care what anyone calls a way of life that I don't call misery)

I am my master because I am the only one who can decide what's best for me.

Chapter 17

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