Chapter : 12
Investigating death itself and outright denying it to search for someone alive are two completely different things. They carried entirely different implications.
In the Top Lord’s view, the latter was truly madness.
A death known throughout the world—how could anyone possibly deny it?
The secretive behavior of that “friend” was not a mere temporary denial caused by overwhelming grief.
It had already been over two years since the late Duke met a tragic and explosive death. If this “friend” had not been able to move past their grief in all that time, then they had to be mad—truly mad—to believe someone dead was still alive.
And yet, they were governing the country just fine.
They were searching for the deceased while fully sane.
The Top Lord turned to Wiz, who was absorbed in their handwork.
“Was there something between the late Duke and that person?”
It was well known that the “late Duke” and the “friend” were very close. Though of different genders, their closeness was extraordinary, enough that many suspected them of being romantically involved. The Duke had consistently denied such suspicions.
Still, it was possible that beneath the surface, their relationship was more than mere friendship, and perhaps the Duke had been told something about their death in advance.
Or perhaps they had exchanged magical objects that could sense each other’s survival.
The Top Lord was asking about that possibility. If it existed, no one would know better than Wiz.
Wiz remained silent for a long time.
“…….”
“Was there?”
“…….”
“Are you listening?”
“…….”
“Dr. Wiz!”
“Egumoni-na!”
With an exaggerated scream, Wiz sprang up.
The old man, startled by the sudden reaction, put a hand to his chest. He nearly thought his heart would leap out of his mouth. He was extremely shocked, unable to even speak, but Wiz protested indignantly.
“You scared me!”
“Who’s talking! Do you know how many times I called you?”
“I wasn’t listening, how was I supposed to know?”
“…….”
So confident.
So bold, he almost wanted to punish them. The Top Lord’s frustration boiled, and he clenched his fists tightly. Despite his age, even if he was spry, he was no match for this young woman.
Eventually, a groan escaped the old man’s teeth.
Yet he did not give up.
“I respect you. No matter what happens, in an emergency, there is nothing better than the Deputy Top Lord’s position to protect you. Unlike the Top Lord, the Deputy could always hide their identity, and that’s why you’ve remained hidden until now.”
A pitiful excuse, and partially untruthful.
As expected, Wiz began to smile.
“There’s no better scapegoat than the Deputy Top Lord. Ha! Pressured from above by the Top Lord, pressured from below by scholars. Do you know how much the middle child suffers historically? Top Lord, do you even know the middle child’s pain?”
“I do. I was exactly the middle. And I also know that you, speaking now, are the eldest. What a grotesque hypocrisy.”
“…….”
Wiz’s expression suddenly darkened. Perhaps realizing she’d spoken wrongly.
The Top Lord glared at her—a rare display of rationality even when they were alone.
She had always been in a position where she could not afford a single lapse in diligence.
That habit and that instinct manifested like this, raising his blood pressure further.
Suppressing the urge to grab the back of his neck, he continued. If he wanted to remain entirely as Wiz, he might as well take this opportunity.
“And to compare the Deputy to that position is bewildering. Your skill at twisting words has improved, indeed.”
Even when mocked like this, Wiz could not retort. Because she was Wiz.
Even when teased, she could not be angry. Because she was just a normal scholar.
Wiz, as usual, smiled broadly.
“The power of a fool.”
“Do not admit you’re a fool. It makes the listener sad.”
“Oh dear…….”
“Do not be shy! My blood pressure is rising!”
He had met this woman many times before she was Wiz, but could she really be so different? The disconnect was so severe that the Top Lord often got goosebumps just thinking about it.
The defeated old man began tidying himself. As soon as the meeting showed signs of ending, Wiz smiled brightly.
It felt like she was telling him to leave.
He felt a fleeting temptation to linger another hour, but he knew well from experience and age that doing so would ultimately be exhausting for him.
Wiz extended her hand in a melancholic gesture of regret.
“I’ll send news via Kkibuki. Someday.”
“Just don’t cause any trouble. You don’t need to contact me except when sending papers. Let’s both live happily and peacefully.”
Her words were sincere. Yet Wiz, hearing the Top Lord’s words, tapped her index fingers together shyly and smiled.
“I’ll send messages every day. Your suffering is my happiness, after all.”
“…….”
The counterattack hit the Top Lord straight in the mind. But he did not give up and widened his eyes. He could not lose.
“Where exactly is this pervert living…—no, I almost forgot. You should know this.”
“Excuse me? Top Lord says I’m a pervert?”
Why must she always add something extra, even when a question could end normally? Why? Why?! The Top Lord’s fists trembled, but he forced himself to speak calmly.
“As I said, that person isn’t looking for a corpse. They are looking for someone alive.”
Wiz maintained her shy smile, pretending not to hear, not to know, or not to understand.
Only those who truly knew Wiz could be fooled, but the Top Lord, who knew her origins, did not take her smooth expression at face value.
He inhaled and exhaled briefly before speaking.
“I don’t know what makes you think the late Duke is alive.”
“…….”
“Of course, I assumed the Duke was unaware of the fact that he was a scholar, or that he belonged to the Tower.”
“…….”
“When asked why I inquired about someone already deceased, I replied that if one were searching for a scholar studying the deceased, no such scholar exists. It wasn’t the Duke personally, but someone delivering a letter on his behalf. Regardless, there was no intention to dig deeper. Perhaps that’s why you asked the Tower.”
“Hmm. I don’t even know how this relates to me.”
As expected.
This was simply to let him know. The old man, without getting emotional, turned to leave. But Wiz had to add a word.
“Anyway, I don’t like playing mind games with things I don’t understand. I don’t know much… do as you please, Top Lord.”
“…….”
Is this what a person who deliberately sacrificed the Deputy Top Lord’s position and cleverly outwitted the Tower would say?
If it weren’t for the Deputy position, would she have helped the Silver Fox Group at all?
Her sheepish grin and scratching the back of her head infuriated him the most—exactly the archetypal look of someone naïve yet oblivious! That look!
The old man felt his breath catch and clutched his neck. Wiz laughed quietly—not the innocent smile from before, nor malicious, just lightly amused.
He let out a choked sigh of emotion.
“Really…….”
Wiz had never explained the current purpose of her actions. He could only guess. Yet it was certainly not to hide herself for safety.
If she truly feared for her life, staying in the Tower her whole life would have been much safer.
If her goal was hiding herself, even to give up the Deputy position, she would not have involved herself at all with Onnevalley as she did this time.
The Top Lord could never understand this judgment of someone who had never been foolish or lacking intelligence. Perhaps he would never understand it until he died.
He might very well die thinking, “She was never like this originally.”
His eyes, dim with nostalgia, gazed at Wiz’s slightly unfocused eyes. Wiz met his gaze with a bright smile.
Her personal safety, honestly, had nothing to do with him. He did not want to be involved. He would never allow himself to be involved. Yet in Wiz’s hands lay the life of someone he cared about. She had him bound.
Beyond personal reasons, he also wanted Wiz to return to the Tower as before for the sake of the Tower’s advancement. Many scholars currently at the Tower would freeze and flee at just the mention of her name. Yet all recognized her talent.
“…….”
The Top Lord did too.
Even if he envied all promising scholars in the world, envying Wiz was the last envy he would ever feel.
Wiz was no genius. Yet from the start, she was in a completely different world he could not reach. He had been content to grant her the Deputy position. Even if she surpassed him in achievements, he would simply laugh. It has come as it should.
So, if only she could return to normal.
But Wiz remained calm, entirely unaware of his tender memories.
“I’ll send messages often via Kkibuki.”
“Seriously, don’t. I mean it.”
As he finally turned to leave seriously, a last thought struck him. He paused mid-step and asked Wiz.
“Do you happen to know where the name Kkibuki came from?”
“Rabbit and Tortoise. Shortened to Kkibuki.”
“So… do you know who came up with it?”
“I did.”
“The culprit was you!”
The Top Lord’s carefully armored heart shattered completely. The armor he thought he wore turned out to be a self-destruct button.
Other scholars had been calling her Kkibuki, so he was searching for the origin—and it was her. It had to be her! The old man scolded himself with tears in his eyes.
Wiz blinked her wide eyes.
“I thought the name was from the Rabbit and Tortoise story, since you mentioned it.”
“…….”
Damn it. He had dug his own grave. The old man turned, tears streaming.
Can one really change so much with just a single decision? He had clearly misjudged her concept. He didn’t know if she was comfortable, but those around her were definitely mentally exhausted.
(To be continued in the next chapter)
