I Will Break Off the Engagement Because I'm Jealous - The Untalented Villainess Who Rejected the Prince Searches for a Safe Haven with the Cheat Heroine - Chapter 6.4

The room Lady Garret brought me to was the chamber assigned to Emilia. After having a maid prepare tea, Garret began explaining matters in her usual detached manner. About the “Skill Garden,” the imperial guard directly under Emperor Dian’s command. The salary, and various other matters.

“You’ve only been granted provisional enlistment for now. I’ll assign your work. Whether you’re formally hired will depend on your performance.”

Garret, who had been writing in the book on her lap the entire time, stopped her pen. But when Emilia started to speak, it began moving again.

“What’s the difference between provisional and formal status?”

“The ability to exercise the various preferential treatments granted to us. For example, being able to bring ‘Skillless’ individuals into the castle while remaining here yourself.”

If she were formally accepted into the “Skill Garden,” she could defy imperial convention and invite “Skillless” individuals to the castle. This would be a godsend for Emilia. She could openly summon Iris. Though Iris was currently mainly active with the Blaze Corps outside the castle, she seemed inclined to sneak into the imperial castle whenever she had the chance.

(I won’t have to let Iris do dangerous things. I must prove myself useful quickly. But still…)

Emilia lowered her gaze, watching Garret’s hands. The fountain pen was quickly dipped into the inkwell, then writing continued smoothly, pages of the book being turned.

(Is it writing…? A skill related to recording, perhaps?)

While making this guess, Emilia raised her face. She could sense that Garret, though keeping her eyes downcast, was still paying attention to her.

“You too must have had your reasons for accepting His Majesty’s invitation. Do your best. Any other questions?”

Prompted, what came to Emilia’s mind was the conversation she’d only partially overheard earlier in the hallway.

“…About His Majesty the Emperor being concerned about the future of Skill holders…”

When she asked this.

“I’d like to say you should hear His Majesty’s own words… but very well.”

Saying this, Garret stopped her writing.

“Emilia. What will become of us Skill holders?”

Asked this, what surfaced in Emilia’s mind were two things.

One was “the reason spirit vehicles weren’t produced in the kingdom.”

The other was “how amazing Iris was to have managed to make one on her own.”

“They’ll fade away and disappear.”

To Garret’s abstract question, Emilia answered decisively.

“The reason?”

“This country’s spirit vehicles. They were produced by Skill holders but they all died. I’ve heard production became completely unsustainable, and the peripheral technicians scattered. It’s the epitome of a society that relies on Skills. Eventually, they won’t be needed anymore. They might even face persecution.”

Spirit vehicles had appeared nearly a hundred years ago. Naturally, every country had eagerly pursued research into housing spirits in objects and manipulating them. But it bore no fruit.

The empire had been able to utilize spirit tools and spirit vehicles simply because there was a Skill holder with the ‘house spirits in objects’ Skill. That person died, there were no replaceable Skill holders and eventually, they became unable to manufacture the core components of spirit vehicles. This was the downfall of spirit industry, now even recorded in textbooks.

(But Iris is breaking through this. That girl doesn’t have the skill to house spirits in objects. Yet she’s reached the method on her own. Though Iris herself hasn’t announced it yet. If it were discovered, the whole world would target her. The future that was supposed to come to this world a hundred years ago would become real. At Iris’s expense.)

Emilia pictured in her heart Iris’s true talent, which she had mostly avoided looking at until now. The brilliant genius that could revive the spirit engineering where others had failed. However, it was also a power that required choosing the right stage. If knowledge of her spread carelessly, Iris’s life would surely be thrown into chaos. If that happened, Emilia probably couldn’t protect her.

(Yes. That’s exactly why I must obtain power enough to stand alongside her. We must reign together at the summit. At the forefront of the era, the prow of the ship heading toward the future.)

Emilia’s vaguely defined goal of “aiming for the world’s summit together” took clear shape as she put it into words. Holding this determination in her heart, Emilia examined the empire’s current situation.

“The reason the empire has dogmatically returned to Skill absolutism is… to once again find Skill holders who can advance the hands of time. But—”

Saying this much.

Emilia raised her face.

“You mean the Emperor’s considerations go beyond that?”

“——It seems I have nothing left to explain.”

Garret smiled, closing her book.

“What lies beyond that is His Majesty’s true intentions. It’s not my place to speak for him.”

“Garret, what do you hope will happen?”

Emilia asked without thinking. Though their interaction had been brief, she already sensed strong talent in Garret. She didn’t seem like a woman who merely served out of loyalty without any will of her own.

“Everything according to His Majesty’s will. As for me—”

Indeed, Garret answered this way.

“If I’m not writing, I can’t rest. If I run out of ink, I feel like I’ll go mad. Then I take it out on everyone around me. Even Prince Herrick came to dislike me.”

She sighed as if exasperated. The capped fountain pen scratched across the book’s cover.

“Even among Skill holders, there are those with this burning impulse and those without. And those who can’t suppress their impulse… will eventually disappear from society. Only those who can conform will survive. Only the weak blessings will linger on feebly. The era of magic and spirits will truly meet its end.”

Hearing this said so quietly, Emilia recalled the faces of the enemies she’d confronted until now. Those with intense “quirks” as if controlled by their Skills.

In a sense, Emilia herself, driven by her “restlessness,” was one of them.

As for those who possessed powerful Skills yet weren’t controlled by them.

As far as Emilia knew there was only Iris.

“But they won’t disappear just because the era changes. Those with strong Skills will be left behind and face severe persecution.”

“That day is surely already close at hand. That’s why His Majesty, before that—”

Garret gently shook her head.

“Forget it, please. I can only say this much.”

She stood up. Emilia also instinctively rose from her seat.

“Work begins tomorrow. Rest well today, Emery.”

“Thank you. Goodnight, Garret.”

“Goodnight.”

She saw Garret out of the room. The maid escorted her out, and eventually the door closed.

(…So, Dian believes the empire and Skill society will end. He’s trying to forcibly create a “future where Skill holders can be protected” through strong authority now, for what comes after.)

Alone, Emilia sat back down and sighed. It felt as if things she’d never considered before had suddenly appeared before her. And what had taken shape seemed to hazily reflect an even more distant future.

Suddenly, Emperor Dian’s arrogant, insolent face came to mind.

“Well, no, maybe that’s not it. But he did have that unreadable expression.”

She let out a half-laugh.

“Whose face are you talking about?”

A voice suddenly came from behind Emilia.

“Whaaaaat!?”

Standing up, Emilia frantically looked around. Especially near the door. It seemed no one was there, though.

“If you mean the maid, she left earlier. Though we don’t know when she’ll be back.”

“Iris…”

At the gentle voice that spoke again. Emilia slowly turned around.

“It’s Ilyse.”

“It’s Iris now.”

“Lady Emilia.”

She stared intently into Iris’s blue eyes. Heat rose to her cheeks, and Iris’s face was slightly flushed too… but neither looked away, both smiling.

(Ah, Iris… It’s Iris.)

Feeling moisture in her eyes, Emilia let out a relieved breath. Though they’d only been separated for about half a day, that time might have been quite a burden. It felt as if lungs that had completely exhaled were rapidly being filled with oxygen. Relief filled every corner of her chest.

(I want you to stay forever but that won’t do, it can’t be that way.)

As she looked at the girl who must have broken in, Emilia remembered what had happened today. Iris would have to leave the castle again. She needed to share information while she could.

“That’s right, the First Prince. I kind of picked a fight with him, but it seems he’s looking for the Emperor. If I can skillfully stir things up, the investigation might progress.”

“First… Prince Herrick, right? I’ll remember that. On my side, I’ve found the dungeon’s location.”

“Already!?”

Emilia unintentionally jumped up a little. Iris spilled an amused laugh, and Emilia glared at her with embarrassment coloring her cheeks.

“Yes. But we don’t know the whereabouts of the Blaze Corps’s missing members and the dungeon entrance. For some reason, there are guards.”

“Guards…?”

“It smells fishy, so I’ll investigate a bit more. I might be able to make connections with university staff, so from that side.”

As information came in rapid succession.

Emilia’s gaze.

Went to the door.

The room door was opening slightly.

“Iris, hide!”

When she whispered this cry, Iris seemed to understand and ran deeper into the room. The room filled with red sunlight had many shadows, so fortunately hiding shouldn’t be difficult.

Soon, through the door’s gap.

Someone slipped their body inside.

“Hey there, newbie.”

The one who appeared was.

(Dian! At this timing…!)

An unexpectedly plainly dressed noble… no.

It was the Emperor.