Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 19 - Chapter 1

"Death is the end of all things, not least of all mutual understanding."

-We never understood each other.

Now I guess we never will.

AUTHOR: RUDEUS GREYRAT

TRANSLATION: JEAN RF MAGOTT

Chapter 1:

Zanoba’s Decision

ZANOBA’S LABORATORY in the main research building of Ranoa University was more crowded than usual today. Six of us were gathered around the central table. Cliff, Zanoba, and I were seated, while Elinalise, Ginger, and Julie stood around it in a loose circle.

Maybe there were seven of us, actually. Elinalise was holding her baby.

The mood in the room was…heavy. To put it mildly.

Zanoba’s expression was solemn. Cliff was frowning irritably. Julie’s eyes were rimmed with red, Ginger looked seriously distressed, and even Elinalise was at a loss for words.

“Okay, let’s all take a deep breath,” I said. “Zanoba, can you explain again, please? From the very start?” 

“…Very well.”

Zanoba nodded, his face as blank and serious as ever. It was kind of unsettling, honestly. I was used to him grinning ear to ear every time he saw me. It felt like he’d turned into a completely different person.

“A few days ago, I received a letter from the Kingdom of Shirone.”

He’d passed that to me a little earlier. I still had it in my hands. The envelope featured the royal seal of Shirone and the signature of Zanoba’s brother Pax. Inside, I’d found three sheets of paper.

The first contained a description of the coup d’état that had taken place in Shirone about six months ago. The Seventh Prince, Pax, had returned abruptly from his “studies” in the King Dragon Realm—with the open support of that nation. He wasted no time staging a coup and murdering his father, the king. After slaughtering the rest of the royal family, he took the throne of Shirone for himself.

That was the gist of it, at least. The version in the letter was a lot more long-winded, and it managed to make the whole thing sound almost heroic.

The second page described the aftermath. A majority of Shirone’s ministers and generals were dismissed following the coup, and many people had fled the country in fear. This had left their military dangerously weak. A rival nation to the north was preparing to take advantage of the situation, and Shirone lacked the manpower to defend its borders. 

Given the dire circumstances, someone had apparently suggested they summon Zanoba back to fight on the front lines. He was a Blessed Child, after all, and they needed all the help they could get.

The writer went on to argue at length that none of this was Pax’s fault, as the purges had been a necessary step toward reform. Somebody was clearly feeling a little defensive.

The third page of the letter was a formal order invalidating the old king’s commands to Zanoba and summoning him back to Shirone. It was stamped with the king’s seal, which probably meant it was an official royal command.

Basically, we had the heroic tale of King Pax on page one, a bunch of weak excuses on page two, and a draft notice on page three.

“I took the throne by force, but then our army fell apart. Now the enemy’s invading. I need you to come back here and fight them off.”

The word shameless came to mind. Still, I could see where they were coming from. I wasn’t sure how much Zanoba could personally contribute to the war effort, but he was a famous figure in Shirone. The news of his return would improve the morale of the other troops.

Personally, I felt like the King Dragon Realm should be defending Shirone, since they were the ones who’d put Pax on the throne in the first place…but maybe there was some reason why they couldn’t get directly involved. Every country has its own internal politics to worry about, right?

Anyway. I could see why Pax might need Zanoba’s help right now.

That said—eight years ago, Zanoba had basically ruined Pax’s life by rescuing me from his clutches. As a direct result of Zanoba’s actions, both of them had effectively been exiled. Pax was shipped off to study in the King Dragon Realm, while Zanoba was banished to Ranoa. If Pax still held a grudge over all that, going back to Shirone would be incredibly dangerous. This letter might very well be a trap meant to lure Zanoba to his death.

That said…the real issue was that he didn’t seem to care about that possibility.

“So after reading this,” I said, “you decided to…?”

“Return to Shirone and head for the front lines, as ordered.”

Yeah, okay. I don’t get it.

Cliff and Ginger had both voiced their opposition to Zanoba’s plan already. I hadn’t decided either way, but I was feeling seriously puzzled. I could have understood Zanoba wanting to kill Pax and avenge his murdered father. I could also have understood if he wanted to stay far away from Shirone for the rest of his life. But he was taking these orders seriously. He knew this might be a trap, and he was going to walk right into it.

Why was he so willing to obey Pax? The man had murdered his own father.

“I don’t see any reason why you need to go,” Cliff said sternly. “This is a trap, Zanoba. I’m willing to bet he wants you dead.”

“Hrm.”

“When someone takes power in a coup, they typically wipe out the entire family of the old king. It’s the most rational thing to do, honestly.”

Cliff was speaking from experience here; he’d come to Ranoa because of a power struggle in the Holy Country of Millis. If his grandfather were overthrown by his rivals within the church, Cliff would be in grave danger himself. When you lost a fight for the throne, your heirs died with you. That was blindingly obvious, to him at least.

“And even if Shirone does get invaded,” he continued, “what difference would it make to have you there? You’re just one man.”

“I’ll be of some help, I’m sure,” Zanoba replied. “I am a Blessed Child, after all.”

“Fine, maybe you’ll save the day! But what happens then, Zanoba?” Cliff shouted, smacking the table irritably. “What do you think Pax is going to do once the enemy withdraws?!”

Cliff knew about the reasons for Zanoba’s exile. We’d told him the story of how we met, so he knew about Pax’s earlier crimes as well. He was definitely assuming the worst about Pax’s motives…but honestly, it was hard to blame him.

“Once you’ve played your role, he can dispose of you at any time he pleases!”

Despite my best efforts, I couldn’t find a hole in Cliff’s argument. It was possible there really was an invasion coming, and Pax really needed Zanoba’s help. It was possible Zanoba could turn things around somehow.

But once the dust had settled, how would Pax “reward” him?

Zanoba was the Third Prince, a potential candidate for the throne. And winning a war would do wonders for his popularity, especially with the army. The man would become a national hero overnight. Wouldn’t that seem dangerous to Pax? Wouldn’t Zanoba look like a threat? 

Probably. And it wasn’t hard to imagine how he’d react to that. 

“I think Cliff’s right, Zanoba,” I said.

“…It’s quite likely that he is,” Zanoba replied, nodding gravely.

So apparently…he knew that Pax had good reason to hate him, and recognized that heading home to Shirone might be suicidal. That just made the next words out of his mouth even harder to understand.

“However, I’m still obligated to go.”

“…But why?”

Zanoba’s response was prompt and firm: “I’ve received a formal royal order to return.”

True, the order was legitimate, in a sense. It had the king’s seal and everything. As far as the kingdom of Shirone was concerned, Zanoba now had a legal responsibility to return…

“But that order came from Pax, remember? Do you really need to obey him?”

“With all due respect, Master…if we ceased to recognize the king’s authority every time a new one took the throne, our kingdom would be quite short-lived.”

“It’s not like he formally inherited the throne. The man’s basically a usurper, right?”

“Regardless of the means he used to take power, Pax is now the king of Shirone. That’s simply a fact.”

It didn’t feel that simple to me. I knew it wasn’t that unusual for a king to seize their throne violently. It was common enough back in my old world, too. But were all the king’s vassals and ministers supposed to merely shrug and pretend nothing had even happened? If you had the choice, would you really want to serve a murderer like that?

“Do you want to work for Pax, Zanoba?”

“It would not be my personal preference,” Zanoba replied, shaking his head slowly.

“Then why are you doing this?” I asked, more sharply than I’d intended. Nothing I said seemed to be getting through to him. At this point, it was starting to get to me. “You know he’s going to kill you. You don’t want to obey him. So why do you have to go? Why do you feel so strongly about this?”

Was he worried about how they might respond? There was a chance Shirone might retaliate if Zanoba opted to ignore his orders. Still, Ranoa was a long way from Shirone. No matter how fast you traveled, the journey would take a good six months at least. That was enough time for us to figure out a plan. We could even go to Ariel and ask for Asura to protect Zanoba. I wasn’t sure if fleeing a coup would qualify him for asylum, but it couldn’t hurt to try.

“Well, I’ll try to explain.” 

Zanoba paused for a moment and made a stiff, unnatural attempt at a grin. It was a jarring sight. Usually, his face lit up with pure joy every time he smiled.

“As you know, Master, I was always…something of a burden on the Kingdom of Shirone.”

“That’s not true. I mean, you’re a Blessed Child…”

“A Blessed Child so incapable of controlling his strength that he murdered a member of the royal family.”

It was easy to forget these days, but back in Shirone, Zanoba had a nickname: the Head-Ripping Prince. He’d accidentally torn off the head of his own half-brother, the infant son of the crowned queen. Obviously, killing a member of your own family for no good reason was considered a terrible sin in Shirone—the sort of crime that even a royal prince would be punished harshly for. But according to Zanoba, he’d essentially gotten off scot-free. It was his mother who’d immediately been exiled.

“I was only pardoned because of my status as a Blessed Child. They simply believed I would prove useful someday.”

“Hold on,” said Cliff, looking my way with a disturbed expression. “Is this story true, Rudeus?”

“It is indeed,” Zanoba interjected. “Nor was that the last of my misdeeds. I later ripped off my own wife’s head, which directly caused a rebellion.”

Much as I would have liked to deny all this, it was true. Zanoba had been married off for political reasons years ago. And his impulsive murder of his bride on their wedding night had set off a large-scale insurrection.

“The woman said some truly vile things to me, and I felt my actions were justified. Still, I was responsible for the turmoil that ensued. Under normal circumstances, I would have paid for that with my life.” Zanoba looked me straight in the eyes. “And yet, I was spared.”

After a moment of silence, he sighed and continued in a matter-of-fact tone. “Tell me, Master—why do you think I wasn’t executed on the spot?”

I didn’t want to try and answer that question. I really didn’t.

“Some time later, I met you and caused yet another scandalous incident, finally earning myself the punishment of exile. I’d earned my death many times over, but in the end I was merely banished. And despite all my crimes, I was provided with ample funds to make a new life for myself here in Sharia. Why do you think that was?”

I knew what he was getting at, of course. I understood why they’d let him live.

“It’s simple: so that I could fight for my country when she truly needs me.”

Zanoba’s tone was so forceful that I couldn’t even manage a reply. Even Cliff had frozen in his seat, his eyes wide open. Ginger was the only one who didn’t look stunned, really. The expression on her face was one of sadness and resignation.

“It’s my duty to protect Shirone against her enemies. That is the reason I’m alive, and was permitted to indulge myself for all these years. I have no choice but to return immediately, you understand? If I were to wait for news of the invasion itself, it would be too late for me to act. For all I know, the fighting has already begun.”

I had to admit he was making a coherent case. He owed his country a great deal, and there was nothing crazy about wanting to repay your debts. Deep down, maybe Zanoba had been itching to return to Shirone from the moment he heard about Pax’s coup d’état. 

But there was no undoing those events now. If he launched his own rebellion against the new king, it would leave the country fatally weakened and easy prey for its enemies. And so, he had to obey Pax instead. It was the only way to save the kingdom.

I understood. I really did. But it still felt weird hearing it from Zanoba. For as long as I’d known him, the guy had lived in his own little world, indifferent to anything happening outside it. You’d expect his take on this to be something like… “A war back home, you say? Well, that’s none of my concern. Come here and take a look at my latest figurine! Isn’t her waist beautifully sculpted?!”

…Of course, I couldn’t say any of this to him. Not now. It wouldn’t be right. 

I wanted him to shrug and ignore that letter, honestly. But that wasn’t what he needed to do.

After a long, painful moment, I managed to force a few words out: “You know they’re going to kill you, right?”

“If my country tells me to die, then I suppose I’ll have to,” Zanoba responded calmly.

It was a firm, stoic answer worthy of a medieval samurai or an imperial soldier. I found myself at a loss for words.

I needed to stop Zanoba somehow. I didn’t want him to die. 

And yet, I couldn’t bring myself to say he was making a mistake. Maybe it was because of the calm determination in his eyes. Maybe it was because I’d changed my own way of thinking over the years. But I just couldn’t tell him this whole thing was ridiculous.

I didn’t know what to say. 

“Come now, Master, Cliff! There’s no need for you to look so sorrowful.”

Zanoba offered us a startlingly cheerful grin. It was his usual smile this time.

“I must admit, I didn’t spend much time thinking about matters of duty back when I was still in Shirone. But then I met you, Master, and you, Cliff, and Miss Nanahoshi…and as I settled into my life here, I began to reconsider my actions. I took the time to think about what I ought to do.”

And then he’d landed on protecting his homeland as his purpose in life? Now that I really didn’t understand. It’s not like the rest of us were a bunch of rabid patriots.

“I suppose I’m being rather pretentious about this, aren’t I?” Zanoba continued, with another smile. “To be honest, I don’t even know why I reached the conclusions that I did! Hahaha!”

I couldn’t laugh. It didn’t seem funny to me.

I had no right to tell Zanoba how to live his life. At this point, it was impossible to say for sure if he was making a mistake. The decision was his to make.

But there was one thing I could say for sure: if Zanoba died because of the choice he made today, it was going to hurt me badly.

Zanoba was one of my very closest friends. He’d helped me out in more ways than I could count. He got me out of a tight spot back in Shirone, of course…but I also owed him for the friends I’d made in this city. Through his figurines I got to know Pursena and Linia, and I’m not sure Cliff ever would have warmed up to me without his help. Plus, on our expedition to the Demon Continent, he’d held Atofe back with his bare hands. And without his help, I never would have completed the Magic Armor project. 

The more I thought about it, the more I realized how much I owed this guy.

Putting all that aside, I’d honestly enjoyed the time I spent making figurines for him. It was just fun having him around. For one thing, he lavished me with praise at every opportunity, and always gushed about my work. That wasn’t bad for my self-esteem. I guess some people might react differently to that sort of thing, but I definitely found it pleasant.

Additionally, according to my diary of the future, he’d stuck with me to the bitter end, staying loyal right up to the moment of his death. I couldn’t just shrug it off when a friend like that was marching off to his death. It wouldn’t be right. I’d be betraying myself, as well as him.

…Hmm?

Hold on. The diary…

I felt something click abruptly into place inside my mind.

“Zanoba.”

“Yes, Master?”

“I’m going too.”

The words came out of my mouth quite smoothly, to my surprise. I’d never forget the odd mix of joy and anxiety that flashed across Zanoba’s face in that moment.

After calling an end to our conference, I headed straight over to inform Orsted. On my way there, I reflected on this odd series of events from a different angle.

In the narrative of my future diary, Zanoba never returned to his homeland. I wasn’t sure if he’d stayed put in Sharia for his entire life, but at the very least, he’d spent most of his time at my side. In that timeline, it seemed likely that he never received an order to return home. Maybe Pax’s coup failed. Maybe it never happened at all.

Either way, events were diverging from those recorded in the diary. And that meant there was a chance that the Man-God was up to something.

Now that I thought about it, we hadn’t had all three of the Man-God’s disciples in action at once, for the last year and a half or so. Maybe Pax was the third, and he’d spent that time quietly laying the groundwork for these events? It seemed like a real possibility. 

Orsted had warned me to be patient, yes. But maybe the time for action had finally arrived.

Yeah, that’s got to be it. This is the moment I’ve been waiting for all this time. I’m going to save Zanoba, damn it!

“Sir Orsted!”

When I burst in through the door, I found my commander at his usual place behind his desk, apparently dealing with some paperwork.

“Ah, Rudeus. Is something the matter?”

Orsted’s face was as intimidating as ever, but I was too worked up to hesitate. I explained the whole situation as clearly and concisely as I could, focusing on the discrepancy between these events and my diary of the future.

“This has to be the Man-God at work, right?”

“…”

I delivered my conclusion confidently, but Orsted’s only immediate response was to glower at me in silence. I don’t think he was trying to glare, for the record. That was the way his face worked.

Uh, that’s weird. Was there some hole in my logic?

“In the history I’m familiar with, the Kingdom of Shirone collapses following a coup organized by Pax Shirone approximately thirty years from now.”

I blinked in surprise. “Did you say thirty years from now?”

“I did.”

Orsted began to describe some details of the ordinary flow of events as he knew them. In this version of history, the Teleportation Incident never took place, and I wasn’t around to mess with the internal politics of Shirone. Under those circumstances, Pax would bide his time, amassing great riches through his control of the kingdom’s slave markets. Over the decades, he would attract a group of co-conspirators and cripple his enemies through strategic hostage-taking, before ultimately launching a coup against the reigning king. His coup would succeed, earning him the throne. But once securely settled on it, free at last to do exactly as he pleased, Pax would begin to question the value of the monarchy itself.

In time, he would abolish his own position and establish Shirone as a republic. In the aftermath of these developments, Shirone would rapidly grow into a stronger nation, expanding its territory until it firmly controlled half of the current disputed territory on its borders. And this new country, the fourth great world power, would eventually produce a citizen who would cause the Man-God many headaches.

“I had assumed the Man-God guided you to Shirone all those years ago because he wanted to drive Pax from its borders, preventing these events from taking place,” Orsted explained.

It made sense. The Man-God’s advice brought me to Shirone, and I’d changed the course of history there. Zanoba and Pax had both been exiled from their homeland, costing Pax his chance at the throne. The Republic of Shirone would never come to be.

“Once Pax takes the throne, you see, the transition to a republic becomes inevitable.”

Orsted paused for a moment, frowning in thought. Basically, he thought this coup was the opposite of what the Man-God wanted.

“Well, the situation’s a bit different,” I said uncertainly. “The King Dragon Realm is on Pax’s side, right? Maybe he won’t make Shirone a republic this time around.”

“He will. I’ve meddled in events there in similar ways, but regardless of the circumstances, he always ends up abolishing the monarchy.”

Ah. Right. We were getting into all that destiny stuff again. Once you got past the point where Pax became king, apparently events would basically arrange themselves so that Shirone ended up as a republic. The same way Asura’s future was determined from the moment Ariel took the throne.

“Uh, wait. So what happened in the timeline from my diary, then?”

“I would imagine that Pax never launched his coup. Shirone remained a lesser power as the Man-God initially desired.”

Okay, so…

In the normal timeline, Pax launched a coup and became king, then established a republic.

In the diary’s timeline, the Man-God’s scheming kept Pax off the throne, and Shirone remained a kingdom.

In this timeline, Pax launched a successful coup, and we were pretty certain he would end up establishing a republic eventually.

That seemed odd. So the Man-God had intervened a second time just to reset events back to the status quo?

“I don’t get it. Why would he do that?”

“It’s a trap,” said Orsted, his tone darkening. “He wants you dead, Rudeus. Even if it means returning the history of Shirone to its proper course.”

In other words…he was voluntarily sacrificing one of his tactical victories for a chance to lure me into danger. Like a guy who breaks up a good hand in mahjong just to mess with his opponents.

“If you take the bait and show up in Shirone to investigate, I expect you’ll find yourself in the jaws of a carefully laid and lethal trap,” Orsted continued.

“Are we sure he isn’t after you instead?”

“I suppose it’s possible, but Zanoba Shirone is your friend, not mine. He’s the bait for this trap, which means you’re the more likely target.”

Pax had asked Zanoba to return home. And despite the obvious danger, Zanoba was insistent that he do so. The Man-God could not know if I would tag along, but since the risk to Zanoba’s life was so clear, he probably reckoned there was a good chance I might. He understood my personality pretty well, after all.

…Damn. That bastard could be clever sometimes.

“What’s more, Zanoba played a crucial role in constructing your equipment. Even if you don’t take the bait, he may consider disposing of your ally worthwhile in its own right.”

Two birds with one stone, huh? If I came along, he’d take us both out. If not, he’d still get a consolation prize.

“Do you see any chance that Zanoba’s a disciple?” I asked quietly.

“In this specific case, it seems unlikely. He’s a man of no great importance to the future of Shirone.”

Hey! Rude. I don’t know about Shirone, but he’s important to me, okay? Important enough that I’m gonna walk right into a trap for him… Ugh.

“All right, then. How do you think we should approach this?”

“The same way we always do. Crush the Man-God’s schemes with brute force.”

“…Sounds about right.”

With Orsted tagging along, this shouldn’t be too difficult to handle. We’d beat down anyone who came for us, same as we did in Asura. What did it matter if this was a trap? I would lure our enemies out into the open, and if they were too much for me to handle, he could step in to take care of the rest. He’d be the Anglerfish, and I’d be that little glowy bit dangling from his head.

Apparently, some people had recently started referring to me as a “follower” or “agent” of the Dragon God, but when you got down to it, I was basically his fishing lure.

“However, there is a chance that he’s completely uninvolved with these events.”

“…Could you elaborate?”

“It’s not impossible that these events were always going to happen.”

Hm. Hadn’t considered that angle.

“The theories that I laid out earlier are essentially pure speculation. That diary doesn’t contain much in the way of detail about this period. It’s possible that Zanoba Shirone went to his homeland briefly, only to return unscathed.”

In other words, the coup happened on its own, without the Man-God’s intervention. Zanoba was summoned to Shirone, did his duty to his homeland, and came back to Sharia immediately afterward.

Now that he mentioned it, I guess it wasn’t…impossible?

“…Hmmm.”

“In that timeline, Zanoba was also a wanted man with a price on his head. That might have changed things too. Perhaps Shirone didn’t recall him for fear of angering Millis, or he chose to ignore the summons, or Ginger hid the letter from him…”

Yeah. This was starting to seem a bit more plausible now. Our timeline had already diverged from that of the diary in many important ways. Even if Pax took the throne, he might have hesitated to call for help from a notorious criminal like Zanoba. The Holy Country had a band of knights that essentially served as mercenaries; he might have feared they would join his enemies in the field.

Of course, there was no way to know for sure. And we could waste all day thinking about the possibilities.

“But the Man-God did use me to change the course of Shirone’s history, right? Why would he just sit back and let Pax end up on the throne for no good reason?”

“It’s possible that Shirone’s fate was simply beyond his ability to change. Your destiny is quite strong, but it can’t bend everything off course.” 

Fair enough. There were obviously some things I couldn’t change, even if I wanted to.

“Hm…”

At this point, Orsted paused to stroke his chin thoughtfully. Clearly, something had occurred to him.

“Uh… What is it, sir?” I said hesitantly.

“Pax was exiled to the King Dragon Realm, correct?”

“That’s right.”

“There’s a good chance they were the real power behind this coup, in other words.”

“Yeah, I’d imagine so.”

Oh, I see where he’s going with this.

Pax had spent years in the King Dragon Realm. He might have been goaded into action by someone living there. In other words, there was a chance he wasn’t the disciple we were looking for. The real villain might be hiding in a different country entirely.

“Very well,” said Orsted. “I’ll make my way to the King Dragon Realm and see if I can find any evidence of this disciple lurking at its heart.”

Huh? You’re not coming with me, boss? “Uh, but…there might be a trap waiting for me in Shirone, right?”

“…If you fear that possibility, you should remain here instead.”

Which would mean leaving Zanoba to his fate.

Orsted had promised to protect my family, but not my friends. I couldn’t expect him to prioritize Zanoba’s safety above all else. Unless I…married him off to one of my sisters?!

Nah. He’d probably treat them right, but…nah. Let’s try to stay focused, Rudeus…

“I owe a great deal to Zanoba. And according to that diary, he was loyal to me until the day he died.”

“…”

“I can’t just leave him to die.”

The only problem was whether I could save his life all on my own. Although—there was no real need for me to make the trip alone. Maybe I could call in some reinforcements. Eris seemed to know plenty of Sword Saints… If we wrote a letter to the Sanctum, we might be able to recruit a decent bodyguard.

The main issue with that idea was that I really shouldn’t be telling a bunch of people I barely knew about the Teleportation Circles. It was probably premature to try something like that right now, so…

“In that case,” said Orsted calmly, “you head to Shirone, and I’ll make my way to the King Dragon Realm. We’ll crush the Man-God’s schemes where we find them. Understood?”

“Yes, sir.”

On the whole, there was too much we didn’t know right now. We’d have to investigate as best we could during the journey itself.

“Ah, yes. I nearly forgot. There’s one thing I want you to promise me before you leave for Shirone.”

“What’s that?”

Was he going to make me swear I wouldn’t die on him? Aww, it was making me blush just to think about it.

“Do not kill Pax Shirone, even if you’re certain he’s a disciple.”

“…What?”

“Do not kill Pax Shirone.”

Well, he said it twice in a row, so I guess he really means it. Makes sense, though. Killing Pax might prevent Shirone from becoming a republic, right? No problem, boss! I’ll leave him in one piece.

“All right. I understand.”

Still, this was going to make my task a bit more difficult. Pax might try to kill us, but I couldn’t return the favor. I had to keep myself alive first and foremost, and also watch Zanoba’s back until I could drag him home. That would be tricky.

Uh…hmm. Come to think of it, how am I going to convince him to come back to Sharia, anyway?

I wasn’t sure of Zanoba’s goal here. Did he want to help his country win the war? Would that be enough to satisfy him?

Well, whatever. Either way, I’d have to tag along and keep him alive for now. When the moment was right, I’d convince him to come back with me to Sharia. In the meantime, I’d also hunt for hints about the Man-God’s trap and his overall objective.

“Thank you for your help, Sir Orsted.”

“No need to thank me.”

After bowing deeply to Orsted, I turned and left his office.

***

Hmm. So now I’m walking right into the Man-God’s trap, huh?

Zanoba hadn’t objected much when I told him I was coming along. But if he knew of my suspicions, I had a feeling that might change.

Then again…maybe I could use it as a way to convince him? If he knew the Man-God was using him to lure me to my death, would he reconsider his decision to go back home…?

I gave it a moment’s thought, then abandoned the idea. He’d probably end up saying something like “Perhaps you’re right. It’s best I go alone, then.” It would be simpler for both of us if I kept my suspicions to myself for now.

Once again, I would be hiding things from him. I couldn’t blame the man if he ended up resenting me.