[Chapter 49] If I have this, will I go to heaven?

As I gazed out the window with its expensive brocade curtains, I felt like I was in heaven. But I knew the owner wasn't around, and thanks to that, the surroundings were extremely quiet.

Neris asked with a puzzled expression.

"Why is the room of the benefactor of life so lavish?"

"Maybe it's heaven or something."

"It's the room of Lord Ren, isn't it?"

"You could be lying."

"I can't believe what people say. Do I have heaven?"

Neris asked back with an air of confidence that was hard to refute. This time, it was Cladwin who was taken aback.

In fact, he had been taken aback since earlier. According to his investigation, it was 'clean' and ordinary. He had grown up normally.

How did this kid's hometown raise him to deceive the prince's closest aide and use the bedroom of the previous pope's brother as he pleased?

"How did you know I was there?"

"I didn't know. I just wanted to disturb Abelrus and Nellurion, but you were there. What happened?"

Neris's voice, which casually mentioned the prince's name, was too confident, making it difficult to criticize. Of course, Cladwin had no intention of criticizing.

He let out a sigh and said.

"I was betrayed by someone I trusted."

As Cladwin pronounced the word 'betrayal', a spark flashed in his gray eyes.

No matter how exceptional he was, he was still a teenager in his mid-teens. Even if he tried to get used to betrayal, he couldn't help but get hurt.

Neris frowned and asked.

"Is it Duke Tiphian?"

Duke Tiphian.

At the mention of that name, Cladwin's eyes, which had momentarily wandered, fixed intently on Neris. A veil-like silence fell.

Duke Tiphian was someone who had no connection to Neris. His children didn't attend the academy, and it was unlikely they would meet anywhere, given his high noble status. Cladwin asked in a cold tone.

"How did you know?"

"You were rambling on about killing Hoodis Tiphian."

It was a lie.

Neris had been able to guess the culprit of this incident because Cladwin had lost his mind and Neris had spent enough time digging up clues from his past memories.

Duke Tiphian governed the strategic pass that connected Maindlandt and the rest of the empire. He himself was a wealthy high noble, and after marrying his daughter to the previous Maindlandt grand duke, he had nothing to worry about.

In the end, his daughter had died young, and his son-in-law had died a long time ago. What's the point? Now his grandson was the Maindlandt grand duke.

He had often visited the imperial palace and was close to the royal family in Neris's previous life. It was Neris who had pulled him into the Elantria family's camp and helped him become a duke.

Looking back, it's strange that the Maindlandt grand duke, who rarely appears in the north, has a grandfather who is a duke and continues to exert influence in the imperial palace. There must be a reason for this.

The previous Neris had a habit of flattering Duke Tiphian for power, so he thought that the duke's grandson, who was stiff and awkward, would come to the imperial palace to gain more power. But as he thought about it, something occurred to him.

"If you had done things right back then, you wouldn't have to be in this predicament now."

"Who knew that young thing would be so stubborn? You're the one who has nothing to say about that incident."

It was clear that Joseph had a conversation with Duke Tiphian, blaming each other.

At the time, Neris didn't know what they were talking about. However, he remembered the conversation because he might need to use Duke Tiphian's weakness in the future.

Was there a connection between that conversation and the incident earlier?

'Young thing'. 'Someone I trusted'. 'Betrayal'. 'Joseph has nothing to say.'

If the imperial family had planned to kill the Maindlandt grand duke's only heir and take over his inheritance, Duke Tiphian might have sold out his grandson to gain an advantage.

And Nellurion might have tried to help Abelrus and gain favor in the process?

Although it was a speculative theory with no solid evidence, Cladwin's reaction suggested that it wasn't entirely wrong.

In this life, even if Neris had interfered, in his previous life, Joseph had failed to kill Cladwin, which was a mystery.

Cladwin, who believed Neris's words, let out a sigh. Neris thought that Cladwin looked like a person, someone who felt despair, sadness, and regret, just like her.

"...There was something I wanted to do. At least, I wanted to do it. I thought that person wanted the same thing, but it seems not."

Cladwin, who had spoken up to that point, coughed several times, his throat dry. Neris handed him a prepared glass of water and spoke coolly.

It didn't matter what Cladwin had wanted to do; what was important now was not that.

"I promised to grant your wish, so you have to live. If you die foolishly here, I'll chase you all the way to the afterlife and ask how you kept your promise, so get your mind straight."

"Okay."

As Cladwin drank the water, he winced in pain every time he swallowed, due to the discomfort in his throat. Of course, his evaluation wasn't about the temperature of the water.

Neris chuckled. She had thought he was a clever man, but it seemed he was a fool who had been deceived by Duke Tiphian and lived on until now.

"How many things have you left to me? Anyway, which dormitory do you live in? Lord Ren also needs to rest, so I'll take a look and come back. Your wound was deep, and your clothes were all bloody. Lord Ren cleaned your body, changed your clothes, and even treated you, so you should be grateful."

"Shut up."

Cladwin grumbled but didn't deny it. His eyes, which were gauging the remaining pain, momentarily fell.

The fact that the new pope, Omnitus III, was eyeing the previous pope's younger brother was widely known in secret. Everyone thought Omnitus III was showing excessive anxiety.

'At least a cardinal-level skill.'

It was a fatal injury that would have been abandoned by any ordinary doctor. But Lord Ren treated him, and now he was only feeling uncomfortable, which was a minor issue.

To have reached this level before even graduating from the theology department was a testament to Omnitus III's concerns.

However, the most bizarre thing in this situation was not Lord Ren's unexpected latent abilities.

Neris looked at Cladwin with an expression that said she didn't care what he thought. Her face was like she was urging him to get up, but Cladwin didn't budge.

"I came to attend classes. I have to review for the exam, and other freshmen are also attending, so the teacher gave permission."

"Don't swallow it. It's not harmful, but it tastes bad."

A firm and shameless lie, a joke to alleviate the other person's pain while pretending to be nonchalant.

Cladwin had some idea of how Neris thought about herself. Due to her revealed anger and sadness, and the report he received when he first investigated her.

"I'm unhappy about how they ruined me."

In the early days of her enrollment, Cladwin had suspected that Neris might have been in contact with a specific organization, so he had her room searched.

According to the report he received, her room was excessively plain.

Regardless of her wealth, anyone would have at least one flower or a pretty rock in their room.

But there were no ordinary decorations to be expected. It was as if she wanted to leave no trace of her life in the place she stayed.

As if she was confident that no one would care even if she disappeared from this world right now.

By doing nothing, she was expressing her anger to everyone around her, as if saying, "I know I'm not important, so don't worry about me!"

Cladwin was a person who had dealt with many subordinates with special circumstances. And after having several conversations with Neris, he knew more about her values than others.

So, he was able to pay attention to the faint clues that had appeared and disappeared.

It seemed that she couldn't see even one good point in herself, but in fact, she was a kind person.

When he heard Neris's voice in the bushes, he had already given up, thinking that she would sell him out anyway.

What could be said about her cleverness? She had been surrounded by sweet talk and had already resigned herself to death.

How worthless a partner would she be in the eyes of the clever Neris Truede?

Earlier, she only needed to say two words to him in the bushes. What if she had done something good for Abelrus and Nellurion? Maybe that kid could have come up with a way to get them back.

If she had actively handed over Cladwin's body to gain their trust, it would have been easier.

But instead, she picked a tasteless weed - now that he thought about it, it was a type of folk medicine that poor mercenaries chewed on to stay awake at night - and pushed it into his mouth.

And with her frail body, she really struggled to bring him here, risking all the dangers they might have encountered along the way.

Cladwin's subordinates were blindly loyal to him. But in their relationships, they exchanged something with each other. This was the first time he had received one-sided help.

Anyway, it was a world where even his own grandfather would betray him.

He didn't know how to think about it anymore. Cladwin forced himself to get up. Neris gave him a cold evaluation of his elegant movements.

"You're fine. Next time, bring a subordinate with divine power."

***

When Neris returned to her dormitory building, it was just before dawn.

The first-floor hall of the old public dormitory was narrow, to the point where its name was laughable. It was packed with a window leading to the management office, a small door leading to a storage room, and a narrow, steep staircase.

The management office, which was usually guarded by the administrator, was empty due to the late hour. Fortunately. The clothes Neris had worn when she left her room that evening were half-soaked in blood.

She was wearing a borrowed outer garment - when she arrived at Ren's dormitory, Ren had given her an outer garment, but Cladwin had given her a new one when they arrived at his dormitory, saying that the previous one was stained with blood. However, she wasn't sure what might be visible through the gaps. She wanted to avoid explaining the situation to anyone.

Her small feet had almost no sensation due to her young body staying up all night and almost carrying a man much larger than her twice.

"It's a good thing it's over."

When Neris found out that Cladwin Maindlandt had suffered a huge injury, she really had made up her mind to dispose of his body.

Although she hadn't completely avoided reading herbalism or medical books, her knowledge was only at a cultural level, not enough to treat someone with a serious injury.

Fortunately, she had learned about the awakening effect of certain herbs from her past life.

After being adopted by the Elantria family, Neris had to quickly learn the etiquette of a noble lady to perfection. At the same time, she had to learn political knowledge that would be helpful to the family.

At that time, she often stayed up late, chewing on those herbs.

It was fortunate that Ren had helped her without hesitation when she went to him. Neris had a few ways to make Ren listen to her, but they were all last resorts.

To be honest, Ren was strangely loyal to her. She didn't know when it started.

Creak, creak.

Someone was coming down the stairs.

Neris grumbled to herself and carefully hid in the darkness beside the stairs. Who was this idiot who was active before dawn?

It was probably someone who had been studying at their desk, claiming it was exam period, but hadn't actually studied as much as they had hoped, and was still awake at this hour.

The heavy, measured footsteps regularly stepped on the stairs. Creak, creak.

The stairs, which had been stepped on countless times by poor students, creaked noticeably. However, the students living in this building knew how to reduce the noise, but the sound now was too loud.

Neris, who sensed something was off, instinctively checked the face of that "idiot".