Chapter 127: Aeron's Way of Thinking
The state of Aeron's room was so appalling that even the well-traveled Rover couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment.
"Wow... Is this place even fit for human habitation...?"
"Weren't you the one who insisted on coming here yourself!"
In response to Rover's complaint, Aeron casually retorted, then navigated through the only narrow path in the room, surrounded by piles of paper, heading straight toward the desk where the terminal was located.
"Don't expect any hospitality from me with the room in this state. Just find an empty spot and sit wherever you like."
After all, Aeron had never been in the habit of preparing such things. In his previous life, he could only afford to live in that old, dilapidated rental apartment.
Rover stood at the doorway, her golden eyes sweeping across the room. Various materials were stacked into precarious little mountains, and the scent of paper and ink permeated the air, mixed with something else... a hint of blood?
She sniffed lightly, her gaze settling on the area of carpet in the center of the room that had been deliberately cleaned but still appeared slightly darker in color.
Without needing to ask, she could roughly guess what had happened in this room before—or rather, what had happened "again."
...Some things never change.
When she finally managed to make her way to the only place she could sit—the edge of Aeron's bed—the bedsheet was perfectly smooth without a single wrinkle, and the blanket was neatly folded into a square, looking as though no one had ever slept there.
Seeing Aeron so intensely focused, Rover felt it would be rude to disturb him. She patted the pillow and sat down on the edge of the bed, hugging her knees as her eyes settled on Aeron's back. He sat at the desk piled high with papers, his back slightly hunched, his black hair disheveled and sticking up.
From here, she could see Aeron's profile—his brow slightly furrowed, his lips pressed into a thin line, his eyes fixed on the terminal while cross-referencing the contents on his papers.
It was completely different from the usual, always composed and sharp-tongued guy.
Meanwhile, the person in question, acutely aware of the piercing gaze on his back, continued working on his task.
The room was quiet, filled only with the sound of pen nibs scratching against paper and the faint hum of the terminal running. Rover hugged her knees, resting her chin on her arms, her gaze following Aeron's movements.
Aeron looked utterly focused, his brow sometimes furrowing, sometimes relaxing. Occasionally, he would pause, staring at the images on the terminal screen for a moment before lowering his head to jot something down on paper.
Crazy.
She glanced briefly at Aeron's terminal screen, which seemed to be showing performances of idols from other regions.
Rover noticed that Aeron would pause, rewind, and pause again for almost every performance recording, except for a certain pink-haired girl, whom he would skip entirely without even giving her a proper look.
Admittedly, the sudden stimulation earlier had been a good remedy—his previously chaotic thoughts were now much clearer.
But there were still some things he had to say.
"...What are you looking at?"
"You."
Though he wasn't at the point where he couldn't write just because someone was watching him, the thought of being stared at so intently by the Savior still made Aeron feel somewhat uneasy.
It was like having an invigilator standing right behind you during an exam, even if you hadn't done anything wrong.
Rover rested her chin on her knees, tilting her head slightly, her hair ornament swaying gently with the movement.
"Because," she said, her voice unusually clear in the quiet room, "I've never seen you like this before."
"Like what?" Aeron asked casually, his pen still moving as he crossed out another line on the paper.
"Serious."
"What are you talking about... Am I not usually serious?"
"If compared to now... I suppose that's the feeling?"
Aeron stopped writing, turned his head, and looked at Rover with an expression that said, "What strange things are you saying again?"
Rover's golden eyes appeared soft under the dim lamplight, lacking their usual sharpness and sense of distance.
She wore the loungewear gifted by Cantarella, hugging her knees and curled up at the edge of the bed, looking several sizes smaller—almost like a large cat that had wandered into human territory.
In Rover's eyes, Aeron seemed completely different from usual.
Not the usual lazy "ugh, so troublesome, but I have to do it," nor the composed "everything is under control," nor even the frenzied "come on, who's afraid of who" when facing a formidable enemy.
It was something purer. A kind of... somewhat clumsy focus, like "I want to do this, so I'm going to do it well."
"It feels like, compared to your usual self, you seem less irritable now."
"...No way, you can even notice that? That's just unfair."
Aeron didn't deny her observation, or perhaps he simply couldn't be bothered to keep up pretenses in front of this savior anymore.
He picked up the brand-new proposal on the desk, reviewing its contents once more as he spoke to Rover.
"When did you notice?"
"From the first time we met at the auction?"
"...That's way too early."
"Back then, I just thought you were full of lies, had ulterior motives, and seemed like a troublesome person."
"And after that?"
"Even though you talked about cooperating, uncovering the truth, helping out... it was still the same old style. My impression never changed."
"No need to put it so harshly, you make me sound like a scumbag."
"Are you not?"
"Discussing that might involve definitions, and unfortunately, I'm not in the mood for that right now."
"Playing with emotions, manipulating people, guiding public opinion... looking back now, if not for the circumstances, each of those would be a grave sin."
"Don't be so quick to pass judgment on others."
Aeron leaned back in his chair, looking up at the ceiling. The room's light cast faint shadows across his face.
"You ended up being pushed onto the 'throne' anyway, didn't you? Maybe you even enjoyed it a little?"
"Your attempt to change the subject is terrible," Rover bluntly pointed out.
"Thanks for the compliment."
A brief silence fell. Only the steady breathing of the two filled the room.
"Aeron," Rover suddenly spoke, her voice soft.
"Hmm?"
"You never really cared about anyone, did you?"
"Could you not be so direct...?"
Ignoring Aeron's rebuttal, Rover continued.
"Whether it was helping Carlotta at the auction, protecting Ciaccona from the Fractsidus, overthrowing the entire Order during Carnevale, or finally confronting Leviathan yourself..."
The Rover recounted the experiences she had shared with Aeron, her voice steady.
"What you truly enjoyed was the look on Capollo's face when his plans fell apart, Cristoforo's stunned expression when you threw his script into chaos, the moment Fenrico's faith crumbled, and finally... the rebellion of pulling the trigger against a god."
After saying this, the Rover paused, her golden eyes once again turning to Aeron.
"Did I get it right?"
"'Zero points!'... I'd love to say that, but unfortunately, you're completely right. Here's a little red flower for you."
"Hooray."
The Rover happily smiled in response to Aeron's words. Looking at her face, Aeron himself couldn't help but laugh.
In that laughter was both resignation and relief.
These words were the conclusion the Rover had reached after spending so much time with Aeron.
At first, even she didn't believe it. But through her interactions with Carlotta, Cantarella, Zani, Cartethyia... she gradually confirmed it.
This man named Aeron before her simply used "hoping for an ordinary life" as an excuse to do what he truly wanted.
He actively helped them, yet deliberately kept his distance. He spoke of ordinariness, yet time and again chose to leap into the fire.
"Still, your words are a bit harsh. I never treated any of you as tools."
"Oh, really?"
"Of course it's true."
In this back-and-forth, the conversation between Aeron and the Rover carried a tension that was charged yet never explosive.
"I won't deny it. Whether it was agreeing to help Little Carte deal with Fleurdelys, assisting Carlotta in rooting out the traitor, or protecting Ciaccona... in the end, I had no real interest in any of it."
"Grand, noble deeds are for the righteous and great to accomplish. I don't want to waste my time on such meaningless things."
"But, personally taking down those self-righteous fools, tearing apart the hypocritical order, and finally pulling the trigger against a god..."
"Don't you think that's interesting?"
The Rover quietly watched Aeron. After a few seconds, she gave a slight nod.
The topic they had been discussing was quite dangerous from the start, yet both Aeron and the Rover carried a strange sense of ease.
"But that doesn't mean I would deny everything I experienced with them."
As he spoke, Aeron picked up the proposal again.
"Working late into the night with Carlotta, listening to Zani complain about work, watching Cartethyia dance with joy over some small thing, accompanying Ciaccona as she played and sang on the streets, being taken care of by Roccia, getting led around by the head of the family..."
For the first time, Aeron showed a smile that came from the heart.
"Those times were actually quite enjoyable."
The Rover looked at his profile. Morning light streamed in through the window, casting a faint golden edge around him.
...Indeed, the Aeron now was completely different from who he had been before.
This was the first time he chose to voice his true thoughts in front of others—and in front of Rover as well.
"So," Rover spoke up, her voice softening unconsciously, "is this idol project the same now?"
"Of course not."
"How so?"
"Because this time, there's a fool tied to it."
Ciaccona: Achoo!
Aeron set down the proposal and looked up at the ceiling, pondering how to answer Rover's question.
"I have no experience, I don't understand the market, and I can only guess what an 'idol' is even supposed to be like."
He turned his head to look at Rover, a rare, almost naive confusion in his smile.
"An amateur who knows nothing, just because he thinks it might be fun, takes on such an important project, drags others into it without permission, and even signs a binding contract—if you didn't know better, you'd think this was some third-rate novel."
Rover shook her head. She hugged her knees and looked at Aeron's face.
"So... that's why you're working so hard?"
"Because that's how the weak think." Aeron laughed, his smile tinged with self-mockery and acceptance.
"The strong can rely on talent, resources, and innate advantages. But the weak can't. The weak can only push themselves, make mistakes over and over again, push themselves to their limits, and then—"
He paused, his voice very soft.
"—and then hope they can do a little better."
"...That doesn't sound so bad."
"So, I have to find a possibility... a way for Ciaccona to stand in the light, for the people of Ragunna to smile, and for the flowers blooming in the ruins to be seen by everyone. Even if it's idealistic."
"Mhm." Rover nodded, offering an honest assessment, "And very difficult."
"That's what makes it interesting." Aeron's eyes lit up again with a light unfamiliar to Rover. "If it were easy, what would be the point?"
Rover looked at him for a long time. Then, she smiled too. It was a faint smile, but a genuine one.
"I'll be watching," she said.
"Watching what?"
"Watching what kind of outcome that self-righteous guy ends up with."
"Even if that guy might stand against you for all sorts of trivial reasons?"
"By then, I'll make my own decision in my own style."
Rover put on a stern face, but there was laughter in her eyes.
The two looked at each other for a few seconds, then burst into laughter at the same time.
"Alright, anything else you want to know? If not, I'm treating you."
"Eh, are you trying to kick me out already?"
"...You're not planning to stay here watching me the whole time, are you?"
"Is that not allowed?" Rover tilted her head.
"If you're here, I can't focus on work at all."
"Why?"
"Because the pressure you bring is too great..."
After all, judging by her relationships, every extra second she stayed, the threats Aeron might face would increase.
"Then you'll have to get used to it, because... I might come often."
"Please, I'm begging you, don't do that."