Chapter 72
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Chapter 72
Act 7. What We Watch Over and What We Cannot Abandon
Yurien de Harden Kirie had several reasons for designating Echinacea Loaz as his squire.
The first was protection for the Loaz Family.
Now that the Demonic Sword, which should have caused a massacre, had vanished without incident, the Emperor and the 2nd Prince would surely be watching the Loaz Family with suspicion. There was no way to dispel that suspicion immediately. Yet I couldn't simply leave them to their fate either. They were my father and brother—men willing to orchestrate massacres as mere spectacle using the Demonic Sword. I couldn't fathom what they might do once suspicion took root.
So instead, I would create a rational explanation for the Demonic Sword's disappearance. Let them believe I myself had disposed of it. That I, Yurien, had somehow handled the blade sent to the Loaz Family.
Echinacea had been chosen as a scapegoat purely because of the interest I'd shown, yet by avoiding the massacre, the Loaz Family could never deny their connection to me. In such circumstances, it was better to formalize the relationship than to leave it ambiguous.
Making her my squire was the fastest and safest choice. Once it became known that the Changtian Knights' Commander had a squire from her house, they would think twice before touching her.
The second reason was surveillance of the Demonic Sword.
I had witnessed Echinacea commit impulsive murders, swayed by the accumulated killing intent accumulated in the Demonic Sword. She controlled it with near-perfect precision, yet when her emotions wavered, she made mistakes. And each time she erred, she suffered terribly for it, even harming herself.
As time passed and she grew more accustomed to the blade, such incidents decreased. Yet the killing intent continued to accumulate. I learned of her situation by overhearing fragments of her conversations with the sword. Though I couldn't hear the Demonic Sword's voice, her words alone allowed me to infer the exchange.
No one can maintain perfect rationality at all times. Should such an incident occur, I wanted to stop her. To do that, I needed to be as close as possible. Having her as my squire would allow me to keep her nearby and watch over her continuously.
As the master of a holy blade, preventing impulsive murder was a natural duty. Yet more than that, I wished she wouldn't torment herself. When her anger burned so fiercely that she became stained with killing intent, the victims were often far from innocent themselves. At least, that was true of every case I'd witnessed.
Of course, that didn't make killing acceptable. But regardless, I never wanted to see her wound her own hands again. Rangiosa would lose his mind if he learned his master was hurting herself like that.
And the final, greatest reason was simply my own desire.
To be closer. In my first life, we never even spoke, but this time I wanted to draw nearer. I no longer wanted to merely watch from a distance.
After four days of anguish, I had formulated a plan for what lay ahead. I decided to designate Echinacea Loaz as my squire the moment she enrolled. This was before the entrance examination results were even announced. Vice-Commander Baron found it absurd, but there were no procedural obstacles. The paperwork was ready; I only needed to stamp it the moment she enrolled.
Once I'd made preparations to accept her as my squire, I trembled slightly. Well, truthfully, I trembled quite a bit. I was finally going to meet someone I'd only watched from afar all this time—of course I would be nervous.
'Perhaps I should prepare some sort of gift.'
It was a sudden impulse, but I acted on it without hesitation. The moment I thought of it as my first gift to her, a sword came to mind.
During the time Echinacea was gathering Giosa, she wielded nothing but cheap blades. When they chipped, she discarded them and bought the cheapest replacement. She had reached a level where the quality of her weapon mattered little, and whenever she needed to give her all, she could simply use the Demonic Sword, so no real problems arose.
Still, I thought she would be more comfortable with a better blade. It would be tedious to keep discarding and replacing them every time.
A sword was the most appropriate gift a Lord could give his squire, with the added advantage of not appearing to carry ulterior motives. I failed to recognize that by the point I was considering such things, my gift was already laden with selfish desire.
'If I'm going to do this, let it be something elegant that suits her. Since she seems to have unpleasant memories whenever she looks at a blade, I'll enchant it so she won't need to maintain it....'
When I drew out Rangiosa and stared blankly at it, I recalled those moments when her expression would flicker and nearly shatter. The way she would fling the blade aside as if recoiling after wielding it. How she'd picked it up with the intention of cleaning it, then flinched at the sight of dried blood, and simply abandoned it.
Having witnessed such moments, I understood that she didn't truly love the sword. It wasn't the blade itself she disliked, but rather the nightmares it evoked when she saw it. It's difficult to genuinely hate the very thing one does best.
So I made a special request to the Mage Tower. Unwilling to use the Empire's tower, I commissioned the Southern Kingdom's Mage Tower for the enchantment work and hired a blacksmith, even interfering with the designs myself to oversee the blade's creation. Since I placed no budget restrictions, the cost was substantial. Yet I had never coveted anything or indulged in luxury before, so my accumulated wealth was considerable. For the first time, I spent money as freely as water.
[Master, you seem somewhat changed.]
The holy blade muttered with reluctant acknowledgment. I replied calmly.
"Isn't change natural? Wasn't your hesitation to show me those memories your own doing?"
In all my years of living, I had never encountered anyone as remarkable as her. Such a radiant existence, yet it seemed strange that I remained unchanged before and after knowing her. Anyone who learned of her would surely be captivated. I truly believed this. Rangiosa gave up and fell silent.
After entrusting the creation of the gift sword, I sought to discover why Echinacea Loaz had come to the Military Academy. But since I couldn't read her thoughts, there was no way to know why she had come to Agenka. In the end, I resolved to employ methods unbecoming of a holy blade's master.
[So you're going to conduct a background investigation now.]
"I don't want to remain ignorant like before, stumbling about blindly."
[The excuse is fine, but it's still a background investigation. Using the organization and all.]
"Is that a wicked act?"
[...Not quite evil, but.]
The holy blade grumbled with displeasure.
I quietly visited the port city of Ollabart. Ollabart was where the headquarters of the Wedge—the Empire's largest and most secretive organization—was located.
I originally knew very little about this organization. I was aware of its existence, but ignorant of how to make requests or its structure. The Changtian Knights existed at too lofty a height to concern themselves with organizations like the Wedge, and I myself had walked such a righteous path that I'd never entangled myself with the murky underworld.
He had learned about the Wedge through memories of Echinacea Loaz that Rangiosa had shown him. In that erased time, the organization she had visited to obtain information about Giosa was none other than this place—the very same organization that had been utterly destroyed by her after she insulted the Changtian Knights.
Until now, the means of information gathering available to Yurien de Harden Kirie were those difficult to hide from the Imperial Family's eyes. He had relied on personal connections, members dispatched on missions, informants belonging to the Knight Order, and merchants of Agenka.
But the Back Alley organization was different. As long as the price was certain, he could request investigations without the Imperial Family ever catching wind of it.
[My master isn't going to suppress the Back Alley organization but to hire them. I've lived long enough to witness such a sight.]
Yurien de Harden Kirie let Rangiosa's complaint go in one ear and out the other as he sought out the organization. Pulling his hood low, he entered a tavern in the Back Alley and ordered two glasses of beer and roasted potatoes for himself alone. After carving a wedge-shaped cut into the potato, he called over a server and demanded fresh ones, claiming the potatoes were undercooked.
"I sincerely apologize for serving undercooked potatoes. The head chef wishes to apologize in person. Would you follow me for a moment?"
It was the Wedge's invitation. Finding the organization and making the request had been remarkably simple thanks to witnessing what Echinacea Loaz had painstakingly discovered. Moreover, while she had struggled with limited funds to make requests back then, Yurien de Harden Kirie possessed considerable wealth. The Wedge proved extraordinarily accommodating to clients with deep pockets, showing no curiosity about the hooded requester's true identity.
Yurien de Harden Kirie entrusted them with several investigations.
The first was naturally about the Loaz Family—their history, direct bloodline members, and the family's current circumstances. While information about Echinacea Loaz was paramount, he deliberately requested a comprehensive investigation to avoid appearing fixated on her.
The second concerned the Peletro Family. Since attention here mattered little, he specified a particular individual precisely. He asked them to investigate Ian Peletro.
After recognizing that time had reversed, his plan encompassed matters beyond her alone. By Yurien de Harden Kirie's reckoning, the reversed time spanned three and a half years. As the Commander of the Changtian Knights, he possessed considerable knowledge of the future. He selected from that knowledge the events that absolutely must be changed.
The most prominent was the monster subjugation that would occur this year—a rare catastrophe in Changtian that claimed over twenty lives. Even Baraha Islaf, Baron's squire, had perished then.
It had occurred due to a sudden Specter attack and appeared outwardly as mere misfortune. Yet Yurien de Harden Kirie, possessing the Eyes of Truth, harbored suspicions. He was certain that Baraha Islaf's death was not an accident amid the catastrophe but deliberate murder.
When Baraha Islaf's death was reported to him, Ian Peletro's soul had been stained pitch-black with malice, rejoicing.
[One must not condemn someone based solely on the Eyes of Truth without evidence. That is not righteous. A human may harbor wicked intentions, after all. It becomes sin only when put into action.]
This was what Rangiosa had said to Yurien de Harden Kirie when he suspected Ian Peletro. Yurien de Harden Kirie had agreed with that opinion. So he had investigated Ian Peletro covertly, but he had left no evidence. Ian had become cautious after that incident, taking particular care to cover his tracks.
He could not punish without evidence. Ultimately, Yurien de Harden Kirie had to watch until Ian Peletro was appointed as a knight.
But this time, he would not allow it to unfold that way. He had no intention of letting Baraha Islaf or anyone else be harmed. Now that an unexpected means called the Wedge had emerged, he planned to gather evidence in advance and dispose of the matter. Since he intended to prevent murder, expulsion would suffice even if execution proved impossible.
Beyond Ian Peletro, there were two others who needed to be expelled from Agenka. He commissioned investigations into them as well.
Yurien de Harden Kirie, seeing malice, had frequently been forced to overlook it due to lack of evidence. These were generally individuals with some influence or connections within Agenka, making evidence difficult to obtain. The Wedge, being a force outside their calculations, would prove useful. With evidence, punishment would not be difficult.
[Catching evil with evil. Well, it's not bad. Still, those are low-quality sorts, so don't rely on them too heavily.]
"I am mindful of it, so do not worry."
Simultaneously with entrusting investigations to the Wedge, he arranged for trustworthy members to investigate the Wedge itself. If the organization committed evil beyond tolerance, it would need to be dealt with separately from using it. Now that he knew of them, he could not simply leave them be.
[Using them economically while preparing to eliminate them from behind, how thorough.]
"Is that not righteous?"
[No. The organization itself is inherently evil, so that's not the issue. You know that and are doing this anyway, aren't you?]
"I thought it would be."
[...Sometimes I think that if you weren't my master, you'd be quite a frightening human.]
The Holy Sword muttered in an exasperated voice. Regardless of what Rangiosa said, Yurien de Harden Kirie proceeded swiftly. He did not commission the Wedge to investigate the Demonic Sword's conspiracy. It was far too vast and dangerous a matter to entrust to such an organization.
The Crown Prince's faction would naturally keep constant watch on the 2nd Prince's faction as rivals. The documents the Crown Prince had shown Yurien de Harden Kirie three and a half years later were not materials that could be organized in a short time. It meant they would soon grasp clues related to the conspiracy and begin their investigation. If left alone, the Crown Prince's faction would naturally gather evidence for him.
Delving into the Demonic Sword would inevitably entangle the Loaz Family, and he wished to avoid such circumstances. He wanted Echinacea Loaz to remain as uninvolved as possible in the turmoil connected to him. She had already suffered too greatly. This time, at least, she could live in peace. As she had said before the Holy Sword, he wished for her to find happiness.
After commanding the investigation into the Wedge, he relocated. The quarters within headquarters were closer than the official residence separated from the main building.
Yurien de Harden Kirie completed all these tasks within the days before Echinacea Loaz's enrollment. And then he simply waited for her to enter the academy.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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