Chapter 123: Strike back
I had no choice but to accept this fact as I looked into his provoking face.
‘So annoying…
I didn’t know if I was being xenophobic or whatever, but looking at ito p.i.s.sed me off. I never imagined that I would get caught in his uncreative little trap.
‘He knew about Juliana.
He had even used the sword’s ability to detect danger to his advantage. Although one of his underlings had died, it was nothing compared to what would happen from now on. No - I couldn’t even tell if that had really been his underling in the first place.
I also had no idea if he had planned this, or if he just made it on the spot after meeting me, but I did know one thing - this wasn’t over.
It felt absurd to be caught, but Kasugano Yuno next to me could testify that it had been a sudden incident. It would also be helpful to explain Juliana’s skills to the investigators.
‘Do I have no choice but to disclose information about Juliana?’
It would be annoying, but it would not a bad deal if it meant I could strike back at him.
However, it won’t stop there, either.
If I chose to a.s.sume that he had made connections with the Holy Empire’s superiors in advance, then there would definitely be room for disputes in future debates.
If a trial was held, it would likely put me at a disadvantage.
No matter what I could say, the fact that my underling killed his underling wouldn’t change. If this guy really had the same disposition as mine, then it must mean that he had already prepared everything in advance.
And if he hadn’t - then that meant he was envisioning the big picture as of this moment.
‘That’s because even I would’ve done that.’
The only thing that he wouldn’t have calculated would be that Kasugano Yuno, the lovely shaman, would take my side, but he probably didn’t think that it was a threat.
As I mulled these thoughts in my head, I heard his voice right in front of me.
“What you’re going to do? My favorite subordinate has died, right in the royal city of the Holy Empire.”
“Don’t mess around, Mr. Ito. It was your subordinate who threatened my guests by showing bloodthirstiness. This case will be handled as selfdefense.”
“This is a little surprising, shaman. I didn’t think our relationship was this bad.”
“That’s what you think. It is undeniable that your subordinate threatened my client.”
“I would appreciate it if you could explain exactly how they threatened him. No, even if he was threatened, would he throw a sword right away? No matter how you view it, we are the victims here. I at least expect you to maintain a good judgment as to who the offender and victim are. That’s an action that will help your reputation as a shaman. Of course, it will also be helpful to Yozora, which is under your control.”
“You…”
Kasugano Yuno was definitely a reliable ally.
It was clear that Ito wouldn’t be able to lure her in. She and her guild Yozora would at least defend me with their power.
However, I didn’t know how to deal with this situation.
When I looked at Juliana, she hovered around me, almost as if she was aware that she had done something wrong.
As the sword seemed depressed, I took it back to my belt, and I immediately spoke.
“I apologize.”
“It is not something that can be simply solved by an apology, Mr. Kiyoung.”
“The armament I’m carrying, Juliana, the cursing sword, is a sword that moves in response to anything that threatens her master.”
“Ooh, I see. I didn’t know there was such a weapon.”
“That’s surprising. I thought you knew about it.”
“Of course, I’ve heard rumors that a Lindel adventurer has acquired legendary armor, but who knew it was this weapon?”
He knew, without a doubt.
I couldn’t tell whether he heard the rumors or whether he confirmed it for himself, but I was almost certain that this nasty b.a.s.t.a.r.d was the main culprit in the Lindel terrorist incident.
‘If not, there’s no reason for him to be provoking me.’
“Yes. I don’t know why your guild members threatened me, but…”
“Our guild members have never threatened you.”
“No. They threatened him without a doubt. If I take this case to court, I will testify that your guild member threatened my client. Of course, our guild members who are here now will testify the same.”
‘You’re cheering up your master! Yuno!’
“I can’t ignore the shaman testifying like that… That’s a little weird to me. Right now, he seems to be in control of his sword. Even if you testify that my side threatened him first, there’s no reason for my loyal subordinate to have died. Perhaps Kiyoung and the murderer who tried to kill his comrade looked a little alike, so I guess he unknowingly got angry.”
“To have a sword pierced in the neck for such a thing… What a pity. It is also a sin not to properly control a weapon. The more I think about it, the more my heart breaks.”
‘This b.a.s.t.a.r.d…
Seeing that he kept focusing on emphasizing himself as a victim, I knew he was decided. He wanted to frame me, no matter what.
‘Should I just accept it at once?’
If it was about self-harm, I could do it, too. If I could poke myself with his sword, I could also establish my side as self-defense.
The problem was, Ito Souta would not make this easy for me. His high agility stats would make it impossible for me to do so.
My options were limited, and I hated doing setups, but I still had to try.
“Isn’t Souta-nim the one who caught me when I was trying to go my own way in the first place? It happened suddenly, but I wonder if there was some other meaning for one of your guild members was sacrificed.”
“No way. You have a lot of imagination.”
“No, I was just telling the facts.”
“You can explain that useless conspiracy theory to the Imperial Inspector. First of all, someone died in the castle, so the procedure must be followed. And look, they’re coming over.”
pretended to stay calm, but my insides were twisting. This was because I could indeed see the castle guards running towards our direction. It felt annoying to be treated as a suspect, when in reality, I had gotten caught in the trap laid out by the b.a.s.t.a.r.d in front of me.
“What happened?”
It was the shaman who answered. It was the second time she took the lead, but then I continued her words.
“The guild member of the Yamato Guild threatened Mr. Kiyoung Lee and died in a self-defense attack with a sword stuck in his neck.”
“To be precise, it wasn’t a threat. It seems that there was a little misunderstanding between us, but all of a sudden, he had his sword pointed right at us.”
“My sword is a weapon that is triggered by a threat. If you want to check the item information, I can show you. I was threatened by a guild member of the Yamato guild with no doubt, and that fact will be testified by Kasugano Yuno of the Yozora guild and her guild members.”
Of course, the arguments of our two sides were different.
After whispering to each other, one of the guards ran in the opposite direction. He was most likely calling up a senior.
Not surprisingly, a guy wearing fancier clothes came in a hurry not long after.
At this point, the incident was slowly becoming bigger.
This kind of situation was what Ito Souta probably expected, but my head hurt just thinking about how things would work from now on.
‘I guess they will start an investigation.’
Of course, I would be labelled as the suspect. No matter the reason, no matter what had happened, the fact stood that a man had died in the royal city of Benignore, the Holy Empire.
Although we identified ourselves as free people, we were also affected by imperial law.
Considering that excessive disputes between guilds were not allowed in the empire, I, who committed murder, will most probably be treated as the suspect.
As Souta had said, that was the procedure.
As expected, the man who had appeared before us stepped firmly in our direction.
‘An imperial officer.’
“I am Carlton of the Empire’s Holy Knights. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to follow
me.”
“Of course.”
It was annoying to do so, but I knew it would be fine. Now that there were three different testimonies, Ito Souta may also become a perpetrator.
It was clear that the victim’s ident.i.ty would be investigated right away, but with our shaman’s testimony, public opinion as a killer could be calmed to some extent.
‘Besides…’
Judging from Carlton’s att.i.tude, I’m not completely confirmed as a suspect.
‘Rather, it feels like he respects me.’
Of course, that might change once the investigation took place, but I knew would be able to reverse things afterwards.
“Yes. Okay.”
However, when I began to move in the direction Carlton showed us, heard Kasugano Yuno speak, her voice sounding a little different than usual.
“Don’t move.”
“What…?”
“If you take my client and move even one step, I will make sure that you’d be crawling on the ground in no time. Threatening my client is not allowed.”
At this point, the ground began to tremble. The unknown incantation from before appeared and began to spread in all directions.
As she opened her once closed eyes, I could see eyes that looked like two black holes.
Anyone could see that she had enormous magical power, enough to pulverize the whole place.
I swallowed nervously.
“Shaman…”
Even Souta’s calm façade broke as the man gripped the handle of his sword. He could sense that Kasugano was just seconds away from exploding.
“Get rid of the dirty hands that are holding my client.”
“Don’t make me repeat myself.”
‘This is bad…
It was okay to defend me, but making a fuss about it would make things worse.
Carlton of the Holy Knights also felt embarra.s.sed by this scenario. He was looking this way with a frown, pulling out his sword.
“I-I just want to act according to the procedure. And this kind of magic within the royal city is forbidden. Even it is you…”
“I won’t say it twice.”
At this point, I had to do something.
“It will be fine, Yuno. First of all, I think it is right to follow. It’s just a simple procedure.”
As the magic started to settle, the surrounding area, which had been shaking, stopped.
“But… Kiyoung-nim…”
“It won’t be a big deal. You just have to testify the facts.”
The truth was meant to be revealed anyway.
Although the world doesn’t always work as we want it to, right?’
Souta’s expression, which had returned to smiling, seemed to be saying just that. He would feel even more determined to mark me as the culprit now.
Out of curiosity, I opened my mouth to ask.
“Are investigations confined?”
“No. It is only procedural investigations. Of course, we will try to provide you with the best possible convenience. I believe you will understand that inevitably there may be restrictions on your movement.”
“Yes. Of course.”
“All those who were on the Yamato guild side will also be investigated.”
“It’s a little different position than ours, right?”
“I’m sorry, but it is. First of all, this was a murder case…”
“I see. Is it possible to testify through a representative?”
“Of course, that’s possible.”
“Okay. Then let’s go.”
“Atchoo.”
“Do you have a cold?”
“No, eunni. I’m sorry for suddenly sneezing.”
“It seems like you’ve been working too much these days… It’s good to work hard, but you should prioritize your health. Anyway, I brought you with me so you can take a well-deserved rest. What do you think about the capital?”
“It looks like a good place to live. It’s not bad considering this is my first time here, and I can see the life in people’s eyes. I couldn’t even imagine that the level of civilization in the Holy Empire would be this high, but I felt surprised because it was more systematic than I thought.”
“I knew you would say that.”
“Rather than that, eunni, your makeup is really good today.”
“You…”
“Are you seeing someone lately?”
Only
“I don’t even have time for that! I’m super busy… No, I think rather you’re the one who’s been dating… Isn’t it time to stop telling me about that kind of stuff now? Well, I already know everything, but it would be nice if you introduced me to him formally…”
“I will tell you when our relationship progresses a little more. Oppa still has some things to deal with.”
“Well… Oh, it’s arrived.”
“Black Swans, I sincerely welcome you to the Holy Empire. It’s been a while, Park Yeonjoo.”
“Yes. Long time no see.”
“Haha. I can see a familiar face for the first time. If it’s okay, may I ask for your name?”
“Of course. Jihye?”
“Yes, eunni. Hi, everyone. I’m Lee Jihye, who joined the Black Swan Guild during the last tutorial. It is an honor to meet the honorable and great imperialists of the Holy Empire. Thank you.”