Chapter 183: Demon Beasts Moving South (1)
Snore— Snore— Snore—
Epherene quickly fell asleep. I planted the Dream Connection in her head. It was a difficult spell, and it didn’t fit my apt.i.tude, but thanks to the link established through the wood steel, it worked.
Whooosh…
The magical connection was established with the whistling sound of the wind. I glanced at Epherene sleeping soundly.
“…”
She had a kind of cute side when she had her mouth shut. Everything she did was sloppy, and she was a fool who didn’t know her talent yet, though. This was probably what I felt as Kim Woojin.
“…Stupid kid.”
I picked my book back up. I was currently studying concepts related to knights, going from swordsmanship and martial arts to training methods and even breathing methods. Now, I probably knew more than most knights. Turning the pages, I waited for the dream that Epherene would have. If Decalane appeared again, I would know right away.
After a while, I finished the first book, and then I grabbed the next on Quick Swordsmanship at that moment.
“You know… Professor…”
She suddenly spoke. My eyes flicked up.
“I told you I met Decalane in a dream….”
Epherene suddenly woke. She was looking at me with bright eyes.
“…”
I closed the book.
“No, but. You know. That guy… no, your father-“
“Call him that guy.”
Both as Deculein and as Kim Woojin, Decalane was someone I didn’t want to call father.
“…Yes. Do you know what he said to me?”
Epherene narrowed her eyes, pretending it was okay. However, drops of sweat were beading on her forehead, and her pulse quickened.
“He said my dad hated me! Just as much as my father hated you, he hated me too.”
“…”
“It doesn’t make sense. Right?”
I watched her quietly. Kagan Luna hated Epherene to the extent that he named the child ‘Drop’ or ‘Fall’. I didn’t know the reason yet, however. No, I think I was vaguely aware because of the unconscious use of Understanding. Even facts I didn’t know were put together like puzzle pieces in my head.
“Stop talking and sleep.”
Epherene had never met her mother. That must be the reason Kagan hated Epherene, but…
“It’s dawn.”
I didn’t want to say that to her.
“…”
Epherene calmed a bit. She lowered her eyes for a moment and grabbed the blanket. Then, she smiled a little.
“…Yes.”
Again, she closed her eyes.
Whoooosh—
A strange echo rang out.
“Are you here?”
I asked that question, and as if in answer, the world changed. The Voice swallowed me up.
“…”
A dark and empty s.p.a.ce, holding only one person. The young Epherene.
—Wahhhhhh.
When I saw her cry, I had a gut feeling that the Voice wanted to show me Epherene’s past.
—…Kagan. Epherene is your daughter.
A voice from somewhere. I looked over.
—Hmph.
Kagan Luna and his mother, Epherene’s grandmother, were there.
—She’s the daughter of that b.i.t.c.h.
Kagan spat the words, staring at Epherene with daggers in his eyes.
—I hate that face and that d.a.m.n gray hair of hers.
The child, misunderstanding that gaze, simply smiled. She reached out to her father, asking for a hug.
—…
Anyone would find that adorable, but Kagan clenched his fists.
—Kill her or let her live, do whatever you want. I won’t raise a kid like that.
* * *
…Did my father hate me?
Epherene wondered blankly, those doubts like a mist in her mind. Even though she knew it wouldn’t be true, she kept wondering.
‘Why did he hate me? What did I do wrong? Were all of his smiles, letters, and words full of affection and devotion lies? If he hated me, why wouldn’t Deculein say it?
Did he think I wouldn’t believe it? Indeed, I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t believe it. Rather, I would yell and run.’
‘…But what if not?’
Epherene remembered the words that Deculein had left her one day. She recalled the reasons that made her start training again, her father’s death. From that day on, she decided to become a wizard with the sole intention of taking revenge on Deculein.
…If so, no way.
‘Did my dad pa.s.s on Deculein’s revenge to me? Did he leave the unfinished work to me? Did Deculein accept me even though he knew that?’
‘Why?’
‘Why?’
“Epherene.”
“!”
Epherene’s eyes shot open. Her body was drenched in sweat.
“Huh…”
Deculein was sitting in a chair beside her. The sun was already shining outside the window.
“Did you have a nightmare?”
Epherene looked at him blankly.
“No… it wasn’t a nightmare…”
She shook her head as she answered.
“…I did some thinking. Were you here… the whole time?”
“The spell can only be maintained when the distance is close.”
“Ah…”
“Your condition seems to be quite serious, so from now on, sleep where I can see you.”
“Oh, okay… I mean! I beg your pardon?!”
Epherene raised her torso. At that moment, she was startled to find her sweat-soaked clothes were half transparent.
“Oh!”
She hurried up and covered herself with her arms. Deculein looked at her as if she were ridiculous.
“Oh, um, where are you looking?!”
“…Before I kill you.”
“W-What?!”
Tap—!
Deculein flicked Epherene’s forehead. A burning pain rumbled through her skull.
“Ouch!”
“Get up.”
“Ah! Aaaaah!”
“I have a lot to do with you from today on.”
“…Ouch. Aaah.”
Deculein stood and left the room. Epherene followed after him, fiddling with her swollen forehead.
“Oh, right. What about the Voice? I had a good sleep.”
“How can you say you slept well after sweating that much?”
At Deculein’s words, Epherene quickly responded.
“It wasn’t a nightmare, though.”
“I went to the Voice by myself.”
“…Eh? Why? Didn’t you want to go with me?”
“The Voice revealed your past. You cannot go into your past.”
“?”
For a moment, she shook her head, not understanding what he meant.
“…”
But soon, her face turned red, and she grabbed Deculein’s suit.
“Aaah! What! How much have you seen? Why, why did you peek?!”
“Quiet.”
“How much did you see?! How much—!”
Deculein ignored her.
* * *
Reccordak, accepting the mountain residents, became a city. Every morning, there was the pleasant smell of cooking and the sounds of people full of energy and laughter. There was a smile on the faces of the guards and the villagers as well as the prisoners.
Yet if the walls were to fall, they would all die.
“Are all automatic crossbows installed?”
I went to patrol the wall early in the morning. It was cold on the path above the wall, but I could endure it.
“Yes! A total of five hundred crossbows were installed on the wall. Also, since the villagers collect firewood and ore every day, I think we will be able to replenish our arrows and bolts without too much trouble.”
The guard responded vigorously. Secretary Louina was surprised.
“Oh my goodness. Were there mines here too?”
“I know, it’s surprising, isn’t it?”
Secretary Two, Epherene, was also curious.
“Haha. We didn’t know, but the locals have been an immense help. Thanks to them, I found out too.”
“Aha~.”
The two nodded at the guard’s words. Epherene glanced over his shoulder.
“Then, can I shoot this crossbow too…?”
She seemed curious, so I looked down from the wall. Julie was on the training grounds.
─Whew! Whew!
She was running as usual. Now that the wave wasn’t far away, her routine was only training and fighting. That form of training was bad, however. For Julie, who had a weak heart, there was a better way to go about improving herself. In addition, as a result of observing her battles, there was also a problem with her swordsmanship. To be precise, she had a bad habit.
Her good-natured character was revealed as such during battles and duels.
“…”
I wanted to convey that fact and correct it, but there was no proper way…
No, I found a way.
“Syrio.”
“…Huh?”
The handsome man leaning against the wall was the good swordsman Syrio. He was the deputy commander of the Knights of Iliade but also Deculein’s colleague.
“As the head of Reccordak, I have a mission for you.”
* * *
“Ha.”
Julie was running. Her biggest problem was stamina, so of course, her focus was on aerobic exercises.
“Pant, pant…”
Although Reccordak’s training ground was enormous, her goal was 100 laps per day. Even if her heart felt like it was about to burst, she persevered. If even that was hard, she thought of Deculein. His face, looking at her with contempt…
“Whew!”
Using that anger as fuel, she completed 100 laps.
“Ugh… whew.”
Sweat dripped like rain off her.
“Julie~.”
Julie wiped off her sweat before greeting Syrio.
“Yes. What’s going on?”
“Shall we spar?”
“…Spar?”
“Yeah!”
This wasn’t the time for a spar. Julie blinked a few times.
“Why all of a sudden… sniff, sniff.”
Syrio’s body was covered with a familiar smell. It was the scent of n.o.bility that everyone knew.
“…Have you met the professor?”
“Huh?”
Syrio was fl.u.s.tered, beginning to sweat as he was bad at lying. Julie’s eyes narrowed.
“You met him.”
“H-How did you know?”
“…It was a guess.”
If she said it was because of his smell, he would be more careful next time.
“Why did you meet with him?”
“No, that’s…”
Syrio scratched the back of his neck and pulled out a piece of paper.
“What is that?”
“A script.”
“A script?”
“Yeah. Everything about your swordsmanship that Deculein pointed out is written here.”
“…What? What does that mean? He pointed out?”
“Yeah. Oh, it’s not just you. Deculein gave other knights feedback. Aren’t you curious? He’s good at theory-“
Swish!
Julie stole Syrio’s script.
[Julie’s swordsmanship maintains very simple habits. It’s pathetic and frustrating.
First, Julie telegraphs where she is going before she even swings. If you figure out the pattern, you will know all her tricks. Also, she is a grotesque person who remains rather considerate of her opponent’s weakness, so she deliberately pretends to be hurt. You will see some very interesting results. Those are just her problems of habit. The next is the technical problems…]
“Technical problem…”
As she muttered, her expression froze over and chilled the air around her. Syrio shivered.
“This is from one who has never even held a sword….”
Julie clenched her teeth and rubbed her temples.
“Hahaha, I understand. Me too. I get angry when someone points out my swordsmanship. But, if you read carefully, it’s not wrong-“
“…”
A fire burned in Julie’s eyes, forcing Syrio to shut his mouth. Julie, crumpling up the script, clenched her jaw.
“Syrio. Are you on the same side as Deculein?”
“Hey~, don’t say it like that. We were all colleagues.”
“Forget it.”
She shoved the script into her pocket. Then, she marched off.
“W-Where are you going?!”
“If the Professor is great enough to a.n.a.lyze my swordsmanship. I should spar with him, not with you. It’s the first time I’ve heard that he also majored in swordsmanship.”
“…Huh?! Whoa, hey! Are you going to beat up a wizard?”
“It’s a spar.”
Julie began to climb over the barrier where Deculein was waiting.
* * *
…Imperial Palace, in the teaching room.
Far from the North, in a more cozy and warm place, Sophien was still reading Deculein’s letter. But not alone. She was with ten servants.
“It’s very good.”
One minister spoke. Sophien glanced at them. Those three ministers who wanted to record Deculein’s letter had been admiring it since they heard it read the first time.
“The text, of course, the handwriting is really beautiful. It is a harmony between prestigious writing and inscription, and it is also a memorial in a form that has never been seen before.”
Each letter was beautifully written in his handwriting. They a.n.a.lyzed Deculein’s letter with magnifying gla.s.ses. Sophien mumbled.
“Is that so?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Such a memorial is unprecedented. It shows unfiltered loyalty to Your Majesty, humbles himself, and displays aristocratic pride, full of novel and mysterious phrases…”
At that moment, the old Romellock spoke.
“Furthermore, Professor Deculein euphemistically asked Your Majesty not to hate the ministers too much.”
Sophien stared at him, but he was right. It wasn’t good to trust the ministers too much, but it wasn’t right to reject them outright either. All she had to do was catch and kill the Altar’s spy. The reason why she called the ministers here was partly that she was impressed by him.
“But, I am curious. Why does Professor Deculein want to protect Reccordak that much? To say that it’s just to become the chairman, it’s a bit…”
An unknown servant asked Romellock the question as if talking to himself. Romellock shook his head. Rumors abounded due to Deculein’s obsession with the chairman test and his astronomical investment costs, but that didn’t feel quite right.
“I have something to talk about with Deculein regarding the Annihilation Expedition.”
“…Yes?”
Romellock’s eyes widened.
“Your Majesty! How could you have such an important discussion only with the professor?”
“To explore, we need Reccordak.”
“…”
Then all the servants gathered at the room looked up at Sophien.
“This guy said all sorts of things in that letter, but the truth is that he’s determined to help me.”
“…Ha.”
“He must want to show that sincerity through his actions, protecting Reccordak. I didn’t even order him to do it. He is such a fool.”
Sophien spoke calmly.
“He’s not crazy about power. The chairman of the tower? If I permit it, he can take that position tomorrow. He doesn’t need to stay in Reccordak.”
“…”
The servants were speechless. Only now did they realize why Deculein had gone to Reccordak and why he was obsessed with it. It was different from the rumors that said things like madness, honor, or glory drove him. Rather, it was an insane sense of loyalty.
“I guess he was just trying to hide his thoughts on the Annihilation expedition. He pushed the reason that it was the chairman test and ensured rumors spread that he would only protect Reccordak for the sake of his achievements.”
Even Deculein’s smallest words and actions held political intent. It was a saying that was floating around in the Imperial Palace these days. Sophien felt proud that she had read Deculein’s mind.
“That’s true loyalty, Your Majesty.”
A servant spoke in a voice choked by emotion. Romellock stared at him. The priesthood had to keep Deculein in check.
“But, Your Majesty-“
“Leave now.”
Sophien kicked them out. Her order was impossible to refuse, so the servants had no choice but to fall back.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Take a good rest…”
Sophien, alone, sat still and looked at the letter. She had read it dozens, if not a hundred or more, times today alone. It was a mysterious letter that she discovered new meaning in every time she read it.
“…”
Letting out a small sigh, Sophien thought of Deculein. She remembered the man she had been with for hundreds of years. Of course, those years weren’t in his head now, but… Sophien was curious.
“For what reason are you so loyal to me? I want to know that…”
She muttered softly and picked up her pen and a piece of paper. The Emperor wrote her reply to her servant far off in the North.