Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Erosion (2)
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Ronan spoke. His gaze remained fixed on Dolan.
"Duke."
"Hmm?"
"Have you ever heard of the Descent of the Stars?"
"Descent of the Stars...?"
The duke tilted his head. Unexpectedly, there was no change in Dolan's expression.
But the mana rising once more over his shoulders revealed that he was shaken.
Whatever it was, it was clearly connected to Nebula Clazie. Ronan continued.
"It'll spread across the entire empire soon anyway, so I'll just tell you. First off, the Descent of the Stars is the day when the apocalypse rains down from the sky. The ones who destroyed Gran Cappadocia are an organization called Nebula Clazie."
"Nebula Clazie...?"
"Yes. The moronic group that believes in that bullshit about the Descent of the Stars—something even a three-year-old toddler would be ashamed of. The problem is they're violent morons who keep committing crimes."
Ronan wove together his own experiences and the information he'd heard from interrogator Karaka, spinning an appropriate tale. From the incident where they controlled cave giants with evil magic, to the fact that they were behind all the major incidents he'd thought were mere accidents up until now.
"Such..."
As the story progressed, the duke's face grew increasingly grave. He seemed unable to believe that he, the head of House Grancia, had failed to notice such a massive secret. In a voice laced with suspicion, he asked,
"How did you uncover all this? I heard the arrests only happened after the former Sword Saint intervened. Did you torture them beforehand or something?"
"Ah, you've caught me."
Ronan covered his mouth with a playful grin. Of course, most of the information had come from Karaka, but there was no need to reveal that he'd gone to Rodolan himself. He glanced sideways at Dolan and opened his mouth.
"Yes. I made them spit it out myself."
At that moment, their eyes met. Beneath Dolan's seemingly impassive gaze, a fierce killing intent flickered.
Gotcha. Ronan continued the story.
"They had zero loyalty, ridiculously so. Like all villains, but these guys were extreme. They spilled everything after I just lopped off a few limbs."
Asel and Marya's faces drained of color. It was a story they'd never heard before. Ronan deliberately exaggerated, framing Karaka's interrogation as his own handiwork.
"Anyway, that's how I learned elves treasure their ears. I didn't even bring a knife near him, and he was pissing himself and thrashing around. So pathetic..."
"Enough. That's sufficient. An official report will come from Rodolan anyway, so I'd like to discuss something else."
The duke raised a hand, cutting Ronan off. Ronan nodded with a smile. The duke stroked his chin and let out a groan.
"I've felt it since hearing you slew all those cave giants single-handedly... You're far from ordinary."
"I was friends with old Doron and his apprentice. I was pretty pissed."
"I don't fail to understand your feelings, but... Hm? Dolan, are you unwell?"
"Pardon? Ah, no, my lord Duke."
"Your mana is turbulent. If you're tired, take a moment to rest."
Dolan's face showed the first signs of fluster. The knight who had accompanied him also eyed Dolan strangely. Dolan politely declined the duke's offer.
"No, I'm truly fine, my lord Duke."
He was desperately trying to compose himself, but Dolan's mana had grown wild enough for others to sense it now. Flickering with erratic sparks, as always.
His reaction suggests they were pretty close.
Ronan refrained from directly confronting Dolan. The information's reliability wasn't confirmed yet, and if Dolan played dumb, it would all be over.
Acting rashly could even turn suspicion onto Ronan himself—as the suspicious type who doubted a loyal knight. At that moment, the duke checked his pocket watch and groaned.
"Hm. Time's gotten away from us already. I need to give you your rewards quickly and be off."
"Pardon? Didn't you just give them?"
"That was merely passing on what Master Doron gave me. You didn't think that was House Grancia's token of gratitude, did you?"
The duke furrowed his brow. His expression said it was absurd.
Come to think of it, one of the three boxes the knights had brought was placed before the duke. When the duke opened it, a brilliant light spilled out.
The eyes of the three who saw the contents widened dramatically. Marya showed the most explosive reaction.
"Th-this is...!"
"You know of it? Well, as a merchant, it'd be stranger if you didn't."
Inside the box were nine shimmering platinum vouchers. The front of each bore the image of a knight trampling a dragon.
House Grancia's promissory notes. Single-use freely exchangeable vouchers usable across the entire imperial territory. All the more familiar to Ronan, who had used them once before.
"Take them."
The duke divided them evenly, three per person. Asel and Marya's hands trembled as they accepted theirs.
"C-can we really accept something like this...?"
"Considering what you protected that day, a hundred wouldn't be enough. It's been discussed with my retainers as well, so use them at your discretion when needed."
Ronan let out a hollow chuckle as he took his vouchers. He'd thought he'd never touch them again unless Schlieffen's dementia recurred, yet here they were so soon.
But vouchers were irrelevant right now. With the rewards delivered, the duke prepared to depart. Suddenly, Ronan stood and rummaged through the desk drawer.
"Hm? What is it?"
"Ah, there was something I wanted to show you, my lord Duke. Just a moment... Ah, found it."
Ronan pulled out a certain notebook. He began quickly flipping through the pages. Both sides were densely scribbled with notes. The duke asked, intrigued.
"What's that?"
"It's where I jotted down what I learned from the torture. I thought it might help the investigation a bit... I was going to show it to you first..."
Of course, it was a blatant lie. The notebook was Ronan's everyday doodle pad.
Ronan gravely reviewed childish scribbles like a drawing of a fire-breathing Citta or the tea-brewing method Lucy had taught him. Finally, he closed the notebook and shook his head.
"Tch, no good. It's too messy. I'll organize it by tomorrow and send it via post."
"Disappointing."
"You'll change your mind once you see the contents. There were some interesting bits amid the screams. For instance..."
Dolan's gaze was openly fixed on Ronan's doodle pad. Ronan dragged out his words deliberately before grinning.
"Information about a certain Ahayute."
At that instant, Dolan's eyes widened. For a split second, his sparkling mana surged like boiling water. Ronan carefully returned the notebook to exactly the same spot. The duke tilted his head.
"Ahayute? Strange name."
"Agreed. The kind you'd give a monkey with hemorrhoids."
Dolan ground his teeth. With that exchange concluded, the Grancia Duke departed. Before leaving the room, he once more expressed his gratitude for saving Gran Cappadocia.
"Well then, I'll be off. I look forward to your growth."
"See you later, Duke."
The moment the door closed, Ronan let out a sigh. He'd done everything he could. Now it was just a matter of things unfolding as planned. Asel and Marya, still dazed, approached Ronan.
"R-Ronan... I-I have no idea what's going on..."
"Hey, what's this about torture? Did you kill someone?"
They had been at a loss since facing the Grancia Duke early that morning and hearing about a secret organization they'd never known existed.
"Hmmm..."
Ronan stroked his chin in thought. Asel and Marya. They were the ones who'd stick with him to the end anyway, so he'd have to tell them the truth eventually. But involving them in what might happen today felt premature.
That Dolan guy definitely awakened his aura.
Having decided, Ronan stood. Securing ironclad proof was now paramount. He soothed Asel and Marya appropriately, sent them off, and left the room.
Ronan's destination was the top floor of Navardoje Hall. Wandering the vast corridor, he stopped before an especially ornate door. Shortly after roughly knocking, a familiar face appeared today of all days.
That night.
Ominous storm clouds blanketed the sky. The full moon behind them emitted a faint glow, like candlelight behind a curtain. The night watchmen atop the castle tower were betting on whether the moon would appear before dawn.
Whoosh!
Then, a shadow scaled Phileon's walls. Passing the watchmen swiftly, the shadow headed deep into the grounds. The footsteps of the presence-concealed figure made no sound.
"......"
Finally reaching his destination, the shadow looked up. Navardoje Hall, shrouded in night's gloom, exuded an eerie vibe like a vampire's castle.
Moving to the building's side, the shadow counted floors with his eyes. Fortunately, the target room was dark. The shadow leaped in one bound, landing lightly on a third-floor balcony.
No curtains covered the window. Inside the brightly visible room stood luxurious furniture, and the back of a boy buried under his blanket up to his head, fast asleep. Rifling through his bosom, the shadow pulled out a parchment etched with geometric patterns and affixed it to the window.
Shoooo...
In seconds, the large window began melting away like ice. The shadow slipped inside before it fully dissolved. The boy was still asleep.
"Pffffff... Hack... Kerchoo..."
His snoring was vulgar. Killing his presence as much as possible, the shadow opened the desk drawer. Pulling out the second from the top revealed a tattered notebook. Crunch. Something snapped inside the shadow's mouth.
Snatching the notebook swiftly, the shadow turned toward the sleeping boy. In his hand was no longer the notebook, but a sharp dagger. He approached the boy, dagger raised.
Step.
Step.
Step.
"......?"
The moment the shadow reached three paces from the boy, a sense of wrongness hit him. He hurriedly flung back the blanket. Four thick pillows lay exposed.
"Kerchokokoko!"
At that instant, the snoring echoed again. The shadow finally realized the sound came from above.
Lifting his head, the shadow saw a black-haired boy hanging upside down from the chandelier, snoring away, alongside a red-eyed bizarre creature.
"Kerchok... Heh heh, told ya, man. He's coming tonight."
Thud! The hanging boy somersaulted like a swallow and landed before the window, naturally blocking the shadow's escape. In his hand was a sword of a form he'd never seen before.
Ronan spoke.
"You've got too many reasons to kill me."
The shadow calmly shifted to his next move. Sheathing the dagger, he placed a hand on the hilt of his longsword. A voice came from behind.
"Can you explain?"
"......!"
Chills raced down his spine. A deep, heavy voice like the ocean depths, all too familiar. Turning his head, the shadow's mouth gaped for the first time.
"Why... are you... here..."
"I asked if you can explain."
A human silhouette approached slowly from the darkness. Then the clouds parted, moonlight flooding the room. Under the serene beam, a boy with dark blue hair revealed himself.
"I'll ask one last time."
A mithril longsword gleamed in the boy's hand. Its bluish tip aimed at the shadow. Schlieffen Sinivan de Grancia opened his mouth.
"Can you explain the current situation, Dolan?"
"...Young master."
Dolan drew his sword. The white blade emerged under the moonlight. Ominously flickering mana rose over his shoulders.