Chapter 105
Chapter 105
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: The One Who Chose a Sinful Name (1)
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1
The old Karzark Castle lay in ruins. It had been built quite impressively as a fief granted to Azel, who was hailed as the hero who saved the world, but after more than two hundred years, all traces of its former grandeur and beauty were gone, leaving only a tragically destroyed wasteland.
Azel was overcome with indescribable emotions as he gazed upon the ruins.
He looked at the lounge visible right after entering the castle gates and the staircases curving in semicircles to either side, leading up to the second floor. One was completely shattered, the other half-broken but still connected. Overlaying old memories onto them, he recalled the past.
“Young masters! Young ladies! The stairs are for walking on!”
Bajek, the head butler of the Marquess Karzark household, was a veteran knight who had fought in the Dragon Emperor War. To the children, he was an endlessly soft-hearted old man. It was because he had lost his son and grandsons in that war.
The children Azel had adopted as wards were mostly not from noble backgrounds, so they were a bit distant from etiquette and refinement. They treated the vast, ornate castle like a playground. Every time he saw them sliding down the stair railings like slides and screaming in delight, Bajek would fret, but he couldn’t scold them harshly.
“My lord Marquess! Please discipline the young masters and ladies! How can they debut in high society like this?”
“Oh, come on. Kids grow up doing that sort of thing. Should I try it myself? I’ve always wanted to in a castle or mansion like this.”
“If you insist on making this old man weep blood from his eyes, then by all means. It’s bad enough that you find climbing stairs bothersome and leap out windows, scaling walls and running about—do you know how much gossip that stirs up?”
“They all envy me and say they want to do it too, don’t they?”
“…Regrettably, about half of them do think that way. But what will the other nobles think!”
“What do you mean? They’ll think it’s cool.”
“My loooord!”
They’d had countless conversations like that.
As he climbed the precarious stairs, he could almost hear the children’s laughter as they slid down the railings. Azel held back the tears welling up and ascended to the second floor.
“My goodness. They sang praises about buying a good desk… and it’s really still here.”
Azel entered the office on the second floor. It was a total mess. The ceiling and walls had collapsed, piling up debris, and half the floor had caved in.
But amazingly, the desk Azel had used was still there. Though it had rotted away after long exposure to the elements, Azel recognized it as the exact one from 220 years ago and marveled.
“My lord Marquess! Please do your work in the office!”
“Nothing gets done there. I’m not slacking off; I just want to work while getting some fresh air…”
“We can’t climb up there carrying the documents!”
Azel hated working in the office. Like most such rooms, it was a bit too spacious and drafty, with a large desk placed before a big window, making it hard to concentrate.
So Azel always took the documents to the castle roof, working to the sound of birds chirping. His subordinates would fret over their liege’s un-noble-like behavior, but eventually accepted it as “That’s just our lord.”
“Hahaha…”
A dry laugh escaped Azel’s lips.
There were almost no intact sections in the castle. It was only natural after dragons had swept through. But even the faint remnants of its former shape brought endless memories flooding back.
Before he knew it, tears were streaming from Azel’s eyes. He wandered aimlessly without wiping them, overlaying his memories onto the destroyed present, lost in nostalgia.
“…Master.”
Eventually, Azel arrived at the cemetery behind the castle. There was no way the dragons’ destruction had spared it; the place was a wreck. Still, Azel found the grave he sought amid the chaos.
“I should have left you where you were.”
It was the grave of Barf, the master who had taught Azel absolute perception. After the Dragon Emperor War ended, Azel had relocated it here. Now, 220 years later, unknown graves had multiplied around it, forming a sizable cemetery.
Barf’s tombstone was also shattered and scattered. Azel had located it purely by position.
Azel said,
“I can’t do anything now, but I promise I’ll build you a proper grave again.”
Azel wiped his tears and paid respects at his master’s grave.
2
Laura was completely subdued under Kairen’s watch.
Her limbs, even individual fingers, were meticulously bound, a gag prevented her from chanting spells, and mana force spikes formed by Azel’s Spirit Order secret arts were embedded in her spirit veins, blocking mana flow. Even Laura couldn’t cast magic like this.
Azel had left briefly to tour the castle ruins alone. Though it wasn’t the time, his expression had been so poor that Kairen hadn’t objected and let him go.
“I’m back.”
Azel returned after about an hour. Kairen said,
“You’re back sooner than expected.”
“It felt like plenty of time.”
“Your face looked so forlorn, I figured you’d return tomorrow.”
“Knowing you were prepared for that, I should have taken it easier.”
Azel smiled faintly, grateful for Kairen’s consideration in waiting silently for so long. Then he asked,
“What about them?”
“Still recovering, it seems.”
The “them” Azel referred to were Yuren and Leticia.
They had fought alongside against the Dragon Demon Worshippers, so they weren’t enemies, but trust was another matter. Azel and Kairen felt the same toward Yuren and Leticia, so until they could talk, they kept their distance.
Azel said,
“They didn’t look like healing mages… black magic, no doubt.”
“Probably.”
Black magic included spells that siphoned life force from other beings. He could block it if used on humans, but the Karzark Marquisate teemed with monsters and beasts anyway.
Kairen asked,
“Can we trust them?”
“Who knows. We’ll have to talk first. Personally, that Dragon Demon girl intrigues me…”
“She did seem quite strong. The black magic aura is a drawback, though.”
Leticia had only briefly fought alongside them, but that showed her exceptional combat prowess. And as a Dragon Demon Hybrid, her mana waves rivaled Kairen’s. Though tainted with black magic…
Azel shook his head.
“No, that’s not what intrigued me.”
“Then?”
“It’s awkward to say after just a glance… but her way of wielding Dragon Spirit Arts felt familiar.”
“Hm?”
“I’ll have to confirm with her, but she might be connected to someone I know.”
“Your acquaintance…? Now I’m curious.”
“I’ll explain later. For now, let’s handle what’s in front of us.”
Azel looked at Laura. Even tightly bound, she waited expressionlessly. When Azel removed her gag, she exhaled.
“Hoo.”
“Now for questions. Answer honestly. My mana spikes will detect any lies.”
Laura’s impassive face made lies hard to spot, but Spirit Order manipulated the mind, and with mana spikes controlling her spirit veins, he could discern truth from falsehood.
Laura nodded slightly.
“Yeah.”
Before Azel could ask, Kairen suddenly spoke.
“By the way, Azel.”
“Yes.”
“Seeing her like this… we look like the villains.”
“…I feel the same, but did you have to say it?”
“I wouldn’t hesitate in a fight, but threatening to torture a young girl during interrogation is new…”
Kairen scratched his cheek. Outwardly, Laura appeared no older than seventeen or eighteen, a beautiful girl. Her long golden hair, amethyst eyes, and porcelain skin gave her a doll-like beauty, and her red dress made her look like an innocent noble lady.
Azel grumbled,
“Where’s the ‘young’? She’s probably older than me… no, by ducal standards, she is young? How old are you?”
“Asking a woman’s age is rude.”
“Answer honestly or face the consequences… but that question was pathetically petty.”
“But much younger than the Dragon Sword Duke.”
Laura helpfully confirmed it.
Azel grumbled,
“I get the sentiment, but don’t deflate the mood. This is serious.”
“Sorry. I’ll shut up.”
“Then back to it. Skipping the age issue…”
“Wait.”
Laura cut in.
“After I answer your questions, can I ask something I’m curious about?”
“…You’re in no position to ask favors.”
“That’s why I surrendered to you.”
“Fine. If it’s reasonable, I’ll answer. First… what you told me, miss…”
“Laura.”
“Hm?”
“Laura. My name. Call me by name.”
“Laura Aunsor.”
“Just Laura.”
“…Your demands keep piling up. Fine. Laura.”
The more Azel talked with Laura, the more deflated he felt. If Kairen hadn’t made pointless remarks, the mood wouldn’t be like this… but now was time to get serious.
“First question. What did you mean by ‘the one who granted the king a chance to reverse his fate’?”
“Among us, views on Azel Karzark are divided into two.”
“One calls him the one with the sinful name… no, since ‘Azel’ is the name he bears, ‘great sinner’ is more accurate?”
“Yeah. The one who assassinated the great king. And the minority opinion, including my Aunsor clan, is that Azel Karzark is ‘the one who granted the king a chance to reverse his fate.’”
“Specifically?”