Chapter 295: Levantine Empire (4)
Chapter 295: Levantine Empire (4)
Havel looked as if he had something to say but couldn't quite find the words. After a long hesitation, he cautiously pointed toward Carla.
“I understand she is your slave. Is that correct?”
“Yes.”
“Would you be willing to sell her to me?”
“…Excuse me?”
She’s not for sale, though.
It feels a bit late to point this out, but Carla is beautiful.
No, it’s not just that she’s pretty; she has something that triggers a man’s primal instincts. A sense of precariousness, like delicate glasswork that might shatter at a touch. If anything, that vulnerability only fuels a desire for dominance.
Of course, that was my impression when we first met. The current Carla, having recovered significantly in spirit, isn't as unstable as she used to be.
But that doesn't mean her charm has diminished. The nature of it has simply shifted.
Lately, she feels more like an obedient puppy… which is its own kind of romantic ideal for a man.
Even as the form changes, Carla always manages to stir a man’s desires. It seems less like something she learned and more like a natural-born trait.
Well, I suppose that’s why Ugly Prosperity chose her as an Apostle in H&A.
Anyway, because Carla is who she is, people occasionally pester me to sell her while I’m traveling with her.
I’ve rejected them all, but some were crazy enough to secretly bring land deeds or family heirlooms from their estates.
If Carla put her mind to it, she could probably seize control of a small territory, couldn't she?
Of course, I have no intention of letting that happen. Even if Carla tried to leave me of her own accord, I wouldn't let her go. Handing her over to someone else is simply out of the question.
…Though, I didn't expect her to charm a Sword Master.
First, let’s give him a proper refusal.
“I’m very attached to my slave. I have no intention of selling her to anyone.”
“I heard you bought her for 20,000 gold. How does double that—40,000 gold—sound?”
“I’m sorry.”
“Then 60,000… no, I’ll pay 80,000 gold.”
“It’s not a matter of the amount. No matter what you offer, my mind won't change.”
At those words, Havel’s eyebrows twitched for a moment before he let out a long sigh.
“Whew. I know you bought Theodore’s daughter to learn the Lindelheit magic. But haven't you learned everything there is to learn by now? If you’re truly insistent, in addition to the 80,000 gold, I can grant you permission to view every magic tome in the Imperial Vault.”
“As I said at the beginning, I’m quite attached to my slave.”
“…I see.”
Finally looking discouraged, Havel let his upright posture slump slightly and looked forward again.
What was that about?
While tilting my head inwardly, I stole a glance at Carla’s condition.
Usually, when someone wants her and I flatly refuse, she gets this cute little smirk as she tries to hide her joy. It’s one of the small pleasures of these random events.
Since I just rejected an offer from a Sword Master, I looked back expecting to see her beaming with pride.
“???”
For some reason, Carla currently looked like someone who had just found the lower half of a bug in a sandwich they’d already bitten into.
Only after confirming that Havel was no longer glancing our way did she whisper softly.
“Carla? What’s with that face? Don't worry, I turned him down properly.”
“Yes… I know, Master. Thank you. But regardless of the circumstances, the man who pushed my father to the executioner’s block just said he wanted me… I just can't stand it….”
“Ah.”
That’s right. Come to think of it, the one who subdued Theodore Lindelheit and carried out the execution was none other than Havel.
The root cause lay with Fiona, who framed him as a cultist, but it would be impossible for Carla not to harbor some feelings toward Havel.
Wait, then why did he ask to buy her?
Is this some kind of twisted fetish where the Sword Master wants to claim the daughter of the man he killed?
Was the reason he spoke to me instead of Helena, and why he kept glancing back, perhaps…?
I found myself glaring at the back of Havel’s head in disbelief. Perhaps sensing my gaze, a low voice drifted back from the man who still had his back turned to us.
“…There is one thing. I believe there is a misunderstanding I’d like to correct.”
“What would that be?”
“My desire to buy Theodore’s daughter is not out of a simple lust for beauty. It is because of a final promise made to an old friend.”
“An old friend… could it be?”
When I asked back cautiously, Havel gave a short nod.
“Theodore and I were friends. Even though I ended up being the one to send him to his end, I still consider him a friend. He likely felt the same. …That is why he left me with such a request.”
Havel’s following story contained the details of Theodore’s final moments that we didn't know.
I had thought Theodore had gone on a final rampage to ensure Carla’s safety. That’s how it was portrayed in H&A, and there were scenes showing that everyone present at the trial thought so as well.
However, the story from Havel, who had personally subdued Theodore, was a bit different.
“Theodore was strong. Because it was at close range, he wasn't properly prepared, and his body wasn't whole, he had no choice but to fall to me… but he could have taken at least half the surrounding nobles to the grave with him. He might have even left a scar or two on His Majesty.”
“But there were no casualties. That’s why everyone praised you, Sir Havel.”
“…It was because he intentionally held back his struggle.”
Only then did Havel turn around. The sharp aura I had felt until a moment ago was gone; in its place was a man who looked exhausted and weary.
“The high-tier magic pouring out incessantly was terrifying. Imagine several natural disasters packed into a building that was only moderately large.”
That does sound pretty scary. Magic capable of shattering fortress walls and snuffing out giant monsters being unleashed without a moment's respite.
“But for some reason, it felt lukewarm to me. As I swung my sword through the gaps in the raging magic, I found I could break through easily. …And the moment I faced Theodore, I realized. He had opened the path for me on purpose.”
Amidst the storm of mana and aura. In a space where no one could interfere or watch—a space where even Fafnir’s predictive magic couldn't properly read—Theodore left his final words.
“My father did…?”
It was a situation where a slave had dared to speak to a Sword Duke first, but no one took issue with it.
From the beginning, Havel saw Carla as his friend’s daughter, not a slave, and the same went for me and the rest of the party.
Carla’s fierce expression softened slightly. Reassured, Havel continued.
“Yes. What Theodore intended was not a final act of defiance. He wanted to leave a will… a final request, without anyone else hearing.”
Havel said this while looking straight at Carla.
It was a look of longing, as if he were tracing the traces of someone else in Carla’s face. In the current Havel, there was affection, but no other sordid emotions existed.
“He wasn't trying to claim innocence or beg for his life. He bowed his head to me, saying he couldn't die in peace knowing his daughter would become a slave. That Theodore, who was more of a noble than anyone else.”
“Ah….”
Hearing of her father’s final moments, Carla’s ruby eyes shook aimlessly.
When I silently took her hand, she gripped mine tightly. Seeing her look for something to lean on, I responded by squeezing back just as hard.
Havel watched us for a moment before nodding.
“All the evidence was clear, and since he had threatened His Majesty, I had to strike Theodore down. …But I couldn't bring myself to coldly refuse him.”
In the end, Havel only swung his sword after promising to take good care of Carla.
“I was confident. Thankfully, the Empire has never been stingy with me. I have a mountain of gold coins piled up because I never felt I needed that much, so I thought I could bring her back regardless of the price.”
But a problem arose. Just a few days before Carla’s auction was set to begin, cultists began carrying out simultaneous terror attacks in the capital, Baldr.
And the intensity was such that they couldn't be ignored.
“I… I had to protect His Majesty. That is my duty, and the conviction I swore upon my sword.”
While Havel was tied down, Carla’s auction ended.
Since one could participate anonymously, he feared he might never find her, but fortunately, as I became famous, Carla’s existence became famous along with me.
“So I tried to visit the Academy several times… but things kept happening.”
An attempted assassination of the Emperor, an explosion caused by a failed experiment by an Imperial Mage, an incident where the Crown Prince was trapped because the supposedly well-maintained Imperial Palace had suddenly deteriorated, and so on.
Truly ridiculous coincidences overlapped again and again.
As if something were determined not to let Havel go to the Academy.
“Honestly, it was suspicious beyond belief. But I couldn't find a shred of evidence. That’s why I couldn't bring myself to leave and stayed cooped up in the Palace, but….”
Fiona was likely pulling strings behind the scenes.
Unlike the original future where Carla’s whereabouts became unknown after being locked in a basement, this time I was openly traveling with her.
At the time, she probably thought it was better for a vulgar nouveau riche to have her than for her to fall into the hands of Havel, who was close to Theodore.
She probably thinks differently now, though.
Furthermore, Fiona’s interference is working in my favor. Hasn't it already planted seeds of doubt in Havel’s heart?
From my position of needing to expose Fiona’s true identity, it’s actually helpful.
Having said his piece, Havel’s previously stiff lips curled into a slight smile.
“But then, I felt a massive amount of holy power near the city gates. And I was told that Theodore’s daughter, whom I had been searching for so desperately, was right there.”
Now stopping his walk entirely, Havel looked Carla straight in the eye and spoke.
“You won't remember, but I remember you when you were young. I remember how much Theodore loved his daughter, and I remember the final request he left behind.”
“…….”
“I swear upon my sword. If you wish it, I will do whatever it takes to bring you with me. I will release you from your slave status. If necessary, I am willing to adopt you as my daughter, and if the Empire is uncomfortable for you, I am willing to send you abroad.”
“…….”
“So tell me, Carla Lindelheit. What is it you want to do? What would you desire, and what would help you? What… what should I do?”
“I….”
After a moment of thought, Carla linked her arm with mine and smiled at Havel for the first time.
With that pure, bright smile unique to her.
“I’m happiest when I’m with Master! My body has already become such that I can't live without him anymore!”
She just dropped a bomb on me.
What on earth are you saying, Carla…