Chapter 46: Crisis(5)
Chapter 46: Crisis(5)
Leort had been following a logical path, only to suddenly swerve and name my father, Hawk, as the author of the Xenon Biography. It felt like we were inches from the destination when he abruptly jerked the steering wheel, crashing us into an entirely different location.
"...?"
I slowly opened my tightly shut eyes and looked ahead. Leort was staring at us siblings with a smile full of absolute certainty.
Beside him, Lina sat with a relaxed expression, elegantly sipping her tea.
My throat was too tight to speak after the extreme tension of a moment ago, but curiosity began to push through the fear. My heart was still hammering against my ribs, and my clenched fists were slick with sweat.
Why on earth was Leort so convinced that my father, Hawk, was the author instead of me? My brain was still scrambled from the situation, but Nicole seemed to have kept her wits about her.
After a brief silence following Leort’s confident declaration, Nicole finally spoke. Her voice was low, sounding as if it were vibrating through the floor.
"...If I were to say it isn't him, would you believe me?"
"If you deny it, your family might suffer for it. Paying taxes implies there is an income, and it is a noble's duty to report where that income comes from and how it will be used to the higher-ups. For the record, this isn't a threat; it's simply how the law is written. And only my Imperial Father has the authority to legislate."
The 'Imperial Father' Leort mentioned was undoubtedly the Emperor, the highest authority in the Empire. Bringing the Emperor into the conversation made it clear he was playing for keeps.
Nicole must have reached the same conclusion, as her already stiff expression hardened further. I could see the muscles in her fists, resting on her thighs, go taut.
"There's no need to look so grim. At any rate, it seems certain that your father is the author of the Xenon Biography."
"...What makes you so certain?"
"..."
Hearing Nicole's question, I realized the conversation had taken a strange turn. Even though the real author was sitting right here, she seemed to have decided that Leort’s misunderstanding was an opportunity worth seizing.
However, the more the conversation progressed, the more uncomfortable I felt. It felt like I was using my father as a shield.
My father was a man who had devoted everything to me. I couldn't stand the thought of treating him as a scapegoat. Just as I was about to open my mouth, unable to watch any longer—
Grip.
Right before I could speak, Nicole suddenly grabbed my hand. She squeezed hard, a silent command for me to stay quiet.
I was momentarily startled by the inexplicable pressure, but one look at Nicole’s face made me abandon any thought of speaking. Her expression was that serious.
Though it felt wrong to sell out my father, I had no choice but to trust her. She clearly had a plan.
"I have my reasons."
Leort leaned back in his chair, his smile widening at Nicole's question. An effortless charisma radiated from him, commanding the room's attention.
"As I said before, taxation is a very complex matter. It's especially complicated in our Minerva Empire, where we are quite fastidious about anything related to revenue. But that complexity yields clear results. The fact that our Empire's capital vastly exceeds that of other nations is rooted in this system."
"..."
"However, even that isn't perfect. Even at this very moment, there are people committing tax evasion. The method Lord Maishal used, in particular, had plenty of room to be exploited for evasion. Had he wished, he could have hidden his identity perfectly without paying a single cent in taxes. Fortunately, the steadfast integrity he's held since his days as a knight prevented him from doing so."
It seemed Leort was now fully convinced that my father was the author. I didn't know whether to be relieved or horrified.
While Nicole and I remained focused on Leort, Lina, who had been quietly drinking tea, set her cup down. She spoke in her characteristically soft, melodic voice.
"At first, it was hard to believe Lord Maishal was the author of the Xenon Biography. But when you consider his achievements and experiences, everything fits together too perfectly."
"...His achievements?"
I finally spoke up. I hadn't known until I entered the Academy, but my father was once a knight of immense prestige.
He was the commander of the Navy Knights—a group teeming with the human race's greatest monsters—and had achieved feats I could barely imagine.
To give you an idea of how terrifying those achievements were, he technically should have received the title of Count, not Baron. It was already shocking for a commoner to be granted nobility at all, but a Count? I could only guess at the magnitude of his service.
"Hmm..."
Lina let out a subtle hum at my question and gazed at me intently. Then, with a gentle smile and a voice full of kindness, she asked, "Isaac, you know what kind of feats Xenon achieves in the Xenon Biography, don't you?"
"Of course... I know."
How could I not? Xenon, the protagonist of the Xenon Biography, performed truly jaw-dropping deeds.
For instance—though he had help from his companions—he slew a ferocious dragon, saved a kingdom from a demonic threat, and reclaimed the lost holy relics of the Church.
Each achievement was significant enough to shake the world, which was why the name 'Xenon' had spread so far and wide.
Lina nodded at my answer and began to list my father's real-life achievements one by one.
"Lord Maishal’s deeds were just as great, if not greater. About thirty years ago, wasn't it? A dragon that had turned feral after losing its hatchling attacked the capital."
"Ah. Was that...?"
I had seen this in a recently published history book. It was officially known as the 'Ascanal Incident,' named after the dragon, Ascanal, that had attacked the Imperial Capital.
Since this was a fantasy world, dragons did exist, but they were essentially just monsters. They weren't a 'race' that could polymorph, master high magic, or hoard gold in a lair.
They were just giant, flying lizards.
Regardless, the Ascanal Incident had been caused by human greed. Illegal smugglers had found a hatchling, brutally killed it, and were in the middle of butchering it when the mother found them.
Naturally, the mother dragon was enraged and attacked the nearest human nation, the Minerva Empire. The problem was that the smugglers weren't even from the Minerva Empire; they were from another country.
From the Empire's perspective, it was a bolt from the blue—a literal disaster falling from the sky as a maddened dragon laid waste to everything.
"I know about that. The records say the army mobilized and eventually took it down..."
"That's what the records say. But the army was too busy evacuating the citizens. The one who actually slew the beast was your father, Lord Maishal. Coincidentally, he happened to be in the capital on leave."
"...He slew a dragon?"
"Yes."
I was stunned by Lina's unbelievable story. In this world, there is an honorable title called 'Dragon Slayer,' given to those who have killed a dragon.
The title exists because killing a dragon usually requires the strength of an entire 'Legion.' Even then, no one can predict how many lives will be lost in the process.
Yet my father, even with the army's support, had supposedly killed one himself. It was strikingly similar to the feats I had written for Xenon.
"...That is a story even I am hearing for the first time, Lady Lina."
It seemed Nicole hadn't heard this either. Lina responded to her skeptical question with a slightly sorrowful expression.
"That's to be expected. During the Ascanal Incident, Lord Maishal had a close friend helping him, but that friend was lost to the dragon's breath..."
"..."
As Lina showed genuine sympathy, Nicole's expression softened slightly. Being the sister who knew our father better than I did, she seemed to have realized something.
I could understand why my father would avoid talking about the Ascanal Incident. No matter how strong he was, he was still human; every time he thought of that achievement, he would remember his friend being incinerated by dragon fire.
A heavy silence fell over us as the tragic circumstances were revealed. Fortunately, Lina broke the silence quickly.
"I suspect that's why Xenon slays the dragon with the help of his companions in the biography. Perhaps your father was praying that while his own story was a tragedy, Xenon at least wouldn't have to lose his friends."
"...Then the other things too?"
"Yes. Not only did he defeat demons who had undergone demonization, but he also repelled Beastkin and Elves invading the border multiple times. And the nickname 'Red Lion' started being used the moment Lord Maishal joined the Navy Knights."
It felt like listening to the heroic epic of a great historical figure. The fact that it was my father was both fascinating and difficult to process.
To me, my father was just an ordinary family man who loved us and was devoted to his home more than anyone else. It was hard to believe he was a legendary 'Red Lion' who had slain dragons.
While I was lost in confusion, Lina stopped speaking and looked at Leort. He took the baton.
"Before Lord Maishal was stationed there, the border regions were places where casualties mounted daily from skirmishes with tribal Beastkin. Moreover, unless the forces were on the level of the Navy Knights, it was difficult even to hold the line. But after Lord Maishal arrived, the story changed."
"Changed, you say...?"
"Lord Maishal eliminated most of the Beastkin living in the border regions. Sensing a crisis, the Beastkin united for an all-out offensive, but that proved to be a fatal mistake. If it hadn't been for Lord Maishal, we might have lost territory, not just the border. That's how incredibly strong those Beastkin were."
These were achievements truly worthy of the title 'Hero.' I was genuinely impressed.
The reason the Beastkin constantly eyed the border was likely due to the environment beyond it. It wasn't suitable for farming, and from their perspective, stealing was simply easier.
The innate Beastkin love for combat probably played a role as well.
"Thanks to him, our Empire was able to save immense human and material resources. The military budget invested in the border was truly astronomical. It's no exaggeration to say Lord Maishal significantly boosted the Empire's economic power. This is why I am certain he is the author of the Xenon Biography. Only someone who has survived trials and tribulations unimaginable to an ordinary person could weave them into such a story."
"...I see. If you say it required the Navy Knights to stop them, then it makes sense. However..."
Nicole trailed off, staring intently at Leort before shifting her gaze to Lina. Both Leort and Lina were wearing inscrutable smiles.
Did they teach poker face classes in the Imperial Palace? It was impossible to tell what they were thinking.
Giving up on reading them, Nicole spoke in a low voice.
"What do you intend to do with my father?"
"You're not denying it anymore, I see."
"There's no point in denying it when everything has already been discovered. It would only stall the conversation."
Leort seemed to like Nicole's straightforward answer. He nodded with a satisfied smile.
He slowly leaned forward, interlacing his fingers and resting his chin on them. Then, he gave an answer we hadn't expected.
"There is one thing you are mistaken about. The Imperial Family has no intention of interfering with you or Lord Maishal. This meeting was merely for confirmation."
"Do you expect us to believe that?"
Finally unable to contain herself, Nicole raised her voice, her chest heaving. I didn't speak, but I glared at Leort with an expression that clearly said, Are you kidding me?
You corner people like this and then claim you have no intention of touching them? Only a fool would believe that. If they truly had no intentions, they wouldn't have summoned us here in the first place.
Leort waved his hand at our heated reaction. It was a gesture to calm down, and Nicole managed to settle her expression.
"It's understandable that you're sensitive. But this much is the truth. What if we pressured Lord Maishal and he stopped writing? What if he informed the publisher that he was stopping because of our pressure? Can you imagine the reaction?"
"..."
"Naturally, it would become a serious problem on many fronts. The influence the Xenon Biography currently wields over the world is terrifying. No matter how greedy one is, no one is stupid enough to kill the goose that lays the golden eggs. Above all, Lina and I are also fans who are obsessed with the story. As I said, this meeting was simply for confirmation."
Should I believe this or not? If it were anyone else, I might have been convinced, but these were royals deeply entwined with politics.
There was no telling how many schemes they were hiding, so I couldn't just take their word for it.
As Nicole and I hesitated, Lina, who had been watching from the side, took action. She looked directly at me, not Nicole, and placed a hand over her heart.
"Isaac. I swear on my name as a Princess. No harm will ever come to Lord Maishal, your house, or your family. In fact, we can help ensure his identity remains hidden."
"...Then what is the benefit for the two of you?"
"The next volume of the Xenon Biography will come out faster. That's all."
Was that really all? I looked skeptically at Lina, who answered with a bright smile.
I knew all too well from experience that her smiles could be deceptive. That only made me more suspicious.
As I wavered in indecision—
"Understood."
"...Sister?"
"I ask that you please keep that promise."
Nicole accepted their terms with a solemn, firm voice. It was a situation I hadn't anticipated at all.
As I looked at her with a bewildered face, Leort nodded with a satisfied smile upon hearing Nicole's answer.
"Thank you. I'll say it again: please know that we have no intention of touching Lord Maishal. Even before being the author of the Xenon Biography, Lord Maishal is not someone our Imperial Family would treat lightly."
"You flatter him."
"It's not flattery at all. Lord Maishal is a man who deserves that respect."
Just how incredible were his achievements that they could draw such words from the Crown Prince? Regardless, it seemed we could finally breathe a sigh of relief.
Using my father as a shield left a bitter taste in my mouth, but I tried to comfort myself with the thought that he would understand. Naturally, I planned to write him a letter as soon as I returned to the dormitory.
What should I write? First of all...
While I was mentally sighing and debating the contents of the letter, I felt a gaze from across the table.
Unlike Leort and Nicole, who were now chatting about my father, Lina was leaning her chin on one hand, staring at me with a peculiar expression.
I was momentarily dazed by her beauty—which looked as if it had been painstakingly crafted by a master artisan—but fortunately, I managed to snap out of it.
"..."
She gazed into my eyes for a moment before slowly lowering her gaze. I wasn't sure what she was looking at, but I could tell her eyes were fixed on my right hand.
Then, Lina raised her eyes again to meet mine. Just as I was about to wonder at her strange behavior—
The moment our eyes met, the corners of her mouth curled into a graceful arc...
[I'm counting on you.]
She sent a meaningful greeting, her lips moving silently without a sound.