Chapter 85: That Step (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 85: That Step (4)
Two days earlier, on Saturday.
It was the day Calian introduced himself to the anti-Brissen faction, the day Lemain and Alan—who had been busy catching birds—suppressed the pro-Brissen faction, and the day Franz received Hina’s gratitude.
A carriage from the Polun Trading Company arrived at the mansion of Marquis Evan Brissen. Inside was neither Melfir nor Alan, but Arsen.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Arsen Hertz, Vice-Commander of Valkan."
Arsen's self-introduction was always the same: polite, yet somehow managing to prick at one's nerves.
Naturally, Evan was no exception.
Because of Arsen’s disappearance, ridiculous rumors had circulated that Evan, in an attempt to keep Valkan in check, had tried to murder a talented young mage. Consequently, the knights of Kaera had ransacked his entire estate, even tearing apart the haystacks in the stables, just to find that one man.
And that wasn't all.
—"Since you said 'like master, like disciple,' I believe I now have a fair idea of your swordsmanship, Marquis."
Because Arsen had slaughtered ten of his knights, Evan had been forced to endure those humiliating words from Alan—words he would never forget for the rest of his life.
"Arsen… Hertz. So you are that bastard."
Seeing the very man who had caused him such grief walk in on his own two feet, Evan instinctively reached for his sword. I've got you now, he thought. Slicing this bastard to pieces, consequences be damned, felt like the only way he would ever find peace.
As the sword in Evan’s hand began to hum with resonance, Arsen held out a hand. It was not to cast a spell, but to show a ring on his finger.
"I apologize for the intrusion, but I am currently connected to Sir Manasil."
It was the communication magic ring Calian used to wear.
"He asked me to convey that if anything happens to my safety, he will come here immediately."
The ring on Arsen’s hand glowed with a faint light. He continued speaking with a serene expression, making one wonder if he even realized who stood before him.
"If you have anything to say to Sir Manasil, Marquis, I can pass it along."
Unfortunately for Evan, he knew exactly what a communication ring was. That knowledge stayed his hand. In the end, he withdrew the aura he had channeled into his blade and spat a curse.
"That sly snake of a mage…"
The ring’s light seemed to grow slightly brighter, and Arsen spoke again. "He says he has heard that before, so it is rather cliché. He also asks me to tell you that he will definitely pay you a visit sometime."
Evan glared at Arsen, his face flushed with rage. He wondered if this was a time for jokes, but there wasn't a trace of playfulness on Arsen's face. This mage was conversing with a Sword Master with absolute gravity, which meant he had truly relayed Evan’s curse to Alan.
Ultimately, Evan shrieked, "Why are you here?! State your business and get lost!"
Arsen nodded slightly, his tone as casual as if he were discussing the weather. "I have come under the orders of Prince Calian to stay here until Valkan's founding ceremony on Monday."
"…What?"
Arsen, who had been sent into hostile territory without a single ally the moment his five-day vacation ended, offered an explanation to the speechless Marquis.
"The Prince said the Queen would undoubtedly plot something using my whereabouts as an excuse. Therefore, he instructed me to stay here for two days. Placing myself under your protection, Marquis, would provide the most undeniable proof of my location."
Evan raised an eyebrow. "Plotting something? What on earth is Silike plotting?"
Arsen looked at him as if he had just heard the most pathetic question in the world. "If the Prince knew exactly what it was, would he have sent me to a place like this?"
"'A place like this'? What an insolent bastard!"
Even as he spat the words, Evan's mind raced. If Silike were to make a move, it would indeed be on the day of Valkan's founding ceremony. He agreed with that much. However, the very idea that she was plotting something weighed heavily on him.
Arsen’s next words followed. "The Prince said that if you help him this time, Marquis, you will be able to clear your name of the rumors that you tried to harm me. He also gave his assurance that no harm would come to Prince Franz."
Calian had not sent Arsen to Evan’s mansion without reason. Only when the false accusation that Evan had tried to harm Arsen was cleared could they reveal that Silike had instigated the knights. Furthermore, in the current situation, no one could guarantee Arsen's location as definitively as Evan. No matter what anyone said, he was a Brissen. Calian's reasoning was that if a Brissen vouched for him, even Silike wouldn't be able to press the matter any further.
However, this was a deal that seemed highly advantageous only to Calian. Evan had absolutely no desire to host Arsen in his home for two days just to quash some trivial rumor. He was about to refuse, but Arsen spoke first.
"And he said he would keep the secret of the gambling den. The third and fourth floors of that pub with the strange name."
Of course, Calian knew far more of the Brissen family’s secrets. For instance, where Lennon Brissen was, what business had brought Gray to the capital and what he had experienced, the fact that Franz had already lost interest in the throne, and even the suspicions surrounding Queen Aisha's death.
But for a two-day lodging fee, this was a fair trade: the bad rumors and the gambling den. The rest were far too valuable to let Evan realize Calian knew about them.
Calian's calculations were precise. The head of the House of Brissen, one of the two great knight families, running a gambling den? That was something that could never be made public.
In the end, Evan yielded. In exchange for Calian’s silence about the gambling den, he would host the very mage who had slaughtered his knights for two days.
"…I will not interfere even if you are attacked by the other knights. Do not wander around needlessly. Stay as quiet as a ghost until you leave."
"Understood," Arsen replied.
And, of course, he did not stay as quiet as a ghost. If Evan were the only one to know Arsen had been at his mansion, what would have been the point of risking his life to come here in the first place?
Thus, in a place teeming with knights gnashing their teeth over their fallen comrades, Arsen boldly donned his mage robe and roamed every corner of the mansion. A few fights broke out, but Arsen never lost.
Consequently, by the time the explosion resounded from the palace, everyone in the mansion had seen Arsen at least once. Meanwhile, Evan, anxious about what Silike might pull, had sent letters to the commanders of the Karen and Raon knight orders, instructing them not to listen to her. When that failed to ease his anxiety, he visited Lemain on Monday morning to declare that he would overlook Silike's ouster, provided no one linked her to the Brissen family.
After returning safely to his mansion, he heard the explosion erupt from the Kairis Royal Palace. That was why he had returned—along with the mage, Arsen Hertz, who would prove to be the deadliest poison to his own daughter.
*
In truth, Calian had given this a great deal of thought, trying to predict Silike’s next move. On the day he had gone to meet her, he had met her alone, without even bringing Yan, fearing that the attendant waiting outside might be used to claim Calian had plotted something.
That was how many variables he had considered. Arsen was merely one of them.
While he hadn't expected her to go so far as to use a magic bomb in Heisia Palace, he had anticipated she might try to frame him for an assassination attempt using Arsen as the pretext. So, he had prepared.
And Silike had bitten the bait named Arsen—hook, line, and sinker.
Now, it was time to pull the line with all his might.
Calian looked around the hall once more. Then, he walked slowly toward Lemain, who had just entered and taken a seat beside the princes.
Step. Step.
In the silence, the sound of Calian's footsteps echoed. The attention of everyone, including Lemain, focused on him. Thus, when he spoke, his voice reached every corner of the room.
"Your Majesty." Calian emphasized every single word. "Right here, in this place."
In this very place, before so many witnesses.
"Please investigate the incident at Heisia Palace."
He was asking the king to reveal that she had detonated a magic bomb with her own hands just to cast him out. He was asking him to create a moment that Silike could never endure.
That was his request.
Lemain’s gaze drifted to Franz for a moment. The younger prince merely met his eyes in silence.
Soon, Lemain spoke. "I shall do so."
*
The first thing confirmed was the truth regarding Arsen. Evan, Silike’s own father, guaranteed Arsen’s whereabouts. Too many people had seen Arsen at the Brissen mansion at the time of the incident, leaving no room for doubt.
The trap Silike had painstakingly crafted was dismantled with humiliating ease.
"I did advise you to refrain from making rash statements," Calian said from a short distance away.
Silike squeezed her eyes shut. She had insisted she saw Arsen. She had screamed for them to bring that mage immediately, claiming he was the culprit behind everything.
Yet, he was not.
To make matters worse, Arsen then stated that Silike had instigated the knights of Pavel to attack him. At the revelation that it was Silike, not Evan, who had tried to kill Arsen, a wave of murmurs filled the hall.
Meanwhile, Head Chamberlain Raul approached Lemain and whispered something. Upon hearing the news, Lemain let out an involuntary, heavy sigh.
"Silike." His low, heavy voice quieted the commotion. "One person died and another was gravely injured in the explosion."
A maid had died. A knight commander was gravely injured.
Silike raised her head; Franz lowered his. She, because someone had survived; he, because someone else had died.
"Despite this, do you still have no intention of repenting?" Lemain asked again, but Silike did not answer.
Calian turned his head to look at the Head Maid standing behind the Queen. Feeling his gaze, she closed her eyes tightly. Her face had been pale since she arrived, and she was trying to hide her trembling hands.
Watching her, Calian spoke in a soothing tone. "Blind obedience cannot set things right. Shielding her is not your only path."
Think about it, he mused. Yan had even cursed at me. What an exemplary attendant he was. A fleeting smile crossed Calian’s face as he recalled the memory.
Silike saw that smile.
"Yes. You truly resemble her so much." She was the same now as she had been from the very beginning—a woman who detested Calian’s very existence, who had relentlessly tried to murder the old Calian even when he posed no threat to her. "Your mother… smiled just like that until the very end."
Because Calian resembled Freya. Because he resembled her far too much.
Whether the knight woke up or the Head Maid opened her mouth, it no longer mattered. With even Evan having turned his back on her, Silike could not remain Queen. She knew this better than anyone.
And so, she lunged at Calian.
Before anyone knew it, a concealed dagger was in her hand.
That, Calian, Alan, Kyrie, and… Franz all saw.
*
Don't interfere.
No matter what happens, do not interfere.
He had told him so.
*
Red blood dripped onto the white marble floor of Wilhelm Pavilion.
Everyone fell silent. No one could make a sound.
Lemain had risen from his seat. Randel’s eyes were wide with shock.
Silike had swung the dagger at Calian. Her blade sliced a long, deep gash across someone’s chest.
The moment Silike had taken a step, Alan’s shield had already enveloped Calian. In truth, even without a sturdy 6th Circle shield, her attack—coming from someone who had never swung a blade in her life—was far too slow. It was so slow that Calian wouldn't have even needed to lift a finger.
Therefore, Calian was perfectly safe.
There was no way the clever Franz did not know this. Which meant he had lunged forward on purpose.
Silike’s scream shattered the silence as blood soaked her beautiful, green-grape-colored dress. But no one could pay attention to the sound. Nor could they spare a thought for Silike’s beautiful hand, severed along with the dagger. They couldn’t even focus on Franz’s deep wound, which had sliced across his chest and barely stopped before his heart.
All of it was overshadowed by the blue aura swirling around a transparent sword—a sword Alan had summoned to shatter his own shield, all to save the hateful bastard who had deliberately lunged forward to die.