You Thought I'd Let You Go? (2)
The Six Swords were not merely high-ranking officers living in the Demon King's castle. As I had said time and again, they were the true leadership of the Demon King's army. Even the lowest-ranking officers in this world were given proper quarters, so it stood to reason that figures of such importance would be granted their own territories. Each of the Six Swords possessed a castle where they could reside, and the location Grespara had revealed was almost certainly one of them.
After twenty-two playthroughs, I wished I at least knew their rough positions. To be honest, I had no idea where they were. The reason was simple: Eternal Eclipse was a broken game. The Demon Realm was the final area in the story, and it seemed the developers had run out of steam by the later stages. Instead of properly rendering important facilities like the Demon King's castle, they had simply glossed over the Six Swords' strongholds with dialogue and slapped a bank-scene CG in the background. That was entirely their fault. As someone who had actually arrived in this world, finding those places was nearly impossible.
It had been a thoroughly enjoyable game, but in this regard, Eternal Eclipse was undeniably flawed. Of course, the same could be said for how they had cut all the happy endings and left only the sad ones due to "adult circumstances," but there was nothing I could do about that now.
"So, what do you intend to do?" Gorgo asked, watching me as I sank deep into thought.
Charging straight into their castles right now would be reckless. We had not even recovered from our journey yet. Rushing headlong into the enemy's lair without preparation would be no different from suicide. So I answered,
"For now, it would be best to leave them be. We still lack the certainty needed to cut their throats."
Gorgo seemed to agree, merely nodding.
"True. Even if we did move, the Six Swords are not prey that can be hunted so easily. Let us keep this as a card we can play later."
"...Even so, there is one person we should speak with first, whether we have certainty or not."
"Speak with? Who?"
"Well, the rumors are already spreading, are they not?"
According to the information we had received upon our return, someone with ill intent had come to Sigmund while we were away. Fortunately, the person who had faced him was someone we both knew well. Since I had once agreed with her on the matter of replacing the academy director, meeting her again would not be difficult.
***
"These are premium spring tea leaves from the North. I know you prefer coffee, but I brought them as a token of thoughtfulness. I hope you will accept them with an open heart."
"Oh my! Sir Steel Knight, how could you bring me such a gift! If it comes from your wonderful heart, I would be delighted whether it is coffee or black tea. Thank you for your consideration."
"...Forgive me, Lady Gremory, but I no longer use that name."
"Oh dear, did something happen during your travels in the North?"
To that polite inquiry, I responded only with a formal smile instead of a detailed explanation. Even if Gremory learned the truth from my own mouth, it would not cause any real problems, but it felt more natural to let her discover it on her own later rather than boasting about it now.
Gremory nodded as if she understood.
"...Well, if Sir Yohan wishes to keep it to himself, there must be a good reason. I will not pry."
"Thank you for your understanding."
Still, it had been a long time since we last met, yet her drawling speech pattern remained unchanged. The vice-director’s office of the Magic Department, where I had come to meet her, was a dazzling space decorated with magical tools so brilliant they could make one dizzy. As someone largely ignorant of magic, there was little I could discern—nothing at all, really.
This is disorienting... Vincent is a high-ranking mage. Facing him without using magic will be difficult.
If I kept staring at the surroundings, I felt my mind would break, so I cut straight to the point.
"Lady Gremory. The reason I came today is none other than the incident that occurred at the transit gate recently."
"Ah, that matter. It was no small thing. After the field training and the director’s replacement, I thought all threats had ended, yet a new one has reared its head again."
"I heard you single-handedly intercepted the intruder. You must have gone through quite an ordeal. If it is not too presumptuous, could you explain in as much detail as possible what happened there?"
At my request, Gremory smiled strangely and pointed to the pristine white wall beside her desk, where nothing was placed.
"Hooh."
With a snap of her fingers, a video appeared on the wall—recreating the incident from her first-person perspective, as if projected by a beam projector.
"Whoa."
Indeed, as that famous author from my previous world once said, sufficiently advanced science is indistinguishable from magic. The reverse seemed to hold true as well. As I focused on the footage, I saw a middle-aged man with long white hair, wearing white robes and stylish glasses, flick his fingers and destroy the transit gate.
BOOM!
Afterward, Gremory was shown gasping for breath as she desperately tried to block his magic, but it was clear she was overwhelmingly outmatched. She fought valiantly yet was clearly being pushed back—until the video cut off at the moment he fired an arrow into the air.
Watching that scene, I could confirm the intruder’s identity.
Vincent. He really stirred things up. As expected, the information from interrogating Grespara was correct. He came here to find me. There is no other reason he would throw himself into the heart of enemy territory.
At any rate, Vincent was acting exactly as I remembered. He had shown the full extent of what could be expected from the combat leader among the Six Swords without holding anything back. Without that belligerence, he would not be Vincent.
One more thing had become certain. Grespara and Vincent had definitely missed each other. Their locations had been different, yet they had both targeted me at the same time. If I had not gone to the North at just the right moment, I would have ended up fighting him unprepared.
While I was lost in thought, the future Tower Master suddenly spoke.
"This is a precious recording I have not shown to anyone yet. The Magic Tower is using it to investigate the truth... but we still do not know who he is."
"...And you are showing it even to me."
When I expressed my thoughts, Gremory chuckled.
"I wondered if you might know. After all, you are an extraordinary person, are you not?"
"Well, if that is what you thought, you may be correct."
Gremory’s eyes widened as she shot to her feet, as if she had only been probing and had not expected me to actually know.
"Uhyo! As expected, as expected of Sir Steel— I mean, Sir Yohan! You recognized him right away?!"
"No, why that exclamation..."
Well, it was probably because it was a Japanese game. She was trying hard to package it as a word with the same nuance as "Eureka," but whatever. Ignoring my reaction, Gremory continued in a rather serious tone.
"...There is a reason I have no choice but to cling to this. That man might know something about me."
"Something. May I ask what it is?"
"Ah... well, that is..."
She seemed to have great difficulty speaking, but in truth, I already knew without her saying it. The only connection between Vincent, the hero of humanity and archmage, and Gremory, the youngest archmage of the modern era, could only be the curse engraved upon the heart of the Alegre family bloodline.
But how could I shamelessly say to her face, "I know your ancestor secretly saved the dying Vincent after he was torn apart by the hero’s party three hundred years ago, and in return received the forbidden art that replaced your family’s hearts with those of demons, allowing overclocking."
Even if I said it, it was undeniably true. Thanks to that fact, the Alegre family, once merely magical nobles of the middle realm, had grown explosively as a bloodline claiming to be the emperor’s mentor. Setting everything else aside, it was collaboration with demons—a taboo, an act of blasphemy that no one on humanity’s side should commit. To thoroughly bury this, the Alegre family ensured that only the current head of the household knew the true nature of that power, maintaining strict secrecy. At most, they described it as "the forbidden power granted by demons resides in their chests."
And the only one who could know the true identity of the being who granted that power was the family head. In other words, Gremory, who was not yet the head, could only feel confusion and an unbearable curiosity about the truth. A man who was not of the Alegre family yet knew their secret. Such a man should not be left alive, but if she could only identify him, she might gain the chance to learn ahead of time the secret that only the head was allowed to know.
"Sir Yohan. If you know this person’s identity, could you tell me? I must know who he is. It would truly be helpful."
Thus, Gremory subtly pressed me for the identity. I responded with a friendly smile.
"Haha, Lady Gremory."
".........!"
"...There is no such thing as free happiness in this world."
Even so, I had no intention of telling her for free. Why? This was both her weakness and her desire. If I did not speak, the one left wanting would be her. I did not want to cast aside the woman who had treated Karalin well, but handing over the secret written in her blood without any compensation would be a losing deal.
"I do know something about this individual, but it seems you are quite anxious, as though not knowing would be disastrous."
"...Hm. Well, I will not deny it. That is how it is."
"In that case, I may need some insurance as well. I do not want to tell you irresponsibly and then get dragged into something strange if things go wrong."
"As expected, you are a cautious person."
When I said that, Gremory seemed to understand the hidden meaning immediately. Surprisingly, she did not seem to dislike it. With one corner of her mouth lifted, she replied,
"...A clear distinction between public and private matters. Not bad at all."
Perhaps, true to her nature as someone skilled in political maneuvering and power dynamics, she was simply pleased to meet a kindred spirit. However, that trait was something I had acquired while living in the royal castle. My innate nature was that of a warrior. So now, I simply drove the point home.
"Handing over such important information for free is not an option. Instead, let us make a deal."
At that moment, she approached me slowly. An alluring citrus scent brushed against my nose, as if declaring, "I am Gremory."
"Very well, Sir Yohan. Tell me what you want."
At those words, I smiled inwardly. There was not much I needed from her, but there was one thing I could obtain for certain.
