Chapter 115
Translator: uly
Chapter: 115
Chapter Title: Tomb (1)
A bustling space filled with people.
"Young master, just act natural and don't worry about it."
It had been a while since I'd parted ways with my companions.
I couldn't very well carry the baby on my back to a banquet, so I'd left Luna with Serena too.
"Count, do you always dress like this?"
"That's right. We're representing the Empire as an official delegation, so this is rather modest."
"Hmm..."
One thing I'd learned in our short time together: Brict was incredibly chummy.
"Brother, it suits you perfectly."
By the time I came to my senses, even the way he addressed me had changed.
"Can a noble really call a commoner 'brother'?"
"It fits in its own way. Are you just any ordinary person, brother? Even my father treats you with the utmost caution—how could I stand on ceremony?"
"Heh..."
"You were even offered a title but turned it down, weren't you?"
Looking at Brict reminded me of Aluerd.
Maybe it was a similar vibe?
"Let's keep a little distance for now."
"You won't watch from up front?"
"I need to keep observing, but anyone looking would find it suspicious."
As we walked, I glanced around at the crowd, and they were all impressive in their own ways.
Truly befitting the capital of a kingdom.
It was a gathering of talents.
And among them, the one who stood out the most capable.
"That's the Duke, right?"
"How did you know?"
"He has the look of someone destined for high office."
Mana radiating from his entire body, a sharp aura.
"That guy's a Sword Master?"
"Yes. He reached that realm about ten years ago."
I could tell he was a Sword Master, but...
"He looks kinda weak? Maybe it's just because I've only seen the old-timers..."
Brict let out a hollow chuckle.
"Cases like Sir Parmon are exceptions even among Sword Masters."
"Why?"
"Normally, to reach the Sword Master realm, you need life-or-death duels or some profound enlightenment."
I vaguely remembered hearing something like that from the old man.
"Most only become Sword Masters in their old age, but Sir Parmon..."
The old man had reached Sword Master around thirty, right?
And then he went through the continental war right after, surviving countless brushes with death.
"The old man really is a monster."
"Not a monster—he's the Empire's guardian deity."
There was one person who looked like a high-level mage.
Others seemed sharp enough to handle state affairs.
And then the utterly ordinary kingdom nobles.
That was the problem.
"Nothing seems off?"
Even though they'd gathered people who were all somebody.
Could the kingdom's fortunes really decline just because one king was being controlled by a Necromancer?
No matter how much power a king holds, a country doesn't work that way.
A nation's fate is woven from far more complex threads.
Suddenly, I sensed an unusual presence.
"He's coming."
"Pardon...?"
The grand doors of the banquet hall swung wide open.
Through them appeared the King of Harf.
No announcements, nothing.
A very simplified entrance, skipping most of the formalities.
"...."
Even from afar, his benevolent expression was palpable.
Wrinkle lines from years of smiling.
Clear eyes.
A simplicity that bordered on humility.
He was the picture of a wise ruler.
I couldn't help but feel utterly baffled.
"Why is everything so normal?"
No matter how many times I scanned the people.
No matter how closely I observed the king again.
It was all too normal a kingdom.
"This can't be right..."
Nights at sea, in the middle of the ocean, were pitch black.
Without moonlight or starlight, you couldn't find your way.
A place that required at least three days by ship from the capital.
There, a single vessel lurked with its lights out, hiding itself.
"Sir Aluerd."
"We wait longer."
"Understood."
Aluerd's gaze swept the sea, following the waves.
The shipping lanes plied by merchant vessels.
No monsters appeared, nor pirates.
Smooth—
He reread the document he'd received from a man named Nigel.
[Starting from the Continental War, sea monsters began decreasing dramatically.]
Aluerd's brow furrowed.
Because of what was written below.
[Presumed due to monsters being exterminated during the war.]
Several pieces of evidence supported this statement.
The scale of the battles.
The timing.
It was a war that had raged for decades.
Fierce enough that the nearby seas could have been scoured clean of monsters.
But.
'Is it possible to eradicate monsters entirely?'
A doubt born from verifying Chris's suspicions.
Berte, the traitor from the Church, had been involved too, hadn't he?
Once you started suspecting, the oddities kept piling up.
Slave traders found with barely any investigation.
Warships that never attacked them.
Smooth—
Aluerd quickly flipped through the pages.
[Patrol force sizes.]
[Ecology of relevant monsters.]
[Merchant shipping routes.]
He paused.
While examining the merchants' routes, Aluerd pulled out another document.
Not about the sea, but about the slave traders.
[Ships loaded with hidden slaves depart. Repeated for decades.]
Below: departure and arrival times from various ports.
Aluerd eyed the next section with narrowed gaze.
[Based on departure and arrival dates, no port allows for round trips. Suspected hidden base.]
A slave trader hideout near the capital?
Absurd.
"Sir Aluerd, merchant ships sighted."
"Pursue from maximum distance. We cannot be detected."
The ship moved stealthily.
Following them would reveal something, anything.
Even the tiniest clue.
"They're deviating from the route."
After tailing for a while.
Suddenly, the merchants' ships stopped.
"Th-they're turning back!"
"Any other unusual actions?"
Aluerd, who had asked, knew they were just changing course.
He'd been watching intently too.
The ships' bizarre behavior continued.
Sailing far, then halting.
Changing course again.
"...."
Movements whose purpose was unclear, impossible to guess.
Aluerd's hand froze while frantically searching documents.
'Chris sent these documents here.'
Specifically instructing to deliver to the Church.
Which meant.
Deep ties to the Church, or something only priests could do.
The recipient was Aluerd himself.
Creak—
His grip tightened on the paper.
His eyes caught the words.
[Continental War.]
"....!"
A war spanning decades.
Meaning countless casualties.
Aluerd's hand moved swiftly.
Using major battle sites as reference.
"Turn the ship to port."
Surprisingly, the merchants' ships veered in the direction he indicated.
The moment he confirmed it, a groan escaped Aluerd.
"This...!"
The destination for those who died at sea was one place.
The ocean floor.
Aluerd urgently pulled out a communication orb.
"Your Holiness!"
- Speak.
"The Necromancers are targeting corpses on the seabed! They plan to turn them all into undead."
Silence from the orb.
Then the Pope's voice.
- It doesn't add up.
"I know it doesn't!"
Aluerd knew exactly why the Pope said that.
Such widespread magic couldn't go unnoticed.
Anyone with holy power nearby would sense the repulsion.
Hiding it long-term was nearly impossible.
But.
"There must be a reason Chris sent us here."
- ....
"I'll go down to the seabed myself."
No response for a while.
The hesitation was palpable even without seeing his face.
- Permitted. But withdraw the moment danger appears.
Snap.
The orb's light went out.
Not cut off by the Pope—Aluerd had ended it.
"Sir Aluerd?"
"I didn't hear the last part."
Exchanges of glances.
The holy knights nodded in unison.
They shared Aluerd's resolve.
"We need to find where the dark mana is emanating from."
"..."
"Where the souls of children selected as slaves and killed are being used."
Aluerd gripped his sword tightly.
"And if undead are being created, how they're hiding it."
The holy knights murmured softly.
"For Illia."