Eshyk County (4) — A Fool's Invitation
The mourners' gazes were far from warm. It was an uneasy look, as if they were staring at a troublemaker or a ticking time bomb. It was a telling sign of how the nobility truly viewed Marquis Eloran. To think the nominal leader of the North would be treated like some rebellious teenager—it was enough to make me feel embarrassed on his behalf.
Still, the Marquis didn't cause any immediate trouble. Dersian also seemed to have decided to overlook the Marquis's late arrival as if nothing had happened. And so, Sirien's ritual concluded without any major incidents.
The Saintess of Rest made her declaration.
"Hibras has claimed this soul. The grueling day has passed, and now it is time to welcome the peaceful night. He shall surely grant them a warm, comforting place of rest."
The moment the ritual ended, the Marquis sought us out. I knew his appearance wasn't a mere coincidence, but I hadn't expected him to approach us so directly.
An uncomfortable tension hung in the air. We had borrowed one of the county's reception rooms, and teacups now sat upon the table. There were even cookies of the sort Sirien usually enjoyed, but she didn't spare them a glance. Sirien, ignoring sweets? Now that's a rare sight.
Since my role was strictly that of a bodyguard, I stood behind Sirien, facing the Marquis's guard. Though we looked like we had nothing to do but stare blankly at each other, that wasn't quite the case. If things were to take a... "rough" turn, it was a guard's duty to protect their master's safety and honor.
"May I ask the reason now? What business does the leader of the North have with me?"
"The leader of the North. What a pleasant title."
Sirien spoke in a frigid tone. It wasn't blunt or overtly aggressive, but rather entirely businesslike, drawing a sharp, unmistakable line between them. It was a side of her I rarely saw, given how warm and gentle she always was with me. But considering who she was dealing with, she clearly saw no reason to hide it.
Then again, in the original novel, Sirien was just as cold as the Crown Prince. Since she had been written as a villainess, she was notoriously ruthless to "outsiders." My lady certainly didn't hand out her kindness to just anyone.
"Lately, no one seems to call me that anymore. Hearing it from the Saintess herself brings back quite a few memories."
"That does not seem to answer my question."
"I suppose not. But tell me, why else would I seek you two out at a time like this? I don't believe this is entirely our first meeting, either."
"Is that so? I must be lacking, for I cannot fathom the Marquis's intentions."
"Switch sides. I am a generous man, so I will overlook everything that has transpired until now. Do not make any more decisions you will regret."
The Marquis looked perfectly serene. He seemed utterly convinced that because he was offering us a chance, we would undoubtedly accept. I had no idea where his boundless confidence came from.
"How perplexing. We are already active on the northern front. I believed we were already in the same boat as you, Marquis."
"You know that is not what I meant. I highly value your potential. Isn't it time to leave your small pond and swim in the vast ocean?"
"..."
"Our Eloran Marquisate is a family that can truly claim to be the nobility among nobility. I assure you, an opportunity like this does not come often. If not now, when else will you ever get to latch onto such a powerful lifeline?"
I stole a glance at Sirien. Her expression didn't even twitch. For a second, one might have thought she was actually considering it. I was utterly amazed by her patience. How could she keep a straight face? The Marquis of Eloran was bragging about being a "powerful lifeline" right in front of the Grand Duchess of Ilencia. Was this not hilarious to her? I was holding back my laughter with everything I had, knowing that a single snicker would completely shatter the atmosphere.
"Of course, I am not asking you to switch sides for nothing. I am well aware of how the world views me. Even today, the glares were quite sharp."
"Are you saying it is all a misunderstanding?"
"No. A mistake of my youth... though that might be a misnomer, as I am still young, haha. Let us call it a mistake from when I was less mature. There is no excuse, but then again, there is no need for one either."
"So you are saying you have changed."
"Indeed."
Sirien lifted her teacup. Lifting her veil slightly, her beautiful lips were revealed. She took a quiet sip. The breath she let out before drinking felt like a soft sigh.
"Change can be a good thing, but not always. I have heard rumors that you have been keeping company with some 'unsavory friends,' Marquis. I hope they are merely baseless rumors, but I worry you may have abandoned what you ought to protect."
"My, my, expand your horizons. All possibilities begin with imagination."
"Imagination?"
"The times can change at any moment. There is no law saying yesterday's enemy cannot be tomorrow's friend. Will not the one who first lays down ancient grudges become the master of the next era?"
What an easy, carefree thing to say. Ever since the northern front had been established in its current position, the Eloran Marquisate had never lost a single thing. The last time Eloran had experienced the horrors of war was when the previous Marquis was young. I highly doubted the current Marquis had ever even set foot on a battlefield. For someone who had never lost anything to talk about letting go of grudges was insulting enough, but his choice of words—"ancient grudges" and "the times"—grated on my nerves.
Because I knew exactly who had spoken those words. Or rather, the person who would use that very logic to reshape the continent.
Elis, the Saintess of Asirel, the God of Light. The original heroine of the novel who would bring peace by ending the long-standing conflict between humans and demons.
Break the chain of hatred. An era of peace and harmony will come. Lay down the grudges that serve no purpose. Those were the phrases she constantly repeated.
Why? Why are those words coming out of your mouth now, when they shouldn't even be circulating until after Elis is reincarnated? It leaves a terrible taste in my mouth to brush this off as a mere coincidence.
It was a question that had caused endless conflict in the original novel. Are demons human? Can we truly coexist with them? Sirien and I had screamed that it was impossible, but the world had ultimately sided with Elis.
Ah. Too many memories were rushing back, causing me to lose track of the conversation for a moment. When I focused again, Sirien was leaning back against her chair.
Sirien usually sat with her back perfectly straight. The only times she leaned back were when she wanted to rest, or when she needed to calm her mind for some reason. I didn't know what nonsense he had spouted while I was distracted, but Sirien's patience had clearly reached its limit.
"Do not dwell on such trivial matters. Wouldn't it be far more rational to consider what I can offer your Order?"
"Speak, then."
"I shall build a temple for the Order of Hibras within the Eloran Marquisate. Naturally, I will spare no support that I can provide. And, I shall assign several holy knights to serve as your bodyguards, Saintess."
"Pardon? Bodyguards?"
The Marquis flashed a relaxed smile, clearly under the impression that everything was going exactly as he planned. From where I stood, that couldn't be further from the truth. The sudden, freezing chill that accompanied her voice was definitely not my imagination. I had never heard Sirien speak with such absolute coldness before.
"I am well aware that the Guardian of Hibras is exceptionally skilled. However, public perception is important. Even if the Order's influence is still small, having only a single knight in the Saintess's retinue is sorely lacking. The knights of our house—"
"Stop. That is enough. There is no longer any value in listening to you. How on earth did a tiger sire a mere dog? My heart aches at the sheer cruelty of the heavens to allow such a tragedy."
"What did you just say?"
"I am saying that while I might have negotiated with your late father, I will have absolutely no dealings with the current Marquis Eloran. As the Saintess, I have a duty to uphold the dignity of my Order."
Her voice was laced with pure fury. It seemed her tightly suppressed anger had finally erupted. To Sirien, "her knight" meant me. Simply speaking of replacing me or adding others so lightly had crossed her absolute red line.
"Marquis Eloran, your vision as a noble is incredibly narrow. You believe only what is right in front of your eyes, and you dress up your sheer narrow-mindedness as rationality. It seems you have yet to outgrow the perspective of a mere child."
"You will regret speaking so recklessly. Are you prepared to bear the consequences of those words?"
Sirien let out a soft chuckle. No matter how one heard it, it was a blatant sneer.
"Bear the consequences? What a laughable thing to say. Why should I have to bear the burden of you being born so utterly deficient? Still, do not be too disheartened. Being lacking is not a sin in itself. The sin lies in parading that ignorance around, which surely must be the fault of those who raised you."
"..."
"I suggest you return to your fief immediately and reprimand the tutors who have educated you thus far. The Eloran Marquisate is supposed to be one of the pillars of the Empire, yet they have ruined its head so thoroughly. How immense their crime must be."
"How dare you... I tried to be lenient, yet your insolent tongue knows no bounds. Fine. If you insist on acting this way, do not complain when things turn ugly. What are you doing, Alion?!"
Excellent. Things had turned ugly. In that case, there was no reason for me to stand idly by either. Marquis Eloran's guard reached for his sword. He probably thought drawing first would give him the upper hand to suppress me. I'll gladly wait for him to draw, so he'd better hurry up. After all, when others looked back on this later, the picture would look much prettier if they were the only ones who had drawn their weapons first.