Chapter 164: Heresy Inquisitors (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 164: Heresy Inquisitors (4)
Normally, I would have had a fair amount of work to process upon returning to the royal palace.
"I've already finished everything you were supposed to do."
Daniel, the senior who—barring any major variables—was slated to be dumped with the position of future Commander, told me he had handled all my tasks.
"Just rest."
"Really?"
"...Yeah. I have a rough idea of how you spend your time at the Academy. Consider this return a vacation and get some sleep."
Unlike the Empire, Leon was a place where the eldest son, the 1st Prince, was expected to succeed the throne without much trouble. I had heard that a generational shift was naturally taking place among the instructors as well.
It seemed that in that process, Senior Daniel had found out exactly how I was living at the Academy.
"In exchange, you take care of the guests who came from the Academy."
"...Wasn't that your main intention all along?"
"Maybe about 40% of it?"
Well, even if he said 'guests from the Academy,' the King and the Commander weren't likely to let the Sword Emperor out of their sight. The Ancestor would be handled by the royal family, so that left our High Elf.
Since she would likely just stay holed up in her room anyway, I didn't think I needed to pay her much attention.
"..."
...Or so I thought.
"This is incredible!"
"As expected of an Elf!"
"I-I'm a High Elf! I told you, we're different from regular Elves!"
"Oohhh!"
"A High Elf, indeed!"
"Amazing!"
"Hmph! Come on, praise me more!"
She was surrounded by knights, practically demanding to be coddled.
"What are you doing?"
"These knights asked if I knew anything about swordsmanship, so I was just teaching them a few things!"
She spoke with a look that suggested it was no big deal, but her chest was puffed out with pride. Her lips were twitching, and her long, characteristically Elven ears were fluttering—she was clearly having the time of her life.
"Now, watch closely. This is the swordsmanship of an Elven warrior, passed down for three thousand years!"
I had heard before that she had just roughly learned some swordsmanship an Elf had created for self-defense. Now, it had suddenly become '3,000-Year-Old Elven Swordsmanship.'
...Technically, she probably wasn't lying. The problem was that, in human terms, it felt more like a local soup joint with a thirty-year history.
"Whoa!"
"Three thousand years... only an Elf could!"
"Look at that elegantly flowing Aura!"
Well, the knights seemed happy, so I guess all's well that ends well. Since the royal family was selfishly monopolizing the Sword Emperor, getting to see a sword dance performed by a Sword Master-level combatant was a rare treat. Especially since it was the blade of an Elf, a race that rarely left their forests.
From the knights' perspective, their mouths must be watering.
"Heehee..."
But why are you the one drooling more than them...?
Well, if she's happy, who am I to say anything? It was actually better for me since I could spend my time freely without worrying about her.
"...Humans are too clingy."
I thought that would last, but it only took three days.
"Be honest with me."
"W-What!"
"You were clearly enjoying it. Why the sudden change of heart?"
"H-How dare a mere human be so arrogant!"
She comes to me begging for help and then acts like that.
"..."
"..."
I just stared at her in silence, and the High Elf—no, the Loser Elf—naturally lowered her tail and surrendered.
"I... I have nothing left to show them..."
"..."
"T-The sword was for self-defense! It's just a hobby!"
"..."
"So I showed them spirits instead, but they just asked to see more sword stuff. I'll never understand human sensibilities..."
In short, she had run out of material and fled.
"By the way, I'm leaving."
"Where?"
"Home."
"Wasn't this your home?"
"This is my workplace."
Of course, I had a house under my name nearby, but I didn't expect to live there until at least after graduating from the Academy.
"I'm heading down to the main family estate. Are you planning to follow me?"
"C-Can't I go?"
"I'd like to say no, but..."
Humans are learning animals, and I still remembered the catastrophe that happened last year. That's why, after returning, I checked the letter that had arrived from my family.
"My brother is getting married. How can I not go?"
Following last year, another joyous occasion had arrived. I had already informed the royal family that I would be visiting my home. According to Senior Daniel, the palace was currently in a party mood every day just to watch the Sword Emperor's demonstrations, so he said they'd approve it immediately. It was basically confirmed.
"..."
At that, our dear Loser Elf stood there for a long time, the very embodiment of 'walking on eggshells.'
"C-Can't I come with you?"
She squeezed her eyes shut and began to plead.
"...To a stranger's wedding?"
I mean, really. Trying to crash a family event.
"...If you just give me a room, I'll stay tucked away in a corner!"
"The palace has plenty of rooms."
"There are too many people! Even the servants are clamoring for me to show them my sword!"
The rumors must have spread. Then again, the royal servants were mostly from noble families with guaranteed backgrounds. Being nobles of Leon, they had likely all held a sword at some point. If rumors spread among the knights, there was no way the servants wouldn't know.
"You should have stayed quiet then."
"I-It's the humans' fault! How could I not show them when they were looking at me with such sparkling eyes, begging to see it!"
I sighed involuntarily at the sight of High Elf Yerisha looking like she was about to cry.
"What is the person who brought you here doing?"
"Playing around in the palace..."
"I told him he had to manage you properly if he was going to bring you..."
"Stop treating a High Elf like a pet!"
I told her I'd take her if I got permission. She was a guest brought by the royal Ancestor himself. There was no way permission would be gran—
"......?"
Wait, I said it was a family event.
They're really just dumping her on me.
I worried about suddenly being stuck with an Elf, but I decided to take her along. If I just abandoned her, the affinity she had barely built for Leon might drop.
My family might be surprised, but given their personalities, if she just stayed in her room, they'd probably just shrug it off and move on.
However.
"I hadn't thought of this kind of interpretation..."
"It's a popular interpretation in the Holy Kingdom lately. Interpretations of the scriptures can change with the flow of time, after all."
I'd heard that lightning strikes twice. The situation before my eyes was exactly that.
"...I'm back."
"Oh, right."
Unlike before, it had been six months since my last visit, but my mother's reaction was indifferent. Not that I minded. It wasn't like my family was known for big reactions anyway. If they were, they wouldn't have been so casual when their son hadn't contacted them for years.
Besides, she was in the middle of talking to a guest, so I could understand.
"But why are you here?"
The problem was the guest.
"While traveling through Leon, I happened to have the chance to speak with a devout believer. And she kindly invited me, as I had nowhere to go... I had no idea it would be your home, Brother."
The Chief Inquisitor, whom I had definitely ditched at the airfield and fled from, was sitting in my house, smiling and chatting with my mother.
"Oh my. Did you two already know each other?"
"Yes. We met in the Empire recently. Since it looks like I'll be working at the Imperial Academy from now on, I think we'll be seeing a lot of each other."
The sight of the Chief Inquisitor beaming at me sent a chill down my spine.
"Adam brought a girl home?!"
"Hieeeek!"
But the shout from my family's eldest son behind me only made me sigh.
Our Loser Elf vanished the moment she was given a room. The Chief Inquisitor also excused herself to let the family talk.
And even though the Inquisitor was gone, an interrogation was beginning.
"Who is she?"
"A High Elf I got stuck with for work."
"Why would you get stuck with an Elf?"
"There's a very tear-jerking story behind that..."
I told my two older brothers and my mother about everything from the Academy to the Ancestor, the Sword Emperor, and our Loser Elf, omitting only the most sensitive details.
"I heard the Sword Emperor visited the kingdom."
"So, the rumors that Sword Saint Dain was a Dragon Lover instead of a Dragon Hunter were true?!"
It was fascinating how the interests of my eldest brother, the heir, and my second brother, who was slated to lead the family's knights, were so clearly divided.
"I see... Well, I suppose a High Elf daughter-in-law would be a bit difficult."
I couldn't help but tense up at my mother's deep sigh. Even in my past life, I had to endure nagging every holiday about whether I was dating or when I was getting married. I couldn't escape it here either.
"The second one is going, so now only one is left..."
"..."
"Other people say their kids date at the Academy and all that. But our boy..."
Uh, well. I am technically doing that. I'm even two-timing.
"...I'll try my best."
Since I couldn't possibly say that, I just hung my head like a criminal and said I'd try.
Marian - Something's Fishy...
The guest room of the Smith estate.
It was a room far too well-maintained to be given to a priestess met by chance. Marian, the Chief Inquisitor, sat by the window in the moonlight, tilting her head in confusion.
"This family is more devout than I expected."
At first, she had laughed at Adam Smith's audacity in abandoning her at the airfield without a moment's hesitation. Regardless, her plan hadn't been to follow him anyway.
She had gathered information that the woman slated to become the daughter-in-law—the future mistress of the Smith house—was deeply religious. She used that to naturally infiltrate the household.
Unless he wasn't returning to the kingdom at all, there was no reason for him to miss a family event, especially his brother's wedding, once he was back.
So, she figured if she just waited naturally, he would show up. That was her plan, though her mind had wandered to thoughts of 'Did I fail?' when Adam's mother lamented that her son had practically abandoned the family.
Fortunately, Adam Smith had returned.
There was the unexpected variable of a High Elf... but since she was staying out of sight as much as possible, there was no need to worry too much.
"Still, I shouldn't let my guard down."
Adam Smith.
The more she investigated his tracks, the more suspicious she became. First, his strangely frequent contact with dark mages... she could write that off as the dark mages repeatedly invading the Academy.
The problem was...
"Sharing dark magic technology with the Empire... and manufacturing magic swords by grinding up demons..."
Her large, clear eyes narrowed.
Looking up at the night sky with her usual expression, she recalled the reports from the Holy Kingdom's eyes and ears hidden within the Empire.
Sharing dark magic technology with the Empire.
Since she hadn't grasped the exact details, it could be interpreted as simply sharing countermeasures against dark mages. However...
"Dark mages are connected to the Empire."
The Academy wasn't being breached like a revolving door for no reason. The dark mages were connected to a significantly powerful force within the Empire.
If she asked Violet—the Leon special agent currently playing around with the Pope in the Holy Kingdom—she might get an answer. But Marian, unaware of this, had no choice but to engage in frantic shadowboxing.
And while Adam Smith was suffering from those reckless punches...
"I shall hide it no longer. I, Marian, am actually an Archbishop of the Holy Kingdom!"
"Oh!"
"Since this is fate, do not worry about the wedding. Just like the eldest, the second son shall be able to marry in the Royal Cathedral with everyone's blessing!"
He had no choice but to endure it, thinking of it as the price of filial piety.