Chapter 57: Don't Try to Understand (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 57: Don't Try to Understand (2)
Aeryun had worked in this field for decades.
That was why he could feel his entire world crumbling down.
“…No way.”
What kind of people were dark mages, usually?
They were those who pursued forbidden knowledge, ignored the universal laws of the world, and sought their own twisted truths.
Therefore, if one tried to deal with them using common sense, they could never be caught. They were the type of people who lived perfectly fine in regions where no human was thought capable of surviving.
And just when you thought a single individual couldn't do much, they would trigger a massive incident. Using standard methods for catching ordinary criminals wouldn't even turn up a trace of them.
That was why the specialized personnel from the Imperial Intelligence Bureau, tasked with handling dark magic and cultists, spent their lives suffering as they scoured the Empire.
‘What was the point of all their hard work?’
Of course, Aeryun knew this was a unique situation.
Beings with malice toward the Empire, including dark mages, had infiltrated the Academy—the very future of the Empire—to commit a crime. No matter how vast the Academy was, it was still a confined space compared to the rest of the Empire. If they were moving to strike, they were bound to stand out relatively more.
Even so, the Imperial Intelligence Bureau had struggled to find these dark mages. The number they had actually managed to capture wasn't that high.
But look over there.
They were just standing still, and yet people claiming to be revolutionaries were practically lining up to be knocked down. Even dark mages were seeking them out just to get beaten.
Of course, the enemies hadn't come here with the intention of losing. To be honest, Aeryun didn't feel like he could win against that party even if he stepped in himself.
“They’re… stronger than I thought.”
Daisy, the Saintess, was a legend who had shaken the world, so he had expected a certain level of combat ability. However, her childhood friend, Violet, also possessed considerable combat prowess. Not just in pure magical skill, but in actual practical combat.
“Hmm.”
The Saintess’s childhood friend, a member of the Flower Arrangement Club. He had already been keeping an eye on her for those reasons, but he hadn't expected her to have that kind of ability. It felt like discovering an unexpected gem.
However…
“Don’t go drooling over her.”
Aeryun couldn't help but scowl at the voice coming from beside him.
“Hey, she’s a citizen of the Empire.”
As an Imperial agent, it was only natural for him to consider scouting a talented citizen. He didn't see why he had to hear such things from a man of Leon.
“Officially, yes.”
“What?”
Aeryun was stunned by the words that followed.
“Are you saying she’s a spy planted by Leon?”
“Ah, not exactly. It’s just that we recruited her first.”
“What?!”
Aeryun could only blink at the sudden coming-out.
“You’re… just telling me that? Just like that?”
Even if she were a commoner, he could officially raise an issue, but Violet was a noble. Even if she was from a low-ranking family in the sticks, the weight of a noble title remained the same. Knowing this, Adam had kept it a secret until now.
But.
“Well, we’re close, aren't we?”
Aeryun frowned at Adam’s nonchalant remark.
“No matter how close we are, isn't there a line you shouldn't cross?”
Even if they did similar work—no, because they did similar work, there were lines that had to be respected. When he pointed this out, Adam nodded as if he already knew.
“You sold my personal information to the Young Lady before, didn't you?”
True, that was something that could be turned into an issue if one really wanted to. But that and this were entirely different matters. After all…
“Before I am an agent of the Imperial Family, I am a man of House Jeyka.”
Therefore, following his master’s orders was simply his duty.
Because of that…
“Exactly. And I’m the lover of that very Young Lady of House Jeyka.”
At Adam’s subsequent words, Aeryun’s scowl didn't just vanish; his face went blank, and he tilted his head in confusion.
“…Huh? That’s fake.”
“It is. But do you think I’d be crazy enough to do it for nothing?”
“…Huh?”
He had a point… he did!
No matter how much the Empire’s Young Lady asked… cheating with the Crown Prince’s fiancée—and doing so while dating the Continent’s Saintess—was nothing short of insanity!
“W-was it a mutual agreement…?”
Surely, the Young Lady wouldn't have committed such a crazy act. Aeryun asked while looking at Adam with wildly shaking eyes.
“Of course not.”
Thankfully…
“It wasn't an agreement. She just said she’d do whatever I wanted.”
Never mind.
No, this goddamn—
“She said Uncle Aeryun would take care of the rest?”
“Ah…”
Why were all the people he served like this?
Aeryun slumped to the ground, letting out a silent scream.
The Empire has been looking like a pushover for a while now, but that’s only because it’s caught up in the RoFan Development. It’s unfortunate that it’ll continue to be caught up in it, but one should never underestimate the Empire.
…Because if I did, it would just mean Leon is a pathetic country that can’t even beat a pushover Empire.
Therefore, it was a foregone conclusion that Violet—or more accurately, Codename Boradori—would eventually be caught as our spy. I needed a way to smooth things over when that happened.
Since Senior Loreliya was the one who could help with that, I had no choice but to accept the two-timing situation, even if it meant becoming a bit of a piece of trash.
…Violet aside, Boradori was an agent worth that much.
“Get it together now. The fun part is about to start.”
“Shut up. I need some time alone.”
I watched Uncle Aeryun, who wanted to be left alone even as he ignored the exciting battle between the dark mage and Daisy, and just let it slide. Agents had days when they wanted to be alone, after all.
“Are you really not going to watch? Daisy’s holding a sword. You don’t see this every day.”
But a situation arose where I had to speak to him regardless. How could anyone resist seeing Daisy with a sword? This was a first for me too, so I was a bit excited.
“…What?”
It seemed even Uncle Aeryun, who was destined to work like a dog for the crime of two-timing (the Empire and the Duke’s House) like me, couldn't resist the legendary sight of Daisy with a sword.
“Is that what I’ve only heard rumors about? But what is that? There’s some weird octopus leg thing.”
“Ah, that dark mage bastard realized he was going to lose, so he stabbed two of his comrades in the back and sacrificed them to summon that. Apparently, it’s a Devil’s Leg.”
“If it’s a devil, isn't that something the Demon Tribe worships? To summon something like that, he must be a high-ranking dark mage?!”
I let out a small sigh as I watched Uncle Aeryun make a fuss about whether it was okay to just stand here and watch.
“What does it matter if the enemy is a high-ranking dark mage? His opponent is the Saintess, the strongest power on the other side.”
“Ah.”
Since ancient times, the hard counters to dark mages have been the clergy of the Holy Kingdom. Of course, depending on their rank, they could also be good prey.
But Daisy was the Saintess with the most powerful Divine Power in the Holy Kingdom. And even setting aside her status as a Saintess, she was just a strong person in general. When it came to dealing with things like dark magic, she might even be stronger than Prince Ellen or me.
“Just don’t try to understand it and watch.”
Though not as colossal as the legends from the Holy Kingdom claimed—reaching the heavens—a brilliantly shining sword of light swung, and the disgusting tentacles were obliterated. Uncle Aeryun could only nod in awe.
#2 Codename Boradori.
The fate of a compromised spy is…
The moment Daisy’s sword cut through the air, light exploded, and the tentacles vanished.
“T-this can’t be!”
Bael, the fallen mage and the boss of this episode, screamed.
“This is impossible! How could a Devil’s Leg be taken down in a single strike?!”
To be honest, he had a point. Anything with the word 'devil' in it wasn't usually something that could be defeated so easily. But since the hard counter to that devil was a Saintess, it was taken down quite simply.
Of course, if things had proceeded according to the Original Work, it wouldn't have been this easy.
“Certainly.”
The aftermath of Silence’s disappearance was greater than I had expected. Silence was a character who interfered in almost every event of the Academy arc, to the point where fans called him a 'villainous civil servant.'
Normally, he should have appeared in this episode to keep the Sword Emperor busy while the Academy was in chaos. But without Silence, the enemies seemed disorganized.
Furthermore, with a Daisy who had grown even more than in the original, the incident was being resolved even without the help of the other RoFan Male Leads or the Sword Emperor.
“I still… I still have something left! I…!”
I can’t let it end like this! Bael shouted, but unfortunately, devils weren't cheap beings. He had summoned it by stabbing the hearts of two dark mages and using them as sacrifices.
“Wait, why me?!”
That was the price for answering the call. Devils were the type to take one more soul as a souvenir on their way back home.
“W-wait! Save me!”
Snap!
The octopus-like tentacles wrapped around his torso and vanished into the abyss-like darkness.
“…Huh?”
Daisy looked bewildered, but I tapped her on the shoulder after seeing that all traces of dark magic had vanished.
“It’s over.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
Normally, Silence would have led the remaining stragglers away after shaking off the Sword Emperor, but since I had already dealt with Silence myself, this was the true end.
“But how do we clean this up…?”
Daisy sighed as she looked at the warehouse, which had become a mess due to the devil summoning.
“No need to worry.”
Even though this was the outskirts, the fact that no one had come despite such a commotion during the festival meant that Imperial agents were already controlling the perimeter. If we just waited a bit, they’d send people in once they realized the incident was over.
“They’re already here.”
“Huh?”
At my words, Daisy’s eyes widened as she looked in the direction I was facing.
“Mr. Adam?”
Is Adam the only one Daisy sees? That’s a bit suspicious. Even if they say a fake lover has a higher chance of marriage than a real one, she’s not actually following the clichés of a RoFan extra story, is she?
I felt a bit strange, but then I realized Daisy might not know the person next to him.
Aeryun Klein. A supporting character on Prince Esid’s side whose name was occasionally mentioned in the original. To be honest, in the original, he just appeared, took orders from Prince Esid, and vanished. But according to Adam, he was someone who suffered quite a bit on the Empire’s side.
So, what was his last name again? Klyde? Right?
“What brings you here?”
Unlike Daisy, who walked toward Adam, the man named Aeryun strangely approached me.
What is this? I have a bad feeling about this. My boss didn't even look at me just now…
“My name is Aeryun Klyde.”
“Ah, yes.”
I nodded with a hesitant expression at Aeryun Klein—no, Klyde—who greeted me with a smile.
“Could we… have a private word?”
At his whispered words, I turned my head to look for my boss.
“……”
Seeing his expression, which seemed to say 'good luck,' I couldn't help but want to cry.
You jerk, you said you’d save me!