Chapter 162: Disclosure
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 162: Disclosure
Hestia Village, the day before the murder of Young Lord Yurei.
Unaware of the storm brewing on the horizon, life in Hestia Village flowed on as usual.
As the population swelled, so did the crime rate; rough men began banding together into gangs. It was a predictable development, but it was the duty of the Hestia Village Security Force to desperately prevent it. They moved busily to maintain the village's fragile peace.
"Captain William, shouldn't you be heading home by now?"
"Is it that time already?"
"It's long past. This is overtime, you know."
William could work overtime as much as he wanted, but he knew that if a superior stayed late, his subordinates felt pressured to do the same. For their sake, it was necessary to push the remaining work until tomorrow.
William grabbed his coat and stood up.
"Then I'll be off. Good work today."
"Loyalty! See you tomorrow, Captain!"
"Don't go rolling around drunk again!"
Leaving behind his subordinates, who were snickering and joking, he began his walk home. Looking up at the evening sky—a bruised blend of crimson and black—he thought to himself: Another day passes.
It was a routine sight, yet a knot remained tight in his chest, refusing to unravel. Whenever that knot tightened, his left hand throbbed.
It was the hand Regent Ferda had run through with a dagger.
The wound had closed, and the hand had recovered enough to be usable, but it throbbed with a phantom ache, as if a shard of the blade remained embedded deep within. A constant anxiety haunted him—the fear that he might eventually lose the use of the hand entirely.
"Damn it..."
He wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight either.
William muttered to himself as he walked, eventually stepping into a quiet tavern located on the way to his house. Unlike the boisterous pubs on the main road, this place was a sanctuary of silence.
Since regulars were the lifeblood of the establishment, the manager, sporting a fine mustache, welcomed William warmly.
"Oh, Captain, you're off work!"
"A beer, please."
"Coming right up."
William slid over the coins he had already prepared, and the manager pulled a pint. The manager was a talkative man, but he was also skilled at reading the room. He could easily tell that William needed a moment of peace.
"Here you go. Don't gulp it down like last time; drink slowly!"
The manager turned away immediately after setting down the beer. William, noticing the coins still sitting on the table, spoke up.
"Manager, aren't you taking the money? Do you run this place for charity?"
"Charity? This is an honest business! Why would I take more money when the tab's already been settled?!"
"What do you mean?"
"That gentleman over there said he wanted to buy the Captain a drink."
Wondering who it could be, William turned his head. It was a man he had never seen in the village before.
Instinctively, a sense of unease washed over him.
Still, he told himself not to jump to conclusions. William merely acknowledged the gesture by raising his glass slightly before turning back to his drink.
As soon as William turned away, he heard the sound of a chair scraping against the floor. The man stood up.
William reflexively unfastened the button on his dagger sheath.
"Are you William, the Security Force Captain?"
"I am."
"I'm the one who bought you the drink. Isn't it only proper to at least share a toast?"
"My apologies. I'm not the type to get friendly with strangers."
"I suppose so. You are the Security Force Captain, after all."
William’s hand drifted toward his waist.
"Don't be so guarded. I didn't come here with the intention of harming you."
The stranger placed both hands flat on the table, proving he was unarmed. William didn't react, maintaining his posture as if he were merely relaxing.
But the act didn't last long.
The beer mug in his left hand trembled with a sudden spike of pain, causing the foam to ripple.
"That hand injury looks serious. If possible, why not drink with your right hand?"
"Mind your own business," William snapped back coldly.
However, the man remained undeterred. "It seems there's quite a story behind it. Won't you tell me?"
"I just took a tumble while drinking."
"Don't lie. Who gets a clean stab wound from falling while drunk?"
"It's an incredibly embarrassing story, so will you stop asking?" William brushed it off glibly, despite the man's sharp observation.
"Let's not waste time with useless bickering. I know what happened."
"Didn't I just tell you? I fell."
"Don't be like that. I've come here to help you."
"I don't know what you're talking about, so leave at once. If you don't—"
"Regent Ferda will be the ruin of the Far East Region."
The man cut William off. William felt a surge of heat in his chest.
"You dare utter such slander in the Archduchess's territory?"
"Slander? You seem to be in the dark. That man practices black magic. Even the Serdes Magic Society has its eye on him."
William finally drew his blade.
"As the Security Force Captain, I can no longer overlook this. Identify yourself. If you don't answer, there will be no further conversation."
Even with a blade at his throat, the man didn't flinch. He looked like someone well-acquainted with putting his life on the line. He carefully reached into his coat and pulled something out.
"I am an investigator for the Golden Eye, an institution directly under the Imperial family."
It was a plaque proving he was a mage belonging to the Empire.
"And at the same time, I serve Crown Prince Alexander."
"Has an investigator come all this way just to throw his weight around with a lowly Security Force Captain?"
"A lowly man? William Miller, you are not someone meant to be treated like this. I already know you were a renowned and promising knight in the Yurei Duchy."
He knew William's identity. William had suspected as much from the moment the man started insulting Ferda.
"So, put down the dagger and let's talk. I have no intention of using force in another's territory, but if you strike first, I won't hesitate to finish it."
"..."
William didn't think he would lose. However, as the Security Force Captain, he couldn't afford to cause a scene. He lowered his dagger, and the man claiming to be an investigator smirked.
"What brings an investigator here?"
"I'm investigating a murder."
"Whose?"
"Someone you know. Young Lord Yurei."
William tensed. A murder was stressful enough, but for the victim to be someone from House Yurei...
"Rumors are circulating that he died in this territory. Did you know?"
"Are you suspecting me?"
"Of course not. I heard you betrayed your lord, but I also know you're not the type of person who could kill that young lord."
"Then I have nothing to say. I haven't seen Young Lord Yurei or his knights."
"I've prepared the questions. Just answer them."
"What?"
The investigator pulled out a device. At first glance, it looked like an ordinary crystal ball, but the mana and spells contained within were extraordinary. Once he finished the setup, he questioned William.
"Let's start with something simple. Is your name William Miller?"
"It is."
As William answered, a green light flickered inside the crystal ball. It was enchanted with a lie-detection spell.
"Were you once a knight apprentice of the Yurei Duchy?"
"I was."
Green.
"And did you come here as the leader of a large group of refugees?"
"I did."
Green.
"Are you satisfied with your position as Security Force Captain?"
"I am."
"Hmm, it doesn't seem so."
A red light appeared.
"You say that, but you can't deceive your heart."
"..."
"A promising knight apprentice reduced to a mere Security Force Captain. You might feel a sense of duty, but do you really think someone who once held a high position can be so easily satisfied?"
"I've never thought such things."
Again, the red light appeared.
William questioned himself. Did he truly have no desire for success? That couldn't be true. William knew it well. Sometimes, he regretted his choices. He thought that if he had just closed his eyes that one time, he wouldn't be suffering like this.
"Do you know what kind of person your lord is?"
"I do."
"And the fact that he is a black mage?"
"..."
His face stiffened at the words 'black mage.' He had never spoken of it to anyone, but he had harbored suspicions. He had felt it intensely when Ferda lost his temper. He had seen that Ferda possessed a Red Circle. Most mages with a Red Circle were black mages. However, it wasn't William's place to judge, so he had pushed the thought aside.
"No answer."
"...I don't know."
The red light returned.
"Even if he is a black mage, it's nothing more than a suspicion in my heart. There is no doubt that he is a man devoted to the Far East."
"Devoted, you say..." The investigator nodded with a serious gaze. "Then, let me ask the next question. What do you think about a black mage with a Red Circle showing mercy?"
As someone who had walked the path of the knightly elite, William could answer that immediately. It was incredibly dangerous. Black mages always had an ulterior motive; their mercy and charity always concealed a vicious blade.
"Do you think Regent Ferda is any different from them?"
There were no exceptions among black mages.
"Black mages are all the same. Policies for the people are like throwing feed to pigs. They eat without knowing anything, only realizing the truth on the day they are slaughtered. They'll realize too late that they should have escaped long ago."
"..."
"Wasn't the reason you fled the Duke of Yurei's embrace to avoid the deaths of innocent people?"
"..."
"If you climbed out of a pit of thorns only to find a pit of fire waiting for you, will you simply submit to that fate?"
William bit his lip hard. It wouldn't matter if he were the only one to die. But imagining the people of Hestia Village suffering made his heart ache. Imagining himself regretting his foolishness was agonizing.
"You are a man of justice. You cannot forgive the injustice before your eyes; you must realize justice, shouldn't you?"
Justice...
William unconsciously looked down at his hand. The spot where the dagger had struck hadn't even fully healed. When the pain flared up, the memory of that moment overlapped with the present.
What Regent Ferda had shown was rage. And the black energy that had enveloped his body.
Yes. On that day, it wouldn't have been strange if Ferda had killed William. The chilling sensation of that moment was still vivid.
What rose up alongside that chill was...
It was anger. That anger still remained in William's heart. Closing his eyes and sinking into thought, William made his decision.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Tomorrow, Regent Ferda will be named as the killer of Young Lord Yurei. You just need to reveal that he is the owner of a Red Circle and a ticking time bomb driven by his emotions. You don't even need to be too direct. Just showing that hand and playing your part will be enough."
He gestured with his chin toward the bandaged hand.
"And what's in it for me?"
The man looked at William as if surprised before answering.
"His Highness the Crown Prince will appoint you as a Guardian Lord. If you don't want to be an Imperial Knight, he'll give you land. You can live there however you wish."
"..."
Receiving land, moving there, and starting a new life. Living while realizing the justice he desired was the dream of every knight, and William was no different.
"...Understood."
"Does that mean you'll cooperate?"
"I will expose his atrocities."
The crystal ball glowed with a green light. The investigator smirked and stood up.
"Then let's move. There is someone waiting more than anyone else to hear that you've agreed to cooperate."
William set down his beer mug and followed the investigator. Since time was short, the investigator moved William with him using teleportation magic.
And now, he stood before the Golden Council.
Only two people were visible to William. His former lord, Duke Yurei. And his current lord, Regent Ferda.
Duke Yurei's gaze was stinging. William thought it was only natural. After the Duke had fed, housed, and trained him, William had betrayed him by siding with rebels.
"Sir William, will you testify regarding Regent Ferda?"
At the chairman's words, William's eyes reflexively turned toward Ferda. The sight of Count Consilus, whose throat kept bobbing as if he were about to vomit rage born of betrayal, stole his attention.
If a close aide was that angry, what about Ferda?
He was watching with his arms crossed. Unlike Consilus, there was no sign of resentment. His gaze was serene and calm. Like a deep lake.
"Regent Ferda is..."
Looking into those eyes, he was certain. Standing on this platform was the right choice.
"...a man who devotes himself to the common people more than anyone else."
* * *
Fortune and ruin pivoted on William’s next words.
The one whose expression changed most overtly was Alexander. His confidant had surely said the persuasion was complete, yet wasn't William now giving testimony that was the exact opposite?
I clearly heard his hand was pierced by a dagger...?
A knight's life is in his hands. Alexander knew how disrespectful and insulting it was to harm them. And William had certainly conveyed that he was furious. As a man who had lived the life of a knight, William shouldn't have been able to forgive Ferda.
Alexander abruptly cut in to stop William from shifting the atmosphere.
"Wait a moment, Sir William!"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"I understand that wound was inflicted by Regent Ferda?"
If William lied and said he fell while drinking, Alexander intended to raise hell, claiming William had broken his oath to tell only the truth.
"That is correct," William admitted readily.
"Isn't harming a knight's hand a grave crime, even for a lord?"
"That is a punishment applied to knights. I am not a knight, but a Security Force Captain. Therefore, it was a punishment I deserved."
Ferda had certainly been emotional then. Even now, when William looked at the back of his hand, the emotions Ferda had felt were vivid.
But nothing happened after that. Even though the Security Force Captain had committed the grave crime of being swayed by emotion and assisting in the kidnapping of the Imperial Princess, Ferda had sought no further accountability.
"Because he limited my punishment for my mistake to only this much, I am grateful for his generosity."
At the same time, a feeling of anger boiled up. It was anger directed at himself for having made such a foolish choice.
"Sir William, you stood here to make a disclosure. If your purpose is to sing praises, please step down from this spot immediately."
"I did indeed come here to make a disclosure."
However, the target was different. The eyes that had been fixed on Ferda now turned toward Duke Yurei.
"The reason I wanted to stand here was to expose the tyranny of Duke Yurei!"
He exposed everything that had happened in the Yurei Duchy, which he had witnessed while following the path of the elite.
"I speak of the true tyrant who refused to take responsibility for his failures, disturbed the people's livelihood with excessive taxes, and treated those who did not submit as traitors to be squeezed dry!"
The tide of public opinion that had been turning against Ferda came to a halt. Consilus's sour expression brightened instantly.
Curious about what Ferda was thinking, as he had shown no reaction at all, Consilus whispered to him.
"Regent, did you know that Captain would do that?"
"A little."
"What do you mean, 'a little'?"
"I wasn't certain either. He came here on his own without telling me."
"If he was going to do that, he should have at least given us a heads-up. He's really putting us through the wringer."
Ferda said he wasn't certain, but he had trusted him. The reason Ferda had brought William along was because of the chivalry in his heart. Because he believed in that chivalry, he had felt the greatest sense of betrayal when William had assisted the Princess's flight.
If William had uttered even a bit of nonsense, Ferda had been prepared to kill him on the spot. But he hadn't. Because that had been a mistake, not intentional.
And Ferda believed that William would not make another mistake. At this moment, that trust was proven. He was still a noble knight.
Alexander was hiding his face. The flesh that couldn't be hidden by his hands was as bright red as a ripe chili pepper. Waldemar must have been equally frustrated, but he showed no sign of agitation. Or perhaps, unlike Alexander, he was just better at hiding it.
While the discussion was in full swing, Akad stepped forward.
"Sir William, such disclosures are well and good, but this is a place to prove Regent Ferda's character. Please speak only to that point, briefly."
At the request to stick to the main point, William answered.
"If Regent Ferda says he did not kill Young Lord Yurei, I believe he did not. And even if he did kill him, there would be a justifiable reason, just as he said."
"...Understood. You may step down."
As William descended, he caught a glimpse of Duke Yurei. The Duke's face was flushed red as he spat out his rage.
"Miller... how dare you... to me..."
"..."
William couldn't answer and remained silent. He couldn't wear a face of relief just because he had made his disclosure. The fact that William had betrayed his former lord remained unchanged.
Thanks to William entering as a hidden ally while pretending to be on the other side, they could no longer treat Ferda recklessly.
Ferda, who had waited in silence, decided to step forward now.
"Digging into my past is all well and good, but why don't we take a more fundamental approach?"
"What do you mean, Regent?"
"The black magic that killed Young Lord Yurei has left traces."
Taking advantage of the momentum, Ferda said to them.
"I request that you investigate the traces of that black magic and uncover the truth."