The Black Eagle (3)
The knights who had been ready to seize Schluss by the shoulders and arms froze on the spot, their faces draining of all color. The icy atmosphere proved they had not misheard. Schluss Heinkel. The emperor had clearly named him as the recipient of the honor.
"Let go."
"Ah... Y-yes!"
At Schluss's lifeless stare, the knights—who had even felt a chill—hurriedly stepped back. He brushed off the places they had touched as though they were filthy, then strode down toward the podium with firm steps. The knights, still unable to fully process the situation, stood there in a daze.
"Knight Commander."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Did you teach your subordinates to barge into an award ceremony and drag out the honoree?"
"I did not. I am truly ashamed, Your Majesty. I will ensure they receive proper discipline."
The commander of the Imperial Knights, seated in the front row, dropped to one knee. He turned and scanned the faces of the knights responsible for the disturbance one by one. Only then did the knights scramble to flee the hall.
They had only meant to quietly remove one insignificant pest who had slipped into the venue. How had it come to this...?
Those guys are fucked...
The knights standing guard all shook their heads and sighed. They would soon come to think that death might be preferable. It had been a long time since the usually mild-mannered commander had looked this furious.
"I greet Your Majesty, Emperor Gustav Friedrich von Freyja."
"Enough. Rise."
Gazing down at Schluss as he knelt on one knee, the emperor felt a flicker of doubt. When Schluss had entered earlier, he had remained seated without standing, leading the emperor to assume he was an ill-mannered commoner. Yet now he appeared to be a man of impeccable discipline and etiquette—hard to believe he was not of noble birth.
Whether he possessed manners or not was anyone's guess.
"In recognition of your feat in subduing Crow Henderson, I bestow this medal upon you."
Schluss's lips parted, then hesitated. In a situation where he should have been prostrating himself in gratitude, what was he doing? At that moment, his eyes slid sideways, fixing on a particular spot. That direction was unmistakably where his granddaughter sat.
Sensing the gaze, the imperial granddaughter offered him a bright smile.
"...Yes. I shall accept it with gratitude."
Schluss answered as though letting out a small sigh. As if he were accepting it only reluctantly. Gustav nearly let out a hollow laugh at the absurdity. Only now did he begin to understand what his granddaughter had meant. Schluss Heinkel truly was an insane bastard.
A court lady approached with a wooden box, opened it, and revealed a brilliantly gleaming piece of metal inside. The moment the emperor lifted the medal, the nobles' eyes widened.
The Black Eagle...?!
The medal engraved with a black eagle—the highest military merit decoration any citizen of the empire could receive. The lifelong pension and various privileges that came with it were merely afterthoughts. The fact that fewer than a hundred people had ever received it throughout the empire's history proved its true worth. It was so rare that only one living recipient remained: former Marshal Sergei von Pruist.
"The day the imperial family has long awaited has finally arrived. I offer you my thanks."
"It was nothing of that magnitude."
At Schluss's indifferent reply, the nobles were aghast. He might have intended it as humility, but the statement essentially disparaged the imperial police, the palace guard, and the knight order—all of whom had failed to capture Henderson.
The emperor personally placed the ribbon around Schluss's neck. When he stepped back, the Black Eagle hanging at Schluss's chest displayed its radiant form. An uncomfortable silence settled over the entire hall.
Clap... Clap...
Then, from the very back where the attendants waited, a small sound of applause arose. Only then did the nobles begin exchanging glances. One by one they rose and joined in the ovation. No matter that the recipient was a commoner, the value of the Black Eagle remained unchanged. Ignoring Schluss here would be tantamount to slighting every hero who had ever received it.
Therefore, though their hearts were not in it, they paid tribute to the birth of a new hero with greater fervor than ever before.
The applause gradually subsided and finally ceased only after the emperor and Schluss had shaken hands.
"I expect many of you have questions regarding the grounds for this award. You may ask the man himself and resolve your doubts directly."
"...?"
At the emperor's words, court attendants quickly ascended the podium and set up a lectern before Schluss. He turned with a faintly dumbfounded expression to look at the imperial granddaughter. She merely smiled at him again.
She's telling me to go fuck myself, isn't she?
It was immediately obvious that this question-and-answer session had been arranged at her suggestion. A standard military merit award ceremony had no such segment.
Schluss could only sigh and face forward once more.
"Anyone with a question, please raise your hand..."
In that instant, hands shot up across the hall like bamboo after rain, accompanied by a sound like a rushing gale.
I had lost count of how many times I cursed Aria inside my head. The barrage of questions showed no sign of ending, forcing me to answer almost nonstop for a full hour.
How exactly had I caught Crow Henderson? What magic had I used? How had Henderson countered with magic? What conversation had we exchanged? The questions came one after another without pause, leaving me no time to even catch my breath.
The one saving grace was that most of them were questions I had already been asked repeatedly during the previous investigation, so I made no verbal slips.
"Drink some water while you speak."
"Thanks..."
When I glanced sideways, Emilia was already standing there holding a canteen. No matter how often I reminded myself she was someone who could plant a knife in the back of my head at any moment, she was reassuring at times like these.
I took a swig, then wiped the sweat from my forehead with the handkerchief she handed me. By now only a few hands remained raised in the hall. Just a little longer.
"I will take the next question."
......I ended up answering for another full hour after that.
While questions continued to pour forth in the hall and everyone's attention was fixed on the podium, one figure slipped out unnoticed.
Covered by a white veil, the person walked alone down the corridor.
They were making such a fuss about how incredible he was, so I came out to see for myself...
Schluss Heinkel. I had heard the name so often my ears felt calloused. A superhuman who had appeared like a comet in the world of magic. Perhaps even a human comparable to a Ma-in. People who normally never praised anyone had spoken of him in glowing terms, so I had grown curious. I had even ended my three-year seclusion to come see him.
But he's not all that impressive.
The result, however, was bitterly disappointing. Schluss Heinkel certainly possessed some extraordinary qualities. But that was all. Merely a human who stood out a little among his kind. That was how the figure assessed him.
What exactly are they seeing that makes them call him so great?
Grumbling inwardly while leaving the building—
"Waah!"
"......"
Someone suddenly thrust an arm into the air and shouted. It was the very person who had spoken so highly of Schluss Heinkel: Alexia, the board chairman of the Imperial Academy.
She had meant to startle him, but his lack of reaction left her looking awkward as she lowered her arm. She had been about to rest her hand on top of her head as though using it for an armrest, but the violent rejection forced her to abandon the idea.
"Hehe. How was he, Tir? It was just as I said, right?"
"No. Honestly, he fell short of my expectations."
"Huh? Why? What were you expecting?"
"You said he was comparable to a Ma-in."
"Come on! That was obviously an exaggeration! How could a human possibly contend with a Ma-in!"
"......"
Even with the hood concealing her face, Alexia could practically feel the glare and flinched slightly.
"Yes. Humans are incomplete. Weak. They break so easily. That is why they inevitably crave faith."
He lifted the white veil as he spoke. A youthful face with blue hair was revealed—the face of a Ma-in. She was known as Tilpitz among the Ma-ins and as the Great Sage among humans.
"If I had remained at the church, I could have guided at least ten such lambs onto the proper path. Instead, thanks to Alexia, I've wasted an entire day."
"Ahaha! Sorry! Sorry! Still, you're still going by Great Sage or whatever it is!"
"...There are simply too many lost souls in this world. It would be pitiful to leave them all wandering."
Tilpitz was said to possess an extraordinary insight that pierced the true nature of the world and an enlightenment that had reached an entirely different plane. Dozens of people sought her teachings every day after hearing the rumors. She turned none of them away, striving to guide them onto the right path by borrowing the power of human religion.
No matter how one looked at it, relying on religion was hardly an ideal solution. Yet for those who lacked the robust bodies and minds of Ma-ins, faith could sometimes serve as a miraculous remedy. In recognition of that achievement, the Holy See had bestowed upon her the title of Sage—though among the people she was called the Great Sage.
"Honestly! Tir's love for humanity is as consistent as ever!"
"What? No, not at all? I'm only doing it for my own personal satisfaction."
"Yes, yes. Of course you are!"
"Stop being sarcastic!"
When Tilpitz suddenly raised her voice in anger, Alexia couldn't help bursting into laughter. The sight of the Great Sage losing her temper was something only she in the entire world was likely to witness.
"That aside, I still don't understand what's supposed to be so great about that boy named Schluss Heinkel."
"Really? Even though he's the one who killed Henderson—the very person you told me to watch out for?"
"I admit he is somewhat outstanding. But his limits are far too obvious. Blind and deaf. It seems he perceives the world through mana, but human mana sensitivity can hardly fully replace eyes and ears. His victory over Henderson must have been nothing more than a fluke."
"Hmm... So that's what you think, Tir!"
"Yes. Is there a problem?"
"Not at all! None whatsoever!"
Alexia smiled faintly and walked ahead. It was the kind of smile she wore when hiding something, so Tilpitz followed with a distinctly uneasy feeling.
Tir's predictions always miss the mark.
Meanwhile, Alexia hummed to herself as she thought, Tilpitz excels at seeing through the essence of things and interpreting them, but she always fails when it comes to predicting the future. Therefore, her assessment that Schluss has clear limits is practically a guarantee that the opposite will happen.
I'm so excited to see how far he'll grow!
Besides, there was one thing about Schluss that Tilpitz did not know. A mental fortitude comparable to a Ma-in—perhaps even surpassing them. Schluss had been the first person to step into the barrier of fear and remain completely unfazed. Even Alexia herself would flinch slightly at the illusions of her kin dying inside it.
If supported by such unshakable mental strength, just how far could human talent reach? The thought that Schluss might provide the answer to a question she had carried her entire life made Alexia's heart race with anticipation.