Chapter 14
I couldn't help but marvel at the sight of the Chrysis Ducal Residence, which I'd reached in just five minutes thanks to mana-powered waves.
The imperial palace and the Sun Temple can take a hike.
I'd known the Chrysis family was a force to be reckoned with, rivaling even the palace and temple, but seeing this palace-like mansion up close still left me stunned.
What should I do?
I hesitated as I approached the entrance. Armed knights stood guard at the gates. Just as I was racking my brain for a way to get them to let me in...
"Gasp! Lady Mir?"
Making my worries irrelevant, the knights spotted me pacing and greeted me with beaming faces.
"......That's me."
"We've been informed! It's an honor to meet you! Please, follow us. We'll escort you inside!"
I gave a lukewarm nod of confirmation, and the knights' faces flushed with excitement, like puppies wagging their tails as they eagerly led the way.
Stumbling a bit at their unexpectedly warm reception, I followed them without protest.
"We were over the moon when we heard you'd be helping with the magic beast subjugation in Luju Village! I've been dying to meet you, Lady Mir!"
"......Is that so."
"Truth be told, this is my first beast subjugation, so I was worried. But knowing you'll be with us makes it so much more reassuring!"
"Mm...... I'll do my best."
The two knights chattered nonstop the whole way. I awkwardly nodded along to their flood of praise, but a question nagged at me.
Knights usually despise mercenaries.
Knights, who earned their titles through grueling training, often looked down on mercenaries who swung their swords only for coin.
I'd braced myself for dirty looks since I'd be traveling with the knight order...... but these two weren't just free of malice—they were showering me with enough praise to compose an epic saga. It was bewildering.
"Where are we headed right now?"
My face was already burning under the mask, and I feared my exposed neck would turn red if I heard any more flattery, so I hurriedly changed the subject.
"Ah, we haven't told you. We're taking you to the drawing room."
"The drawing room?"
They're escorting a commoner mercenary whose identity they don't even know into the ducal drawing room?
I knew how nobles scorned mercenaries, so this was baffling.
The brown-haired knight smiled brightly at my shock.
"The Duke wishes to meet you, Lady Mir."
I fiddled absently with the teacup filled with black tea, then hastily set it down before I chipped it. Sitting rigidly in the drawing room chair, I stole sidelong glances at the man standing watch beside me.
The elderly man, who had introduced himself as Taylor, the head butler of the Chrysis ducal household, met my eyes with a kindly smile. But his warmth felt awkward, so I lowered my gaze subtly.
"Why does the Duke want to see me?"
I'd been sitting there blankly, so to ease the awkwardness, I ventured the question.
Taylor smiled gently.
"Well, I merely follow orders, so I wouldn't know...... but since you're a Sword Master like the Duke, perhaps he's simply curious."
That devil duke? Curious about me?
I made a dubious face, even though it came from the head butler. Kaiser Crisis, the pinnacle of martial prowess who commanded the empire's military authority and led the Black Dragon Knight Order—a force rivaling the imperial knights. He was infamous for his demonic temperament.
They say dozens die in the ducal household every day because of his cruelty.
But the atmosphere here didn't suggest that. I glanced at the serene-faced Taylor and let out a deep sigh.
I had no right to refuse an audience with the Duke as a commoner mercenary, so this was inevitable. I was just tense, unable to fathom his intentions.
I hope he doesn't declare me the empire's strongest Sword Master and demand a duel the moment he sees me.
Connoisseurs of power loved ranking the continent's top ten strongest. Among them, five Sword Master candidates, three officially recognized by the empire.
The Red Sword Ghost, the Golden Justice, the Black Calamity.
Kaiser Crisis, Noah Ainheart, and me, in that order.
He might want to test himself against another imperial Sword Master.
With nothing known about him, my futile worries only multiplied. I sighed deeply.
Even in the original story, info on Crisis was scarce. He held the vague position of male lead's father and died shortly after the war began.
Rumors paint him as a peerless devil...... there's some truth to it, but street gossip is often exaggerated.
Either way, he's undeniably dangerous.
I swallowed hard. Tension stiffened my lips without me realizing.
They called Kaiser Crisis the Sword Ghost who left red paths wherever he went, a master of slaughter. How much of his violent, cruel nature was true? No smoke without fire—he might turn savage the instant we met.
I'll grovel. Bow low, no question.
I glanced at the sword at my waist, vowing over and over that I absolutely wouldn't draw it today.
"Lady Mir."
"Y-yes?"
I startled at the sudden voice, stumbling over my words.
Taylor, still wearing his gentle expression, smiled softly.
"Forgive the abrupt question, but has anyone in your lineage ever been part of the Chrysis Ducal Household?"
How?
Taylor dropped the bombshell in his mild tone. I froze in shock.
My father was Kaiser, so I probably resembled him. But I was wearing a mask now. Taylor couldn't guess my bloodline from my looks.
Mouth agape, I said nothing, then felt him studying me intently and quickly schooled my expression.
I shook my head calmly.
"No. I'm a commoner."
"I see. But...... it's peculiar."
The elder's eyes, wise with years, bored into me. Just as I wanted to look away, Taylor chuckled lightly.
"Those eyes aren't something you see every day."
......Eyes?
I furrowed my brow slightly. I couldn't read Taylor's intent in bringing up my eyes out of nowhere. As I eyed him suspiciously, his smile unchanging...
My body tensed instinctively at the approach of a powerhouse.
I whipped my head toward the door.
Click.
The door opened.
Black uniform hugging a taut frame. An aura that dominated the air just by entering. A languid yet menacing presence, like a sated beast.
Short black curls. Beneath sharply upturned eyes, ruby-red irises gleamed.
His breathtakingly handsome face was chillingly cold.
"Please pay your respects. This is Duke Kaiser Crisis."
Kaiser Crisis.
My father.
I locked eyes with him—red eyes lazily half-lidded, like a beast bored with life. Meeting those crimson depths, forged from utter apathy, sent a chill to my bones.
"Hah."
Kaiser exhaled a breath like a hollow chuckle through his teeth. His gaze narrowed on me.
I stiffened under his piercing stare, then snapped to my senses.
"......I greet Your Grace. I am Mir, a mercenary."
I dropped to one knee, bowing deeply in respect, but no reply came from Kaiser. Wondering what was up, I peeked up to see him blinking slowly, then nodding.
"......Rise. You may sit."
I gave a curt bow and sat, tense as a board. Kaiser took the seat across from me.
"Then I'll take my leave."
Catching Kaiser's eye signal sharply, Taylor bowed and exited the drawing room.
Alone with Kaiser, the air grew unbearably heavy.
"You."
He stared at me so intensely it was burdensome, then slowly parted his lips.
"Pretty eyes."
"......Pardon?"
I blinked, thinking I'd misheard, but no correction came. Kaiser simply regarded me silently.
......Out of nowhere? Complimenting my eyes?
Taylor had mentioned them too, and now Kaiser—it was odd.
Are my eyes some kind of hit in the ducal house?...... Nah, pointless thought.
My eyes weren't pretty anyway.
They glow with that creepy fluorescent pink.
I was the only one around with red-tinted eyes like that. I'd heard they were weird more than once or twice, so Kaiser's words even felt like high-level sarcasm.
"Th-thank you."
But it was a compliment, nominally, so I couldn't show displeasure. I was just a commoner mercenary; he was a duke.
I thanked him awkwardly, and Kaiser, still staring, let out a faint breath.
"I didn't call you here for anything unseemly, so relax."
His face remained icily impassive, but the attempt to put me at ease sounded almost kind. For someone who'd been pondering evasion angles to seem polite if a sword flew my way, it was embarrassing.
Maybe the rumors are overstated......
I observed him naturally as I tilted my teacup. The rumored Kaiser was a demon spawn who'd sold his soul to the demon king to destroy the world, so if that were true, this would be the surprise.
He set down his cup and looked me straight in the eye.
"I sought you out because I have a question."
"What is it?"
I narrowed my brow faintly. I couldn't guess what Kaiser might want to ask me.
He lingered on my eyes for a moment before speaking.
"Why did you take this commission?"
"Pardon?"
I tilted my head, not grasping the point, and he elaborated.
"You know Luju Village's beast subjugation is tough. And this job doesn't pay well. A mercenary like you, Black Calamity Mir, surely has better options. So why this one?"
......Is he mocking me as a sucker?
Unsure how to reply, I hesitated, and he added,
"It's not a test. I've been curious for a while. They say mercenary Mir helps poor villages with beast subjugations for free. Why do that?"
'For a while' means he's known about me before.
It felt strange that he'd taken an interest in me—a mercenary, not even his daughter. I'd only started paying attention to him because I knew he was my father.
"Why take on such a hassle?"
His indifferent eyes held genuine curiosity. He seemed not to grasp the idea of helping people at all.
Yeah, why do I?
I pondered anew why I lived like this. After a pause, I slowly opened my mouth.
"I don't really know myself."
"......You don't know?"
I nodded heavily.
"I worked hard, got strong...... and once I was, I started seeing the weak around me. Villages that hire lots of mercenaries and safely weather every winter. Villages that can't afford it and endlessly haul out corpses."
The current emperor and pope were hailed as sage rulers, the capital always at peace—but the empire wasn't a utopia.
Those inevitably marginalized by the law. Remote villages denied aid due to noble corruption. In this praised era of peace, people cast aside like outsiders.
I was one of them.
"The empire's highborn seem indifferent to them...... and I'm not steadfast enough to ignore the blood of the innocent."
If I'd been born in another world, maybe it'd be different—but I knew this world was humanity's best effort.
Even if that best was evil, it was still the best.
"Those with power bear responsibility for it. This is what I must do."
I met Kaiser's red eyes head-on. This was my best.
I couldn't bring world peace, but I could protect the lives before me. That was the greatest good I could manage.