Chapter 75
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 75
That was all the money the child had.
It was nowhere near enough to buy candy, a luxury typically reserved for the nobility.
"Medicine is too expensive... but candy makes the pain go away. I wish I could at least have some of that."
"I see."
Healing magic was undeniably expensive, and refined pills were twice as costly—a price commoners couldn't even dream of. It was certainly not something a young child like this could ever afford.
"Who are you, big sister?"
The child, lost in the conversation, finally looked up and asked the girl. At the question, the girl pondered for a moment, then slipped her hands into her pockets and flashed the same smile as before.
"I'm a magician."
With that, she held out her palms to the child. After showing that her hands were empty, the girl wrapped her arms around the child as if giving a hug.
Then, she lightly tapped the back of the child's neck with her slender fingers. Startled, the child looked back. In that brief moment, the girl's hands were already back in front of the child.
The child’s gaze followed her hands, and their eyes widened in shock. On her palms, which had been completely empty just a moment ago, now rested two gold coins.
"Here. They came from you, so they're both yours."
The girl smiled. The child remained frozen, still unable to process what had just happened.
The girl pressed the gold coins firmly into the child's hands, patted their head, and stood up.
She then walked into the shop the child had been staring at, bought a few pieces of candy, and handed two of them to the child.
"Now that you have candy, you can use the money to buy medicine. I'm busy, so I have to go."
Slipping a candy into her own mouth, the girl waved and disappeared into the crowd.
The child bowed deeply in the direction she had gone.
*
Leaving Lamelda Alley, the girl made her way to the main street. Although the radial streets of Riaze all looked similar, a few landmark buildings helped with navigation.
By absolute law, no structure in Riaze—save for the city walls—could be taller than the Imperial Palace. In other words, a building's height was a direct representation of its authority.
The girl walked with her eyes fixed on the tallest building in the city, second only to the Imperial Palace. That was her destination.
The Dungeon Subjugation Union Headquarters.
In the deepest room of that very building.
The girl, the Hero of the Empire, Uin Historia, flung the door wide open.
"Ar, I'm back!"
Ar, captain of the Edelbreas Black Wolf Knights and the man entrusted with command of the Dungeon Subjugation Union Headquarters, raised his head slightly.
He frowned at Uin, but his hands never stopped moving, busily processing documents. His gaze shifted from her down to the paper bag in her hand.
"...Lady Uin. Where have you been? You disappeared without reporting in."
"You would've just said no if I'd told you I was leaving. I just went for a quick walk, so don't worry. More importantly, Ar, I bought candy!"
Ignoring Uin's cheerful tone, Ar seemed to lose interest in the bag and calmly lowered his head.
"I am fine."
"What? They say eating sweets helps you concentrate. Don't tell me you think that's just some baseless rumor?"
"It is not that. I have just finished my work, so there is no need."
"You're so prickly, Ar."
Uin grumbled as she threw herself onto the sofa and stretched her arms out. Paying no attention to the skin her loose dress left exposed, Ar simply tapped the stack of papers against his desk to neaten them.
Only after tidying up the cluttered desk did Ar turn his gaze back to Uin, who was lying on the sofa.
"Is your body feeling alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fully recovered. I could head out for a dungeon subjugation right now."
"That is a relief."
His tone, once strictly businesslike, now held a hint of genuine emotion as it echoed in the room.
Her recovery speed was unbelievable. She possessed a body capable of healing from injuries so severe they should have left her permanently paralyzed.
Even Ar, who knew Uin was a monster in her own right, hadn't expected a complete recovery.
After her brutal defeat at the hands of Swallow, every bone in her body should have been shattered, leaving her barely recognizable as human.
...Has she truly received some kind of divine blessing?
Hiding his true thoughts, Ar smiled—a chillingly artificial expression, holding nothing but pretense.
"...However, for now, it would be best to at least pretend you are still recuperating. In our current situation, there is nothing to gain from letting the Imperial Family know how quickly you recover."
The 'Black Disaster' incident two months ago had made one thing certain: Uin Historia was the only person with even a slim chance of standing against Swallow.
Swallow was an existence that threatened the very peace of the Empire. Having witnessed with his own eyes that the monster possessed human-level intelligence, Ar knew it was imperative to prepare for the disaster's return.
He could not allow a card like Uin to fall into the hands of the Imperial Family. He had to keep her as far from their attention as possible.
"...I am simply asking you to be careful. That aside, Lady Uin, would you like some tea?"
Ar changed the subject, attempting to lighten the mood. As if in petty revenge for him rejecting her candy, Uin curled her lips into a smirk and shook her head.
Flashing another artificial smile at her, Ar took a teacup from the shelf.
As he checked the inside of the cup, his expression stiffened.
It was spotlessly clean, without a single speck of dust.
"..."
Narrowing his eyes in displeasure, Ar slid the cup back onto the shelf and spoke.
"Lady Uin, is everyone currently gathered?"
"Yeah, everyone's here, including Garot."
"Then, though it is earlier than scheduled, let us begin. I will be there shortly, so could you go on ahead, Lady Uin?"
Uin, who had been about to tease him, noted his unusually serious tone, nodded, and left the room.
Glancing back at the shelf as if unable to shake his displeasure, Ar quickly gathered a few documents and stepped out.
The moment Ar opened the door, a man waiting outside immediately fell into step behind him. He was a green-haired young man in his late teens, a member of the Edelbreas Black Wolf Knights who served as Ar's escort.
Before heading to the grand conference room, Ar first sought out the head maid.
He made an unannounced visit to the maids' breakroom. As soon as he entered, he asked who had cleaned the tableware in his office.
After a brief, tense exchange of glances among the maids, one of them finally answered.
"There is no need to be so frightened," Ar said. "I merely came to express my gratitude for your meticulous care in cleaning even the rarely used teacups."
The tense maid let out a sigh of relief. Ar promised her a generous reward and continued on his way without pause, his silver uniform—worn only on official occasions—fluttering behind him.
Only when they reached a quiet corridor, empty of anyone but the two of them, did Ar whisper to his escort knight.
"...You remember that maid's face, don't you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Dispose of her in exactly four days, at dawn."
Thousands of confidential documents were piled in his office. Among them was information critical enough to reshape the political landscape of the Empire.
Cleaning the tableware without his permission meant she could have browsed those documents when no one was watching.
He didn't care how sloppily the previous Subjugation Union Headquarters had been managed. But as long as he was the acting deputy, it was something he could not overlook.
"..."
He halted his hurried steps. Standing before the massive doors of the grand conference room, Ar paused to take a single, deep breath.
Just as the guards stationed at the door were about to move, confused by his sudden stop, Ar abruptly flung the doors open.
A vast space.
A massive round table at its center.
Dozens of people seated around it.
There were familiar faces like the 'Hero' Uin and the 'Pursuer' Garot, along with the officers of the Edelbreas Black Wolf Knights, which Ar himself captained.
From high-ranking officers of large-scale subjugation squads rooted in the Imperial Nine Families, to elite guilds formed by retired warriors of the Imperial Guard.
A force representing more than half of the Empire's entire military might was gathered in this very room.
And every single one of them was looking at Ar.
Despite the naturally tense situation, Ar's eyes remained perfectly steady. If anything, he was calmer than usual, his gaze exceptionally clear.
The looks directed at him were diverse, ranging from respect and awe to jealousy, hatred, and even confusion as to why he was standing there at all.
Ar accepted all of their gazes.
—No, he was looking down on all of them.
"As you all well know, two great dangers currently threaten the Empire," he began.
In the windowless, stifling conference room, only Ar's voice echoed.
"One strikes from the outside, while the other festers from within."
"First, I have something to tell you regarding the external threat to the Empire, the 'Black Disaster' Swallow."
Though his words were devoid of emotion, the expressions of those listening shifted dramatically.
Most of them reacted with surprise.
"Surely, none of you actually believed the official announcement that the disaster which descended upon Riaze wasn't Swallow?"
Since he had fully anticipated this reaction, Ar pressed on, pausing just long enough for someone to respond.
As expected, a question immediately flew from the crowd.
"Deputy, the Imperial Court officially announced that the 'Black Disaster is not Swallow.' Are you now contradicting the stance of the Imperial Family?"
Currently, Ar was the deputy entrusted with full authority over the Dungeon Subjugation Union Headquarters. Of everyone in this room, he was the one who served the Emperor's will most closely.
—And yet, here he was, denying the Imperial Family's official stance.
The man who had aggressively questioned him was Kart, the captain of the Nixir Red Dragon Subjugation Squad. Befitting his squad's name, his rugged features were framed by crimson armor. Glancing sideways at Kart, Ar replied with his usual smile.
"Are you incapable of grasping His Imperial Majesty's deeper intentions?"
"What?"
Kart's eyebrows twitched. Refusing to give him time to react, Ar pressed on without pause.
"We are the ones who protect the people. We must not view events through the same lens as the common citizenry. Instead of taking everything at face value, should we not seek the underlying truth?"
"What are you trying to say?"
"Does His Imperial Majesty need to send us a secret decree that reads, 'The Black Disaster was, in fact, Swallow,' for you to finally understand?"
His smile finally vanished, his expression screaming, You fool, as he delivered another provocative remark.
"The announcement that it was not Swallow was meant to reassure the citizens, not us. Between revealing the truth and stabilizing the populace to suppress chaos, His Imperial Majesty naturally chose the latter."
"...Then where is your proof that the 'Black Disaster' is Swallow?"
"I saw it with my own eyes."
"I cannot believe that."
"The Hero, Uin Historia, fought him directly, and the Pursuer, Garot Azaneljia, had to sacrifice her arm. I can understand if Lord Kart doubts my word out of loyalty to His Imperial Majesty, but are you now doubting the Hero as well?"
Kart shifted his gaze. A glance at the young, sky-blue-haired Hero sitting far away—Uin Historia—was enough to see the truth in his words.
Unable to find a counterargument, Kart reluctantly turned his head away.
"Let me ask everyone here. Did you see the state of those who fought the Black Disaster that day? Did you see the corpses of the Languer Blue Crane Subjugation Squad, including Lord Kasper? Not a single body was left intact; they were all pierced and devoured until they were unrecognizable. Now, Captain of the Nixir Red Dragon Subjugation Squad. I wonder, what form do you imagine disaster takes? Surely, it is something that pierces and devours, is it not?"
Once again, a gentle smile graced Ar's face. However, only the officers of the Edelbreas Black Wolf Knights could tell that the corners of his mouth were curled slightly higher than usual.
"Ah. Or perhaps you have yet to attend the joint funeral for the fallen? Have you simply turned a blind eye to the final moments of those who died for this country? You, who should be paying respect to your predecessors and taking up their duty to protect the Empire?"
"That is enough, Deputy."
Another voice spoke up from the opposite side of the round table.
"...Let us return to the main topic."
Concluding his point at the solemn request, Ar flashed another bright smile, so artificial that anyone could see right through it.
"The point is, there was no warning before the Black Disaster, Swallow, descended upon us. Which means he can threaten the Empire again at any moment."