Chapter 219
Chapter 219
"Yes. Did you meet him?"
"...Yes."
"What did he say? Was he repentant?"
How could he repent for a crime he didn't commit?
Instead of voicing his thoughts, the Sword Duke chose to seal his lips.
But even that seemed to convey his meaning, as the King snorted and gritted his teeth.
"Still stubborn as ever, just like the traitor he is! Hah! With such clear evidence, and yet he still denies it?"
The "evidence" the King spoke of was nothing more than poison found in his wine cup, the testimony of some nameless assassin guild underling who claimed Logan had purchased it, and circumstantial evidence.
'And that underling conveniently died after confessing.'
Could the King truly believe such flimsy evidence?
How had things come to this?
Frustration welled up, and the Sword Duke couldn't hold back his thoughts any longer.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty, but if Logan truly intended to assassinate you, you would already be dead."
"You were there! He couldn't act further because you were present!"
"Logan walked into prison willingly. And in that moment, not even I could have stopped him. Your Majesty, I beg you to reconsider."
"Then what?! Are you suggesting, like the baseless rumors in the streets, that I poisoned myself?!"
His eyes burned red. His pupils trembled.
By no means did they look like the eyes of a sane man.
'What am I supposed to do?'
The Sword Duke could only pound his chest in frustration as the same pointless conversation repeated itself day after day.
And then, that night.
Logan received an unexpected visitor.
Creak.
At the sound of the iron bars sliding open, Logan, who had been meditating while facing the wall, sprang to his feet like lightning.
A figure emerged from the darkness and stepped inside the cell.
"I regret that we must meet under these circumstances, Lord Logan. I had hoped for a more favorable opportunity..."
"You are...?"
Logan's eyes narrowed as the visitor bowed deeply toward him.
"I am Cleo Riverwind, Head of the Inner Palace Guards. I've seen you from afar before."
Cleo.
Logan knew exactly who he was.
He was only pretending ignorance because the situation was suspicious.
'Why is this bastard here...?'
According to his master, this man had been leading the charge in supporting the King's demand for Logan's punishment.
And yet, here he was now—
"Is that so? Then what is this about? Does the Head of the Inner Palace Guards have the authority to pardon criminals?"
What's your game, you bastard?
Logan's sharp gaze flicked toward the open cell door before locking back onto Cleo.
The man, wearing a pained expression, hastily waved his hands before producing a small key with a strange smile.
"Of course not. I merely... borrowed this key without the guards' notice."
The key was far too ornate for a mere restraint device, shimmering with a faint blue glow.
But precisely because of that, Logan knew it was genuine.
That key was the only artifact capable of unlocking the Transcendent-grade shackles currently binding him.
Yet Logan remained unmoved.
The artifact shackles suppressing his Force and immobilizing his entire body were meaningless to him.
Unlike other Force users or Transcendents, Logan's power was concentrated in his heart—far too strong for such a weak artifact to restrain.
"Abusing your authority? For my sake?"
His calm expression seemed to catch Cleo off guard.
The man's eyes flickered slightly before he hurriedly continued.
"Yes. I couldn't bear to see a hero like you meet such a meaningless end."
"Ha... So you're helping me for that?"
"I may be insignificant, but that's precisely why I admire heroes like you. His Majesty seems determined, so this is the least I can do."
"His Majesty is determined, you say?"
"Though my position is humble, I've heard things while serving His Majesty. He has mentioned executing you. Naturally, I felt compelled to act quickly."
Wasn't that your own suggestion?
Tch.
"If I wanted to escape, do you really think these bars could stop me? Leave. I appreciate the sentiment, but I won't accept your offer."
"...Excuse me?"
"I trust my master. I have no intention of becoming a traitor by accepting your proposal."
Cleo paled as Logan's piercing gaze shot through the darkness, instinctively taking a step back.
The man's expression twisted before he bowed again.
"Ah... My apologies. I acted rashly. Hearing His Majesty's words made me panic... But can the Sword Duke truly stop him? If it's the monarch's order, wouldn't he obediently die?"
"Enough! If you're not here to sow discord, then leave."
Whatever his scheme was, Logan had no intention of playing along.
No—if the man wanted him to escape, then staying put was the better option.
Just as Logan turned away—
"It pains me to see someone so highly regarded by the Empire treated like this in his homeland. If you change your mind, please make use of this. I'll leave it here."
Logan glanced back to see Cleo placing something on the ground.
Alongside the artifact shackle key was a thin leather-bound object.
At a glance, it looked like some kind of diagram.
"A blueprint of the underground prison and the royal palace. I've also included the guard rotation logs. Should the need arise, please refer to them."
Logan watched silently as the man bowed and hurried away, lost in thought.
'He's pushing me to escape. The moment I do, I become a traitor. Does he want me to fight the King? Why?'
To call it a "fight" was generous—the only thing the King had over him was legitimacy.
The current disparity in military strength between the royal family and House MacLaine was laughable. Wanting Logan to fight the King was practically wishing for the King's death.
Cleo's unexpected visit shattered Logan's initial assumption that he was just another sycophant clinging to power.
'He's not just some bootlicker seeking influence?'
The more he thought about it, the more intrigued he became.
What the hell is this guy's deal?
Logan had no choice but to spend the night lost in thought.
'One thing's certain—I can't move now.'
Not playing into the enemy's hands was basic tactics.
If the enemy's unknown scheme involved his escape—
'I can't give them what they want.'
But just as he steeled his resolve—
The very next day, that resolve was shaken.
It started with a note slipped under his meal tray by a guard.
Written in the Grandia Liberation Front's cipher—the same one he had arranged with Damian.
War?
His father?
Logan frowned, but what followed was even more shocking.
'What?!'
An unbelievable story.
But that wasn't all.
"What is this...?"
Logan's mind spun.
A kidnapping attempt on Hamar, thwarted only after Clayton noticed his absence and barely managed to intercept it at the city walls?
The sheer audacity of the claim left him stunned.
And worse—it didn't end there.
The moment he read it, Logan knew.
'The King's doing.'
The only factions in the kingdom capable of mobilizing such forces were House MacLaine, House Esperanza, and—though numerically inferior—the royal family, which still had nominal access to elite personnel.
'And the Royal Magic Tower.'
The rest of the message only confirmed his suspicions.
Snap.
'Lock me up and destabilize MacLaine? The King has no intention of letting this go.'
Logan couldn't help but grow restless.
And if execution was being discussed, his master wouldn't just stand by either.
'One last conversation. One last attempt.'
He soothed his agitation with that resolve—
And that night, just as expected, his master visited again.
"Master. What's the situation? I heard my execution date is being discussed?"
The Sword Duke, his face haggard, shook his head at Logan's blunt question.
"Who told you that...? Tch. Yes, His Majesty is being... inflexible. But I'm still persuading him. Just wait a little longer."
"Why not take a stronger stance, Master?"
"A stronger stance?"
"If you mobilized the Esperanza Knights—"
"Logan! That would cross the line. It would mean forcing His Majesty's hand through sheer power. That's not a subject's duty."
Today, more than ever, his master's words felt unbearably frustrating. Logan's expression hardened on its own.
"Just endure a little longer. I'm persuading His Majesty. Even if it takes time, I swear on my honor that no harm will come to you."
Logan could only sigh and bow his head.
Yes.
That was just like him.
"...Master, when do you think His Majesty will release me?"
"...If I persuade him well, it should be soon."
"Before I die, perhaps?"
"Logan. That's—"
"Face reality, Master. If you only try to persuade His Majesty with words, he will never release me!"
"He's not so unreasonable, Logan."
"No. Forgive me, but the one refusing to see reason is you, Master."
"Logan!!"
He flinched at his master's furious roar, but today, he couldn't back down.
"When consumed by conviction, one believes it as absolute truth. No matter what others say, they refuse to accept reality. Religion is like that. So are ideologies."
"Are you lecturing me now—?"
"Master. The moment I'm freed from here, I will have His Majesty imprisoned. And I will ensure he never interferes in politics again."
"You—!!!"
Thud!
A roar infused with the might of a high-tier Aura User shook the underground prison, eliciting a scream from the guard outside.
But Logan merely furrowed his brow slightly before locking eyes with his master, his gaze blazing.
"Is that how a subject should—?!"
"That's what everyone will think!!"
This time, Logan's shout rattled the dungeon.
The guard had already fainted, leaving only a faint groan behind, but this was no time to worry about him.
Expression hardened, Logan stared at his master and spoke each word with deliberate clarity.
"Everyone will think that. They'll see it as the bare minimum of retaliation. By all common sense."
"Such blasphemous—"
"Or some might imagine I'd do worse. Especially His Majesty."
Personally, I'd love to.
He left that last part unsaid, but his master's face stiffened further.
"You—are you saying—?"
"Yes. His Majesty believes that if I'm freed, he's finished. And precisely because of that, he will never release me."
"I will—"
"Master. Face reality. I respect the nobility of your ideals, but they will never align with reality!"
"There are principles that must be upheld..."
His master's voice trembled faintly, his face looking even more haggard in an instant.
The sight pained Logan, but he couldn't back down now.
"I don't know why His Majesty did this. But one thing is clear—he's backed himself into a corner!"
"Logan..."
"Yes. Let me be blunt. Unless His Majesty wishes to die, he cannot release me. See the truth, Master!"
The Sword Duke's expression darkened under Logan's relentless pressure.
'I trust you will remain unharmed. The Sword Duke's prolonged audience with the King suggests... (omitted) ...House MacLaine is now on emergency alert, preparing for war—even considering rebellion if necessary.'
'And grave incidents have occurred in Taren and MacLaine Town. An attempted kidnapping of Lord Hamar in Taren, and an assault on the Liberatio warehouse in town.'
'Though Lord Clayton quickly noticed Hamar's absence, he barely managed to intercept the kidnappers at the city walls. The masked assailants' identities remain unknown.'
'Regrettably, we couldn't prevent the theft of over a hundred Liberatios. Some attackers were eliminated, but a few among them were top-tier knights and 5th-Circle mages...'
'Word is spreading that your execution date has been set. The Sword Duke opposes it, but the King refuses to yield...'