Chapter 34
Chapter 34
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 34
Chapter Title: Aftermath and Invitations
-----------------------------------------------------------------
-Julius! Julius! Julius!
-Waaaaaah!!!
-Long live the House of Reinhardt!!
By the time Allen emerged from the sewers, the duel between Julius and the mercenary had already concluded.
News of the duel had apparently spread like wildfire through the streets, and people were chanting Julius’s name nonstop. It must have been quite the spectacle, as everyone seemed thrilled.
「Ugh, it's so noisy.」
Despite suggesting they look around the festival, Vestla grumbled softly, seemingly displeased by the noise.
‘…Does she realize she's just as loud?’
Allen resisted the urge to retort that she was usually just as boisterous and immediately handed over the captured bandits to a nearby soldier.
“Just make sure they don't die.”
“Yes, sir! Understood!”
“There are traces of them in the sewers. Collect everything.”
“But as for where they are…”
“This map should lead you there.”
“Ah! Understood!”
Allen handed the soldier a rough map he had drawn on his way out of the sewers. The soldier saluted and promptly dragged away the bandits, who were groaning from their injuries.
They would receive minimal treatment before being interrogated.
「You said you'd have some time for a while after this is over, right?」
“I think… so. Why?”
「Ahem, it’s nothing.」
“How anticlimactic.”
Allen hurried toward the estate.
Since that fool Julius would be basking in the glory, he needed to present an accomplishment of his own to match.
* * *
A few days later, the full story of the incident came to light.
Under threat from Julius, the mercenary captain confessed everything on the square's platform.
With a face full of humiliation, he admitted before the crowd that he had accepted a secret commission.
“Then what about those guys who said they lost family to Lord Julius?”
“That was also a lie.”
He confessed that the victims he had brought were gathered through malicious fabrications and incitement, and that they had no actual connection to Julius.
Furthermore, his revelation that a group of bandits was scheduled to attack the estate through the sewers while the city's attention was diverted caused a tremendous stir.
-Is this… okay?
-Aren't we in danger too?
The people of the domain grew confused, and anxiety began to sprout from the sudden confession.
“Lord Allen has subjugated the bandits!”
Just then, when it was announced that Allen, having sensed the ominous atmosphere beforehand, had personally subjugated the bandits, the seething unrest subsided in an instant, and the people of the domain were relieved.
-Just as expected of Lord Allen…. I knew we could count on him.
-Both young lords are so admirable. The Count must be very pleased.
-To think Lord Allen subjugated the bandits all by himself because he didn't want to ruin the festival….
At this news, the face of the mercenary captain, who had been forced to confess, turned to one of utter defeat.
He must have realized there was no escape now that his entire plan had failed.
When asked who the mastermind behind the incident was, he uttered the name of the noble who had commissioned him without any resistance, his face a mask of despair.
The moment the mercenary captain spat out the truth before the public, Gaiel immediately dispatched knights along with his soldiers.
The mastermind was caught with almost laughable ease.
“Let… let go of me! Do you have any idea who I am!”
His identity was that of a man who had been demoted to a fallen noble several years ago.
He claimed he had been promised an astronomical sum if he stole a particular item from the treasury.
“Who was it that commissioned you?”
“Th-that is, I never saw their face…”
As soon as he was captured, Gaiel had him executed.
There was more than enough reason to do so.
The pretext was that he had caused a disturbance at the festival and plotted to tarnish their reputation.
Besides, he was a fallen noble, not one protected by the kingdom's laws.
Within the county, there was no one who could stop him.
“C-Count. You are making a mistake. You will regret executing me…”
-Slice.
The mercenary captain and his men could not escape the same judgment.
“P-please spare me!”
“I didn't know anything. Please, please!”
“C-Captain. You said this would be a one-time thing!”
They returned to dust, spewing pleas, despair, and resentment.
The ignorant, believing justice had prevailed, praised the family and enjoyed the festival.
The thoughtful gossiped about the lingering, unsettling details.
And the deep thinkers held their tongues, suspecting a hidden motive for the attack on the Count's treasury.
The Harvest Festival resumed, and the incident served to show everyone that the Count's family was still standing strong.
The names of Julius and Allen echoed through the streets, and the people of the domain and travelers alike enjoyed the festival.
And amidst it all.
Creeak—
There were those who were forgotten.
An unoiled hinge screamed as it opened.
The guard retrieved the key he had used to open the door and spoke, peering into the darkness.
“Tch, you damn fools. How could you fall for that? Tsk, tsk.”
“Sigh, that's enough. The ones who tricked them are the bad guys.”
When another guard told him to stop, he muttered under his breath for a while longer before shouting in irritation.
“You have a point, but… Tsk, whatever. Just get out of here, now!”
Thud, thud—
Just a few days ago, he thought he could avenge his dead family, that he could make them pay their rightful price.
But what was the reality?
He had become a stupid fool tricked by a scheme, and his actions were pointed at as nothing but foolishness.
In the end, he hadn't managed to harm Julius at all.
“You’re lucky Lord Julius showed you mercy. If it were any other noble, you’d all be executed, you know?”
“Stop it, stop it. What would these guys know?”
“Tsk.”
His body flinched at the sound of the tongue-clicking.
Kalron lifted his small head and studied the faces of the adults with him.
Their faces, which had once said they were comrades sharing the same pain, that they could do this, were now stained with darkness.
‘Brother Akan said it would all work out…’
Though they were behind cold, dark iron bars, just a few days ago, these adults had told him there was hope.
Now, those same adults looked terrified, as if they had done something wrong.
“Walk faster!”
The faltering footsteps of the group quickened.
Kalron followed behind them, climbing the stairs.
Creeak—
The guard in the lead turned the lock on the heavy door.
Thump—
As the heavy door opened, fresh air and warm sunlight greeted him.
“From now on, don't lie, and live quietly. Don't go making a scene like this time. Got it?”
In the end, nothing had been accomplished.
Forced out onto the street, they scattered without needing to be dispersed. Kalron felt the vibrant energy of the street was a world away from his own.
He felt empty, but there was nothing he could do.
“…I have to go back to my brother.”
As he powerlessly made his way out of the city, quiet footsteps began to follow him.
* * *
Like many other noble houses, the Reinhardt family employed a family of hereditary retainers who were raised to be butlers.
Systematic education from a young age.
Loyalty instilled to the point of brainwashing.
Know-how accumulated over generations.
The butlers who handled various duties for the family had been continuously produced in this manner.
However, on rare occasions, an outsider would be hired as a butler.
Head Butler Gadel.
He was one such butler who had come from the outside.
He had served the family for decades and was an excellent butler who had never caused a single problem.
Now aged, he had taken a step back to assume the position of Head Butler rather than acting directly, but no one disregarded him.
In fact, more people revered him than looked down on him for being an outsider.
“Hiyanel, your posture seems to have improved. I believe you're past your rookie days now.”
“Biden, is your ailing brother doing well? Did you make good use of the herbs I gave you? I'm glad to hear it.”
“Tinya. You look even more beautiful today. Are things going well with Cain?”
Gadel walked down the hallway with a benevolent smile, greeting everyone he met.
His kind personality and compassionate nature made him like a grandfather to the estate's servants.
There wasn't a single person in the estate who spoke ill of him.
He walked slowly like this and entered a certain room with a warm smile.
-Click.
The moment the door closed, his face became an expressionless mask.
A prior guest was already seated in a chair, waiting.
“You’re a little late, aren't you?”
Wine-colored hair cascaded down to her waist, a beautiful smile on her lips. Despite her age, she still exuded an ample charm.
At her rebuke, Gadel knelt.
“My apologies, Lady Eliza. I did not anticipate that Lord Allen would have grown so much.”
“…Allen? Hmm, he said he returned to train. He's grown that much?”
Her eyes, which had been cold and sunken when he first entered late, softened slightly at the mention of Allen.
“Yes, for a fleeting moment, he managed to pierce my vision and sense me. Had it been any of my other children, they would have surely been caught.”
For an instant, the tension eased at the news of Allen's overwhelming growth. However, Gadel had never imagined that Allen would discover him in that brief opening.
To think he had detected him, one of the former Shadow Kings.
“…Is that so?”
Eliza looked surprised, then recalled meeting him a month ago and pouted.
“He said he’d visit four times a week, but he never came.”
“Forgive my impertinence, Lady Eliza.”
“Yes?”
“Lord Allen's sudden change is suspicious. Could it be that he, too…”
“No.”
She immediately refuted Gadel’s suggestion.
‘Allen? Well… I was a little suspicious at first, but…’
Eliza recalled her meeting with Allen.
“Allen is not like Julius.”
She had summoned Allen to confirm it, and she had confirmed everything.
His habits, his manner of speaking, his tone, his values, even his personality. They were all slightly different from what she knew, but it was undoubtedly Allen.
Uncertain even then, she had kept Linbelle and Inellia by her side under the pretext of teaching them and had learned much more.
Those naive girls wouldn't even know they had been spilling Allen's secrets.
And even if they found out, it wouldn't matter.
‘What's wrong with a mother wanting to hear about her son?’
At her firm answer, Gadel closed his mouth without another word. If she said it was so, then it was so.
She must have had solid proof that he was unaware of.
“Enough about Allen. What about Julius…?”
“Lord Julius… I can say with certainty. Everything about him has changed compared to a few months ago.”
Subtle changes in his gait, the pitch of his voice, his unconscious habits, even his tastes.
To some, these might be trivial clues, but to an assassin like him, they were as good as concrete evidence.
That was why he could declare it with certainty.
“Lord Julius… is a different person.”
At Gadel's flat report, Eliza closed her eyes. A storm of emotions swirled within her, but she didn't let it show. Not yet. The time wasn't right.
“Then… did you find the ones who instigated this mess with Julius, or rather, with *him*?”
“…My apologies. I mobilized all the children to track them, but we could only find one half-wit noble who seemed to have given the order.”
“Even with all of you?”
“We found a few individuals who appeared to have cooperated, but they too seemed to have no connection.”
“You couldn't find the mastermind? Gadel, do not make me lower my estimation of your value.”
At those words, Gadel bowed his head even lower.
“Fortunately, we found a clue and belatedly began pursuit, but…”
“But?”
“They were heading for the Great Desert.”
A dry laugh escaped her lips.
“The Great Desert, the Great Desert… Then they must be.”
Those involved with Galshdin Academy.
Eliza understood why he had stopped the pursuit. The Academy was a place that held the culmination of all human technology.
Moreover, two of the Eight Strongest were stationed there at all times. It was understandable that he had stopped. Who would risk their life trying to infiltrate such a place?
“And…”
“Yes?”
As she looked at him, Gadel lowered his head.
“The bandits' skills surpassed my expectations. If the attack had proceeded as planned…”
My identity might have been exposed.
Gadel reported his assessment without exaggeration.
Eliza could guess the words he left unsaid. Thus, she understood his actions. This was his nature. He wouldn't act without certainty.
That was the essential nature of the Shadow King, Gadel, and that was their promise.
There was something else that was puzzling.
“They were so strong that you couldn't handle them all at once?”
“No. I simply couldn't kill dozens of them simultaneously without revealing myself. Not revealing my identity. That was the promise you and I made, Lady Eliza.”
Eliza didn't bat an eye at Gadel's cold words.
It was thanks to such conditions that she had been able to use one of the Shadow Kings as her unseen sword for decades. His words were correct.
“If that's the case, then it can't be helped. Many of our people were pulled away to track the mastermind of this incident.”
If not for that, the bandits would have been dealt with silently, without Allen ever needing to step in.
‘Does that mean there's someone who anticipated this entire situation…?’
Eliza's eyes curved like crescent moons. Her son had changed, and her husband had changed.
Something unknown was trying to use those around her without anyone's knowledge.
If that was the case, was there any need to remain still?
“Gadel, send out the invitations. It's time I saw some old friends.”
Her ‘new son’ had earned plenty of money, so there should be no shortage of funds for preparations.
I played the part of a stepmother for him, so I deserve at least this much, don't I?
“The social circles… it's been a while.”
If she couldn't do something alone, she would have to borrow strength.
She waved her hand, and Gadel quietly exited the room.
Left alone, Eliza silently stroked the armrest of her chair.
Various scenes flickered through her mind.
A happy daily life, peaceful days, repetitive routines. That life was now shattered.
‘…Julius.’
She would have to be busy from now on.
Visiting social circles, displaying extravagance, all to secretly achieve her goal. So for today…
Regardless of the commotion erupting throughout the city, her surroundings were steeped in silence.
Like the night before a storm.