Chapter 239
Chapter 239
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 239
>Chapter Title: Not Just Me
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We scattered in all directions after leaving Decullan territory, then regrouped at the spot we'd agreed on ahead of time.
I'd arrived last, having wiped out the No. 1 breeding ground, but the rendezvous point was already swarming with people.
"Hmm. Quite the ragtag bunch."
There was no other way to put it.
Strays, Troubleshooter trainees, shadow knights, outlaws who moonlighted as smugglers, vampire lords, and even former war heroes who'd once shaken the entire continent.
It was a mix of members from every walk of life and race imaginable.
"Tower Lord, this way."
"Mm."
I nodded with as much dignity as I could muster at the shadow knight captain's urging.
The captain halted right after and turned to look at me.
"Don't overdo the dignity bit. Makes you look even more undignified."
"..."
Was this any way for a knight to treat his closest ally?
...It didn't seem right.
"Original Master, it's been a while. We met once before."
"Ah, thanks for lending a hand at that fool's little event. Things were too hectic to thank you properly until now. Please pass along my gratitude to the Patriarch too. I'd do it myself, but circumstances won't allow it."
"Don't mention it. It was a win for Lortel as well."
The captain was all courtesy and decorum with Shine.
I stared at the scene in a daze before trudging after them with heavy steps.
'The spot's not bad.'
The campsite was decent for laying low.
Tucked into a valley between mountains, it offered good cover and concealment, and there wasn't a breath of wind.
It even had a spacious clearing, where the trainees and strays were warming themselves in dozens of tents.
"This way, please."
One of Henji's underlings guided us deeper in, to the innermost tent.
The tent was snug.
Inside were blankets to ward off the chill from the ground and a crackling campfire. A sudden curiosity struck me.
"The outer tents look like more than a day's work too."
"We began preparations as soon as the location was chosen. No reason to hold back outside Decullan territory."
"Mm."
I nodded with dignity once more, but perhaps he'd misread my expression. The underling paused on his way out and added,
"No need to worry about pursuit. 'That one' gave special instructions to handle it with extra care."
"Mm."
'That one' was what Henji's underlings called him.
'Pretty cool.'
It had that massive shadowy overlord vibe. I was a little envious.
Once the tower got bigger, I'd have people call me that. 'That one' felt too on-the-nose, though... Yeah, when the time came, I'd tell Henji to switch up his title.
I was lost in these trivial thoughts when the tent flap rustled behind me, and someone new stepped in.
"You made it."
"Ah, Senior. I trust your health and vigor remain strong?"
I offered greetings to Senior Mysern.
For reference, "health and vigor remain strong" was the formal way of asking after an elder's well-being.
That was when a mischievous smile crept across Senior Mysern's lips.
"I've been just fine, but..."
"..."
[You. Tower Lord?]
"..."
I clamped my mouth shut like a fool with a mouthful of honey.
On second thought, Senior Mysern probably saw me as little more than a Blandoga family ward. But one with strangely potent magic...
I'd been so focused on the Troubleshooters that it hadn't crossed my mind.
[Heh heh, your secret's safe. Anyway... Word is you snagged Lortel's platinum badge. Quite the rising star among the juniors, eh?]
[Ugh.]
[This old man's lips are sealed tight. Just watch yourself. Especially... look after that wyvern.]
He patted my shoulder and headed further in.
"Hmm."
The shadow knight captain had been watching us both closely, his eyes appraising the nature of our relationship.
Feeling like all my cards were about to be laid bare, I strode inside and claimed the head seat... that is, the spot deepest in. Then I spoke up.
"Ahem. Looks like everyone's here."
Senior Mysern, Shine, shadow knight captain.
Everyone who mattered in this mess was accounted for.
Henji's underlings had their own reps, but since he'd given me free rein for this operation, I was effectively theirs too.
Which meant it was time to tackle the most crucial issue.
"Let's settle how we're treating the Troubleshooter trainees and strays."
Rescuing them was only half the battle.
I'd felt it keenly when we released No. 17.
'I can't take responsibility for their whole lives, but I can at least set them up with a way to make a living.'
The tower lord had depths.
* * *
I raised the issue, and the captain summoned one of the knights waiting outside.
"Report the status."
"Yes. Two hundred forty-one trainees rescued from the No. 2, 3, and 4 breeding grounds. Plus one hundred strays the Tower Lord pulled from No. 2. Total of three hundred forty-one."
I spoke up as he finished.
"No strays being brought in from elsewhere?"
"Yes, sir. None detected. We're still sweeping for any carriages headed to the breeding grounds, but same result."
"Mm."
It seemed each breeding ground had its own staggered intake schedule.
Makes sense. Even for Decullan, staffing all four at once would strain resources.
Alright then.
"Headcount from No. 1..."
The captain chimed in.
"Seventy-two."
"So we're looking at over four hundred total. Let's set the strays aside for now. The trainees are the priority."
No one added anything, but everyone around the table nodded in agreement, grasping my point.
So why were the trainees the problem?
They hadn't completed the regular program, but they'd all drilled the basics of being Troubleshooters.
Sure, their skill level left a lot to be desired.
'The brutal training just wasn't that efficient.'
The Troubleshooter method was never about properly raising them. Teach the fundamentals, dump them in hellish conditions, and keep whoever survived.
Still, they had learned something.
Dumping them out into the world willy-nilly wouldn't do them—or anyone else—any favors.
'That said, three hundred heads is a lot to handle.'
So what to do with the numbers?
That was when the captain spoke up.
"Lortel can take them all in."
"The Patriarch's orders?"
Maybe because he hadn't used the honorific...
The captain's eyes flashed sharp for a moment before he smoothed his expression and replied.
"No. The Young Patriarch's orders."
"Why would the Young Patriarch...?"
"It's not my place to divine his intentions."
Fair enough. He was just the messenger.
That left asking the man himself.
I pulled out the communication orb linked directly to the Young Patriarch and placed the call.
A voice came through soon after.
[Heard the matter's settled. Something wrong?]
"Not exactly a problem. You said you'd take them all in, so I was wondering what the angle is."
[I get what you're worried about. Afraid Lortel'll turn them into hunting dogs?]
"You know, that speeds things up."
He'd scratched exactly where it itched, so I laid my cards on the table without hesitation.
Decullan wore their cruelty on their sleeve, but Lortel wasn't some pure-hearted saint of a family either.
His response caught me off guard, though.
[First, let's clear up the misunderstanding.]
"Misunderstanding?"
[Lortel does have a group like the Troubleshooters. I'm sure you've guessed.]
Guessed? I'd tangled with them plenty in my past life.
[We call them the Dark Sword, but there are a few key differences.]
"...Differences?"
[Yes. First off, we don't take just anyone. Only those loyal to Lortel who willingly choose to live in the shadows.]
"Hmm."
Was that why Lortel's hounds back then had been so damn tenacious?
"And the second?"
[The Dark Sword aren't expendable. They're knights loyal to Lortel. How could we mistreat those who've abandoned even their honor for Lortel's sake? That's another big difference from Troubleshooters.]
"And next?"
The Lortel Young Patriarch laid out the distinctions between Troubleshooters and the Dark Sword one by one, as he saw them.
It didn't feel improvised.
The nuance suggested long hours of contemplation, laced with the honorable Young Patriarch's agonized deliberations on how to properly treat these shadows called the Dark Sword.
When he'd finished.
He wrapped up with one final remark.
[Truth be told, it's all just rationalization. On the whole, we're not so different from Decullan. Still... does that answer your question?]
"Not a bad deal to become Dark Sword?"
[...No, I have no intention of turning them into Dark Sword. They've already learned magic, haven't they?]
"That's true."
I nodded along.
The trainees definitely lacked the chops to join the Dark Sword.
So why take them in?
'Out of simple benevolence? Duty? Knightly honor?'
Or...
'To use the trainees to pressure Decullan?'
The first option seemed unlikely.
Even for Lortel, adding three hundred mouths to feed was pure waste.
No matter how upright the Young Patriarch's heart, as Young Patriarch he had to weigh the family's position and gains.
That pointed to the second...
'Sure, putting trainees forward as witnesses would make it easier to expose Decullan's depravity and squeeze them.'
But.
'Haven't we already settled that? We're using the breeding ground intel to pressure Decullan.'
I couldn't figure out the reason.
The reason.
I was frowning and mulling it over when the Young Patriarch's voice came through.
[No need to overthink it. They're wizards either way, aren't they?]
"Yeah... hold on."
The word 'wizards' sparked something.
"You bastard... don't tell me?"
[...?]
"Look at this vicious bastard."
It all clicked.
The Young Patriarch loathed wizards, and the trainees were wizards. They'd even belonged to Decullan, wanted or not.
"Planning to bury them all alive... Gah!"
"Ow, you little punk!"
A flash of heat on the back of my head, and Shine's voice rang in my ear.
He'd smacked me so hard my skull was ringing, but Shine wasn't satisfied and kept pounding away.
"I! Told you! Over and over! Not everyone's like you! I'm dying of shame because of you, you damn fool!"
"Ugh, ack."
I took the beating without a chance to fight back.
From the orb, the Young Patriarch's voice rumbled low.
[...Original Master, thank you.]
"Just doing what anyone would."
[Ahem. Then, can I speak now?]
"Go ahead."
My head was throbbing too much to say more.
The bastard must've laced it with ether... How else would it hurt this bad?
As I circulated mana to settle my insides, the Young Patriarch's words burrowed into my ear.
And when he finished.
I realized it.
That it wasn't just me who'd grown.
[If that's what they want, I'll make them Lortel wizards. If not, we'll assign Lortel technicians to train them and set them up independently.]
The wizard-hating Young Patriarch had declared with his own mouth that he'd bring wizards into Lortel.
What did that mean?
'...He'd shed a layer of his inner demons.'
Young Patriarch Sion had taken one step beyond the tangled mess that was Decullan.