The Weight of Meaning
The hero and the maiden's lips met.
"What do you think distinguishes an Expert, a Master, and a Mature Master?"
"…I don't know."
Smack—
"At least make an effort to guess."
"…Isn't it the amount of power one can wield at once?"
Kellyban, the Empire's Sword Master who was once expected to one day cross the wall of Grand Master, paused at his pathetic disciple Leon's answer. After a moment of thought, he shook his head.
"It's true that the scale increases sequentially, but that's merely a secondary effect. It isn't the fundamental difference."
"Then… the range at which one can interfere with nature?"
"That's similar as well."
Leon pondered for a while, then looked at him as if to say that after trying this hard, it was about time he just told him.
"When a Master reaches maturity… meaning becomes embedded."
"…In the sword? Or in the attack? Embedded where, exactly?"
"In existence itself."
Meaning becomes embedded in existence.
That was the conclusion drawn by a scholar who had once studied the wall of Master. Whether it was the gods or nature that bestowed this meaning was unknown, but one thing was certain: the moment meaning was embedded in one's existence, it was respected as a law unto itself.
Yongpaegong, Zignight. The meaning he had engraved upon his own world upon reaching Mature Master was—
"Bow your heads."
Overwhelming dominance. It was simply the act of placing everything beneath himself.
Boom—!!
The chunk of earth he had levitated with his mana was so massive that it might as well have been an entire floating island. The moment the Guardians saw it, they leapt from various points across the north, unable to stand by any longer, and flew straight toward him.
But the instant Zignight commanded them to bow their heads, every single Guardian was slammed into the ground by the law of overwhelming dominance. Crushed beneath an irresistible pressure, they could only barely lift their heads to stare at him.
Even that would have been impossible if the Archduke hadn't permitted it.
All the Guardians wore pure white armor. Among them, the only one adorned with a golden band opened his mouth.
"Just what is the meaning of this, Yongpaegong…!"
Gawain, the leader of the Guardians. He was one of the strongest among Mature Masters, boasting power at the very top of their ranks.
Zignight did not bother answering him. He simply tilted his head slightly and gave Leon a signal.
Leon nodded lightly and stepped into their midst with a casual leap.
Click—
"I retrieved this from the office of the Ashen Scales branch manager in the noble district."
He pulled out a wooden box from his coat, opened the lid, and revealed a black heart writhing inside. The heart clung to the walls of the box, pulsing as it slowly emitted black smoke.
Leon offered no further explanation. The moment it was revealed, Gawain's face turned deathly pale, and Zignight's eyes gleamed with interest.
Then Cheshire approached Leon's side, linked her arm with his, and buried her face against him.
"Husband? What is that?"
Leon stared down at the heart—Demonic Cardiac—for a moment before answering.
"Those who have contracted with demons must periodically inhale demonic energy through their respiratory system. This heart acts as a medium that transmits that energy from a distance."
"Like a drug addiction?"
"Similar, but different. While drugs are inherently addictive as substances, the craving for demonic energy is more like a trick the demons weave into the contract itself."
"So it's the price demanded by the contract?"
"Exactly."
Once his daughter's curiosity was satisfied, Zignight turned back toward Gawain and smiled.
"Now do you understand why I've come?"
"W-wait just a—"
Zignight flicked his fingers through the air, and a staff made of golden wood materialized in his grasp.
Tap. Tap—
He immediately struck the ground twice with the staff.
A brief silence followed….
Kaaaaaaaang——!!
A sharp ringing pierced the ears of everyone present—including Leon and Cheshire—and an aura twice as overwhelming as before poured out from Zignight's entire body. The inside of the barrier he had erected was completely filled with that pressure.
"In accordance with the ancient oath of Carbandia, I shall exercise my responsibility here."
The oath was a promise made between the first Revanhart and the Archduke of Carbandia of that era. It granted Carbandia authority equal to the imperial family in any matter involving demons. Though the words claimed equal standing, given the current decline of imperial power, the authority of Carbandia—now actively exercising its responsibility—was arguably far greater.
In other words….
It means every noble involved is about to lose their heads.
After that, the cleanup proceeded without a hitch. Thanks to the barrier the Archduke had deployed, the nobles who had resolved to flee under cover of night were trapped with nowhere to go.
The Guardians no longer resisted. They followed Zignight's orders and brought every last noble forward. Twenty noble families had been based in the noble district: two ducal houses, four marquisates, eight count houses, and six viscountcies. When their family heads, direct descendants, and wives were all gathered together, there were roughly a hundred people.
Even the branch manager of the Ashen Scales, who had fled like lightning, had been caught before he could escape the noble district.
"In the name of Yongpaegong, I hereby recognize the achievements of Hero Leon!"
The first thing Zignight did before them was to officially acknowledge my actions as something a hero should have done. This made it clear that he stood behind the hero who had discovered the Demonic Cardiac, preventing any messy rumors from spreading.
"Well then, Leon. How will you identify those directly involved among them?"
It was a kind of mischievous prank. The Archduke possessed the innate Dragon Eyes, capable of discerning truth and piercing through essence. A single glance would surely be enough for him to identify who had contracted with demons.
"…I will burn away all demonic energy in the vicinity with my divinity. Those from whom ashen dust flows will be the ones who made the contracts."
"Oh-ho, by all means, proceed."
The sacred bonfire of divinity. Its brilliant light filled the entire area.
"Ughhh—!!"
"Kuh…!"
"N-no, this is—"
Out of roughly a hundred people, nearly four out of every ten began writhing as dust poured from their bodies. Their words never finished. Zignight's overwhelming pressure instantly flattened them like sheets of paper.
It felt refreshing. No—it went beyond that. I felt pleasure.
I… had to work hard to suppress the twisted smile that kept trying to escape.
Refilling the now-empty noble district with new blood and reappointing the Guardians. In the fierce political struggle over interests, there wasn't much a hero like me could do. Honestly, it was precisely because I lacked confidence in that area that I had dragged the Archduke into this.
Oh, and for the record, most of the Guardians had also lost their lives at the Archduke's hands. Serving a fallen master was no light sin. The commander and vice-commander had clearly known about the collusion with the dark sorcerers, so I felt no particular sympathy.
I simply watched the occasional newspaper reports with satisfaction, thinking that the Empire had become a little cleaner.
"Troublesome."
"What is, sir?"
"The Empire has become excessively clean."
Archduke Carbandia tapped his desk lightly and gave me a look. It was a silent pressure to explain what he meant in my own words.
"…You prefer it moderately corrupt?"
"Why do you think that is?"
If I were to be honest, there weren't many facts I could infer. If I had been in his position, I would have immediately seized the Empire and ascended the throne.
"You don't like standing out?"
"If you can explain the reason behind that as well, I'll give you full marks."
"…You're using the Empire as bait."
The Archduke smiled in satisfaction.
"That is the way of Carbandia."
Carbandia—a family that had existed long before the Revanhart Empire was founded. Its history stretched back so far that pinpointing its exact origins was impossible.
"There is no such thing as an eternal empire. Why do you think that is?"
"Because it's a position everyone desires."
"Correct. In the end, an empire is both a seat everyone covets and a delicious target."
"…But only when it's thoroughly corrupt, isn't it? If you became emperor, sir, there would be no stronger empire."
"That would only last for a time. Think efficiently, Leon. If a moderately rotten empire remains in place, do you think people would turn their eyes toward Carbandia?"
The imperial family, which looked easy to manipulate. In contrast, Carbandia, where Yongpaegong had built his nest. It was obvious where greedy individuals would strike first.
However, I didn't answer. He hadn't spoken expecting one.
"You already knew. That dark sorcerers had deeply embedded themselves within the Empire from the beginning."
"I won't deny it."
"…Then why did you help this time?"
"Personally, I quite like the young man named Leon, as well as the unreasonable position of hero he bears. And also…."
The Archduke paused, as if waiting for something.
"My daughter likes you."
Creak—
Before I could reply, the door burst open and Cheshire darted out. She grabbed my waist, pulled me close, and dragged me away as if kidnapping me.
"M-Milady?!"
"You promised! Husband! Payment!"
As I was dragged out of the room, the Archduke chuckled and spoke.
"And we of Carbandia very much enjoy producing children who inherit the blood of geniuses."
"Wait—ugh."
Despite her appearance, Cheshire possessed monstrous strength thanks to her innate lineage. I tried to say something, but she yanked me so hard I bit my tongue.
After being dragged along for quite some time, Cheshire hauled me into her room and threw me onto the bed. She immediately pinned both of my wrists down, climbed on top of me, and met my eyes.
Of course, since her level had not yet surpassed Master, I could have escaped if I wanted….
"You clearly promised, didn't you, husband?"
…I didn't particularly enjoy breaking promises. Come to think of it, the root of my rage toward Airen, Serin, and Tei seemed to stem from that same tendency.
Cheshire's face slowly lowered, drawing closer to mine. Our breaths mingled in the air between us, and our lips were now close enough to touch at any moment.
"Since you're not resisting, husband, that means you don't dislike it, right?"
"…It's a promise."
"Pfft—"
Her lips and mine met once more.