Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: Muspelheim
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Descending from the tower.
I smacked Gordon's head every time the waves rocked the ship.
Thud!
"Agh!"
"So you're saying you were one of the mercenaries hired to kill my father too?"
I might have spared him if he'd just been a porter.
They probably had no idea what this job was really about when they signed on.
But this time was different.
"I got blinded by the money and made a mistake! If you forgive me just this once, I'll follow you for the rest of my life!"
"No need."
"...Pardon?"
"You'd just be a burden if you followed me. Better to jump overboard right here and now."
Gordon glanced at the sea with a stiff expression, then shook his head vigorously as he clutched at my pant leg.
"Please spare me! If I don't make it back home, who'll take care of my widowed mother and my fatherless child?"
Bess grabbed Gordon by the hair and yanked him to his feet.
Whack!
"Don't worry. Anyone who points a sword at the Strange family dies—every last one. Not just you, but your family, your cousins, and everyone else in your territory."
"...!"
"We'll send them all to hell, so wait for them there."
"T-Teacher! No, noble knight! I-I have something to say! It'll be useful to you!"
"No. Die."
Begging Bess for mercy was utterly foolish. He was colder and more ruthless than me, and he never showed forgiveness to enemies.
But I couldn't kill him just yet.
Not because of some promise, but because I needed him as bait.
I glanced at the guard captain tied up at the stern, then continued, driving my toe hard into Gordon's gut.
Thud!
"Gordon, you've got a job to do."
Gordon eyed Bess warily as he replied.
"C-Cough! Sp-Spare me...!"
"Gordon, how many of the faces from this battle do you remember?"
"M-Most of them! At least everyone who gathered from the Adventurer's Guild... I remember them all!"
"Really?"
"Yes, sir! I had no idea this was the tower. That old man blindfolded me and dragged me here before we boarded the ship!"
I didn't know who this "old man" was, but it was clear he wasn't your average fixer.
"How you got here doesn't matter. Just remember who you came with."
After descending from the tower, I headed straight south.
With Katarina confirmed as the mastermind, we could no longer stay in Legion.
With Father—the pillar of the Strange family—in this state, we had to avoid combat in neutral territory as much as possible.
So I ordered Bess.
"Use the troops stationed in Legion solely as a deterrent. Any engagements must happen outside the city walls, no exceptions."
That alone would be enough to keep the shadowy forces in check.
Plus, plenty of people had seen me boarding the carriage with Father after coming down from the tower.
Step, step, step.
Father boarded the carriage under his own power.
In truth, it was Rox's guardian spirit making his unconscious body mimic walking.
The larvae attached to Roys's joints writhed diligently.
Step.
Two members of the Strange family boarded the carriage. One was Family Head Roys, the other his youngest son, Berddin.
"Destination is Strange Castle. Don't stop for anything."
The coachman pulled his hat low and nodded.
"Yes, Young Master."
Dozens of Strange family knights escorted us front and rear.
Not just them—Bess's elite Guardian Knights accompanied us all the way to Legion's gates.
It was more than enough to show the adventurers, citizens, and imperial troops in Legion that we were still going strong.
"Let's go."
The coachman snapped the reins.
Four black horses surged forward, pounding the ground.
-Neigh!
The Strange family head is returning to the castle. The rumor spread through Legion in less than half a day.
The imperial troops, tracking his movements, began tightening security within the city.
The Alchemist Guild, not far from the tower—and atop its building, the clock tower window.
Duchess Katarina bit her nail as she watched Roys and Berddin departing from afar.
Crunch.
'Roys came back alive?'
Her eyes shook like there was an earthquake.
"Impossible. The deathworm should still be inside him. How did those bastards...?"
Roys was alive. That meant the men she'd dispatched had failed their mission.
'This is bad.'
Terror made her legs tremble.
Roys was not the type to forgive anyone who drew a sword against him.
He'd come for her, no doubt. Family ties wouldn't matter.
Not even her imperial blood would shield her.
'What do I do?'
Katarina clutched her head with both hands. The alchemists guarding her asked cautiously.
"Duchess Katarina, are you unwell?"
"Just a headache."
"Shall I fetch some medicine?"
"...No. Any word from the guard captain?"
"Not yet."
Berddin had left the tower later than her hires. Even if they'd won the fight, he should've returned long before them.
'Did they get wiped out?'
She'd underestimated the Strange family's power. Self-reproach filled Katarina as she pounded her own head with her fist.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Her maids and alchemists tried to stop her, but touching her recklessly could cost them their heads. They were helpless.
"Lady Katarina, calm down!"
Thud.
Someone grabbed her wrist.
Turning, she saw a man with round glasses and a gentle face, his eyes firm.
"...Philip? What are you doing here?"
Philip released her hand and picked up a fallen book.
"I left the academy."
"The academy? Why?"
"Circumstances arose... I couldn't stay any longer."
Duchess Katarina rose and embraced him lightly. They weren't casual acquaintances.
Not even the famously ill-tempered woman of the Strange family would show such warmth otherwise.
Philip smiled brightly and leaned into her embrace.
"How have you been?"
"Fine. And you?"
"I've been well, thanks to your help, Master. I could rest easy at the academy."
"I'm glad. Truly glad."
"By the way, what happened to you, Master? I've never seen you this upset."
Katarina forced a smile as she replied.
"It's nothing."
"You can tell me."
"I said it's nothing."
"Master, no need to hide it from me. I can see the sadness in your eyes."
Philip waved the other alchemists out of the clock tower.
Alone in the small room, Katarina finally unburdened herself, explaining her predicament.
"How could you plot something like that? He's a man even the emperor wouldn't trifle with!"
"...I misjudged. I thought if he helped me, I could bring him down too."
"Was that person really an Apostle?"
"Yes. I confirmed his power myself. I even met the leader of the faction following him."
"The leader of the Apostle's faction?"
"Yes... No ordinary figure. You know her too—the saintess Joanna Ark, currently punished for blasphemy against the gods."
"?!"
"She appeared before me with the Apostle."
"R-Really?"
Katarina covered her face to hide bursting tears as she nodded.
"Yes."
Philip paced awkwardly before taking her hand.
"Does Lord Roys know about this? I mean, that you're behind it?"
"He must. Those who went to the tower haven't returned—they clearly lost to him."
Katarina sniffled, meeting Philip's eyes.
"Some of them must have talked. Even if not, figuring it out is child's play for Roys."
"Why?"
"...Berddin. He seems to know everything about this."
"Berddin? The Strange family's youngest son?"
"Yes, that damned brat!"
"Why do you think that?"
Katarina stared at the tower piercing the clouds, then squeezed her eyes shut, hands trembling.
Memories flooded her: every plan to kill Berddin since his birth, all her "perfect" schemes that never succeeded.
"...He moved the Strange army to seize Legion."
"Young Master Berddin?"
"Yes. He even summoned the Guardian Knight Captain here. And not long after my plan launched, he headed to the tower."
"......"
"On the very day I sent him to Louis Academy—from far away, no less."
Philip adjusted his glasses with a baffled look.
"So... Young Master Berddin knew your entire plan?"
"I don't know. Did he truly know and give those orders, or was it coincidence?"
Knock knock knock.
Katarina flinched. Philip pulled her behind him and called out cautiously.
"Who is it?"
A frail voice came from outside.
"It's Rose. A letter for Duchess Katarina."
"A letter?"
"Yes, from Young Master Berddin at the Strange estate."
"Lady Master is in an important discussion. Slide it under the door and go."
"Understood."
Slide. A red envelope slipped under the wooden door.
Philip picked it up and offered it to Katarina.
"Shall I read it?"
Katarina hesitated, then snatched it with trembling eyes and tore it open.
Thud.
Inside was the Strange family crest: a cross with three swords of different colors.
"...No."