The Cold Gentleness
“Is that Carix Valentia, the one rumored to be the disgrace of the Valentia Duchy? What did he just do?”
“He twisted the opponent’s wrist joint while sitting, forcing the shoulder into an impossible angle. The person on the receiving end must be feeling their arm bone shattering in real-time.”
“Uh… doesn’t that mean it hurts like hell? Then why aren’t they screaming?”
“You saw him place his foot against the man’s throat, didn’t you?”
“Yeah.”
“He was blocking the airway to prevent any sound. He twisted the joints so that the head and neck were forced against the floor, then used his own body weight to press down on the windpipe.”
“Whoa…! Jena, could you do something like that?”
“……Yes. It is possible.”
Sitting in the noble lounge on the third floor of the academy, sipping tea while observing the scene unfolding at the entrance, the knight addressed as Jena answered the young girl’s question with cold sweat beading on her forehead. ‘It is possible. But…’ She had never even imagined it. A method so cruel, grabbing just the wrist to twist the joints until they snapped. A torture that forced the victim to choke on their own weight while the pain broke them. Yes. What she had just witnessed wasn’t a simple suppression. It was torture. Even in a public place with students watching, the young duke had tortured that man. And he had done it in a way that no one—not even a knight like herself—could have easily noticed.
“Jena. Why are you so tense?”
“……”
“Is the young duke stronger than you?”
“That is not it. I couldn’t feel a shred of mana from him.”
“Oh? Does that answer mean you’d lose if you didn’t use mana?”
“……I don’t know.”
The truth was… she felt like she did know. Jena, who had swung her sword countless times to become a 3rd-grade knight, had experienced both victory and defeat in endless sparring matches. And the moment she saw that man’s movements—the moment she saw the way he cruelly subdued his opponent—she had instinctively reached for her sword hilt, even though the attack wasn’t aimed at her. It was fear. A physical instinct reacting to the certainty that if she didn’t resist, she would be finished. ‘I can’t… form an image of winning.’ She traced the young duke’s movements in her mind. It was insane—a flow like wind, approaching and snapping limbs, twisting joints so efficiently that the victim wouldn’t even realize they’d been caught until the agony hit. If she had been in that man’s place, and someone had approached her like that…
“……”
“Wow. If even Jena can’t tell, then the rumor that the young duke is a talentless incompetent must be a lie.”
“It seems so.”
She couldn’t win. Absolutely not. If approached like that, there was no way to resist unless she knew it was coming. If she were grabbed, could she miraculously react and reinforce her body with mana and…? No, that wouldn’t work either. The only image that remained clear was her own joints, from wrist to shoulder, being pulverized in an instant.
“Father told me to look after him since we’re the same age, but if he’s like that, do I even need to bother?”
“Forgive my bluntness, Your Highness, but judging by his handiwork just now, he appears to be a dangerous individual.”
“So, you’re saying I shouldn’t bother?”
“I judge that it would be… best not to get involved.”
Royal Knight Jena Frix. She was a female knight carefully selected by the King to guard the kingdom’s only precious princess at the academy. She was among the top handful of female knights, and even counting all the kingdom’s knights, she was guaranteed to be in the top fifteen. The only reason she wasn’t in the top ten was because she was still ‘young’; it was the consensus within the Royal Guard that she would certainly be in the top ten once she passed thirty. Yet, she was feeling fear and judging a dangerous individual based on the sight of a duke’s second son—the current heir—who had just turned twenty. No matter how one looked at it, this was not a normal situation.
“Hmm. Since Jena is saying that much, I actually want to talk to him even more.”
“Princess Lilit, please reconsider.”
How did this curious princess and that monster end up being born in the same year? What was even more absurd was that neither of them needed to enroll in the academy, yet they both chose to enter of their own volition.
“If I don’t reconsider, will you tell Father?”
“……I must report it if necessary.”
“Aww. But Father told me to look after him?”
“His Majesty could not have known that the young duke had such a monst… such a harsh temperament.”
“You were about to call him a monster just now, weren’t you? Huh? Huh!?”
She had tried to be as careful as possible with her words. But because she had been mentally training by simulating the young duke’s movements, her true feelings had slipped out. This mistake was truly unfortunate.
“Hehe. A young duke who is called a monster by Jena, who never knew defeat in front of me, just by watching him for a moment. This sounds fun!”
“Your Highness…”
This curious princess didn’t know how to stop once she set her mind on something—she was like a runaway carriage. In particular, her ‘curiosity about the strong’ was beyond serious; it was bordering on perverse. How flustered had she been when she first met him?
“If he’s really dangerous, Jena will protect me anyway, right? And from what I see, he’s not such a bad person.”
“……Did you happen to overhear their conversation?”
“Yeah. I only heard the middle part because I started eavesdropping after he moved like water and grabbed the guy, but if he were truly a villain, he wouldn’t have stopped at just that.”
“Would you mind telling me what conversation you heard?”
Although his methods were cruel, if the opponent had said something truly terrible to deserve such treatment, there might be some room for leniency. Jena listened intently to what the princess had to say.
“It sounds like he… is a villain, doesn’t it?”
“Aww. He was just angry because they spoke ill of his late brother, right?”
Even so, with that level of skill, a more moderate warning would have been possible. But he had followed up the torture by threatening them to drop out of the academy. He had threatened to pull their arms off. It was true that the opponent had crossed the line first by bringing up his dead brother, but frankly, without knowing the preceding conversation, she had no basis to judge if he had gone completely overboard. However, inferring from the warning that followed, even if it was excessive, was it really to the point where they had to feel the terror of death through torture on the spot…? No, no matter how she thought about it, it was too much.
“Jena.”
“Yes.”
“You’re feeling that way because it’s someone else’s business.”
“……”
“Imagine if your master had passed away and you heard someone say things like that. How far would you tolerate it?”
“……I understand what Your Highness is saying. Nevertheless, I believe he is dangerous.”
The princess’s words had merit, but from Jena’s position—having to protect her from the hands of that monster—she had to judge it as ‘someone else’s business’ and think coolly.
“However, if Your Highness insists on seeing him at least once… I will simply perform my duty with all my might.”
But to go further would be disloyal to the princess’s will. Besides, if she thought of it as her own affair, it wasn’t entirely incomprehensible. Thus, Jena decided to yield to Princess Lilit for now.
“Hehe. I wonder what kind of classes he’ll take? Seeing his movements earlier, he’ll definitely take Self-Defense Combat, right? I’m glad at least one class will overlap~”
“Of all things, Self-Defense Combat…”
Jena muttered so the princess wouldn’t hear. Anxiety was, after all, anxiety.
*****
“Leng.”
“……Yes.”
“You have a talent for cleaning.”
“I did do some cleaning when I was a low-ranking knight.”
“No. This isn’t a level achievable by mere experience. As a reward for surprising me, I shall bestow a carriage upon you.”
“Eh?”
It was a gift I was going to give anyway, but it was good to have a justification. Honestly, I would have been happy if he had just kept my room and the building entrance—which my brother used—a bit clean. To think he would clean everything except for a few rooms on the first floor until they sparkled… I even started to think that Leng might be wasting his talent in a profession unsuited for a knight.
“I’ve been praised, but this is the first time I’ve felt so unhappy about it.”
“Are you saying that now that you’re a Count, a young duke’s praise isn’t enough for you?”
“When did I ever say I wanted to be a Count…!!”
I like that his reactions are honest; he responds exactly as much as I provoke him. Anyway, thanks to Leng, I can finally rest comfortably in my quarters starting today.
“Young Master.”
“Yes?”
“Are you not going to class?”
“Why should I go?”
“?”
Leng had a look on his face that said, ‘What is this bastard saying?’ Hmm… was I too casual with him? More importantly, why did he assume I would be going to class?
“Leng.”
“Yes.”
“I have read every single book in the Duke’s library.”
“So?”
“I have memorized them all.”
“……What does that have to do with not going to class?”
“The academy professors have nothing to teach me, so why should I go?”
“……”
It’s far more constructive to roam the mansion during that time, looking for traces of my brother or finding evidence. Of course, it’s not that I’m going to skip every single class. I was interested in classes that taught how to feel mana, or classes that taught magic by converting mana into magical power. Furthermore, I know there’s a required attendance score, and that if I’m absent for more than a certain number of consecutive days, I’ll be expelled from the academy. But as long as I fulfill the 167 days of class, excluding vacations, there’s no need to attend the rest.
“Why on earth do I have to be the one to tell you this simple fact?”
“No. That… ah… yes. I apologize.”
Anyway, after praising Leng once more for his cleaning, I told him he could either go to class or take a break, and then I went to the room my brother used.
“You worked very hard here, too.”
The bookshelves in the room were filled with books that were also in the Duke’s library. And they were heavily stained with the oils from his hands. Unlike me, my brother, who was ordinary, wouldn’t have been able to remember the contents completely after reading them once. So he must have read, read, and read again, taking notes and working hard to increase his knowledge. Moreover, most of the books were about business administration or territory management. If my brother had become the head of the family, he would have been a truly great lord, even if not an extraordinary one.
“I will find them all and kill them.”
After vowing once more to return the pain my brother suffered tenfold to those who trampled on his efforts, I started taking out all the books stained with his handprints and reading them. I thought there might be some information my brother left behind in the books.
“Honestly… you were just too kind.”
And while it wasn’t the information I was looking for, there were so many passages that showed just how much my brother… worried about me. I already knew all of it. He had marked things he would tell me someday since I hadn’t shown my talent yet, and he had written my name there. He had put stars next to things he absolutely had to tell me, underlined them, and left notes for me as if he were writing a letter. Why on earth did he think of me so earnestly, even though I’m nothing?
The tar-like emotions already clinging to me are only boiling more ominously, using the traces my brother left behind as fuel. After reading all the books he left on the shelves over three days, I even felt as if I had attended the academy for three years with him. If our ages had been closer and we had attended the academy together… it would have definitely been fun.
“Young Master. Shall I bring dinner to your room again today?”
“No. Let’s go down and eat.”
I had eaten in my room for three days, but I had seen everything there was to see. It seemed my brother knew his life was being targeted.
“Yes…? You mean Deolis Young Master knew?”
“Yeah. The traces my brother left in the books are telling me. ‘I really want to tell him.’ ‘It would have been nice to see this together.’ ‘I must tell him this.’ Such short memos. And as if he knew that I would be the one to inherit the Duke’s territory after he disappeared, he wrote, ‘This must be known.’ ‘This needs attention.’ He always wrote my name on such contents. It’s not behavior one would engage in unless they knew the possibility of their own death.”
He could have just told me directly; there was no reason to write it down in such detail.
“……Then why on earth didn’t he tell the family?”
“No. He must have. He did, but it didn’t reach them.”
“Yes? Does that make sense? Even if someone intercepted the letter he sent from within the academy, it only takes an hour by carriage to the Duke’s estate. If the message didn’t reach them, couldn’t he have come and told them himself?”
“Leng. Just because my brother was a more ordinary person than me, do you think he was a fool?”
“Ah, no. That’s not what I meant…”
When I asked him with a hint of irritation, Leng shrank back timidly, looking flustered. Ha. To think I have to explain even such a simple prediction. It’s truly frustrating.
“The message didn’t reach us. But it did reach my brother.”
“Eh? What does that…”
“Think. I told you before. Giving up on thinking for yourself is an unforgivable sin.”
“Ugh.”
I can’t give him all the answers forever. I brought Leng with me because I trust him, and to live up to my trust, Leng must possess at least a minimum level of intellect. Because I won’t be able to keep Leng by my side at all times within the academy.
“……The answer, the answer…? Uh…… No way!?”
“Speak.”
After nearly five minutes, Leng spoke as if he had finally figured it out.
“By forging the letter! So, if someone forged the Duke’s or the Duchess’s letter and delivered it to Deolis Young Master…!!”
“Is that all?”
“……Uh, was I wrong?”
“For now, it’s a passing grade by a hair. But you’re too slow.”
I stopped the conversation for a moment, finished my meal, and after having the maid from the Duke’s estate bring tea, I gave him the answer.
“There is something called Polymorph among magic spells. It’s a spell that completely changes appearance, scent, and even voice. You know that, right?”
“Huh?! What kind of crazy bastard would dare impersonate someone from the Duke’s family…!!”
Exactly. My brother must have met them. Father or Mother. Perhaps even me. Some son of a bitch who looked exactly like them. Since the state of the family was in such shambles, he wouldn’t have even suspected it.
“And on the day I first arrived at the academy, I checked the carriage logbook used by Bramble.”
“Young Master… did you go to the family estate?”
“I don’t know. The logbook had been tampered with. It matched Bramble’s original handwriting by over 90 percent, but the culprit made a mistake.”
“What part was that?”
“Bramble was left-handed. But the tampered logbook was pressed down on the right-hand page throughout.”
It must have been an action taken to add a sense of usage to the forged logbook. It is natural for the right hand to press down on the right-hand page while writing. But if a left-handed person writes, the opposite side—the left-hand page—should naturally be pressed down. However, the forger had perfectly mimicked Bramble’s handwriting, but failed to properly recognize the information that he was left-handed.
“With this, it’s confirmed that someone among the people managing the logbooks inside the academy is involved in my brother’s death. Leng. What kind of task do you think I’m going to assign you now?”
“……Should I gather information on the right-handed managers and their family backgrounds?”
“80 points.”
“Argh!! So close!! What’s the remaining 20 points?!”
At Leng’s reaction, whose brain finally started working, I chuckled and said,
“A right-handed manager. From a noble family or a fallen noble. A current or former magician with an arrogant temperament who doesn’t treat commoners like people.”
“Th-that’s a lot for a 20-point piece of information!”
Bramble was a complete commoner who couldn’t even use mana. The magician must have been so steeped in elitism that he didn’t even bother to look into that properly, which is why he made such a basic mistake.
“In the end, find an arrogant noble or a manager of noble origin. It’s incidental information that will inevitably be caught while looking for a right-handed manager. And lastly, this is information that only someone who has seen the logbook would know, so it’s not included in the score.”
“What else is there?”
“An alcoholic. This is the reason why the handwriting only matches by 90 percent. It’s the weakness that makes it impossible for the bastard to forge the letters 100 percent.”
Irregular tremors visible between the letters. Letters that trembled minutely in parts that shouldn’t have any reason to shake. It means it’s a physical problem that cannot be suppressed even with fantasy magic. But a guy who does Polymorph magic or handwriting copying doesn’t even know his own state? There’s no reason for him to be sober in the first place. It was forged by a guy who is 100 percent soaked in alcohol or drugs.
“Yes. I understand. Then I will go out and find out immediately tomorrow!”
Watching Leng declare it confidently, I formed a smile.
“Don’t talk nonsense and go out and find out right now.”
“Yes…”
Revenge is best served fast.