Chapter 135
Upon returning to the capital, Brillie began to prepare for the wedding in grand fashion.
The venue where the ceremony would be held, the wedding attire, the family's dowry, the invitations, and so on.
For that reason, even as she conferred with her father, she continued to be troubled.
"... The grand cathedral is a bit too much. Just how many guests are you planning to invite?"
"I have already finished talking with the Holy Order. The Holy King himself will officiate, so how could we refuse?"
"But I said I want it to be a bit modest."
"There is a certain dignity to the duke's house. This is the wedding of the Duke's second daughter—we cannot afford to make it slipshod. And besides, should the future head of the family be frugal with money?"
"I understand what you mean, but I'd really prefer a quiet ceremony."
"This is something I cannot concede. Are you telling me to throw away my pride?"
"Huu... Father. Then at least let's reduce the number of guests. If you call that many people, I'll be the only one to suffer."
"Hmm... I'll think about it."
Cadeon reluctantly agreed, then returned his attention to reviewing documents.
Brillie showed a displeased expression, but refrained from arguing further.
'It would be better to keep things quiet...'
Brillie unconsciously fell into worry as she recalled Alter.
Alter would only reluctantly attend social gatherings and often avoided noisy environments.
He was, in essence, little different from a reclusive young nobleman—was it necessary to burden him with the pressure of a grand wedding ceremony?
'I'll have to pick somewhere manageable for the honeymoon too. If I just drag him around to all the famous sights and restaurants, Alter might be the first to collapse.'
Brillie was prioritizing Alter's well-being.
Though he had gotten much healthier lately, there were still many things that concerned her.
There had even been times when issues arose during battles, which made her all the more sensitive.
'We have to spend our first night together as well. If he wastes all his strength on these events...'
Brillie did not want to ruin the wedding or the honeymoon.
It was the most important moment of her life and their first event as husband and wife.
If even a small thing went awry, it could have a huge impact on their future married life.
'Surely nothing will happen during the honeymoon... right?'
Brillie unconsciously imagined the worst-case scenario.
Dragons invading, hordes of monsters gathering, a rebellion breaking out in the capital...
She had already experienced such incidents to the point of exhaustion, but there was no guarantee they would not happen again.
'It probably won't go that far. There are only two dragons left, and monsters have hardly been seen lately...'
Brillie continued to keep track of developments in the border regions and the capital.
If anything particular happened, she and Alter would surely be called upon.
Still, she did not want to confront disasters during the honeymoon, so she had to make sure to prevent them as much as possible.
'Now I have to change rooms, too... Hmm...'
Brillie was plagued by concerns from several directions.
After marriage, many things would change.
She and Alter's lives would become entwined in new ways, so perhaps she needed to be a bit more cautious.
'Having a child... and just managing the family alone...'
Brillie continued to agonize until finally she cleared her mind.
Merely thinking about things would not solve them fundamentally.
She needed to handle the matters right in front of her, one at a time.
'I have something I need to ask Father.'
Brillie belatedly recalled what she had heard from the great mage.
Her mana was called "Radiance", and it might have been inherited as a bloodline.
Of course, this was only a hypothesis, and appropriate evidence would be required to prove it.
"... Father, I have a question."
"If it's about the wedding, can we not end it here?"
"I want to know about my mother."
"......"
Cadeon paused for a moment, then put down his folder. With a clear gaze, he looked at his daughter.
"I can tell you what I know. What do you wish to know?"
"Can you tell me about Mother's origins?"
"You know that, don't you? She was a lord's daughter of a baron's house... a fallen noble. She worked as my bodyguard knight, we spent a night together, and I accepted her as a concubine."
"Mother was skilled with the sword, wasn't she?"
"Yes. Many knights recognized her ability. However... there were many who disdained her due to her background. I hired her as my bodyguard despite opposition from those around me."
"And yet you married her?"
"... It was my doing, so I had to take responsibility. At least she was of noble birth, so it could be quietly resolved."
Cadeon recalled the past in a calm tone.
At the time, it had been quite tumultuous, and even his official wife protested.
But he could not cast aside a woman he had taken to his heart, and in the end, used the authority of the duke's house to bring her in as his second wife.
"Do you know anything about my mother's family?"
"I haven't heard much... but the first head of that house was said to be from a knight order. Perhaps that's why the family has practiced swordsmanship for generations, and your mother was the last heir."
"Do you know which knight order?"
"Hmm... That knight order was..."
Brillie waited patiently for Cadeon's answer.
After rifling through his memory for a while, Cadeon finally spoke.
"Lihines. I think it was called the Lihines Knight Order."
"... I've never heard of it. Does such an order actually exist?"
"I investigated it briefly at the time, but found no one who knew that name. It must have disappeared long ago."
"......"
Brillie pondered the name of the knight order with growing curiosity.
She had not intended to dig so deeply, but she had to find out.
Only by understanding the mana called Radiance could she grow stronger.
'I'll have to go see the great mage. I need to deliver the invitation, so maybe I can ask...'
* * *
Alraune respectfully accepted the wedding invitation from Brillie.
Normally, invitations would be sent through a maid or servant, but for an esteemed guest, the parties themselves would deliver it directly.
In other words, Alter and Brillie were treating him as a distinguished guest worthy of personal invitation.
"Hoho... I shall certainly attend the wedding."
"Yes. If you, great mage, would come, our ceremony will be all the more brilliant, I think."
"You flatter me. Though I am considered Alter's master, I have not taught him much. He achieved that realm on his own; what more need be said?"
"Even so, you have helped us greatly, great mage. Please continue to look after us."
Alter quietly lifted his teacup as he eavesdropped on the conversation between the two.
He had already heard from Brillie her reason for visiting the society.
Since she wished to learn about her bloodline, he felt he should assist as well.
"Great Mage, could you keep the conversation we are about to have a secret?"
"... Of course. I could even swear an oath right here."
"No, that won't be necessary. I trust you. I've been looking into my bloodline a little."
"You wish to ask me about Radiance?"
"Yes. You can keep it secret, right?"
"If you trust me, I shall tell you only the truth. Even if I go to my grave, I will never reveal it."
Alraune replied in a solemn tone, his gaze serious. Brillie exchanged glances with Alter, then spoke again.
"My mother's family has fallen, so few people know about it."
"Hmm... If she was a fallen noble, it's only natural that information is lacking. You also said your mother died long ago, so it must be hard to find any material."
"I heard that the first head of her house was from a knight order. Do you know anything about the Lihines Knight Order?"
"Lihines? That name seems familiar..."
Alraune immediately rose and went to the bookshelf.
Alter and Brillie watched in curiosity as he pulled out book after book, and then seemed to recall something.
"Now I remember. I believe I saw it in the ancient books archive."
"Can we go there now?"
"It may take some time—are you fine with that?"
"Yes, that's fine."
"In that case, let's check right away."
Alraune led the way, opening the door to his office.
Alter and Brillie hurried after him, and soon arrived at the archive of ancient books.
Alraune unlocked the archive door and spoke in a careful voice.
"These are old books, so they may be damaged if not handled correctly. I ask that you wait here."
"Yes, we will."
Alraune busied himself, checking each book one by one.
Brillie watched him move and then turned to Alter.
"Lord Alter."
"Yes?"
"Did you say that because you knew about Radiance?"
"No, I learned about it for the first time then. I merely sensed a subtle change, that's all."
"I still don't really understand it. Is it because it's related to magic?"
"Even previous great mages failed to prove anything. Besides, very few people can use Radiance. Isn't that why we need to check the old books?"
Alter replied evenly, glancing around.
He had occasionally visited the archive, but mostly to reference things related to mana or magic.
He had never thought to question Brillie's bloodline, so, to him, all of this felt strange.
"Will anything change even if we find out?"
"Once you know, you can't keep it buried forever. If we investigate now, won't you feel at ease?"
"Hm... I suppose so. It's better than not knowing."
Brillie nodded, finally agreeing.
If she hadn't known at all, that would be one thing, but having become aware of the secret, she had to dig deeper.
Curiosity only grows more intense the more you try to suppress it.
"I've finally found it. It's recorded right here."
Alraune returned, clutching the ancient book in both hands.
He placed it carefully on the table and pointed out a passage.
Alter and Brillie looked it over and found the name right away.
"... So it existed before the Agnes Empire was founded?"
"That is correct. It must have been the knight order of a fallen kingdom."
"Does that mean there was another country?"
"Historians still debate that. At least some old books remain, so it's speculated that it originated from such a kingdom."
"They seem to have many accomplishments."
"You could certainly call them a great knight order. With only a few members, they subjugated countless monsters—clearly, they had outstanding warriors."
"Does that mean my mother's ancestors were active in this knight order?"
"Hmm... It's difficult to prove now. If it was the knight order of a fallen kingdom, it inevitably would have been disbanded. Even if a few members joined the Agnes Empire, who would publicly reveal their origins? Still, I can say one thing for certain."
Alraune searched for another passage, then pointed it out directly.
This content, in effect, served as proof of the existence of Radiance.
"It is certain that the commander of the Lihines Knight Order manifested Radiance. Is it not stated here that it repelled darkness?"
"It does, yes."
"Radiance alone has the power to dispel darkness. If this book records only the truth, then the Sword Flower has inherited the Lihines Knight Order in the truest sense. The Lihines Knight Order existed as the symbol of Radiance, did it not?"