Chapter 245 : Chapter 245
Chapter 245 : Between Defying the Heavens and Embers
"Please leave this place to us."
The Brakenport trio bowed with discipline.
I guess this is what they mean when they say you have to live long enough to see everything. I couldn't have imagined a scene like this when I infiltrated Brakenport disguised as the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, the evil faction of the Empire.
Since those ruffians of the lawless zone stepped up to protect the Neutral Zone in my stead, I was able to lay down one worry thanks to them.
"Will you really be alright alone without any attendants? It seems you have yielded too much to the Duke of Conwell."
Philinus II restricted the number of people entering the Imperial Capital to five. The justification was protocol suited for the Pantheon completion ceremony, but the reality was obvious vigilance. No matter if he was the King, accepting the entirety of Conwell's forces, the hegemon of the East, would have been a burden.
Well, for me, escorts or attendants were just cumbersome extras, so I yielded all three remaining spots to Adeline.
"He pretended to obediently follow the five-person entry rule of the Neutral Zone, yet he ultimately held a grudge like this. For someone called a King to be so petty, tsk."
McRay glared at Tiaro, who was speaking while absently picking his nose.
"Watch your mouth, Tiaro. Is the King your friend? It would be one thing if we were still in our immature days, but do not lower the dignity of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult."
"Hmph! It is said that a narrow-minded person covets the belongings of others to fill their own vessel. That ignorant bastard of a King copying the Cult Leader's rules exactly as they are is a practice of non-possession that proves his own head is empty. I am merely pitying the foolishness of such a ridiculous sentient being right now."
Tiaro even put his hands together in prayer with a quite plausible expression. McRay rested his chin on his hand for a moment and chewed over that sophistry before soon nodding dryly.
"That makes sense."
They were ruffians of the lawless zone to begin with. They didn't care about the authority of the Royal Family at all.
"I will assist Sir Jayden and complete the mission you ordered. I will ensure there are no disruptions to the end-of-war declaration announced by the Cult Leader, and I will crack down so that no one can do anything foolish until Sir Noser recovers, so please do not worry and have a safe trip."
It was Ellen. Who would have known that the unruly meathead would transform into such a reliable man?
I had no idea at all back when I advised him to live wonderfully since time was short..........
"Vulture will continue to tail me. Unless there is a special instruction, keep guarding your positions."
"Your orders!"
The voices of the three people rang out in the room.
***
"Langdros is famous for having many foggy wetlands and lakes. Have you ever been there?"
I shook my head briefly at Philinus II's question. I wasn't particularly interested, but he continued speaking without caring.
"The blue herons that inhabit that place are called 'Sharon'. They are absolutely amazing spiritual creatures. Not only do they have elegant figures, but their spirit and cleverness when snatching prey are truly worthy of being the standard for knights. The knights from Langdros starting to wear the blue feathers of those Sharons on their helmets can be called the origin of the Sharon Faction."
Philinus II smirked and deliberately aligned his horse's head with mine. Like a child anxious to show off his knowledge, he went out of his way to pour out stories that he didn't need to lay out.
"Then, what about the Langster Faction, which can also be called my maternal relatives—"
"......."
"The territory of the Falcon family was traditionally famous for its tough wool and cotton textiles as specialty products. The knights there supposedly headed out with long rope knots woven by women wrapped around their gauntlets before leaving for the battlefield. The never-breaking black knot, in other words 'Langster', became the symbol of the faction."
I nodded moderately.
"I see."
"......Tsk. You have an expression that doesn't show much interest. Still, you have to lead these two major factions in the future, so wouldn't it be helpful to know this level of common sense?"
Philinus II was quite serious in his own way. It seemed that creating a new Royal Guard wasn't empty talk, but truly sincere.
'Let's not pay attention to this half-wit.'
My casually turned gaze met perfectly with Zisair's. His posture, sitting leisurely on the saddle as if he came out to enjoy a vacation, was incredibly relaxed.
'......The problem is that bastard.'
Deliberately pointing me out and trying to drag me to the Imperial Capital, and suddenly looking for Adeline now, it's all that bastard's scheme.
'He's really taking his life to set up this board. What on earth is his ulterior motive?'
Rather than staking his life, it would be more accurate to express that he already threw it away. Because the half of the Remnant Orb that governs their eternal life was already smashed in my hands.
—Make Philinus II the Emperor.
Making him the Emperor meant handing Philinus II absolute, unchallengeable power in this Kingdom that no one could covet.
In other words, it meant making this Kingdom, which was an aristocratic alliance scattered like grains of sand, into a fortress of steel that wouldn't collapse even under the Empire's iron hooves.
A snort came out as soon as I recalled the words he said. Even thinking about it again, it's absurd.
'He babbled as if he knew the fact that I regressed. Creepily so.'
There's no need to rack my brain more complicatedly. The conclusion is simple.
'That bastard simply has no proper way to get rid of me, his natural enemy, head-on.'
Other than luring me into the trap he laid down.
......And tying Adeline into it as well.
'A cunning and insidious old man.'
I narrowed my eyes. It was a truly incredibly deceitful trick.
He stimulated the ill-fated relationship between the Royal Family and Adeline to stubbornly drag her into the Imperial Capital, and he figured out the relationship between her and me to string me along as well.
'Whether it's for my sake or Adeline's sake, ultimately the conclusion of all matters will only come when I set foot in the Imperial Capital.'
Zisair knows that self-evident fact better than anyone else.
That's why the bastard threw a perfect checkmate that I can never refuse, no, one where I have no choice but to walk into on my own two feet.
'Adeline and Philinus II.'
......I admit it. There are probably no hostages more perfect than them to tighten around me from the inside and out. They are cards worth the bastard willingly trading his life for.
'He wouldn't just be trying to pull a simple hostage situation.'
I suddenly became curious. Just what kind of scheme that evil spirit is preparing.
'.......'
Just how deeply had I fallen into thought? When I belatedly snapped out of it, I felt gazes stinging my face. Every gaze pouring in from all directions seemed to have blue thorns sprouting from them, as if they were determined not to miss a single one of my every move.
'Come to think of it, I had naturally forgotten. That the people of the Imperial Capital are entirely Zisair's limbs.'
From the lowliest soldiers here right now to the attendants guarding the King's side. It was said that every visible eye and ear moved for only one person, Zisair.
'Annoying.'
I wanted to immediately smack the back of Zisair's head as he leisurely drove his horse. Somehow, it felt like I could hear the bastard humming.
It was around the time dusk was slowly beginning to settle that the front of the procession came to a halt.
Since we left Pretoria in the early morning and rode without rest, it was quite a forced march.
"Are you alright?"
Adeline responded to my question with a spirited smile. I passed my gaze once each to Joel, who stepped up as her escort, the staff officer Henry, and even the maid taking care of the chores.
CLOP, CLOP.
I suddenly thought the sound of horse hooves approaching this way was particularly grating, and it turned out to be Gunt.
He sent me a look asking for understanding out of courtesy, and then immediately spoke to Adeline.
"Your Grace, are you alright?"
"......Yes. There's no need for you to mind."
Adeline's answer was short and dry. Gunt continued speaking without caring.
"That's a relief. However, from tomorrow morning, please do not hold the reins yourself and get into the carriage. There is a carriage my retainers have prepared separately."
At that suggestion, Adeline snorted as if it was ridiculous.
"Do you think I'd obediently say I'd do that?"
"I know. I'm just telling you this because it seems an unexpected heavy rain will pour down starting tonight, not for any other reason."
At that time, Henry looked up at the sky and shrugged his shoulders.
"It doesn't look like a sky that'll rain at all, though?"
Gunt's eyes instantly cooled. He quickly scanned Henry and Joel before letting out a faint sigh.
"......I'm sorry, but I don't have the luxury to teach you all how to read astronomy right now."
Only then did my gaze also go up. The sky, where the evening light had spread, was entirely reddish. I stroked my chin for no reason. Of course, it wasn't like I knew anything either.
"A heavy rain here would be troublesome. Taking this route must have been to ride through the low mountains that reach straight to the Imperial Capital."
I'm someone who is familiar enough with the western terrain of the Kingdom to know it clearly even with my eyes closed. It's a land I roamed so much in my past life, after all..........
Therefore, I muttered without much thought, but I suddenly felt gazes focusing on me.
The geography near the Imperial Capital had flowed out too easily and smoothly from an outsider's mouth. The Empire was the same, but originally, detailed topography like the side roads or the characteristics of rugged terrains in the land where the King resided was close to a secret that was hard for even ordinary locals to know.
I hurriedly covered it up.
"......Ah, I briefly overheard. People are talking about it."
At my excuse, Gunt unnecessarily cleared his throat. He was already a guy who suspected me of being some kind of spy sent by the Empire.
"Sir Bihen is truly knowledgeable in many various fields."
"So what, do you have a complaint?"
"I'll decline the wordplay. Anyway, Your Grace. Please enter the carriage even if it's just while the heavy rain pours. Isn't maintaining your health until you return to the territory the true duty of a sovereign?"
As if Gunt's words truly became seeds, the sky quickly darkened not long after.
A heavy sound of thunder rolled in from afar, and soon after, strong streams of rain began to pour down.
WHOOOOOOSH—
As expected, they were worthy of being elite soldiers assisting the King and high-ranking nobles. There was no major confusion despite the sudden heavy rain. In the blink of an eye, huge camp tents were completed like a colony, and thanks to that, we were able to safely avoid the rain before our bodies got wet.
"Are you not going in?"
I was standing alone under the tent's eaves, staring intently up at the pouring streams of rain.
Zisair had approached from behind at some point. He was also alone.
"Well, nothing will change just because I joined the meeting."
Inside, a meeting was in full swing over changing the route due to the sudden heavy rain.
Well, even if I knew the way, to me, it just felt as distant as someone else's household affairs.
"Aren't you the one who shouldn't be leisurely doing this?"
"Well, that's true too. Heh heh."
Zisair stood side-by-side next to me and threw his gaze far away.
The sound of rain and thunder mixed messily amid the silence.
"At this point, I should even thank the Poison Demon, no, Iscariot."
I just turned my head and looked at Zisair. The corners of the bastard's mouth rose obliquely.
"Isn't it thanks to the precedent of betrayal that guy showed that you are acting this cautiously? Smashing half of the jewel and stubbornly not cutting off the rest of my breath is because, ultimately, you want to confirm it too, right?"
The bastard turned his head and met my eyes.
"An unlikely possibility. The humanity that might just remain within me against all odds."
"......."
"Am I wrong?"
I took my eyes off his ugly mug and looked again at the horizon blurred by the water curtain.
There was no way to stop the sound of air escaping from my nose.
"Well. Maybe so."
I barely held back from retorting, 'Not at all, you crazy evil spirit bastard.' You've improved a lot, Bihen.
Thanks to the bastard's arrogant assumption, two facts became clear once again.
One is that these bastards are by no means omnipotent beings capable of piercing through every detail of a human's inner thoughts.
And the other is the fact that he firmly believes the Poison Demon is the only such pitiful traitor.
'......Sword Demon.'
I felt it last time with the Sword Demon and Lust Demon too, but these guys called the Eight Demons are so uncooperative with each other that the title of siblings is meaningless. Well, as for me, it's a welcome thing.
"That's all fine and well. This damn weather is truly— I just can't get used to it."
I reached my hand outside the eaves to moderately change the subject. Cold rainwater piled up thickly on my palm before flowing down along my wrist.
"You seem to dislike the rain."
Zisair lightly responded from the side. It was a natural response as if we had become ordinary conversational partners.
"There isn't much to like about it."
"Mmm, because it's uncomfortable."
"Normally that would be the case, but my reason is a bit different."
I added while lightly shaking off my rain-soaked hand.
"Because a lot of particularly annoying memories get dragged up on rainy days."
At those words, Zisair chuckled as if he found it amusing.
"Are you the type to get lost in thought?"
"Well, I tend to be."
"It won't stop anytime soon."
When I looked over, the bastard had already turned around.
"It seems I've picked out a good gift after all."