Chapter 187
I entered the magic vault.
Xenon was lying on a cot set in the corner of the vault. Donnie, who came in with me, asked,
"Did you find any evidence?"
"Yeah. I don't think it's going to be easy."
I sat down in the chair placed in front of Xenon's cot.
I thought it would take about five days for me to wake up, but my recovery rate must be remarkable.
"I know you're not sleeping."
Then Xenon opened his eyes slightly.
"How are you feeling?"
"What did you give me? I feel hazy."
"That's because you took a painkiller."
I gave him a painkiller on purpose.
The pain was severe, but there was also the intention to induce a 'confession' in his groggy state of mind.
"Why were you being chased?"
"They were trying to kill me."
"Why did they want to kill you?"
Xenon didn't answer.
Because it was about his identity or his secret.
"What were you trying to pass on to the Watts family?"
"What I knew."
"About the current crown prince?"
Xenon nodded.
"What do you know?"
"I don't even know if what I heard is correct. It's just something I heard."
"Who did you hear it from?"
"I don't know who it was. It happened three years ago. I was eating at my usual restaurant, and a young woman came to me and told me something."
"What did she say?"
"She told me about the features of a child, then left. I thought she was some crazy woman. Though her behavior was refined."
Who was that woman?
Was she the one who received the child?
"Anyway, the grand duke tried to kill me, so I ran, and then knights from the Watts family came looking for me. They asked if I had seen a pregnant woman in Syren."
"Did you see her?"
"Of course not. The grand duke wouldn't let such a secretive matter be seen by others. Anyone who saw it was likely killed."
Xenon sighed.
"At that time, the Watts knights told me. If I told them everything I knew about the crown prince, they would protect me. That's when I realized what the woman's words from three years ago had meant."
"Why did you go to the refugee village?"
"I needed a place to hide and get treated. At that time, I'd lost my arm during my escape."
If that woman was not from Syren...
She must have been the Empress's closest lady-in-waiting.
The lady-in-waiting who had bathed the crown prince.
"When did you meet her?"
"It was a holiday. Maybe the foundation anniversary."
"That's a month after the crown prince's birth."
"I see."
"How old did she look?"
"Around eighteen."
It's very likely she was a lady-in-waiting.
The grand duke wouldn't have let any witness who saw the child live for a month. I need to find that lady-in-waiting.
"Why did the grand duke try to kill you?"
"I can't say."
"Is it because of why you entered Syren?"
Xenon neither confirmed nor denied it.
"Are you really not going to tell me?"
"It's complicated. I still don't know you well. I'm just carrying out my own task."
"I think I have an idea."
"Don't jump to conclusions. It's nothing like some grand mission."
"And it's not revenge, either."
At my words, Xenon smirked.
I left so he could rest a bit.
I had some guesses.
I walked to the corner of the vault.
I summoned Leo immediately.
― Anything else you want to ask?
"Do you know the Sword of Light who was in southern Beltern?"
― Of course. There was only one.
"Who is it?"
― Has. He was the Royal Guard commander of the Argon Kingdom.
"He's dead, right?"
― He's dead. But listen, the knight order commander named Sellus you mentioned before is from that kingdom.
He's the Tern knight order commander.
He's the one the grand duke brought in to confirm Xenon's identity. And the Sword of Light who tried to kill Xenon.
― By the way, have you met Eilin yet?
"Not yet. Why?"
― You'll be very surprised.
"Surprised by what?"
― You'll see when you meet her. Hahaha.
"Thanks. I'll call you again."
― Anytime.
Is there some change with Eilin?
I had heard that Leo had visited the stronghold. Truthfully, we hadn't been in contact at all for the past two years.
I went back to Xenon.
He was gazing at me sleepily.
"Do you have a habit of talking to yourself?"
"What's your real name?"
"Xenon."
"Your family name is Argon."
Xenon stared at me intently.
In the end, he chuckled.
"A family of love and hate. My mother was a concubine, you see."
"Has, the commander, must have died protecting you, the only prince. He handed you the magic orb before he died. Thanks to it, you also became the Sword of Light."
Xenon didn't speak anymore.
Somehow his eyes looked sad.
"So, the grand duke was already suspicious of you, and when it was revealed that you had the magic orb, he tried to kill you. To take the orb."
Xenon didn't respond.
He just smiled faintly.
When Has died, the grand duke realized that the man beside him was the last prince. Since he didn't know what he looked like, he called in someone who knew to confirm it.
"Did you go there to assassinate the grand duke?"
Xenon closed his mouth again.
It seemed there was a reason he couldn't talk about. Since he was suffering from pain, I decided to stop here.
"Get some rest."
Xenon nodded.
I believed Xenon was headed in the same direction as us. Did the late commander Has leave behind some secret?
/ / /
I returned to the slum with Donnie.
We had received instructions from the Watts family to visit this place. They hadn't come here for nothing.
This slum was called a slum in the capital, but the people living here were ordinary civilians. They had been pushed out to this edge after their homes were taken for a pittance.
Children were running around, and laundry was spread everywhere, giving a peaceful impression. The people, though poor, had bright faces. It seemed there were workers of every occupation.
As we walked up a hill, we saw a place where people were gathering. I went to investigate, drawn by the sound of laughter.
A puppet play was taking place.
"Madam, is this really my son?"
"Do you think this child is a girl?"
"When did you become pregnant?"
"I'm still pregnant right now!"
"Isn't that just your flabby belly?"
"What do you mean by that?!"
On the surface, it was just a farce.
The puppets looked like nobles.
But the content...
"Sir, please spare a coin!"
"Where did this beggar come from?"
"Huh? This child is my son!"
"Madam! Is this beggar brat your son?"
"Huh! This child is my son!"
"Madam! Is what this beggar says true?"
"Both of you, stop it!"
A knight dressed as a beggar.
An ugly empress. A smirking emperor.
They were performing a rather dangerous play.
I waited for the puppet play to end.
However, the Watts knights seemed aware of us. Because of our build, it was impossible to hide the fact that we were warriors.
Were the Watts knights searching for the crown prince's biological mother's family? The knight, dressed as a beggar, claimed the child as his own. It felt like more than just a plot.
Shortly after, the puppet play ended and the audience dispersed. The admission fee was just a potato or two. As the curtain fell, three men appeared onstage.
Two were elderly. The third was a fairly sturdy man with a large, melted burn scar on his face—looking just like the knight depicted as a beggar.
As I approached, the Watts knights stepped forward as if to block us. Donnie and I wore the faces of men in their thirties.
"What's your business here?"
"Have you found the biological mother's family?"
"What do you mean?"
"If you've found them, you should have taken them somewhere safe. Why are you doing a dangerous puppet play here?"
The knights looked at me quietly.
"Where are you from?"
"Hader."
The knight lowered his head slightly.
"We've been expecting you."
"Were you verifying with the puppet play?"
"No. The crown prince's biological father has been telling his story and appealing his injustice through puppet plays since last year. That's how we found him."
"Let's move somewhere less conspicuous."
"Yes."
At their words, the men spoke to the one with the ruined face, who nodded silently and led the way. Not far away, there was his shanty.
The Watts knights stood guard outside, and one knight along with the two of us went inside with him. The two elders were the actual puppeteers.
"My name is Roger."
The man gave a polite bow.
He was not from a poor background.
"My name is Boldan."
"What happened to your face?"
"I burned it myself."
"To hide your identity?"
"Yes."
I looked around the room.
I noticed a portrait of a woman.
"Is she your wife?"
The man nodded.
"What did she do originally?"
"She was a knight for the Viscount Iren family."
"I see."
The Iren family, though not a powerful house, was on the grand duke's side. The duke likely searched for pregnant women and selected husbands who somewhat resembled the Emperor.
"Was your wife perhaps a lady-in-waiting?"
"No. We also believed the woman who met Xenon was a lady-in-waiting and searched for her. But among the ladies-in-waiting we've met, none knew my wife."
I asked the Watts knight,
"Was there a lady-in-waiting who disappeared three years ago?"
"Even if they disappeared, it's difficult to find out. Even now, it's impossible to know exactly how many ladies-in-waiting are in the palace. The Empress's closest servants are even more protected."
If that woman was a lady-in-waiting, she might not have returned to the palace. Or she was discovered and executed. It's very difficult to verify the register of ladies-in-waiting even now.
"Mr. Boldan, you never saw the child, did you?"
"No. When they called my heavily pregnant wife to Syren, I was worried. In the end, I lost everything."
I nodded and spoke.
"Mr. Boldan, you did see the child."
"Excuse me?"
"The baby was not born in the grand duke's house, but at home. You received the child with your own hands. Whether we find the lady-in-waiting or not, that's what we'll say."
"Ah."
"Mysterious assailants took away your wife and newborn. You disfigured your face to hide and escaped to this village."
"I understand what you mean."
After all, if the grand duke is deceiving people, so can we. Without definitive evidence, everyone should make the claims that best serve them. Who can know the truth?
"Has anyone seen the crown prince's face?"
"Except for the Empress's confidantes, not even the Emperor has seen his body. I hear he has brown hair and brown eyes."
Just like the Emperor.
"Do you still have your knight's insignia and portrait from your time as a knight?"
"Yes, I've kept them."
"Let me see the portrait."
Boldan took out a rolled-up picture.
He unrolled it and showed it to us.
"You do look much like His Majesty."
"That's why we were chosen."
"Xenon must have told you about the prince's features?"
"I know them."
"We'll do our best to find the woman Xenon met. She'll testify about something else, and you will testify about the child's features. Watts family, please protect Mr. Boldan safely."
"Of course."
I got up.
There's one thing I'm curious about.
How did that woman know Xenon?
Even if she knew of his existence, how did she determine he was trustworthy? Did I perhaps go to the past and tell Xenon about it through a lady-in-waiting?
If so, I would have used a one-week spirit orb and not returned to the palace for a week. Even so, the chances of having my status as a lady-in-waiting stripped would be low.
Whether she's still a lady-in-waiting, or now a commoner... Would such a person testify for us? When my soul leaves, she might think she was possessed by a ghost.
But even then, it seems wasteful to use a spirit orb for something like this. It's not a matter that will decide a war, and it's only just beginning.
/ / /
The next day, I returned to the imperial palace.
This time, it was to have our family's knight order officially recognized. I was accepted in front of the Secret Council elders.
The elders only frowned. They didn't make a loud scene like at the last appointment. Recognition of the knight order is just a formality.
We gathered again in the Emperor's quarters.
At my request, the security chief had brought a complete map of the palace—it was an imperial secret.
"This is the Empress's palace, and here is a small building where the Empress's personal registry is kept. If a name was listed as missing, or if she was executed, the name would have been deleted."
The Emperor asked,
"Do we really have to find the lady-in-waiting? If we can testify specifically about the prince's features... Wouldn't it be the same if either the woman or the biological father testified?"
"If only the biological father steps forward, the Empress could swap the prince with another child right before the Secret Council's investigation. We need someone to testify she was never pregnant."
The security chief added,
"Your Majesty, that lady-in-waiting would know about the Empress's fake pregnancy as her confidante."
The Emperor nodded.
"Then I will personally enter the Empress's palace and forcibly interrogate some ladies-in-waiting."
"No, I'll look into it."
"How will you do that?"
Even if we threaten a lady-in-waiting, she would know the Empress would protect her, so no one would open their mouth. To make them believe they could truly die, it's better for us to handle it.
I was about to explain to the Emperor when—
A contact from the intelligence department came in.
― This is the squad leader. We found Mrs. Mien, mother of priest Roman and former lady-in-waiting."
"All right. Good work."
― But we also found unexpected information."
The squad leader had discovered an astonishing fact.
Not only did we find what I had hoped for—
But there was even more surprising news.
"Who made contact?"
I replied with a smile.
"Yes. We found that lady-in-waiting."
"That's truly wonderful!"
I hadn't gone back to the past.
It had been arranged by Mrs. Mien.
Alongside an unexpected person.