Chapter [NaN]: 📢 New! Donation Section - Support early translations!
The garden of the imperial palace.
Despite the winter season, the weather was bright, but Victor’s face was filled with concern.
[There were five unidentified deceased and twelve missing persons.]
[Three sets of footprints were found in different locations. The suspects are presumed to be three women. Despite the murders, there were no traces left, only bodies, indicating that the culprits are highly skilled…]
The report was filled with negative content.
Recently, things weren’t going well, and her sleep cycle was off, making it hard to maintain a good mood while reading it.
However, she tried hard to control her mind.
It was because of Shiron Prient, the man reading the same report as Victor.
“I’m sorry, it’s rare for us to meet, but I got caught up in work.”
Was it because of what happened ‘that day’? Although she was still dressed as a man, Victor’s tone had become softer.
“Aren’t you cold? Want some tea? Oh, should I bring more snacks?”
“It’s fine, I was curious about this too, so the timing is perfect.”
Shiron didn’t bother to point out her somewhat feminine tone. If Victor had spoken like that in a man’s appearance, he might have given her a serious look, but with fewer accessories, Shiron could just barely recognize her as a woman.
“The missing ones aside, weren’t the murdered people barbarians?”
“Not all stateless people are from foreign tribes.”
Victor handed the report to the attendant.
“There are beggars, and as prosperous as the empire is, many people try to enter illegally. Even working in the slums or textile factories for a year can earn them a sack of silver.”
“Is there a reason you suspect they might be foreigners?”
Deviale, who had been standing quietly, spoke up.
He was visiting the palace for his regular monthly report and joined the discussion at Shiron’s suggestion.
“They clearly look like barbarians, don’t they?”
Shiron pointed to the illustration attached to the report.
All five of the dead had black hair and black eyes, and there was only one group in the ‘Reincarnation of the Sword Saint’ that had such features.
Silleya.
“They said they had been driven out not long ago, but it wouldn’t be strange if they came back.”
“Not just their hair, but their pitch-black eyes scream that they’re from Silleya, those barbarians.”
“Then, who could have killed them? As far as I know, the Silleya people are known for their aggressive nature and exceptional individual combat skills…”
The cardinal tilted his head in confusion.
He didn’t finish his sentence, but everyone present could guess what he would say next.
‘Who in the world could have killed them?’
“I can understand just killing them, but the disappearances… I’m not sure.”
“These people have accumulated countless grudges. There must be some vendetta involved.”
Shiron shook his head at Deviale’s question.
“Even if the empire wasn’t directly involved, it has retaliated against terror attacks in some way. Most countries friendly with the empire have also been targeted by terrorism. If elite forces nurtured by those nations were behind this, it wouldn’t be surprising.”
Even though the Silleya were a warrior race, it wasn’t as if other nations were defenseless.
Differences in inherent qualities could easily be overcome with training and resources.
“Still, that doesn’t mean the empire should just sit back and watch.”
Victor sighed deeply and then cast a cold glance at Deviale.
“I’ve never raised hunting dogs that fight without reporting to me.”
“Lucerne has nothing to do with this incident.”
“Are you sure? You’re just a cardinal, aren’t you?”
“Well, there are 12 other cardinals besides me, and the Holy Emperor as well.”
Deviale looked troubled at the unexpected sharp remark.
“Of course, we have forces besides the Steel Knights. But we never act against our doctrine.”
“Isn’t that too much of a guarantee?”
“I can guarantee it. If we betray our faith, we would be forsaken by the Lord instantly.”
In this world, gods indeed existed. Though he was speaking indirectly, what Deviale meant was that they would lose their divine power.
“Therefore, even if some brothers from Lucerne were involved, the victims would have been cultists.”
“I don’t think Lucerne is the main culprit behind this incident either.”
Shiron supported Deviale.
It wasn’t because he had faith in the priestly ordination or believed that Lucerne was a virtuous group.
Given the nature of the current Holy Emperor, he wouldn’t conduct such a shady act in secret.
‘At least not blatantly.’
That’s why Shiron was deep in thought.
The dead, and likely the missing, were probably barbarians, including those from Silleya.
‘Who in the world could it be? If they could handle this without leaving evidence, they must be incredibly skilled.’
Shiron recalled the major figures of ‘Reincarnation of the Divine Sword.’
Dozens, even hundreds of names came to mind, and he filtered out the strongest ones.
‘It’s not Lucia, Siriel, or Seira. They’re not deranged killers. Why would they sneak around killing barbarians?’
Shiron focused on the footprints of the three women found at the scene.
‘It’s not Yoru either. She has no reason to kill her fellow countrymen.’
Though barbarians might be a bit crazy, Yoru had a sincere love for her people.
After all, without self-sacrifice, she wouldn’t engage in acts like creating enemies or recklessly charging into enemy territory alone.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to him.
‘Could Yoru be throwing a fit over this?’
She had done it before. Shiron had rounded up barbarians on the wanted list, and Yoru had easily fallen into his trap.
[Hero.]
In the midst of his thoughts, he heard Latera’s voice.
‘Huh?’
[I recommend accepting this task.]
Latera’s voice came through the message window that appeared before him.
[Cardinal Deviale has expectations for Hero Shiron Prient!]
[Emperor Victor has expectations for her long-time friend Shiron Prient!]
[Achievement Progress: 90%]
[From 90% progress, you can upgrade the status window.]
[Additional Reward: +1 Blessing Slot]
Latera wasn’t the hero’s guardian angel or guide. Therefore, she never interfered with his choices, but her eyes widened at the word ‘reward.’
[Hero, the Lord is offering a reward! A reward! This has never happened before, it’s the first time!]
‘…The Lord?’
Shiron’s ears perked up as well. However, it wasn’t because of the word ‘reward,’ but because of the word ‘Lord.’
‘The Lord… could it be referring to Yura?’
“Why are you asking?”
“Pardon?”
Shiron raised his head at the voice that snapped him out of his thoughts. Victor and Deviale were staring blankly at Shiron.
“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”
“…What is it? That was abrupt.”
Shiron wiped his face with his hands and stood up.
“Cardinal, are you free by any chance?”
“What is it?”
“Would you like to work with me for a while?”
“Of course.”
Deviale answered with a bright smile. While part of it was a sincere desire to help the hero in any way, there was also a slight overreaction due to a woman who had been visiting him too frequently, making him want to immerse himself in other work.
A small village [Amin] near Rien.
At a reservoir they shared as a community.
“They want us to poison the reservoir? Is this really a decision from the council?”
Yurdia Ale.
The one-eyed girl, whose real name was Nadia, muttered as she stared at the sack filled with arsenic and mercury.
“Nadia, are you opposing the council’s decision?”
“…No, that’s not it, but…”
“If you have grown attached to this village, I’ll beat that foolishness out of you if I must.”
“…”
“You are a proud warrior of Silleya. You may not be great at fighting, but now you have found a way to contribute to your people as an informant. I don’t understand why you’re hesitating.”
The man with the black hood spoke in a cold voice. He sounded as if his knife, resting at his waist, would fall on Nadia’s neck if she hesitated any further.
Gulp.
Nadia adjusted her grip on the sack of poison.
The attachment she felt toward the villagers weighed heavily on her mind. As the man said, Nadia had grown fond of the people in the village.
It wasn’t as though they had saved her life or done her a great favor. It was simply the human connection that formed between people who lived close together that made her hesitate in betraying them.
But her hesitation didn’t last long.
Crack—
It wasn’t because she had made up her mind to betray them.
Thud.
The hooded man’s head fell to the ground. Blood spurted from his neatly severed neck, and his body, drained of strength, wobbled before collapsing.
“…Huh?”
Nadia let out a dumbfounded sound.
It was hardly the kind of reaction one would expect from seeing a beheaded corpse, but the event happened so suddenly that it felt like she was in a dream.
Step, step—
The footsteps were deliberately loud, as if the person wanted to be heard.
The cold moonlight glinted off the blade, and Nadia wrapped her arms around her goosebumped skin.
“Your… Higness?”
The fiery red eyes narrowed slightly.
“Hand it over.”
“Pardon?”
“Give me the sack.”
“Yes, yes!”
Nadia bent at a 90-degree angle and handed over the sack. After checking the contents, Yoru clicked her tongue and sheathed her sword.
“Run away.”
“Pardon?”
“From now on, you are no longer part of the Silleya tribe. So, leave. Go far away.”
Yoru took a few gold coins out of her pocket.
The girl, upon receiving the coins, seemed to regain her senses and hurriedly ran off.
“…I had no choice but to kill the man. If I had been even a little late, he would have drawn his sword.”
Yoru sighed as she watched the girl run off. The clouds that had covered the moon cleared, revealing a white collar-like object hanging loosely around her neck.
“I could have just cut off his wrist to prevent him from grabbing his sword.”
“…There was no time!”
“Don’t make excuses. You could have done it.”
Lucia, gripping the collar, spoke in a chilling voice.
“Killing has become a habit for you. You need more training.”
Yoru, startled, turned around.
“More training? How long are you planning to keep this up?!”
“Forever.”
“W-What?”
“Didn’t you hear me? I said forever. What if a ticking bomb like you becomes a threat to Shiron?”
Her words carried more weight than before. Yoru couldn’t even dream that Lucia was lying.
“Don’t worry too much. I’ve prepared food and a place for you to sleep. At least, I’ll let you live ‘like a human.’”
‘This wicked woman…’
Yoru gritted her teeth, her whole body trembling with anger. She had fallen into the wrong hands.
‘I thought she was being metaphorical when she called it a dog collar, implying a curse or contract.’
But she had actually been collared like a real dog and was being humiliated this way.
And as time passed, her thoughts only became more certain.
One day, in a hotel room, Lucia found herself face-to-face with Shiron, who wore an expression of utter disbelief.
“Hey.”
“…Huh?”
“What is that?”
Shiron pointed at the woman tied up with a dog collar.
It wasn’t just the collar. The woman was dressed in tattered clothes, and in front of her was a dog bowl labeled [Blackie], its color faded from long use.
“Um… well, you see…”
Lucia couldn’t bring herself to meet Shiron’s fierce gaze. She had secretly kept the woman in this room, so why was Shiron here?
But now was not the time to worry about trivial connections.
Every time Shiron sighed with exasperation, Lucia’s chest pricked as if it had been stabbed with needles.
Lucia, her mind racing, suddenly moved her legs.
“I did well, right? I caught her just for you!”
Lucia rushed over to Shiron.