Chapter 101 |
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“How do you know the Emperor’s secret?”
“…Good question.”
“Ha, are you trying to gloss over it again?”
Lady Meredia, who had looked momentarily dazed by my words, furrowed her brows and took a step toward me.
“Normally, I would’ve let it slide, but not this time.”
“Why not?”
“I can clean up most of the messes you make, but the Emperor is the exception.”
She was right.
The enormous power held by the Empire’s sole ducal house was enough to keep the royal family in check—but only just.
And the current Emperor, Lilia Winter Klaus, had seized the imperial throne in a successful coup and now held absolute authority over the royal family.
Compared to Meredia, who still hadn’t cleared out some of her house’s elders and factions, the advantage in a head-on confrontation was clear.
‘Not like I can strong-arm my way through this like in the original story.’
If it came down to having no other options, we might need to consider military action—but even the odds of that succeeding seemed uncertain after today’s incident.
If the Emperor was currently within view of our estate, where she could observe Runiel, there’s no way Lady Meredia or the senior staff wouldn’t have noticed.
Yet Runiel had clearly been under the influence of powers suspected to be the Emperor’s for some time now.
“Fine, I won’t question how you know.”
“……….”
“But I do need to know what you know.”
As I scratched my head awkwardly, Meredia sighed softly and lowered her voice.
“Because depending on how powerful that information is, it could tip the scales.”
“Tip the scales, how…?”
“Whether we can put a leash around the lion’s neck—or not.”
Thankfully, it seemed Lady Meredia still intended to cooperate with me.
Well, we’ve been on the same boat long enough now—if she didn’t help me, I’d be a little hurt.
“Lady Meredia, may I borrow your ear for a moment?”
“Hm?”
“Haha. I know it’s a bit late to care about security, but I think it’s best to keep this between us.”
I leaned in close to whisper original story information that, at this point, probably only I knew.
“What did I just hear what did I just hear what did I just hear…”
With loud noises echoing again, Sasha, who had wandered in thinking the interview was over, clutched her ears and mumbled after hearing something she shouldn’t have.
So I had to prevent another accident like that too.
“Listen closely. The Emperor is actually…”
“Master.”
Just as I was about to whisper a top-level classified secret into Lady Meredia’s ear—
“Runiel?”
Suddenly, Runiel spoke to me from behind, looking like a soaked puppy with drooping shoulders.
“Why the hell are you barging in right now, you li—no, never mind.”
Meredia, whose words were cut off at a critical moment, flared with irritation but stopped herself when she saw how serious Runiel’s expression was.
“Please… please forgive my disgrace.”
“Disgrace? What are you talking about?”
“I dared to disobey my master’s orders…”
“No, that was beyond your control, wasn’t it?”
Thanks to that, I naturally turned to face Runiel, who, for some reason, was being unusually humble today.
I gave her a sheepish smile and began to reassure her.
“No matter how severed a past bond is, if it charges at you again, it’s only natural for it to reconnect—at least faintly.”
“So, it’s not your fault. Even I would’ve wavered.”
Then, after rolling her eyes and reading my expression, Runiel suddenly looked resolute and opened her mouth again.
“I have a request.”
“Yes, go ahead. Anything.”
“Those two… my former blood relatives, I mean.”
I looked at her with slight confusion, but the plea that followed left me stunned.
“Could you… please spare their lives?”
“…Pardon?”
What came from her mouth was an unexpected plea to save the lives of her two siblings, who were lying unconscious behind her.
“If you wish, you can take my life instead.”
“……?”
“So please, let the two of them live.”
No, now it sounds like this sacred interview chamber was actually a sinister trap to kill them or something.
Why the hell are you acting like this all of a sudden?
***
“Why are you acting like this out of nowhere?”
“Master, please.”
“No, at least tell me your reason.”
Still puzzled, Whitney tilted his head as Runiel continued to beg, and finally sighed and began listening seriously.
“Those two have lived their entire lives in my shadow.”
Then came Runiel’s slightly trembling voice.
“Richard Mistilane. Evangeline Mistilane. Both awakened sword energy at a young age and are very talented. If they had been born into an ordinary family, they would’ve been raised with great care.”
Whitney scratched his head while listening, then replied more seriously.
“But unfortunately, they were born into the Mistilane Count’s family—your family.”
“…That’s right.”
With her face growing darker, Runiel continued.
“I know how it sounds coming from me, but by the time I turned ten, no one could match me with a sword.”
“……”
“Because of that, my father—who was as obsessed with swords as I was—naturally poured everything into me.”
Runiel’s words might have sounded like boasting to some, but no one present, including Whitney, seemed bothered by it.
There was no need for further proof—her brief sparring match with her two siblings was enough to prove her skills.
“And because of that, my siblings lived their entire lives shrouded in darkness.”
“……”
“It wasn’t just ‘dark’ either. It was hellish—a life of brutal training.”
Because of that, Runiel’s words carried undeniable weight.
Even though they weren’t lacking in skill, catching up to the toes of Runiel—considered a candidate for the next Sword Saint—must have required immense effort and suffering.
“Even though Evangeline is well past the age to debut in high society, she had nothing but calluses instead of dresses. As for Richard, I know he was often subjected to abuse disguised as training by our father.”
And contrary to what the two siblings had believed—that no one would ever understand this pain—Runiel understood it precisely.
“To be honest, this is largely my fault. I was so obsessed with the sword that I ignored everything else around me.”
“……”
“Because of my selfish downfall, my siblings had to endure an unwanted hell.”
And she also understood why her two siblings looked at her with eyes full of hatred.
In truth, Runiel had always known the reason, yet had continuously avoided facing it.
Even in this situation, avoidance might have been a more advantageous choice for her.
“So please, I beg you. At the very least, please forgive my two siblings.”
However, for some reason, Runiel did not avoid the issue this time.
“I know very well that my siblings came to dig up information about you and me, Master. Of course, they deserve the harshest punishment.”
“Hmmm…”
“But isn’t there any way… to spare them?”
Instead, she was asking her master, whom she had sworn to serve as a sword and tool, to withdraw her blade.
“Let me ask you just one thing.”
Of course, Whitney had never intended to truly threaten the siblings in the first place, so this request left him a little flustered.
“Is this action something you decided as my sword? Or as the elder sister of those two?”
But after resting his chin on his hand and pondering for a while, Whitney realized that explaining the situation wasn’t as important as something else, and so he asked the question with a faint smile.
“…I don’t know.”
Of course, Whitney’s smiling face had turned quite chilling, so Runiel instinctively lowered her head and answered in a trembling voice.
“But still… I just wanted to say this.”
Though her expression was clearly confused, the words that followed were steady and unwavering.
“You’ve grown admirable, Runiel.”
Watching Runiel with eyes full of pride, Whitney gently placed a hand on her shoulder and whispered.
“To think you’ve gone from being a loyal sword and tool to expressing your personal opinion.”
“Ah….”
“I’m honestly so moved I might cry.”
Of course, Whitney’s words were sincere praise and encouragement.
“P-please… f-forgive my rudeness….”
“…No, I said I like it, didn’t I?”
However, Whitney knelt down to meet Runiel at eye level, and his expression turned even more chilling—so whether his message was truly understood remained a mystery.
“But really, are you sure you can forgive those two?”
“O-of course, they may have committed an offense against you, Master… but I have no right to forgive them…”
Still kneeling and trembling under Whitney’s cold gaze, Runiel forced out a response to the renewed question.
“So that’s how it is.”
However, Whitney’s next words made Runiel raise her head in shock, eyes wide as she stared at her master.
“What if those two are connected to the mastermind behind the burning of your mana circuit?”
“…What?”
“Even then, Runiel—can you still forgive your siblings?”
Those words, coming from Whitney’s lips, were deeply shocking to Runiel.
***
And in truth, Whitney’s statement wasn’t only shocking to Runiel.
‘……What did he just say?’
‘We’re connected to the mastermind…?’
Thanks to years of harsh training, Evangeline and Richard had regained their senses relatively quickly and had been secretly listening to the conversation between Runiel and Whitney.
Even to them, Whitney’s declaration was shocking.
‘But if there really is a mastermind behind us…’
‘There’s only one possible person……’
Though not as perfect as Whitney, the siblings narrowed their eyes sharply as they lay on the floor, quietly exchanging glances and chewing over the truth.
‘The one who ordered us to take part in this interview…’
‘The one who said they’d repay our debts if we brought back the secret to our sister’s current condition and recovery was…’
And the more they recalled it, the more cold sweat began to pour down their foreheads.
‘It was… Her Majesty the Emperor, wasn’t it?’
A being so great and towering that, as fallen nobles, they could do nothing but prostrate themselves before her.
It was only now that they realized—she had extended her dark hand toward their family long ago.
(To be Continued)
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CH 99-105 (Lioness Hunt) $4
CH 106-112 (Demon King Whitney) $4
CH 113-119 (The Maid saw it) $4
CH 120-126 (Second Heroine) $4
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