Episode 35

A top-secret royal case occurred: the ancient relic “Spearize” was stolen by a hostile organization. This sent a wave of tension through those who knew the truth, and even those who did not felt the prickling air and grew anxious.

“—And that is how it ended. Do you understand, Lord Izosaar?”

Public matters were mainly handled by the Knight Order, but when it concerned the shadows like this, they moved. For the past several days, the young man who inherited silver had been run ragged with work, and he had visited the House of Izosaar.

“A-Aktor-sama… I don’t understand any of this…”

Sitting directly across from Aktor was Wishka Izosaar, head of the Marquis House of Izosaar. Wishka’s face had gone pale, and his panic was obvious.

Aktor and his escorts had appeared without warning while Wishka was sorting documents. There were also operatives from the intelligence service working behind the scenes, and Wishka had sat there slack-jawed, too shocked to remember shame.

At Aktor’s instruction, an intelligence operative explained the situation again. Wrapped in gray garb with their face completely covered, the figure was the very mark of the intelligence service.

“Lord Izosaar. Your son, Clotted Izosaar, is suspected of numerous crimes as the perpetrator of this incident.”

“Assault, attempted murder, property destruction, threats, theft… the list never ends.”

“I understand what the words mean. But why would Clotted…?”

“That is exactly why we are here.”

The operative stated the facts flatly, and Aktor did the same.

When Wishka averted his eyes, he saw other operatives confiscating Clotted’s personal belongings. The same was being carried out for Tsaity, the second son.

“We are questioning Clotted, but… it has stalled. So we are proceeding from other angles. We also still don’t know Tsaity’s whereabouts.”

“Aktor-sama. I truly know nothing. That those two would harm the country…”

He had expected Aaron to have received some kind of orders from the ducal house, but who could have imagined that Clotted—his own elder brother—would steal the ancient relic he had been commanded to guard? Worse, Clotted had committed an unforgivable atrocity by taking a commoner’s child hostage, only to be utterly crushed by Lagias in a pathetic end. Clotted had piled sin upon sin and smeared his own name—what had he even wanted? It was impossible to understand.

“We harbor a suspicion. That the Marquis House of Izosaar may be plotting treason.”

“Absurd! Izosaar has, for the sake of the kingdom…”

“Prove it with your actions from here on. Under normal circumstances, House Izosaar would be stripped immediately, and Clotted would have been executed.”

Wishka bowed without caring who saw, desperately pleading his case. If the ducal house abandoned them, Izosaar was finished. He swore loyalty with everything he had.

“Fortunately, you still have a successor—there will not be a next time.”

“Yes, without fail…”

“…Even now, his name still won’t come out?”

Aktor muttered softly with cold eyes. The words never reached Wishka.

A border region far from Spirito, the royal capital of the Kingdom of Diabalet. A great bridge spanning the river that divided the nations marked the border and served as a checkpoint.

Relations with the neighboring Kingdom of Riariz had never been good. The skirmish that had broken out in another border zone two years ago was an unforgettable event for both sides. As if reenacting those days, armed men faced each other.

“You… are you guardians of silver?”

“No. Silver has already withered away.”

Perhaps it had been a passphrase—both sides clasped hands firmly. One was a man who seemed to be the commander leading Riariz’s soldiers, and the other was Hanhanberu Plant, vice commander of the Diabalet Knight Order. It was the very moment of a mass defection.

“Sir Hanhanberu, and all the others. We of Riariz welcome you all.”

“I’m relieved to hear that. …We have brought gifts, though things have changed somewhat from the plan.”

Hanhanberu kept his expression neutral, but bitterness churned inside him.

He had prepared multiple confidential documents stolen from the Knight Order, but he had recently confirmed that someone had taken them. …He already had a suspect. Given the remarks in high society, there was no doubt the ducal house was involved.

He had lived in fear that punishment was only a matter of time—then the Izosaar incident happened. While the ducal house was occupied with the response, he gathered his comrades and acted. As a result, they reached the border almost too easily.

It felt like things had gone too well, but that only meant the problem was truly important, he told himself—and he felt grateful to Izosaar’s incompetent nobles.

“Then, soon… I will guide you. Follow me.”

“Understood.”

Once they crossed the bridge, none of it mattered anymore. No matter how strong Diabalet’s national power was, it could not interfere beyond its borders.

Hanhanberu had remained a knight to feed the flames of revenge he had nurtured for years—to burn the hated royals to ash. Those who followed behind him differed in position and circumstance, but their resolve was the same.

“It seems something has happened in Diabalet?”

“Incompetent fools are such a burden…”

“Exactly. Because of you, my workload increased.”

““—?!””

An ice pillar suddenly rose from the great river. From higher than the bridge, a black-haired young man looked down upon Hanhanberu’s group. The Lagias devil stared at the traitors with cold eyes.

“W-who are you?!”

“Are you stupid? In this situation, do you think I’m just a passerby?”

Zeke sneered. Riariz’s soldiers wore wary expressions, but the Diabalet men had turned pale.

“Why… is Lagias here?”

“You have an idea, don’t you?”

Hanhanberu glared at Zeke’s smiling face.

“…It seems we misstepped, Sir Hanhanberu.”

“It doesn’t matter. If everyone here attacks at once—”

Hanhanberu drew his sword, and the Diabalet defectors followed suit. Each of them understood: if this defection failed, they had no future.

“A young noble, black hair… so that’s him—Zeke Lagias…”

“What? You’re fighting again, without learning? —Against me.”

“Your information has already been shared through our army. …All units, retreat! Withdraw at once and return!”

At the commander’s order, the Riariz soldiers sprinted in unison. Without a glance to the side, they ran across the bridge toward Riariz. Seeing that, the Diabalet men stared in disbelief.

“Huh? …W-what are you doing?!”

“The moment that devil takes interest in you, you are finished. There is no merit for us in taking you in if it means being wiped out.”

The commander himself dashed away, swift and decisive. In the end, only Diabalet people remained—along with Zeke.

Zeke leaped from the ice pillar onto the bridge. For a moment, he almost looked confused as well.

“…What do you people want?”

“Stop looking at us with pity. Are you really going to let them go?”

“I don’t care. The snake wants you dealt with.”

The defectors immediately understood what “the snake” referred to, and their faces went from pale to deathly white.

“The ducal house’s dog has gotten full of himself.”

“And you lot who’ll be disposed of by that dog must have such lofty status, huh?”

At Hanhanberu’s command, they raised weapons and prepared magic. Even as they trembled violently, they obeyed—there was no other path left.

“Attack! Extinguish Lagias’s breath—now!”

Shouting, the defectors charged Zeke and unleashed magic. Hanhanberu, meanwhile, backed away little by little behind them. Then he turned and ran.

He had seen Zeke fight once in high society. From years of experience as a knight, he had judged from the start that numbers could not close the gap in strength.

“—Hey. What are you doing?”

“?!”

Killing intent from behind made his feet stop on their own. He turned with a bad feeling—and a nightmare spread out before him.

“Impossible… all of them, in an instant…”

One by one, they had collapsed unconscious. They did not seem dead, but they could not move. Only Hanhanberu remained.

“Every last one of you spouts the same nonsense. You always knew you were all equally trash.”

“…Why? How did you know about the betrayal? How did you break through the tight security I set at my estate?”

“Don’t make me laugh. That was tight? Why didn’t you act sooner? If you’ve wasted years living like this, you must understand your own incompetence.”

“—So it was you. The thief who barged into my estate with muddy boots.”

Rage boiled up. A revenge he had planned for so long was crushed by a youth not even twenty. And worse—it had been Lagias of all people… he could not accept it.

“Didn’t you ever wonder? —You were being allowed to swim. Well… looks like you weren’t much bait.”

Zeke glanced at the unconscious men and sighed, muttering that this was all there was.

“You ignorant, pampered Lagias! Do you have any idea how much I have served this country?!”

“I don’t care. You only worked enough to choose defection, right? Or you couldn’t even do that much…”

“Shut up! You damn brat! I supported this country! For years—always! You people lived comfortably because I was there! …And yet, those royals…”

Hanhanberu’s mind filled with his family. His beloved wife and their two children. In memory, they never changed—forever the same.

“I begged the royal family to have them saved with holy arts. I asked them to treat my family, who had been attacked by monsters during travel and left at death’s door…”

A priest from the Maria Church who happened to be present had saved their lives. But the time left to them had been painfully short. When Hanhanberu returned from an expedition, he saw what remained—his family beyond recognition.

“They only use holy arts for relatives, higher nobles, and those convenient to the country. Do you understand what that means, boy?”

His plea had been refused. Lives had priorities. That was all they had told him.

“Compared to small lives, the country—and the wealth they enjoy—matters more. Diabalet are sinners who commit the great crime of abusing God’s miracles for politics! Can that be allowed?!”

His children died, and his wife followed them soon after. They passed without even being able to speak properly—without recognizing Hanhanberu as they went.

“You defected to avenge them?”

“Yes! That is why I defected! That is why I sought revenge! I killed my own heart and fought for this country for years! What is wrong with that? It’s cause and effect—this is justice!”

He had endured, burning with revenge, to repay what had been taken from him. Before he knew it, he had grown older and risen to vice commander.

“And yet… why now? Why didn’t someone like the Silver Saintess appear sooner? Why didn’t she save my family…”

The Silver Saintess gave holy arts regardless of birth, rank, or station.

The country would never permit someone of royal blood to act on their own—meaning it was tolerated. —Even though his family had been abandoned.

“Among those comrades lying there are soldiers… and civilians with nothing to do with combat. …You crushed them without mercy. Satisfied? Was it fun? To take everything from the powerless and look down on them? —You are the same as the royal family and ducal house. A devil who takes… everything from the helpless like us.”

He knew the Silver Saintess’s backing.

A pitiful girl slated to be erased for domestic politics and the state of the country—yet after the Apion incident, she became known as the Silver Saintess across the nation. —And he had heard she had been in contact with Lagias behind the scenes.

“I see. So… are you done boasting about your misery?”

“—What did you say?”

“I don’t care about your past. Your family died. The royal family didn’t save them. So what? What does that have to do with betrayal?”

“D-Do you have no human heart?!”

“Hah. Don’t make me laugh. Did you want comfort while being pitied by pampered Lagias? Disgusting.”

Zeke looked genuinely repulsed.

“If you want to target the royal family for revenge, do it. But… there were lives you discarded for that revenge too, weren’t there?”

“—What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb. Two years ago—the royal capital attack and the entrance exam. You were the one who arranged that, weren’t you? —And that recent provincial-city incident, you knew and still crushed the report.”

“…”

“Civilians with nothing to do with combat? Taking everything from the powerless? How is that any different from the ‘great sinners’ you talk about?”

Zeke’s blue eyes shone. Vast mana overflowed from him.

“You are no different from the royal family you hate. You are nothing but selfish trash.”

“Shut up, shut up, shut up! You ignorant young brat! If you weren’t here, everything would have worked! I did nothing wrong! Those were necessary sacrifices!”

“Then you’re a necessary sacrifice too. Good for you.”

Zeke walked toward Hanhanberu slowly. A smile curled on the devil’s lips.

“You shouldn’t have tried to make an unfamiliar deal.”

“Shut uuuup! You anomaly of this world!”

Hanhanberu drew his sword and delivered a full-force strike, but he could not cut his target. Zeke vanished for an instant, reappeared right before him, and slammed a heavy fist into his face. Hanhanberu flew—and his consciousness cut out.

“Hmph. This should make things a bit easier for him. …Not that it matters to me.”

The roar of the great river swallowed Zeke’s mutter.

“…Am I the one who has to carry these idiots?”

The Astera Ducal House estate, located in the Royal Special District. Aaron visited a place that had become familiar to him in its own way, having come here many times for duty.

(This will be the last time I come here too…)

Aaron had been gravely wounded in the incident, but he had fully recovered thanks in part to Bart, a priest of the Maria Church.

He had been confined for a time—both to rest and because of the House of Izosaar’s situation.

Aaron had already received the full report from an intelligence agent. “Spearize,” which he had been ordered to guard, had fallen into enemy hands. Clotted had been arrested under numerous charges. Tsaity, the second brother, was still missing.

(That House Izosaar was allowed to continue at all is a miracle. But as for me…)

This incident had caused damage not only to the country but in many directions, all because of his failure. Someone had to take responsibility. Aaron understood that—and believed it should be him. He was prepared for any punishment, but the one thing he regretted was losing the connections he had built.

Aktor, the next duke, continued working with a calm focus in his office. Looking back, everything had begun when Aktor first spoke to him. Because of that encounter, Aaron had been able to find himself again.

“Working nonstop must be difficult…”

The House of Izosaar’s problem, the vice commander’s breach of duty and attempted defection, a powerful noble’s treason, and a senior knight’s betrayal—events that would affect the kingdom’s future. For Aktor and the others who supported the nation from the shadows, it was a headache.

“From the look of you, your body seems fine.”

“…Yes. I apologize for the trouble I caused.”

“You certainly did. …Well, it’s nothing new.”

Aktor’s familiar barbs, unchanged even in this busy time, strangely eased Aaron. From here on, he would not just lose the sarcasm—he would lose conversation itself. The thought made him feel lonely.

“You’ve likely heard everything from others, but do you have any questions?”

“…Then just one. My brother—how is Clotted doing?”

“…He is in a cell. His wounds should be fully healed, yet he keeps rolling around in pain—repeatedly, in suspicious behavior.”

Aktor complained that it made proper questioning impossible. Sometimes Clotted screamed that the devil was coming and fell into a delirious state.

“Ordinarily, it would be the death penalty. But since he may become a useful source of information, and because of House Izosaar’s past contributions, the punishment has been lenient.”

“I see…”

His feelings toward his brothers were complicated. Even so, he had to accept it—and keep doing what he could now. He believed that would lead to atonement.

“Now then. Let’s get to the point…”

“—Yes. I will accept any punishment.”

“Aaron Izosaar. You were ordered to guard the ancient relic ‘Spearize.’ —However, you were attacked by thieves and the target was taken. The perpetrator was captured, but ‘Spearize’ remains missing. …Is any of that incorrect?”

“No, it is not.”

All he had to do was shed one face. Return to the same life as before, devoted to his Royal Guard duties. And yet… why did it feel so sad?

(Ah… I see. I was… enjoying it.)

Days spent moving in the shadows. A superior who dumped impossible tasks on him. Colleagues he barely spoke to. And—more than anyone, a friend who was foul-mouthed, arrogant, strong, and strangely kind.

Different from the Royal Guard Corps, he had found those days with them… enjoyable.

(Realizing it only after you lose it. I thought that only happened in books… but it happened to me too.)

Not only Aktor—his relationship with Zeke would be severed as well.

…This truly was the end.

“I will issue your disposition. —Aaron Izosaar. Continue serving the country. That is all.”

“—Huh?”

Aktor looked away and returned to reviewing documents.

“Aktor-sama…? What do you mean…?”

“Did you not hear me? Work as you have been.”

“But I…”

Aktor was a perfectionist—he would not misspeak. Aaron even wondered if his hearing had failed.

“Listen. If we leave an oddball like you unattended, who exactly is going to keep watch on you?”

“What are you saying…”

“And besides, we have an unmanageable troublemaker here, don’t we? Watching both of you at once is more efficient.”

So his ears were fine. Aktor was the one acting strange.

“Ahem! I’m busy. Leave already.”

At Aktor’s signal, a guard appeared and escorted Aaron out—then shoved him out of the estate.

(I don’t understand anything…)

Unable to grasp the situation, Aaron walked. He could not go back to the manor. What was he supposed to do now?

“Hey. What are you doing?”

“?!”

That familiar voice and that insolent way of looking down on others—no one in the kingdom was as outrageously arrogant as that. Aaron turned, and there stood Zeke, wearing the same irritated expression as always.

“Why… are you here?”

“Whatever I do, wherever I go, is none of your business.”

He had no face to show.

While Aaron had been recovering, he had heard Zeke had been moving around busily—but he had not been told details. If Zeke had been cleaning up after Aaron’s failure, then Aaron could not face him at all.

“What’s with that gloomy face? Did you hit your head and come to your senses?”

“…You’re not going to blame me?”

His unchanged attitude only made Aaron more uneasy.

He had done something irreparable. Being condemned would have been easier than being handled with care.

“You’re incomprehensible. Did you really snap?”

“I—! I failed to meet your expectations. I let personal feelings interfere and I squandered what was entrusted to me! Why won’t you blame me?! Why won’t you condemn me?!”

A heart that had not changed for years churned like a stormy sea.

“Don’t flatter yourself. I expect nothing from anyone but myself. Whatever you do is irrelevant.”

“…If a new ‘key’ is created, there will be no need to gather the current inheritors. If that happens, your parents as Lagias—maybe even you—could be in danger…”

“‘Key’ or ‘warden’—I don’t care. Anyone who gets in my way, I crush. I do what I want.”

Zeke was strong and straight to the core. Could Aaron, with Zeke’s strength, have changed the brother he could never change?

Zeke started walking ahead alone. His back felt impossibly far away.

“…What are you spacing out for? Hurry up.”

“Eh…?”

“Did you already forget I said I’d use you until you break? …That snake dumped extra work on me. You’re getting dragged in too.”

A relationship he thought had ended. He had believed—no, convinced himself—that that day had been the last.

What truly mattered did not break so easily. He had read that in books, viewing it like a distant night sky—pure fantasy.

“Am I… allowed to walk with you…?”

“Are you stupid? Do whatever you want. That’s your choice.”

His ties to his brothers were severed, but a friend walking at his side still existed. —A friend who saw him as Aaron Izosaar.

(I really am a fool. —Then from now on… I’ll swing my sword for my friend.)

Not for Izosaar. Not for the country. For Zeke, who said he needed him…

Even if ruin waited ahead, he would not stop. No matter what end came, he would keep moving forward to the last. If that meant dying, so be it.

Because the reason Aaron had been born was to meet the friend before him.

Aaron ran to catch up to Zeke and fell into step beside him.

“My friend! This is top secret, but… it seems Mister Aktor-dono’s birthday is near. Why not celebrate in grand style?”

“I don’t care. Do what you want.”

“A hundred—no, a thousand—no! Let’s attack the ducal house with yellow roses from across the entire kingdom!”

Their journey together continued.