Episode 6

A lively interior. The tavern packed with a great number of customers was one of Mahat’s famous common drinking establishments. There, Kratz and Eris could be seen.

“…I understand most of the situation now.”

“You’ve got a face that says you don’t accept it.”

“Of course not. This is far too awful. To be treated like a criminal without solid proof…”

They carried on the conversation while avoiding mentioning Zeke’s name as much as possible. The noise of the tavern drowned out their voices, but there was no knowing whose ears might be where. Though criticism of Zeke could be heard all over the place, voices defending him were nowhere to be found. If someone happened to overhear the conversation, it would certainly stick in their mind. If that happened, there was a chance the information would reach the knight order.

“That’s how Lagias is treated in this country. What’s your country like?”

“There’s been deep-rooted discrimination for a long time. Two years ago, there was even a coup…”

“…That sounds pretty bad. It’s strange that there are no nobles, but I guess that comes with its own circumstances too.”

Kratz had come all the way to the Kingdom of Diabalet, passing through many countries. The long journey had tired him out, but when he thought about seeing Zeke again after so long, he had been able to keep going. But once he actually entered the country, all he heard about was the corrupt noble who had killed the Sword Saint. When he learned that the person at the center of it all was Zeke, he had been shocked.

President Riedel had told him that Zeke was in a difficult position, but the malicious sentiment spreading through the kingdom had been worse than he had imagined.

“So why did you come to Diabalet? I don’t think sightseeing was your only reason. What do you mean by hero who saved the nation?”

“It’d take a while to explain… but I mean exactly what it sounds like. He saved me and Ignote. So I’ve always wanted to repay that debt someday.”

“…You came all the way to Diabalet for that?”

“This time it’s a little different. It’s more about understanding his situation and confirming his intentions. And personally, I wanted to see this country for myself too.”

There were no formal diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Diabalet and the Republic of Ignote. In the first place, they were so far apart that they could not even communicate through magical devices. Even sending a letter carried the risk of drawing undue suspicion because of Zeke’s family background. If what was meant as goodwill ended up causing trouble for Zeke, that would defeat the whole purpose. From the Republic of Ignote’s side, they had to move carefully.

“It feels like you’ve got your circumstances, but I don’t sense any ill intent from you. …Let’s set that aside for now.”

“Thank you. If I get his consent, I’ll explain properly. So then… where is he right now?”

Kratz asked Eris the main thing he most wanted to know.

In the Kingdom of Diabalet, Zeke was now a wanted criminal. If Eris was his only ally, then that meant Zeke was effectively alone at the moment.

“Let’s see… for now, I’ll just say he’s safe. Better to be cautious, right?”

Eris spoke in a low voice while glancing around. She answered briefly that she would guide him there later.

“Understood. …Still, that was unexpected. I honestly thought he’d be with Blood-san.”

What came to mind were memories from two years ago.

The two foreigners who had helped them fight the anti-social faction known as the noble faction. Kratz had fought through the civil war alongside a warrior in pitch-black armor from head to toe with a rough appearance, and a foul-mouthed boy. Kratz himself had not done anything remarkable, but he was proud that, as a single soldier, he had protected his country.

“Blood? Who’s that?”

“Huh… you don’t know? No, wait…”

Come to think of it, he vaguely remembered Zeke saying something about being trapped in cursed equipment or something like that. That it made the person seek battle regardless of their own will. He also recalled Zeke bitterly saying that was why he had been forced to fight the rampaging Blood. He remembered him saying the name was different too, but he could not recall it clearly. Zeke had never wanted to talk about more than the bare minimum.

“That’s a rather dangerous-sounding name. A man, I assume?”

From Eris’s point of view, not knowing Blood, it was only a natural question. Kratz started to answer that it was a woman, but stopped himself. He should not casually speak about another person’s private matters, and in the first place, Kratz himself did not know Blood or the person inside very deeply.

“Uh… who knows? Ahaha…”

Blood had been quiet and hard to approach, and while the person inside had been someone he could speak with, their time together had been short. They had said they wanted to thank Zeke, then had left Ignote almost immediately, so there had only been time for a few exchanges.

“What do you mean, who knows…? Are you stupid?”

Eris gave him a cold look. Kratz himself thought she had a point, but this was not a subject he should dig into any deeper. …For some reason, his instincts told him it would be better to avoid the word woman.

“There’s something suspicious about this…”

“No, well… right! Ask him about that when he gets better. There! This topic is over, finished!”

“…Why are you suddenly making such a fuss? You’re creepy.”

“!? I’ve been thinking this for a while, but you really are rude!”

By sacrificing his own dignity, Kratz somehow managed to steer the conversation away from the subject. He swore in his heart that he would complain to Zeke once he got better.

“So, what are you going to do now? You’re not going to say you’ll fight the knight order head-on, right?”

“I’m not that reckless. But it’s also true that we don’t really have any options right now…”

The knight order, symbol of a nation’s military power. To clear a false charge and prove innocence while being targeted by them made for an extremely difficult situation.

“I’ve been thinking that leaving the country once is one option.”

“I see. So that’s why you were in Mahat.”

He spread out the map and checked their relative positions. The provincial city Mahat was quite far from the royal capital, and the knight order’s influence there would be smaller compared to Spirito. It was an ideal place to hide, and cities along the border were nearby as well.

“But… that still won’t solve the root problem. His injuries aren’t normal.”

Eris lowered her gaze. Her expression was full of anxiety.

“If he were in proper condition, there wouldn’t be an enemy anywhere that could beat him. Even against a whole country, he wouldn’t lose.”

“That’s a bit much… is what I want to say, but with him, it honestly sounds possible.”

Kratz found himself accepting it. If Zeke could fight on equal footing with the divine dragon that had tried to sink Ignote beneath the canals, then it would not be surprising. But that very Zeke was apparently in no state to move properly now.

“Doesn’t this country have holy arts? If you used that… no, that won’t work. Only royalty can use it, right?”

“…There’s a lot to it. We can’t rely on holy arts.”

He remembered talking with Zeke about holy arts in Wartel. When Zeke spoke of the Kingdom of Diabalet, he had worn an expression Kratz could not quite describe. It was neither anger nor hatred, but something else entirely. If only Kratz had been able to understand what Zeke had been carrying at that time, perhaps Zeke’s current situation might have been different.

“In that case… isn’t Maria Church the only option?”

“There isn’t a priest in this country who would honestly treat Zeke. Besides, an ordinary priest wouldn’t be enough.”

“Then let’s go to Maria City, the main seat of Maria Church.”

Maria City. The main seat of Maria Church, and a religious nation where the largest cathedral stood.

“If it can’t be done there, then no one can heal him. At that point, you’d have to rely on something like holy arts.”

“…I’m not a believer. And it’s too far.”

Eris pointed to the map. Mahat, where they currently were, lay in the west of the Kingdom of Diabalet. To aim for Maria City, they would have to cross the border from the east of the country. Given the geography, that meant a major journey across the entire nation. The risk would be considerable.

“If we’re leaving the country anyway, it doesn’t matter where we leave from. But if there’s no way to treat him, then it’s the same no matter where we are. In that case, we should bet on the option that has a chance.”

“— If we head east, we’ll naturally be getting closer to the royal capital too. No matter how you look at it, it’s dangerous. It would drag in someone unrelated like you—”

“I am related.”

“He’s my friend. I’m prepared. Even if it’s hard alone, if there are two of us…”

Before the dragon hailed as a god, Zeke and Blood had not run. The two of them alone had fought it. They had risked their lives and won in order to protect a country that had nothing to do with them.

If Zeke could do it, then Kratz ought to be able to do it too. It was not like he would be facing Leviathan. The opponent would be the knight order, but there was no need to fight them. They just had to escape cleverly and cross the country’s border. The level of difficulty was worlds apart.

“Well, I don’t think I’ll be much use in terms of combat. But like this time, I can come up with ideas, and I can go buy supplies too.”

“…At least try to act tough. How pathetic. Fine then… understood. I’ll bet on you, Kratz.”

“Leave it to me. I’m weak, but I’ve got very good luck.”

At the knight order headquarters were Eltia and the two subordinates she had brought with her. While talking, the three women were making preparations to depart.

“Commander, is this really all right? I read the report too, but the contents were quite different…”

“I saw it too. That was bad, wasn’t it?”

The two female knights voiced their impressions, each sounding uneasy and casual in her own way. They were discussing what came next in the office assigned to a regimental commander.

“Even if you say that to me. Selsia may think I did something, but in truth, I did nothing at all.”

Hares Squad’s report. Rather than calling it falsification, Eltia analyzed it as the result of each person’s different perception, layered with fear and malicious feeling in a complicated mix.

The same applied to Zeke Lagias being put on the wanted list. Lagias had simply made too many enemies throughout the country.

“Regimental Commander Hares is unlucky too. It’s hard having incompetent subordinates.”

“Hard…? If you understand that, then why didn’t you stop it?”

“Once the information has spread across the entire country, someone has to act, don’t they? Whether he’s innocent or falsely accused has nothing to do with it.”

Looking at the map spread out on the desk, she predicted the target’s movements.

According to the report, Lagias had suddenly vanished. Could he use the same magic as the Sage, the foremost authority on teleportation magic? As a possibility, it was not strange. They also had information that the two were acquainted.

“So… you just went with the flow?”

“Yes, I did. Spectacularly so.”

“Ugh, that’s the worst.”

Garbera spoke to her superior in an overly familiar tone. Though her unserious attitude stood out, she did do her work when it counted. Eltia did not actually dislike that type of person.

“Garbera. Please fix that attitude already. Eltia-san is a regimental commander now.”

“Ehh, but she’s totally scheming. Can’t be helped.”

Selsia pointed out Garbera’s attitude. She, in contrast, was extremely serious. Eltia did not dislike that sort either.

“Isn’t this interesting? He’s the heir of Lagias, hated across the entire country, and a young man whom that ducal house is backing.”

A prodigy who had suddenly appeared in the world of adventurers. A shadow hero who had saved the country from behind the scenes again and again. An A-rank adventurer who had now risen to the point of being famed as the Astera Ducal House’s single strongest military asset.

He was connected to the Sage, the next duke, and the Silver Saintess, and was someone respected by Strohk and Brink of the knight order. One dense piece of information after another kept surfacing.

“He is truly fascinating. The more you investigate him, the more his actions sharply contradict the Lagias of the past.”

“So is he really that handsome? He’s hated so much it actually cracked me up.”

“Who knows? I’ve never met him.”

At Garbera’s comment, Selsia’s face turned red. She was earnest and innocent. But perhaps she was interested, because at least her ears were listening.

“Squad Commander Luke seems to know him personally. Why not ask him sometime?”

“Ehh, he gets along with that cocky little squad commander? He’s always all sparkly and seriously too dazzling, so I kind of can’t stand him.”

Garbera grimaced with a groan. In spite of her flashy appearance, she held strict views on chastity. Young female knights often talked about Luke, but apparently he did not catch Garbera’s eye.

“In any case, whether he’s black or white is irrelevant. That’s for those above us to decide. — Let’s make this a grand hunt.”

Strohk, the acting vice commander, had granted permission to move other units. Or rather, he had no choice but to permit it. If he objected here, it would interfere with the reform of the knight order, which was in the middle of being rebuilt.

“Okaaay. So what about you, Selsia-chan? If Zeke Lagias turns out to be a handsome guy, are you gonna confess?”

“Wh-what!? Why would I confess my feelings to a man I’ve never even met!? More importantly, this is a mission, so please be more serious—”

“…So if it wasn’t a mission, you would confess? How bold~”

“!?”

Teased by Garbera, Selsia’s face turned bright red. These two were always like this, but they were reliable subordinates. Compared to the genius Luke, they seemed to pale somewhat, but both were young knights with real ability.

“Well then, shall we go?”

Zeke Lagias, the one drawing the attention of the three regimental commanders. A noble of the same age as Luke Hartmann, currently the knight order’s most watched rising figure. — There were simply too many things about him to be curious over.

(Squad Commander Luke is undeniably a genius… but he is only straightforward. That alone will not change the knight order. Not ever.)

Reform was necessary. A revolution that overturned the common sense of the past. A person who could cut down evil regardless of status or position.

(I’m truly looking forward to this. Show it to me as well. The power of an anti-hero…)

“You two, this is my selfish request. The two of you…”

“What are you saying? We’re a squad, so there’s no way we’re not going together.”

“That’s right. As one of the national military, there is nothing wrong with pursuing a wanted criminal.”