Volume 8
Chapter 26
The northern administrative district of Arcazam.
Egurodo was in a room
on the second floor of the mansion he had rented for his stay, gazing down at
the garden below. In his line of sight, the Iron Skeleton Knight Order, which
he personally led, was training. The Iron Skeleton Knight Order was Egurodo's
private knight order, and their ability was among the most renowned in the
nation of Forsina. While the quality of their personnel didn't reach that of
the Silver Rainbow Knight Order, they possessed high command, organization, and
overall strength, backed by strict, military-specific discipline and training.
Watching his own knight order execute their rigorous training, Egurodo felt his
heart leap inwardly. Egurodo was originally a military man, and watching such
training was one of his ways of spending leisure time. After observing the
knights' training for a while, Egurodo rang the small bell placed beside him.
"Mekuria, are you
there?"
"Yes, right
here."
In response to
Egurodo's summons, Mekuria appeared. As Mekuria performed the salutation of a
vassal, Egurodo posed a blunt question to her.
"You invited that
brat to come over to our side, didn't you? I believe I told you that we would
let the 'weathervane' pull the chestnuts out of the fire."
Egurodo had summoned
Mekuria to ascertain why she had tried to recruit Nozomu during the Opening
Festival. Before the party at the festival, Egurodo had instructed Mekuria not
to interfere with Nozomu. However, at the party, Mekuria had gone so far as to
use an aphrodisiac to try and pull Nozomu to her side. It was an act that could
be considered betrayal, and it was only natural for Egurodo to question her
sharply.
"My apologies.
However, considering what is to come, I believed it necessary to establish a
connection."
Hearing Mekuria's
explanation, Egurodo frowned but stroked his beard as if deep in thought. He
knew this woman would not act in a way that drew attention for no reason.
Nozomu Bountis was a student at the academy, but he was on intimate terms with
the Francilt family. This was already recognized by those around them as an
open relationship. If the Francilt family fell into a crisis, Nozomu Bountis
would undoubtedly make a move.
"Are you trying
to say that... if it goes well, we should intervene and whittle down the
Francilt's strength even further?"
"Yes. Seizing the
initiative by observing the opportunity is a common strategy in war..."
"However, while
that 'weathervane' may be somewhat shaken by the matter of the agreement with
the Wajiart family, his power is still strong. As long as he still has the
home-field advantage, a half-baked intervention is a bad move."
"But, as they
say, 'to kill a tree, one starts with the roots.' I believe we should drive a
stake into those roots first..."
While showing a
certain level of understanding for his vassal's words, Egurodo remained adamant
about non-interference. Mekuria, on the other hand, continued to advise her
lord that some degree of contact was necessary. Though their basic policies
aligned, there was a clear difference in the details.
"Hmph. You're as
shrewd as ever."
"Thank you."
The words and attitude
Egurodo directed at Mekuria were somewhat inorganic and lacked warmth for
someone addressing a trusted vassal. Mekuria, too, seemed accustomed to
Egurodo's demeanor, replying without any inflection in her voice.
"...I understand
what you're trying to say. I'll overlook it this time. However, I will not
permit any further intervention. You may leave."
"Pardon me."
In the end, Egurodo
forgave Mekuria's unauthorized actions at the party but explicitly stated he
would not allow any more intervention. Despite their lord-vassal relationship and
Mekuria's independent actions, the exchange was far too cold for dealing with a
subordinate he had long employed and valued. As Mekuria exited the room, a
middle-aged man in black armor entered, as if swapping places with her. This
person, who possessed a trained physique despite being rather short, was the
commander of the Iron Skeleton Knight Order and one of the trusted subordinates
Egurodo had brought to this city. His name was Berdik. A person worthy of being
entrusted with an important role. His appearance was stern and gave off an
atmosphere of strictness, but because his height wasn't particularly tall, he
somehow reminded one of a young bear cub.
"My lord, is
something wrong?"
"It's
nothing."
Saying only that to Berdik,
Egurodo turned his gaze back to the knight order's training.
"Were you calling
for her?"
"Yes, I had
something to ask her. So, what were the results?"
Egurodo brushed aside
his subordinate's question and prompted him to report on the matter he had
requested. Berdik glanced toward the doorway where Mekuria had departed, as if
to check, but immediately turned back to his lord and began to report fluently
on the matter he had investigated.
"I investigated,
but all of our investigators were captured or killed, so we could not confirm
any trace of her involvement in the Ken Notice incident. However, it seems she
summoned a certain man to Arcazam before the incident."
What Egurodo had Berdik
investigate was a background check concerning Mekuria's activities while she
was in Arcazam. It was a form of inspection. However, the personnel Egurodo had
dispatched had all been captured and isolated due to the efforts of Zonne and
Jihad. For that reason, they were unable to find corroborating evidence of
Mekuria's activities while in Arcazam. However, they had been able to confirm
some evidence regarding Mekuria's contacts outside Arcazam. Among these, the
one that caught Egurodo's attention was a certain person she had summoned as
her private soldier.
"Hmm, 'Corpse
Crow,' is it."
"Yes. A mercenary
of incredible skill, whose origin, background, and real name are all unknown.
However, he is a pure madman whose thoughts and actions defy logic, such as
killing not only his targets but also his employers on a whim."
"That's the slender
man who was next to Mekuria at the Opening Festival party."
Corpse Crow. A madman
Mekuria had summoned to Arcazam as her private soldier, a mercenary possessing
extraordinary skill as an assassin. He had reaped so many lives and spilled so
much blood that the nickname, which had taken root as an evil omen heralding
death, had eventually become the name used to refer to him. Among the people
Corpse Crow had killed were powerful individuals belonging to S-Rank, and due
to his skill and his madness—which led him to easily turn on his own
employers—he was marked by all nations as a first-class dangerous individual.
"Before coming to
Arcazam, it seems he was employed by the Cremazzone Empire."
The Cremazzone Empire.
The moment that name was mentioned, Egurodo's sharp gaze grew even harsher.
"Don't tell me...
the one who hired Corpse Crow at that time was..."
"Yes. It was
someone from the Vitun faction, which won the conflict."
The Cremazzone Empire
was a powerful nation, but for the last ten-odd years, it had been plagued by
internal troubles due to factional conflict. Recently, however, key figures in
one of the factions had died one after another, and the conflict was rapidly
moving toward resolution. And if a suspected S-Rank assassin was on the winning
side of that conflict, and then came to Arcazam 'hired by the side of a
hypothetical enemy nation' immediately after the conflict was resolved, the
story suddenly becomes highly suspicious.
"Honestly, I do
not trust her. Her abilities are certainly outstanding, but I simply don't know
what she is thinking. And above all, her origins are also unknown."
And the problem here
was that Mekuria's own place of birth was unknown. Mekuria was a woman who had
come to serve the Fabran family before Egurodo became the head. According to
her story, she was from a village destroyed in a bandit attack. She had studied
under a traveling spellcaster, but her master passed away. Afterward, seeking a
way to earn a living, she had searched for a place of employment and arrived at
Egurodo's doorstep with nothing but the clothes on her back.
"But there is no
doubt she is a useful woman. She has a track record."
At first, Egurodo had
thought of her as just a girl of unknown origin, but Mekuria achieved numerous
successes with her exceedingly brilliant skills. She had even played a part in
forcing the dull-witted former family head into retirement. Her list of
achievements was unrivaled among Egurodo's vassals. But Egurodo was also a
veteran aristocrat who had seen it all. He keenly felt that behind Mekuria's
show of vassalage, she was hiding some kind of ambition.
"Indeed, that
woman is ambitious. I don't know what she desires, but she hides an
extraordinary greed within her. But no matter what ambitions she harbors, as
long as they are, in reality, resulting in profit for us, I will give her a
suitable reward..."
No matter the
ambition, if she did not oppose him and brought tangible benefits, Egurodo
would evaluate her achievements fairly. He understood that the ability to
swallow both the good and the bad was necessary for a ruler. In fact, he had
given Mekuria considerable wealth and a vast mansion. However, at the same
time, this meant that if she were to betray him, he would eliminate her
immediately.
"Regarding the
Francilt family, it seems they are entering negotiations with the Wajiart
family... Is that even possible? Trading with a dangerous race like
vampires..."
The general perception
of vampires was that they were monsters who sucked human blood and turned people
into monsters. They had long lifespans, immense magic power, and numerous
supernatural abilities. Even factoring in their weaknesses, such as the need to
drink blood to survive, they were an overwhelmingly powerful race compared to
humans. In fact, stories existed of villages and towns destroyed by vampires
driven mad by blood-thirst. Thinking normally, one would consider trade with
such a race impossible.
"Ten years ago,
it would have been impossible. But now... if they establish the conditions and
limit the people who make contact at the trading post, while difficult, it's
probably not impossible..."
However, contrary to Berdik's
expectations, Egurodo's words affirmed the Francilt family's actions. Berdik
tilted his head, perplexed by his lord's words, which contradicted his own
opinion.
"My lord, have
you had dealings with vampires...?"
"No. Vampires
haven't shown themselves publicly in the last hundred years. But it's a
different story if one knows, as a matter of knowledge, that it is a possibility.
In that sense, this city's reason for existence isn't half-bad."
Berdik couldn't fully
grasp Egurodo's thoughts. But if his bold and daring lord said it was a
possibility, he was convinced it must be true. Berdik was a man who had been
discovered by Egurodo when he was just a common soldier and had risen to the
rank of knight commander. Therefore, the loyalty he directed at Egurodo was far
greater than that which he directed at the king. He prided himself that he
would not hesitate even at regicide, if Egurodo wished it.
"In any case,
there is no need to worry about it for now. Just don't be negligent in your
surveillance and information gathering."
"Yes, sir!"
Egurodo ended the
conversation, implying without words that if they became hostile, he would cut
them down without mercy. Berdik, commander of the Iron Skeleton Knight Order,
also bowed deeply in response to his lord's will.
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