Translator: Nox

Chapter 53

Her Savior?

A dark, secret chamber where not a single ray of sunlight penetrated.

In a room filled with incense, resembling a prayer room in the temple, someone was praying with their eyes closed.

The black-haired novice priests, witnessing this devout figure, subtly opened their eyes and glanced sideways.

However, breaking the tranquil atmosphere, the sharp sound of heels echoed.

Archpriest Ahilun, familiar with the sound, gestured for the novice priests to step back.

As the children disappeared, the woman standing beside him finally spoke.

“How is your hand?”

“It’s fine, as I always wear gloves.”

“You must be careful, especially with children around. It would be a pity if you couldn’t become an adult because of it, wouldn’t it?”

Ahilun didn’t react to her cruel joke.

“Hehe, you’re no fun, Archpriest. By the way, will you give me Atiam's Leaf now? It’s His Excellency’s order.”

“…Why does he want that leaf?”

Atiam's Leaf.

It was the leaf brought as evidence of the tree discovered in Henken Village.

A miraculous leaf that remained fresh even after more than 150 days, befitting the Tree of Life.

Ahilun stared at her face, taken aback by the sudden notice.

The woman, a vassal of the Duke, had a plain appearance, unlike her abundant and flamboyant purple hair.

“Well, he says he’s going to hand it over to the information guild.”

“Then…!”

“Yes, the entire continent will be rummaging through the Empire to find that tree, right? So, anyone with sense wouldn’t reveal its existence before it becomes a hornet’s nest, don’t you think?”

“…There’s still plenty of time left, why…?”

As he spoke with concern, the woman smiled, her eyes crinkling prettily.

“Archpriest, do you know what day it is today?”

“...?”

“I heard it’s the day the cute little children went on a picnic to the Imperial Palace. If we had planned it a little earlier, we could have watched, but alas.”

She said with a melodious laugh, smacking her lips as if truly disappointed.

“What are you trying to say?”

“So, even in such a relaxed situation, you couldn’t find her, could you?”

“…!”

The smile vanished from her face in an instant.

He was speechless at the sudden coldness.

“His benevolent Excellency says he will aim for when they are all gathered together. He will tell you the detailed plan soon, so wait as always.”

With that, Atiam's Leaf was handed over to her sneering hand, and Ahilun blankly watched her leave.

Then, he covered his hand, feeling a stinging sensation.

The wound inflicted by Lucia’s Sword Aura had not yet healed.

Archpriest Ahilun stroked the wound, unable to shake off the uneasy feeling that whatever the plan was, it would not be easy.

“It seems the Captain wants to let the world know that we’ve reformed.”

Vernon said, blocking the sword thrust at him in the Training Grounds filled with the sounds of training.

Gillianna, who was putting weight on the opposing sword, asked with a puzzled expression.

“What do you mean?”

“Ouch, you’re still strong as ever. Think about it. Intentionally trying to greet them on the morning of the picnic, and changing the ending on stage.”

He smoothly changed the direction of Gillianna’s force and slipped away.

He took a defensive stance, ready to block another attack, but Gillianna stood blankly, seemingly lost in thought.

“…It’s true that it’s out of character for the Captain to go on stage.”

At that moment, Berl, who had been watching their sparring, sparkled his eyes.

“You’ve only just noticed that now?”

“Huh? You noticed it, Vice-Captain?”

“What is with that dismissive tone! It’s the Captain’s intention, so of course. I may look like this, but I’m a sincere man. I’m going to get married and have children, you know.”

The members training nearby stopped one by one and laughed at Vice-Captain Berl’s sudden declaration.

“No, it’s true that you look sincere. Vice-Captain.”

“Exactly. Vice-Captain. Why bother saying the obvious?”

Berl sighed at their mockery.

“Haa, don’t you understand? I’m going to be here forever. So, I want my future children to be proud of the Black Knights.”

“…Ah.”

The ears of the members who had gathered around perked up at his words.

Most of them were young people who wanted to start families.

“So, what would have happened if the Captain hadn’t changed the ending of the play yesterday?”

“We would have been infamous… for generations.”

The members who were listening to the story covered their mouths in despair at Vernon’s clever prediction.

“You know it well. Then, do you understand what the Captain is planning for our future?”

The gazes of the members, who had become thoroughly depressed, focused on him.

And Berl, not missing this moment, sparkled his eyes and said,

“Now that the Captain has shown his will by personally going on stage for our reputation, it’s our turn to repay that will!! We will become honorable Black Knights respected by the people! Do you understand!!”

“Uwoooooooo!!!”

The Black Knights roared as if to pierce the sky.

Heath, watching these simpletons, let out a small sigh.

And so, led by Berl, they rushed to the civil affairs office where requests from the citizens of the Empire came in.

‘…What are those idiots trying to do?’

At that moment, Lucia, who had just arrived, noticed the boisterous group.

Feeling somehow ominous, Lucia hid herself without even changing her clothes and followed the members.

As a result, they went to the civil affairs office as a group and came out with several request forms.

Then, they abruptly shoved the request forms at the clients and began to handle the requests as if threatening them.

Cutting down an old tree to get a cat down, rummaging through the streets like common thugs to find lost money, and retaliating against prank requests.

Despite their sincerity, they were so clumsy that the last thing they did was hang the young clients upside down and laugh evilly, as if tormenting them.

‘They’ve gone mad. How much more infamy are they trying to build? This won’t do.’

Just as she was about to stop this madness before the next request,

“You can’t do this to a child…! Sniff!”

“Mommy!”

Lucia stopped at the sound of the child’s voice.

The story of this client seemed quite serious.

The members, who had been chuckling, were now frozen by the woman and child.

A woman with heavy makeup that suggested her profession, crying so much that it was smudged, and a blonde child clinging to her skirt.

Lucia pricked up her ears at the serious atmosphere.

“So, you’re saying that the man who is the child’s father is a nobleman and promised to marry you, but after inheriting the family, he completely ignored you? Do you have any evidence?”

The woman nodded pitifully at Berl’s interrogation, which wasn’t really an interrogation.

“Vice-Captain! Isn’t that too much? What evidence! How wronged would she have to be to file a civil complaint! Her name is on it, so she can’t avoid punishment if it’s not true!”

“Gillianna, calm down. Calm down. It’s just procedure.”

Vernon stopped the fuming Gilli.

As Berl waited for the crying woman’s answer with a troubled face, she slowly shook her head.

“No, I don’t. Just the child’s appearance. But it’s true. They really look alike…!”

“Are you sure?”

At the repeated confirmation, the woman couldn’t help but burst into tears again.

Then, the child hugged his mother tightly and mumbled.

“Mommy… don’t cry… I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”

Gillianna pounded her chest in frustration at the sight.

Eventually, Berl seemed to have made a decision and looked at Vernon.

And Vernon, matching his gaze, took out the whistle hanging around his neck with a stiff face.

“Then, we’ll start by identifying his location.”

He blew the whistle with all his might, even though it made no sound.

Then,

-Caw!

A crow quickly circled overhead.

He began to tie something to the crow’s ankle.

Then, he said confidently.

“We’ll know where he is soon.”

He had risen to the position of executive as an informant even when he was in the dark organization, so his information skills from that time had not died out.

“Okay, so what do we do after we chase him down? What if he denies it? Should we just kill them all? Huh?”

-Crack, crack.

Gillianna began to loosen the joints in her neck and hands with a fierce expression.

Then, Berl, who was looking at the request form again, said.

“Gillianna, that’s not what the request is about.”

“Huh? It’s not?”

The child, who had buried his face in his mother’s skirt, quietly mumbled as if answering Gilli.

“I just, want to see him, once…”

The client was this small child.

The request form, written in crooked letters, contained the child’s small wish to see the face of his father, whom he had never seen since birth.

A luxurious hotel lobby.

Emily, dressed up nicely for the first time in a while, sat on a plush sofa, waiting for someone.

And Emily quietly clenched her fists as if making a decision.

‘I have to leave the kindergarten soon!’

This place, where she had taken a precious day off to come, was said to be the most popular place for young people to come for matchmaking with marriage in mind these days.

So, Emily had come to this place to escape the anxiety that had risen to her throat due to the shocking events she had experienced at the picnic a while ago.

“Madam, what kind of tea would you like?”

“Ah, my companion hasn’t arrived yet… Ah!”

Emily quickly raised her hand to the pain she felt in her jaw.

“Oh my, are you alright? Madam?”

“Ah, I’m fine. I’m fine. Hehe…”

“Th, then I’ll come back later.”

She felt sad that her jaw, which had dislocated that day, seemed to be losing its way again as if it was uneasy, she was so surprised.

As she lowered her hand from her stabilized jaw,

“Nice to meet you. I am Baron Duke Will Chester. I recognized you at first glance. The beautiful you must be the daughter of Count Tangste.”

“…!”

Fabric that was obviously luxurious, well-maintained smooth skin.

And a relaxed, refreshing smile was clearly the one and only savior who would save her.

Emily looked at the handsome man in front of her and cheered inwardly.

‘Yes, this man!’

“Oh my! Baron Chester! Really? You even personally delivered the puppies of your hunting dog, you’re such a kind person!”

“It’s nothing. It’s a dog I’ve raised like my own child, so of course I had to. Haha.”

The more she looked at him, the better he was.

Emily guessed that this man, who was telling moderately good-natured stories, was quite materialistic.

But she wanted exactly this kind of man.

Since she herself was calculating anyway, she felt relieved that they were clapping hands together.

The same was true for the other party.

The handsome man with blonde hair and white skin, who had never done any work outside, smiled with satisfaction as he looked at Emily, who was good at agreeing with him.

“Miss Emily is different from others. The higher the rank, the more they talk about the scale of their assets. I was disappointed that a marriage that should be exciting felt like a business.”

“Ah. Hoho. People are meeting people, so you shouldn’t do that!”

‘Even his skill in saying things that moderately reduce his conscience. He’s really perfect?’

The other party was in a situation where the third son had inherited the family due to a series of deaths, so even though he had assets, he needed connections to support him.

So, even though Emily’s family was ruined, it was still a count family with a name, so it was a calculating meeting where each other’s desires were satisfied as a stepping stone to expand their reach.

And Emily was an ambitious schemer.

She never chose just anyone, as much as she had spent behind the scenes.

The Duke Will barony was a clean area with vineyards that had not been contaminated, and the price of the wine produced there was literally astronomical.

Even if they sold only what was in the wine cellar that this barony family held, they would never run out of money.

Moreover, with his refreshing blonde appearance, height, and even personality, he was so appropriate.

She couldn’t ask for anything more.

Around the world of just the two of them, who were looking at each other with satisfaction, a black group loomed.

The Black Knights were entering one by one, sitting in empty seats everywhere.

And the aces and Berl, who were sitting near today’s target.

They barely held onto Gillianna, who was growling like a fighting dog, and ordered tea with a very natural look.

And today’s client, who was held in Berl’s arms.

The blonde, cute-looking child whispered as he looked up at the adult holding him.

“Is that, Daddy…?”

“Yes, you really look alike. He’s very handsome.”

Berl answered the child’s question, unable to bring himself to curse, so he deliberately mixed in praise.

But, as expected, the child lowered his eyes with a very dark face and sobbed.

“…Daddy’s house has a puppy. …I wish I had a puppy…”

Everyone who heard the whispering words was pinching their thighs.

But Gilli couldn’t hold back.

She ran quickly and grabbed the man by the collar, as if the leash of a red fighting dog had been released.

“Hey, you son of a bitch! You take care of the dog but not the kid? Huh?”

Perhaps because she was short, the man’s feet weren’t floating, but he couldn’t escape her grip.

“What is this suddenly…!”

“The Black Knights again!? Ah, ack!”

Emily, whose jaw had dislocated again, was busy grabbing her jaw.

Nevertheless, what Gillianna had said lingered in Emily’s head.

‘Wait, a kid? What does that mean?’

Emily, who was now a master at fixing her jaw, looked at the man who had been her only savior with meaningful eyes.

But suddenly,

“No! Don’t bully Daddy!”

The child was hitting Gillianna’s thigh with his small hand.

Emily almost dislocated her jaw again.

The child in front of her looked so much like the man.

‘This is crazy…!’