'It will be like a maze. The lights will go out quickly, so it will be useless. You have to count your steps. You can't tell the direction, so you have to rely entirely on your steps.'
Klima gave very detailed directions to the castle. Liene had no idea that the basement of Nauk Castle was this wide and deep, nor that there was a path like this.
'Even Klinefelter doesn't know.'
The one who knew this path was Knight Henton. He said that it was the path he used when he escaped with Prince Fernand. Considering that Knight Henton was a member of the Guardian Knights of the Gainers family, it must have been something they shared only among themselves. It might have been a secret passage that could only be used in times of crisis for the Gainers family.
“The Guardians of the Gainers family were all dead at that time, so there probably weren’t any more people who knew.”
Except for two people. Now there were three of them. The road with no end in sight was scary and narrow. And there were still some structures that were a bit strange to call a road.
“It’s not a door or a wall. Why on earth is there something like this?”
It would have been nice if it had been a bit brighter and she could see more details, but unfortunately, it was too dark.
“Even if you look at the records, there’s probably nothing left about this. It was just a story passed down by word of mouth.”
Liene took her gaze away from the faintly appearing silhouette and started walking again.
“Have all the lights gone out...”
He said that it wasn't a very big fire because it was just bait that Klima had set to attract attention. That was a bit of a relief.
“Still, everyone must have had a hard time. They must have known I was gone, um...”
So what happened? She was afraid to think about it.
“...”
For a moment, Liene stopped walking as her ankles swayed. Still, she had to think. Black didn’t know the exact reason why Liene had disappeared. She must be trying hard to find him, but she hasn’t been caught yet. If she says she disappeared on her own, he won’t believe her. But if she says Klima kidnapped me, her crime will be even heavier. Does that man know that Knight Henton’s family is alive? He probably doesn’t. That’s why he’s kept quiet. If he knew that Knight Henton’s son was being held captive by the Kleinfelter family and was acting as an assassin, he would have done something. In that case, should she hide Klima's identity?
Except for two people. Now there were three of them. The road with no end in sight was scary and narrow. And there were still some structures that were a bit strange to call a road.
“It’s not a door or a wall. Why on earth is there something like this?”
It would have been nice if it had been a bit brighter and she could see more details, but unfortunately, it was too dark.
“Even if you look at the records, there’s probably nothing left about this. It was just a story passed down by word of mouth.”
Liene took her gaze away from the faintly appearing silhouette and started walking again.
“Have all the lights gone out...”
He said that it wasn't a very big fire because it was just bait that Klima had set to attract attention. That was a bit of a relief.
“Still, everyone must have had a hard time. They must have known I was gone, um...”
So what happened? She was afraid to think about it.
“...”
For a moment, Liene stopped walking as her ankles swayed. Still, she had to think. Black didn’t know the exact reason why Liene had disappeared. She must be trying hard to find him, but she hasn’t been caught yet. If she says she disappeared on her own, he won’t believe her. But if she says Klima kidnapped me, her crime will be even heavier. Does that man know that Knight Henton’s family is alive? He probably doesn’t. That’s why he’s kept quiet. If he knew that Knight Henton’s son was being held captive by the Kleinfelter family and was acting as an assassin, he would have done something. In that case, should she hide Klima's identity?
Her head began to pound. Liene tried to calm her breathing, which was racing wildly at random.
Yes, I have to hide it. If I say I met Klima, he’ll guess that I’ve heard his real name. I don’t know Prince Fernand. His name is Tiwakan. And quickly... let’s have the wedding. So I can hand over the reigns.
That's right. That's what it should be. To do that, she had to cross the mountain called the Treaty of Liseberg. Kleinfelter had to disappear. Kleinfelter was the center of the six families. If they disappeared, the remaining families' power would be reduced by half, not five out of the six. She thinks she finally understands the truth about the Treaty of Liseberg. It was a debt attached to the crown. The crown that the previous King had obtained was the price of treason. The six families were the ones who allowed him to wear that crown. From that moment on, the crown of the Arsak family was no longer a crown. It was no different from a leash. Liene finally realized why the previous King had been tied down to the six families.
"So..."
...That’s how Klinefelter could act. Like, “What’s wrong with you?” Because to them, Liene wasn’t royalty, she was just an accomplice.
“...That’s right. So I’ll get out.”
The shackles of sin that had been turned over since 21 years ago. Six families, no, seven families had to pay the price for the sins they had committed back then. Liene clenched her fists tightly. She will fix it with her own hands. That is her atonement. Perhaps the determination that should be called affection rather than atonement was squeezing her heart painfully.
“You are wrong, my lord. This doesn’t seem to be the right place either.”
"...Yes?"
Black looked back at the huge mansion where even the last barrel of wine stored in the warehouse had been turned over. It had been a day and a half since Liene disappeared. During that time, Tiwakan had been tirelessly searching for places where people could be hiding. The first place he turned over was the temple. It was clear that Kleinfelter had done it. That was why he thought that he would not have hidden her in his own house.
"So..."
...That’s how Klinefelter could act. Like, “What’s wrong with you?” Because to them, Liene wasn’t royalty, she was just an accomplice.
“...That’s right. So I’ll get out.”
The shackles of sin that had been turned over since 21 years ago. Six families, no, seven families had to pay the price for the sins they had committed back then. Liene clenched her fists tightly. She will fix it with her own hands. That is her atonement. Perhaps the determination that should be called affection rather than atonement was squeezing her heart painfully.
***
“You are wrong, my lord. This doesn’t seem to be the right place either.”
"...Yes?"
Black looked back at the huge mansion where even the last barrel of wine stored in the warehouse had been turned over. It had been a day and a half since Liene disappeared. During that time, Tiwakan had been tirelessly searching for places where people could be hiding. The first place he turned over was the temple. It was clear that Kleinfelter had done it. That was why he thought that he would not have hidden her in his own house.
At dawn, he swept the temple cleanly without any defenses and confirmed that there was no trace of Kleinfelter’s errand boy or Liene. The stairs that he had climbed up to a third of the way were completely destroyed again.
Next was Rosadel Street. The one who had come to visit Kleinfelter with Elaroiden was the head of Rosadel. He planned to turn over all the places related to Kleinfelter in that way. As he was heading to Rosadel Street, Rosadel’s private soldiers ran up and blocked his way, talking about Lisevery and other things. It was the only moment when Black laughed, even briefly.
Although it was a small sneer that others would not notice, he found the naivety of those who stood before him in such numbers literally amusing. They seemed to still not know the meaning of the name Tiwakan. It was clear that they had never thought about why the leader of Tiwakan was called the bastard child of the god of war.
"Don't interfere."
Black drew his sword with those words. Fermos sighed and pushed the mercenaries back.
"Are you going to do it alone? It'll be refreshing for us to finally see the light of day, but don't try too hard. It's a waste for them."
The mercenaries clanked their swords in vain, filled with regret. The number of private soldiers sent by the Rosadel family was sixteen. You could tell their skills just by looking at the hands holding their weapons. In Black’s eyes, the sixteen private soldiers were children who had no use for strength.
"Don't interfere."
Black drew his sword with those words. Fermos sighed and pushed the mercenaries back.
"Are you going to do it alone? It'll be refreshing for us to finally see the light of day, but don't try too hard. It's a waste for them."
The mercenaries clanked their swords in vain, filled with regret. The number of private soldiers sent by the Rosadel family was sixteen. You could tell their skills just by looking at the hands holding their weapons. In Black’s eyes, the sixteen private soldiers were children who had no use for strength.
"Ugh..."
The time it took to slaughter sixteen people was very short. If it were a battlefield, they would have taken useful weapons and belongings from the corpses, but no one would have thoughtlessly stepped forward to do so here and now.
The time it took to slaughter sixteen people was very short. If it were a battlefield, they would have taken useful weapons and belongings from the corpses, but no one would have thoughtlessly stepped forward to do so here and now.
"There's one alive. The one with the dangling arms. Should I just leave it alone?"
One of the mercenaries asked. Black answered himself. He grabbed the sword that was wiping away the blood droplets and turned around to cut off the neck.
"Go to Klinefelter."
Black changed his plans.
"If you break it, anyone will crawl out on their own."
Whoever has Liene, if he clearly shows his will to cut off all of their heads, will bring them back. Black tried to avoid war with the six families by respecting Liene’s wishes, but now it was meaningless. He should have gotten rid of them long ago. He should have convinced Liene that it would be over only if he got rid of them.
One of the mercenaries asked. Black answered himself. He grabbed the sword that was wiping away the blood droplets and turned around to cut off the neck.
"Go to Klinefelter."
Black changed his plans.
"If you break it, anyone will crawl out on their own."
Whoever has Liene, if he clearly shows his will to cut off all of their heads, will bring them back. Black tried to avoid war with the six families by respecting Liene’s wishes, but now it was meaningless. He should have gotten rid of them long ago. He should have convinced Liene that it would be over only if he got rid of them.
Liene wanted to prevent Nauk from being split in half, but there were times when you had to boldly cut out the rotten parts. The Tiwakans who arrived at the Kleinfelter household began to smash the door without even saying anything. The door that had been damaged once before opened in an instant this time. Those who rushed in to protect the ownerless mansion were quickly beheaded. They were still like children, but since there were quite a few of them, it took a little longer. Still, it didn’t take more than three hours to take control of Kleinfelter’s mansion. The front yard of the Klinefelters resembled a small battlefield, with decapitated bodies, lucky survivors, and resident workers running out in panic.
“Find those who will open their mouths. Tell them that even if the name Klinefelter disappears from this land, their necks will remain tied.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Tiwakan was fast. Speed was the most important thing in finding a missing person. He had been moving around the war zone for ten years, taking hostages and finding them. The method Black chose was the fastest and most effective.
“I actually thought that the vassal might have been hiding here all this time.”
Fermos came closer and opened his mouth.
“..."
“If you can’t find it no matter how much you look for it, it means it’s somewhere you shouldn’t be looking for it. The people who came into contact with Klinefelter in prison came here and told the priest, so I guessed that the priest was the one who did this.”
Fermos' guess was correct. It was just that the place where Klima brought Liene was not the Kleinfelter household.
“It would be nice if he were simple enough to think about coming back here again.”
His subsequent remarks were not confident.
“But that guy... It seems like he was trained. His skill in dealing with the high priest was due to one of two things. Either he was too lucky, or he was too skilled at killing.”
“Find those who will open their mouths. Tell them that even if the name Klinefelter disappears from this land, their necks will remain tied.”
“Yes, my lord.”
Tiwakan was fast. Speed was the most important thing in finding a missing person. He had been moving around the war zone for ten years, taking hostages and finding them. The method Black chose was the fastest and most effective.
“I actually thought that the vassal might have been hiding here all this time.”
Fermos came closer and opened his mouth.
“..."
“If you can’t find it no matter how much you look for it, it means it’s somewhere you shouldn’t be looking for it. The people who came into contact with Klinefelter in prison came here and told the priest, so I guessed that the priest was the one who did this.”
Fermos' guess was correct. It was just that the place where Klima brought Liene was not the Kleinfelter household.
“It would be nice if he were simple enough to think about coming back here again.”
His subsequent remarks were not confident.
“But that guy... It seems like he was trained. His skill in dealing with the high priest was due to one of two things. Either he was too lucky, or he was too skilled at killing.”
“...”
Black's eyebrows furrowed. Fermos, who noticed this, added a word urgently.
“Well, just because you’ve been trained doesn’t mean you’ll always be smart. If you were smart enough, you wouldn’t have disguised yourself and worked as an errand boy for the Kleinfelter family. It didn’t seem like there was much reward for it.”
“...”
To Black, who knew the identity of Klima, the words had a more complicated meaning. Even without Manau’s plea, he had no intention of killing Henton’s first son. Henton had shed too much blood to save one royal life, including that of his second son. Whether he liked it or not, he owed it to Nauk, now that he was alive. He had no intention of not paying it.
“...I guess it can’t be done.”
But once Liene got involved, things changed. Whether it was Henton or whatever, the weight of the debt disappeared.
“What do you mean by ‘there’s nothing we can do’?”
It was when Fermos asked that.
“Sir! I found something!”
Finally, the news arrived.
It was when Fermos asked that.
“Sir! I found something!”
Finally, the news arrived.
Whoosh!
Before Fermos could feel relief, Black was already running away, making a sound like the wind.
***
“Here it is.”
Boom!
Boom!
What Tiwakan found was an annex hideout. Rather than a hideout, it was more like a torture chamber. The small, shabby room used by the workers, a little wider than a coffin, had a hard time breathing. When he opened the lid-like door completely, inside it were neatly placed prayer books and a whip with a forked end.
“I’m sure this is the hideout of that clan.”
Fermos muttered, his tongue trailing off as if he was in a rage.
“Who is the person using this room? Go and bring him.”
“I’ve already prepared it. Hey.”
As he gestured outside the cramped room, another mercenary grabbed a woman by the arm and dragged her in.
“They said she was the owner of this room. But I’m not sure if she’ll answer. They said she was not in her right mind. She rarely opens her mouth.”
Boom!
He let go of her arm and the woman fell to her knees. She was too skinny to notice. She was frightened and out of her mind, even though he hadn’t been handling her roughly. Her hair was gray and the wrinkles around her mouth were deep, but Black knew who she was. She was the wife of Knight Henton. Perhaps Mrs. Henton was the reason Kleinfelter could use Henton’s son as an assassin. Black’s eyes turned even bluer.
“...Where is your son?”
“...?”
Henton's wife raised her head as if she had been struck somewhere.
“Ah, no... No...”
“Just tell me whether it’s here or not, and I won’t ask any more questions.”
“...!"
Mrs. Henton opened her mouth wide, but no sound came out. Mrs. Henton also recognized Black. The Little Prince who had disappeared twenty-one years ago, dressed in her son's clothes and led by her husband's hand. There was no way in the world that she could forget those pale blue eyes.
The child with those eyes was wearing the clothes her second son had worn last. If it weren't for those eyes, she might have just believed him to be her second son. She thought the child, bleeding from a stab in the heart by her husband's sword, was Prince Fernand. So she couldn't forget him. She could recognize him.
“...Where is your son?”
“...?”
Henton's wife raised her head as if she had been struck somewhere.
“Ah, no... No...”
“Just tell me whether it’s here or not, and I won’t ask any more questions.”
“...!"
Mrs. Henton opened her mouth wide, but no sound came out. Mrs. Henton also recognized Black. The Little Prince who had disappeared twenty-one years ago, dressed in her son's clothes and led by her husband's hand. There was no way in the world that she could forget those pale blue eyes.
The child with those eyes was wearing the clothes her second son had worn last. If it weren't for those eyes, she might have just believed him to be her second son. She thought the child, bleeding from a stab in the heart by her husband's sword, was Prince Fernand. So she couldn't forget him. She could recognize him.
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