Chapter 13. Behind the Scenes (1)
"The, the demons are fleeing!"
After Aileen finished fortifying the resonance stone and the bi-horned demon that was commanding died, the remaining lesser demons began to escape beyond the barrier.
"Thank goodness..."
"We survived!"
The soldiers let out sighs of relief.
Simultaneously, they glanced at Yulian. Their gaze was no longer filled with fear of the notorious 'Smiling Executioner'.
Instead, there was respect and gratitude for the hero who saved them all in a moment of crisis.
"Th-thank you for your hard work, Sir Yulian."
Fern, from the Azure Lion Knight Order, regarded Yulian with a different look than when they had left the Imperial City.
Though Fern still harbored disdain for 'Blind Eyes', he couldn't think the same of Yulian standing before him.
He had no choice but to acknowledge Yulian as someone of a different caliber. The rumors that were hard to believe were true.
In fact, the nobility that flowed through Yulian was too distinguished to dismiss as simply a collateral line.
"I'll leave the situation clean-up to you, Sir Fern. I'm not accustomed to this sort of thing."
"Understood."
"Thank you. Then I'll be off to clean the blood from my sword. I found a nice lake before we arrived here."
"I-I'll send soldiers to assist you."
"No, there's no need for that."
With a short smile, Yulian began to walk away.
Fern suddenly recalled how foolish it was to fight for command against such a monster.
It was utterly meaningless, like trying to break a rock with an egg.
"To have killed a bi-horned demon single-handedly without a change in expression..."
Fern couldn't help but be in awe as he watched Yulian's retreating figure. Was his heart made of steel?
Fern inadvertently found himself lost in absurd thoughts.
***
"Heaaa..."
I let out a sigh as I looked at my reflection in the lake, eyes slit.
'I thought I was going to die.'
No, to be precise, I was on the brink of death.
A demon I had never seen before.
I never imagined facing a bi-horned level monster so directly.
It was a relief to have survived in the end, but thinking back, I was amazed at how I managed it.
I dipped my hand into the water to wash my face. The cool sensation spread through my fingertips, accompanied by a shivering tremor.
'Combat is more brutal than I thought.'
I could still feel the sensation of slicing through the demon in my hands, along with the overwhelming emotions of that time.
A fierce hatred for the demon's monstrous appearance.
The fear of death.
The despair that came from witnessing the strength of a bi-horned demon.
Yet, reflected in the lake, Yulian with slit eyes wore a soft smile, as if to say that this was nothing, that it's all perfectly normal.
'To perfectly embody Yulian, I must regard such situations as normal.'
Impossible.
It's terrifying.
I want to run away.
Ordinarily, those would be the feelings I'd have, but now I felt surprisingly calm.
I even felt confident that I wouldn't be as flustered if a similar situation occurred again.
"As my body changes, so do my thoughts... right?"
I lightly slapped my mouth with my hand. I was gradually adapting, but it seemed the tendency to use Formal Speech kept cropping up at odd moments.
==
Trait, "Foresight"
Rank: Unique
▷ Your keen eye allows you to easily identify the weak points of a target.
▷ You can more easily detect emotions in others.
▷ You deal additional damage to enemies who feel 'fear' towards you.
==
I opened the UI to check my newly acquired trait while washing my hands in the water.
The final strike that ended the life of the bi-horned demon—the sword path I saw just before that.
It seemed that it was thanks to this "Foresight" trait.
It appeared that my 'knowledge' and Yulian's 'experience' had merged into a trait that revealed the opponent's weaknesses.
'In his prime, Yulian could easily take down a bi-horned demon... but I doubt he could have done it with a single strike as I did.'
Yet, this "Foresight" trait made it possible.
Even though I hadn't fully harnessed Yulian's abilities.
'With this, I can emulate Yulian's combat prowess to some extent.'
I had acquired a strong hand. I could convincingly portray the strength that 'Yulian' possessed, thus alleviating concerns about suspicion from those around me to some degree.
"Hoo..."
Once my thoughts had settled, the heart that had pounded from the first battle calmed to tranquility.
The first thing that came to mind was the condition of the 〈Moonlit Sword〉 I had used in the fight with the bi-horned demon.
'It's chipped.'
Drawing the sword revealed numerous small cracks on the blade.
These fractures arose from infusing it with too much mana in one go.
A few more swings, and it was sure to break.
'Its power and stability still fall short of the original.'
However, I didn't feel disappointed by this fact.
This first real battle didn't just teach me 'combat methods'; I also gleaned insights on how to perfect this incomplete Moonlit Sword.
After sheathing the sword, I thought to myself, 'When I return, I need to prepare the groundwork for that first.'
***
Herand, the third son of the Cryphart family, one of the Empire's four great noble houses, swallowed hard as he noticed the hostile gazes directed at him.
The Elder Council of Nobles, a self-governing body of nobles established to protect their interests.
Numerous family executives had their names on the list here. Their collective gaze on Herand made his skin crawl.
A wrong word might cost him his life.
"And so, does he know about our plan?"
"I-it seems so."
Responding with his head bowed, Herand replied to the stern inquiry.
The elders of the council clicked their tongues with dissatisfaction, glaring disdainfully at him.
"Is it not because of your incompetence in concealing it properly?"
"I-I'm sorry, Duke Ornn..."
"If not for being part of the current head's bloodline, a halfwit like you would have been banished long ago."
Duke Ornn Cryphart, serving as the current chairman of the Elder Council of Nobles, was the recipient of Herand's bowed head.
"Duke Ornn, moreover, recently at 'Blind Eyes', it appears this proposal was submitted to the Imperial Secretariat."
"And what does it say?"
"The proposal states that during future 'Blind Eyes' induction tests, no blame shall be assigned to instructors."
Hearing the attentive words of another elder, Ornn furrowed his brow. Yet the story was not over.
"It even goes further to propose that any blame-seeking acts, even in the event of fatalities, be strictly prohibited under the name of the imperial family."
"Uh-huh...!"
When the story concluded, a sigh of exasperation escaped another elder's lips, deepening the prominent wrinkles of his already furrowed brow.
Some couldn't hide their displeasure, mumbling curses under their breath.
"Doesn't this mean that 'Blind Eyes' is propagating Yulian's message?"
"Indeed. Naturally, it appears the secretariat rejected it before it could reach the imperial family."
With a look of disgruntlement, Ornn, the chairman, glanced over at the other elders.
'Blind Eyes' had never before challenged or sought to revise imperial regulations.
It was unprecedented for such a proposal to surface, especially at such a juncture. The intention of the proposal was starkly obvious.
"Then, is this...?"
"Yes, I believe it is Yulian's warning."
Ornn ran a hand over his beard in disbelief at the words of others.
'I know everything. Make any more meaningless moves, and I will not stand idly by.'
The submission to the secretariat served to convey such a warning.
"That wretched collateral branch bastard... as if sullying the Cryphart name with infamy wasn't enough, now he seeks to threaten us?"
Ornn's wrath swelled as he recalled Yulian's past actions.
"How dare this imperial dog... thinking it can deliver threats..."
"But, Duke Ornn. Isn't this actually a great opportunity?"
Perhaps in an attempt to placate the fiery Ornn, a middle-aged man joined the conversation.
"Aiden, what are you saying?"
Aiden, notably younger than the other elders, spoke in a calm tone.
"Up to now, understanding the imperial intentions was sufficient to decipher Yulian's actions. But if he starts judging and acting on his own, many variables must be considered. So how about observing for the time being?"
"Are you suggesting we sit by and do nothing!?"
"How dare you! To leave such a monster of a man alone and let the Cryphart name suffer disgrace!"
"Order!"
Once the elder council grew rowdy, Ornn silenced them. He fixed his sharp snake-like gaze on Aiden's face.
"Continue speaking."
With a courteous nod, aiden continued, "It's mere speculation, but if Yulian begins to think and act independently, more suitable uses for him may emerge than simply banishing him to the Northern Front. He used to be just the emperor's sword, but if he begins to have ideas, it presents new possibilities."
The determination was clear on Aiden's face as he finished speaking.
***
"Old man, your eyes are still sharp."
Having concluded the elder council meeting, aiden murmured to himself between breaths as he rode in a carriage back to his estate.
Sweat trickled cold down his back, caused by Ornn's snake-like gaze just earlier.
With a gesture, aiden sent the carriage rolling. As he watched the scenery unfold outside the window, he sank into deep thought.
'The state of the Elder Council of Nobles is a disgrace.'
The Elder Council of Nobles of the Adraton Empire—a body formed of numerous high-ranking family members to protect their interests from imperial interference.
However, at present, the council might as well have been a puppet under Cryphart's control.
Chairman Ornn Cryphart's word left most counselors trembling, and decisions often favored interests aligning with Cryphart's family.
Aiden found such a situation intolerable. Therefore, he did not wish for Yulian to return to the Northern Front.
Yulian Cryphart Frason—a tumor that the Cryphart family currently bore amongst few others.
"It seems the rumor of Sir Yulian losing his memory is false."
Musing in silence, aiden looked up in response to the coachman's observation.
"It appears so."
"Would it be alright to resume the effort to recruit Sir Yulian as we were doing before?"
"Proceed as planned. If the rumors about his lost memory are false, he'll undoubtedly remember our previous arrangements. Therefore, skip unnecessary formalities and go straight to action."
"Yes, Sir."
The coachman replied with a polite bow.
Aiden returned to contemplation.
'A monster capable of single-handedly subduing a high-rank demon. Having him on our side would be unparalleled.'
Despite his resolve, there was a lingering doubt in Aiden's mind.
The medical assessment of Yulian's condition was only known within the Cryphart family.
Nonetheless, rumors spread like wildfire among the nobility, as if someone deliberately leaked them.
Reaching this conclusion, aiden considered a possibility.
'Could it be that Yulian himself spread those rumors?'
If that were true, it sent chills down his spine.
Baiting a trap is a fundamental of hunting.
Yet no hunter would use themselves as the lure because it would put their life at risk.
But if Aiden's assumption was correct, Yulian had turned himself into bait to draw out his prey—to eliminate those who would unveil their fangs upon hearing of his purported weakness.
"Maybe he's crazier than I thought."
"Pardon?"
"Ah, it's nothing."
Clacky's Corner:
I like the fact that the Elder Council doesn't take Yulian lightly. They want to eliminate him, but they are careful on how they do things.