TLed by NolepGuy
Chapter 147
Inside the banquet hall where the Lee Cult’s raid had occurred.
“…”
Mikhail, regaining his senses, raised his exhausted body and placed a hand on his throbbing forehead.
‘What happened.’
There were no memories after defeating the Archbishop of Blasphemy.
Was it a side effect of pushing his strength to the limit? The only memory lingering in the darkening vision was Ricardo’s back figure.
-It’s over now.
-I can still fight…!
-You wouldn’t be able to kill him anyway.
-Kill him… Don’t tell me…!
-Yes, it’s better to eliminate any loose ends.
“Ugh…”
His body ached as if it were breaking apart.
Most of the Academy students in the banquet hall had evacuated outside under Chartia’s command, and the only ones who witnessed everything were Yuria, Hanna, and the Student Council President.
Unlike himself, who was collapsed, the Student Council President, Hanna, and Yuria were unscathed and under the protection of the Knights’ Order.
Mikhail decided to ask them about the truth of the incident later and let out a deep sigh slowly.
“Is it over…?”
It had been a grueling battle.
Facing an opponent he could not reach.
Feeling an ominous premonition that he might die for the first time since his days in the slum.
The battle against an opponent wielding cursed magic was not as straightforward as he had imagined and was filled with countless variables.
Above all, fighting while enduring Death’s Aura was terrifying. It was different from the Archbishop’s swordplay, which exuded thick killing intent and aimed to sever his life.
Looking at his own weak self, Mikhail gritted his teeth and blamed his lack of skill.
If only he had been a little stronger, he could have protected everyone. The thought that there might have been casualties if Ricardo hadn’t stepped in made Mikhail suppress the anger welling up from within as he clenched his fist.
‘Damn it…’
‘Again… This time too…! Was it him? Damn it.’
Mikhail pounded the floor with his fist, venting his injustice. The fact that he had received the Murderer’s Assistance left him trembling with rage and frustration.
The one who tormented Yuria and felt no guilt about murder. If he possessed such power, he should have used it to help others. The fact that he once again relied on the help of someone who rampaged for personal gain infuriated Mikhail.
Amid the wave of regretful emotions, Mikhail wondered about Ricardo’s whereabouts.
Ricardo’s figure was nowhere to be seen inside the banquet hall.
Mikhail lifted his head and scanned the banquet hall. He saw the Knights’ Order moving the corpses of the heretics and looked at the center of the collapsed ceiling, but Ricardo’s figure was nowhere to be found.
Unable to find Ricardo no matter where he looked, Mikhail clenched his fist.
Thinking that he had hidden again.
Ricardo, who caused incidents and then ran away. Ricardo, who vanished and avoided unfavorable testimonies, made Mikhail clench his fist tightly.
“Ricar…!”
Amid the chaos of his swirling thoughts.
“Are you Cadet Mikhail?”
A Knight with brown hair was walking towards Mikhail.
The man, who had a rigid appearance, was holding a notebook and a pen. Seeing the Empire’s emblem engraved in gold on the hilt of his sword, Mikhail could tell that the Knight before him was an Imperial Knight.
Possessing excellent swordsmanship.
An Imperial Knight who could only graduate at the top rank from the Academy.
Malik opened his notebook and began asking Mikhail questions.
“I need to ask a few things for the report. Can you cooperate?”
Malik was asking Mikhail about what had happened in the banquet hall, how the heretics had launched their surprise attack, and who they were.
-What were the exact time and date?
-It was around 19:20, I believe.
-What was the size and number of the enemies?
-…I’m not sure about that either. I was too flustered.
-Hmm… I see.
Mikhail suddenly felt a sense of incongruity with the Knight’s questions. While the questions to uncover the truth of the incident were not strange, the most crucial thing was not being asked.
He felt a sense of incongruity because they weren’t asking ‘who’ fought against them, how the battle unfolded, or who made the greatest contribution.
Feeling increasingly uneasy, Mikhail countered the Knight, who was calmly asking questions.
“Why aren’t you asking about the battle?”
“Hmm?”
“You’re only asking about testimonies on the situation. Why aren’t you asking who fought whom, how the battle progressed, or the most important details?”
“Ah.”
The man closed his notebook with a ‘snap’ and answered Mikhail.
“That’s already been investigated.”
“What?”
“Red hair. You know, don’t you?”
“…”
‘Ricardo.’
As soon as he heard the keyword ‘red hair,’ Ricardo’s face immediately came to Mikhail’s mind.
The one who made the greatest contribution to this incident, a murderer who carried out merciless massacres. And the moment he heard the name of the man who took a step back and didn’t directly help, Mikhail thought the Knight before him had received incorrect testimonies.
Ricardo was someone who always lied. Someone whose thoughts were impossible to discern.
Ricardo must have said something like this.
‘I did everything.’
That was what Ricardo always said as if it were a habit, and Mikhail thought it was the answer of someone who knew no humility. Thinking back to the incident with Yuria in the dungeon, Mikhail was convinced that Ricardo’s brazen testimony had covered things up back then, and he believed Ricardo had said the same thing this time.
However.
“He said this: Without Mikhail, everyone would have died in this incident. He said you made the greatest contribution.”
“What…? What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly as you heard.”
A foolish answer escaped his lips.
He wondered if what he was hearing was really true.
“In the battle against the one called the Archbishop of Blasphemy, you and Chartia worked together to achieve victory.”
“The remnants of the heretics were also defeated with the help of the Academy students. During that process, Wanted Criminal Hans, the ‘former’ Academy student, suffered severe injuries and fled.”
Mikhail looked at Chartia with trembling eyes, then at Yuria and Hanna.
With trembling eyes, Mikhail looked at them, as if asking them to tell him what this meant, but everyone who met his gaze wore awkward expressions and avoided eye contact.
Chartia wore an expression of resignation, while Yuria looked despondent.
Histania Hanna was glaring at him with a face filled with rising anger.
Mikhail, saying ‘That can’t be,’ countered the Imperial Knights’ Order.
Saying they were mistaken.
That Ricardo would never say such things, and that they must have confused it with someone else’s testimony, Mikhail said in a weary voice.
“Wait a moment… I didn’t do anything like that. Most of the fight with the Archbishop was Ri…”
“The testimonies are already complete.”
“You should also hear my testimony.”
“No. While you were unconscious and collapsed, we received all the testimonies from Yuria, the Third Princess, Histania Hanna, and Ricardo, so further testimony is unnecessary.”
The Knight abruptly cut off his words and turned away.
Mikhail reached out with trembling hands toward the departing Knight and spoke.
“Then Ricardo…!”
“Ah… That guy?”
Malik responded with a small laugh.
Thinking that the boy before him was experiencing the same thing he had once gone through, Malik smiled and replied.
“He said he couldn’t stay out overnight, so he went back.”
“What…?”
“Anyway, just keep that in mind.”
Malik let out a hearty laugh and walked toward the banquet hall to wrap up the incident.
***
Today, the estate was peaceful as always.
Having successfully completed the quest and resolved the clash with the heretics, I was feeding the Young Lady an apple at Hamel’s estate.
“Ah, say ‘ah’.”
“No.”
“Ah…!”
“Apples are tasteless. Chocolate is better.”
“We don’t grow such things. Open your mouth.”
“Ugh… ah.”
The Young Lady, munching on the apple, nodded and gave her response about the taste.
“It’s good, right?”
“No. Isn’t there chocolate apples?”
“Such things don’t exist in this world.”
“Eeeek…! Make one for me!”
“I’ll try.”
“Okay.”
The Young Lady, rubbing her sleepy eyes, greeted the warm morning sunlight.
Having arrived at Hamel’s estate after traveling overnight in a carriage, the Young Lady, meeting the morning after a long time, couldn’t easily shake off the travel weariness.
For the Young Lady, who loved sleep, lack of rest was a formidable enemy. Sitting on the bed, she drowsily swayed, fighting off the sluggishness.
It had been three days since the quest “Protect Yuria” ended.
The Young Lady still didn’t know that I could use magic.
I had been hiding it thoroughly because I wanted to surprise her. I was curious about how the Young Lady would react upon discovering that the idiot who couldn’t even use Fireball was actually a master of great magic.
And I still hadn’t checked the quest reward.
Information about vitality.
I had intended to check it immediately after successfully completing the quest, but I had been too busy, so I postponed it.
I should check it this evening.
While feeding the Young Lady an apple, I spent time pondering the nature of vitality.
Vitality.
The force that drives life.
‘Hmm…’
Honestly, I had one guess, but I hoped it wouldn’t be that….
Because the only thing that came to mind when I saw the word vitality was just one thing.
I hoped it wasn’t what I was thinking, but if it wasn’t that, there was nothing else that came to mind.
‘Lifespan.’
‘Well, what’s the worst that could happen?’
With a light heart, I fed the Young Lady an apple and waited for the evening to come.