episode_0200

Finally, the day to meet Uncle Joseph approached.

Klaus, the Chief of Staff, led twenty of his soldiers to the ‘meeting place’. He looked around and asked in a voice tinged with expectation.

“Are you really saying that Joseph is coming here?”

“Yes. He will. Definitely.”

“How interesting.”

Unlike the Chief of Staff’s reaction, the rebel soldiers looked doubtful. Such a reaction was natural. The place chosen for the meeting was… a narrow, gloomy alleyway where no one, nothing existed, and barely two people could pass through. But if Joseph, known as the Queen’s aide, were to come to such a place alone… who would truly believe it?

However… I knew.

Uncle Joseph is an upright person. He is endlessly generous and warm to his family and friends. Marie had said she wrote memories of Brisdon in the letter, memories only she and Uncle Joseph knew. With that, Uncle Joseph would have realized that Marie wrote the letter. And the request left at the end of the letter, ‘I want to meet you alone,’ he would not doubt at all. Because I knew my uncle very well, I believed it would definitely happen that way.

That’s why I set up this situation.

When this plan was first revealed, it was said that a controversy broke out among the rebel leaders. It was such an absurd operation that they even wondered if I was a double agent. But Klaus, at least, trusted my words and agreed to proceed.

“Alright, let’s begin then.”

Klaus ordered the soldiers to ambush. They immediately scattered and disappeared into the surroundings. And we decided to hide ourselves and observe the situation.

“……”

Now, the only person at the meeting place was Marie. She stood on the path without a word, waiting for Uncle Joseph.

When the sun, suspended in the middle of the sky, slowly began to set, resting on the edge of the red castle. Finally, a shadow appeared in the alleyway where no one had passed. A tall stature, recognizable at a glance. Two swords hanging at his waist.

Heavy footsteps.

And the rough gait, ingrained in his body without him realizing it, from traversing countless battlefields. I remembered those footsteps.

Uncle Joseph.

It’s my uncle.

Longing and welcome mixed wildly in my chest. I wanted to call out to my uncle and rush out of my spot immediately. But my cold mind kept my mouth and my body rooted in place.

…Because I wasn’t here to meet my uncle.

“Hey—!”

As my uncle entered the alley, he waved his hand. His voice showed he had recognized Marie from afar. His booming laughter echoed through the alley.

“Hahaha! Marie!”

“Uncle……”

“I read your letter. Yes, it’s really been a long time!”

Klaus, who was observing the meeting place with me, had the corners of his mouth turn up. It seemed he had confirmed that the man was indeed Joseph.

My uncle gradually approached Marie. After waiting for him to come deeper into the alley.

With a decisive gesture.

Klaus gave a command with a gesture of his hand. Then, rebel soldiers appeared one by one, blocking both ends of the path.

“……Hmm?”

Detecting a suspicious presence, the wide smile vanished from Uncle Joseph’s face. He then placed his hand on the twin swords at his waist and turned to look behind him.

“Well, well.”

From where my uncle had entered to the opposite end where Marie stood. Armed men, ten on each side, filled the alley.

“Rebels? Haha. I never thought that would be the case—.”

Even though he was completely surrounded, my uncle smiled leisurely. Marie bowed her head deeply, as if feeling guilty.

“I’m sorry… Uncle.”

“No, you don’t need to apologize. I don’t know the full story, but it seems you’ve been through a very big problem. It’s my fault for being foolish and not noticing sooner.”

Clank.

My uncle drew a sword from its sheath.

“Marie, stick close behind me. I’ll finish this quickly.”

Klaus, who was observing, asked as if something was strange.

“Surely, he doesn’t intend to face twenty men alone, does he?”

“I think he does.”

“In that case, capturing Joseph alive will be difficult.”

“No. It’s not a matter of ‘capturing’ him.”

I clenched my teeth.

“We might be ‘annihilated’.”

Seeing my uncle draw his sword with such a relaxed expression… He truly exuded confidence, as if he could take down twenty soldiers by himself. No one here, including Klaus, knew my uncle’s true abilities. But I knew how dangerous those twin swords were.

The five assassins the king sent to kill Tia. I had seen Uncle Joseph calmly sever their heads. That man’s smile… was certainly not a bluff.

“Ritsu, you’re joking, right?”

Honestly, I hadn’t expected Uncle Joseph to be easily captured from the start. So, I had already considered another option. I didn’t want to resort to this method, but it would be better than causing an unnecessary commotion.

“Chief of Staff-nim. Try holding my sister and threatening him. Then he’ll be captured docilely.”

“Hoh-. Marie, you said? Your sister.”

“Yes.”

“He certainly seems to care for Marie-yang. Well, if it saves effort, it’s worth a try.”

Klaus stood up and drew a dagger from his waist.

“But— Ritsu. I’m seeing you in a new light. To use your own family as bait and prey so nonchalantly. You’re truly ruthless.”

“……”

“Ah, that’s a compliment. I’m quite fond of you for that.”

He grinned and stepped out into the alley.

Uncle Joseph aimed his sword at the approaching soldiers and stepped backward. His purpose seemed to be ensuring Marie’s safety first. But soon, he realized Marie hadn’t come behind him.

“…Marie?”

When Joseph turned around, his eyes fell upon Marie, held by Klaus. With her shoulder firmly gripped, and a sharp dagger pressed against Marie’s throat. The rebel chief of staff greeted him with a smiling face.

“Pleasure to meet you. Joseph, the Wielder of Two Swords.”

“Hmm…”

“How about we avoid a bloody incident? You hate seeing blood, don’t you?”

“Hahaha! Perhaps it’s because I’ve been to too many battlefields, but I’ve become quite numb to the color red.”

“Is that so? Then I wonder if you’d be unbothered to see this girl’s blood.”

The sharp blade pressed against Marie’s pale throat. Feeling the cold touch, the girl trembled with fear.

“……”

Finally, the smile vanished from his face. Was Uncle Joseph’s face, without a smile… truly this terrifying?

Clang-clink!

Swords fell from both of my uncle’s hands.

……And then, in a voice I had never heard before. He asked in a truly chilling voice.

“Who is it?”

“‘Who’? What do you mean?”

“The person who called me here.”

Uncle Joseph glared at Marie.

“Marie, answer me. Who is it? Who ordered you to do this? This isn’t something rebels would do!”

But Marie did not answer. She wept tears mixed with guilt and fear, stifling her sobs with pressed lips.

Klaus commanded.

“Seize him.”

There was no resistance. Uncle Joseph’s hands were bound, and he was apprehended by the soldiers. His appearance was like that of a criminal being dragged to the gallows.

***

After bringing Uncle Joseph to the hideout, I was hailed as a hero by everyone. The rebels had been in a very difficult situation recently due to successive attacks from the nobles. Especially since the Queen took power, they had been ambushed ‘as if she knew everything’. It would be one thing if they had been completely wiped out at once, but the rebels’ morale was at rock bottom due to the gradual, suffocating attack methods. But then I suddenly appeared and captured ‘the Queen’s closest confidant’, without spilling a single drop of blood. From the rebels’ perspective, it was a satisfying revenge and a tremendous lesson learned. The excited soldiers praised me as a hero and offered me drinks. I had no desire to drink and turned them all down, but I still enjoyed the festive atmosphere.

An agonizing shriek—!!

As I ate in the boisterous dining hall, an agonizing shriek suddenly pierced through the air. It wasn’t from the infirmary where the injured were gathered. It was Uncle Joseph’s scream. The rebels needed to extract more information, so they bound my uncle and began their interrogation. Although they called it ‘interrogation,’ it was virtually torture. I had told them to go easy on him, minding Marie’s request, but whether that would be properly observed was questionable. The soldiers happily listened to my uncle’s screams as they drank, spitting and cursing towards the torture chamber.

“……”

How much time had passed? In this windowless hideout, it was often hard to tell if it was day or night. As the drunken soldiers gradually fell asleep, and a quiet stillness descended upon the corridors, late into the night.

“Ritsu. Can we talk for a moment?”

Klaus came to see me.

“Yes. What is it?”

“Joseph isn’t opening his mouth. He’s uselessly full of loyalty.”

It seemed they had tormented my uncle for a long time but yielded no results.

“That’s right. Because he’s that kind of person.”

“It seems you know Joseph very well, Ritsu. Do you perhaps have a method?”

“……”

He wants me to meet Uncle Joseph directly. It’s troublesome.

Actually, I intentionally avoided meeting my uncle. No, to be precise, it was closer to me trying to prevent my uncle from even guessing my identity. It’s not because I lacked the courage to face my uncle, nor because of guilt.

Fosao’s ability. It was solely because of that. I had noticed it early on. This situation, where the nobles suddenly began to choke the rebels, as if they knew everything. It was definitely because Fosao was pursuing the rebels with his ability to read ‘memory phantoms’ – the same ability I possessed. That’s why I hadn’t revealed myself until the very end. Because if Fosao were to grasp even the slightest clue about me, everything I had done so far would be for naught.

“……Understood. I’ll go.”

“Thank you, Ritsu.”

“Instead, please let us be alone.”

“Hmm-.”

Klaus pondered for a moment, then nodded.

“Alright.”

It was truly unsettling to reveal myself to my uncle. But I had no choice. Because I absolutely had to find out about the ‘secret passage’.

Klaus opened the door to the torture chamber.

Clank!

The thick iron door swung open.

“Gasp— gasp—.”

A small room, permeated with a damp, stale smell of sweat. A horrific sight lay before me. Uncle Joseph, bleeding from all over his body, struggled to gasp for breath. He was tied to a chair, his head deeply bowed. At such a terrible sight, I couldn’t say a word.

To be in this state… and still say nothing?

“Then, good luck.”

Klaus patted my shoulder and left the torture chamber, closing the iron door behind him.

Thud!

In the silent stillness. I slowly opened my mouth.

“…Uncle.”

Hearing my voice, Uncle Joseph slowly raised his head. His swollen, bruised eyelids opened. His unfocused eyes barely looked up at me. What would he say? I held my breath and waited. After staring blankly for a moment, my uncle let his head drop again and exhaled deeply.

“Ritsu……. Yes…. Just as I thought.”

As if he had known all along, he gave a weary smile.

“As expected… you were alive.”

He welcomed me.