Ch.10A Woman with No Eye for Men (5)

Anna waited for the next words. Kain cleared his throat.

“So it wasn’t a coincidence that Lily happened to be analyzing that report.”

“That’s right. It was so you and Lily would learn about that matter. And to tell you one more thing, that was Verneith’s arrangement. I don’t know the specific details, nor could I command such things. Just like I couldn’t stop you from retiring. I’m not the Emperor, after all.”

Anna’s fingers lightly tapped the desk.

“And I didn’t realize Lily held you so deeply in her heart. Had I known, I would have sent that child to another department. I couldn’t let you experience the same pain again. I’m not that cruel of a woman.”

Kain looked down at his cane. The ash wood cane seemed to be staring back at its owner.

“Kain. Is there anything you regret or feel sorry about? Things you felt during your time at the Security Bureau.”

“…Yes, there is.”

“I see.” Anna gave a faint smile.

“You don’t have much time left until retirement, but I’d like you to clear everything before you go. Move forward confidently into your new life. Whatever path you choose, I’ll always remember and cherish you. You said you’ll grow apple trees, right?”

“Yes.”

“The apples you grow must be truly delicious.” Anna closed her eyes, as if she had already tasted a sweet piece of apple.

“I already miss it. The white blossoms, the bees buzzing as they suck sweet honey. With time, the apples will ripen red. How proud and fulfilled you’ll look during harvest season…

For me, that’s just beyond imagination. The joy of harvest. The happiness of reaping what you’ve sown. Living life as I wanted. All my life… I’ve only envied others who achieved such a life. Even now, actually. That’s why I envy you.”

Anna stood up and offered her hand. Kain hurriedly rose and took his mentor’s hand. Anna’s hand was warm. She still carried passion within her.

“Now, you may go. Be happy. Always be happy. Leave everything here as memories. Walk away. Don’t hold onto regrets.”

Just like this? Is this really the end? Kain’s hand became sweaty. Anna didn’t let go. Should he pull away? Was he the one clinging on? Yet there was no strength in Anna’s grip.

Anna seemed a bit awkward with the situation. She moved closer to Kain and gently placed her hand on his waist.

“Though things may be difficult, remember this. You came here, took the test, and passed with flying colors. You graduated successfully and became a member of the Security Bureau, where only the best of the best can enter. Though it’s not a career you can boast about openly, wherever you go, whatever you do, your abilities are more than sufficient. Don’t forget that.”

These were the words Anna would say whenever Kain struggled. Words that lifted him up whenever he wanted to give up. And these were the same words Kain had passed on to Lily.

When had he told her?

‘If you had known where to find the answer, if you had known whom to ask, you would certainly have done so. What you don’t know is where to seek the answer.’

His own words echoed back to him.

Kain wanted to find meaning.

The meaning of everything he had done at the Security Bureau.

Was it worthwhile? Or was it just ordinary work?

The place to find the answer was clear.

“One.”

“Hmm?”

“Just one. I’ll take on one more case.”

Anna let go of his hand and stepped back. Kain was trembling slightly. His speech was a bit stuttered.

“Professor. I… want to know the answer. The meaning of what I’ve done. What it meant to me personally. Not the consequences of my actions…”

“Like a pebble seeking its own answer at the bottom of a lake?”

Kain couldn’t make such a metaphor. He didn’t know how to express it that way.

“Yes.”

Anna closed her eyes and clasped her hands together. A familiar gesture. A prayer posture. Anyone in the Empire, any believer of the Faith would know.

But Kain had never seen Anna pray before. Of course, Kain hadn’t spent that much time with Anna, but this was the first time he’d seen her pray.

“Truly, God has not abandoned the Empire.”

Anna’s chest swelled. She took a deep breath in, then out. It seemed like the kind of thing even she couldn’t easily say.

“Kain. There is something I’d like you to take on. Actually, I had you in mind for this… I was at a loss when I heard about your retirement.”

“What kind of task is it?”

“A task only you can perform.”

Anna wasn’t one to exaggerate. She also disliked unnecessary grandiose rhetoric. So her words must be the plain truth.

“In this vast Empire, it’s a task only you alone can perform. The past, present, and future of the Empire depend on it. The hope of all people hangs on it too. Though it’s a dark and painful task, I couldn’t imagine anyone but you. No one in the Empire knows your hometown. Not until you reveal it yourself.

Someone with your experience. Your wisdom. And someone I know well and can trust. You were the only one who met all those conditions. Kain. But the final choice is yours. Once you hear it, there’s no turning back.”

These were the words he heard when he was about to submit his security clearance. That once submitted, his life as an agent would be over. Lily running away with it, Godfrey provoking him, all of these things… were they someone’s design? Or coincidence?

“I’ll hear it.”

Anna bit her lower lip. So forcefully that blood slightly appeared. Anna didn’t hide her agitation.

“Sit down.”

Kain did so. Anna took out an envelope from the drawer. It contained the Pope’s letter, an artist’s sketch, and a thick report.

“I believe you already know the story of the Seven Heroes who defeated the Demon King. It’s a story that appears even in children’s fairy tales. I don’t think you’d say you don’t know it.”

“I know it.”

It’s a famous story, and one that’s trending recently. Don’t stories of heroes always inspire dreams and hope in people during difficult times?

‘Order and law are in the capital, while only fists and pain are nearby. The nobles are corrupt, the Demon King is rising, and only the Seven Heroes stand by the people.’

“Two of them have been attacked. When it was just one, we thought it was a coincidence. The Pope concealed it deeply. But when it became two, the Emperor’s Royal Guard detected the incident, and the Pope could no longer hide it.”

In the past, when the Emperor’s power was stronger than it is now, the imperial court operated the ‘Royal Guard Bureau.’

Intelligence. Security. Operations and counter-operations. Assassination and murder… It was so powerful it was called ‘the Emperor’s Dagger.’ However, when the age of nobility came, the Royal Guard Bureau was reduced to just the Royal Guard, which only looked after the imperial family’s safety, and instead, the Security Bureau was newly established.

The Royal Guard Bureau and the Royal Guard are loyal to the imperial family. But the Security Bureau is loyal to the Empire. The difference was subtle yet decisive. However, if they wanted to, the Royal Guard could operate even more secretly than the Security Bureau.

Even the materials Anna was showing were collected by the Royal Guard, not the Security Bureau. The difference in level was still stark.

“The first was the Apostle of Temperance, Abbot Arius. The Pope kept silent about where he was found, but it’s presumed to be somewhere in an eastern city. The ship at the Pearl Dock of Venelucia that you know about… is almost certainly it.”

It’s called a ship, but it’s actually a pleasure boat disguised as a ship.

“I know.”

“This is also the Royal Guard’s presumption. The time is estimated to be three months ago, on a moonless night. According to the port entry and exit records.

And recently, also on a moonless night, near Count Lorentz’s territory, the Knight of Chastity, Archbishop William, was attacked. Count Lorentz became partially paralyzed five years ago during the Eastern Conflict and has difficulty moving, so his wife has been handling the affairs. There’s testimony that the Countess made a religious confession to the Archbishop.

Unlike Abbot Arius, the Archbishop’s damage situation is clear. Thirty lancers from the Pope’s knightly order, the Mercy Knights, seventeen servants and employees, two parish priests, one monk, and two nuns. And the Archbishop himself.”

Moonless night. Seven Heroes. It’s not a coincidence. It’s someone’s attack. But it doesn’t make sense. Venelucia is a foreign country, and what happens on a pleasure boat might be hard to know in detail, but the Archbishop’s party numbered over fifty. Moreover,

“I don’t understand,” Kain pointed at the desk with his finger.

“If fifty people were attacked, at least a similar military group would have moved. But they are noisy and careless. Someone should have escaped and testified about the damage. But the fact that even the Security Bureau didn’t know about it and the Royal Guard barely noticed suggests this was also concealed. As far as I know, there is no assassin group that skilled.”

“Because it’s not the work of assassins.”

Anna clenched her fist.

“Chief Kain. There are no casualties. They are all alive.”

“…Did you say they’re alive?”

“Yes. They’re alive.”

Anna opened the documents. She showed the artist’s sketches. To Kain, they all looked strange.

“Crushed grass? Or dismembered animals? Perhaps sketches of the scene?”

“They’re people.”

Anna was furious.

“Chief Kain. They are all people. Their eyes were crushed, tongues pulled out, and molten metal poured into their ears. After breaking all the bones in their bodies, they were forcibly put back together, but according to the doctor, even if they were broken again and reattached, recovery couldn’t be guaranteed.”

That can’t be.

That can’t be. Crushed grapes. Discarded bags. Broken ink bottles. Shredded pieces of wood. It could be a dog hit by a carriage and lying dead on the street,

But it can’t be people.

“Archbishop William is said to mumble incomprehensible words. He either laughs or cries, and doctors have diagnosed that he behaves like a three-year-old child. Unable to control his bodily functions… with his ribs pierced into his lungs like wings… he is alive.”

The Heroes.

The Heroes who are the dreams and hopes of the people.

The Heroes who are the dying Empire’s light.

Are being miserably trampled.

“Find out who did this. Why. For what reason. How, with what, they did this. That’s your mission. Find out why this cruel, demonic person… is crushing the Heroes of the past. The Empire’s last hope cannot be further damaged. Find out who dares to try to break the Empire’s last bond.”

Blood flowed from Anna’s burst lip. She was enduring it. She was bearing it.

“Protect the Empire. The faith of ordinary people. The hope for simple daily life. Please protect it.”