Ch.200Revelation (14)

Kain recalled the story Maria had told him. When they were in the City of Lombardt, the Grand Marshal Alighieri of the Mercy Knights had come from the Papal States with 100 subordinates.

Even for an urgent matter, it seemed strange that someone of Grand Marshal rank would bring only 100 subordinates.

But everything made sense if the Mercy Knights and Holy Grail Knights from across the Empire were gathering in the Northeastern Wasteland under the Grand Marshal’s command.

Though both were the Pope’s knightly orders, they had different command structures and combat doctrines. Additionally, training intensity and specializations varied by region.

To coordinate units with different types of troops and training levels, at least someone of Grand Marshal rank would be needed to manage them effectively.

If the Mercy Knights had dispatched their Grand Marshal, the Holy Grail Knights would likely send someone of equivalent rank.

“Boehm. Do you know why His Majesty the Emperor sent the delegation?”

“I don’t know. Bom might know? Wait, it’s… almost time to change shifts. Just sit and wait a moment.”

Boehm stood up, brushing off his seat.

“Switching positions?”

“That’s right. Oh, by the way, the youngest one told me you were here. His instincts have gotten incredibly sharp, hasn’t he? Knows how to send secret signals and make contact.”

“That’s good to hear.”

About 30 minutes after Boehm disappeared, a man in identical attire appeared. It was Bom. Though Boehm and Bom were twins, Kain could distinguish them by their walking patterns.

Boehm walked with more discipline, while Bom walked with a slight drag in one leg. Of course, this was only noticeable if you knew they were different people; if you didn’t know they were twins, you wouldn’t notice at all.

“Brother!”

The way they ran with open arms was identical for both Boehm and Bom. Kain let Bom inside as well.

“Oh my, what happened? The great Kain with his right hand like this?”

“Just got scratched.” Kain smiled. “Come in. Let’s have a drink.”

“Good grief, is this really where people live? No wonder the youngest one was so desperate to escape. Living in a place like this would be truly depressing!”

Bom quickly gulped down his beer. “But the beer tastes good. Is the alcohol content high?” After chattering for a while, Bom grinned and began his story.

“You’ve heard most of it from my brother, right?”

Being born 40 minutes after Boehm didn’t seem to matter much to Bom. Anyway, according to Bom, his hand came out first.

“Yes, I heard. What’s the purpose of the delegation? What’s the atmosphere like?”

“Oh, it’s intense. So intense. Brother, just one more drink. I’m literally shaking, seriously. Ah, thank you.

Wow, that Whetstone guy has quite the personality. I heard he wasn’t quite right in the head, but surprisingly, he speaks clearly with those piercing eyes.

And that older woman next to him, whew, she’s like winter ice. I think she’s the regent, some kind of administrative deputy.”

“Are you talking about Astrid, the Chief Administrator?”

“Yes, yes, that’s her!” Bom shook his head. “Oh, I’m scared our youngest might become like that when she gets older. You know how Whetstone gets chilly when he’s serious? She gives off that same feeling.”

“She’s his aunt, so they’re probably similar.”

“She’s his aunt?! I thought so. I knew it.” Fortunately, Bom didn’t ask how Kain knew that much. He seemed to believe that as a section chief, Kain would naturally know such things.

“Well, they call it a special envoy, but I’ve never seen or heard of a special envoy like this. Do you know what the message was? ‘Permission granted for training at Secundus Fortress.’ Just that one line.

But when they heard this, that Whetstone guy was foaming at the mouth in anger, and the woman beside him looked like she had winter storms coming out of her eyes.”

Secundus. Kain knew where it was. It was a rear base away from the border between the northern pagans and the Empire. It was an important strategic point and a massive supply depot, closer to the northeast than the north.

As the Pope moved his army, the Emperor was trying to move the White Blood Knights. Both sides were approaching each other with daggers concealed.

“But Brother, what I don’t understand is this. Secundus is quite far from the White Blood Knightly State. Not just far—it would take several nights of travel to reach it.

And since the White Blood Knights, an armed group, would be training ‘outside’ their territory, shouldn’t they naturally need permission?”

“Of course they should. And you said permission was granted. What’s the problem?”

“That Whetstone guy says he never requested it and that the White Blood Knights won’t leave their state.

So what does this mean? The White Blood Knights had no intention of leaving, but His Majesty the Emperor is trying to pull them out saying, ‘Go train over there.’ The whole situation has become ridiculous.”

“What did the envoy say?”

“They were bewildered, of course. They argued for quite a while about whether they would go or not.

When they asked, ‘Are you playing games with His Majesty the Emperor?’ that ice witch-like woman flared up in anger… it’s a complete mess.”

Not only was it bewildering, but something was subtly misaligned.

The reason the Pope was mobilizing both the Mercy Knights and the Holy Grail Knights was clear. There was something to hide in the wasteland, a problem that could only be solved by the power of the religious orders, and a shameful secret that shouldn’t be revealed.

The Demon King.

The Pope knew that the Demon King had already been resurrected and would rise to power again. He also knew that the Empire was close to discovering the truth. The reason for mobilizing the knights immediately after Father Prollo disappeared was likely because of this.

So the Empire needed to counter knights with knights.

They couldn’t mobilize the Imperial Knights—that would be tantamount to all-out war between the Emperor and the Pope. But if the White Blood Knights were deployed, their mere presence could overwhelm the two knightly orders.

That’s why His Majesty the Emperor had ordered “training at Secundus Fortress that the White Blood Knights hadn’t even requested.”

But the Empire also knew that the succession issues within the White Blood Knights had become complicated, preventing them from engaging in any external activities.

Due to an ancient covenant between the Empire and the White Blood clan, later emperors couldn’t unconditionally force the White Blood Knights to do anything. They had to move by mutual agreement.

Yet the Emperor had sent an envoy. Specifically, subordinates from Kain’s own Section 4, through code words that only Kain himself could understand.

‘They must have known I would arrive here. I wrote that I was heading to the White Blood Knights. They wouldn’t have known exactly when I’d arrive, though. Which means…’

Verneith would have calculated when Kain would arrive at Valhalla based on where he sent the letter from and the travel distance.

And he sent the delegation at almost the same time, including the twin brothers. ‘To carry out the mission.’

The two brothers themselves seemed to have no idea what they were supposed to do, but this was no coincidence. This was Verneith’s message to Kain himself.

‘The Mercy and Holy Grail Knights are moving, but the White Blood Knights show no signs of movement, so you need to get them moving.’

Kain strengthened his resolve. He needed to meet her.

“Bom.”

“Yes?”

“Can you arrange an appointment for me? Right now.”

“An appointment? With whom?”

“That ice witch. Since I’m basically a guest here, I can’t meet with the Chief Administrator. Could you arrange for me to be let in as a personal visit from the delegation?”

“Well, it’s a bit sudden, but I’ll try. But why do you need this, Brother?”

Kain hesitated for a moment.

Of course, he could have told Bom, “Sorry, it’s for the mission.” Bom was also a Security Bureau agent, and if told it was for a mission, he would connect Kain without question.

Hadn’t he already told Boehm, “Well, there are materials I need to find in the White Blood Knights”? But there’s a clear difference in weight between saying you came to the White Blood Knights to find materials and asking to meet Astrid.

The former raises no particular questions. The latter does. For the former, saying “I came to find materials related to the mission” would be sufficient, but the latter would immediately prompt the question, “Why do you need to meet her, Brother?”

Finally, Kain sighed deeply.

“I want to ask when Whetstone will send our youngest back to the Security Bureau… After all, I am the section chief. I should try to request the release of our department’s youngest member. The tournament has no end in sight. But she won’t meet with me.”

Bom nodded as if he understood everything.

“I’ll try to arrange it for the afternoon.”

* * * * *

Afternoon.

Astrid’s reception room was quite spacious and dark. The room was large, but the windows were narrow, seemingly to block the draft.

Logs crackled in the fireplace. And that was the only decoration in this room. A plain desk and a couple of chairs without any ornamentation were all there was.

There were no flags, emblems, swords, or shields that might have hung on the walls. The only personal touch was a basket beside the desk containing knitting tools and a half-finished scarf.

Astrid seemed to notice Kain’s gaze.

“I’m quite clumsy at it. Not making much progress.”

“That’s surprising. I would have thought someone as meticulous as you would be good at it.”

“When I make a mistake, I unravel everything and start over.”

“That’s why it takes so long.”

“Knitting is a wonderful hobby.” Astrid took a sip of beer.

“At some point, you become completely absorbed in making the knots. Then a whole day flies by. And at some point, you realize you’ve been knitting incorrectly. Even though my eyes and hands were solely focused on knitting. How dull human eyes can be.”

Kain looked at the fire in the fireplace.

“Isn’t it because the lighting is too dim?”

“You haven’t seen this place on a good day. The perpetual snow outside reflects all the sunlight. It shines so brilliantly that it’s beyond dazzling—it could blind you. Would you believe that despite the cold, your skin burns as if you’re standing under the scorching sun?”

“No wonder there are so many people with tanned skin around here.”

Astrid smiled and picked up her knitting basket. She lowered her head slightly and busily moved her needles. Her work was meticulous and precise, but also somewhat neurotic.

“Well, I’ll commend you for coming to talk through the delegation. But you shouldn’t stay here too long—it won’t do you any good. Have you accomplished what you wanted?”

“To some extent, but not in other areas.”

“Is that so? In what way?”

“I’m curious about what the White Blood Knight Commander actually wants.”

“Why are you curious about that?”

“I want to know when I can take our department’s youngest member back.”

“You can’t take him.”

Astrid was definitive.