Ch.42Devotion Offered by the Sword (17)

“As always, you were pouring hurtful words at me. But I knew my father couldn’t be there. He would be either in the Imperial capital or at the White Blood Knights’ headquarters. Then the shadow changed.”

“How?”

Instead of answering, Lily embraced Kain more tightly. As if he might disappear if she let go.

“…I saw you, sir, lying dead beside my father. Even in death, you were blaming me. You were screaming that you were dying because of me.

But I knew. I knew you were fighting the Knight of the Scabbard from beyond the shadow. That you would still be holding on even as I trembled in fear.

I knew that even while dodging, blocking, and thrusting, you would be persistently facing the Knight of the Scabbard. I thought I couldn’t betray your expectations. Then the shadow lifted a little.

I could see you fighting the knight. The familiar fear and terror hadn’t gone away, but just seeing you still fighting there, just knowing you were alive made me so happy, you have no idea…”

“Lily. I…”

“You suffered and were in pain.”

Lily’s lips touched his forehead. Feeling the warmth of a living person, Kain was at a loss for words. The tender, soft sensation on his face was something he didn’t want to let go.

“That woman. Did you truly love her?”

He could feel Lily’s heart beating fiercely. Like opening a letter that was painful but had to be read. But before he could say anything, Lily pressed on.

“Even if it hadn’t been for the mission, would you have loved her?”

It was almost coercive. As if she were opening an escape route. Telling him to say it wasn’t true. To run away. The door was open, wasn’t it? Just like Beatrice had done, Lily was offering him a way out. Urging him to say no.

“The mission, it was because of the mission.”

Lily kissed him.

As if to say let’s not talk about it anymore, let’s bury it deep down. Like stamping a seal and throwing it into a deep mine shaft. Catching her breath, Lily whispered.

“That’s enough, then. It was just a mission, wasn’t it? You didn’t even mean to do it. It was an accident. Just an accident.”

The dead woman in the ground. The living woman on top of him. The dead woman’s heart doesn’t beat. The living woman’s chest is warm.

Lily pulled away. She was trying to smile, however awkwardly. Kain also forced a smile. It was the hardest smile.

“From now on, we just need to be happy, right?”

– Just be happy from now on. Right, Kairos?

He heard the dead woman’s voice overlapping. Kain nodded. It was one answer for two voices. Even with a heart shackled, somehow, he could move forward.

Lily, gentle once more, softly kissed him. It was much hotter and more intense than before. Her fingers traced between the folds of Kain’s robe, then she slapped her palm against his heart.

“Yes. From now on, we just need to be happy…”

That’s all it takes, Kain tried to convince himself. Yes. That’s all there is to it. Kain tried to move his arms. The ropes were still tied.

“But to be happy, you said I need to grab onto happiness. But my arms and legs are tied tight… Could you untie this? I need to use the bathroom.”

Lily chuckled. She untied her hair towel, letting her wavy golden hair flutter. She loosened Kain’s robe and exposed his upper body. She raised a finger and traced from between his chest down to his solar plexus. Above his navel, she twirled her finger in circles.

“Please say ‘let me go.'”

Kain laughed out loud. But Lily wasn’t laughing. One corner of her mouth was twisted.

“What kind of joke is that?”

“Does it sound like a joke?”

Even her twisted smile completely disappeared. Her kind face was now utterly cold. It was the coldest expression he had seen yet.

“I’m sorry. I’m a narrow-minded woman. But… I can’t help being a little angry. So while I was holding your struggling limbs, kissing each bruise, untying you with my hands, wiping every part of your body with a towel… you were dreaming of a dead woman.”

“It was a nightmare. If it had been a good dream, you would have been in it.”

It was a light deflection, but Lily still wasn’t smiling.

“My greatest fear was losing you. But you, it seems you’re more afraid of a dead woman rising from her grave.”

Lily’s eyes were full of resentment. Like someone who couldn’t find their place anywhere in their loved one’s heart. But Kain shook his head.

“Then and now, I’m the same. I will protect you, and somehow save you. I know I will. That’s why I wasn’t afraid.”

“…Is it because of the mission? Or because of your heart?”

“Are you asking me to watch you get hurt?”

Lily’s hand moved to Kain’s neck. She slowly caressed his cheek with her thumb, then felt for his pulse on the side of his neck.

“Am I an important agent to you?”

“Of course.”

“Then,” Lily smiled sadly. “Am I an important person?”

“…Yes.”

Lily came closer. She whispered in Kain’s ear.

“Can I… become as important as that woman? Do I have the right to occupy a place in your heart, to stay there?”

“More. Much more important. And…” Kain took a breath. “You’re already special to me. You saved my life, you took care of me last night, and without you, I wouldn’t have survived.”

“Then. Why won’t you… give it to me?”

Lily pulled away. She turned around harshly. Whether she had trailed off or said something he couldn’t understand, Kain didn’t know.

“Let me go.”

Lily looked at Kain. Her eyes were wide open.

“What did you say?”

“Please, let, me, go.”

Kain repeated it clearly, word by word.

Lily approached with a satisfied smile. She untied the knot at his wrist. She even loosened it bit by bit, worried it might hurt or cause numbness. There was a slight mark, but it didn’t hurt.

She then untied his left ankle. But leaving his right ankle still bound, she got up. She fixed her loosened robe, wrapped a cloak over it, and stood at the door. She grabbed the doorknob but instead of turning it, she turned toward Kain. Her lips moved, but she didn’t say anything more.

‘Brother. That girl has a deep and passionate heart. But once she changes her mind, she won’t look back. I know because I’ve been rejected by a woman with that kind of personality.’

Was it Boehm who said that? Or was it Bom? Kain recalled an old memory. The knot came undone easily. After a moment’s hesitation, Kain hastily put on his coat. It wasn’t too late to follow Lily.

* * * * *

Kain returned his weapons and black clothes to the Royal Guard Bureau quarters.

He didn’t forget to write a brief progress report and hand it over to the mustached attendant.

He noted that he had obtained the diary but it was written in code and would take time to decipher, and that he had received a recommendation for someone connected to the Order from a trustworthy person.

However, he wrote that he would inform them after investigating exactly who this person was and how far they would cooperate. Reports written for the Royal Guard Bureau only needed to state the current situation.

What was completed was completed, what was in progress was in progress. The report on the fall of Chastity would have to be sent along with the deciphered diary.

The Royal Guard Bureau provided him with merchant’s clothes. He packed the flashy merchant outfit in a bundle to return to the Security Bureau branch. It was dangerous to wear those clothes as they had already been exposed.

While stopping by the branch to return them, he picked up the bag he had left there. It contained belongings salvaged from the Otranto Monastery to be handed over to Father Heinrich.

At the meeting place, Kain and Lily met Inquisitor Heinrich wearing a straw hat.

Heinrich didn’t hastily acknowledge them. He tilted his head slightly. It was a signal to follow. They pushed through the crowd into a clothing store, which was empty inside.

The three of them took seats at a reception table.

“It’s hot.” Heinrich took off his hat. “This is a good place for a confidential conversation. I’m close with the store owner. Anyway…”

The nun he had seen yesterday walked out from the next room. It was the nun with dark reddish-blonde hair. There were no visible wounds on her. Her gait was still light, with small steps.

Under the bright light, beneath her fierce, wild eyes, there were dark shadows.

Below her sharp nose were thin, long cynical lips. She had a dangerous look, as if she would sneer even if she were hanging from the gallows.

“This is Inquisitor Maria. She’s a talented young woman with many skills, and was renowned as an excellent investigator even before being officially appointed as an Inquisitor. The Usher family case couldn’t have been solved without Maria.”

Kain nodded. Judging by the skills and techniques she had shown last night, she was undoubtedly an excellent thief.

It must have been Maria’s handiwork that smuggled out the original documents of the Usher family.

“Pleased to meet you.”

Maria nodded slightly. Her attitude seemed closer to that of an alley thug in a nun’s habit than to a nun’s politeness.

Naturally, she wouldn’t have good feelings toward Kain. Still, Kain and Lily greeted her politely.

“And she is also my daughter.”

Under the table, Lily gripped Kain’s hand tightly. She seemed quite surprised. Inquisitor Maria glared at Heinrich as if she had heard something she shouldn’t have, but didn’t say anything.

“…So you can rest assured about her trustworthiness. But I think that’s enough introduction about my… investigator. This place is trustworthy, so I’ll speak frankly. As you heard yesterday, His Holiness the Pope intends to simply cover up this whole matter.

Judge Malachia knows that this is not right, but he is too high in position to do anything actively. When one’s position is high, there are many eyes watching.”

“Aren’t you also in a high position, Father Heinrich?”

At Kain’s question, Heinrich burst into laughter.

“A high-ranking Inquisitor has some flexibility. We can form our own investigation teams. And there are no limits to the scope of an Inquisitor’s investigation. Theoretically, no one can escape the suspicion of heresy…

We don’t wield this power carelessly because we don’t want it to be abused. So… it’s not strange to ‘dispatch’ one investigator.

Even so, last night’s commotion was completely unnecessary. And since I gave the orders, I would like to apologize here.”

Heinrich bowed his head politely.

It was Kain who was embarrassed. Hadn’t they been fighting to the death just this morning? Maria glared at Kain and Lily askew. Kain placated both of them and was able to hear the detailed circumstances.

Late yesterday evening, after Kain and Lily had left, a letter arrived from the Papal Office. It instructed them to prepare to gather all materials about the Seven Heroes and send them to the Papal Office.

The reason was that they needed to proceed with the “canonization” process, so everything had to be “actively and thoroughly reviewed.” They even graciously offered to send a carriage.

That wasn’t all. Haspel’s office was supposed to pull out all the documents. After all, he was the one who had gone to the scene where William, the Knight of Chastity, was attacked.

Even this morning, a papal clerk arrived. He had sealed Haspel’s office.

“Why go to such lengths?”

“It means that a report about the destruction of the Otranto Monastery has been submitted to the Papal Office.”

Heinrich explained slowly. A letter arrived simultaneously with the official correspondence, containing more explicit and colorful content.

Only the Inquisition knows exactly how the Otranto Monastery was destroyed.

However, the fact of its destruction is known to both the Mercy Knights and the Papal Office. Having received no news for so long, they dispatched their own investigators, and the ruins greeted them.

“Among those who entered my office yesterday, there are some who fanatically follow His Holiness the Pope even more than the Order. I can’t specify who, but I know that they already sent a secret letter last night. By this evening, His Holiness will probably receive the intelligence.

Judge Malachia is also aware of this matter. After consulting with the head of the Inquisition, he concluded that rather than submitting sketchy information or ambiguously concealing it, it would be better to submit a proper report to reduce confusion.

And I will write that report. I was the first to hear about the fall of the Otranto Monastery and the one who received you two. And I don’t intend to include anything about Haspel’s investigation. His ‘personal’ investigation is merely at the preliminary stage and not something to be made public.”

It was a clever statement.

While believing Haspel’s suspicions, he would conceal them from the Papal Office, finding a workaround that neither caused him to feel guilty nor betrayed his duty of obedience to his superiors.

“So. Before all the information is transferred to the Papal Office, we must hurry to complete a proper investigation. Moreover, the matter is not yet over.”

“That’s what Father Haspel said. What exactly does that mean?”

“The Demon King.”

Heinrich lowered his voice. Even Maria’s eyes sparkled with curiosity at those words.