Ch.47Crisis (6)

After the conversation with the Mayshall siblings ended, Issac and Nicole left first, but the royal siblings remained in their seats.

The seating arrangement had changed slightly. Originally, Rina had been sitting next to Leort, but now she was sitting across from him—in the seat where Nicole had been.

Rina stared at Leort, who was leisurely drinking tea across from her. With a gentle smile on his face, he looked like a model in a portrait.

“Brother.”

“Hmm?”

Leort put down his teacup and looked at Rina when she called him. With one eyebrow raised, his expression asked why she had called him.

Since no one else was in the room, Rina threw her poker face far away and made a displeased expression while grumbling profusely. She looked almost like a child whining.

“Why did you tell them the truth? Honestly, you could have just kept it hidden.”

As she said, there was no need to reveal this information to the siblings. Rather, keeping it hidden might have been a win-win for both parties.

But Leort didn’t do that. Though he said he arranged the meeting for confirmation, he only made them more suspicious. Even Rina, who was watching from the side, couldn’t understand Leort’s intentions.

“How do you think they see us? They probably see us as people who use authority to intimidate others. What if Lord Mayshall gets angry and stops publishing his work?”

“Ah, that? You don’t need to worry about that. Even if Nicole and Issac don’t know, Lord Mayshall knows our imperial family very well.”

Unlike Rina’s concerns, Leort answered as if it wasn’t a big deal. This made Rina curious.

She had heard many stories about Hawk, known as the Red Lion, so she roughly knew what kind of person he was, but she didn’t know the details.

However, Leort spoke with a nuance suggesting he knew Hawk better than she did. Perhaps he knew more facts because he was next in line to become emperor.

While Rina was pondering this, Leort opened his mouth, maintaining his characteristically relaxed smile.

“Do you know why Lord Mayshall retired early?”

“Roughly. I heard he retired early due to aftereffects. At least, that’s what I know.”

PTSD—a common aftereffect experienced by soldiers who frequently face death on the battlefield. Hawk was also known to have retired early due to these severe aftereffects, at least “officially.”

No matter how many dragons he defeated or how many beastmen forces invading the border he drove away, he was still just a human. During his time as a knight, he witnessed the deaths of many comrades with his own eyes and had blood on his hands, so it was normal for him to be troubled.

Moreover, he faced a lot of political pressure because he became too famous. Some rude nobles, taking advantage of his commoner origins, pressured and harassed him.

Both the imperial family and the military desperately tried to dissuade him from retiring, but Hawk adamantly refused. He even visited the temple once a day until his symptoms improved, which shows how serious his condition was.

“That’s what you might think. But the reality is different. There was a major incident.”

“An incident?”

“Yes. People thought Lord Mayshall drove all the beastmen away from the border, but that’s half right and half wrong. Some of the fleeing beastmen infiltrated the empire.”

“Don’t tell me… that means…”

Rina’s expression hardened as she guessed what Leort was about to say. She prayed it wasn’t the worst outcome she was imagining.

Leort then waved his hand gently to alleviate Rina’s anxiety.

“Fortunately, what you’re worried about didn’t happen. It was only an attempt. A beastman tried to attack Lord Mayshall’s wife but was caught in reverse. That’s because our imperial family assigned a knight to guard her at Lord Mayshall’s request.”

“So he retired because of that? Fearing his family might be in danger again like that time?”

“That’s right. When he retired, Lord Mayshall said something like this: ‘What’s the point of being stronger than others if I can’t protect the people I care about?’ My guess is that he probably started feeling disillusioned when he lost his friend during the Askanal incident.”

Leort nodded at Rina’s question. Rina’s expression showed this was the first time she had heard this.

She had thought he was simply restraining himself from publicizing his achievements due to aftereffects, but there was such a backstory hidden. There was a reason why the two siblings didn’t know much about Hawk’s achievements.

If he became too famous, people would target his innocent family as a consequence. Having experienced this once, he probably avoided publicizing his achievements as a preventive measure.

The fact that Hawk’s name wasn’t mentioned in the Askanal incident was probably due to measures taken by the imperial family. Since Hawk was truly a “hero” among nobles and the military, the higher-ups were likely willing to grant his request.

Moreover, the higher-ups could somewhat reduce Hawk’s influence, which was growing beyond their control, so it was a win-win for both parties.

“…Wait a minute.”

Rina, who had been fascinated by the interesting story, soon had to furrow her brow.

If Hawk had retired, giving up all honor and fame for that reason, shouldn’t Leort have refrained from doing what he did?

What Leort did to the siblings could only serve to irritate Hawk, potentially triggering his trauma.

“If that’s the case, you shouldn’t have done it. Especially to someone with aftereffects.”

“As I said earlier, Lord Mayshall is one of the people who knows our imperial family well. He’ll probably just find it annoying that we’re trying to make ourselves look good. He might even invite us to his mansion for a chat.”

It might seem implausible for a mere baron’s family to invite royalty. However, Hawk is different.

It’s rare for a commoner to receive noble status even once in a hundred years, but Hawk almost received the title of count. Though his status is low, his prestige is certainly not inferior to that of high-ranking nobles.

While Rina was thinking about this, Leort, as if something was bothering him, stroked his chin and said:

“But there is something that makes me a bit suspicious.”

“What is it?”

“Why did Nicole readily admit it when she could have just denied everything? It felt like she was using Lord Mayshall as a shield. The Nicole I know wouldn’t have said such a thing.”

“She probably wanted to leave as soon as possible. They would be suspicious of whatever we said, wouldn’t they?”

“It’s painful that I can’t deny that.”

Leort gave a bitter smile. He had arranged the meeting with Issac and Nicole for what he thought was a definite confirmation.

However, given their positions, it would only appear as intimidation to the two siblings. Honestly, when royalty summons someone separately, it’s natural to be suspicious and think, “What are these guys plotting?”

Leort expressed his feelings with a somewhat regretful nuance.

“If I had known this would happen, I would have approached more gradually. I regret being a bit hasty. It was hard to control my excitement. Especially since it’s the Biography of Xenon.”

“That’s true, but… do you really think Lord Mayshall is the author of the Biography of Xenon?”

When Leort expressed his regret, Rina asked him cautiously. Hearing her half-believing, half-doubting question, Leort raised one eyebrow and expressed his doubt.

“Of course. If not him, then who else could it be?”

“…No.”

Despite Leort’s confident words, Rina shook her head. However, she couldn’t hide the smile creeping up at the corners of her mouth.

“Hmm?”

Leort looked puzzled at her meaningful smile.

******

After finishing the conversation with the royal siblings, Nicole and I went outside. We entered a suitable café to have dessert and sat facing each other in a private room.

Naturally, we chose a room with good soundproofing, just in case. It was a bit expensive, but perfect for having a cozy conversation between siblings.

“Should I stop publishing?”

“… …”

At my single remark, Nicole looked at me with a start. Her golden eyes widened, indicating she was quite surprised.

But her expression soon turned complicated, probably feeling sorry for me. Meanwhile, I stirred my ordered coffee with a teaspoon and spoke in a frustrated voice.

“I don’t see why we need to use Father as a shield. Can’t we just reveal it comfortably? There’s no need to hide it anymore since everything’s been exposed.”

“Issac. You don’t need to blame yourself so much. It’s just that Lord Leort wasn’t being honest, but the imperial family won’t particularly interfere.”

I slightly raised my head at her words, which seemed to defend Leort. Nicole was still looking at me with sympathetic eyes.

I asked her with a puzzled face.

“Do you know Lord Leort well?”

“To some extent. He rarely reveals his true feelings. I’ve only seen it once.”

“When?”

“Um… that’s not what’s important right now, is it?”

Nicole avoided answering my surprise question. Her reaction made me a bit suspicious, but as she said, that wasn’t what was important right now, so I let it go lightly.

“Anyway, Lord Leort truly arranged the meeting for confirmation. Since he’s not honest, he tends to express himself through actions. Moreover, Lord Leort said it himself, didn’t he? If they pressure us and we stop publishing, they’ll be the ones criticized. Essentially, both sides have weapons against each other.”

“Wouldn’t it be worse for us if the popularity of the Biography of Xenon declines?”

“That will absolutely never happen, but even if it did, no. If the popularity declines, the attention directed at us would also decrease. If you really can’t trust this, send a letter to Father. Father would gladly help you, wouldn’t he?”

I felt like I was rambling due to my extreme confusion, but one thing was clear: Nicole was trying to comfort me in any way she could, fearing I might become depressed.

Thanks to her, I could regain some energy, but my heart was still unsettled. I couldn’t help but wonder if it was right for my family to suffer just so I could live well.

“And nobles really hate incurring losses. Especially high-ranking nobles, for whom each loss can be fatal. So the imperial family won’t directly interfere with you. This is really true.”

“…Really?”

“Yes. They might even help make it difficult for the imperial family to track you. It’s like you’ve gained a strong backing.”

Listening to Nicole, it seemed plausible. However, explaining the situation to Father through a letter was something I definitely needed to do.

I sighed deeply once more. Either way, my energy was being drained today, leaving me exhausted. It seems I’ll have to skip writing today.

“…Issac.”

“Yes.”

“If it’s too hard, you don’t need to publish out of obligation. You write because you enjoy it. You might not know this, but the moment a hobby turns into an obligation, passion fades. I’m worried that passion might cool down.”

When Nicole brought up this sincere conversation, I slightly raised my head. I met her golden eyes, which were mixed with worry and concern.

Then she slowly extended her hand and gently grasped my right hand. I could vividly feel the hardened skin from years of holding a sword.

“This sister remembers when you first showed me your writing. You gave me the manuscript saying, ‘Take a look at this,’ mentioning it was something you wrote, with eyes full of anticipation. Do you know what your expression was like when I said it was really interesting? It was as if you had the whole world. That was the first time I saw your face smiling brightly.”

“… …”

“But now, I can see that smile gradually disappearing. As the world loves your writing more and more, the burden placed on your shoulders weighs you down. And not just me, but our family wants to lighten that burden for you.”

Before heading to the academy, Father had caressed the pen callus on my middle finger and said:

Dad is proud of you. This is an honor you achieved on your own, not anyone else’s, so take pride in it.

Nicole’s sincere comfort was enough to evoke similar emotions to that time.

“So there’s no need to blame yourself. If you really feel it’s not working, as you said, take a break for a while. For you, writing is a joyful hobby, not a painful obligation. Understand?”

“…I understand.”

I felt somewhat relieved. Perhaps it’s because we’re family, but she perfectly understood what I was feeling.

Thanks to her, I could realize once again that family is the most reliable support for me.

As Nicole said, there’s no need to write novels out of obligation. But ironically, that’s why I wanted to write more.

I didn’t write for honor or fame; it was just a hobby. It’s just that at some point, the popularity skyrocketed, creating pressure for publication.

I looked at Nicole with a gentle smile. Seeing my expression, Nicole seemed relieved, her expression more relaxed than before.

“Then I’ll quickly write up to volume 10…”

Certainly, when leisure disappears, there’s a feeling of being chased. Also, after hearing Nicole’s comfort, I could firmly decide.

“I should take a break until I become a third-year student.”

I need to start taking it easy too. It’s an appropriate time to relieve the pressure and calm my mind.

As soon as Nicole heard my decision, she flinched and then smiled awkwardly.

“Y-yeah. If that’s what you want…”

Despite her answer, her voice was filled with regret.