Ch.67Report on the Downfall of Humility (Complete)

Lily was talking to someone in the empty lot next to the house. It was the man who had been selling carbonated water. Behind him stood about ten men and women with their arms crossed. They were White Blood Knights who had been on a secret dispatch mission.

The man seemed to be speaking in a forceful tone, but Lily just kept shaking her head.

“Are you busy, Whetstone?”

“Not at all!”

Lily ran over happily. She immediately tried to support Kain, forcing him to wave her off several times.

Lily always tried to carry Kain on her back whenever she had the chance. Only after repeatedly telling her that “Moving your body directly can help with faster recovery” did her enthusiasm diminish somewhat, but it was still troublesome when she occasionally tried to hold his waist or lift him up.

The White Blood Knights exchanged glances with each other. Finally, the carbonated water man approached with heavy sighs. Perhaps because he was already acquainted with Kain, he gave him a wink.

“I’ve been curious since I first saw you. What exactly is your relationship with our chieftain?”

Lily’s face turned bright red, all the way to her earlobes.

“…Who is this chieftain you’re talking about?”

“Chieftain Liliana Brynhildr.”

“Ah. She’s my department head.”

“Please. Please don’t call me that. ‘Genealogist’ Huber would be offended! And I’m not a chieftain. My father never acknowledged me. You know that!”

Huber, upon hearing the term ‘genealogist,’ rubbed his ear with his thick finger.

From what Kain knew, the White Blood Knights were a militant group, so combat divisions were favored while other divisions were neglected or ridiculed. Judging by how sensitive this man Huber was to the word ‘scholar,’ it seemed to be true.

“Fine. I’m a warrior. Not yet some back-room old man who just recites bloodlines. I should have failed that memorization test. And secondly, Liliana Brynhildr is a chieftain. If not a chieftain, then she should become the Grand Chieftain.”

While the first part could be overlooked, the latter part seemed a bit strange.

“Our youngest should become the Grand Chieftain? Why is that?”

“Ahem.” Huber glared at Kain with quite displeased eyes, but soon relaxed his expression.

“There are several reasons. The Grand Chieftain’s health isn’t very good. Given his age… well, it’s sad, but we must prepare. However, it’s not good that the Great Chieftain’s health is also deteriorating. Very. Very. Not good.”

After a moment of confusion, Kain realized that ‘Grand Chieftain’ referred to Lily’s father, and ‘Great Chieftain’ to her older brother.

“But from what I’ve heard,” Kain spoke up instead of Lily.

“Our youngest doesn’t have succession rights. So what’s the point of her going? Why are you treating it as a foregone conclusion that she should become chieftain?”

“First of all, she does have succession rights. Not by bloodline, but through the position earned by skill and effort. The 12 greatest warriors. Men are called Berserkr, women are called Valkyrja. If the next Grand Chieftain isn’t designated and there’s no successor, these 12 are given the right to a tournament to select the next Grand Chieftain.”

So it meant defeating the other 11 through skill. Huber seemed to believe that Lily would ‘naturally’ overcome the others.

“You said ‘first of all,’ so is there a second reason?”

“The more I see you, the more I like you. You know what? Looking at your fighting skills, I can’t understand why you’re our chieftain’s superior. But I like your courage, character, and perceptiveness, so I’m having this conversation with you.”

Huber laughed and slapped Kain’s shoulder. Whether it was a sign of friendliness or not, Kain’s shoulder felt like it was about to collapse. Lily rushed to support him in alarm.

“He fights extremely well! You’re saying that because you don’t know!”

Lily stepped forward to defend him, but Huber shook his head.

“I didn’t say he can’t fight. I’m just saying, with good intentions, that it’s a mess. Flashy. Good at deception. Good at hiding intentions and aiming for a single strike. But he relies too much on irregular techniques and tricks.

That happens when you lack confidence in the basics, or when you’re intimidated and try to compensate in strange ways. Be careful about that. It might work on mediocre opponents, but it won’t work at all against someone who really knows how to fight.”

Kain, feeling stung, stared at Huber with wide eyes. The middle-aged warrior burst into laughter.

“So I’ll tell you the second reason. As you know, our Liliana is from the Brynhildr family. That means the blood of extraordinary warriors flows in her veins. One of the noble houses blessed by the White Blood. Do you know what that means?”

“No, I don’t.”

“All Berserkr and Valkyrja from the Brynhildr family have walked the same path. When they step outside the knights’ territory, great disturbances always occur. It’s not strange for the White Blood tribe to lead when the Empire or the world calls. But for such warriors to wander outside the city of Valhalla without any particular reason? That’s unacceptable. It’s like saying you want to bring disaster to the world.”

“Why is that unacceptable?”

“Berserkr and Valkyrja prove their worth on the battlefield. That’s their innate destiny, and no one can change it,” Huber emphasized. Despite his explanation, he was a man with considerable knowledge about White Blood traditions.

“In other words, every place they go becomes a battlefield itself. It means the battlefield follows them. The city of Valhalla is the land of warriors, so it’s not a problem, but outside…”

“No. I don’t believe in such traditions,” Lily interrupted, unable to hold back any longer. She apologized to Kain with a bow, but her attitude suggested this was something she couldn’t help.

“That’s just an old tale.”

“You know why the Grand Chieftain is angry. Come back. This is not where you should be. The peace of the world…”

“No.” Lily was resolute.

“My father told me I was a child who should never have been born. He always said that. He also said I was an unwanted child. You probably heard how I grew up in the knightly order? I don’t want to be in a home where I’m not loved.”

Lily’s fingertips brushed against Kain’s hand.

“I’ll decide where I stay. I’ll also decide where I’ll be happy. I don’t believe in such things as fate.”

“Fate is not something you choose. It comes to you. Just look at Emmaus.”

Lily seemed to be getting slightly agitated. Kain smiled as gently as possible.

“This might be presumptuous coming from an outsider, but since I am our youngest’s superior, may I say something?”

“…Go ahead.”

“First, I don’t know much about the fate of a Valkyrja… since I’m an outsider. But we are Security Bureau employees. And the Security Bureau always goes to dangerous sites. Even I, who am neither a White Blood Knight nor from a family blessed by the White Blood, always go to dangerous places, don’t I?

Our youngest is the same. So saying that our youngest came to Emmaus and this commotion occurred doesn’t seem to make sense. Even if it hadn’t been our youngest, the incident in Emmaus would have happened anyway.”

The fact that Lily belonged to the Security Bureau was already widely known among the White Blood Knights, so there was no need for secrecy. After all, that was what Lily’s father was angrily shouting about.

“And about the battlefield following her. If someone is among the top 12 of the White Blood Knights, doesn’t that mean they’re literally the best warriors? If so, it means that where ordinary people would run away, these warriors stand and fight.

If you run away from an unfavorable fight, there won’t be a war. It’s because you stand your ground that a fight occurs. I think this is more about natural principles than some kind of prophetic fate. Like sleeping when you’re tired or eating when you’re hungry, an excellent warrior can participate in more battlefields. That’s what a warrior is.

So, I think it has little to do with any kind of fate or destiny.”

Lily subtly hid behind Kain. Of course, she couldn’t really be hidden that way. It was an expression of wanting protection from someone who was taking her side. Huber also stopped insisting.

“If an ordinary person had said that, I would have been angry. But since you’re our chieftain’s superior and I know you’re a brave man, I won’t say much. But Valkyrja, you must clearly think about the health of the Grand Chieftain and the Great Chieftain.”

“You’re treating my brother as if he’s already dead.”

Lily seemed a bit angry. Huber shook his head.

“No. I’m saying this out of concern for the knightly order. Return to Valkyrja. Hold the tournament and take the position of commander. It’s not good for the Great Chieftain to be bedridden. How can a sick rabbit lead a pack of wolves? If things continue like this, there will surely be a great disturbance.”

“I want to decide that for myself.” Lily was unyielding. Kain thought there was no point in talking further.

“Let’s go.”

Huber didn’t persist. Instead, he prophesied to Kain.

“Don’t take prophecies lightly! A Valkyrja cannot turn her back on the battlefield. Because the battlefield itself seeks out the Valkyrja. The fate of the Brynhildr family has always been the same. Return! Otherwise, a bloody storm will blow across the entire land! The place where you should be is Valhalla!”

The White Blood Knights departed. Kain and Lily stood by the mansion’s pillar. The once-clear spring had now become a foul-smelling fountain with dirty water trickling.

“…Thank you. For taking my side.”

After checking that no one was around, Lily leaned slightly against Kain. Of course, not enough to hurt the injured Kain. Kain massaged his waist with his hand.

“It’s just about reason and common sense. They’re making strange attributions, talking about prophecies and such…”

“Do you remember when we first met?”

Lily smiled gently. Kain thought the place was inappropriate. This wasn’t the kind of conversation to have in a collapsed city with putrid water flowing as a backdrop. Unless it was curses exchanged between criminals.

“…I remember saying I needed someone who was good with a sword.”

“That wasn’t all. At the meeting to designate new agents, no one… pointed to me. They said I was too tall for disguises and had a distinct scar on my back that made me easily identifiable.

Security Bureau agents prefer someone who’s decent in various aspects rather than excellent in one field. Honestly, I was scared. Wondering, ‘Where should I go?’ Then you just came in. You were sweating profusely.”

The memory was vague. He had been late because of some urgent matter that required him to rush around. Had he caught a thief, or raided some black market operation?

“Did I say that?”

“Yes. You told me, ‘You’re Lily? As soon as I saw your profile, I claimed you for myself. So you have to come with me no matter what.’ Then I asked, ‘I’m tall… and have several characteristics that make disguising difficult, is that okay?’

Then you said, ‘What does it matter? I need someone who’s good with a sword. I’ll do the thinking, Boehm and Bom will do the disguising. You just use your sword.'”

Kain burst into laughter at the slightly strange voice imitation. He still didn’t remember well. It was a story from just over half a year ago, but it felt like the distant past.

“I should praise my past self. Thanks to that, you’ve saved my life several times.”

At least he was certain that his choice back then hadn’t been wrong. Lily hugged Kain tightly. Kain flinched in surprise, but Lily didn’t seem to care if anyone saw them.

“That’s why I decided not to believe in things like fate. Because fate can change depending on who you meet. It can get better. It can also get worse.

I changed that day. I like where I am now. So I try not to make hasty judgments about the future. Because I don’t know what will happen. But, I hope to be happy.”

Happiness. Kain gazed up at the sky absently. Everyone he had met so far wanted to grasp happiness.

The size of happiness varied for everyone. Some wanted the ordinariness of living like others. Some wanted to be happier than anyone else in the world. Some just… wanted to be less unhappy than yesterday.

Everyone wants to live happily. But the world seemed to be getting worse and worse. Kain thought it was truly strange.

Kain thought of the Knight of the Scabbard. He didn’t seem to desire happiness. What he wanted was only hatred. Shajar al-Durr also wanted only hatred and revenge.

If you love someone, you see all aspects of that person. Small habits. Things you didn’t even know existed.

But when you hate someone, only one part of that person’s many facets catches your eye. The rest becomes invisible.

The Knight of the Scabbard didn’t care at all about what kind of life Arianne had lived. He only remembered one of her evil deeds. Shajar al-Durr, obsessed with revenge, saw her daughter as nothing more than an outlet for her anger.

Arianne was just a woman who wanted happiness, ordinary happiness, who happened to stand out a bit more than others. She too wished to be happy. But her choices led her to greater misfortune.

The Black Knight. There was definitely a human inside. Kain was certain of it. The helmet and the shadow.

Kain wanted to look at the human inside that hideous thing. He needed to know. He needed to see.

Why. Why he was doing this. What someone had done to him. Whether what Kain had seen was all there was to him. What other aspects he was hiding.

– Remember… light makes ugliness stand out even more.

But if that was the truth, it had to be endured. Even if it was an unbreakable ugliness, it had to be accepted first.

Only then could one step forward. If not, they could collapse together. Then they could rebuild stronger and rise again.

Even so. There would definitely be improvement. Kain repeated this to himself two, three times.

Not just lowering oneself unconditionally. Standing up while holding onto solid truth, that would be humility.