Ch.77Long Days, Long Nights (2)

Our lady seemed to have changed quite a bit.

In the past, she would blush just from making eye contact, but how did she end up like this?

Honestly, I was very flustered. I never expected our second time to happen this way, and it happened much faster than I had anticipated. Even the first time, I can hardly say I was the one who initiated it. In a way, couldn’t you say I was the one who got taken advantage of?

So to explain my current feelings…

…honestly, I was very flustered. So much so that I felt like I’d never experienced such emotions before in my life. To think that I would be caught off guard by Irene. I couldn’t help but be surprised by the change in Irene, whom I had thought would only be teased by me forever.

“Hah.”

I ran my hand over my face. Though quite some time had passed, the sensation was still vivid, and my face remained hot. It wasn’t easy to make eye contact. Was I finally receiving karma for always teasing her? With another sigh, I raised my head again to look at Irene.

“That was quite surprising.”

“Was it? I’m glad.”

“…Did you plan this?”

“Would you like me to do it again next time?”

I let out a hollow laugh at her faint smile. Until just a moment ago, her gaze had been cold, but now she had transformed into someone completely different, and it seemed remarkably natural.

Perhaps she had been aiming to fluster me. She didn’t even try to hide the joy that flashed in her eyes. Since this proud version of Irene was something I wouldn’t see often… it wouldn’t be so bad to let it slide just this once.

Though I was quite taken aback by Irene’s actions, I had no intention of continuing to feel embarrassed about it. After briefly staring into space to collect my emotions, I looked back at her desk and spoke.

What caught my eye was a familiar crest placed on that desk. The crest I had seen at Count Kasim’s domain—the one with a hammer striking an anvil. When I pointed to it with my finger, Irene nodded and responded.

“We received a letter from Count Kasim. He says the artifact is complete.”

“It’s been exactly a month, so the timing is perfect.”

“…However, there are no instructions included. The artifact isn’t enclosed either. It seems we’ll have to go get it in person.”

“I see.”

Since she was suggesting we go together, I nodded in agreement.

By the way, it seemed like this peaceful daily life was coming to an end.

Roman, Roman indeed. It wouldn’t be easy.

Perhaps I might get hurt worse than in any fight I’ve had so far.

I just hoped Irene wouldn’t be affected in any way.

#

This time, there was no need to take a carriage all the way to Count Kasim’s domain. Count Kasim was in the imperial capital, and in the capital, we could use the gate.

The Crown Prince was quite friendly toward me, so he readily granted me permission to use the gate. When we met Count Kasim again, he looked quite gaunt. Whatever had happened during that month, the muscles that had once filled his small frame had completely disappeared, making him look like a frail gnome.

“Whew, I apologize for showing you this appearance. My friend told me I look like a gnome. Damn it.”

“…You’ve had a hard time.”

Even Irene, who rarely expressed concern for others, said so, which meant his condition must have been quite serious to anyone who saw him. After ranting about gnomes for a while, he finally caught his breath and adjusted his posture.

“Well, I really hate gnomes. I apologize.”

“It’s fine. Gnomes are… troublemakers anyway.”

It was common knowledge that dwarves and gnomes didn’t get along. Dwarves, an underground race who dug tunnels in the earth, and gnomes, born from the energy of that land. Wouldn’t it be stranger if blacksmiths like dwarves and mechanical engineers like gnomes got along?

After Count Kasim’s complaints subsided, he finally pulled out the artifact we had been waiting for from his pocket. I had expected something quite elaborate, but surprisingly, what he produced was a plain hand mirror.

“A hand mirror?”

When Irene asked, Count Kasim chuckled and nodded.

“Yes, a mirror. On the outside, it looks like the kind anyone might carry around.”

“If that’s how it looks on the outside, then this must be the artifact.”

“It’s an artifact that can only identify those who possess the energy of black magic.”

An artifact that could only identify those with black magic energy… After tilting my head at those words for a moment, I twisted the corner of my mouth at the thought that came to mind. If it weren’t for Count Kasim, I wouldn’t have even thought to use such a feature.

“Black magicians are all related to shadows or darkness. They basically block light, which makes it difficult to capture their appearance. If you’re not someone who can properly handle mana, it’s quite challenging to distinguish them with the naked eye.”

“Indeed.”

As I muttered, Count Kasim nodded and continued. As he said, the characteristic of black magicians was definitely darkness. Opposite to light, black magic stood completely opposite to the mana I handled, just like polar opposites. So, they couldn’t enjoy the benefits of light.

“A mirror is a tool that shows us images reflected by light. Therefore, black magicians who don’t enjoy the benefits of light cannot see their own reflections in mirrors.”

“…But if that’s the case, wouldn’t black magicians be unable to operate so freely?”

That was correct, but black magicians weren’t fools. They too were well aware that their reflections didn’t appear in mirrors, and this artifact probably… broke through the magic that black magicians usually cast on themselves.

“Black magicians’ appearances do show up well in mirrors. Of course, that’s thanks to the magic they cast, but there’s one thing their appearance doesn’t reflect in.”

“…Water.”

As I recalled that they don’t reflect in water, Count Kasim tapped the mirror with his finger. A mirror that rippled like water with each touch—I never imagined such a thing could be recreated with technology. Perhaps the title of master blacksmith among dwarves was more magnificent than I had imagined.

“It’s portable too. Simply by reflecting someone in it, you can tell if they’re related to black magic. It’s usually frozen, but when it receives heat, it melts and takes effect.”

“Then how do we use this as evidence?”

“A black magician reflected in the mirror won’t disappear on their own. If you keep it with the image captured, the appearance will remain in the frozen mirror.”

If I keep it in my pocket, wouldn’t it naturally melt from body heat? I’ll need to think about how to naturally take out the hand mirror to reflect him, but I felt that the day when my long-cherished wish would be fulfilled was not far off. Roman—so far, I had only encountered one person related to him, Adel.

…I thought he was strange from the first time I saw him, but I never expected we would end up fighting each other. Was the instinctive aversion I felt because he was a black magician? If I started the subjugation of Roman this time, I would surely cross swords with him.

In the original story, there was no such thing as subjugating Roman, but how did the original story flow after Irene’s death? I didn’t know what happened after that. I stopped reading after the part where Irene died. The female protagonist probably lived well with the Crown Prince, but I wondered if they handled the extinction well. If Roman was no different from the novel, it meant that even after Irene’s death, Roman was still in league with black magicians.

Let’s focus on the present for now. With that thought, I got up from my seat following Irene, and Count Kasim, looking at me, cleared his throat and spoke.

“I have something to discuss with the knight. Could you allow us to speak? It’s related to Fried, so I’d like to talk to him alone.”

Suddenly mentioning Fried—but his gaze was quite serious, so I looked at Irene and smiled faintly.

“It will only take a moment. Could you wait a little?”

“…Alright. I’ll be nearby, so come find me when you’re done talking.”

Though she didn’t seem pleased, she quietly withdrew as if she had no choice. However, my focus was entirely on the words Count Kasim had uttered. Fried—wasn’t that a word that had been strangely bothering me lately? The seal that Berman had dropped during the last black magician subjugation was definitely Fried’s seal.

It would be certain since it matched the seal on the letter I had received before. And I had also checked the contents of that letter… but there was only one thing I could confirm from the letter. That the word engraved in that letter was “dragon language.” Why would dragon language be mixed in between letters asking about my well-being?

Several questions arose, but the most important thing now was Roman. However, after dealing with Roman, there would be enough reason to look into Fried.

After Irene disappeared, Count Kasim’s gaze turned to me in the ensuing silence.

As if deeply pondering something, his sparkling eyes narrowed.

“I heard you awakened dragon blood.”

“…How do you know that?”

I had only informed Azest of that fact, so how did he know? As I glared at him, Count Kasim waved his hands and spoke.

“Do I look like someone who would investigate behind your back? I just heard it from Sir Azest. Since I was the one who first told you about dragon blood, I happened to hear it from him. I received great help in making the artifact.”

“From Sir Azest?”

I didn’t know he would help with artifact creation. Well, since he was the most versed in magic in this empire, perhaps it was natural. And he also hated black magicians. I nodded at his words, and Count Kasim laughed heartily and continued.

“If you use this this time… the next step would be an all-out war with Roman. Are you prepared?”

“I’m receiving a lot of help from Sir Theolade. If I have to fight Duke Roman… I need to at least be able to hold my ground.”

“It will be quite difficult. Even though the Imperial Knight Order will help, black magicians can’t be judged by the level of knights alone.”

That was a part I had been constantly worrying about as well. Black magicians weren’t opponents you could defeat simply by having greater numbers. Even if there was just one black magician, if mediocre skilled individuals relied only on numbers, they would be easily controlled. The reason I was able to face many opponents in the Maloric subjugation was, though embarrassing to say directly, because they were all at a level I could handle alone.

If I had taken Yuris’s knights there, they might have been controlled and turned against me, putting me in danger instead. Even if I had awakened dragon blood there, I probably wouldn’t be here in one piece now. In that sense, this Roman subjugation had many risk factors.

I didn’t know how many black magicians Roman had. If only a few of them were mixed in, it might be manageable, but if all of Roman was made up of black magicians… it could be a much harder fight than the Maloric subjugation.

Perhaps all the vassals belonging to the Roman family were black magicians. If that were the case, it would be difficult to secure victory even with Sir Theolade stepping in. If I were a Master, it might have been a bit easier, but unfortunately, I was just short of reaching that level.

“The Crown Prince seems to be worried too. Subjugating Roman can’t be thought of as simply subjugating black magicians. He has to cut out one of the three knight orders protecting the empire with his own hands, so the Emperor is also racking his brains.”

“I understand. Roman is one of the five great families and a descendant of the founder.”

“And even if you borrow the power of the imperial family, the low probability of success in the subjugation is one of the reasons.”

Low probability. I couldn’t deny that. But what bothered me was Count Kasim’s tone. He wasn’t just saying the probability was low; he was speaking as if there was no hope at all. I met his gaze, which was staring at me as if warning me.

“Is there something bothering you?”

“…It will be difficult for Sir Theolade to use his power in the black magician subjugation.”

“That can’t be. Isn’t he a Master?”

“You might be different, but ordinary Masters find it difficult to use their power against black magicians. Especially if that black magician is also a Master.”

The name that immediately came to mind was Duke Roman. If we’re talking about someone who is both a black magician and has reached Master level, there was no other possibility besides him. I opened my eyes wide, and he frowned and spoke.

“Previously, I met Duke Roman. This was before I heard about Roman.”

“Duke Roman?”

“It wasn’t a technical contract or anything like that, just his personal request. He asked me to make a sword. This was about four years ago.”

The more I listened to Count Kasim’s recollection, the deeper the worry on my face grew. A sword different in caliber from his beloved sword ‘Balmung’? There was only one reason to seek a sword even stronger than his existing one: he had surpassed his current level.

My head started to ache. Being close to Master level and actually being a Master were completely different dimensions. I had to completely reconsider what I had thought about his level.

But even so, if we didn’t subjugate him… Such a thing could never happen. I didn’t know what would happen if we left Roman alone. If not now, perhaps we would never be able to touch Roman again.

“…So you’re saying I’m the only one.”

Even Master Theolade has difficulties when facing black magicians. Could he match another Master? No, the probability that he would be overwhelmed by Duke Roman was greater. If we’re just talking about the odds against Duke Roman, I might actually have a better chance.

“It’s very dangerous. Perhaps even if the entire Imperial Knight Order steps in, the subjugation might fail. Still want to do it?”

“My thoughts haven’t changed.”

I answered firmly. I couldn’t stop the black magician subjugation. The future where Irene is executed as a villainess—Irene had changed so much that I could no longer envision that future. Even if the original protagonist appeared again, he wouldn’t be able to influence her at all.

But Extinction was not an entity I could simply observe. As long as I held a sword, my sword had to cut down black magicians.

The reason for cursing the Duke, and the reason black magicians kept appearing in Yuris. And the reason Irene was executed in the first place was because she was suspected of treason due to her involvement with black magicians. I couldn’t shake the thought that Extinction was watching Irene.

“It seems… you’re serious. Is it because of the princess you serve?”

How could I not be serious? That’s how I was from the beginning. From the moment I lived with the name Evan Fried, from the moment I decided to save Irene.

“I am her knight, after all.”

At those words, Count Kasim, who had been staring at me blankly, eventually laughed loudly and looked at me. A strange light flickered in his black eyes, and then, stroking his mouth, he spoke again.

“Then, I think I can help you.”

Completely different from how he had been warning me just a moment ago, his black eyes sparkled with a strange confidence.

I wondered why his attitude had suddenly changed like this. But then, seeing what he pulled out from his pocket, I couldn’t help but open my mouth slightly at what he produced.