Ch.90Side Story – Aftermath

A morning no different from usual. As soon as Anna arrived at work, she began preparing for her class.

She reviewed what she had taught yesterday, recalled the questions students frequently asked, and carefully read aloud once more what she needed to teach today.

She was so focused that she didn’t hear the knock. Only after a louder bang-bang! came from the door did Anna startle and open it. Immediately, she felt a surge of displeasure.

‘Such a rude visitor first thing in the morning,’ she thought as she swung the door open to find the Captain of the Royal Guard standing there, sweating profusely.

“Captain? What brings you here?”

He had come in such a hurry that his clothes were disheveled, and the mustache he usually took such pride in wasn’t properly groomed. The Captain immediately held out a package.

“I apologize. This letter is urgent, so I had to be discourteous. I’ll wait for orders at the main gate.”

Despite her repeated warnings, the Captain still insisted on saluting as he withdrew. She had told him not to do that on campus as it created dissonance, but that habit seemed impossible to break.

Anna examined the envelope with bewilderment. There was nothing written on it—meaning it was from the Royal Guard Bureau. She hung a “Meeting in Progress” sign on her door, closed it with a bang, and slid the bolt.

Back at her desk, Anna carefully tore open the envelope with trembling hands. It was an encrypted report from Kain.

Anna quickly decoded Kain’s report. As always, the keyword was “sun.” Living up to her reputation as a genius, Anna could perform these repetitive tasks faster than anyone.

Though the report was quite thick and lengthy, Anna finished decoding it in less than an hour. It would have been even quicker if she hadn’t double-checked her work.

“…How could this be?”

The sound of footsteps echoing in the corridor and students chattering loudly as they arrived at school brought Anna back to reality.

She first took out a new envelope. She placed Kain’s original report and her decoded version inside, sealed it with wax, and stamped it. She rushed to the main gate in one breath and handed it to the Captain of the Royal Guard.

“Please deliver this to Niki quickly.”

* * * * *

Niki Brien blinked. “Ah. Ah.” He tried making sounds and even slapped his own cheek. He could hear well, his cheek hurt, and the report in front of him didn’t disappear.

So this was definitely reality.

When the report came in that The Knight of Chastity harbored such obscene secrets, Niki was shocked but gathered himself rather quickly.

It was common knowledge among the Empire’s upper echelons that the Seven Heroes weren’t as worthy of respect as their public image suggested.

Niki handled it more calmly than expected. First, he dispatched observers to the Northeastern Wasteland where the monsters had reportedly flown. This was to monitor the Demon King’s movements.

Soon, the observers submitted an unbelievable report.

They described skin-covered sailing ships flying through the sky, monsters with human heads attached to their bodies roaming the wasteland, and shadows gathering in the form of mountains.

But these apparitions would disappear in the morning sunlight, only to gather again at night and become writhing darkness—a completely incomprehensible account.

After that report, the observers were replaced. Those who had witnessed such horrors couldn’t maintain their sanity.

Niki gritted his teeth and endured. As the Empire’s Chancellor, he had to face unpleasant sights and perform distasteful tasks. That was his position.

But even Niki Brien was deeply shaken by Kain’s latest report.

What had these so-called heroes done? Why had the Demon King returned after ten years? What was the relationship between the Knight of the Scabbard and the Demon King?

Though confused, Niki Brien, ever the pragmatist, didn’t dwell on questions without answers. He carefully reviewed Kain’s report two, three times and identified what needed to be done.

First, he sent a letter to the White Blood Knights. He asked if any apprentice knight had gone missing during the recruitment period for the Children’s Crusade ten years ago.

Even as he wrote, he doubted whether this closed group would respond.

The White Blood Knights were a group without logic. Without the Empire’s protection, they could easily be branded heretics by the Pope—a superstitious and fanatical group of warriors.

‘Surely they wouldn’t ignore a request from the Empire’s Chancellor.’

Niki tried to remain positive. With rebellious sentiments brewing among the nobles, he had no desire to turn the White Blood Knights—one of the few groups still loyal to the Emperor—into enemies.

Next, he summoned the encryption officer from the Royal Guard Bureau. He ordered the cryptography staff doubled and prioritized the decoding of the “obscene diary.”

“Not just decoding, but also investigate if there’s a system between the keywords. William must have had his own system.”

“I will obey your command.”

Whether as Imperial Commander or Chancellor, Niki’s policy remained the same: orders should be short, simple, and clear. Orders that weren’t shouldn’t be given at all.

That’s why Niki couldn’t issue any other commands. He simply didn’t know what else to order or how.

* * * * *

Night falls even on the imperial palace.

It’s a time when the excitement of the day subsides and all creatures rest, yet energetic children still play as if it were midday.

The imperial children are no exception. Healthy like their father, clever like their mother, and sleepless like both parents—the brother and sister.

Only after much coaxing and soothing could Anna finally put them to bed.

As she carefully closed the door and rolled her shoulders, a cracking sound was heard. Though the maids didn’t even smile, Anna felt quite embarrassed.

“Could you bring a bottle of wine and some light snacks to the fountain area?”

The thoughtful maids answered with deep bows. They all refrained from saying “yes” aloud to avoid waking the children.

Anna walked to the garden deep within the inner palace.

Everyone suggested that difficult tasks like putting the children to bed should be left to the nanny, but Anna insisted.

Her reason was that she barely saw the children all day and wanted to see them as much as possible at least when they went to bed.

The children were Anna’s joy and reason for living. Even on days filled with worries and concerns, she found comfort in watching her peacefully sleeping children.

But tonight, she wanted to add a glass of wine to that comfort.

Anna savored the wine one sip at a time, rolling it around in her mouth to enjoy its aroma. The inner palace fountain was refreshing, and the insects’ concert was leisurely.

Niki Brien, the Empire’s Chancellor and Anna’s husband, leaned against a pillar watching his wife’s profile. He waited until Anna had emptied half the bottle and turned to him with slightly relaxed eyes.

“How long are you going to stand there?”

“I was going to wait until you called me.”

“What if I never called you?”

“I was planning to wave some cheese or sugar candy. Would you like another glass?”

A servant brought simple snacks, a new bottle of wine, and glasses cooled in running water. The Empire’s Chancellor and the professor who had once aspired to be Emperor silently raised their glasses.

Niki looked up at the dark night sky.

It was the new moon. Neither moon nor stars were visible. Only the Empire’s lanterns and candles drove away the darkness. Even the insects seemed to have gone to sleep, no longer singing.

“…I must be getting old,” Anna soliloquized.

Niki looked at Anna. There wasn’t a single wrinkle or sign of aging on her face.

“Not at all. You look the same as when you were twenty.”

“Imperial Chancellor, there’s no need for political rhetoric at home. Save your flattery for the imperial palace—it’s enough to please the listeners there.”

“Then let’s call it an occupational hazard, Professor.” The Empire’s Chancellor leaned back in his chair.

“What is it? Why do you suddenly think you’re getting old?”

At Niki’s question, Anna fidgeted with her glass for a moment.

“The world frightens me.”

Niki emptied his glass. Anna poured him another. Niki hesitated briefly and only filled it halfway, but seeing his wife’s glaring eyes, he filled it to the brim.

A toast. Savoring. Silence. No matter how long they waited, the insects seemed unwilling to resume their concert. ‘True artists unmoved by money or fame,’ Niki smiled and shook his head.

“…Yes. It was that kind of report.”

Niki let out a “phew” and shook his head.

“If it hadn’t come from that agent, I would have thought it was madness. Those two obscene diaries from before and all those interim reports… they were already making my head spin. But this one. It’s dizzying.”

Anna couldn’t raise her head. She just murmured while looking down.

“There’s something even more terrible.”

“What is it?”

“That we’ve lived for over ten years knowing nothing.”

Anna’s eyes reddened.

“Niki. We need to do something. We can’t just stay like this. But… I don’t know what to do. I can’t think of anything. I even considered arresting all the remaining heroes. But that’s impossible, isn’t it?”

“It is impossible. Leonardo, the Charity, is in the Eastern Alliance. Moreover, everyone knows the Pope is trying to canonize the remaining heroes. For the Empire to arrest them…”

“Would be directly opposing the Pope.”

Anna put down her glass roughly, clearly displeased. She wanted nothing more than to bring down that evil snake a hundred, a thousand times.

But with the Empire’s situation already difficult, they lacked the strength to confront the Pope as well. Niki took Anna’s hand in his.

“Let’s think. There must be something we can do. Why and how the Demon King came to be…”

“Niki. That’s already been answered. ‘Unknown.’ No one knows the reason. How it came to be. Where it appeared from. Not even who it is. Everyone who got close either went mad.”

“But there must be a reason why it appeared now, after ten years.”

“There probably is. But we can’t know from where we stand. It’s…”

Anna scanned the dark sky. She wished she could see Kain, who was somewhere under the same sky.

“A lighthouse can’t see the bottom of the sea. All a lighthouse can see is the horizon. And right now, we don’t even know where the horizon is.”

“What about records on the Children’s Crusade?”

“We don’t have them. But there might be records at the Inquisition headquarters in Magdeburg. At least one interrogation is certain.”

It made sense. But something troubled Anna’s mind. The feeling that there was something only she could do.

“The wasteland.”

Anna murmured. Niki looked at his wife’s face.

“The wasteland? You mean the Northeastern Wasteland?”

“Why didn’t I think of this before?” Anna lightly tapped her chest.

“The Demon King rose from the Northeastern Wasteland. But if the Demon King’s goal was truly to plunge the world into chaos and fear, wouldn’t it have been more effective to appear in the capital? Or any major city would have done. Not a wasteland where not even grass grows, let alone people.”

“Well… I think that might be reading too much into it. But.” Half worried, half concerned. And now was the time to grasp even the slightest clue. Niki made his decision.

“But we should look into everything. The Northeastern Wasteland… but who would know about that land? It’s not Imperial territory. Anyone who might know is probably dead.”

To Niki’s words, Anna answered softly.

“Then I’ll look for records left by the dead. The Imperial Archives… we might find something useful there.”

Anna stood up as if she would go there right now. Niki quickly caught his wife. Not to stop her, but because Anna staggered from the wine.

Anna whined like a child, and Niki spent a long time comforting her in bed. But Niki couldn’t fall into a deep sleep.

Shortly after, a reply came from the White Blood Knights.

* * * * *

“…They can’t answer? What does this mean?”

Small conference room.

Niki Brien glared at the messenger from the White Blood Knights. He was a middle-aged man with a large scar on his cheek, wrinkles around his eyes, and an unkempt beard. The knight, who introduced himself as genealogist Huber, bowed respectfully and answered.

“To be precise, it’s not that we won’t answer, but that we cannot. Only the Grand Master has the authority to examine the records and respond. However.”

“However?”

Huber raised his head.

“The Grand Master suddenly collapsed two nights ago. He still hasn’t regained consciousness. His eldest son, the only designated successor, remains in a coma and is in no condition to make decisions.”

“Could you explain this in simpler terms?”

“In other words, the White Blood Knights currently have a leadership vacuum. And according to a promise made with the Empire long ago, all knights must return to the Knightly State immediately.”

Niki knew about this ancient promise. To prevent the White Blood Knights’ berserkers from fighting as mercenaries everywhere, the Emperor and the knightly order had made an agreement long ago.

All knights must follow the Grand Master’s command. In case of a leadership vacuum, all knights must promptly return to the Knightly State.

“Why now of all times!”

Niki Brien couldn’t contain his anger. With the Holy Grail Knights and Mercy Knights’ combat effectiveness being poor, the White Blood Knights’ secret guards were one of the few reliable options.

And now, because of this ancient promise between the Empire and the knightly order, even these secret guards had to return.

“…It seems a tournament will be held soon. Please wait until then. This is beyond our control. Wasn’t there an agreement?”

“Please, can’t this be postponed?”

“Only the Emperor and the Grand Master can change the agreement. With all due respect, even if His Imperial Majesty were willing, we cannot respond without a Grand Master to answer the Emperor’s grace. However.”

“However?”

Genealogist Huber looked at the Imperial Chancellor.

“There is a way to quell this chaos faster than you might worry. But we need your help for that.”

Niki Brien groaned. He thought that if there was any way to end this quickly with a little help, that would be the right course of action.

“What is it?”

“Please have everyone leave the room.”

Niki couldn’t even get angry at such a brazen request. He could only laugh in disbelief.

“Your rudeness knows no bounds!”

The secretaries and administrators around were indignant, but the Chancellor silenced the commotion with a single clap. Eventually, they left the conference room, glaring at the bandit-like man.

The man waited patiently, then bowed deeply.

“Thank you for accommodating my difficult request. But given the nature of the matter, I had no choice but to speak this way.

Let me be frank. We’ve already determined that the Grand Master will not wake up. The same goes for his eldest son, whom he designated as successor. Even if he were healthy, he’s too frail to exercise command.

In the absence of a successor, the White Blood Knights select a new Grand Master through a tournament. Since all positions in the White Blood Knights are determined by tournament, this will be both a grand festival and a scene of chaos.”

“…You mean positions other than the Grand Master—personnel, logistics, administration—are also determined by tournament?”

“That’s correct. That’s why knights are rushing back to the Knightly State during this leadership vacuum. As I mentioned earlier, this is a contract made long ago between the Emperor and our founder, so we must abide by it.”

Niki Brien sighed deeply.

“I understand what you’re saying. But I don’t see how I can help. Are you saying I need to do something more than endure the inconvenience and anxiety caused by your guards’ withdrawal?”

“Ha. The Pope’s knights are all nothing but trash.” The genealogist remembered the disgraceful acts they committed in Emmaus.

“Let me tell you, I was in Emmaus. I saw everything that happened there.”

“Is that so?” Niki leaned forward in surprise.

“Why would I lie here? We also know what’s happening now. According to our customs, we wouldn’t hold a tournament before the Grand Master’s last breath. We’re hurrying as much as we can. The one called the Demon King is not to be taken lightly.”

“But what exactly is the problem?”

“I said all positions are determined by tournament, but that doesn’t mean just anyone can become Grand Master. Only the 12 most skilled warriors can participate in the tournament for Grand Master—those who have been bestowed the honorable titles of Berserkr and Valkyrja.

However, one of these Valkyrja is currently refusing to return and is wandering the Empire. Since all 12 must participate in the tournament, without her, it cannot proceed.”

“Who is she?”

Genealogist Huber looked at the Imperial Chancellor.

“Valkyrja Liliana Brynhildr. She’s currently with the Imperial Security Bureau. She travels with a man called Kain and an inquisitor named Maria. We would appreciate if you could find her and send her back quickly.”