episode_0070

The room was immersed in silence.

The Marquis said nothing for a while.

Only the magic candle in your mouth burns endlessly.

The smoke that could not be absorbed rose with embers and floated through the air.

The mint scent that reached the ceiling broke down and made a shapeless flower bloom in the room.

I wet my mouth with a sip of the tea Nigel brought me and silently waited for his answer.

Enjoying the scent of bergamot that fills your mouth.

The Marquis let out a long sigh.

“……Didn’t you say before that you don’t know the last name? Was that a lie?”

“I’m not lying. I didn’t hear it from my mother, I guessed it after seeing this.”

He took out Aimella’s sword and placed it on the table with half of its body pulled out.

I was planning to ask you everything from beginning to end.

The blade’s body shines in blue-silver light and its clear engraving is revealed.

The Marquis lifted himself off the backrest and glared at the sword body.

“This sword…as expected, the noble woman had it…”

“Do you seem to know what this is? The twelve swords that protect humans. What on earth is this?”

The performance was incredible, but it was a bit unpleasant in a different way from Frostbite.

The material is such that even the grand duchess would be surprised, saying it was a precious item. It is blue and gold, and it shines as it pleases.

Also, it seems like my emotions get stronger when I fight while holding this sword.

“…Can you see it? The engraving on the sword body?”

The Marquis’ voice became much lower than usual.

“What…? Of course I can see it, I’m not blind.”

I couldn’t understand the intention of the question. You see the engraving, what do you mean?

When the Marquis heard my rebuttal, a look appeared in his eyes.

“Hmm…Then, you can tell me.”

The Marquis leaned deeply into the backrest again.

While exhaling a long puff of smoke. With half-closed eyes.

“Good. Let me explain. I’m talking about that sword, the twelve swords of the oath, and about the noble woman’s mother.”

And the story began.

—-

“You’ve probably heard of Carolus the Great, right? I believe I know that much.”

“Yes. Was it 800 years ago? They say he is a hero who saved humanity and founded an empire along with the 12 Knights. I read it in a book.”

“Article 12… That’s right. Each and every one of them was a hero to humanity.”

Marquis Ludwig told an old story.

—-

800 years ago, humanity was still just a toy.

Even though they obtained the power of karma, they were still a weak force compared to other races that were flourishing at the time.

The demigods used humans as slaves in the mines, and the beastmen raised them like livestock and ate them.

The characteristic of being able to mix blood with most races was a curse itself.

It is not even known what happened to the humans who were captured by the fairies.

It’s just that I never saw it again.

Then, a man appeared.

A hero holding his golden sword high.

He roars with determination, saying he will change this world.

At first everyone laughed. He’s just a human with fancy decorations.

What can one prosecutor do?

Even people didn’t believe him.

In their view, this world was not so hopeful that one person could change it.

and.

Everything changed the day the man swung his sword and brought down a dragon.

The whole world paid attention to him.

He became salvation and hope for persecuted people.

The twelve knights who led humanity and continued resistance gathered in front of him and knelt down, offering their swords.

That was the beginning of a wonderful legend written by Emperor Carolus and the twelve knights.

Five dragons fell.

Half of the fairy guardians burned to death.

The families of half-humans who were in their thirties were all buried, leaving only ten families.

The seven beast kings that no one could defeat were put on display as stuffed animals with their skin removed.

Finally, the world became humanity’s.

—-

“It is said that Emperor Carolus, who welcomed the twelve knights, led them to the place where he obtained the holy sword. There, the twelve knights exchanged a vow.”

“Vow?”

“That’s right. I swear that I will fight endlessly without any self-interest, even burning my soul for the sake of humanity. And… they say the god there gave them a new sword in response to that oath. That is.”

The Marquis looked down at his sword. With a faint longing.

Maybe with eyes similar to longing.

“Twelve swords sworn to protect humans. It’s a noble woman’s sword.”

I looked at Aimella’s sword with new eyes.

I wondered if it might have something to do with the 12 Knights, but I never thought it was really their sword.

But, if you say it right, isn’t this sword not just precious, but a national treasure?

I was practically holding and swinging a castle.

“Jin silver, the recipe of which is known only to the imperial family. An imprint of blessing that only appears to the right owner. A legendary sword that is said to have made everyone who saw the engraving walk the path of a hero without exception. It’s one of the secret stories of the empire.”

It is an engraving that only reveals itself to its owner.

So, people who saw my sword only said that it was a precious sword, but couldn’t even recognize its true identity?

At least I am recognized as the owner of this sword.

It’s the path of a hero. That’s a pretty vague statement.

“Why did such a sword come into my hands?”

“After establishing the empire, the twelve knights disappeared. They may have been concerned that one day their descendants would forget their oath and become involved in a power struggle. In the end, that’s what happened.”

Well, of course. It is common for families who contributed to founding the country to be purged while obsessed with power.

Listening to the story, it seems that the Great Emperor and the 12 Knights had no such intention, but their descendants must have thought differently.

“That’s why not a single last name of them has been passed down. The imperial family may know, but only their names remain in the records.”

So the book I looked for at the library only had my name written on it?

Even then, there were only a few people. I heard that he is somehow a hero to humanity, but his records are strangely small.

If that’s true, the imperial family would also know that my family is descended from the 12 knights.

not good.

“The story is quite long. So, Median House is one of them?”

“Most of the families of the twelve knights have fallen. They fought a civil war among themselves…and there were some among the emperors who regarded them as a factor of instability.”

The Marquis sighed deeply.

The smoke that touched the table spread like fog.

—-

The families of the twelve knights lost even their glory and were mostly exterminated.

In the hands of another family, in the hands of the enemy.

Sometimes by the hands of the imperial family.

The surviving families had to choose one of two options.

Either gain power that even the imperial family can’t touch, or live quietly without being noticed.

Those reckless people who claimed to be descendants of the Twelve Knights without even having power were all assassinated.

—-

Marquis Ludwig paused for a moment and put down the burnt-out magic candle in the ashtray.

“Those who chose the former used the power they had secured to negotiate with the imperial family. I gained omnipotent power in exchange for not revealing the truth about my family.”

“That’s a pretty smart idea. But how do you know such secrets? …is my prediction right?”

If it is a secret story that was erased from the empire by the hands of the imperial family, one of two people would know about it.

A person from the royal family…or a person involved in it.

And the Margrave of Landenburg is not a member of the royal family.

“Yes. That’s right. My family was also one of those people.”

Marquis Ludwig took out a new magic candle and lit it with a match.

“The descendant of Berenger, one of the twelve knights, became the elector of Berengeria. Although the last name has changed.”

After the election. There were probably five electors in the empire.

Two in the cult, Palun in the North and Landenburg in the East.

and the Duchy of Vienna in the center.

Considering that the archbishops of the church are religious people, then are Palun and Vien also descendants of the Twelve Knights?

“On the other hand, Median chose to go into hiding. So that we can live quietly as a local baron. Although it eventually went extinct…”

Aimela Median was officially the Baroness.

I don’t know how such a person ended up being captured by Ka’har and became Orhan’s wife.

“No, isn’t it extinction? Because the successor is alive here.”

The Marquis smiled slightly and pointed at me with the end of the magic candle.

“The descendants of the twelve knights…”

His father was the conquering monarch of Ka’har, and his mother was a descendant of the Twelve Knights.

At this level, isn’t the symbolism of a bloodline equivalent to that of the imperial family?

Originally, I would have just found it fascinating, but now it was scary.

If this becomes known, won’t she become a top-class bride, not just a first-class bride…?

It’s fortunate that only the imperial family knows.

The marquis seemed to be just because of the secret of his birth, as my bored expression seemed to be the result, and he spoke calmly.

“Most of the sword of oath was also lost in the meantime. There are probably about five left in the imperial treasury. There must be swords that my family gave when obtaining the position of elector, or swords that the imperial family collected after assassinating other descendants.”

Marquis Ludwig, who felt thirsty due to the smoke, picked up a teacup and took a sip of black tea.

He put down the glass, enjoyed the scent for a moment, and then pointed at the sword again.

“And, each sword of oath has a name. The same goes for that sword.”

“Name?”

It’s the name of the sword.

“That’s right. You should know this. Because I was chosen to be the owner of that sword.”

The Marquis, who put down the magic candle, looked at me and solemnly declared.

“The name given to that sword is .

The guardian’s sword, forged for those who endure hardship and move forward.”

Sword of Patience.

Durandal