Chapter 209: The Lord and the Knight

At the rear gate of the Imperial Palace—

"Orders from above. Raise the security level by one tier."

"All of a sudden?"

"What happened?"

The captain of the guard let out a sigh before answering.

"Bunny Swallows sent a calling card."

"Those damn little thieves?"

"They actually announced they'd steal something inside the Empire?"

"They sent it to the Imperial Palace itself. They claim they're going to steal a treasure hidden inside the palace. The whole place is in an uproar because of it."

"They've got guts. As expected of Bunny Swallows..."

"Why are you talking like that? You sound like one of those old ladies obsessed with a cult."

"Ahem... It's not like that... It's just... that girl, Pepe... she's kind of my type..."

"...You even have one of her wanted posters hanging on your wall, don't you? Ugh, forget it. I don't even want to hear it anymore, you filthy bastard."

The captain sighed at the pointless conversation.

While he was giving final instructions, a handcart rolled toward the palace's rear entrance.

The owner of the cart was a skinny man with brown hair and freckles across his nose.

"Goodness, you gentlemen must be working hard standing guard."

"Who are you? I've never seen you before."

"Me? You know that fellow named Tom who died recently? People used to call him Tom of the Gutters..."

"Ah, him? I was wondering why I hadn't seen him. So he really did die?"

"That's right. Anyway, I'm here to replace him. They told me to haul these away."

He casually pointed over his shoulder.

The cart was piled high with corpses.

"So what's your name?"

"Tom."

"Tom died, and a new Tom showed up?"

"Isn't it hilarious? They didn't even bother changing the name tag on the uniform. Hahaha!"

The gatekeeper looked utterly disgusted.

"The fact that you can say that so casually is even more unbelievable."

"People die every day in the Empire. What's one more? I've gotten used to it by now, sir. Ah, right! You should do your job, shouldn't you? Search the cart."

The gatekeeper glanced toward the pile of corpses.

Even from several meters away, the foul stench of rotting flesh seemed to seep into their bodies.

There was a reason the man called Tom had earned the nickname of the Gutters.

"Forget it. Move along."

"Huh...? You're not going to inspect it?"

"Inspect what? If I start digging through the guts of those beaten-to-death corpses and get covered in filth, the smell won't come off for three days. Just get those things out of my sight."

"Understood."

Brown-haired Tom tipped his hat politely.

The gatekeepers brushed the air as though trying to shake off bad luck, and the captain called out one final order.

"Anyway, make absolutely sure Bunny Swallows doesn't set foot anywhere near this place."

"Yes, Captain."

***

"Whew... Nobody noticed until the very end."

Once they had passed through the Empire's gates, Brown-haired Tom clicked his tongue and muttered to himself.

He glanced toward the pile of corpses.

"I disguised myself pretty well, but it's still a little disappointing that nobody recognized you, Your Grace."

"...That mouth of yours never stops running."

"What can I do? Talking is my profession. Are you planning to keep lying there?"

"No. I'd rather this be the last time I ever pretend to be a corpse."

A man carefully stirred from beneath the heap of bodies.

Like the other corpses, he was emaciated, and his appearance had been deliberately disfigured.

Even so, the traces of Duke Yurei were unmistakable.

Zed chuckled and handed him a bottle.

"It's medicine for your wounds. By the day after tomorrow, your face will be completely healed."

"My thanks."

"I've prepared horses for us. We'll continue from there."

"We're not using Teleport Magic?"

"Our Regent doesn't like leaving loose ends. We've made thorough preparations to avoid being tracked, so we'll travel by horse instead."

Duke Yurei felt uneasy.

Still, with no better alternative, he decided to ask just one final question.

"Swear to the heavens. Do you have any purpose besides rescuing me?"

"Regent Ferda said he doesn't want a war to break out, and for that to happen, Your Grace has to return alive. If I were truly a traitor, I'd have cut off your head right here."

"I'm asking whether you can swear it to the heavens."

"The heavens again... Should I swear on my own mother's name too?"

"...Very well."

Duke Yurei decided to trust him.

After traveling deep into the forest, they found the horses Zed had prepared.

Alongside them were diversion troops whose job was to escort Duke Yurei while misleading any pursuers.

Duke Yurei searched the group, wondering whether Ferda himself might be among them.

"You..."

His eyes widened in surprise.

Ferda wasn't there.

Instead, he saw someone he hated almost as much.

"William..."

William.

A knight with a promising future.

The very man who had testified against him before the Golden Council.

Dressed in inconspicuous brown leather armor, William stood waiting.

"I shall escort you."

He bowed respectfully.

Duke Yurei clenched his fist so tightly that his lips trembled.

"So Regent Ferda is cruel after all. To order a man to travel alongside the one who condemned him."

"The Regent has done nothing wrong. I volunteered for this mission."

"You?"

"Yes. After speaking with Sir Knight and hearing about the operation, I personally asked Regent Ferda to allow me to serve as your escort."

"Why? Hoping to play the noble knight at the last minute?"

"..."

William couldn't answer.

Nor did Duke Yurei wait for one.

"Enough. There's no need to explain. The fact remains—you betrayed me."

"..."

"Do you have something for me to wear? Or are you planning to leave me dressed like this?"

"This way, please."

He turned toward Zed, who led him over.

Meanwhile, William silently inspected the group before departure.

Soon, eight horses galloped through the forest.

***

On the second night after Duke Yurei's escape, they halted to establish a simple campsite.

A Communication Mage who had received a report spoke first.

"The Empire has officially announced that Duke Yurei has escaped."

"They acted quickly."

Though the public announcement had been delayed, the Empire had likely realized he was missing sometime that afternoon.

Given the gravity of the matter, they had probably hoped to quietly pass it off as a minor incident, but that had proven impossible.

Listening nearby, Duke Yurei let out a scornful laugh.

"So those Heinkel Kingdom vermin must be furious after supposedly helping me escape."

"Normally, that would have been the case."

"But it probably wasn't."

The one who answered was Zed, the swallow-faced man.

"And why is that?"

"Because Bunny Swallows left a calling card."

"Bunny Swallows... Those little thieves."

Even Duke Yurei had heard of them.

They were infamous throughout the Cerdes Continent for appearing and disappearing without a trace.

It was also widely believed that Bunny Swallows had uncovered the decisive evidence proving that the Archbishop had actually been a Doppler.

"Bunny Swallows declared they would steal the treasure hidden by the Empire."

"And what they stole... was Duke Yurei."

"...You're calling me the Empire's treasure? That's absurd."

"Interpretations are always more interesting than dreams."

They were celebrated as righteous thieves who fought for ordinary people.

They exposed corrupt nobles and returned stolen wealth to its rightful owners.

Even among Imperial citizens, many admired them.

More importantly, Bunny Swallows had never once failed to steal whatever they announced beforehand.

This time, nothing else had vanished from the Empire.

Only Duke Yurei.

Naturally, people would begin speculating that the Empire's hidden treasure had somehow been Duke Yurei himself.

"Some fools might believe it... but I doubt it'll last long."

"That's beside the point. It doesn't matter who's right or wrong."

The louder the uproar became, the more people would hear about it.

And the more people who knew, the more supporters they would gain.

It was a strategy taught to them by Garnet, the leader of the Black Bandana.

Remarkable...

The Empire's pursuit force consisted of exceptionally capable elites.

The fact that they hadn't even caught a glimpse of them meant the diversion operation had perfectly anticipated every movement of the pursuers.

On top of that, they had already laid the groundwork to plunge the Empire itself into confusion.

It was impossible not to admire their planning.

Zed stretched and stood up.

"Anyway, this is our last rest stop. From here on, we'll be riding for three straight days. Get some sleep. I'm turning in first."

"Very well."

One by one, the escorts retired for the night.

Only two men remained before the campfire.

William.

And Duke Yurei.

An awkward silence hung between them.

Since leaving, they hadn't exchanged a single word.

"I heard you stood your ground until the very end to defend the Heinkel Kingdom."

William spoke first.

Duke Yurei didn't even bother looking at him.

"What is it you want to say?"

"It was a noble act, worthy of a true lord."

"Not something I care to hear from you. My face still hurts, so I'll be going to sleep."

Duke Yurei turned toward his tent.

"Why did you order the execution of innocent people?"

William asked.

Duke Yurei stopped walking.

Then he turned around.

William's expression was utterly serious.

At that moment, Duke Yurei realized this was the true reason William had volunteered for the escort mission.

"You believe they were innocent?"

"They were simply hungry."

"Yes, they were hungry."

"But they would have survived. I ordered that they be left with just enough."

"Did they really have to live in such suffering?"

"What else should I have done?"

"Should I have emptied every last coin from my treasury to feed the commoners as though nothing had happened?"

"At the very least... shouldn't you have given them hope?"

Duke Yurei sighed.

"William... you fool."

"How can someone destined to become a knight look at them through the eyes of a commoner?"

"I looked at them through the eyes of a knight."

"If that were true, then you should have made an example of them."

"How can raising a sword against commoners ever be called chivalry?"

"Raising a sword against commoners?"

"No."

"You simply failed to trust the one who ruled over them."

"You failed to trust the man who defended that land for forty-five years and governed it for twenty-seven."

"What kind of man had I been until then?"

"A tyrant who slaughtered innocent people without reason?"

No.

He had not.

"Or perhaps a perfectly benevolent ruler?"

That wasn't true either.

He had been neither.

Had King Hudret not started the war, he would have remained nothing more than an ordinary lord.

"Do you think being ordinary is easy?"

"A river may appear calm on the surface, but beneath it lies a vicious whirlpool."

"Once you're swept into it, not even your corpse will be found."

"I dive into that river every single day."

"To those watching from afar, it looks as though I merely dipped beneath the surface for a moment."

"That... is what it means to be a lord."

"..."

"If you wish to rule over others, such things must become as natural as breathing."

Duke Yurei lifted his cup.

His hand trembled uncontrollably.

"That damned war changed everything."

"No one wanted it."

"And yet... it was inevitable."

"..."

"William."

"Yes."

"You know, don't you?"

"So many soldiers died for our territory."

"And even more families shed tears."

"I do."

"Their blood and sweat were sacrificed to drive out the invaders."

"I refused to let their souls be in vain."

"I did everything I possibly could."

"..."

"And yet look."

"Those who would flee simply because they couldn't endure one hungry winter."

"You would raise your spear and shield for people who would abandon everything the moment hardship came?"

"..."

"If making an example of them allows everyone else to understand the value of those sacrifices..."

"...Then I will gladly become a tyrant."

"That is the respect I, Perry Yurei, offer to the heroic spirits who gave their lives."

William understood, at least in part, how Duke Yurei felt.

As a knight cadet, he too had crossed countless battlefields.

He too had wept at the devastation left behind.

"But even after hearing all that..."

"I still cannot accept it."

That was precisely why he couldn't.

To protect the people by raising a sword against those very same people—

It denied everything he had learned.

It trampled the dream he had devoted his life to.

The contradiction was unbearable.

"William."

"Yes."

"Is that truly the conviction you believe in?"

"It is."

William answered without hesitation.

Yet despite that unwavering resolve, his feelings failed to reach Duke Yurei.

With an expression of displeasure, the duke rose to his feet.

"Think carefully."

"Ask yourself whether that is truly conviction..."

"...Or merely a coward's excuse for refusing to face reality."

With that, Duke Yurei entered his tent.

It was a sleepless night.

His thoughts danced through his mind, as countless and restless as the stars above.

***

After Duke Yurei had finished resting, they changed horses and rode without pause for another three days.

At last, they crossed the Imperial border and arrived in the buffer zone.

Venturing into an untamed, chaotic forest, they found a luxurious carriage waiting beside a small tent.

Though the tent appeared barely large enough for one person to sleep in, its interior was astonishingly spacious and lavishly furnished.

Duke Yurei found himself thinking that not even he—or even the King of Heinkel Kingdom—could afford such a thing.

The owner stood waiting in the center of the vast space.

"Thank you for making the long journey."

Gray hair.

Blue eyes.

A dry, expressionless face devoid of emotion.

"...Regent Ferda."

Within Duke Yurei's heart, countless emotions swirled together.