EP.133 Rough-Mouthed People (3)
“What happened?”
“Nothing much.”
Draka replied briefly to his subordinate’s question. He wasn’t in the mood for a long conversation. Reading Draka’s mood, the subordinate didn’t inquire further.
‘Spent unnecessary emotions.’
It was, quite literally, a waste of time. It could have been ignored, so why did he react? The reason eluded him. He just felt an inexplicable urge to throw in a word or two.
‘Speaking of which, the Ashen one was like that too.’
That sapless mage was the same. Every careless word thrown out managed to prick at his nerves. Only the Ashen Mage dared to mention lineage and background in front of Draka, knowing his past. And now, one more had joined the club.
– What dignity does a vagabond brat have after losing his territory, clan, and country…?
– Isn’t that spitting in his own face?
The audacious girl’s face flickered in his mind. Draka furrowed his brows.
“I heard you adopted a daughter from the Trias family.”
“Yes, I was told she was brought in this spring. Originally raised as a disciple, it seems she was adopted as a daughter in time for the Ashen Mage’s retirement news.”
“What’s her name?”
“Rania. Rania van Trias.”
Rania van Trias. Draka mulled over the name.
“Any other information?”
“Currently, she is said to hold a professor position in Apuria. Detailed information might require further investigation.”
“Look into it.”
Draka’s words made his subordinate tilt his head in confusion. Draka was naturally a dry person. It was rare for him to show interest in others.
“Are you interested in her?”
“There’s something.”
“…Pardon?”
“No matter how much she shares the same name as that sapless one… I unsheathed my sword and she didn’t even flinch. Doesn’t that seem odd?”
He had no thoughts of Bell. He intended to just give a little scare by drawing his sword. Those who knew what kind of person he was would be extremely wary of him unsheathing a weapon.
But how did that girl react?
– Go ahead, if you can.
Knowing who he was, she didn’t back down at all; instead, she challenged him. Flicking her fingers, she pulled up her mana. It was as if she was ready for a fight.
“She actually challenged me. It just made me laugh. Do you think that’s normal?”
“….That’s strange.”
“Yeah, it is.”
It was strange enough for him to want to gauge her skills. In the end, due to the meddling fool, he couldn’t assess her abilities, but… he definitely saw her eyes.
‘Steady eyes.’
It wasn’t bravado. It was the gaze of someone confident in their skills. He could tell a lot just by looking at her eyes.
The opponent’s skills, personality, and perhaps even their life.
Draka glimpsed at the girl’s eyes and got a rough grasp of her. She was no ordinary girl. Absolutely not.
‘She could be a variable.’
To ensure the plan’s success, he had to eliminate any variables. No matter how trivial, he needed to address it. Draka instructed his subordinate.
“Find out more about her. She could be a hindrance.”
“Understood.”
His subordinate nodded and asked.
“What will you do if she becomes a hindrance?”
“What will I do?”
Draka casually tapped the hilt of his sword.
“I’ll kill her.”
“….That will escalate things with the Ashen Mage.”
“That’s not something you need to worry about.”
This is my problem to handle.
Draka replied like that and quickened his footsteps. His destination was a small church located on the outskirts of the North. He had someone to meet there.
“What did the Deloheim Church say?”
“They agreed to cooperate. The Cardinal promised support from Deloheim’s spear, shield, and protectors. They should be arriving shortly.”
“Yeah, that’s how it should be.”
Draka nodded.
“I’ve devoted a large part of my life to this. The Deloheim Church has likely devoted even more time than I have. They’ve been searching for it consistently since centuries ago.”
His footprints left long marks in the snow.
How long had he walked like that? An old, shabby church caught his eye. In front of the rundown church stood holy knights in shining armor, lined up. Upon confirming Draka’s presence, they cleared the way.
“……What do you mean?”
His subordinate asked.
Draka replied.
“A relic that will bring about a miracle beyond providence.”
Without pausing his words, Draka placed a finger on the church’s doorknob.
“The ancient Holy Grail that disappeared centuries ago. A vessel to contain the power of God and an offering to Him.”
Creeeak, as the door opened, someone stood beyond it. An old man dressed in pure white. The old man turned to Draka.
“The first relic that makes all miracles possible… They wouldn’t want to miss it either.”
That was directed at his subordinate. However, Draka deliberately raised his voice as if to let the old man hear.
“Isn’t that right, Cardinal?”
Draka’s voice echoed in the old church. The man pointed out by Draka opened his mouth, hands behind his back.
“Haha, that is indeed the case, but…”
Berdict, the Cardinal of Deloheim, smiled gently.
“I mainly hope that Sir Draka, a faithful believer of Deloheim, gets what he desires.”
“Thank you for saying that.”
“You’ve served Deloheim in many ways. Though one should not hope for rewards for service… Deloheim will surely hold you dear. So they must be granting that miracle.”
“….A miracle, you say.”
“Yes, isn’t it truly a miracle?”
Berdict narrowed his eyes.
“You’ve found the resting place of the remains of the first Saint.”
He let out a soft chuckle.
“Can you tell me the details?”
Snake-like eyes focused on Draka. At the very least, they weren’t suited for someone with the title of Cardinal. Draka exhaled shortly.
“Sit down for now. This might take a while.”
This time, he would see it through to the end. For that, he planned to pull in everything he could, even if it meant dealing with the inscrutable old man of the church order.
—
“Damn it, it feels filthy.”
I pulled out the box I had stuffed into my robe and tossed it onto the table. I had sealed it several layers deep, but it still felt disgusting.
‘It feels like carrying a rotten corpse.’
What was inside the box. I clicked my tongue, recalling the black hand of the Gletus. Even though I was told Cardi needed it, I really wished I could just detach it from my body.
“Is this Deloheim’s arm?”
Cardi had said that in such a manner. And as far as I remember, Deloheim was… the name given to the star by the church. They worshipped the star as a God.
‘So, literally, that means it’s the Star’s Arm.’
I peeked into the box.
“Doesn’t look right at all.”
Wouldn’t it be more fitting to call it the Demon Lord’s arm? With that thought, I closed the box again. I didn’t want to look at it any longer.
Huff…
I sighed briefly and leaned back. Looking up, the ceiling of the room came into view.
The room assigned to me was quite large. Supposedly prepared specifically for warriors. I heard it was one of the better rooms in White Night Castle.
‘The ceiling is annoyingly white.’
Is it because it’s White Night Castle? Can’t they tolerate anything that isn’t white? Breathing in while looking at the sparkling ceiling, I sighed again.
“…What am I doing?”
Feeling disgusted seemed to make me nitpick at everything. I hadn’t felt like this when I first arrived in the North.
‘The source of my disgust.’
Finding the origin wasn’t hard.
‘Sword Demon, Draka.’
That beast pretending to be human. Thinking of his face raised my temperature unnecessarily.
‘I should have struck him then.’
I had made a good excuse. I made him draw his sword first. I had sort of claimed self-defense.
‘It would have been the perfect situation.’
But, because of some fool completely devoid of awareness stepping in, my provocation had been wasted. Provocations always needed to be fresh. Once used, it was unlikely to have an effect again.
‘How should I provoke him next time?’
A new provocation. Words that cannot be brushed aside. Ways to dominate the opponent’s emotions with every single word.
I envisioned it in my mind, but it didn’t come easily. Holding my temples, I groaned.
‘…I need someone with sharp wit.’
I needed someone to seek advice from.
“…Ah.”
Just as I had that thought, a figure flashed through my mind. I slipped my hand into my robe. After rummaging for a bit, I caught hold of a piece of stationery.
Someone with sharp wit. Each of their words like daggers.
There was only one person that came to mind.
‘Princess Lruiel.’
I wrote a line on the stationery. It was a content asking if she had some time to spare, and the reply came immediately.
「I’ve been busy day by day, so I’m not particularly relaxed. However, for you, Professor, I can spare a little time. What’s the matter?」
I pondered for a moment before writing back.
– How do I throw out words that cannot be brushed aside, words that will provoke the opponent with every single word?
This time, a response didn’t come immediately. It seemed like an unexpected question even for Princess Lruiel. Just as I was about to let out a sigh,
「It’s not a difficult thing.」
The reply came back.
I focused on the letters appearing above the stationery.
「It seems you need a provocation to create a justification. Listen well, Professor. When you provoke, remember just two things.」
Two things?
「One. State the unreasonable as if it’s reasonable.」
「Make the opponent raise questions. Make them casually utter words of contradiction. Humans are inherently base beings. They have a deep-seated desire to flaunt their knowledge.」
「Stir that desire. Elicit a reaction.」
「Once you start to elicit those reactions, you’ve already crossed half the bridge. It means your words have begun to ensnare the opponent.」
“Oh…”
「Two. Mix truth with lies.」
「When linked with the first advice, it becomes even better. Mix an unreasonable lie over the truth to craft a ‘plausible’ sentence. That fake plausibility will provoke the opponent’s desire to refute.」
「Nonsense that can be brushed aside is easy to forget, but words mixed with truth are naturally harder to ignore.」
Indeed.
I nodded.
While having more information about the opponent makes it easier to provoke, the basics of this were things I already knew, so I wouldn’t mention them.
「To give you a simple example using those two advices… it would look something like this.」
The letters paused for a moment.
Then, a lengthy excerpt appeared.
「You consider yourself normal, but in fact, that’s a delusion. You’re abnormal. You’re as crazy as I am. Moreover, you’re a mental patient who believes themselves to be normal. I extend my deep condolences to the students who receive teaching from you.」
「Truth mixed with nonsense. How does that sound?」
I couldn’t help but frown.
‘What nonsense is this?’
I quickly scribbled a reply.
– But it’s all lies?
「See? It’s certainly effective, isn’t it?」
– No, it’s all lies. Isn’t that just rubbish?
「Sounds like you’re being hit on a nerve.」
No, what is this Princess saying?
「Anyway, I hope my advice is helpful.」
「I’ll cut it off here. May you have good results.」
Before I could add any rebuttal, Princess Lruiel ended the conversation. I stared at the stationery with a rather perplexed expression.
“That’s really absurd.”
The example seemed incorrect. However, somewhere, the advice did resonate with me. Extracting only what I needed, I closed the stationery.
“Hmm…”
The example was a bit off, but it did provide some help. I felt a little lighter inside.
“…I should get back to work.”
I exhaled briefly and stood up. Before dealing with my personal tasks, I had something I needed to do first. A special lecture that a parent had personally requested.
‘Where was Lac’s room again?’
I stepped out into the corridor while rummaging through my memory.
—
“……Huh!”
Suddenly.
Lac jerked up from the bed.
A shiver ran down his spine. He sensed that a large crisis was about to engulf him. It was a feeling he had been experiencing frequently lately.
‘A trial is approaching!’
What it was, he couldn’t tell.
Lac closed his eyes and listened carefully. A trial was coming. It sounded like footsteps of a person.
Tap.
The pleasant sound of high heels echoed.
Lac listened to the rhythmic steps approaching. The sound slowly got closer.
‘These footsteps…’
The moment Lac was trying to imagine the owner of these footsteps. Knock, knock, the trial knocked at his door.
– Lac, you there?
The trial called for him.
– Can you come out for a moment?
Lac broke out in a cold sweat as he held his breath.
His instincts warned him not to answer. However, the world didn’t side with Lac.
– Hmm? It must be Lord Lac inside.
A familiar voice came from outside the door.
It was the voice of the butler who had been by his side since he was a child.
‘Sebas!’
Lac let out a silent scream.
– What’s this? Are you in there?
He had been caught. Quick action is life.
Lac dashed out of his room.
“I-I just woke up!”
“Oh, really?”
“W-What brings you here?”
Lac’s question was answered by Rania.
“Well, it’s nothing much.”
She smiled.
“Let’s go hiking together.”
