Chapter 31 - Light and Darkness (2)
"Thanks for the good input."
Nyx nodded.
"But Raul doesn't think so. He insists we must keep pushing north, no matter the casualties. 'Traps can be filled with our blood,' he says."
"'Traps can be filled with our blood'..."
That was Raul Delta's favorite catchphrase.
Pale felt his stomach churn and shook his head.
"It's just suicide. We don't even know how vast the north truly is, do we? Anyway, the Delta family definitely isn't Sword King loyalist... So, have the Black Luna family and the Delta family joined hands?"
"I've confirmed there was some kind of deal regarding the next Sword King position. I don't know the exact details yet, though."
It was as if a monster and a demon had joined forces. Pale felt his vision darken and sighed.
"...So, why on earth did Black Luna eliminate Granvelle?"
"Hmm?"
"The Granvelles always stayed quiet, never getting involved in power struggles, didn't they? Why would they go so far as to drag in external forces to eliminate the Granvelles? Even risking being branded as traitors?"
It had come full circle.
Nyx closed his eyes and was silent for a moment.
"...That was a mistake."
"What do you mean? Their mistake?"
"No, our Sword King loyalists mistake. First, I should tell you, the Granvelle family is staunchly Sword King loyalist. They just didn't show it openly. Roa Granvelle was someone who shared our ideals."
"The family head..."
"You were acquainted with Roa, weren't you?"
"He was my mentor. He helped me greatly in becoming an Inspector."
"Roa liked people with potential. He was the strongest among us."
"His swordsmanship was indeed legendary... No, wait a moment. Are you suggesting you pushed the family head as the next Sword King? Is that why they preemptively destroyed the Granvelle family?"
"Similar, but different."
Nyx shook his head.
"Granvelle was known as a prestigious family, especially a swordsmanship family. But Roa wasn't someone who could threaten the next Sword King competition. While his swordsmanship was undeniably top-notch, his Aura was relatively lacking."
"The family head's ley line sensitivity was mid-5-star, though."
"Of course, it's not low. But it's not high either. Anyway, Roa's succession rank remained around 20th."
"It was 18th. Right before he passed away."
"You know a lot. Doesn't the 1st ranked successor usually become the next Sword King when the current one dies?"
"It's not usually, it's always like that."
"Not always. There's a right of refusal. The 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th ranks. These four have the right of refusal. If they invoke it, a final succession match occurs."
"No, but that's..."
"A life-or-death challenge. It's disregarding the authority of the 1st ranked successor. No one can say anything if you're beaten to death in a succession match."
"Knowing that..."
"Well, anyway, Roa was expected to rise into the top 5 within the next six months."
"Do you think that's possible? No, even if it were, would the family head have a chance against Raul Delta? That man has broken through 8-star Aura. He's a monster who can freely create an Aura Sphere!"
Pale unconsciously raised his voice.
Nyx silently chewed his lip for a long time.
"Hmm... Well, it doesn't matter now, I suppose."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean Roa is dead anyway. Our Sword King loyalist hidden blade is broken. So, I suppose it doesn't matter if I tell you... You know about Granvelle's special quality, don't you?"
"Of course. The family head's Union Sword was the best I've ever seen."
"Of course, there's that. But something else is more important."
"What else are you referring to?"
"The interval."
"The interval, you say?"
"Not the interval we usually talk about. It's like a secret technique of the Granvelle family. Gric, that friend, would explain it better than me..."
"Huh?"
"No, he's a high-ranking official now, so I shouldn't call him a friend. Anyway, explaining it is tiresome, so just know this: Roa Granvelle was invincible in a succession match."
"...Huh?"
This was an utterly incomprehensible statement.
Pale could barely open his mouth, feeling speechless.
"That's... absurd. I have no intention of insulting my deceased mentor, but if he was truly invincible, why did he die in an enemy attack?"
"Because the opponent was the Poison King Cult."
"Huh?"
"Anyway, I'm not saying Roa was invincible in all aspects. Just in succession matches."
"Why is that the case?"
"Because that's the Granvelle family."
"No..."
"Granvelle was our hidden ace. But they weren't a blade we created."
"Then who created it?"
"Dion Black Luna."
And silence fell in the interrogation room.
Dion Black Luna.
The First Sword King of the Sword King family, and the one who first established this entire system.
Nyx gave a wry smile, seeing Pale momentarily dumbfounded.
"Yes. That First Sword King. He died about 200 years ago. Anyway, it's said that he, during his lifetime, passed down a secret technique to his fourth son, Granvelle. A special vision that could suppress all those who inherited the Sword King's swordsmanship."
"...Is that the problematic interval you're talking about?"
Nyx only shrugged without replying.
Pale suddenly realized something and began to mutter for a long time.
"That's impossible... No, certainly the family head had something special... I always felt a strange sensation whenever we sparred... As if he read all my moves in advance..."
"Starting to get it? Anyway, the Sword King loyalist's plan leaked in the middle. Even if they didn't know the specifics, it seems they definitely realized that Granvelle was a problem."
"So they destroyed the Granvelle family?"
"That's right."
"Phew..."
Pale let out a long sigh.
It still felt like walking in a dream.
Roa Granvelle was actually a duel god who could suppress everyone in the Sword King family?
An unrealistic story.
And it wasn't even proven.
To annihilate one of the Eight Great Main Families of the Sword King family just for that...
"The Black Luna family's reaction is too..."
"Does it seem crazy?"
"It seems excessive. No one knows if such a thing would actually happen."
"I agree. I can't even imagine it myself. It ultimately comes down to a matter of belief."
"Of course, Black Luna initiated this, but we can't be free of responsibility either."
"We?"
"The Sword King loyalists, I mean. Didn't the Sword King loyalists ultimately provide the cause for Granvelle's downfall?"
"Granvelle was also a Sword King loyalist, I told you!"
"..."
"Well, I won't make excuses."
Nyx sighed.
"I have to take responsibility. If I had been more careful with security, the Granvelle family wouldn't have been destroyed."
"The Granvelle family hasn't been destroyed yet."
"Hmm? Ah, you're quite enthusiastic about that, ensuring the Granvelle lineage continues. Was it Ray Granvelle? You're going all out for him, almost like it's your own business?"
"Because I owe them a debt of gratitude. I can't just let the Granvelles disappear."
"Commendable. Anyway, since things have come to this, how about we work together from now on?"
There was no other choice.
Pale sighed, feeling that 'Sword King loyalist' was already affixed to his name.
"So, what happens to me now?"
"When the storm passes, you hide. Since you've come this far..."
Nyx stood up and walked towards the brazier.
"How about showing signs of suffering? The counter-intelligence unit's tortures are famous for being severe, you know. There are ears outside, so scream a bit."
He then picked up a red-hot iron poker.
"Speaking of which, would you like a taste? Even the Black Luna bastards would be fooled by this."
"I'll decline. Rather, how do the Sword King, or rather, the Sword King loyalists, plan to handle this? You can't just let Black Luna's rampant behavior continue indefinitely, can you?"
"Well, for now, just wait a bit."
Nyx put down the poker with regret.
"They must be as confused as we are. We need to slowly buy time and proceed with the next plan."
"So there is a plan after all."
"There is. I can't tell you yet, though. I can't possibly spill everything to a newcomer who's just arrived, can I? Don't be too disappointed."
"It's fine. I'm already about to get indigestion from what I've heard so far."
"Digest it quickly. As quickly as possible."
Nyx smiled.
Pale sighed deeply, truly feeling like he was about to get indigestion.
"I suppose I'll have to live like a ghost for a while. Excuse me, but could you do me a favor?"
"Anything. Is there someone you'd like to send your regards to?"
"No. Even if there were, it would be best to keep a distance in this situation."
"Wise. So, what's the favor?"
"I need to send some money."
"Money?"
"Actually, I have money saved up in the Inspectorate office... No, sending that might cause trouble for the Young Master. So, if you could send exactly 10,000 Sill with an unknown sender, that would be great. He'll need some money to use for a while, too..."
***
High humidity.
Suffocating stench.
Crushing darkness.
Red smoke.
And a damp floor. I lay there, unable to move.
Everyone was coming to kill me.
But no one was there to protect me.
I was going to die soon.
Probably.
No.
No, that's not right.
I'm not alone.
Everyone protected me.
They protected me even if it meant their own death.
So this isn't real.
Just a twisted moment from the past, lingering there.
"..."
I opened my eyes and saw the ceiling of the room.
It was a nightmare.
The mattress I was sleeping on was soaked with sweat.
Can I just wash this? Phil worked so hard to get it from the orphanage... It has straw-like stuff inside, so it probably shouldn't be washed with just water.
Anyway, this isn't that place.
I'm lying in my room.
More precisely, it's Spy No. 1's room, which became my room yesterday.
It's the only room connected to the secret passage, so I had no choice but to switch.
Did I have a nightmare because the room changed?
"Is the geomantic location bad..."
I habitually got up and opened the window.
Forest air and dawn light poured in simultaneously.
The Highwind dorm, nestled deep within Graveyard Mountain.
Ray Granvelle, a first-year student in Class B of the Northern Academy.
But I was still somewhere else, in a different form.
The poisoned child, rolling around in the poison cave.
Months have passed, but I still dream of that time.
Perhaps I haven't escaped yet.
The helpless me, who could do nothing but watch everyone die, still remains there.
How much time will pass before I can escape this?
Months?
Years?
Or a lifetime?
Suddenly, I wanted to throw myself out the window.
Since this is the second floor, jumping wouldn't kill me.
So I need a higher place.
There's a tall tower next to the Academy's main building.
Would that be enough, I wonder?
Grrr...
My stomach growled.
The gut-wrenching hunger made me feel anxious.
-Hurry.
-Hurry and eat something.
-You'll feel better if you eat.
-Something delicious. Something fragrant, something oily, something savory...
Someone seemed to be saying that.
But my hands wouldn't move.
All I had to do was clench my fist hard and then release it, but I couldn't do it.
I had no strength.
Eating required strength.
Opening the door and going outside required strength.
So I couldn't move at all.
I felt like I would just stand by the window, frozen like a stone.
Then, suddenly, the inter-class competition came to mind.
The Academy's important monthly event, the inter-class competition, would be held soon.
It's contested in three events, and I'm participating as Class B's representative in two of them.
An event where I subdue representatives from other classes in front of everyone.
I really hate it.
Just imagining it makes me feel suffocated and choked.
I'm not the type of person who enjoys such things to begin with.
But.
On the other hand, there's a part of me that desires it.
I imagine myself coolly subduing my opponent, receiving cheers from the entire student body, and being recognized by everyone.
Although it's a scene that has never happened in reality... Is this my brother's memory?
Just imagining it makes me feel good.
But I still couldn't move.
Sorry, brother.
I really don't feel like it today.
And the inter-class competition isn't even today.
I don't even know if I can participate in the inter-class competition in this state.
I can't move.
I'm still rolling around on the floor of that poison cave.
Then, suddenly... I remembered something I had to do today.
Today is the day I persuade a friend.
I'm not talking about Phil.
I need to get one of the other Class B students involved in this.
In other words, today is the day I make a new friend.
So for now... It would be good to eat something.
I put some of the orphanage-style pickled potatoes that Phil brought yesterday (they say the orphanage kids hate it, so there's always a lot left over) into my mouth and chewed, then tightly clenched and unclenched my limp fist.
Well, this should be enough...
This will do.
At least I felt like I could move today.