EP.34
In the main building of Nineveh, on the very top floor, lies the office of the director.
This is the place where Lisitia von Edelstein, the director who oversees everything in Nineveh—a city boasting a population exceeding one hundred thousand—is usually occupied with her work. It is a space that symbolizes her authority, and it is said that she is regarded as the strongest among all living humans.
However, inside that very office, Lisitia von Edelstein was merely standing quietly in front of someone to whom she had ceded her seat.
…Indeed, it felt like she was one of the maids attending to the young lady of an aristocratic family.
And instead, occupying the chair where Lisitia was supposed to sit was another woman, who was intently examining several documents with a serious expression.
Her name was none other than Erekaya del Pendragon.
She was the only daughter of the House of Pendragon, hailed as the finest noble family in the empire, and at the same time, she was the sovereign whom Lisitia had decided to serve for eternity.
“…..”
After staring at the documents in her hands without a word, Erekaya eventually sighed and placed the papers on the desk.
“Is this really all there is to this investigation?”
“Yes, it is.”
The director nodded her head slightly while expressing regret at Erekaya’s words.
“I have investigated every detail regarding the current head of the Pendragon family, as you requested, Lady Erekaya. And this is the outcome of that investigation.”
Just a few days ago, Erekaya had made a very discreet request of the director.
It was a request to investigate all the actions of the current head of the Pendragon family, her father, the Duke of Pendragon, over the past twenty years.
Though the director found it hard to understand why the only daughter of the man he served as the most trusted ally would make such a request, she complied with Erekaya’s orders without hesitation.
At present, Lisitia von Edelstein serves as Erekaya del Pendragon’s sharpest blade and most trusted tool.
After all, a useful tool is one that obeys its master’s commands without questioning them.
Thus, the director managed to complete the investigation into the past twenty years of the Duke of Pendragon’s actions in just a few days, and the documents now in Erekaya’s hands were the results of that work.
“The matter you inquired about was regarding the head’s private life. The investigation found that he has had no private meetings with any other women.”
“…Is that so?”
“The head has indeed been tremendously busy over the past twenty years. I regret to say that even if he wished to indulge in an affair with another woman, he likely would not have had the time to do so.”
Upon hearing the director’s words, Erekaya carefully examined the documents in her hands once more.
…Certainly, as the director mentioned, her father had been extremely diligent in performing his duties as the head of the Pendragon family and as a father for the past twenty years.
The fact that the vast territory of the Pendragon Duchy, larger than any principality, has been running smoothly without any friction is the best proof of the Duke’s innocence.
With that, it became clear. Her father, the Duke of Pendragon, had never betrayed his wife and daughter.
What a relief it was that her father had never committed any shameful act, that he had never sullied his honor in any way.
However, the fact that her father had not engaged in any infidelities meant—
‘…Jin.’
That one way of identifying that man had vanished.
Jin.
The man who boasts of being a descendant of the Seven Heroes. A man whose skills are beyond what even a master can fathom. A man who knows the Pendragon family’s hidden martial art, the “Dance of the Dragon.”
…Moreover, not only does he possess the ability of synesthesia that should belong solely to the Pendragon bloodline, but he is also tied to her through an inexplicable and strange relationship.
Yes, Jin and Erekaya are connected by some bond for reasons unknown.
The synesthesia, which always revealed only the “correct answers” to Erekaya, whispered that the man named Jin was someone with whom she could never refer to merely as a “male.”
Until now, she had presumed that Jin was her half-brother; however, unfortunately, that assumption was off the mark.
Then what could be his true identity? Who is this person who so profoundly occupies her thoughts?
“Lisitia.”
“Yes, Lady Erekaya.”
“How is the investigation into that man named Jin coming along? Have you discovered anything about his origins or background?”
At Erekaya’s words, the director shook her head from side to side.
“I apologize, but there has been no significant progress in that area. To be honest, we found nothing.”
“…You found nothing?”
It goes without saying at this point, but Lisitia von Edelstein is an exceptionally capable woman. Not only did she manage to investigate the actions of a character over the past twenty years in just a few days, but she also compressed that into a few sheets of documents.
It is impossible that the director, who excels at uncovering an individual’s past, could encounter such difficulties that she couldn’t find any information whatsoever.
If she genuinely set her mind to it, uncovering even the hidden past of an emperor would be within her reach.
“There wasn’t merely a lack of records; there was truly nothing. I couldn’t even find anyone who knows him, and I couldn’t ascertain where he was born and raised. It was as if he… fell from the sky.”
Hearing the director’s words, Erekaya let out a sigh. In the end, they had discovered nothing at all. Everything remained stagnant.
“Lady Erekaya, may I express my personal opinion?”
“What is it?”
“As I mentioned before, I firmly believe that this man has some connection to the Pendragon family.”
“…Are you saying that again?”
In truth, Erekaya herself also thought that he had some connection to the Pendragon family, but she pretended to frown as if unaware of anything.
In a situation where nothing is certain, it wouldn’t be wise for suspicions about him being a Pendragon bloodline to circulate carelessly, even if it’s from Lisitia, whom Erekaya trusted most.
However, at that moment, Erekaya heard a statement that was incredibly hard to believe.
“The mannerisms displayed by the man named Jin are definitively of a kind that could only emerge from the teachings of Pendragon. He certainly has some connection to the Pendragon family, and in fact, we have achieved some semblance of results regarding that.”
“…What?”
Achieved results? By what means? Did you not just say moments ago that you hadn’t discovered any relevant information?
“You pointed out that there is no man of your age within the current Pendragon family, and critically, he does not have violet hair, so he couldn’t possibly be a scion of Pendragon… is that not correct?”
“Yes, that was what I said.”
“But what if your premise is entirely wrong? What if that is precisely why you failed to perceive the truth?”
“Are you saying I was wrong?”
What on earth does that mean? Are they claiming Erekaya’s deductions were fundamentally flawed?
“Since that man enrolled in Nineveh, I have delved into various ancient texts of Pendragon. As a result, I discovered one rather intriguing record.”
The director hesitated for a brief moment before finally speaking up.
“According to the records, about 50 years ago, there was a clan within the Pendragon branch family that gave birth to an individual with black hair, rather than the violet hair that symbolizes the Pendragon bloodline.”
“…Black hair?”
In that instant, Erekaya’s heart thumped heavily.
“It is said that the elders of the family erased all records related to the incident of a Pendragon descendant being born with black hair and expelled both the newborn and their family from the clan. This record that I managed to obtain was also exceedingly difficult to acquire.”
As she spoke, the director carefully pulled out an extremely old piece of paper that had faded with age.
“Of course, this is not definitive. While it is certain that he has some connection to Pendragon, there is no solid evidence; it remains merely a suspicion. Moreover, although rare, there are indeed individuals with black hair on the continent…”
No solid evidence? Merely a suspicion?
No, that isn’t right. Erekaya knows of a ‘solid evidence’ that the director is unaware of.
That is the fact that Jin possesses the supernatural ability of synesthesia, a trait that only those of the Pendragon bloodline are born with.
Fifty years ago, a family was expelled from the clan simply for being born with black hair.
And the Pendragon family annihilated all records related to that incident.
Jin, who is devoid of any record from the past.
His pitch-black hair.
The much more advanced ‘Dance of the Dragon’ than Erekaya is aware of.
His behavior, rude and rough, yet deeply rooted in the manners of Pendragon.
…and the synesthesia so powerful that it resonates with her.
“…Ah.”
All the puzzle pieces converge to point towards a singular truth.
Yet that truth is not as romantic and beautiful as she had imagined.
Erekaya del Pendragon had harbored such fantasies about Jin’s identity.
Could it be that he is, in fact, her half-brother? A wild imagining that she was his only sister, and he her only brother, both having lived without knowledge of each other until their fateful reunion in Nineveh.
However, reality was different from her fantasies.
Erekaya del Pendragon was the perpetrator.
She, having expelled a family from the clan simply for being born with black hair, destroyed all related records, and stripped them of all rights they should have possessed—she was at the very peak of the perpetrator’s side.
And Jin was the victim.
Fifty years ago, he, having been stripped of all rights as a descendant of Pendragon simply because his parents bore black hair, has been living a life riddled with misfortune.
Erekaya del Pendragon and Jin were not family. Erekaya del Pendragon and Jin did not share a tender relationship of brother and sister.
For the man named Jin, the woman named Erekaya del Pendragon was none other than—
The one who took everything he should have enjoyed, snatched away his name and lineage, and in the end thoroughly ruined his life—
One of his hated enemies.
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