Chapter 135 – Recalling
‘What happened, Ra.’
I wondered how much to explain to Aurora. If it were just my own issue, it wouldn’t matter, but now Minerva was involved. I had to make a good choice.
“Where would you like to start?”
“As much as possible, starting from when you went out with Minerva. I’m full of questions.”
I expected that.
After a dull acknowledgment, I pulled out the Wingless Nightmare from my waist and placed it on the table. The knight commanders’ gazes sparkled with curiosity at the sight of the new weapon.
“First of all, this is why I went out with Minerva.”
“That sword?”
“Yes.”
I explained how I first went to Ceres’ house. The Blood-Stained Sword had broken, so I needed a new weapon, which was why I sought out Ceres, living on the outskirts of the empire.
“Delta, the blacksmith you visited was named Ceres, right?”
“Have you heard of him?”
“No, I haven’t. If he retired more than ten years ago, it means he stepped away when I was still young, so there’s no way I would know someone who secluded themselves that long, right?”
“You seemed to know something about it.”
“It’s not that I know; I just wanted to know. Because of that weapon. I was wondering if I could ask for additional commissions later.”
‘…Could I even request a weapon from that NPC?’
As far as I could remember, it wasn’t possible, but it wasn’t easy to give a definitive no, either.
Even if it was just a dream that would vanish soon, I thought that perhaps it could be possible to ask for a weapon now while I was enjoying the effects of the Enhancement Potion.
Minerva had mentioned that an indefinitely lasting Enhancement Potion wouldn’t be completely impossible in theory, so I could just gather materials later and ask her to make it.
After mulling it over a bit more, I ultimately gave a straightforward answer.
“I’m not sure either.”
“Well, that makes sense. What kind of ordinary weirdo would hide away in the mountains by their own will?”
Aurora looked completely unfazed. She probably hadn’t been expecting anything from the start.
The explanation continued, and when the deal about finding the Crystal Scroll between Minerva and me was mentioned, Aurora scoffed.
“Crystal Scroll? No wonder there was a reason for such madness! They were all acting like they were on some kind of drug, but there was a purpose behind it all. It’s basically like a drug for magicians since ancient scrolls are treated that way.”
“Still, I didn’t expect them to do such a thing in front of others.”
“I didn’t expect that either. No matter how much the Mage Tower is a gathering of magic-obsessed weirdos, how could they think about fighting in the Imperial Palace, asking others to step on them first?”
Aurora wrapped up her explanation with a huff. It felt like everyone had grasped what had happened.
‘There are still things I haven’t said…’
That was something I didn’t particularly want to voice. Minerva seemed to be lost in her own world, indifferent to what had happened, but I was deeply concerned.
It was all for Minerva.
How could I reveal here and now that Minerva, unable to contain her joy at finding the Crystal Scroll, reached a climax while spilling a transparent liquid between her legs?
“…What is this, my lord?”
“I don’t know, so don’t ask. Aunt must be acting capriciously again.”
Right after bringing back the Crystal Scroll, we were suddenly notified that we had to meet the Empress from the morning, a thunderbolt out of the blue, so we rushed to finish preparing and headed to the Central Hall.
But there was a visitor ahead. The Golden Dusk Knights.
At the forefront stood a knight commander in dazzling golden armor, with subordinate commanders and regular members behind him.
Aside from the knight commander, the rest were in conquest attire, firmly laced sports bras and leggings. Thanks to that, their faces were entirely visible. They seemed to not even know why they were called here.
We couldn’t break the command to wait in front of the Central Hall, so we took our places beside Aurora. The knight commander from the Golden Dusk Knights turned his head our way.
After staring at us, especially at me, for a long while, he bluntly spoke up.
“Why are you here?”
His voice reeked of annoyance, and he spoke in a way that made it clear he was looking down on us. It was easy to predict the expression behind his helmet.
I couldn’t not guess why he suddenly acted that way.
In the game, he showed a strict and solemn demeanor during our first meeting, but as players leveled up, he gradually revealed jealousy and inferiority.
After all, he was the one who colluded with the former lord to dismantle the Silver Dawn Knights, feeling jealous that they were performing better than his own knights. His original personality wasn’t going anywhere.
Thinking back to how he had been focusing on me, it seemed he felt inferior to the rumors that I fought against a Dragon.
‘I can’t believe it…’
Even I found it hard to believe he’d be that purely personality-deficient. But recalling his actions in the game, the possibility was ample.
And if he couldn’t change that personality until the end… he would die by my hands.
The story seems to dictate that.
“Who do you think you are to pick a fight so early in the morning—”
“Wait a moment, Claudia.”
Aurora interrupted Claudia, who was about to step forward with a furious face. She crossed her arms under her chest and glared at the knight commander.
“You sure talk a good game, don’t you?”
“……”
Uncomfortable, he turned his head back to where it was originally. But Aurora wasn’t someone who would let that slide easily.
“Why are you turning away? I’m talking to you. Are you ignoring me?”
“…No.”
“Then look over here. Quickly.”
He turned his gaze back to Aurora. Due to the golden helmet he wore, I couldn’t read his expression, but it certainly didn’t appear pleasant.
“What did you just say? You asked why we were here, right? Is that correct?”
“…Yes.”
“Interesting. Are you trying to rebel against my aunt?”
“What do you mean by that?!”
He jumped up as if rejecting that absurd leap of logic.
Even we, who had been quietly listening, as well as the subordinate commanders and regular knights, were wide-eyed, but Aurora continued without batting an eyelid.
“Why? Am I wrong? Why else would we come here? Other than being summoned by his Majesty the Emperor? But you just asked why we came, right? That implies you doubt the Emperor’s decision. Am I wrong?”
“……”
That was nonsensical logic.
However, considering Aurora’s special position as a member of the royal family and the knight commander’s capricious personality, that nonsensical reasoning could realistically get someone’s head chopped off.
They themselves had previously dissolved the Silver Dawn Knights with nonsensical reasoning, hadn’t they? Even if the help of the former lord was involved.
Aurora knew that fact, which is why she openly picked at him, making unreasonable demands. “Aren’t you going to apologize to us, even after all of this?”
“…I absolutely didn’t mean to say that. I apologize.”
“Why are you apologizing to me? Shouldn’t there be someone else you’re apologizing to?”
For a moment, his tightly clenched fist trembled. Lize, who was next to me, snickered.
“…I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention.”
“Good. Now get going. Be careful with your words from now on.”
“…Yes.”
He apologized to us, and Aurora waved him off as if bestowing a favor. As soon as the knight commander turned away, Aurora snorted with laughter.
“Wasn’t that the one who came to shadow Delta before? To say such words right in front of the Central Hall, he’s got some guts. How many people in this empire lost their heads for a single wrong word?”
As the knight commanders nodded and seemed about to say something, a thud of a dull impact echoed, followed by a brief scream. Startled, we turned toward the Golden Dusk Knights.
“We have to meet the Emperor soon, and you’re ruining the lineup? You foolish bastard!”
A subordinate commander was swaying on his feet, the left side of his face swollen red as if he had been slapped. A trickle of blood oozed from between his tightly shut lips.
“I apologize, Commander.”
The hapless subordinate, who had been slapped out of nowhere, bowed his head and returned to his place. The atmosphere turned icy in an instant. They anxiously glanced between each other, gauging their commander’s reaction.
‘That guy’s completely nuts, huh?’
The nominal reason was that he disrupted the lineup, but I had clearly observed everything. The subordinate had stood still while the commander, unable to control his frustration, had lashed out at anyone.
Honestly, when I first saw him in the castle, I thought he was just a muscle-brained idiot with stats focused solely on strength, since he was actually following my tail 24/7 under orders to monitor me.
But now I realized the behavior he displayed in the castle was merely because he thought he was superior, needing to hide his true nature. His true character was still rotten.
“Doing crazy stuff right in front of the Central Hall can get your head chopped off. What a pity.”
That aside, Aurora mumbled with amusement.
How long had the atmosphere been cold since then? Without anyone touching, the doors to the audience chamber slowly began to open on both sides.
It seemed like a silent signal to enter, as the knight commander of the Golden Dusk Knights stepped inside first, closely followed by the subordinate commanders and other knights.
Our turn was next. Aurora went in first, followed by the knight commanders in order from Claudia to Erica. Of course, I was last.
I stepped carefully, and.
‘……’
I locked eyes with Kaiquilia, who was staring at me blatantly.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.