ch21-ch40 · 035-ch35

Chapter 35: Secret Meeting at the Top of the Tower

Grandine leaves the chapel and emerges above ground.

This place was the Victory Memorial Hall in the capital of the Ceylo Kingdom. Simply calling it a memorial hall doesn't do its scale justice. Excluding the royal castle, it was one of the most prominent buildings in the capital.

And rightfully so—this memorial hall was proof of their battle against the Demon King's army, fighting for the survival of humanity, and their victory. It had become a veritable "Sacred Land of the Seven Knights," visited by pilgrims not only from the Ceylo Kingdom but from other countries as well.

While the underground chapel was restricted to a limited few, the first-floor exhibition hall above ground was open to anyone who paid the entrance fee. Today too, it was bustling with many tourists and aspiring knights visiting.

Ignoring the bustle, Grandine headed toward another building within the grounds.

Located a short distance from the main memorial hall was a tower shaped like a lighthouse.

In fact, the tower would light up at night, and people believed it showed the will of the Seven Knights protecting the capital.

Just like the underground area, this tower was off-limits to anyone but authorized personnel. Grandine entered and climbed the spiral staircase upward.

And then, the top floor of the tower. Right beside the massive lighting apparatus that illuminated the capital, the man was waiting.

"Making me come all the way to a place like this... You should consider the trouble it takes to climb up here."

Grandine complained before even greeting him. The man, backlit by the sunlight from outside, seemed to smile faintly.

"My apologies... Hearing that Rokuro is alive, perhaps I was feeling a bit sentimental."

"Even you have moments like that? Thinking of your former comrades, of all things."

"Thinking of comrades? ...That's not it. What pains me is the fact that someone who obstructs my dream exists."

The man turned his back to Grandine, gazing out at the capital spreading below the tower... and then at the royal castle.

"...I've come so close, just one step away. I must eliminate those who stand in my way."

"Rokuro and his daughter, I suppose."

The man didn't answer, silently continuing to watch the scenery.

Grandine knew this man well. For someone of his stature, achieving that ambition should only be a matter of time.

But that's why she finds it strange. Leaving aside the Black Knight, his daughter—a half-blood with someone from another world—should be a presence not worth fearing.

And yet, he seemed to fear the daughter even more than the Black Knight himself.

"...Don't ask unnecessary questions, Ria. You need only follow my orders and move our subordinates."

"I understand... But as the one who oversees the Underz, there's something I need to ask to plan our future course... Are you sure it was right to dispose of Mandarin? Even that was certainly an important combat asset. The enemy isn't just the Black Knight, you know."

"...I don't mind."

The man turned back and said without so much as twitching an eyebrow.

"Sooner or later, when this country becomes mine, the knight order will all be mine as well. There will be no meaning in having forces to check the other Seven Knights."

In the end, this man only thinks of the Underz as expendable pawns.

"You're as cold as ever. Even the Black Knight kept his enemy, Mandarin, alive."

"Fuhahaha, you know nothing about Rokuro."

Grandine was so surprised by the man's rare, clear laugh that she blinked several times.

"Don't tell me you intend to say that he's just a soft-hearted person and that's why he spared his enemy? There's no way that's the case."

"Is that not so?"

"No! ...If Mandarin hadn't returned, what would we have done? We would have assumed he was probably killed by the Black Knight, sent in more soldiers, and planned to gather information and search for and eliminate the Black Knight. But, by knowing that 'the Black Knight is alive,' we were able to avoid sending more troops than necessary. Moreover, now that we know he can even Merge, sending in small fry is meaningless. We would send only the elite."

After saying that much, the man bit his lip as if in frustration.

"...He deliberately let Mandarin live and return with information to avoid the trouble of having to cut down numerous soldiers. To protect his daughter efficiently, that is... Got it? Absolutely never look down on him or underestimate him. I know of no other knight who can fight so rationally and coldly."

To Grandine, this seemed less a warning and more like an outpouring of suppressed emotions.

Just what could have happened between this man and Rokuro in the past?

"Understood. I'll stop thinking he's soft... Then, on the next day of rest, who from the Underz should we send? With their eiyōso amounts, we can only send two or three people at once, though."

"From the Underz, we'll send one person."

"One person? Isn't that too dangerous? Didn't you just say 'Don't underestimate the Black Knight'?"

Melkid of the Underz had already been defeated. Grandine believed it would be difficult to defeat the Black Knight without sending at least two people.

"Don't misunderstand. I'm saying one person from the Underz."

"Eh?"

The man approached the confused Grandine and whispered as if to her ear.

"Arrange it with the prime minister. We'll have Lord Lime go."

"Lord Lime!?"

For a moment, she thought she must have heard wrong, but the man nodded.

"He admired Satchio the most. If he learns that Rokuro is alive, he'll surely try to strike him down with his own hands."

"The White Knight... 'White Hero' Satchio... But, what if Lord Lime believes Rokuro's side of the story?"

The man dismissed Grandine's concern with a sneer.

"Hmph, do you really think that stubborn man would doubt the royal castle's announcement... Well then, I'll leave the prime minister to you. As for the Underz... let's see, we'll send Fuchsia. He's the most suitable ability-wise."

With just that, the man left Grandine behind and quickly descended the stairs.

Watching his back disappear in a daze, Grandine thought.

"...You're calm and skilled in strategy. But a woman's heart is much more complex. Do you understand that...?"

Her sweet sigh was enveloped by the evening sunlight, which was beginning to turn the color of mandarin oranges, and melted away.

　　〜　First Act 'Ai and Papa', End　〜