Chapter 37

"What the hell is this...?"

Wait, hold on.

‘Let’s think logically.’

Based on what I’ve observed over the past month,

Lug always had his reasons for what he did.

He convinced the captain to let him come along here under the pretext of managing me.

This means he didn’t bring this lady here for no reason.

"Hmm, you seem to be making an interesting deduction. Why don’t you tell me directly? Who knows, I might be able to help."

I could do that.

"…Right now, you’re not in your Morian form but have returned to your original appearance. That means you used a different spell, right?"

In a transformed state, you can’t use other spells. This is based on the fundamental theory of magic that different spells cannot coexist in the same state.

This is why wizards value magical tools; they can be used even in a transformed state.

"And you brought this woman into the cabin. There must have been a purpose beyond just making her unconscious."

Lug stared at me intently. I continued confidently.

"Lastly… you’ve been acting suspiciously for a few days. You probably spent a lot of time and effort on this woman. Yesterday, you went out separately, saying you had an appointment, right?"

"You can come up with some cute logic. So, what’s your conclusion?"

"You’ve fallen for this woman."

Lug’s expression turned cold.

The atmosphere was so tense that I hurriedly tried to explain.

"Just kidding. The conclusion is that you already knew this woman. How about that?"

"You almost had it, but you stumbled."

What? Not true?

I looked at the woman, who appeared to be a noble lady, with a strange gaze.

If not, what’s the problem?

With Dian Ket’s information, there’s no need to knock out a weak-looking woman to get it.

"…Could it be that this woman threatened you first?"

"Exactly, that was the plan."

Ah, that was a clear hint.

"So, this woman is an assassin."

Knock, knock.

A quiet knock sounded. Instinctively, I put my hand on my empty right hip.

"Excuse me. The Black Lagal has docked at Irygel. Please come out when the disembarkation preparations are complete. We will guide you to the bedroom of the Irygel villa."

"…Hmm. My wife just woke up, so it might take a while. It would be better if you waited below the airship."

"Understood."

Phew.

After dismissing the crew member, I lowered my voice and asked,

"Could it be that you came to assassinate me?"

"Maybe. At least, there’s a sinister goal. If you’re curious, why don’t you ask what it is?"

With a sardonic smile, Lug lifted the assassin’s head like a potato.

Suddenly, the assassin’s tightly closed eyes snapped open.

"Ah!"

A scream of pure terror erupted, and dozens of layers of magic energy overlapped on the assassin’s green eyes.

The thicker the layers of magic, the more blurred the focus of the eyes became.

I know this spell.

‘Mind Control Magic.’

It’s a high-risk spell, mostly designated as taboo, along with oaths.

"Want to ask?"

"…Did you bring her here for this?"

Lug shrugged instead of answering.

‘He doesn’t care about the taboo or anything.’

I don’t care much either, so I’ll let it go.

Kneeling in front of the assassin’s face, I quietly asked,

"What was your purpose for boarding the Black Lagal?"

The assassin, refusing to answer, shuddered and replied in a dying voice,

"Noble Council… surveillance…"

The target was the Noble Council, not Lug.

‘Hmm. I don’t want to get involved in unnecessary matters.’

I sighed and asked,

"Who’s the target?"

"Indeterminate… multiple…"

Multiple?

"Are there more of your kind hiding?"

"Twelve…"

Something’s off. Just for surveillance, hiding twelve assassins is excessive.

I looked at Lug. His eyes held a meaningful aura, indicating he was deeply displeased.

"What were the roles of the others besides you?"

"Th…is… place, ugh…"

The assassin’s mental resistance intensified.

Lug, chuckling, added more layers of magic energy over the assassin’s eyes. Now, the face was almost like an open-eyed corpse.

"Answer. What were the roles of the others besides you?"

Huff, huff.

The assassin, struggling to breathe, slowly moved his lips.

"Irygel villa… terrorism…"

The moment Lug let go, I rushed to the window.

Under the white moonlight, the Irygel villa stood majestically.

‘Oh no.’

Dozens of heads were entering the villa like a swarm of ants.

* * *

The wide corridor was filled with busy crew members.

Judging from the full luggage trays, most of the passengers on this deck had already disembarked.

Jin walked briskly through the crowd, heading for her destination. Her expression was as stern as always, but her mind was constantly replaying the events of a few minutes ago.

‘She was completely different from the swordsmen I’ve faced so far.’

Skill? Of course, that’s different. She lost even before the opponent drew her sword.

But Jin’s doubt was more fundamental.

‘The sword came from positions I never thought possible, and her movements were completely different from what I expected.’

This made her feel even more powerless, and she couldn’t stop replaying the duel in her mind.

What if she had swung her left hand instead of her right? What if her left foot’s balance was more perfect? What if she hadn’t blocked with her right shoulder out of habit?

‘…Sigh.’

The Sword Saint’s style is to overwhelm the opponent with an overwhelming skill difference.

In contrast, Viscount Weatherwood made her feel like he was toying with her in the duel.

Today’s duel was a shock to Jin in many ways, making her realize she had been a greenhouse flower.

‘But meeting Viscount Weatherwood is a stroke of luck for me.’

The Sword Saint announced he would step down from his dukedom within three years. It’s a well-known fact that the entire empire acknowledges he has chosen Garosh as his successor.

Jin knocked on the door of the Berkeley Greighton family to learn only the sword.

Moreover, the Sword Saint is not the type to keep a swordsman who failed in the succession battle as a disciple.

‘So, I must not let Viscount Weatherwood slip away.’

She will train tirelessly to aim for the pinnacle of the sword.

To Jin, who has lived her entire life with this goal, Viscount Weatherwood is a being who can offer her another path in swordsmanship.

When she came to her senses, Jin was standing in front of her teacher and adoptive father, the Sword Saint.

Despite arriving at the final stop, the eastern lake Irygel, there were still quite a few passengers in the cabin.

They must have wanted to hear the result of the duel with their own ears.

"Thank you, Your Grace."

She humbly returned the Sword Saint’s sword with both hands. Or rather, she tried to, but the owner didn’t seem to want to take it back.

He stared at Jin’s face, sitting cross-legged, and said,

"You have a very different expression from what I expected."

"I am ashamed."

Jagersee, holding a card, glanced at them and opened his mouth in surprise.

"Could it be… that Gray beat Miss Jin? No way, right?"

The murmurs in the cabin grew louder. However, the Sword Saint didn’t answer the man’s question.

With a thoughtful look, he slowly stroked his chin and casually asked Jin,

"Jin. How many moves did you give him?"

"It wasn’t me, but the opponent who gave in."

"How so?"

"He promised that if he swung his sword twice, it would count as my victory."

How arrogant! Someone shouted, and the Sword Saint’s head turned toward Jagersee.

"Jagersee Parulla."

"Y-Yes?"

"Did it look to you like the viscount didn’t really know how to use a sword?"

As if recalling something, Jagersee’s eyes narrowed.

But his response was firm, albeit a bit slow.

"It did look that way."

"Is that so? Thank you for your answer."

The Sword Saint, who had taken back the sword from Jin, stood up from his chair.

"Let’s go back. We arrived at Irygel earlier than expected. Everyone, we’ll meet on the ground, not in the sky, tomorrow morning."

The Sword Saint and Jin left the cabin first. It was a natural action that everyone could understand, given that the Black Lagal had arrived at Irygel.

However, Jin knew.

The Sword Saint did not allow her to declare her defeat.

He subtly silenced her.

He ignored Jagersee’s question about her defeat and left as if nothing had happened.

The Sword Saint was the type who wouldn’t stand by and watch his plans go awry. Jin’s defeat was undoubtedly an unexpected result from his perspective.

As soon as they returned to their private cabin, the Sword Saint asked,

"How did Viscount Weatherwood wield his sword?"