Chapter 22: Elysia Millicitan

Translated by Hikaru

Edited by Mel

“I’ve got the information.”

After school, I was on the rooftop listening to Chris’s voice while holding the『communication paper』to my ear.

“That’s great, you work fast. I didn’t expect to hear the results the day after I asked.”

“We are an intelligence agency. Even a first-year rookie can do this level of information gathering.”

I shuddered to think that a person from The Royal Defense Intelligence Bureau, the largest dark agency in the Kingdom of Terraria, would say that. It was seriously no joke. The bureau already has that many pipes.

“Then… tell me what you’ve learned about Elysia Milicitan.”

At my request, Chris paused for a beat before starting her report.

“First of all, it turns out that Milicitan is her mother’s last name. Her mother died shortly after Elysia was born, but… it does not matter now. The important thing is that Elysia had another name until a few years ago.”

“What’s the name?”

“Elysia Espeland. She’s the only daughter of the previous leader of The Knights of Orthodox.”

As soon as I heard that information, I understood. Elysia’s swordsmanship was a cut above the rest of her generation. That was clearly the result of a long period of study. She had probably been trained in sword fighting by her father. However―

“Is that all?”

“No way. With this level of information, I’m sure the higher-ups at your school have it.”

Apparently, there was more to this. I was relieved. Just knowing Elysia’s maiden name doesn’t mean anything.

“Do you know anything about her father, Gaul Espeland?”

“Yes. He was a knight who was particularly active in the Great War.”

“Yes. The Knights of Orthodox… played a spectacular role in the war. In particular, the previous leader of the group, Gaul, was so strong that he was nicknamed the Sword Demon, and it was said that his presence on the battlefield alone would increase the odds of winning the battle by 30%.”

“A hero indeed.”

So Elysia was the daughter of a hero, but that hero was no longer with us.

“Gaul was killed in the line of duty in May 1923. He served as a lord as the leader of a hero party. He fought with a limited number of companions to let the hero party escape. As a result, he died with honor.”

The death of Gaul had a great impact on the Kingdom of Terraria people. For the royal people, the Knights of Orthodox were the most active knight order during the Great War. Although the Knights of the King’s Guard also participated in the Great War, half of them were always assigned to the defense of the royal capital, as they had to prioritize the protection of the royal family. The other half were sent to protect Sophia Terraria, a member of the royal family and also a member of the hero party.

In return, the Knights of Orthodox struggled valiantly. In particular, the leader of the order, Gaul, made remarkable achievements. That was why many people were saddened by his death. There is a famous story that he died after serving as a leader in a retreating battle.

“But later, I discovered that there was something strange about the battle.”

I tightened my lips at Chris’s words.

“In the retreat, there were not only knights but also mercenaries hired temporarily. It seems that these mercenaries assisted Lord Gaul, but they all died as well. Strangely enough, however, the bodies of Gaul and those of the mercenaries were found in completely different places.”

“…It’s a retreating battle, so they must have fought on the move, right? Isn’t that why the bodies were misplaced?”

“The mercenaries’ bodies were located far from the retreat route. As if they were killed by other forces after leaving the front line.” Chris said.

“The mercenaries were hired by Robert Telgande, who was instructing the retreat at the time. And he’s suspected of…corruption.”

When I heard the information Chris had given me, I felt like clucking my tongue. It was a situation you often encounter when you work in an agency – the dark side of the country.

“Did you find any of Gaul items on the bodies of the mercenaries?”

“You’re right, that’s the correct answer. We found a sterling silver pendant on the mercenaries’ corpse. Upon examination, it turned out that the pendant was something that Gaul had cherished as it was a gift from his wife.”

“In other words, Gaul was stabbed in the back and killed not by the Demon King’s army, but by his mercenaries. And those mercenaries were also disposed of when they were no longer useful.”

“Yes. The mastermind is – I’m pretty sure it’s Robert. Probably, Gaul found out about Robert’s corruption. As a result, he was killed to keep his mouth shut. I’ve heard the story from Robert’s followers… There was a room in Robert’s mansion that his followers and even his family were not allowed to enter. Just before the retreat, they could hear Gaul and Robert arguing in that room.”

“It’s…confirmed.”

There was probably evidence of corruption in that room, and Gaul had seen it. I let out a sigh.

What a miserable end for the hero of the kingdom. The world really is filled with injustice. It was not just Gaul. The mercenaries were also victims.

Robert most likely framed the mercenaries as an enemy for some random reason and had his subordinate knights deal with them. Mercenaries were originally soldiers hired for money, not for trust. Even if the mercenaries confessed to the assassination of Gaul at the end of their lives, no one would believe them.

“So? What does this information have to do with Elysia?”

“It’s simple. It seems that a squire told Elysia what I just told you.”

I was at a loss for words.

It was ― what a stupid thing to say.

“It’s a slip of the tongue… he’s not gonna get away with it.”

“It’s too much information for a single squire to carry on his own. I guess he couldn’t help but want to talk to someone. But…now we also know that Robert is terribly worried. The man seems to have made a lot of enemies by spreading his corruption too far.”

“Is that why he asked the Bureau to escort him on the road?”

“That’s the reason why.”

I remembered what Chris had told me before. The bureau had been entrusted to escort Robert on his way to the royal capital. I let out a deep sigh and ran my hand over my forehead. This finally made me realize the true reason for Elysia’s strange behavior.

“Is Elysia’s goal revenge against Robert?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s the case.”

“…Is Robert aware of Elysia’s movements?”

“No, he shouldn’t have noticed. Now that he’s dealt with Gaul and the mercenaries who were responsible for killing Gaul, he thinks he’s covered up the evidence of corruption perfectly.”

In reality, however, the squire overheard the exchange between Robert and Gaul, which was then relayed to Elysia.

“…If Elysia killed Robert, what do you think would happen?”

“As you may have guessed, The Knights of Orthodox won’t keep quiet. The head of the current Duke of Telgande, Kreis Telgande, trusts his brother Robert. If they find out that Robert was killed by someone, they will definitely send the Knights to retaliate.”

“It’s dirty work for The Knights of Orthodox.”

“A knight will never disobey his lord’s orders, even if it means doing dirty work. I’m sure he’ll do it, but he’ll do it while hiding his true identity so as not to lower the image of the Knights. Robert has an ostensibly good reputation, so even if he doesn’t move the Knights, it’s possible that other parties will plot retaliation.”

It was too risky for an act of revenge. Even if Elysia succeeded in her revenge, the chances of her surviving afterward were close to zero. Even if she accused Robert of corruption, others would not believe her. It would be treated as a crime committed by a daughter who resented her father’s death in battle.

“By the way, is the Bureau going to act on this?”

“You mean, are we going to target Robert? No comment. I can’t tell you that.”

He had heard some very sensitive information a while ago, but she was not allowed to tell him what the Bureau was doing. Perhaps the Bureau knew about Robert’s corruption, but just because someone is guilty doesn’t mean they should be dealt with immediately. No matter how serious the crime, it may be beneficial for the country to let him live. The bureau works entirely for national security. It is not driven by right and wrong. If there is any use for Robert, it would probably tolerate corruption.

“Thank you, Chris.”

I got the information I needed.

“You owe me one.”

“I know.”

I cut off communication with Chris and let out a sigh.

“I’ll just have to try to persuade her to let it go…”

It was selfish, but.. Elysia was already a part of my ordinary life. I had no intention of letting my friend die. I need her to call off the plan at all costs.