Chapter 67

A teacup was placed on the empty space of the desk. Despite being urged to drink the warm tea, Viela's body remained cold at its core.

"Seems like I scared you quite a bit. Why didn't you stop Lord Viela? You were supposed to be in charge of monitoring, but you deliberately let her hear it, didn't you?"

Leban asked the patrol guard standing behind Viela.

"Yes. There are only a few days left before the alert network reaches this city, which is too short to call it a grace period. To ensure the plan's success, I thought it would be better for Lord Viela to act more quickly. Besides... she seemed to have noticed the plan. I thought it was necessary to take control of the situation."

"I see, I was too lenient. But Lord Viela is not our target for revenge. Rather, there's a possibility that she could become an ally, so I can't afford to give her a bad impression. From now on, please consult with me before taking action."

"I apologize."

The patrol guard wore a solemn expression and took a step back. However, he was still close enough to subdue Viela if she made any sudden moves.

"Well, Lord Viela... do you have any grievances with His Majesty?"

"Is that related to the motivation for wanting to解除大结界? Do you hate His Majesty, Lord Leban?"

"Yes, I do. A king who exploits people's efforts and talents and then discards them when they are no longer useful. He thinks nothing of the lower nobility and commoners. The war five years ago was particularly brutal—"

During the war, Leban led a team in the Barrier Division, working to repair the barrier stones that had been destroyed or deactivated by the neighboring country. He coordinated with the palace knights to protect the barrier stones.

However, one day, the enemy began using the worst possible tactic—imbuing the barrier stones with a spell that attracted monsters. Some of these monsters were beyond the knights' control. To protect his subordinates in the Barrier Division, Leban requested support from the Divine Beast Knights.

But no matter how much he pleaded, permission was never granted. Gerald, the commander of the knights at the time, tried to negotiate for even one or two knights, but the king and the supreme commander refused until the end. The priority was to withstand the wyvern attacks on the front lines and protect the capital, the heart of the country. They could not afford to be lured into a trap and disperse their forces. They even refused to send additional knights, let alone Divine Beast Knights.

The supreme commander of the knights at the time was a loyal dog of the king, issuing orders as the king pleased without listening to the voices of Gerald and the knights who knew the situation on the ground. There was no reinforcement. But they could not leave the barrier stones, which had been imbued with the monster-attracting spell, unattended. With this in mind, they faced the danger and worked to re-establish the barriers. As a result, many palace mages and knights, including Leban, were injured and forced to retire. Some even died.

"In war, sacrifices are inevitable. I tried to think of it as fortunate that my life was saved... but His Majesty trampled on people. While higher nobles who were injured were evaluated for their contributions and given new jobs and titles, those of us from lower noble families or common backgrounds were advised to retire as 'routine injury retirements.'"

"Such discrimination... really, by His Majesty?"

"Can you believe it? It was also convenient for creating vacancies to promote new, talented individuals. Our life-risking efforts were erased. Don't you think it's an incredibly cruel treatment?"

Leban pulled his lips tightly to the side, as if enduring his sorrow. Viela was speechless, gently gripping her necklace through her clothes.

(I had heard from Luch about the king's bad habits, but this is too much...)

I cannot agree with the plan to解除大结界, but I can understand why Leban hates the king.

"Lord Viela, don't you have a similar experience? While making you believe that you are given convenient jobs and your talents are valued, His Majesty is exploiting your talents. By the way, you are also being used for other purposes."

"What do you mean?"

"What happened to the Yubert territory after it was discovered that the mines were depleted and no longer profitable? The royal family abandoned it. On the other hand, there are records of large loans being provided for development in territories governed by dukes, marquises, and border counts. How do you feel about the Yubert family's contributions and loyalty being ignored?"

Honestly, I think the king is the worst. I want to change his mind and do something about it—realizing this, I was startled.

"Lord Leban, are you解除大结界 to correct the king's bad habits?"

"Correct. This plan was devised by a group of people who are dissatisfied with the monarchy. We will cause a major incident, declare ourselves as a revolutionary group formed due to the king's actions, and make the public realize how bad his actions have been. It is necessary to prevent future young people from being exploited and discriminated against."

When Leban said this, the servant and the patrol guard nodded in agreement, indicating that they were acting based on their own sense of justice.

"We cannot leave the king as he is. When you are interrogated, I will protect you by saying that you were coerced. We will ensure that you are not held responsible. So, please, will you lend us your strength?"

Leban extended his palm towards Viela. Viela stared at his hand, taking deep breaths repeatedly. But she still couldn't find her voice. Closing her eyes, she gripped her necklace even tighter, praying for courage from him—forcing herself to speak.

"I refuse! I do not want to cooperate with the解除大结界."

Lukas is using his retirement to create an opportunity to change the king's mindset. I know that Duke Ambrosh is also involved, and probably Director Dressel as well. I don't know the details, but I am certain that this is not the right way to use the anxiety of innocent citizens.

I want to believe that Lukas and the others can change the king's mind.

"Can't it be changed in a more peaceful way?"

"That opportunity has long passed."

"Can't we wait a little longer?"

As Viela pleaded, the temperature in Leban's green eyes continued to drop.

"Do you still have hope for the king? Two nights ago, we sent a threatening letter to the palace. The king will undoubtedly abandon a lower noble like you and focus on securing the palace. As evidence, no search knights have been dispatched to this city yet."

"..."

"Moreover, you cannot expect help from your beloved fiancé. I have received information that Lord Herring is under surveillance and essentially under house arrest. He is being held responsible for a griffin crashing into the palace and causing damage. This was likely orchestrated by the king to prevent the Divine Beast Knights from being dispatched, using other Divine Beast Knights to mislead."

Leban instructed the servant to place a file from the office in front of Viela. He flipped through the pages and stopped at the latest one. A newspaper clipping was pasted there, stating only that "a griffin crashed into the palace, causing partial damage." It was not specified which Divine Beast Knight the griffin was contracted to...

"Is Lord Luka being held responsible because he is the commander and thus in charge of the griffin at the palace?"

"It's a flimsy pretext, but the king can enforce it. However, they cannot publicly punish a hero, and Lord Herring does not want to tarnish his record. Due to the griffin incident and the kidnapping of his fiancée, he is taking a temporary leave of absence, ostensibly to rest and recover."

The king is going to such lengths to keep Lukas and the Divine Beast Knights within the palace—this thought crossed my mind, but after hearing Leban's story, it seemed plausible.

"Even so, I cannot cooperate. I have my pride as a mage."

I became interested in magic because it made me happy to help others, not to demean anyone.

"I wish we could have resolved this through discussion, but it's a pity. If not, I will have to make you submit physically."

At Leban's nod, the patrol guard placed a short sword against Viela's neck. While she was frozen in fear, the servant bound her hands and feet with shackles.

"Tomorrow, we will go to the site. If you cannot解除大结界, we will have the knights find you in silence later."

"..."

"Make sure to review the magic formula for the great barrier."

That night, Viela was locked in the research room under the supervision of the servant.