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“Why did you bring that child here?”

“He’s the fiancé of the youngest princess. He deserves to be here.”

“Is there anyone here who doesn’t know that engagement is a sham?”

“Duke Kairos, you’ve just misspoken.”

“Hmph. More importantly, this is a royal meeting for internal matters. How can you carelessly allow a foreigner in?”

“He is part of our family now. We cannot simply reject him as a foreigner.”

Neither Duke Herman nor Duke Kairos were willing to give an inch. At that moment, the new king stepped in to mediate.

“Let’s set aside personal feelings for now.”

Terry Kun Hart.

Although his coronation was scheduled for the afternoon, the second prince’s official duties began today.

‘Oh, he’s quite impressive.’

I whistled inwardly at the sight. Fortunately, unlike Melio II, this fellow didn’t seem to be the two-faced type that schemed with a smile.

Well, the nobles of this country aren’t fools. They must have been willing to take the risk since they had a solid alternative.

“Ahem.”

Not wanting to make a bad impression on the new king from the start, Duke Kairos backed down.

“Let’s resolve urgent matters first. What should we do about the Empire?”

“We must send them back, Your Majesty.”

Duke Kairos’ response was the start. The other grand nobles agreed as well. There was no conflict of opinion.

They must be sent back. There was unanimous agreement without a single dissenting voice.

‘But how?’

That was the real issue. At my glance, Duke Herman subtly nodded his head.

“First, let’s summon the concerned party.”

I had advised Duke Herman beforehand. No matter how bold you are, politics is ultimately about creating justifications.

When the host is this uncomfortable, they can’t just stubbornly stand their ground without any justification.

‘Well, since it’s the Empire, they might do just that.’

If it came to that, they could be driven out by force.

“I believe it’s only proper to hear why they refuse to leave.”

“……Indeed, that would be wise.”

Terry Kun Hart, who had maintained a stern expression, immediately ordered the head steward.

“Bring in Count Kaiman.”

“At your command, Your Majesty.”

It didn’t take long.

Soon, a man with a noticeable scar across his cheek walked in, as if he had been waiting for this moment.

“Congratulations on your coronation, Your Majesty. The position suits you well.”

“Thank you, Count.”

“In the afternoon, I will formally present His Imperial Majesty’s gift.”

“Your sentiments are more than enough.”

After the formal greetings were out of the way, Terry Kun Hart’s eyes narrowed.

“I hear you wish to remain in the palace even after the coronation, Count.”

“……!”

The grand nobles’ eyes flashed with interest. Terry Kun Hart was certainly different from his father. If it were his father, he wouldn’t have dared to ask such a direct question.

“……”

Count Kaiman, who had been staring at the throne for a moment, soon smiled.

“It seems we are causing you discomfort.”

“To be honest, yes.”

At this point, even I was impressed.

‘It seems I don’t need to intervene.’

As I was thinking that, Count Kaiman began to explain.

“We are not entirely oblivious, Your Majesty. We know that it would be inappropriate for the source of discord to be present at a meeting meant to foster goodwill.”

“If you’re aware of that, then why?”

“We simply ask for Your Majesty’s understanding.”

“Did you just say ‘understanding’?”

“In our Empire, we have an information organization called ‘The Crescent Moon’.”

The Crescent Moon. Indeed, there was such an organization.

‘An ultra-large intelligence organization directly under the Emperor.’

Its information network extended throughout the continent. Once, I asked Narakas about the current capabilities of the Crescent Moon.

“The private organization of the reigning Emperor is in no way inferior in its intelligence-gathering ability to our Mask of Night.”

That was Narakas’ reply at the time.

“Recently, the Crescent Moon received a piece of intelligence.”

“What kind of intelligence?”

“The leader of Verdant Vale, the group of bandits, was recently spotted in this vicinity.”

Terry Kun Hart’s eyes widened.

“Did you just say ‘Verdant Vale’?”

“I certainly did, Your Majesty.”

A groan escaped from the new king.

“As you know, Verdant Vale is an enemy of the entire continent. If left unchecked, they will eventually stir up public unrest with their banditry in any country. Especially their leader, whom we have been pursuing for a long time.”

“Where was this leader last seen?”

“Death Valley. In the Hart Kingdom, it’s known as the Black Swan.”

Hold on. Why does that name sound familiar?

‘Isn’t that my territory?’

Flash!

The realization hit me, and I raised my hand. It was to request permission to speak.

“……Do you have something to say?”

Terry Kun Hart’s stern gaze turned to me.

“Coincidentally, that happens to be my territory.”

“What?”

“On my way to the territory I was granted, I was kidnapped by slave traders, which led to my current predicament.”

Duke Kairos, who had quietly approached the throne, confirmed that what I said was true.

“Since I acquired a knighthood in the Hart Kingdom, I have become something like a dual citizen, but that area is still my domain. So, I believe…….”

I deliberately trailed off and looked at Count Kaiman.

“……It would be appropriate for me, as the person involved, to handle this matter.”

“What? You?”

“Whether I confirm the rumors or capture the leader, as long as that’s resolved, doesn’t that mean the Empire will leave?”

Count Kaiman, who had been observing my actions, nodded with a smile.

“Of course. But are you sure, Your Highness? You may not know, but the leader of Verdant Vale is a Master.”

“……I will lead three knight orders to accompany him.”

As if he had been waiting, Marquis Foltaine spoke up.

“He is still a child, even though he is a knight of our country. He must be accompanied by a guardian, don’t you think?”

“……”

His voice was very subdued. Surprisingly, no one opposed this.

‘They must know about the story involving the bandits and Marquis Foltaine.’

After all, Marquis Foltaine lost his child because of Verdant Vale.

Thud.

At that moment, someone grabbed my shoulder. I turned to see Duke Herman.

“……Both of you, this isn’t a matter that should be discussed so lightly.”

“……?”

“As Count Kaiman already mentioned, the current leader of Verdant Vale is……”

Count Kaiman finished the sentence.

“……Also a traitor to our Empire.”

“A traitor…… to the Empire?”

I reflexively asked in confusion.

“Yes. He was once one of the five heroes who unified the Empire and was known as the most capable advisor of the great hero Ancelot. Trevor, the Swordsman of Illusions.”

“……!”

For a moment, I felt something heavy crash down inside me.

“……You. Say that again?”

Forgetting that I was in a formal setting, I couldn’t help but ask in disbelief.

As soon as I returned to my room, I immediately searched for him.

“Narakas! Where are you, you bastard!?”

“You called?”

Fortunately, Narakas was hiding in my room as usual, like a rat.

“You knew, didn’t you?”

“Knew what?”

“Who the leader of Verdant Vale, those bandit scum, really is.”

“……”

His silence was as good as confirmation. Narakas didn’t offer any response.

“How am I supposed to trust you anymore?”

“……If you’re frustrated, get stronger. The rules of our organization are clear. We don’t provide information that our clients can’t handle, even if it kills us.”

“Fine. Then today, you’ll die at my hands.”

I stormed towards him.

“Spill everything you know, if you don’t want to die.”

Even as I advanced, my mind was racing. First, Bastion wasn’t the traitor. The circumstances surrounding the records left at the grave make it clear it wasn’t him.

Second, what about Raven, who developed the White Flame Burst Poison? Considering the situation during the betrayal, it’s possible.

After all, he hadn’t activated his mana hole at the time. But it doesn’t feel right. He developed a deadly, odorless poison near the end of the Imperial Unification War, a creation so terrifying it even chilled me to the bone.

If he wanted to kill, he could have used that poison. There was no reason for him to go through the trouble of taking hostages.

Third, Urha, the Swordsman of the Waves. He’s straightforward. Pure and upright, like a clear mountain stream.

That’s why, like Bastion and his blind loyalty, I judged him least likely to be the traitor from the start.

That leaves two.

If Trevor is now the leader of a mere bandit gang and considered a traitor to the Empire, then……

“……Was the traitor Zion?”

Surprisingly, Narakas shook his head when he heard me mutter to myself.

“Zion, the Swordsman of Mana. It’s not certain. That’s why I didn’t say anything.”

“What?”

“We don’t provide information that would only confuse our clients. That’s another rule of our organization.”

Narakas stared intently at me.

“You’re probably thinking that out of the five, the one who’s still ‘doing well’ must be the traitor, right?”

That’s exactly what I was thinking.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but none of the five are ‘doing well’.”

“What……?”

“Though their deaths aren’t known, the last known whereabouts of all five weren’t exactly favorable.”

“……!”

Shock hit me like a hammer to the back of my head.

“Have you ever considered that your hypothesis might be wrong from the start?”

“What do you mean?”

“Maybe there isn’t a traitor at all. You said you saw it in the records left by the Great Hero, but……”

I shook my head without hesitation.

“No, there is definitely a traitor.”

“Why do you think that?”

It was just a feeling. The situation before I died told me so. But I couldn’t explain that to this guy.

“……The swordsmanship of those five close aides that’s spread across the continent. That’s the proof.”

“……I see……”

Finally, Narakas nodded.

“Swordsmen never willingly give up their secret techniques. No one can steal knowledge from their minds. So, there must be a traitor.”

This was something I could be sure of, given my own experience. Most of the swordsmen I faced during the war were like that.

The knowledge in my head either came from books I stumbled upon or was something I developed on my own.

“What if they were threatened?”

“They’d bite their tongues and die before they handed over their secret techniques under duress. It’s more likely they entrusted them to someone they trusted.”

“……That does make sense.”

The conversation ended there because Narakas had made his stance clear.

“Hah…… Fine. When have I ever just sat around waiting for someone else’s help?”

“……?”

“I’ll just find out for myself.”

With that, I stormed out of the room.

***

At the royal coronation, even middle and lower nobles of the rank of count and below attend. Thanks to this, Jan, Harun, and Kirian had all entered the palace.

I summoned them to the grand training ground. Somehow, Winley heard the news and rushed over as well.

“……Everyone.”

“Huh?”

“We’re about to have our first real battle.”

The four of them opened their eyes wide at my words.

“Real battle……?”

“We’re going to go crush some bandits. They’ll be the perfect opponents for our first real fight, don’t you think?”

“……!”

Soon, all of their eyes sparkled without exception.

“This should be fun!”

“Yeah. It sounds like a good opportunity.”

Harun and Kirian responded one after the other.

“……Wait.”

On the other hand, the more practical Jan frowned.

“We’ve got the King’s coronation this afternoon and a diplomatic mission in two weeks. Are we really going to skip out on such important events to go chase down some bandits?”

“That’s none of our concern, is it?”

“……You bastard. How can you say that with such a straight face?”

Jan’s face was completely crumpled in displeasure.

“Am I wrong? Princess.”

“……!”

At that moment, Winley, who was pointed out, flashed a bright smile, baring her teeth.

“Of course! It’s none of our concern!”

“Good.”

I nodded in satisfaction.

“And you may not know, but this mission is actually part of ensuring that the diplomatic visit goes smoothly.”

“I don’t really get it, but…… I’ll do whatever you decide, Master!”

“Right, Harun. We’ll crush those bandits and be back in two weeks.”

In two weeks, I will meet Trevor. I’ll hear the hidden truths of history directly from him.

“Just so you know, our destination is the Black Swan.”

***