Chapter 143

“What… do you mean by that?”

“I mean they were annihilated. Three hundred years ago, the main figures of the Hawkbat Family were all wiped out at once.”

“Why on earth… No, rather, I’ve never heard of such a thing before…”

“Yeah, of course not.”

Jason nodded as if it were only natural.

“Because it wasn’t recorded in history.”

“…Was the record erased?”

“Mm, you could call it record erasure, but it’s a bit unusual. Because those records… were erased by the remaining members of the Hawkbat Family themselves.”

At Jason’s words, I felt even more confused.

So the record erasure… was done by their own hands?

“Could you tell me the full story, please?”

“I’d love to, but to be honest, I don’t know much either. Actually, not just me — none of our family members do. Even my father, the current head, doesn’t know the details. Still, from what little we do know…”

Jason paused to gather his thoughts, then continued.

“Three hundred years ago, for reasons unknown, the key figures of our family were all killed in a single incident. After that, the remaining members destroyed every trace of it — all evidence, all documents, all records.”

“…Why did they do that?”

Jason shrugged.

“I don’t know. Nobody does. The survivors from 300 years ago never told anyone what happened back then. Not only that, but they also strictly forbade their descendants from ever trying to find out. So for generations, the Hawkbat Family never investigated the incident.”

It was the first time I’d heard any of this.

I thought I knew everything about the Hawkbat Family’s background, yet there was something this massive hidden away.

“Then, about 150 years after that incident — so roughly 150 years ago from now — the head of the Hawkbat Family at the time started feeling suspicious about what had happened and began investigating it. And… it didn’t end well.”

“What happened?”

“About a month after starting his investigation, he suddenly stopped it completely. At the same time, he warned the rest of the family never to look into the matter — the same way the survivors had warned their descendants 300 years ago. Then, a few years later, that head began to lose his sanity bit by bit… and eventually died a miserable, painful death. And…”

As I listened to Jason, something about it felt oddly familiar.

Something… similar to another case.

“Wait. Sir Jason, that head from 150 years ago — did he, by any chance, experience painful seizures whenever he tried to speak about it?”

“…How do you know that?”

Jason’s gaze changed instantly.

It was the sharpest, most dangerous look I’d ever seen from him.

“That’s something only our family knows. How could you possibly know that?”

“…I’ll explain later. But please, could you finish your story first?”

“Mm, fine. But there’s not much else. After that head 150 years ago, nobody in our family ever tried to investigate what happened 300 years ago. Everyone just tried to forget it. In fact, some members don’t even know such an event ever took place.”

Jason let out a small, bitter laugh.

“I only learned about it because my grandfather happened to mention it when I was little. If he hadn’t told me, I’d probably have gone my whole life never knowing anything about it.”

“Three hundred years ago… that was when the study of Ancient Studies was cut off…”

“Right. Most of the people who should have known everything were wiped out — except for a few survivors. It wasn’t a coincidence. So, Gideon.”

Jason placed a hand on my shoulder.

His eyes — though not as intense as before — still held a dangerous glint.

“I told you my story, so now it’s your turn. Just to check — is this related to that talk you had in your dorm before the semester started?”

“…It is. I was planning to tell you slowly, maybe a few months later, but… it seems better to explain it now.”

After hearing this from Jason, I could no longer exclude him.

In a way, he and I were now in the same boat.

“But it’s a bit of a long story. I’ll tell you after class.”

“Yeah, that’s better. The break’s almost over anyway. Then after class, let’s talk somewhere quiet.”

“Yes, that’s fine. But before that… Sir Jason, are you sure about this?”

“Hm? About what?”

“You said the previous head who investigated the Hawkbat incident… didn’t end well, right? Something like that could just as easily happen to you…”

“You’re right. It could.”

Jason chuckled and nodded.

As if it were nothing.

“But seeking the truth, becoming the eyes and ears of the Imperial Family — that’s what it means to be a Hawkbat. Even if it costs our lives, we must uncover the truth and report it to His Majesty the Emperor. That’s our family’s duty.”

Then, placing his other hand on my shoulder, Jason added,

“Unlike the head from 150 years ago, I think I can reach the truth.”

“What makes you think that?”

“Because I have you. That head back then was alone, but I have you by my side.”

“Mm…”

I couldn’t think of what to say and trailed off.

Seeing me like that, Jason laughed heartily.

“My gut tells me — as long as I have you, we can safely reach that truth. And not to brag, but my instincts in matters like these… they’re usually right.”

“…I see.”

“Gideon, wait a second. Let’s organize what you’ve just told me.”

After all the classes had ended,

I brought Jason to my dorm room.

And there, I told him everything I had found out — without leaving out a single detail.

“So your family and ancestors were erased from history?”

“Yes. Most likely, my family’s name was different a few hundred years ago. But that name disappeared along with the Record Erasure Sentence.”

“And your family was deeply connected to the Other Races?”

“Yes. During the vacation, I confirmed that the Other Races still revere my ancestors as eternal friends and leaders.”

“…You’ve gotten yourself involved in something far more interesting than I expected.”

Jason let out a dry chuckle, then fell silent for a moment.

After gathering his thoughts, he spoke again.

“So to sum it up — hundreds of years ago, your ancestors were involved in some sort of incident. That incident wasn’t recorded in history, and the Other Races know what happened, but because of the Evil God and Evil Dragon, they can’t reveal the truth, right?”

“Yes. To be precise, they said a curse was cast. The curse… whenever they try to convey anything about that event, in any way…”

“…They’re overwhelmed by unbearable pain. And suffer seizures as if they’re about to die.”

Jason nodded slowly, his expression showing understanding.

“That’s exactly what the head of our family from 150 years ago went through.”

“Do you think the Hawkbat Family’s incident is connected to my ancestors?”

“Yes, absolutely. I’m sure of it. The fact that both the Other Races and our former head suffered those same painful convulsions whenever they tried to speak — that’s no coincidence.”

I also nodded.

It didn’t seem like a coincidence to me either.

“Three hundred years ago, the main figures of the Hawkbat Family were all slaughtered. No one knows why, even now. I’ve always wondered who killed them — and why.”

“The Hawkbat Family has always been the family that knows everything about the Empire. Perhaps… they were killed because they knew too much.”

“…I think I understand what you’re implying. You’re saying our family was wiped out because we discovered the secret behind the incident your ancestors experienced?”

“The Other Races who knew that secret were cursed. And the key members of the Hawkbat Family who likely knew it back then — were slaughtered.”

“It fits perfectly.”

Just as Jason said — it all aligned too well.

It felt as if another piece of the scattered puzzle had fallen into place.

“Alright. So now we know why. The question is, who did it… those beings — the Evil God and the Evil Dragon?”

“The Evil God Bedir and the Evil Dragon Suiroti. Among all the Ancient Beings I’ve studied, they’re the most likely candidates.”

“Bedir and Suiroti… I’ve never heard those names before. I’ll have to look into them myself.”

“If you plan to, please refer to this as well.”

I took out a notebook from my desk.

Then I showed him one of the drawings inside.

“What’s this? It looks like… a person engulfed in flames?”

“It’s said that the Apostles of Bedir bear this pattern — a branded mark like this one — on their bodies.”

“…I see. I’ll look into it. But still… this Evil God you mentioned — if he’s an Ancient Being, wouldn’t he no longer exist in the Empire? Would he even have Apostles left?”

Jason tilted his head as he asked.

I nodded in response.

“That’s what I’m wondering too. But just in case, I thought you should know.”

“Hmm, fair enough. Just in case.”

Jason studied the sketch I showed him again, scanning it quickly.

“Alright. I’ve memorized it. I’ll start investigating that Evil God and Evil Dragon.”

“Do you intend to inform the rest of the Hawkbat Family about this?”

“No, I won’t. I’ll handle it quietly on my own for now.”

Jason shook his head immediately.

“The head of our family 150 years ago made his investigation public to everyone. Personally, I think that was his downfall.”

“Because too many people found out…”

“And maybe it reached the ears of the Evil God. That’s probably how the curse came upon him.”

After replying, Jason frowned slightly.

“But if he was cursed 150 years ago… that means the Evil God was still active in the Empire 150 years ago, doesn’t it? Then how was the curse cast? Could there really be an Apostle of that Evil God still within the Empire?”

“I was planning to find that out next. I originally meant to investigate alone, but if you’re willing to help me, Sir Jason…”

“It’ll be much easier than doing it alone. You came to the right person. I may not be good with swords, but I am quite talented when it comes to gathering information.”

Jason spoke playfully, then his tone turned slightly serious.

“But this story — besides you and me, does anyone else know about it?”

“Professor Kara knows almost everything, and Sir Roy… he only knows that I’m investigating Bedir and Suiroti.”

“Ah, Roy. Right, so that’s why you met him during the vacation — to research the Evil God and Evil Dragon, the Ancient Beings.”

Jason nodded deeply as if understanding now.

“Yes, that’s right. Other than those two and you, there’s no one else.”

“Surprising.”

Jason gave a small laugh as he looked at me.

“I thought you’d tell Lisa Noona before telling me.”

“I want to, but I still don’t know how dangerous this might be. I didn’t want to drag Lisa Noona into something that could put her at risk.”

“That’s a very you-like answer.”

Anyway— Jason said, changing the topic.

“There’s no rush to investigate this, right? We don’t have some deadline or anything?”

“No, there’s none. I was planning to take things slowly and safely from the start.”

“Good. Then leave the research on those two Ancient Beings to me. I’ll quietly look into them myself, so you should focus on what’s more important for now.”

“Is that alright? But… there isn’t really anything more important than—”

“I’m talking about the Academy Intercollegiate Tournament. The Academy Tournament.”

Jason chuckled as he patted my shoulder.

“Our overall representative should focus on that. Leave the information gathering to the professionals.”

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