Chapter 59

“Hartain.”

At the voice calling him, Hartain answered with a beaming smile.

“Yes, Captain.”

“How did ‘Theo Lisitoel’ appear in your eyes?”

Fel had intentionally shown ‘Tan’ to Theo.

To Theo, who knew enough about the Church’s information to know the name of the Sword of Doctrine, Ferdiel Levian.

The reason? Well, he was curious.

You, who know Ferdiel, must also know the name of his loyal servant, Hartain. If so, could you figure out ‘Ferdiel’ and ‘Hartain’ from the names ‘Fel’ and ‘Tan’?

“He was certainly far from ordinary.”

He was far from ordinary to an almost excessive degree.

No matter how much of a genius magician he was, it is difficult to neutralize an opponent in a situation where direct attacks are impossible.

Even Hartain, a skilled Heretic Inquisitor, thought it would be difficult to subdue an opponent without attacking, but Lisitoel had done it.

Even though he had used the situation and his advantages, most would have been flustered and eliminated at the point of attack.

But far from being flustered, he subdued over 50 students alone with a bright smile that could even be seen as somewhat wicked.

Who would dare to call ‘that’ ordinary?

“Honestly, he’s very interesting.”

“And?”

Ferdiel, Hartain’s long-time close friend, knew that that wasn’t all he had to say.

“No matter how much he’s a scion of Evan Lisitoel, he’s too dangerous.”

Right, dangerous.

That’s probably the best way to describe him.

“Just looking at the people who gather around him, he’s dangerous.”

“Regardless of whether he’s a heretic or not, should we eliminate him?”

Ferdiel asked.

Nothing was reflected in his eyes, which had turned a perfect pure white from excessive use of holy power. But Hartain felt as if those eyes were seeing right through him.

“It would be good if we could use him.”

There was one problem.

A major problem that rendered all assumptions meaningless.

“Because if he thinks he’s being used, he seems like the type to go crazy and smash everything to pieces.”

From the one who used him to the one who profited from it, everything, without exception.

Hartain’s eyes are accurate.

Because he had to see in place of the blind Ferdiel.

Ferdiel trusted Hartain’s eyes completely.

“Then I guess we have no choice but to keep watching.”

“If that’s what the captain wishes.”

“So, what about my father? His patience must be running thin by now.”

“He’s as healthy as ever, and I think he might be sending trackers soon.”

A hint of contempt was laced in Hartain’s leisurely added words.

“Haha!”

Ferdiel, the person in question, burst out laughing.

Chuckling, Ferdiel reached out his hand. It was to pat Hartain’s head. But since he couldn’t see anything, his hand missed futilely.

Hartain decided to bring his head to his master’s hand for his awkward master’s sake.

“There is nothing in the world that can stop the captain. If there is, I will cut it down.”

“Right.”

“So, the captain should do as he pleases.”

It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that he existed for that purpose.

「My loyalty is now yours.」

The vow uttered by a young voice was still so vivid even after several years.

“Thank you.”

Hartain smiled at the sincerity felt in Ferdiel’s relaxed tone.

The Levians never thanked the Ignos for their loyalty.

Just as one doesn’t express gratitude for the sun rising every day, to the Levians, the Ignos’ loyalty was as natural as the course of nature.

But Ferdiel expressed his gratitude every time Hartain showed his loyalty.

As if it were a very embarrassing and grateful thing.

“Don’t mention it.”

Hartain liked that about Ferdiel.

“I’ll try approaching someone else.”

“Someone else?”

“Yes, Lerwon Viden. Ah, is it just Lerwon now?”

“Viden… isn’t that the surname of the master of Golden.”

The master of Golden was famous even in the Church.

Because she had ‘exchanged’ with the Levian family for quite a long time.

The Pope often dismissed the master of Golden as a greedy merchant, but he readily accepted the gold she offered.

The memory of the blood-red, greedy eyes he had once ‘seen’ in person did not make him feel very good.

“At the Academy, they call them the four heroes, I believe.”

“The four heroes…?”

It seemed that the students secretly called them that because the four of them, led by Lucian, the Descendant of the Hero, and including Theo Lisitoel, Zephyros Nevera, and Lerwon, often hung out together.

“For some reason, I haven’t seen his face even once since the Flowering Festival began.”

More accurately, since ‘Fel’ ran into Theo, no one has seen his face except for during classes.

“I have a feeling.”

A long-held feeling of a Heretic Inquisitor that there might be something there.

“Then since I’ve passed him the handkerchief, I’ll use that as an excuse to meet him one more time.”

“Do as you wish.”

As the master’s permission was granted, Hartain smiled brightly.

* * *

At this moment, the light blue handkerchief had never looked so resentful.

Why did I forget to return this? Am I an idiot?

“Are you okay?”

Seeing me looking dejected, Lucian asked cautiously, and Zephyros interjected.

“He dug his own grave, does he look okay?”

“Kyaaaaak!!”

Zephyros, you damn bastard!

Instead of comforting me, you’re fanning the flames after pouring oil on a burning house!

“Why are you so scared of a Heretic Inquisitor who isn’t even the Sword of Doctrine?”

“The problem is that he’s not just any Heretic Inquisitor.”

If there was someone in the Church I wanted to avoid more than the Sword of Doctrine, Ferdiel, I could confidently say it was Hartain.

Because that bastard is a real madman who wouldn’t hesitate to kill for Ferdiel’s sake.

I’d rather deal with someone who schemes deviously from behind.

“The moment he judges that I’m a threat to Ferdiel, my head and body will be separated, won’t they?”

“There’s no way he’s that reckless.”

“There is.”

Because the Ignos are raised ‘that way.’

That was the problem. Unlike the other Ignos who strictly obeyed their master’s orders and faithfully awaited their master’s command, Hartain was the type to choose and act on his own.

“If he judges that Lucian is a threat to Fel, he’ll try to kill him without a second thought, regardless of whether he’s the Descendant of the Hero or not.”

“Even if he’s the Descendant of the Hero?”

“Yeah, even so.”

If he could protect Ferdiel by setting his own life on fire, would he stop at just killing a hero? He’s the type who would try to kill the emperor somehow.

That’s why even Ferdiel, who could be called an incarnation of distrust, could trust Hartain and use him as his eyes.

“In other words, my life is on the line.”

Zephyros’s expression hardened as he realized the seriousness of the situation.

“Should I deliver it for you?”

Honestly, it was extremely tempting.

If I wanted to avoid Hartain, I really wanted to avoid him, but─

“You make me more anxious.”

“Are you dissing me?”

“I’m not dissing you, it’s just…”

For some reason, I feel like Hartain, like Ferdiel, can tell if someone is lying by their heartbeat.

The reason I’m sure of this is simple.

It was Hartain who completed Ferdiel, who was forcibly made a Heretic Inquisitor, into a proper Heretic Inquisitor.

“That’s how much of an unusual opponent Hartain is.”

“If you’re worried about a Heretic Inquisitor’s lie detection, that’s fine. I have the wind.”

“You can do that with the power of the wind.”

“Though I’ll be suspected.”

I see. I was tempted for a moment.

“Still, I’ll return it.”

Even if he’s a duke’s son, Hartain seems like the type to kill him without a second thought, so let’s not entrust it to him. It makes me anxious for some reason.

* * *

Every night at midnight, when the moon rises, Lerwon would take out the wooden clock and recite the words engraved on it.

“Remember that you too are nothing more than a human.”

A terrible pain made his fingertips tingle, but Lerwon’s face only showed a slight sweat on his forehead, and he didn’t waver in the slightest.

Compared to the times he was tortured under his mother, this was too ambiguous to be called pain.

Hoo. Lerwon took a deep breath and briefly looked out the window.

It seemed Zephyros was running a little late. Should I go get him? Lerwon got up from his seat, then sat back down in his chair.

“I guess I’ve gotten quite complacent.”

At first, Theo was worried about Lerwon, who had to be cooped up in his room all day, but that wasn’t a big problem for Lerwon.

But that was only at the beginning. Humans were certainly greedy creatures. Now that the pain that tormented his body was gone, he was feeling frustrated just by being cooped up in a room.

“If I were at Golden, this would be unimaginable.”

Lerwon looked at the pocket watch-shaped talisman that was bathed in the faint moonlight.

His body, which had always been screaming silently from his mother’s torture, was unprecedentedly comfortable.

When he was under Golden, even if his body was comfortable, he was anxious. Rather, the bug of anxiety was eating away at his mind.

Because Iris would always drive Lerwon to a more terrible pain for the period she had not inflicted pain.

“Haha.”

Could that moment truly be called ‘life’?

No, because it couldn’t, Lerwon had willingly chosen to become a monster, not a human.

“Sunbae! You must have been bored, right?”

The door opened, and three people came in in a rush.

“Hey! Don’t push!”

“I didn’t push you?!”

“Zephi, at this rate, Lucian is going to get crushed.”

“Don’t say such scary things!”

Theo shouted hastily, as if genuinely terrified.

“So how did the Flowering Festival scores turn out?”

He had heard that the three of them had been planning something closely.

He was worried when he heard that a Jiyeolgu would appear, but he thought it wouldn’t be impossible if Zephyros and Lucian moved according to Theo’s plan.

“We succeeded in catching it.”

“That’s amazing.”

“It was a difficult plan without Zephyros’s wind, though.”

Theo muttered.

“In the first place, to gather the explosive gas in the ground, it wouldn’t even be possible with ordinary wind.”

“If you know that, then treat me a little better!”

“You’re treated well enough by other people! We have to treat you a little roughly like this to maintain balance!”

“Balance for who!”

“Of course, a balance for treating you roughly!”

At Theo’s confident shout, Zephyros grabbed the back of his neck.

Lucian grabbed the back of his neck and laughed silently.

At the virtual agreement, Zephyros looked at Lucian with a betrayed expression.

“What about you, sunbae? What is Lerwon-sunbae’s opinion!”

The three’s gazes fell on Lerwon.

Lerwon remained silent and chose his words for a moment.

This feels strange.

I used to hate it when people’s gazes were on me.

It felt as unpleasant as if bugs were crawling wherever their gazes touched, but to think that this isn’t so bad.

Realizing this newfound fact, Lerwon quickly raised his hand to cover his mouth.

“Sunbae betrayed me…”

“Sunbae was never on your side in the first place, what betrayal are you talking about?”

“Hey! Even so, sunbae and I are roommates!”

“All that is meaningless.”

As if to ask if that was really so, Zephyros looked at Lerwon with pleading eyes.

Lerwon couldn’t say anything and slightly avoided Zephyros’s gaze.

Honestly, he thought it wasn’t so bad for Zephyros to be a little disregarded among his friends. Friends who would treat him as just sixteen-year-old Zephyros, not the sole heir of a ducal family.

Zephyros, who understood the meaning, hung his head as if in despair.

As Lucian layered his body on top of Zephyros’s like a sandwich, Theo quickly layered his own body on top of that.

Aaaargh! Zephyros screamed, but they didn’t care.

Watching the scene, Lerwon laughed sincerely.

Ah─ salvation was not far away.

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