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Chapter : 15
“What can we do if the palace is blocking us? From what I hear, secret orders were sent to the navy—do not search. It’s maddening,” the ship company owner had said. Roela repeated his words in her mind again and again. She realized she could not handle this alone.
But the marquis was not someone who could recklessly involve himself in such matters. If she needed help, she had to find someone who could actually make a difference. That was why she had arranged this meeting.
“I have something important to say,” Roela continued in a cold voice.
“……I think someone manipulated this accident. I heard that from the start, the palace used the monster as an excuse to stop any searches.”
Miles and Genemia straightened up at her words. It was unexpected. Of course, rumors had circulated before, but hearing such a direct statement was different—especially coming from Roela, giving it more weight.
“You mean they forbid searching?”
“Yes. But they say the orders came from above. The empire only has one sky, doesn’t it? That’s the palace.”
“Impossible… why would the palace do this?” Miles muttered. Roela smiled coldly.
“I don’t know the reason either. That’s why I requested an audience with His Majesty. The Emperor only shook his head. He said sometimes the will of the gods can be cruel. He told me not to speak further about this. Then I went to see the Empress.”
Roela had done her best, clinging to the Empress, but the Empress remained indifferent. A cold attitude, considering how much she had previously favored Roela.
“She just told me not to try to learn too much.”
Something was being hidden in the palace. Miles and Genemia sensed it.
“As for me,” Roela said with a hoarse voice, “even if I cannot find her, I want to know who made her suffer like that. It’s horrifying to think those people are living well and enjoying themselves.”
Roela declared firmly:
“I don’t know what the will of the sky is, but I intend to find out. And anyone who deserves punishment should be punished. I want to know if you both share the same thoughts. Or do you need time to consider?”
Roela stared silently at them. God’s will, the sky, and punishment. If needed, it seemed Roela was willing to defy even heaven itself. Miles and Genemia exchanged glances. If their disaster wasn’t natural but created intentionally—if someone had thrown them into this swamp—then…
“I agree,” Miles said.
“What Roela says is truly horrifying. Those who deserve punishment must face it. The world should know. That terrible truth!” Genemia added.
They were already at the edge of a cliff. There was no turning back. Ahead was the cliff; behind, the swamp. They would go all the way.
“Phew.”
Kaisa wiped the sweat from his forehead. The many hostile gazes directed at him carried clear resentment. It had been that way since that day. But Kaisa didn’t care at all.
Life was far easier now than when he was a mercenary. No longer did he need to strain to understand meaningless chatter while completing missions. And when the day ended, he could return home to Milena.
He realized he had been unknowingly stressed while working as a mercenary.
It was much more comfortable now that no one was ordering him around. He could focus on training, most of which was balancing on the water to stabilize himself on the floating ship. Kaisa quickly adapted to this training.
The Swordmaster’s super senses helped him immensely.
“Really despicable.”
“Indeed. He’s training without saying a word? From Luikaron, you say? Are all people there like this?”
“Women aren’t. There’s that pretty maid working at the count’s mansion. They say she lives with him now.”
“Oh, that girl.”
The knights continued talking, but Kaisa paid no attention. He decided to ignore them—they were only spewing useless criticism. Kaisa had a goal here, and focusing on it made everything else irrelevant.
But then.
“Her name was Milena, wasn’t it?”
The moment they mentioned Milena, everything changed.
“Yes, Milena. She’s beautiful. I wonder if she’s still beautiful at night? She must be sharing a bed with him, right? Wow, living with such a beauty… that must feel good, huh? And what she does… that must feel good too.”
“Exactly! I’d love to live with a woman like her once! Not my plump wife, but that maid Milena…”
All Kaisa understood from their words was “Milena.” But he was sharp. He read their expressions and tone—sleazy faces, sleazy gestures. Just as Milena had said, body language is universal.
Kaisa raised his sword coldly. He had trained to protect Luikaron. Milena was a citizen of Luikaron, so she was someone he had to protect. He slowly advanced toward them.
“A permanent staff member! Wow! Do they even realize what this means?”
“Maybe now we can finally investigate the sea ourselves.”
Milena’s genuinely happy face flashed in his mind. But this—this couldn’t be tolerated. For her honor!
“Stay away, scum! Now! You pigs!”
Kaisa applied everything he knew. His hands moved quickly. They barely raised their swords to stop him, but it was useless. The sound of dismembered pigs echoed through the training ground.
Reivan Kester had been recognized for his skills at a young age and had never lost his composure since becoming a knight. The Emperor valued him highly, and he had never doubted his own judgment.
But now…
Someone had appeared far beyond Reivan’s expectations.
After Kaisa joined the army, Reivan investigated him. Several people were assigned to follow him, but nothing meaningful was discovered.
What they learned was:
He often went shopping with Milena, seemed good at cooking, had a cleanliness obsession, did not speak Cyernese, and had worked for a mercenary group without socializing with colleagues, though his performance was good.
“Huh.”
From this, there was no connection to Luikaron. Kaisa was completely innocent. If so, then his survival at sea was truly accidental, and his joining the army coincidental.
“Like a giant frog trapped in a well,” Reivan muttered.
The troubling part was that Kaisa hadn’t even revealed half of his true skill. That calmness, sharp judgment, and clear composure—all of it came from his overwhelming ability.
And yet he had survived a real shipwreck?
Reivan brushed back his hair. But with the monster breeding season approaching, there was no reason to let such talent slip by. With Kaisa involved, this defense line wouldn’t fail. Reivan had no doubt Kaisa would play a major role.
