Chapter 52 - Damn Reincarnation

Fairy Tale

Gion could not help feeling conflicted.

The Black Lion Knights. He had known of them since childhood. He had not merely heard stories, either; he had encountered them several times. In his younger days, when he had abandoned the competition for family head and wandered the world, he had even stayed at Black Lion Castle deep within Mount Uklas.

'They are... necessary.'

Lionheart was one of the continent’s most distinguished families. Moreover, it had expanded its power while adhering to its bizarre traditions. At the center of that vast Lionheart family stood the main family. To maintain that position, someone inevitably had to handle the dirty, brutal work.

Lionheart was not the only family that raised such “hounds.”

'... Ciel.'

Gion had no objection to becoming a Black Lion Knight himself. It was something he had wanted, and he wished to help his elder brother, the family head, even if only from the shadows. His brother’s wishes ran counter to the traditions the Council of Elders insisted upon, so Gion had wanted to become a Black Lion himself and serve as a bridge between the council and the main family.

Dirty, cruel deeds. Getting blood on his own hands. Gion could do as much of that as necessary. Not for Lionheart, but for his brother, the family head. For his family.

He thought it enough for him alone to take on that role. He did not want Ciel, his young niece, to get involved in such work. Though Ciel herself might not wish for it, Gion... wanted the niece who had followed him around calling him Uncle since she was a runny-nosed little girl to live peacefully, without ever having to smell blood.

And not just Ciel. Cyan, Eugene... Eward, too. To Gion, who had never married or had children, they were like his own.

'... Eward. Why on earth would you turn to black magic...?'

“Gion.”

As he brooded, a bitter taste in his mouth, Carmen spoke from ahead of him.

“Are you having doubts about joining the Black Lion Knights?”

“... Certainly not. That isn’t it, Lady Carmen.”

Gion answered with a bitter smile. Just as he had watched Gilead’s children grow up, Carmen had watched him grow up. Decades ago, she had still lived with the main family, and young Gion had followed her around, calling her Aunt.

He had learned his wanderlust from her, too.

“This sort of thing doesn’t happen often. As you well know.”

“Yes.”

It was rare for someone of a commander’s rank to make a personal visit. Most of the powerful figures who led the Black Lion Knights never left Black Lion Castle.

The current family head’s legitimate son attempting to take up black magic was serious enough to bring a commander of the Black Lion Knights into action.

“What do you think really happened?”

“... I don’t think the Black Tower Master was involved. Rather, as he suggested... I wonder whether someone from a collateral branch has sinister intentions.”

“Amelia Merwin,” Carmen said abruptly.

“I suspect her. She is also someone who wants to keep Balzac Ludbeth in check. The Demon King of Incarceration does not suppress the wishes of the black mages contracted to him. Nor does he mediate every petty quarrel among his underlings.”

“If Amelia orchestrated this, wouldn’t that also mean Nahama is behind it?”

“Nahama’s movements happen to be suspicious as well. Sultan Alabur is a greedy young pig. There will probably be a war within a few years.”

War. At that word, Gion’s eyes turned cold. The desert kingdom of Nahama had long yearned to be called an empire.

“With Kiel?”

“They’ll strike Turas first.”

The Kiel Empire shared a border with Nahama. Relations between the two nations were not hostile, but Nahama frequently clashed with the Kingdom of Turas to its west.

“They wouldn’t have a justification, would they?”

“You can manufacture as many justifications as you like if you set your mind to it. If Nahama attacks Turas, Kiel will have to prepare for war as well. And Lionheart will naturally be summoned to take part in those ‘preparations.’”

“You believe Amelia acted in advance of that? To divide Lionheart?”

“It hasn’t divided us, but it could sow the seeds. Perhaps, as that dead bastard Gevid said, he acted alone and there was no conspiracy. But... we cannot be certain. That is why we remain suspicious.”

Carmen’s eyes narrowed.

“Eward knew nothing about the man. When I saw him as a child, I thought he was quite bright. Does the family head have no talent for raising children?”

“... He wanted to believe in his son.”

“Fools need to be taught with a rod. Though there’s little point saying that now. The next family head will be Cyan, not Eward, the legitimate son.”

Having said that, Carmen looked back toward the prison they had left some time ago.

“... Gion. What do you think would have happened if we had not let Balzac’s provocation pass back there?”

“There would have been serious trouble.”

“Don’t give me an obvious answer. I’m asking whether we could have killed him.”

“... I don’t think the insult warranted killing him. From the Black Tower Master’s perspective, he had reason to feel wronged, too. If... we had fought him, everyone except you would have died there, Lady Carmen.”

“You’re being too modest.”

“I’m not adept at fighting mages,” Gion replied with a sheepish smile.

“I wasn’t confident either. That is why I didn’t fight.”

Carmen clicked her tongue and took out her pocket watch. It was nearly the appointed time. Gion thought of Ciel, whom they were to meet in front of the warp gate.

“... Are you really going to take Ciel to Black Lion Castle?”

“Isn’t that what she wants?”

“...”

“Don’t try so hard to keep a child who has grown that much sheltered in your arms.”

A brief silence followed. Gion shook his head, trying to dispel his conflicted feelings.

“Eugene Lionheart. What do you think of that boy?”

It was an abrupt question, but Gion answered immediately, without surprise.

“You must have heard about him.”

“I have. Four years ago, when the family head said he would adopt the boy. When he said he would open the main family’s Treasury. Do you know what an uproar there was in the Council of Elders?”

“I can imagine.”

“The council objected to the Bloodline Succession Ceremony itself back then. It was unprecedented.”

“It was worth doing.”

The Eugene Gion had seen was an absurd monster.

For four years, he had taught Eugene a variety of combat techniques, with swordsmanship as their foundation... but honestly, he was not certain he had truly taught Eugene anything at all.

'He already knew how to do everything.'

In Gion’s eyes, what was truly remarkable about Eugene was neither his sensitivity to mana nor his rapid progress with the White Flame Formula.

Whatever weapon Gion put in his hands, Eugene wielded it expertly. He was not merely reasonably proficient; he was a master. His techniques did not come from a prestigious family, but pursued nothing except the utmost effectiveness in real combat.

He had not learned them from someone else. There was no expert with that level of skill in Gidol, Eugene’s hometown. Could Gerhard be hiding his strength? That was nonsense. Everything Eugene possessed, he had honed himself.

His combat instincts were unbelievable for his age. Gion had sparred with Eugene many times. When they competed purely in technique, without drawing upon mana, he had never once felt he was overwhelming Eugene. No, instead, he had repeatedly felt that Eugene was dictating the flow of the fight.

That was... something he simply could not acknowledge, did not want to acknowledge. Eugene was dictating the flow? That meant... the one with overwhelming technical superiority was not Gion, but Eugene, who was so much younger.

“If that boy had not come from a collateral branch, he would have become family head with everyone’s support.”

Carmen’s words were more than a simple assessment of Eugene. Gion could feel the undisguised probing in her gaze.

“... He has no desire to become family head. In a way, he resembles you and me, Lady Carmen.”

“Resembles us? Then shall I tell him to join the Black Lion Knights?”

“Haven’t you already decided to?”

“I intend to respect his wishes. It also feels a little early to summon him now. He is still growing, isn’t he? Personally, I don’t think he needs to learn magic, but...”

“Learning magic won’t do him any harm.”

“As long as he doesn’t go astray.”

Gion thought of Eward. To think that boy had... tried to take up black magic. Gion still could not accept it. Carmen glanced at his troubled expression.

“... Eward will be kept under surveillance.”

“...”

“We have already dispatched Black Lions to Theonis’s family home. As he is the main family’s legitimate son, we will not behead him, but there will be no next time. Eward will live under surveillance for the rest of his life. Naturally, he will also be stripped of his succession rights.”

He wanted to live freely.

Gion had heard that was what Eward had said. But however much he wished for it, Eward would never have freedom for the rest of his life.

“I hear Theonis is looking for a tutor to teach her son magic. We intend to let that be. If someone is behind this affair, they may contact Eward again.”

“... Understood.”

Gion had no choice but to nod.

* * *

Though it had been months since Eugene had last seen Gion, they did not get to talk much.

He smelled the blood lingering about the Black Lion Knights. It was obvious what had happened. They had said they were going to interrogate a black mage. Apparently, they had interrogated him, tortured him, and killed him, too.

“... Then I’ll see you next time.”

“Bye.”

Gion spoke in a subdued voice, and Ciel waved. Eugene considered saying something to Gion, but simply bowed his head instead.

“I’ll see you next time.”

“Have you any intention of joining the Black Lion Knights?”

It was Carmen who spoke out of nowhere. Eugene raised his head in disbelief and saw her standing with her arms crossed.

“Pardon?”

“I hear your talent is extraordinary. If you have no ambition to become family head, you would be better off joining the Black Lion Knights sooner rather than later.”

“Thank you for the off—”

“As it happens, the Second Division commander’s squire position is vacant. If you wish, I can recommend you immediately.”

“Thank y—”

“You could learn a great deal as a commander’s squire. The apprenticeship usually lasts about five years, but you could become a Black Lion when you come of age in three years.”

“Have a safe journey.”

She ought to let people finish speaking. Why did she keep cutting him off? Eugene bowed deeply to see Carmen off.

“A pity.”

Carmen turned away after saying that. Before stepping into the warp gate, Ciel waved at Eugene once more.

“Have you heard anything from the White Tower Master?”

“No. If she had succeeded in making the contract, she would have come to boast about it immediately. Since there’s been no word, it seems the contract isn’t proving easy.”

That bastard Tempest. Eugene scowled and clicked his tongue.

“Fucking Tempest.”

On the rooftop of the White Tower, Melkith was also cursing Tempest as fierce winds battered her. She stood holding her staff, stark naked, without so much as a thread of clothing.

She had spent hours exposing herself to the wind in this primal state, awakening all her senses and trying to attune herself to it. Thinking there might not be enough wind, she had even gone to the trouble of using magic to summon more. She had awakened the blessing within Wynnyd through magic and communicated her intentions directly to Tempest.

But no response had come from him. She had definitely conveyed her intentions to the spirit realm... It seemed absurd that he still had not answered.

The sun set, and night fell. To push her sensitivity to its limits, she had not even warmed her body with magic. Her skin was already covered in goose bumps from the biting cold wind. Sniffling at her running nose, Melkith continued pouring mana and intent into Wynnyd.

[Contractor...]

A voice sounded abruptly. But Melkith could feel no joy.

“Levin...!”

The Lightning Spirit King. As Melkith called his name, crackling lightning mingled with the whistling wind.

“Why are you showing up when I never called you?”

[Put some clothes on first...]

The wavering lightning murmured. But Melkith had no intention of getting dressed. She straightened her body, which had hunched against the cold, and shouted.

“Great Wind Spirit King, lord of storms! I, Melkith El-Hayah, wish to enter into a contract with you!”

[Tempest asked me to tell you to shut up...]

“Tell him to come say it himself!”

[Tempest... does not want a contract with you...]

“Tell him to come and hear me out! I can give him anything he wants!”

[Contractor. You cannot give Tempest what he wants.]

“What does Tempest want?!”

[That is...]

The lightning stopped speaking. After a moment’s silence, he let out a long sigh.

[Still struggling in delusion...]

“What?”

[Return Wynnyd to its rightful owner...]

“This is mine! I’m its owner!”

[Do not lie... Tempest also knows that you have merely borrowed Wynnyd from its owner for a short while...]

“So you’re listening to all of this! Tempest! I’m the greatest spirit mage in history! I’m the only spirit mage in this world who can contract with you!”

Melkith threw aside her staff and grabbed Wynnyd. Stark naked atop the lofty White Tower, she began swinging the sword wildly.

“So appear before me! I don’t know what you want, but I’m telling you I can do it all!”

[Contractor... please... have some shame...]

“Come out!”

[Tempest says... to stop this futile effort and—]

“Kyaaagh!”

Her mounting stress erupted from her mouth in a crowlike cry. With her hair standing on end, she screamed and cawed. The lightning, which had watched in silence, sighed again.

CRACK.

A bolt of lightning plunged from the sky above the White Tower. The merciless lightning engulfed Melkith.

“Kaaaagh!”

Her eyes rolled back with a piercing scream. The lightning would have killed an ordinary person instantly, but Melkith, who was contracted to the Lightning Spirit King, would not die from it. Her muscles merely went limp, and she collapsed onto the rooftop.

[The storm... wishes to journey north. To the northern demon lands that no one has conquered... To the lingering attachment he has been unable to forget for hundreds of years...]

Melkith had already lost consciousness, but the lightning murmured those words in a voice laced with sighs.

* * *

Melkith came to see him ten days later.

Eugene, who was spending his time in Akron’s Hall of Senya, could only gape at her as she emerged from the elevator.

Could a person really become that haggard in just ten days?

“... What about the contract?”

“Why ask when you already fucking know, asshole?”

“Why are you swearing at me?”

“Tempest, you bastard!”

Mer squinted at Melkith’s furious shout. She hopped down from a chair as tall as she was and glared at her.

“Madam Pants-Wetter. This is a place where you must be quiet.”

“Kyaaaagh!”

“Oh, honestly.”

Mer’s expression soured further, and she raised a finger. She intended to shut Melkith up first and then throw her out, but Eugene intervened before she could use magic.

“You really couldn’t make the contract?”

“Why! Would! I lie?!”

“Tempest didn’t tell you to lie?”

“Kyeeek!”

Was she really human? Clicking his tongue, Eugene patted the Cloak of Darkness draped over his shoulders.

“Once today is over, that’ll make ten years.”

“Kyee...”

“If you return Wynnyd now, I’ll let you off with nine years.”

Melkith’s shoulders trembled before she hung her head. Then she grasped Wynnyd with a shaking hand.

“N-nine... years...?”

“This is nice and warm.”

“... It won’t make you hot in summer, either.”

“How do I wash it?”

“You don’t... have to. Magic...”

“Oh, wonderful.”

It really was wonderful. Sniffling, Melkith returned Wynnyd to Eugene.

“... Enjoy... wearing it.”

“Goodbye.”

Eugene secured Wynnyd first, then bowed his head. Melkith looked at him with eyes full of misery and sorrow before rising.

“What am I supposed to do when he refuses to come no matter how much I call...?”

Melkith trudged back to the elevator, lamenting loudly enough for him to hear. Eugene paid her no mind.

[Hamel was a fucking idiot, and Moron was a complete moron. It was difficult to say which of them was more deficient, but Hamel was still better than Moron.]

This was painful to read.

Being told he was better than that moron Moron offered Eugene no comfort whatsoever...