Chapter 162 - Exposure

The day before the murder of Young Master Yurei, in the village of Hestia.

The village of Hestia went on with its ordinary life, with people unaware of what was happening.

As the influx of population increased, crime increased as well, and rough men began to organize.

It had been expected.

But expected or not, the security force of Hestia village had to desperately stop it.

They moved busily to maintain the village's public order.

"Captain William, shouldn't you head home now, sir?"

"Is it time already?"

"It passed ages ago. This is overtime, you know?"

He could work overtime as much as needed.

But when a superior kept working, his subordinates were bound to feel pressured.

It was necessary to leave things for tomorrow at an appropriate point.

William picked up his coat and rose from his seat.

"Then I will be going. Good work today."

"Salute! See you tomorrow, security captain!"

"Don't get drunk and roll around again, sir!"

Leaving behind his subordinates as they snickered and joked, he set out on his way home.

He looked up at the evening sky where red and black mingled, and thought.

So another day passes like this.

Everything was an ordinary scene, but in one corner of his heart, a knot remained unresolved.

Whenever that knot surfaced, his left hand throbbed.

The hand Regent Ferda had stabbed with a dagger.

The puncture had closed, and he had recovered enough to use it to some degree, but it throbbed as if a shard were lodged inside.

Anxiety swept over him that he might become unable to use this hand.

"Shit..."

He was not going to sleep properly tonight either.

Muttering that, William moved his feet.

He entered the tavern on the way to his house.

Unlike the noisy taverns on the outskirts of the main road, it was a quiet place.

Since regulars mattered more there than anywhere else, the splendidly mustached proprietor welcomed William.

"Oh, security captain, you're off work!"

"A beer, please."

"Sure thing."

William pushed over the coin he had prepared in advance, and the proprietor took out a beer.

The proprietor was a talkative man, but at the same time, he was good at reading the mood.

He could easily tell that William needed quiet rest right now.

"Here you are. Don't gulp it down like last time; drink it slowly!"

The proprietor set down the beer and turned away as he was.

William looked at the coin lying on the table and said,

"Proprietor, aren't you taking the money? Are you running a business by digging in the dirt?"

"Digging in the dirt? This is honest business! You've already paid, so why would I take more money?!"

"What do you mean?"

"The gentleman over there said he wanted to buy you a drink, Captain."

Wondering who that could be, he turned his head.

It was a man he had never once seen in this village.

Instinctively, he felt something unpleasant.

Still, he should not jump to conclusions.

William merely raised his glass to express his thanks, then turned his head back.

When William turned his head, he heard the sound of a chair scraping across the floor.

The man had stood up.

William first undid the button on his dagger sheath.

"Are you Security Captain William?"

"I am."

"I'm the man who bought you a drink, so shouldn't you at least toast with me once as a matter of courtesy?"

"My apologies. I'm not exactly the type to get friendly with strangers."

"I suppose not. You are the security captain, after all."

William's hand subtly moved toward his waist.

"Don't be so wary. I did not come here with the intention of harming you."

The strange man placed both hands on the table, proving he meant no harm.

William did not react, as if this was how he usually drank.

That act did not last long.

The beer mug he lifted with his left hand trembled from pain, making foam rise.

"That hand injury seems serious. Wouldn't it be better to drink with your right hand if possible?"

"Mind your own business."

He replied even more coldly.

But the man still showed interest.

"It seems there is some extraordinary story behind it. Could you tell me?"

"I merely rolled around while drunk."

"Do not lie. Who gets a stab wound from rolling around drunk?"

"It was an extraordinarily embarrassing incident, so would you stop asking?"

At the man's sharp point, William brazenly glossed over it.

"Let us not waste time on pointless back-and-forth. I know what happened."

"Did I not just say it? I rolled around."

"Do not be like that. I came to help you."

"I have no idea what you are talking about, so leave at once. If you do not—"

"Regent Ferda will ruin this far east."

The man cut William off.

William felt emotion rise in his chest.

"You spew such slander in the Grand Duchy's territory?"

"Slander? It seems you do not know. That man wields dark magic. To the point that the Serdes Humanity Magical Society is already paying attention to him."

William finally drew his blade.

"As security captain, I can no longer overlook this, so reveal your identity. If you do not answer, there will be no further conversation."

Even with the blade before his neck, the man was not shaken at all.

As if he was already used to matters where one put one's life on the line.

The man carefully slipped a hand into his coat and took something out.

"I am an investigator of the imperial direct agency, Golden Eye."

It was a badge proving that he was a mage affiliated with the imperial family.

"And at the same time, I serve Crown Prince Alexander."

"Did an investigator come here to throw his weight around with a lowly security captain?"

"Lowly, William Miller? Are you not someone of far greater caliber than to be treated this way? I already know you were famous in Duke Yurei's domain as a promising knight."

He knew William's identity.

William had roughly expected as much from the moment he had insulted him.

"So lower the dagger and let us talk. I have no intention of using force in someone else's territory, but if you strike first, I have no intention of stopping either."

"..."

William did not think he would lose.

But as security captain, he could not cause a commotion.

He set down the dagger, and the man who called himself an investigator grinned.

"What brings an investigator here?"

"I am investigating a murder case."

"Whose?"

"Someone you know as well, Young Master Yurei."

William grew tense.

A murder case alone was enough to make him tense, and of all people, it involved House Yurei.

"There are rumors he died in this territory. Did you know?"

"Are you suspecting me?"

"Of course not. I heard you betrayed your lord, but I also know you are not the sort of man who could kill that young master."

"Then I have nothing to say. I have never seen Young Master Yurei or his knights."

"I prepared the questions. Answer them."

"What?"

The investigator took something out and showed it to him.

At a glance, it looked like an ordinary crystal ball, but the mana and formula held within it were anything but ordinary.

After he finished setting it up, he asked William,

"Let us start with a light question. Is your name William Miller?"

"It is."

With William's answer, a green light came on inside the crystal ball.

It was a crystal ball enchanted with lie detection magic.

"And at one time, you were an apprentice knight of House Yurei?"

"I was."

Green.

"And you became the leader of a large group of refugees and came here?"

"I did."

Green.

"Are you satisfied with the position of security captain?"

"I am."

"Hm, that does not seem to be the case."

A red light came on.

It meant he was lying.

"You may say that, but you cannot deceive your heart."

"..."

"A promising apprentice knight reduced to a mere security captain. Even if you feel it is worthwhile, do you believe someone who once held a high position could be easily satisfied?"

"I have never thought that."

What appeared again was red.

William asked himself in return.

Did he truly have no desire to rise in the world?

There was no way.

William knew it well too.

Sometimes he would regret it like this.

If only he had closed his eyes just that once back then, he would not have had to suffer like this.

"Do you know what kind of person your lord is?"

"I do."

"And that he is a Dark Mage?"

"..."

His face hardened at the words Dark Mage.

He had never told anyone, but he had held some suspicions.

He had felt it strongly from Ferda when he was emotional.

That Ferda had a Red Circle.

And that most mages who possessed a Red Circle were Dark Mages.

However, it was not William's place to judge that, so he had pushed it far away.

"You have no answer."

"... I do not know."

Red surfaced again.

"Even if he is a Dark Mage, what exists in my heart is only suspicion. There is no doubt that he devotes himself to the far east."

"Devotion..."

The investigator nodded with a serious gaze.

"Then let me ask the next question. What do you think of a Dark Mage with a Red Circle showing mercy?"

William, who had walked the path of an elite knight, could answer immediately.

It was extremely dangerous.

A Dark Mage always had a scheme, and within mercy and generosity lay a vicious blade and poison.

"Do you think Regent Ferda is different from them?"

There were no exceptions among Dark Mages.

"Dark Mages are all the same breed. Policies for the people are merely like throwing feed to pigs. They eat without knowing anything, and only on the day they are slaughtered do they realize it. Ah, I should have escaped this place earlier."

"..."

"Did you not leap out of Duke Yurei's embrace to avoid the deaths of innocent commoners?"

"..."

"You barely escaped a pit of thorns, yet if what awaits you is a pit of fire, will you obey that fate?

William bit his lip hard.

If he died alone, it would not matter.

But when he pictured the people of this Hestia village suffering, his chest ached.

When he pictured himself regretting that foolishness, it was terribly painful.

"You are a righteous man. You must not forgive the injustice before your eyes, and you must realize justice, must you not?"

Justice...

William unconsciously looked down at his own hand.

The spot where Ferda had stabbed it with a dagger had still not healed properly.

And when the pain rose, the image from that time overlapped with it.

What Regent Ferda had shown was anger.

And the black energy that wrapped around his body.

Yes.

That day, it would not have been strange if Ferda had killed William.

The chill from that moment was still vivid.

'What rose along with that chill was...'

Anger.

That anger still remained in William's chest.

William, who had closed his eyes and sunk into thought, made his decision.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Tomorrow, Regent Ferda will be named as the murderer of Young Master Yurei. You only need to reveal the fact that he is the possessor of a Red Circle, and a time bomb swayed by emotion. You do not even have to be too direct. It will be enough if you show them that hand and play a supporting role."

He jerked his chin toward the bandaged hand.

"What do I get?"

The man looked at William as if surprised, then answered.

"His Highness the Crown Prince will appoint you as a Guardian Knight. If you do not want to be an Imperial Knight, he will grant you territory as well. You can live there however you wish."

"..."

He would receive territory, move there, and live a new life.

Living while realizing the justice one desired was every knight's dream, and William was no exception.

"... Very well."

"That means you will cooperate, correct?"

"I will expose his atrocities."

The crystal ball lit with green fire.

The investigator grinned and rose from his seat.

"Then let us move. There is someone who has been waiting more than anyone to hear that you agreed to cooperate."

William set down his beer mug and followed the investigator.

Since they had little time, they needed a way to move quickly, and the investigator moved with William using teleportation magic.

And now, he stood here in the Golden Council.

Only two people were visible in William's eyes.

His former lord, Duke Yurei.

And his current lord, Regent Ferda.

Duke Yurei's gaze stung.

William thought that was only natural.

After all, he had fed him, housed him, and trained him, only for William to side with traitors and betray him.

"Sir William, would you testify regarding Regent Ferda?"

At the chairman's words, William's eyes reflexively turned toward Ferda.

The sight of Lord Count Concillus, his Adam's apple bobbing as if he might spew out anger born of betrayal, seized his attention.

If a close aide was that angry, how would Ferda be?

He was watching with his arms crossed.

Unlike Concillus, he showed no sign of resentment or anything of the sort.

His eyes were quiet and calm.

Like a deep lake.

"Regent Ferda is..."

Looking at those eyes, William was certain.

That his choice to stand on this platform had been right.

"He is a man who devotes himself to the common people more than anyone else."

It was the moment when William's single sentence, spoken when he had stood there to expose Ferda's character, split joy from despair.

The one whose expression changed openly was Alexander.

His confidant had said he had surely finished persuading him, yet was William not now spitting out testimony that was the exact opposite of that persuasion?

'I definitely heard his hand was stabbed with a dagger...'

A knight's hand was his life.

He knew how rude and insulting it was to damage that hand.

And he had been told that William was unquestionably enraged.

If William had lived the life of a knight, he would not be able to forgive Ferda.

Alexander abruptly cut in to stop William from changing the mood.

"Wait a moment, Sir William!"

"Yes, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"I understand that wound was inflicted by Regent Ferda?"

If William lied and said he had rolled around drunk, Alexander intended to make a fuss that he had broken his oath to speak only the truth.

"That is correct."

William readily admitted it.

"Is harming a knight's hand not a grave crime, even for a lord?"

"That is a punishment applied to knights. I am not a knight, but a security captain. Therefore, it was a punishment I deserved."

There was no doubt that Ferda had been emotional at the time.

Even when William looked at the back of his own hand, the emotion he had felt then was vivid.

But nothing had happened afterward.

Although he, a security captain, had committed the grave crime of abducting the Princess after being swayed by emotion, Ferda had not held him further responsible.

"Because he ended the punishment for the mistake I committed at merely this level, I am grateful for his generosity."

At the same time, the emotion called anger boiled.

It was anger directed at himself for having made a foolish choice.

"Sir William, you stood here to make an exposure. If your purpose is praise, please step down from this place at once."

"It is true that I came to make an exposure."

Only the target was different.

His eyes, which had been directed at Ferda, now turned toward Duke Yurei.

"The reason I wanted to stand here was to expose Duke Yurei's tyranny!"

He exposed everything he had seen in Duke Yurei's domain while walking the path of an elite.

"I speak of the true tyrant who refused to take responsibility for his own failures, disturbed the people's livelihood with excessive taxes, and treated those who did not obey as traitors and wrung them dry!"

Public opinion that had been tilting against Ferda came to a halt.

Concillus's rotten expression brightened.

Curious about the thoughts of Ferda, who had somehow shown no reaction at all, he quietly asked,

"Regent, did you know that security captain would do this?"

"To some extent."

"What do you mean by to some extent?"

"I was not certain either. He came on his own without telling me."

"If he came out to do that, he should at least have given us a hint first. He really put us through the wringer."

He had not been certain, but he had trusted him.

Ferda had brought William because there was chivalry in his heart.

Because he believed in William's chivalry, he had also felt the greatest sense of betrayal when William helped the Princess flee.

If he had spouted even the slightest nonsense, Ferda had been willing to kill him on the spot.

However, he had not.

Because that had not been deliberate, but a mistake.

And Ferda believed William would not make any more mistakes.

At this moment, that belief had been proven.

He was still a noble knight.

Alexander was hiding his face.

The skin that could not be hidden by that hand was bright red, like a ripe chili pepper.

Waldemar must have been screwed over just the same, but he showed no sign of agitation.

Or perhaps, unlike Alexander, he was hiding it well.

While that story was in full swing, Akkad stepped forward.

"Sir William, such an exposure is fine, but this is a place to prove Regent Ferda's character. Speak concisely on that alone."

At the instruction to state only the point, William answered.

"If Regent Ferda says he did not kill Young Master Yurei, I believe he did not kill him. And even if he did kill him, there must have been a valid reason, as he said."

"... Understood. Please step down."

As William stepped down, he glanced at Duke Yurei.

His face ripened red, Duke Yurei spat out his rage.

"Miller... How dare you..."

"..."

William could not answer and closed his mouth.

Even though he had exposed him, he could not make a relieved face.

After all, the fact that William had betrayed him remained unchanged.

Thanks to William entering as an ambush while pretending to be an ally, they could no longer treat Ferda carelessly again.

Ferda, who had kept his mouth shut and waited, decided to step forward now.

"It would be fine to dig up my past, but how about approaching the root of the matter?"

"What do you mean, Regent?"