Sian, who had recently awakened to the pleasures of eating, had finished a meal at a restaurant called “Karak’s Horn,” located a little ways off El-Lua Street, and was returning to his district to resume his patrol.
Then, all of a sudden, a red firework shot up into the air and burst loudly overhead.
“Huh? A red firework?”
In general, because the Garan-Tia had to patrol the vast capital without leaving any gaps, they usually patrolled alone and maintained public order by resolving minor incidents on their own. However, incidents were bound to occur that could not be handled by the strength of a single Garan-Tia. For such cases, several types of signal flares had been issued.
Red fireworks and blue fireworks.
When a red firework went off, the Garan-Tia within sight of it would head to the area where it had exploded as reinforcements and resolve the matter together. Red fireworks were usually fired not for accidents involving commoners, but when powerful individuals clashed.
Blue fireworks were used to request the deployment of the Royal Guard. The First and Second Knight Orders could not leave the royal palace, but the Third Knight Order was also responsible for maintaining security in the capital in emergencies. If an incident occurred that was difficult to resolve with only the Garan-Tia’s strength, a blue firework would be launched at the discretion of the officer in charge on-site.
The fact that a red firework had gone off meant it was already an urgent situation, so the Garan-Tia’s duty was to begin suppressing the situation immediately upon arriving at the scene, without any separate formal procedure, and minimize damage.
Having recalled all that, Sian swallowed the dessert in his hand in one bite and began running toward the direction where the firework had exploded.
☆ ☆ ☆
“You son of a bitch!”
“Come at me, you lackey of Marquis Narasha!”
By the time he arrived, the situation was already a complete mess. From the looks of it, some noble house and royalist faction had been eating together when an argument broke out and they started drawing blades. One wall of the restaurant had already been smashed to pieces, and the brawl had long since spilled out into the street.
Perhaps because he was the first to arrive, the single Garan-Tia standing nearby had already given up on trying to stop the fight and was evacuating the surrounding citizens instead.
The moment he arrived, Sian let out a sigh. Like that Miss Celine he had seen before, these uncivilized bastards seemed to have no idea that even fighting had such a thing as refinement. Throwing, breaking, trampling…
In their minds, they were probably making use of the surrounding terrain and objects as they fought, but to Sian, they were nothing more than environmental vandals. The Urban Combat Manual—Basic Edition he had read before had shown absolutely no consideration for building owners. Whenever a fight broke out, losing at least one building seemed to be the standard…
Normally, when a red firework went off, they would wait until personnel gathered before beginning suppression for the safety of the Garan-Tia. But if they did that and the restaurant got smashed up any further, the owner standing over there with tears in his eyes looked ready to hang himself by tonight.
Since there was no need for formal procedure, Sian decided to begin suppression immediately. Holding his sword still in its scabbard, he leapt into the middle of the chaos.
“Hey! Wait!”
He heard the startled voice of the Garan-Tia calling out to him from behind, but ignored it and charged in, beginning to swing his scabbard at the backs of the heads of the men fighting.
Crack! Thwack! Crack!
“Urk!”
“You cowardly bastard! From behind—!”
Perhaps they had more skill than expected, because as soon as one or two from each side fell evenly, the rest turned in surprise and swung their blades at him. But it was already too late. Sian was not close enough to those bastards over there to kindly get hit by such obvious sword strikes, so he fairly and evenly fed them all his scabbard to the back of the head.
“Situation resolved. Sian, officer in charge of the El-Lua District, has dealt with the matter and will return to his original district.”
“Ah… yes. Good work, Sir Sian.”
The district officer, who had been watching the incident with a dazed expression, soon rummaged through his pouch to fire a yellow firework into the sky, signaling that the problem had been resolved. And then, a moment later, he had no choice but to stare blankly.
“What in the world…?”
Wondering what was wrong from that expression, Sian looked up at the sky and immediately frowned.
Red and blue fireworks were bursting from every direction, embroidering the sky.
☆ ☆ ☆
“Phew… What on earth is going on…? Is it finally over now?”
“Yes, Sir Celine. You’ve worked hard.”
Celine, who had returned after being deployed, thought that this had been the hardest day of duty she had experienced recently.
Six blue fireworks and thirty-nine red fireworks.
That was the number of Garan-Tia signal flares that had gone off today alone.
When Celine had looked up at the sky during training, she had at first thought that some kind of rebellion had broken out. Even for Celine, who had lived in the capital since birth, it was the first time she had ever seen such a number of signal flares.
Soon after, once she received the damage report, her head began to ache.
“Twenty-eight buildings damaged, seven cases of arson, one hundred thirty-two civilian injuries, three deaths, thirty-five injured Garan-Tia, four injured Royal Guards, total damages of 983,000 gold… My God… What on earth is going on?”
She had expected it, but this was too much.
At last night’s Royal Palace Grand Council to decide the budget, the conflict between the noble faction and the royalist faction had grown so severe that they had almost drawn blades. She had thought something would erupt before long—fortunately, Count Roman had maintained the balance there and things had been smoothed over for the moment—but for such chaos to begin the very next day…
“Still, there are fewer injured among the Garan-Tia than expected. And not a single death.”
The moment Celine heard the words of the aide assisting her, Sian came to mind. She did not know what it was, but there was something about him.
At the same time, she recalled the words Captain Rian had said when instructing her while she had been wondering where to set priorities amid so many incidents breaking out at once.
“Did he say not to worry too much about the red fireworks and focus only on the districts where blue fireworks went off… because those would be resolved?”
At the time, she had been busy, and since the districts where red fireworks went off were not their jurisdiction, she had simply assumed he meant for her to focus on the urgent incidents first. But after returning and thinking it over carefully with some leisure, she felt that had not been what he meant.
Captain Rian had known that the districts where red fireworks went off would be resolved without much trouble. And at the root of that firm belief was likely his younger brother.
“I don’t know to what extent… but he’s definitely strong. In that case, there’s no reason to leave him idle and have him defend only against red fireworks…”
Thinking about it, it was merely that she had been prejudiced by Sian’s appearance—and he still did look weak—but judging from the circumstances, he was surely quite powerful.
Then, at a time like this, was it not her duty to assign talent to the right place and regulate the amount of work? Conveniently enough, as the vice-captain of the Third Knight Order, she had the authority to command the Garan-Tia and control public security in emergencies.
Having thought that far, Celine smiled faintly, thinking that the time had finally come to repay her old debt. According to what she had heard from Charlotte, he hated troublesome things immensely, so this would make an excellent gift.
“Hehe. I’ll be counting on you starting tomorrow.”
☆ ☆ ☆
“…What is this?”
Looking at the official document that had arrived for him, Sian asked the Garan-Tia administrative officer.
“It’s an official request for cooperation addressed to you, Sir Sian. It came from the Third Royal Guard Knight Order.”
Sian pulled the paper in front of him and began reading it carefully. To summarize:
“…Did this perhaps come to anyone else besides me?”
“No. It was sent only to you, Sir Sian. That’s why we also find it a bit strange…”
Having said that they knew nothing more, the administrative officer began attending to his own duties.
For a moment, Sian wondered whether his older brother had assigned him work. But there were many suspicious points. His brother would never make him do something like this. On top of that, his direct commander was Celine.
But Sian decided to take it easy and clear his mind.
It was not as if worrying would create another option… and if he was not going to quit, then simply doing what he was told was better for his mental health. Since he liked his current workplace very much—because he did not have to use his head—and had no intention whatsoever of quitting, Sian decided to simply accept reality, as it was not an unreasonable demand.
Things like yesterday would not happen often… and since it said “in emergencies,” on ordinary days he only had to faithfully carry out his own duties.
He was absolutely not tempted by the additional salary and monthly leave that would be provided.
Having finished thinking, Sian signed the document in front of him, stating that he accepted the requested duties.
☆ ☆ ☆
“Damn it, damn it, damn it!”
He should never have accepted. Why was he incapable of seeing even one week ahead?
As he ran toward the place where the blue firework had gone off, Sian thought so.
Since the first day, incidents and accidents had been erupting within the capital almost every day.
Taking advantage of the security gaps caused by incidents bursting out everywhere, problems had spread even to the outskirts of the capital. As a result, the Garan-Tia had reassigned additional personnel to the outskirts, and the shortage of manpower in the central districts had come to be handled by the Third Royal Guard.
Originally, he should have gone along and taken charge of an outer district, but because he had signed that document last time, he had been unable to follow. His original patrol range had become fully three times wider, and on top of that, blue fireworks had become his responsibility as well.
“Why not fix that expression? If you think that the harder you work here, the easier things become for Sir Rian, wouldn’t that put your mind at ease?”
Celine, running beside him, said with a tired expression. At first, she had requested his cooperation simply to tease him a little, but now she kept thinking that it had truly been an excellent decision.
It had only been a few days since she had started working with him, but she had learned one thing for certain.
“He’s ridiculously strong, this guy.”
It was not that he looked strong when fighting. The way he fought was exactly the same as his usual attitude toward life.
He never put excessive force into his strikes, nor did he push himself to swing. He did not get excited, did not show off, and did not recklessly waste his energy. Each and every swing was, depending on how one looked at it, lazy, and from another perspective, lacking in enthusiasm.
But as she continued watching from beside him, each of those sword strikes sent chills down her spine.
It was so natural, like a skilled woodcutter chopping wood in the way he had repeated his entire life. As if he had known such a situation would come and had spent his whole life practicing for a single stroke of the sword.
Every swing was the most suitable for that situation. Not once was there a meaningless movement. There was no waste.
So far, while accompanying him, she had not seen a single person avoid one of his sword strikes. If there were three opponents, he swung three times; if there were five, he swung five times. No matter who the opponent was, no matter the situation.
The fact that he had dodged her fist when they first met had never been a coincidence. And her decision to hold herself back at that time had truly been the right one.
Perhaps because he had been irritated these days, the scabbard he used to smack the backs of the heads of the troublemakers was loaded with a tremendous amount of emotion. If she had caused more of a scene, she would have been beaten down in the same way. From what she could see, while on duty, he absolutely did not go easy on someone just because they were a woman.
“The world is unfair.”
Celine knew it sounded pathetic, but she could not help saying it. To possess that kind of martial strength at seventeen, and while lazing around and enjoying life at that.
Before long, Celine arrived at the place where the blue firework had exploded. Seeing Sian’s scabbard fly beside her, she thought she ought to earn her keep as well and leapt into the melee.
☆ ☆ ☆
Kial, the second son of House Gnon, a baron family, was extremely pleased with the current situation after his return.
Born as the second son of House Gnon, a small provincial baron family, he had not received anything as extravagant as a blessing ceremony. However, he possessed talent obvious enough to be recognized even without receiving such a thing.
As he trained diligently and refined his Vander, he caught the eye of Marquis Narasha and came to study swordsmanship and Vander-Roa under him. Training together with Young Lord Renon and steadily raising his level, Kial had been satisfied with everything under Marquis Narasha, but he felt that one thing was lacking and had always thirsted for it.
Battle!
The capital was too peaceful. Since he knew that if he caused trouble, it would also bring disgrace upon Marquis Narasha, Kial had always had to suppress his nature wherever he went, to the point that he felt he would grow ill from pent-up rage. There was a limit to satisfying his desires through tame sparring.
In truth, Kial had not volunteered for the Guardian Corps of the Great Northern Wall for the same reasons as others—whether to overcome the wall of Master, or to gather Talic Stones and restore his family.
The reason he had joined the Guardian Corps was more fundamental, closer to a twisted desire inherent to humanity itself.
But the capital he had returned to, bracing himself for a tedious life, had changed far too much from the capital he had once left behind.
A few days ago, when he heard Marquis Narasha’s words, he had doubted his own ears.‘Smash them to pieces as much as you like. Pick fights, insult those who endure, and trample those who come at you.’To those who had already been holding themselves back, those words became a trigger.
His comrades had scattered in every direction, causing incidents all over the capital. Some were venting their suppressed desires, others were resolving things in a more gentlemanly fashion, and some were obsessively picking out only those weaker than themselves to torment them……
But he had no interest in any of that. The only ones who interested him were those strong enough to be his opponents! In the Guardian Corps, battles between comrades had been absolutely forbidden, so here he could release that pent-up desire to his heart’s content.
That was why he had sought out Karen, the eldest son of Count Cravel’s family.
If the other party endured the provocation, it would be no fun. There was a chance the other five might do that. If so, it would be a waste of time. He had little interest in insulting his opponent.
But a fellow wrapped head to toe in pride would never endure a quarrel, so he would certainly play with him in an entertaining way.
As expected, the man had fallen for his provocation without fail.
“You bastard! You’re nothing but Marquis Narasha’s dog, and you dare insult me!
I hated you from the Northern Wall onward. I’ll kill you!”
And then, just as he had wanted, the battle began. The surrounding buildings were smashed apart, and the skin of the earth was overturned. There was nothing the mighty energy formed by a Master’s Vander gathering on a sword could not destroy.
Garan
-Tia had fired a blue flare, but he did not think anyone capable of stopping the two of them would come. At least until that brat called the commander of the 3rd Guard Knights arrived, he should be able to keep enjoying himself.
He could obey His Lordship’s orders while relieving his own stress, so it was killing two birds with one stone.
Thinking so, Kial, carried away by excitement, dodged the leopard-shaped sword aura unique to the Cravel sword family that Karen swung before his eyes, then charged in again.
Crack!
But at that moment, there came the sound of something breaking, and Karen toppled forward.
He suddenly collapsed! For an instant Kial was flustered, wondering what had happened, and then he felt a powerful impact strike the back of his head, along with his vision slowly growing dark.
“What… is this……”
As Kial struggled to hold on to his fading consciousness, he heard a grumbling complaint.
“Wow… These gentlemen couldn’t even hold back that long and smashed up this much already. For nobles, you people have no dignity, no dignity at all. Wouldn’t it be nice if you fought with some restraint? You’re all people with a fair amount of skill, too……”
Those were the last words Kial heard. Feeling as though he were being dragged endlessly downward, Kial lost consciousness.
Sian looked at Celine, who had been walking silently beside him for some time.
“But Lady Celine, are you all right? The person from earlier was of the noble faction, but his opponent was a royalist, wasn’t he?”
“So what?”
“Um… I mean… Lady Celine, you’re from the Guard Knights… and if it’s Kial, he’s also part of the same royalist faction… I was wondering if perhaps you might feel offended or something……”
Hearing that, Celine looked at Sian with a doubtful expression.
“Did you perhaps never study political science, or basic kingdom history, or anything like that?”
“Um… well… I did learn it, but……”
Looking at Sian as he mumbled, Celine remembered what Sir Rian had told her. That he was worried because the teachers who had taught his younger brother had given up on him almost immediately.‘When I see things like this, I suppose the gods may be fair after all…….’With a sigh, Celine decided to explain kindly. This fellow, too, needed to know at least roughly how things worked before he could judge for himself.
“Listen carefully. The royal knight orders work for the royal house of Tian.”
“Exactly.”
“It doesn’t matter who the king is, or which family is the royal house. The Guard Knights only protect the royal house of Tian from external enemies and resolve Tian’s problems.”
Seeing that Sian still did not quite understand, Celine felt the need for an additional explanation. If she explained it by recalling how she had once told her eight-year-old cousin, that should be just right.
“Um… so, you know who the current king is, don’t you?
“I do. Kradan Kun Tian… um, the Third?”
Looking at Sian, who was openly committing lèse-majesté right in front of her, Celine wore an expression as though she understood everything and began explaining again.
“The Second. In any case, have you never thought it strange? Tian’s history spans four hundred years, yet he is only the Second?”
“Ah, you’re right. Why is that?”
“Because… though our country has a royal house, it is not a hereditary system…… To be precise, whoever takes the position of the royal house becomes the royal house. And then they lead Tian. The current royal house is still quite outstanding, since it has lasted to the second generation.”
“Ah… Then did they take the throne through rebellion?”
“Be careful, because if you go around saying that somewhere, you might get dragged away. …
It wasn’t rebellion. To be precise, should I call it a transfer?”
Having spoken this far, Celine wet her throat and began speaking again.
“Have you heard the saying,
Celine swallowed and continued.
“To accomplish all that, half-baked ability won’t even come close. Externally, they must constantly attend to military power, trade, politics, and diplomacy, and internally, they must unite the nation’s strength, maintain an unshakable center, and obtain the power to fight the outside. That is why the royal house is given honor and rights that no one else can match, but it must also have the responsibility and ability to match them. If someone without those sits in the royal house, the country will fall apart. The three surrounding kingdoms would come rushing in, all friendly smiles, to carve up our kingdom among themselves.”
“Ah… Then?”
“Yes. A family that possesses such ability, and has proven it across the entire Kingdom of Tian, becomes the royal house. If they cannot prove that they have the qualifications, or if a situation comes where they must acknowledge that the opposing side’s ability is far greater, the royal house yields its position to that family and steps down. And the families that helped them become the royalist faction. That is the ‘Transfer War’ currently taking place. To be precise, it is the
As this had repeated for several centuries, now, when a generational change occurred, the position of royal house was quietly transferred. If the opponent had no particular intention of taking their lives, they could preserve their strength and perhaps rise again in their descendants’ generation.
Nevertheless, there were always families that resisted to the very end because they did not want to let go of what they held in their hands. In such cases, they became targets of purging. Since reactionary elements could not be left inside, Count Kervel was worried about precisely such parts of the generational change.
“Hmm, I still don’t understand. Isn’t the royal knight order’s duty to protect the royal house?”
“They protect the royal house, but it doesn’t matter whose family that royal house belongs to. The Guard Knights only step forward when Tian is in danger. Once you enter a royal knight order, even if your family belongs to the noble faction or the royalist faction, you can never intervene in civil war. And only people capable of doing that are chosen. Rather, a generational change is highly desirable when looking at the country as a whole. If a capable family that can better lead the people and noble houses that make up Tian becomes king, Tian will prosper even more.
That is why the forces that serve as the pillars supporting Tian—the three great martial houses, the seven great martial forces, the Royal Law Society under Tian, and others including the Royal Guard Knights—do not take part in civil wars and side with one faction. If they are damaged, enemies will immediately strike in from outside. They always watch both forces from afar and only intervene if a line is crossed.
The only condition for proving the strength of one’s family is the power the noble houses themselves possess.”
Only then did Sian understand why Count Roman had always claimed neutrality while serving as commander of the Royal Guard Knights. That method had, in fact, been the best way to maintain neutrality. If so, he could understand his older brother taking the position of commander of the 3rd Guard as well.
Looking at Sian, whose expression seemed to say he finally understood, Celine thought that she would have to teach this fellow properly. His martial power was more than threatening enough to leave him to act while knowing nothing.‘I can’t tell what realm he’s in. Surely he hasn’t crossed the wall, has he?’Though her mind was still half in doubt, in her heart she had already half accepted it.
There was a strong possibility that this fellow was already one of the blessed great ones, a Gran
-Vander.
Otherwise, no matter how much it had been a surprise attack, there was no way he could have sent Kial and Cravel off so cleanly by striking them on the backs of their heads. To begin with, once a battle between Masters broke out, no one who was not a Master could even approach the vicinity.
Most of those who go to the Guardian Corps and manage to return alive are Masters. In the first place, without that level of talent, they would not even pass the Guardian Corps entrance exam. In that way, every five years, anywhere from as few as five to more than ten people are added to the number of Masters. Officially, the number of Masters existing in Tian is ninety-seven.
Of those, seventeen belong to the royalist faction participating in this civil war, while twenty-six belong to the noble faction. That is the number gathered by mobilizing all the forces from the noble houses, the royalist families, and the Guardian Corps.
The rest are evenly distributed among the royal knight orders, the seven great martial forces and the three great martial houses, and the almost nonexistent neutral noble houses, where they play the role of supporting Tian.
In truth, people like herself and Sir Rian belonged to the lower ranks among Masters. She was probably near the very bottom, and in Rian’s case, perhaps around seventieth place… Even so, there were several reasons they had been able to take the positions of commander and vice commander of the 3rd Knight Order.
First, many Masters already have their own positions. Most of them serve as generals guarding key areas in the outer regions, suppressing localized provocations from Karan and Taran.
Second, unlike the 1st and 2nd Guard Knights, who resolve problems throughout Tian by traveling with grand magic circles and means of transport, the 3rd Knight Order was established for the purpose of maintaining public order within the capital. Therefore, compared to the borders, where clashes between Masters occurred almost every day, the need for martial force was relatively lower.
For the reasons above, once positions in important outer regions, the Guard Knights, and the martial forces were filled, there were relatively few Masters left to return to the 3rd Knight Order. The Masters of the 3rd Knight Order numbered three: herself, Sir Rian, and one other vice commander.
But the final reason was the most important.
Third, because Sir Rian was born with the bloodline of House Roman, he would one day become a Gran
-Vander. For that time, he was gaining experience in advance from the position of commander, so that when he later became a Gran
-Vander and commander of the Royal Guard Knights, he would be able to carry out his duties with maturity.
Many people respected and liked Sir Rian, but behind his back, there were also many who envied him.
There was only one reason for that. It was not because he was young, nor because his martial power was strong. Being young did not mean blades would not cut him, and in the capital alone, there were more than thirty people whose martial power surpassed Sir Rian’s. Nevertheless, the reason everyone envied Rian was this.
-Vander.>There were many people who became Masters before turning forty. There were also those who became Masters after forty. They used the bodies that had been activated upon crossing into Master to grow stronger without end. A body blessed by Vander grew ever stronger the older it became.
But all of them, Gran
-Vander, they fail to surmount the wall called by that name. A name so high it is like the Sky Mountain Range, and so deep it gives despair like a bottomless abyss.
Countless people challenge it, fail, fail, and fail again. In fact, among the nearly one hundred Masters, there are only three Grand
-Vanders. Even though not one of them is anything less than a genius, and not one of them has lived without carving away at their own bones.
But Sir Rian will surpass it. The heads of the Roman family throughout history all did. And Sir Rian will as well.
That is why Sir Rian, despite not having been a Master for very long, is serving as commander of the 3rd Knight Order.
And that is why I absolutely do not want to acknowledge the fellow beside me as a Grand
-Vander.☆ ☆ ☆The Salader royal family, the dynasty that preceded the current Kradan royal family, was a powerful house that had maintained its royal status for nearly a hundred years.
Naturally so, for it had been one of the Three Great Martial Houses.
The family’s unique Vander
-Roa, the “Flower of Lightning,” developed by its first head and refined year after year, was a superior Vander training method without equal even in Tian.
On the foundation of this Vander training method, the Salader family steadily produced a great number of Masters. With not only that mighty martial force, but also by using it to all but monopolize the rights to distribution and iron ore, and by gathering countless noble houses beneath them, they smoothly proved their superiority over the previous royal family and won the “War of Transfer,” receiving the royal authority.
And the Salader royal family, strengthened further after receiving the throne, led the Kingdom of Tian without any particular rivals for nearly a hundred years.
But the reason the royal authority of this mighty Salader family changed hands was simple.After the seventh head, no Grand
-Vander was born in the Salader royal family. And during that time, in the Kirain viscounty, a subordinate house of the Kradan marquisate, the current Kirain Sword Duke was born as a Grand
-Vander.
That was all. But because of that, the balance of power reversed rapidly. A Grand
-Vander could not fight the entire Salader royal family alone, but the Salader royal family could not attack a Grand
-Vander, whose existence determined national power.
During that time, backed by the power of Kirain von Kradan, a Grand
-Vander, the Kradan family rapidly expanded its household’s strength, unified the noble houses, and challenged the Salader royal family.
And the Salader royal family, pushed back in legitimacy, martial might, and influence alike, relinquished the throne and returned to being one of the original Three Great Martial Houses.
The Kirain Sword Duke, head of the Kirain family, could have tried to wage a struggle for power centered on himself, but knowing that he had no talent whatsoever for governing a kingdom, and believing that the head of the Kradan family could bring prosperity to Tian, he instead frankly handed the throne over to the head of House Kradan. That was the beginning of the Kradan royal family.
And by appointing the Kirain family as a ducal house and making them the leaders of the royalist faction, the Kradan royal family was able to maintain its rule across two generations. Of course, the Kradan family’s own power was strong, and King Kradan himself was capable, but it could not be omitted that the Kirain Sword Duke played a major role.
-Vander, then what reason is there that I, who am likewise a Grand
-Vander, cannot do the same?>That was the thought Marquis Narasha had the moment he became a Grand
-Vander. Marquis Narasha had always been an extremely ambitious man. The thought that he would become king, make Tian even stronger, and crush those arrogant Taran bastards and those rotten Karan fools beneath his heel……
Until now, everything had been perfect. There were numerous talented people around him, and after endless effort, he had gained the advantage over the royal family in influence, martial force, and wealth alike. The royalist faction must have felt that as well.
Now all that remained was to persuade all of Tian and show them. That his family was the one more suited to possess the throne! That his family was the one capable of bringing greater prosperity to Tian!
That process was already proceeding smoothly throughout Tian. In every commercial sphere, their merchant companies were nibbling away at the market share held by the existing royalist faction, and the consolidation between families was proceeding smoothly as well. Their power was seeping into every corner of various houses.
The incident they had set off this time was only one of the very minor happenings intended to break their momentum. It was merely the beginning of the plan, yet to be blocked like this from the very start… To begin with, because the difference between their martial forces was so great, he had not even imagined it could be stopped. He had only intended to trample the momentum of those royalist bastards and make them crawl on their own.‘How absurd…….’“…
So, Kial was released from confinement and brought back?”
“Yes, that is correct. At present, he received a heavy blow to the back of the head and has only just regained consciousness, so we have asked an Exer within the family to treat him.”
Marquis Narasha sighed as he listened to the report. Where on earth had that fellow gone to be beaten up like that?
And it was not only him. The men in other districts had managed to pull out after doing a moderate amount, but those centered around El
-Rua Street had all been detained. This fellow was merely among them.
“Was the entire 3rd Royal Guard Knight Order deployed in that area?”
That was possible. If it was El
-Rua Street, public order would be the key issue.
“…
No. We do not understand it either, but Commander Rian assigned only one Garan
-Tia and Vice Commander Selin to the center of that street, and instead scattered the Royal Guard Knights throughout the entire area.
Because of that, the Royal Guard Knights arrived faster than expected, so we could not drag things out as long as we had hoped.”
Marquis Narasha pondered what had happened. At first, he wondered whether they had been ambushed by the royalist faction’s martial forces, but that did not seem to be the case. Moreover, from what he heard, the royalist martial forces who had caused trouble there had also been dragged away with them.
“This will not do. Hearing it only through words tells me nothing. I will have to meet Kial once. Lead the way.”
Then, following his aide, Marquis Narasha headed toward the treatment room.
“So… you were fighting, and then you lost consciousness without knowing what happened?”
“…
Yes, Marquis. I have no excuse. I do not know what happened either.”
After hearing the story, the marquis examined Kial’s wound and his expression turned grave.
“It does not seem you particularly need to feel ashamed.”
“Pardon?”
“Nothing. Rest.”
Leaving Kial in the treatment room, Marquis Narasha went up to his office alone and sank into deep thought.‘What in the world is this…….’He knew the moment he saw the wound. No, perhaps he had known from the moment he heard that Kial, who even among Masters had been tempered in real battle and reached a considerable level, had been knocked unconscious in a single blow. He had only wanted to believe it was because he had been ambushed in the midst of a melee.
A variable had appeared.‘Where did a new Grand
-Vander appear from…….’The wound clearly engraved on the back of his head explained that whoever had struck him was overwhelmingly stronger than Kial. If his level were low, he might not know, but Narasha, who had reached Grand
-Vander, could tell.
If he decided to subdue Kial, exactly such a wound would appear. To begin with, Kial was not someone who could be taken down by just anyone, so this was not a matter for Kial to feel ashamed about.
It could not be the Kirain Sword Duke or Count Roman. At that time, he, the Kirain Sword Duke, and Count Roman had all been gathered with the high nobles in the royal palace’s inner court, holding a grand council. By steadily attending the grand council himself, Marquis Narasha had tied those two, who could become variables, to the inner court. If those three were excluded, the fighting power of the martial forces was overwhelmingly on their side.
It could not have come from outside… so a Grand
-Vander who had been hiding somewhere had emerged. The worst part was that he knew nothing whatsoever about this person.
If so, the plan changed completely.
Judging from the fact that both sides had been knocked unconscious, one might think they were simply neutral, but he could not be certain. It might be a simple whim, or a person of the noble faction, or a person of the royalist faction. Though the possibility was low, it could be an external force. Considering that it was centered around El
-Rua Street, it might simply be someone who had been living in seclusion there and beat them down because they were being noisy. There was far too little information.
Even if that much were certain, it would still be a problem. Judging only by what they had done this time, they seemed not to want disturbances, but if this unidentified Grand
-Vander restrained both sides in this manner, the situation would not change.
What he wanted was not the maintenance of the situation. He wanted change, and beyond that, victory.
If the unidentified Grand
-Vander continued to suppress incidents occurring in the capital, and furthermore… if they were to change their mind and become hostile to them, then the recently returned guards and the existing Master forces would not be enough to stop them. Every plan to pressure the royalist faction would go up in smoke.
Even he himself could tear apart all twenty-six Masters of his faction if they attacked him at once, though it would be a little dangerous. And if they were defeated in detail like this… they would be forced into a situation where they all had to gather at the mansion, bolt the doors, and hold out under siege.
Having thought that far, Marquis Narasha even considered whether he should mobilize
The beings who had allowed him to hope that he might be able to fight the two kingdoms of Karan and Taran.
If their purpose had not been the same, he would never have gone with them. But because he possessed what they wanted, and they possessed what he wanted, they had been able to board the same boat.
But after thinking that far, the marquis realized his thoughts had gone too far. They were dangerous. They were not beings to be mobilized even for an internal conflict like this.
Moreover, nothing was certain yet about this new Grand
-Vander. If luck was with him, might they not even be a Grand
-Vander?
Deciding first to observe the situation a little more, the marquis resolved to shake the capital further. He had to observe the reaction of the hidden Grand
-Vander. And based on the result, he had to discern what that fellow was thinking before he could decide the direction ahead.
Having finished thinking that far, the marquis went down to where the staff officers were. It was to determine the detailed direction from here on.☆ ☆ ☆“Ah, I don’t know, I don’t care. I’m off work.”
Sian struck down the last fellow, then realized it was quitting time and picked up his scabbard.
Far off in the distance, another blue firework was rising… but from Sian’s perspective, that belonged to the next shift. He was already aggrieved enough by how much he had been suffering lately, so there was no way he could work more.
“…
Huuu……”
Seeing Sian pick up his scabbard, Selin let out a strange sigh. She had no idea whether this fellow had any awareness of being a professional at all. To think he had such a lack of professional ethics… If a blue firework had gone off, that place was already being smashed apart, yet the moment quitting time arrived, Sian left. Seeing that, Selin was beginning to understand why Charlotte disliked him.
Or perhaps one could say he was incredibly professional. Since he only worked exactly as much as he was paid for.
Having learned from nearly ten days of experience that trying to stop him was meaningless, Selin simply gave up and ran out herself. She had to help the nearby Royal Guard Knights if they were to suppress it even a moment sooner.
Watching Selin run off, Sian did feel a little prick of conscience, but he performed self-justification by telling himself that he had truly worked an incredible amount. He was the true professional. He was producing results beyond what he had been paid for!
For nearly three days, blue fireworks had gone off intensively only around Elrua Street. Only in the district he was in charge of! Thanks to that, only he had suffered tremendously. If they picked this month’s number one Garan
-Tia, it should naturally be him. (Sian still did not know that Selin was itching to make him write an incident report. Nor did he know that Sir Rian was placating her.)
Moreover, the fellows who had caused trouble this time had come with observers trailing them from afar, as if they had committed some crime somewhere. Since he had not caused any trouble, those observers were surely watching these fellows.
They had to be seriously dangerous criminals. To think there were separate people watching over them!
So, in the name of justice, he especially tenderized these fellows even more. (It was absolutely not because if he only knocked them out for a day, they might come back and raise hell again, so he gave them injuries requiring two weeks of treatment.)
Of course, since it seemed things would become more troublesome if he were caught beating these fellows down, he first gently knocked out the observers, then beat up the criminals before his eyes.
In truth, the people doing the watching needed to reflect a little too. It was good that they had kept their distance while watching so as not to be noticed by the criminals, but what were they planning to do if the criminals noticed them while they were wrapped all over in Vander and glaring so intensely? In fact, had they not been noticed by him?
Though it was unfortunate to knock unconscious people who were diligently carrying out their public duties, thanks to that, he had caught the criminals and put them away for them, so when they returned, they would probably receive at least some reward leave, and they would be satisfied with that.
‘Ah… can’t I get even a vacation…….’
Exhausted by fatigue, Sian was truly desperate for a vacation. Working nearly ten hours a day was far too cruel for him.
☆ ☆ ☆
‘This won’t do. I’ll deal with it.’
Since he could not afford to damage any more of his forces, he shook things up for exactly three more days. It was a decision he made after judging, from the situation, that the unidentified Grand-Vander would likely neither kill nor cripple them.
He deliberately mixed in the returnee youths who were usually arrogant and full of pride—since it was obvious they would get beaten, it was also meant as a chance for them to reflect a little and settle down—and had them pick fights concentrated around El-Lua Street. At different times… in different places… And whenever he sent the returned youths out, he attached an observer to their side. It was to watch from afar and discover who this new Grand-Vander was.
It would be best if he could go and see for himself, but if he left the tournament hall, Sword Duke Kirain would immediately follow him out as well. Then there would be no point.
So he sent them out like that… but the opponent was tougher than expected. Not only were all the returned youths beaten black and blue, but every one of the youths keeping watch was also knocked unconscious. Since it was a Master causing a disturbance, all the ordinary people nearby fled as well, so there were no citizens who had seen who had knocked them down.
Still, there were a few things he had learned.
1. They only faint within the district under the jurisdiction of Celine, vice commander of the Third Royal Guard Knights, centered around El-Lua Street.
2. Once it passes 8:00–18:00, there is no further intervention.
3. Seeing as even observers several hundred meters away fainted, there seems to be an accomplice. After inquiring with the Law Society, they said that using surveillance magic could produce a similar result.
4. It seems he has noticed that he was being tested. The youths who picked fights over the past three days suffered greater injuries. It must be a warning to him.
5. Seeing as he only runs wild within his own district and only during fixed hours, while imitating Garantia, it seems to mean that they should stop prying into his identity and stop bothering him.
There was absolutely no way Vice Commander Celine had done it. She was a greenhorn, and even if she were hiding her level, there was no way she could be a Grand-Vander at a mere thirty-five years old.
He had briefly been suspicious after hearing that the Garantia of that district was the son of Count Roman’s family… but upon hearing he was a seventeen-year-old novice, he turned his attention elsewhere.
He had failed to find out who the new Grand-Vander was, and he was not certain what that person was thinking. However, that would not affect the direction the marquis would take from now on. Even if the information was uncertain, he had to make a decision. There was no time.
“Keep shaking things up outside El-Lua Street. I will handle the inside myself.”
“Yes, understood.”
After sending off the staff officer who had heard his orders and gone down to carry them out, Marquis Narasha thought a little more, but at this point, neither time nor circumstances allowed him to look for another method.
If this person was so reluctant to reveal their identity, then even if he found them, he would not be able to recruit them. If he had plenty of time, he would search slowly and spend time coaxing them over, but he was already in the position of someone riding a tiger in full sprint. There was no time.
If he shook up the other districts while only refraining from deploying forces into the El-Lua district, people would think he was doing so because he feared Sword Duke Kirain and the royalists in the El-Lua district. Even if he stopped shaking up the other places, the other nobles would judge it that way. That would not do.
If he had known there was a Grand-Vander capable of doing such a thing, he would not have carried out this plan at all and would have looked for another one.
Deciding that it would be better to somehow deal with them while the capital was in such chaos, the marquis resolved, for now, to ask them for help just this once. Though it was a waste to deal with a Grand-Vander in this manner, someone hiding like this did not seem likely to help them later anyway.
Fighting in the middle of the capital would draw too much attention, but with the power they possessed, they would take care of it on their own.
Losing a Grand-Vander was regrettable, but the forces of
Having made his decision, the marquis opened the small grand formation located in a corner of his office. He intended to contact them, who were staying in his territory, the Marquisate of Narasha.
If he called them, they would come in an instant. That was the kind of people they were. And they would take care of it on their own.
If Marquis Narasha had known that the one causing all the trouble was Sian, the matter could have been solved very simply by granting him a long vacation.
It was an unfortunate thing for both Sian and Marquis Narasha.