Chapter 32: Funeral
Lensis stared at with sunken eyes.
The emotion dwelling within those pupils was clear murderous intent.
“You were one of the very few humans I found interesting in my life. It is a pity that I must kill you with my own hands.”
“So you really did co to kill ?”
I, Ered, calmly accepted Lensis's declaration of murder.
Screee.
Lensis drew his twin swords.
It seed he had no intention of conversing any further.
‘Can I win?’
I grit my teeth.
I had never once defeated Lensis in a spar until now.
I had only been on the receiving end unilaterally.
‘That’s just the past.’
I encouraged myself.
During that ti, I had accumulated countless experiences in real combat, discovered my own weapon, and polished it obsessively.
Lensis narrowed the distance with his twin swords hanging low.
Death was approaching with giant strides.
My skin tingled.
My windpipe felt constricted.
It was a feeling I hadn't felt in a long while.
...My blood began to boil.
“Fine. Let’s do this.”
I laughed fiercely and roughly drew my Arcane Sword.
After that, without anyone needing to go first, we lunged our blades at each other.
Clang—!
The swords collided incessantly, creating friction noises.
Lensis's twin swords frantically stabbed and slashed, obsessively aiming for vital points.
From above, sotis from below.
Just when I thought he was striking upward, he would break the trajectory and move diagonally.
There was no rule to his attacks.
I couldn't take my eyes off him for even a second.
I desperately parried the attacks.
‘Concentrate!’
Double Ti.
I forcibly stretched out ti and wedged myself into the montary gaps.
Slish—
As I narrowly deflected Lensis's sword, I simultaneously slashed upward with the Arcane Sword in a long arc.
“…….”
A brief silence.
Lensis, who had stepped back, caressed his cheek.
Blood stained his hand.
A shallow scar that wouldn't even leave a mark.
It was rely a graze.
Still, it was a sufficiently aningful result.
Because this was the first ti I had ever wounded him.
A faint curve ford on Lensis's mouth.
It was like the expression of a child who had acquired an interesting toy.
Lensis stood still as if catching his breath for a mont, then readjusted his posture.
Goosebumps rose all over my body.
‘The atmosphere around him has completely changed.’
To Lensis, the fight until now had been nothing more than a warm-up.
‘He is only now intending to show his true skill.’
I felt that fact instinctively.
‘You need to concentrate more, Ered.’
I encouraged myself while tightening my grip on the hand holding the sword.
Swish—
In an instant, Lensis's entire body blurred like an afterimage.
His movents beca terrifyingly fast.
There wasn't even ti to blink.
If I did, it felt like my head would fly off.
Every single mont felt like a cleverly designed trap of death.
If not for Double Ti, my head would have been gone by this point.
‘Monster-like bastard.’
My breathing grew visibly rougher.
Sowhere along the way, my uniform had turned into rags.
Cut marks were prevalent here and there.
The seeping blood was staining the uniform red.
On the other hand, Lensis was perfectly fine.
His breathing was slightly disordered, but that was all.
‘Can I still not match him?’
I let out a bitter laugh.
In the end, I couldn't surpass Lensis.
Even though I worked myself to death.
More than anything, the even shittier fact was that there wouldn't even be an opportunity to try harder in the future.
Since today would be the last day of my life.
“...Don't make laugh!”
I struck down with the Arcane Sword with all my might, denying death.
Clang—!
As if he had been waiting, Lensis crossed his twin swords and locked them tightly with my sword.
A temporary stalemate.
Just as he seed to take a short breath, he abruptly turned his back.
Using his body as a fulcrum for a lever, he twisted greatly.
Clang—
‘...Damn it.’
I stared blankly at my sword, which had soared vertically and gotten stuck in the ceiling.
“You've grown. To last a minute against .”
Lensis's chilling remark.
His sword was pointed at my neck.
“Any last words?”
“Just kill . Don't put on pathetic airs.”
I spat out blood-mixed saliva and wore a sneer.
“I don't want to exchange words with a hunting dog that bit its master to death.”
“...Bit its master to death? What do you an by that?”
Lensis's eyebrows twitched.
“Are you going to deny it now? I suppose you know how to feel ashad of the deed you committed?”
I mocked Lensis and revealed blatant disgust, but.
“I have no idea what you're talking about.”
The emotion dwelling in Lensis's pupils was pure confusion.
‘...Sothing is strange.’
From his position, there is no reason to feign ignorance now.
‘Because he could just kill right now.’
The only people who know the secret that the mastermind behind Unnormal is a mber of the Imperial Family are Marcus, Lensis, and I.
Only three people.
Among them, Marcus is dead.
‘If Lensis kills , that secret will never be revealed.’
Despite that.
I felt hesitation from Lensis.
The tip of his sword was shaking subtly.
Did he have words left that he wanted to say?
His lips moved slightly, and then he spoke cautiously.
“Was it not you who assassinated Prince Marcus?”
...What kind of bullshit is this?
I instinctively felt that sothing had gone wrong.
The situation was flowing in a completely unexpected direction.
“Don't give that shit. Those are the words I wanted to say.”
I countered with a distorted expression.
“The reason Prince Marcus was eliminated was probably because of his plan to shake the Imperial Palace to its core. The only ones who knew that plan, besides him, were you and I. Just the two of us. Therefore, the person who leaked that to the outside is naturally....”
I trailed off in the middle and stared at Lensis.
When I said that much, I felt sothing.
‘Lensis thought the sa thing as . He ca here intending to find and take revenge, assuming I was the culprit.’
He hadn't co to silence to hide a secret.
***
“The house has beco a ss. I offer my sincere apologies.”
Lensis cleared his throat, perhaps feeling awkward.
“Usually, in this situation, don't you apologize first for trying to kill an innocent person?”
I looked at Lensis with absurd eyes.
What did the state of the house matter at this point?
Well, as he said, the house was a wreck.
Broken floor.
Shattered furniture.
Even torn wallpaper.
It had been a battlefield too narrow for Prominences to run wild in.
“Rest assured. I will make sure the compensation for damages is paid.”
“Forget it and just sit down. We have a lot to talk about. This is the only chair that's sowhat intact.”
I offered Lensis a chair with one leg broken off.
I quietly stared at Lensis as he sat down awkwardly.
Although the atmosphere had softened a bit, I hadn't completely cast off my suspicion of Lensis.
“Lensis. You were Prince Marcus's direct guard. When he was assassinated, where were you and what were you doing?”
I interrogated him.
The fact that Marcus was dead ant the assassin was an opponent that even Lensis would find difficult to handle.
If so, Lensis shouldn't have been safe either.
Even if we assu he luckily preserved his life, he should have at least been in critical condition.
The Lensis now is perfectly fine without a single wound.
That point was the most suspicious.
“Last night, my father collapsed.”
Lensis spoke calmly.
“Father? The head of the Lindewald Family?”
“Yes. I received the tragic news that he first complained of chest pain and eventually fell into a coma.”
His tone was calm, but I could feel the fatigue on his face.
Lindewald was also the family that produced the most Prominences.
Valdes Lindewald.
He is Lensis's father and the head of Lindewald.
Although he had stepped back from the front lines, he was still an active Prominence.
His age was over 50.
Considering the average retirent age for a Prominence is around the 30s, this was a quite exceptional case.
“So you had no choice but to be absent?”
“My father's health red flag is not a simple family matter. The entire family would fall into chaos. Since the heir to succeed my father's will has not been officially decided.”
I never imagined it.
That Lensis had experienced such a thing last night.
‘Since it was an ergency situation, Marcus would have had no choice but to allow Lensis's leave.’
Marcus is a very understanding person anyway.
He would have sent Lensis to his father's side even by force.
“Fortunately, my father passed the crisis. But....”
Lensis trailed off.
The death of Marcus followed after that.
His complicated feelings were conveyed clearly.
He couldn't bring himself to utter that fact with his own mouth.
His oath to protect his master had beco a re empty promise.
“At that ti, Prince Marcus was before executing the plan he ntioned. Therefore, he said it would be no problem for to be absent until then. I am ashad to say I thought the sa.”
“In that case, was there no Royal Guard protecting his side at the final mont?”
“That is not the case.”
Lensis shook his head.
“Another Royal Guard mber had been assigned temporarily. To the Imperial Family, a guard cannot be excluded under any circumstances. Even more so for an existence holding the right of succession to the throne.”
A temporary guard.
That was why Lensis had also left Marcus's side for a while with peace of mind.
“The temporary guard who replaced is dead.”
Lensis muttered gloomily.
“I heard he was found as a corpse along with Prince Marcus. It's as if he t death in my stead.”
Although Lensis's talent is outstanding, he is still just a cadet.
The Royal Guard is a group that carefully selects and picks only the elite among Prominence.
The dead temporary guard wouldn't have been inferior in combat power to Lensis, who had just entered the Royal Guard.
Such a man was taken down by an assassin.
Even if Lensis had protected Marcus's side, the story wouldn't have changed much.
‘It’s truly coincidental.’
I furrowed my brow.
The timing of Marcus being assassinated and Valdes's health becoming critical overlap exquisitely.
It was a strange point to dismiss as simple coincidence.
Even so, it didn't seem like Lensis was lying.
‘If Valdes was in critical condition, dical records would have remained.’
It's a fact that can be found out quickly even with a little investigation.
There's no way Lensis would have spouted a lie that would be caught easily.
‘...No, they might have even forged the dical records.’
Questions followed one after another.
In the end, I could trust no one.
At this rate, my suspicion would turn into a disease.
‘However, a mont ago, Lensis was truly angry at . He revealed his murderous intent overtly.’
I could clearly feel the self-reproach from him for not being able to protect Marcus.
Could even those raw emotions have been lies?
“Right now, they must be in the middle of investigating the cause of death for Prince Marcus and the dead Royal Guard mber. How is the progress?”
When I asked Lensis tentatively, an unexpected answer ca back.
“I don't know.”
“What?”
“The investigation is being conducted thoroughly in private. Not to ntion Obsidian, which you belong to, even the Royal Guard has been excluded from the investigation.”
...What on earth is this situation.
A Royal Guard mber was killed.
It ans the assassin's combat power surpasses even an average Prominence.
Prominence is the most powerful combat group in the Empire.
‘They are excluding Prominence from the investigation in a situation where they should be conducting it by mobilizing everything?’
***
Marcus's funeral was conducted as a street procession passing through the center of Neustadt.
The Royal Guard carried his coffin with solemn expressions.
Placing chrysanthemums on his coffin or observing a mont of silence.
The citizens of the Empire commorated the 8th Prince's death in their own ways.
In their respective faces, sadness, worry, and a vague fear were mixed.
As the wind gradually grew stronger, the black flags fluttered unstable.
It was just like the future of the Empire.
The street procession stopped at Gaius Grand Plaza.
Step.
Amidst everyone's attention being focused, a man stood upon the platform.
Broad shoulders and tall height.
If one were to mold a perfect human image, it felt like it would be that.
Decimus Caesar Granat.
He is a person the citizens of the Empire could never not know.
The 1st Prince of the Empire.
In other words, the Crown Prince.
It seed he attended the public position in place of the aging Emperor.
He looked down at the citizens of the Empire slowly.
A gaze filled with dignity.
An invisible aura was felt.
One had no choice but to lower their head automatically.
‘I felt this kind of intimidation from Marcus too.’
I, Ered, recalled my first eting with him.
But after facing Decimus, I felt that Marcus was rely a miniature version of him.
Even the presence is different.
Should I say he feels more mature.
“I cannot put my current feelings into words.”
Decimus spoke his first words in a restrained voice.
“Marcus, who was my younger brother and the proud talent of the Empire, was trampled by the wicked existences called Unnormal. This is sothing that must never be overlooked.”
He continued his words calmly, yet with clear anger.
The citizens of the Empire listened to his words quietly.
It felt like one shouldn't even breathe carelessly. It was that kind of solemn atmosphere.
“The Empire is unstable. From the outside, the despicable Republic, and from the inside, the evil Unnormal are threatening the Empire. We can no longer leave the unstable Empire alone. Marcus's death is not a simple tragedy. It is also a warning given to all of us.”
Every ti he continued his words, even the facial expressions and gestures mixed in seed to be finely tuned.
It was neither insufficient nor excessively exaggerated.
“Humans mostly long for peace. However, peace is established only when there is power to protect it. As long as forces threatening the Empire exist, peace is rely an empty ideal. The Empire must prepare for the coming threats.”
Decimus, who had poured out a heated speech, raised his fist high.
“For the late Marcus.”
“For Prince Marcus!”
“For the glory of the Empire.”
“Glory to the Empire!!”
Every ti Decimus uttered a slogan, the citizens of the Empire shouted after him as if possessed.
“We have the Crown Prince by our side.”
“Unprepared peace is rely a childish anti-imperial thought.”
Even though Decimus's speech had ended, the citizens of the Empire were still seized by the excited heat.
‘Choosing Gaius Grand Plaza, where Unnormal committed outrages, as the speech location must have also been a thoroughly calculated intention.’
I felt such a conviction.
“In the end, nothing has been clearly revealed about Prince Marcus's death.”
Lensis, who was by my side, muttered with a complicated expression.
Even the Crown Prince publicly declared Marcus's death as the act of Unnormal.
Whether he closed his eyes while knowing, or whether he hadn't realized the truth, was unknown.
‘Did the investigation team find no clues from the bodies of Marcus and the Royal Guard mber?’
I was swept by questions.
A body is supposed to contain a lot of information.
Didn't we obtain decisive clues through the autopsies of Ivad and Joffrey last ti?
‘Did they really not find them? Or....’
A growing doubt.
“To know the truth, there is no choice but to check the body with my own eyes.”
Finally, I made a decision.
“...Are you sane?”
Lensis gave a snort as if it were absurd.
“Prince Marcus's body will be enshrined in the Great Sanctuary. You don't not know what that ans, do you?”
The Great Sanctuary.
It is a massive underground tomb where the corpses of past Emperors and the Imperial Family are enshrined.
It wasn't just a simple tomb, but also a sacred place symbolizing the power and tradition of the Empire.
It ans it wasn't a place anyone could go in and out of.
The act of stepping foot in there carelessly is blasphemy.
The price for that is imdiate execution.
There is no exception even for a Prominence.
“Of course I know. So, it's a chicken instead of a pheasant.”
“Are you talking about the dead Royal Guard mber? His coffin has already been buried in the national cetery. But by what ans....”
Lensis, who was refuting, trailed off.
His pupils were stained with surprise.
“...No way.”
“That 'no way' is right.”
I faced him and admitted it readily.
“There's only that thod left now.”
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