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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Everyone Has a Story - 4
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Shing!
A fairly powerful dagger came flying toward me.
Thud.
I caught it between my index and middle fingers, and Jenia gave a slight smile.
"As expected, you catch it so easily. I didn't bring the sheath, so I just threw it like that. That's okay, right?"
"It would've been fine if you hadn't thrown it blade-first."
"I wasn't trying to kill you. Just like you didn't with me."
"Well, I provoked you first anyway. It's fine."
"Maide Mohan. It seems the reputation of the Unyielding Sword Emperor is actually underrated."
I nodded lightly in acknowledgment and asked.
"Anyway, what brings you here today? You're Jenia Side, right?"
"You knew. Well, you must've heard it from the Witch of Atrocities."
"..."
"What's your relationship with Neril Slaine?"
"She's a comrade."
Jenia didn't seem too surprised, as if she'd expected it.
Instead, a faint glimmer of contempt appeared on her face.
"There's no need to go on about her notoriety. Especially for a free mercenary like you, who must've heard it everywhere until your ears rang."
"Yeah, something like that."
"Sigh. Fine. Anyway, part ways with her starting today."
"..."
"With your skills, there are plenty of much better options than teaming up with Neril. I don't get why someone of your level is doing mercenary work in the first place, but if you want, I can recommend you to the capital."
I kept a blank expression.
Jenia watched me intently before continuing.
"The Knights of Light require divine power, so that's out, but I could put in a recommendation for Alcahad, for example."
"I hear those two organizations aren't on the best terms."
"You know quite a bit. But I can still write a recommendation letter."
"I'll pass. I plan to keep traveling with Neril."
Jenia's face began to lose its expression.
"Why? Why go that far?"
"..."
"I'm not lecturing you on morals here. This is reality. The witch is a target the Knights of Light have been after for decades, and you'll end up facing us eventually. Just like you did with me."
Jenia's words were, needless to say, a misunderstanding.
As long as the secret deal with Dame existed, the Knights of Light wouldn't truly antagonize Neril.
[She's going that far, so why not just tell her outright about that secret deal.]
'No. If I expose the Knights of Light's biggest and darkest secret right here, Jenia will go back and grill Dame about it. And Dame will become extremely wary of me, the one who revealed it.'
[So?]
'So what? I'm supposed to become the hero.'
Especially antagonizing the Knights of Light in the capital would make my path anything but smooth.
Even if I hijacked the oracle event with Neril's help somehow, if the knights claimed it was fake, things could get messy.
At minimum, until I ascend to the undisputed status of hero among the imperial citizens, I can't make enemies of them.
Not just the Knights of Light, but anyone with influence in the empire—I need to stay on their good side.
[Heh. Fine, I'll grant you that much logic.]
'What are you talking about?'
[I thought it looked like you didn't want Dame burning up Neril's precious item.]
"Hah. As if I'd care that much about that woman's situation.'
[Your call then. Heh.]
Instead of bickering with Trail, I said to Jenia.
"I'm not particularly scared."
"...! Do you even realize what you just said? That you're not afraid of the Knights of Light?"
"Their political power is honestly intimidating, but I'm confident I can overwhelm them in pure combat strength."
"I just said the Unyielding Sword Emperor might be underrated. Conversely, you seem to be overestimating yourself."
"Hmm. Well. For reference, I'm stronger than Neril."
Jenia's mouth clamped shut.
I continued.
"You must've found traces of my fight with Neril in Quelk territory. I won that one."
It pricked my conscience a bit, but I'd say it anyway.
Gulp.
Even from this distance, I could see Jenia swallowing hard.
She slowly countered.
"But that alone doesn't make me agree with your earlier statement. My fa—Captain beat Neril just recently, after all."
"That's."
I swallowed the words "a lie."
Neril had just "agreed to lose."
But telling that to Jenia, who infinitely trusted and respected Dame, would probably get a sword flying at me right away.
I changed the subject.
"By the way, can I ask you something too?"
"No. Not until you answer my question first."
"Judging by your attitude, it doesn't seem like you're just here on official business. Did the Witch of Atrocities personally harm you somehow?"
"...Why even ask if you're just going to say that."
Jenia sighed and answered straightforwardly.
"She was my friend."
"You mean Neril killed your friend?"
"No. She just went missing."
"..."
"My friend was a knight like me. One day, while on a mission, she vanished without a trace. And at her last mission site, the witch's mana was thickly lingering."
Ah. So Neril scattered her mana there as per the secret deal.
To make the investigators pinpoint her as the culprit.
"What's your friend's name?"
"Why do you ask?"
"I'll check with Neril once."
Jenia's eyebrows shot up high.
She looked furious, but she answered my question anyway.
"Hmph. Ophelia Mace. Go ahead and ask. Though I doubt she'll answer honestly."
Ophelia Mace.
That name wasn't in Neril's Blood Letters.
Meaning Neril hadn't sinned against her friend, though with so many names in Neril's Blood Letters, I might've just missed it.
Even if no sin, there could be a secret, so I'd check again.
'Tell me the secret between Neril and Ophelia.'
[Hm.]
Soon, a screen appeared.
[Used Eye of Omniscience.]
[Current Eye of Omniscience level is 2. Can view secrets up to C-rank.]
[Selection condition: 'Secret between Neril Slaine and Ophelia Mace.']
[No related secrets found. Cannot view.]
As expected.
'Before regression, how did Kaild explain this to Jenia and convince her?'
No point dwelling on it.
No need to follow that guy's methods anyway.
I said.
"How about this, Jenia."
"Yes?"
"I'll keep traveling with Neril. But I'll make sure she doesn't cause any more atrocities."
"You think you can control that witch?"
"You don't believe it, right? So come to the inn where I'm staying in two days. We'll handle this matter together."
Jenia tilted her head.
"This matter?"
"Yeah. And if after it's done, you still think I can't control her, take her away then."
"Hmph. Like you're giving permission. It'd be faster if I just arrested you now and caught Neril."
Shing.
Jenia drew her sword.
It had been a while since I'd seen Jenia's personal weapon.
The holy sword Kesar, forged by the gods when the second demon king descended.
More famous for the multitude of holy magics within than its sharpness as a blade... but anyway, she'd drawn it to attack now.
Of course, unlike with Neril, I had no intention of fighting her.
"Then I'll run away."
"Yes?"
"Consider this a heads-up. See you in two days."
"Hah. Nonsense. You think you can escape me right in front of me?"
As soon as her words ended, I tensed my legs.
'Quick Dash!'
[Whoa. Manners.]
The next moment.
A tremendous air backlash whipped across my cheek.
I saw Jenia's shocked face flash right beside me.
And in an instant so short it defied measurement, she swung her sword toward me.
Whoosh!
But I was already 500 meters away from that spot.
"Phew."
I let out a breath and thought.
'Kaild really was an idiot.'
[Yeah. Agreed. But agreed to what?]
'You're agreeing without knowing?'
[If it's bashing that guy, agree first, ask questions later.]
'Look at this.'
I raised my arm.
The hem of my sleeve was sliced off.
No one had reacted that well to my Quick Dash skill before.
"Before regression, I didn't know Jenia was this strong. Kaild always just had her handle defense and Agril transport."
[Hmm.]
"He didn't even fully grasp his own party members' capabilities. Didn't know the meaning of 'right man in the right place.'"
[Or maybe he thought too much success would be a problem. Even in the final battle with the demon king, it might've disrupted plans if she shone too brightly.]
I thought Trail had a point.
Thud.
Back at the inn, Neril greeted me from a table on the first floor.
I sat across from her without a word.
"Didn't you say you were sleeping earlier?"
"I woke up. I'm sensitive; if the pillow isn't soft enough, I wake easily."
Ah. That's why she used a full bed even when camping before regression.
I hadn't expected her to wait up.
Thinking I'd been surprised by Neril several times today, I smiled lightly and said.
"You've changed a lot too."
"What're you talking about."
"Anyway, it all worked out, so let's sleep. Jenia's coming here the day after tomorrow."
"Huh?"
"We agreed to handle this together."
I briefly summarized my conversation with Jenia.
Naturally, Neril didn't know the name Ophelia either.
"Dame took out one of his own knights? And framed me for it?"
"High possibility."
"Tell them, and it'll blow up. Both Dame's side and Jenia herself."
"That's why we're keeping it secret for now. Don't want to stir up trouble and end up enemies with the whole Knights of Light."
"Didn't think you'd fear something like that."
"I do. It could hugely damage my reputation. They're geniuses at manipulating public opinion."
"Yeah, true. But to me, it seems more like..."
She trailed off.
Then hesitated a bit before asking.
"Is it because of me? Afraid Dame'll burn 'that item'?"
This one's saying the exact same thing as Trail.
I was about to deny it, but Neril spoke first.
She changed the subject awkwardly fast.
"Your sleeve's cut. That Jenia's pretty good, huh?"
"Definitely stronger than Dame."
"Obviously. He's weak as hell."
For a moment, I felt a bit sorry for Dame.
Shing.
It wasn't until 30 minutes after Maide left that Jenia sheathed her sword again.
That Unyielding Sword Emperor had used some unique technique and brushed past her at an astonishing speed.
She'd swung at the afterimage, but of course, hadn't cut him. Though she felt something graze the blade's tip.
When she came to, he was completely out of sight.
The entire sequence of actions and reactions had happened in 0.5 seconds.
And for a full 30 minutes, Jenia had been replaying that 0.5 seconds in her head.
'If I'd reacted from when he started gathering power in his legs? How far could I have cut?'
She'd asked herself that dozens of times, but the answer was always 'I don't know.'
Tremble.
She realized her right hand was shaking and gripped it with her left.
But it didn't help much.
Her left hand was shaking too.
For the first time, Jenia voiced a different question aloud.
"Father could've cut him, right?"
But this answer came quicker.
Not 'I don't know.'
It was 'No way.'
She already had confidence she could beat her father.
If even she couldn't catch the afterimage, how could her father?
"Urk."
Jenia bit her lip.
She had to confirm it.
How Maide was so ridiculously strong.
And what exactly he was up to in this territory.
Neril's presence had already vanished cleanly from her mind.