CH ss - 38

[Gile : Impatience of the Royal Guard Knight Commander]

※Gile’s POV

About two weeks had already passed since my back was cut by the knight I borrowed from Vigo.

As a result of the continued treatment from the best healing magic user in the Royal Capital who was called by Vigo, though the wound on my back left a scar, the pain had already subsided.

“The wound has healed almost completely. Since it has healed to this extent, I think the pain will no longer appear. Well then, I will be excusing myself. Please call me immediately if something is up.”

The mage in charge of the treatment told me that the treatment was finished, so I wave my hand as though driving away a dog, urging him to leave.

Today’s treatment has finished, so the maids come in and dresses me.

Even in the middle of wearing clothes, I’m curious about the scar on my back, so I tell a maid to hold up a mirror and look at the state of the scar with the mirror she is holding up.

To think this me would be receiving a wound on my back…

Won’t it make people think that I was scared of being killed by Alfine and ran away?

For I, the Royal Guard Knight Commander… to receive this kind of wound…

While looking at the wound in the mirror, I feel irritation rising from the bottom of my stomach.

At that time, I see the man who gave the order to make that wound opens the bedroom door and comes in.

“It seems like the treatment is over today. As expected, there are only the best healing magic users in the Royal Capital.”

“Thanks to your blunder, I was forced to carry such a wound. The price of this wound is high.”

“I understand. However, I think the fact that Gile-sama’s neck is still connected is thanks to that wound though.”

Vigo’s air suddenly changed, and he send a challenging look at me.

“It seems Vigo has something to tell me.”

In fact, while I was hurt and unconscious, Vigo spoke to my father Boris. Then he set the person who was hired in advance as the assassin Alfine, had her executed, and later in the same day, had the gibbeted head displayed in the square of the Royal Capital.

Of course, the face of Alfine, who was called the Sword Goddess, is known to many people, so it seemed that the face of the gibbeted head was carefully crushed so that people wouldn’t find out that it was a falsified severed head.

“We will be having a confidential talk, so clear out.”

Receiving Vigo’s demand, the maids immediately retire after having finished with dressing me.

“Now they are out of the way. So, what is this ‘confidential talk’?”

“It is about Alfine-dono.”

“The case should have been settled with her being beheaded because attempting to assassinate me and the head was displayed in the square. That was how your report supposed to be, no?”

“Yes, that is right.”

“In that case, what is the problem? Even if Alfine is living under the protection of Frontier Count Lloyd, she is officially dead in the kingdom, so there is no problem. Supposed that she is the real one, that is.”

I remembered Vigo’s proposal before I had my back cut.

“Yes, we already have a plan in place to completely suppress Frontier Count Lloyd from making a move. However… I have received information that King Frederick and some nobles are suspicious of Alfine-dono’s case.”

“King Frederick is suspicious, you say? What the hell is going on!”

Even though I had chosen to protect myself and went as far as giving up on getting Alfine and received a wound that left behind a scar on my back; there should be no ground for the most influential power holder and the likes to suspect me.

Even though I’ve went through all those troubes, why is this happening.

After a long time, Vigo gives the report with a sorry look without displaying the attitude he had earlier, making my irritation grows stronger.

“Quite regretfully, there is a rumor circulating that Linus-shi who returned to the Royal Capital from Youg Hannotes was whispering various things into King Frederick’s ears.”

“Linus-shi, you say… although he is the king’s favorite, he is only a low-ranking noble mage. There is no way that the whisper of such a person can shake the trust I have built!”

Having heard my words, Vigo shakes his head as though wanting to say that he is feeling regretful.

“Linus-shi had been gone to see his disciple Noelia Henestrosa in the territory of Youg Hannotes until just the other day. Which means…”

Noelia Henestrosa…

Lloyd’s only daughter, huh… If I remember correctly, she should be the girl that father planned me to be engaged with.

I heard that she is a strange girl; even though she is a noble daughter, she seems to be absorbed in magic research.

Linus’s disciple is——the daughter of Frontier Count——!?

Don’t tell me!

“Vigo! Don’t tell me, you meant to say that Linus-shi told King Frederick where Alfine was!”

“………”

“What is wrong, answer me! There should be nothing that is able to undermine the king’s trust in me other than that!”

Vigo’s attitude of not trying to answer increases my frustration.

If Alfine who was supposed to have been executed for attempting to assassinate me, Frontier Count Lloyd the hero who once repelled the Abyss Walker, and Linus the king’s favorite are connected, won’t it undoubtedly put a suspicion on my head?

Even though I went as far as receiving a wound to try to deceive the king, wouldn’t it all come to nothing?

“As I see it, King Frederick is still half in doubt. As for the rumor that I picked up from his surroundings, it seemed that Linus-shi indoctrinate him with something quite crazy.”

“Crazy thing you say? What is that?”

“The return of Abyss Walkers.”

“Fool!! To let such a talk reached the king’s ears!! What the hell were you doing!!”

With my anger reaching its peak, I pick up a glass jug on the bedside and throw it at Vigo.

However, the glass jug is caught by the knight who is following Vigo as an escort before it hit him.

“There is still another bad report. According to a report from my subordinate that I just received, it seems that the Abyss Walkers stationed in the crystal mine was defeated by someone and because the explosion code that needs to be updated every day was not updated, the entire mine was blown up.”

Vigo conveys such a ridiculous thing to me with a plain expression.

Father told me that the Rahaman Mine in Inbahanes is the place where the most important facility was built.

The reason why I secured Inbahanes territory as the reward for presenting the horn of the Demonic Dragon was also to conceal the existence of the mine with the authority of the lord.

Vigo reported that that Rahaman Mine had blown up without leaving any trace.

“F-f-fool!!! In that case, before being questioned by King Frederick, I might be decapitated by my father!! You said that the security of the Rahaman Mine could not be breached even by the kingdom’s army. So how could they be totally destroyed!”

“The Crimson Magic Swordsman Frick… That name came up from the information we gathered. It was reported that he was investigating the area around the Rahaman Mine with Frontier Count Lloyd’s daughter – Noelia, but apparently that person seems to have defeated the Abyss Walkers in the Rahaman Mine…”

The name of the man given by Vigo was the same as that of the man who was said to have cooperated with Lloyd and co to slays the Abyss Walkers deployed to the Abyss Hole.

I heard he is an exceptionally skilled adventurer, but…

To defeat a dozen or so Abyss Walkers?

I look at the knight in eerie armor standing next to Vigo.

He won against a dozen or so of these monsters, he says…

Impossible, that is impossible…

Even that Sword Master Alfine ran away with her tail between her legs before this guy.

I feel chills go down my spine at the existence of the Crimson Magic Swordman Frick, who is said to have defeated a dozen or so of these monsters called Abyss Walkers.

“That person… cannot be human…”

“Currently, we are mustering all our power to investigate the identity of the Crimson Magic Swordsman Frick. We have to get rid of anyone who is being an obstacle to Radcliffe family and our aspiration.”

“My head is also at stake. You can spend as much money as you want. Be sure to reveal the identity of the Crimson Magic Swordman Frick and eliminate his existence. You can use anything, be it poison or assassination. The suspicious death of a mere adventurer or such, we can crush them as much as we like.”

“Haha! I have also received such instruction from your esteemed father.”

“Then, get started right away! I will immediately go visit King Frederick and start working to separate Linus from the king.”

“Understood. Well then, I will leave the matter of King Frederick to Gile-sama. Please continue to use these two. They should be able to kill anyone you want anytime, even if they are the bodyguard of the king——”

Vigo’s eyes looking at me seem to shine mysteriously, and I feel that chills go down my spine again.

“F-fool! The king is my business! Do not say such things lightly!”

As if to shake off the option of assassinating King Frederick that appeared briefly in my head, I draw closer to Vigo furiously.

Without King Frederick’s favor, I who had not been able to display any talent since childhood would have already been decapitated by father, and I would not have been able to become the Royal Guard Knight Commander.

Yes… erase it.

To assassinate King Frederick who can be said to be my lifeline or such… there is no way I will do it.

I grab Vigo’s collar and glare at him once again.

“Well then, I will be excusing myself.”

Having said that, Vigo takes off my hand and leaves my bedroom.

Having been left behind, I decide to call the maids, get change into my uniform and go to the Royal Castle.

Alright, here we are at last. The third arc, Royal Capital Flagoon. Hopefully the long-awaited reunion of the ex-lovers will happen here, as the author promised.