CH 65

Act 5: Mayer Knox’s Secret

With Sevi, Julieta, and Nova added to my plate, I was busy every day. If anything, Sevi’s awakening as a mage was a relief. He no longer needed to go back and forth between the training grounds and the castle spire. The boy was ready to learn spells. Meanwhile, Julieta could move on to sparring and I thought it would be fine to pit her against Nova.

I constantly pondered on ways to develop the special unit, even while I moved through corridors. Because of that, I sometimes ended up going the wrong way, such as now. I clicked my tongue, annoyed. “Darn… I got on the wrong floor.” I considered going back the way I came and drew a rough mental sketch of the castle structure. I deemed it faster to keep going straight and down the stairs.

“I suppose I’ll memorize the castle structure while I’m at it,” I murmured jokingly as I began moving. That was me taking Nochtentoria Castle too lightly and it showed soon enough. According to my thoughts, I should have come across a staircase, but I was going somewhere completely different. “Is it because I’m in the main castle? The structure is twisted like a maze…”

It must have been designed to prevent assassination attempts. Considering how hard a time I was having as a pathfinder, its complexity wasn’t hard to guess at. At this point, I had wandered enough yet I stubbornly refused to go back. I came this far, I might as well keep going to the end.

Voices of people came from outside the windows, yet the inside of the building was quiet as the dead. The sunlight shining through the windows illuminated exactly half of the hallways. I walked the border between darkness and light, heart thumping with adventure. As I walked through the corridors, I didn’t come across a single person. It was truly odd, considering how many servants and Dark Knights worked in the castle. Had I set foot in a place I should not have? But if such a place existed, Mayer, the butler, or even Mary would have warned me. I paused for a moment, numerous thoughts flitting through my mind. That was when I saw a slightly open door before me. Believing it to be the exit, I opened it in delight. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a room that was completely closed on all sides. There was a small window high up, through which a sliver of light dimly lit the place.

I looked around with a frown. The lack of proper sunlight made the room dark, and I assumed it was intentional to preserve the paintings hung on the wall. Apparently, it wasn’t enough to satisfy the owner of this room; there was a curtain over those paintings. My eyes were drawn to the largest painting in the center. The end of it was visible because the curtain wasn’t properly hung. What kind of painting was it to be so strictly cared for? I felt as if I had discovered a hidden treasure chest at the end of a long adventure. Curiosity welled in my chest.

For a brief moment, I struggled with my conscience, but I thought, wouldn’t it be fine to take just a peek? I quietly flipped the curtain and… “It’s a portrait,” I murmured out loud.

It was a picture of a handsome man with silver-gray hair in a uniform, a lady with light brown hair, and a young boy with black hair who looked about five years old. Based on hair color alone, they didn’t look like a family, but the face of the boy resembled the other two a lot. And the face of the silver gray-haired man was familiar. He looked just like Mayer Knox.

In hindsight, I should’ve expected a portrait of the Knox family in Nochtentoria Castle. This man was likely the previous grand duke, Mayer’s father. Then the dark-haired boy had to be Mayer Knox. I stared at the boy in the painting, marveling at this unexpected meeting with a young Mayer Knox. He looked so stern at such a young age… What a heavy aura! With a giggle, I shifted my gaze up. The moment my eyes reached the previous grand duke and duchess, I gaped. Staring blankly at the painting, dazed, I realized something. Neither of the two had black hair, but Young Mayer’s face resembled them. His hair color was genetically impossible, and that left only one answer. Mayer’s black hair… was due to his mana?

It was evident that the mana of the demon lord he possessed had turned his hair black. I didn’t notice at all—black was one of the common hair colors.

“Who’s there?” A hostile, elderly voice called out from behind me. I panicked and turned around, letting go of the curtain. Butler Vince stood by the door, glaring until he recognized me. “…Vice-captain?” His face eased up a bit, but he didn’t let his guard down. “This room is off-limits, Vice-captain.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come here. I just got lost….” The excuse slipped off my tongue like someone who was caught doing something bad. My heart raced; I had broken the taboo of seeing something I shouldn’t have.

Butler Vince walked over wearing an unreadable expression. I timidly stood still as he smoothed down the curtain over the portrait and murmured, “I went away for a moment in the middle of cleaning the dust and did not expect a visitor to come by during that time. My lack of caution is to fault.”

“I-I didn’t know this place was off-limits.”

“I should have informed you beforehand, but this old man guessed His Excellency would have mentioned it. He did not tell you anything, I presume?” The butler gently inquired.

“…Yes.”

“Then perhaps His Excellency hoped for you to come here someday.”

I didn’t think the captain wanted me to face the truth so quickly, though. I let out a sigh, feeling perplexed, and Vince glanced at me. “It appears you have seen the portrait.”

“…Yes,” I admitted.

“And it also seems you have realized His Excellency’s secret,” he continued and I nodded again, more cautiously this time. I wasn’t foolish enough to not know that I had seen something I shouldn’t. Blinking his wrinkled eyes as if he couldn’t understand my reaction, Vince added, “Do you not feel afraid?”

“…Huh? Of what?” I couldn’t help but ask. What reason was there to feel afraid? Was Mayer going to get angry that I entered an off-limits area?

“Of His Excellency’s hair… That is to say, the identity of his mana.”