Chapter 50: Von (1)

Chapter 50: Von (1)

Henry had taken control of the situation all by himself. The kidnappers, witnesses, and even the wrongly framed perpetrators. Henry had manipulated everything to his liking.

Harz almost collapsed as his blood pressure rose, barely managing to gather himself together and come to his senses.

‘If I collapse now, I’ll be framed for everything.’

Just the thought of it brought a chill down Harz’s spine. Barely holding on to what remained of his spirit, Harz shakily rose to his feet, with support from Weil.

“...Everyone, please leave us.”

Having finally grasped the situation, Harz requested a private audience with Henry. However, Henry still had a stern look on his face, his cynical attitude on full display as he crossed his arms.

Harz bowed his head deeply once more and requested politely, “Please... it won’t take long.”

Henry realized that he had finally gotten what he wanted out of Harz. Whatever the others thought, the fact of the matter was that Harz had been put in his place.

Only then did Henry gesture with a flick of his chin and order everyone to leave. The waiting room cleared out, and only two remained.

Thud.

As soon as everyone was out of sight, Harz immediately fell to his knees.

“Please spare me, Sir Henry.”

“So are you admitting to the truth?”

“What use would that be now? However, before you punish me for my wrongdoings, may I ask for one favor?”

Harz spoke with a hoarse voice, his eyes bloodshot and filled with anxiety.

“Just one night. Please give me just one night.”

“It sounds to me like you’re asking for time to run away.”

“No, just please give me time to sort out a few things. I have too many things to do to leave all of a sudden like this.”

Harz’s voice was filled with deep emotion, but to Henry’s ears, it all sounded like excuses. With a slight curl in the corner of his lips, Henry whispered to Harz, “Things to do, huh? Like asking Von for help?”

Harz almost had a stroke at the sound of that name.

Von.

Nobody else was supposed to know that name, but now it was on the lips of a man whom Harz had just met.

Harz’s pupils constricted and his facial muscles began to tremble. Henry smiled contentedly.

“Guess I’m right.”

It was the perfect outcome. Henry couldn’t be happier to confirm that Von was present in the city.

‘As expected, my prediction was correct.’

Von was a smart and stubborn man. However, he was also fundamentally a loyalist who truly loved Enkelmann. That was why, despite having run away initially, he had returned to Enkelmann in secret.

“Where is Von?”

“H-how did you...?!”

“That’s not what I asked.”

Knowing that his prey was cornered, Henry saw no reason to delay any longer. With an even colder face than before, Henry pressured Harz.

“Where. Is. Von?”

“P-please spare my life...!”

“Don’t make me repeat myself.”

Harz’s hands trembled as if he was down with a terrible cold. Then, he took out a small piece of paper.

‘Huh?’

It was a palm-sized piece of paper. A few spells that were all too familiar to Henry were scribbled on it.

‘A caller scroll?’

It was the caller scroll that Henry himself had created.

* * *

The bailiff continued speaking.

“Those who plot treason would normally have their entire family arrested, but thanks to the great generosity of His Majesty the Emperor, the crime is to be charged to Henry Morris alone...”

Henry opened his eyes. Even though his body was badly damaged by the poison, a fierce look flashed across his eyes. It wasn’t just the executioner who was weighed down by Henry’s aura. Even the Emperor and the rest of the nobles, who were there to witness the execution, couldn’t help but turn pale.

“I feel like my ears are going to rot at this rate. Cut the bullshit and just kill me!”

Henry summoned the last of his strength to shout spitefully at all of them, but when he did...

“T-t-that bastard! Kill him! Now! H-h-hurry!”

The Emperor stuttered as he pointed at Henry, his hand trembling madly. The moment he looked into Henry’s eyes, he was reminded of his father’s cold eyes that always looked down on him. The Emperor was afraid of those very eyes, as they held the same contempt as his deceased father’s.

“Sir Henry, I’m sorry.”

Valhald, often called the Knight King and the number one among the Ten Swords of the Empire, raised his sword high into the sky...

“Hurgh!”

The moment Valhald swung his sword and blood gushed out of Henry’s throat, Von sprung up and sat up straight with a short groan.

“That dream again...”

It was the dream of the day Henry, the archmage of the empire, had been executed. Along with all the nobles, Von had witnessed the entire thing from the corner of the execution ground, gritting his teeth as he did so. It was a terrible memory for Von.

Henry used to boast about how he would make this country the best country in the world. It was truly unbelievable that such a man would meet such a meaningless demise. He had been ruthlessly killed nonetheless, and the last hope remaining in the imperial family had died with him.

Von recalled the last words Henry had said to him:

‘I don’t have the power to protect you anymore. So, get out of here as soon as possible and hide somewhere safe. Once I’m dead, you’ll be next.’

Henry had been the most powerful man in the history of the continent. But alas, he was also only human. A recognized being, but a weak-minded human nonetheless.

“Sigh...”

No one could even fathom how much regret Von had felt after Henry’s passing. Von had wanted to ask Henry so many questions. Why hadn’t he reacted more aggressively from the beginning? Why had he treated those nobles like humans until the end, when they wouldn’t offer him the same respect?

However, there was no use in dwelling on it. Henry was already dead. After witnessing Henry’s demise, Von had hurriedly left the capital without even having time to come to terms with his sorrow. He knew better than anyone else that the blades that had been pointed at Henry would soon be pointed at him.

He decided to return to Enkelmann, his hometown. Enkelmann was the largest trading city in the empire, and the second-largest tax contributor as well. For that reason, it was also the city most coveted by all the nobles in the empire. That was even more reason for Von to protect Enkelmann—he needed to preserve Henry’s last gift to him.

Henry had made Enkelmann a free autonomous city, free from the rule of the nobles. That was why Von had been running Enkelmann as best as he could from the shadows. He had personally selected Harz to be his mouthpiece, and monitored him closely to ensure there was no fault in the way the city was run. He knew that as soon as there was a problem with Enkelmann, it was certain that the other nobles would target the city like hyenas hunting down an injured prey.

Pssssk.

“Mmm?”

Just as he finished shaking off the nightmare, wiping the cold sweat from his hands, the caller scroll that he kept with him at all times began to burn little by little. In Enkelmann, only two people, himself and Harz, could use this caller scroll. Henry had personally taught him how to make one.

“Harz?”

Not long after taking the caller scroll out, it burned completely and disappeared.

“Mm?”

It was strange. The faster the caller scroll burned, the more urgent the other party was. After his return to Enkelmann, his caller scroll had never completely burned like this before. Von had a bad feeling about what was happening on the other end. He hurriedly finished preparations to leave and headed toward the city hall.

* * *

Nod.

The gatekeepers at the entrance bowed to him as he entered. As soon as Von passed through the waiting room and reached Harz’s office, he threw open the door without even knocking. However, he did not see Harz. Instead, there was a man he had never seen before sitting in Harz’s chair.

“Ah, you’re here, Sir Von?”

Henry greeted Von like a close friend that he hadn’t seen in a long time, which was technically true. However, Von’s attitude toward Henry was less than welcoming.

“Who are you?”

Henry was frustrated. Despite finally being able to meet after such a long time, he couldn’t afford to reveal his identity. Henry introduced himself in a calm tone, without losing his smile.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Henry Morris.”

“What...?”

Von furrowed his brows sharply. However, Henry continued speaking calmly.

“You must be Sword Master Von, correct?”

“Who are you?”

Killing intent spewed out of Von in an instant. As the only Sword Master of Enkelmann, Von had not neglected his training for a single day, from the day he left to help establish the empire to the day he returned to Enkelmann.

‘Still as feisty as ever.’

Von’s killing intent quickly filled the office. Any normal human being would have passed out from fear, but for Henry, it felt like nothing but a cool breeze passing by. Fortitude toward the idea of death came from the strength of one’s mind, not the physical toughness of one’s body. That was why Henry was able to continue speaking calmly without a care for all the killing intent emanating from Von.

“Have you not heard yet? I was the one who removed the malignant fungus yesterday.”

“Malignant fungus?”

Only then did Von recall the mushroom incident. Indeed, Harz had reported that someone with the same name as the dead Archmage had appeared to solve that problem. That wasn’t important to Von, though. He wanted to know why this bastard knew of his existence, and how he had gained access to Harz’s caller scroll.

“You must have a lot of questions. Are you going to keep standing in the hallway like that?”

“What is Harz?”

“He’s in his resting quarters. I gave him some time to reflect on himself.”

“What?”

Harz was essentially Von’s other self, at least until Von died. That was why the only person in Enkelmann who could disrespect Harz was Von himself. Oddly enough, however, Von didn’t feel upset.

At first, he had felt angry at this absurd situation, but Henry’s unwavering attitude rather aroused his curiosity. In addition, Henry did not even blink an eye when confronted with Von’s killing intent which would have made even an apex beast retreat in fear. This was enough to stroke Von’s curiosity.

Withdrawing, Von closed the office door and sat on the chair opposite Henry. This man was the first person to make Von feel curious ever since his return to Enkelmann. Von figured that he might as well satisfy his curiosity, then kill the man later if he had to.

“You like cold green tea, don’t you?”

“...Did Harz tell you that?”

“No, just my gut feeling.”

In the past, when the two shared tea, Von would always insist on cold green tea. Just as he did in his previous life, Henry personally served Von a cup of tea.

The two men sipped their tea in silence for a while. Henry was the first to speak.

“How does it feel—hmm, better said, are you satisfied with your life here?”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well... you’re famous, aren’t you? The fact that you were the Sword of Archmage Henry Morris is a fact known to all citizens of the empire.”

“Are you mocking me?”

“I wouldn’t dare.”

“How did you know that I was here?”

Henry knew from experience that jokes wouldn’t work with Von. Thus, he decided to use a ploy that he had never used since his resurrection.

“Because Master told me.”

“...What?”

“My Master. The 8th-Circle Archmage, Master Henry Morris.”