Chapter 9 – Part 8

Usually, Cotton’s mind worked quickly, but the sudden confession left him at a loss for words.

When a series of incomprehensible events occur, instead of getting used to them, it seems like your mind goes blank.

“Alright, explain yourself.”

Fortunately, Marsden took control of the situation calmly. He lifted Cotton’s upper body with a respectful and composed demeanor. Cotton seemed to be reassured by Marsden’s friendly attitude.

“If you are the Duke who tried to eliminate the magic, then you may already know. The king of Katlan has succumbed to dark magic.”

“W-What!?”

Olivia couldn’t hold back her shock at the unexpected revelation. Marsden, too, seemed taken aback, unable to ask follow-up questions immediately.

“In fact, all the key figures who should know are aware of it. But we’ve kept silent because if this were exposed, the entire kingdom would be in danger. His Majesty, at least with a shred of conscience, has prevented the spread of the knowledge of dark magic, so I too have been complicit.”

The more Cotton spoke, the more tormented he seemed, even more so than when he was injured.

“And eventually…”

“It leaked out.”

“Yes.”

Cotton exhaled, his face filled with nothing but pain. Marsden sighed heavily, sharing the weight of the revelation.

“What was the reason? When I last saw the King of Katlan, he showed no signs of this.”

“He craved power.”

Cotton’s lips quivered in shame.

“My guess is that he wanted to turn our kingdom into an empire. From our investigations, it appears that he has been researching dark magic to create human weapons.”

“Oh…”

Olivia covered her mouth with her hand. She felt lost for words in front of a loyal subject of a doomed nation.

“It was impossible to correct this with a small number of people, not to mention that we couldn’t start a coup against the king for whom we’ve served our entire lives. It was a cowardly and selfish decision.”

“So, you deliberately tried to attract external attention?”

“Yes.”

Olivia exhaled deeply. She had planned to punch whoever was responsible, but it turned out she might have to help them instead.

“I wanted to apologize to the Marchioness. I’m sorry for causing you trouble. I will do my best to clarify this situation.”

“Ah, well… yes…”

Olivia awkwardly bit her lip. Marsden noticed and smiled faintly at her, then regained his composure.

“Though the Kingdom of Katlan is somewhat of a vassal state, it is still an independent nation. We can’t accuse them without concrete evidence, except for your testimony.”

“…I understand.”

“The problem is, once you testify, you won’t be able to live as a knight of Katlan anymore. Even if Katlan acknowledges your testimony, you’ll be branded a traitor. In other words…”

Marsden explained to Cotton with a tone of regret.

“You may need to renounce your nationality and become a citizen of the Empire. If you do, we’ll help you settle here.”

Olivia carefully absorbed Marsden’s words.

Without additional evidence, just Cotton’s testimony alone wouldn’t be enough to aggressively accuse Katlan of its crimes. But at least it would give them a legitimate reason to investigate the kingdom.

“Understood. I will testify before His Majesty, Emperor Vanitas. However.”

Cotton looked at Marsden with resolute eyes.

“I will not renounce my nationality.”

Olivia was slightly curious. Where did such loyalty come from? She wanted to know the root of it, but she refrained from asking. Now that they were comrades, it was not the time for uncomfortable questions.

“Very well. I will assist you as much as I can.”

Marsden extended his hand to Cotton as a sign of cooperation. Cotton grasped his hand firmly, then turned to Olivia and offered her a handshake as well.

“Thank you, Marchioness.”

Cotton’s trust was still hard to fully earn, but Olivia could see that he had shown tremendous courage. She clasped his hand.

“Let’s do something great together, Sir Cotton.”

* * *

Glenn paced anxiously inside the Flatd Castle. Olivia had left with only Marsden, insisting that a smaller group would be less likely to be noticed.

“It’s all the same, whether it’s two or three.” 

Glenn had argued, but Olivia had insisted that fewer numbers were better, especially when they were crossing a border in secret.

“I originally planned to go alone, but this guy insisted on following me.” 

Olivia had said, referring to Marsden. Glenn hadn’t been able to argue further, especially since it was Olivia addressing a duke like that. Now, though, he regretted not following them.

‘I should have just followed them, consequences be damned.’

He had considered secretly trailing them, but Olivia had caught on and warned him outright.

“If you follow us, that’s it—we’re done! Or should I just marry this guy if you do?”

It was a complete defeat.

When Glenn backed down, Marsden’s expression had turned icy, which Olivia later described as quite a sight.

“I should have just told her to go ahead and marry him and followed anyway.”

Glenn slapped his forehead with his palm. He could have just denied everything later, although it would have taken some convincing.

As each second passed, Glenn’s anxiety grew. He should have arranged for them to scout out a farm and wait there instead. He tapped his foot on the floor in frustration.

“Commander!”

Just then, while he was pacing in worry, a young girl named Lizzy approached Glenn. He wasn’t really in the mood to talk, but he bent down to her level anyway.

“What is it, Lizzy?”

“Sir Illehan is on his way here. He told me to come ahead and let you know!”

Glenn’s face brightened at the good news. Feeling suddenly fond of Lizzy, he pulled out a silver coin and placed it in her small hand.

“Oh, but this is too much, Commander.”

“Marchioness Olivia seems to be quite fond of you. Think of it as a bribe, and take it. And if you say something nice about me to the Marchioness, that’d be even better.”

“Hehe, I will!”

Lizzy beamed and bounced on her feet. Just then, Glenn spotted Illehan walking down the hallway.

“She’s quick, isn’t she? Good job.”

Though Illehan’s steps were slower, given that he had lost an arm, he soon reached them and praised Lizzy. She gave a polite bow to both men before running off down the hall.

“Let’s talk over a cup of tea.”

Given that Illehan rarely moved unless necessary, the reason for his visit was obvious. Glenn led him to a small office he used as his personal space.

“Where is the Marchioness?”

“Well, about that…”

Glenn shared Olivia’s whereabouts with a discouraged expression. Illehan listened quietly, absorbing the information with a calm demeanor.

“Nothing will happen to her.”

“But six months ago…”

“That was not due to the Marchioness’s shortcomings. The blame lies solely with the scoundrel who threatened her life.”

Glenn immediately felt remorse at Illehan’s sharp correction. Yes, that incident wasn’t Olivia’s fault, and it didn’t happen because she was lacking in any way.

“It’s a bit disappointing that she didn’t tell us where she was for the past six months, but I’m sure she had her reasons. Let’s not be too anxious. The world may be harsh to her, but we should trust and wait for her.”

As Glenn poured the tea, he genuinely felt relieved. He was thankful that someone like Illehan was on Olivia’s side.

“But coincidentally… I have some concerning news for you, Sir Miles.”

“I’m ready to hear it.”

Glenn placed the teacup in front of Illehan and sat across from him.

“Did you find something out?”

“To lower your expectations, it wasn’t easy to discover anything significant. Especially since you didn’t specify exactly what you wanted me to investigate.”

Glenn felt a pang of guilt. It was true; in his haste, he had made a vague request.

“But I had a rough idea of what you were looking for. You’re concerned about any potential threats to the Marchioness, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Originally, I didn’t want to take this approach, but after seeing her injured, I couldn’t hold back any longer. Honestly, I…”

Glenn’s face twisted in discomfort as he continued.

“The fact that it was the Duke who discovered the Marchioness’s… wound, has been bothering me. I never want to see her blood again, and if possible, I especially don’t want her to be hurt while she’s with him.”

“I was surprised by the extent of her injury too. I wanted to take my time revealing this, but given the situation, I came here.”

Illehan took a sip of the tea, letting its bitter taste linger in his mouth.

“The Duke’s potential threats to the Marchioness… I started with his external relationships. Specifically, the ties His Grace holds as a nobleman between families. As expected, there were no suspicious connections. He’s been acting with integrity on that front.”

“I didn’t suspect anything on that front either.”

“His movements in the field of magic are similar. Given that he’s dedicated to eradicating its remnants, it’s to be expected. There’s nothing worrisome in that regard. However, one thing did catch my attention.”

“What is it?”

Glenn tensed up. Illehan remained silent for a moment, stroking his beard before taking a slow, deep breath. Though it was only a brief pause, it felt like an eternity to Glenn, who waited with all the patience he could muster.

“I never looked into the personal actions of Duke Troy Marsden.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, while I investigated his activities as a duke, I overlooked his personal actions as Troy. What I’m about to tell you pertains to that.”

“It’s a bit unclear, but…”

“It’s exactly as it sounds. I looked into his personal activities as an individual.”