Chapter 14

"It's always easier to ask forgiveness than permission."

"It's been… a long time."

Even the moment I spoke, my mouth had gone completely dry.
Priest Garrison, wearing his usual gentle smile, looked at me as though nothing had happened.

"The Church summoned me, so I had to leave in a hurry. It took longer than expected."

The same calm voice as always.

And yet, the instincts of Archimond—who had faced countless powerful warriors and monsters—were screaming a warning.

'Can I deal with him with my current strength? No. Impossible.'

I possessed the talent to perfectly reproduce an opponent's swordsmanship.
But in order to make use of that talent, I first had to survive getting hit by it.

With this body, which had only just begun gaining real combat experience, that was impossible no matter how many times I died and came back.

"However, I heard something rather interesting from the Church."

The smile on Garrison's face deepened as he approached me.

"Interesting?"

"When you were attacked, Young Master, you said a necromancer appeared, correct?"

At his question, my breath nearly caught in my throat.
I forced a smile and met his gaze.

"That's right."

"I killed that bastard with my own hands. And yet, it turns out there weren't traces of one necromancer… but two."

With every step he took, I could see the strength in his hand increasing little by little.

"The necromancer who deceived my eyes and escaped at leisure… where could he possibly be?"

"No idea. I really couldn't tell you."

Crrrk!

The very act of clenching his fist caused the surrounding air to tremble.

'As expected… he intends to kill me right here.'

A feeling so strong it bordered on certainty.
Sensing the danger instinctively, the smile on my face only deepened further.

Ruuuumble—!

A pressure so immense it felt as though the ducal estate itself were shaking.
The killing intent emitted by the Church's strongest human weapon crushed the space around us.

"You intend to lie until the very end, necromancer?"

Along with a voice that had sunk into the deepest abyss, the smile vanished from his face entirely.

An emotionless expression like carved stone.

The moment those eyes reflected my grin, his overwhelming force came crashing toward me.

Violence capable of crushing a human body through sheer wind pressure alone.

And even until the very moment it descended upon me, the smile never disappeared from my face.

Why?

Because everything was going exactly according to plan.

Kaaaang—!

Right before Garrison's fist could strike my face, it was deflected away.

Garrison's punch possessed force comparable to a siege ballista through pure physical strength alone.
The sword strike that neutralized it erupted into a shockwave powerful enough to shake the estate.

Krrrrrrrr—!

"Kyaaaah?!"
"What the hell, an earthquake?!"
"Protect His Grace the Duke! Escort knights to your positions—!"

The sudden impact threw the entire estate into chaos.

Before long, the guards and knights would pour out in perfect formation toward Delline and Heinkel.

"Would you care to explain what exactly you were trying to do just now, Garrison?"

The moment I heard the voice behind me, I let out a sigh.

Part relief.
Part bitter resignation.

"Your Grace."

Garrison's heavy voice echoed through the hallway.

The one who had blocked his attack from behind me was Heinkel—
the current Duke Leinrant, and the strongest knight on the continent.

'He probably heard most of the conversation between Garrison and me too.'

Knights were more sensitive to hostility and killing intent than anyone else.
There was no way the Duke of Leinrant himself would fail to notice a Church Executor radiating bloodlust.

"I'll ask again. What exactly were you trying to do to Klein, Garrison Bierkman?"

"Klein? No. The thing before my eyes is merely a vile necromancer."

A sword glowing blue from condensed mana.
Surging magical power.

The moment Garrison saw it, his body swelled with force.

Kuuoooooh—!

The tightly refined mana of a swordsman.
And the savage violence of the Executor baring its fangs against it.

The battle intent created by two completely different pinnacles intertwined, and cracks began spreading throughout the estate.

"Your Grace! Are you safe—ugh?!"
"Do not approach carelessly!"

One of the escort knights shouted urgently.

Even the guards, incapable of using mana, could feel the chilling pressure in the air.
Everyone who sensed it stood frozen, silently watching.

"You know what it means for the Young Master to use necromancy, do you not?"

"Nowhere on the continent besides the Holy Kingdom forbids necromancers. The mere fact that Klein used necromancy is not reason enough to kill him."

"You understand better than anyone what necromancy signifies for the Young Master."

"He suffered for seven years because of worthless rumors. I won't allow any more than that."

Cutting off Garrison's words, Heinkel raised his sword and pointed it directly at him.

"As Duke Leinrant, I can no longer tolerate the Church interfering in the affairs of this household any further, Executor."

At those words, Garrison's expression became even darker.

Using his title instead of his name.

In other words, Heinkel Leinrant intended to escalate this issue into a conflict between House Leinrant and the Holy Church itself.

"Lower your sword. Unless you wish to make all of the North your enemy—!"

"Fuhahahahaha—!"

Garrison's mad laughter interrupted Heinkel mid-sentence.

"I proclaim: Let there be no shame in your faith. Entrust not your heart to the tongues of unbelievers."

Reciting a verse from the Holy Scripture, Garrison bared his white teeth in a savage grin.

"If one fears such petty threats and fails to strike down the heretic before him, how could he dare call himself an Executor?"

"Garrison…!"

There was no room left for negotiation or conversation.

Realizing that, Heinkel poured even more mana into his sword.

Krrrrrr…!

The battle intent between the two surged violently, as though ready to explode at any moment.

A situation on the verge of catastrophe.

If they truly clashed here, the resulting shockwaves alone would likely bring the entire estate down.

And just as the tension reached its absolute limit—

"Priest Garrison!"

Arin suddenly appeared between them, blocking the space separating Heinkel and Garrison.

"?!"
"Lady Arin?"

A naïve maid appearing amidst overwhelming tension.

Neither Heinkel nor Garrison had expected it, and the suffocating pressure filling the area faltered for a split second.

Completely oblivious to the atmosphere, Arin puffed out her cheeks and held out her hand toward Garrison.

"You promised you'd bring me a gift when you came back!"

At those words, Garrison, Heinkel, and even I—who was merely watching the scene unfold—could say absolutely nothing.

"Come on! Hurry up!"

At this point, was her inability to read the mood practically a talent?

Any normal person would have been crushed by the pressure in the air, unable to move at all.
Yet Arin casually walked straight through it and held out her hand toward him.

"…Yes. I did promise that."

With those words, Garrison's shoulders sagged as though all strength had left him.

Perhaps deciding he couldn't kill me in front of Arin, Garrison relaxed his hand and retrieved a small box from inside his robes before handing it to her.

"Candy!"

The moment Arin opened the box, her eyes sparkled brightly as she shouted in delight.

Watching her, Garrison gave a hollow laugh.

"There's a famous confectionery shop on Royal Gate Third Street. I picked them up there."

Even while he was speaking, Arin had already popped one of the candies into her mouth and was smiling blissfully.

'No wonder all the tension drained out of him.'

Watching Garrison click his tongue quietly enough that no one else could hear, I felt a sense of relief inside.
Looking at that scene, everything about life and death from just moments ago suddenly seemed meaningless.

"I'll come again, Young Master."

I'll come kill you again.

That was the meaning behind Garrison's words.
As always, he gave me a polite farewell before leaving the hallway.

"Young Master, want one too?"

As though she couldn't even see the utterly drained expression on my face, Arin walked over and held out a piece of candy.

"No, I'm good. And…"

"And?"

Arin tilted her head after immediately stuffing another candy into her mouth.

"…Go ask the head chef to make a big cake. Tell him I requested it."

"Oh! Really?!"

"And you can eat all of it yourself."

Instead of taking the candy, I patted her on the head as I said it.

"Yay~! Cakeeeeee~!"

Jumping up and down in excitement, Arin ran off toward the kitchen.

And then—

"Klein."

Another obstacle spoke to me.

"…Father."

Turning around, I saw Heinkel's stiff, hardened face behind me.

"Come inside. It seems we still have more to discuss."

"Did you learn necromancy?"

There was no way to deny it.
Nor any reason to.

I slowly nodded, and Heinkel's gaze deepened as he looked at me.

"Where did you obtain that knowledge?"

"Mother's private chamber."

A lie.

But considering my background, it was the most natural excuse possible.

"Claire's…?"

Contrary to expectation, Heinkel's eyes widened in surprise at my answer.

"Or did you really think I was Archimond's reincarnation?"

The moment I said that, cracks appeared in Heinkel's expressionless face.

'He talked that way to Garrison, but deep down he really was worried about it.'

After silently staring at me for a while, Heinkel continued.

"It was the very chain that bound you for seven years. Why, of all things, did you have to involve yourself with necromancy?!"

Necromancy itself was not the issue.

The problem was that I, of all people—
I, who had already been branded by the Church as a target under strict watch—had learned necromancy.

"I won't make excuses for not informing you beforehand."

I spoke toward Heinkel, who sat behind the desk.

"But for me, this was the only path left, Father."

"There must have been other ways! Even your swordsmanship alone—!"

"If swordsmanship was all I had, I wouldn't even be standing here right now."

Cutting off Heinkel's words, I drove the point home.

"Or would it have been better if I had simply died in that forest?"

"…!"

At my question, Heinkel seemed momentarily speechless.

'It's extreme, but I don't have a choice.'

The foundation of my entire plan was to engrave and establish the identity of "Klein Leinrant, the necromancer."

If I concealed my nature and worked in the shadows, the end result would inevitably be destruction.

Which meant I only had one option left in this situation.

A direct breakthrough.

"You saw the report Dunkel submitted, didn't you?"

"…Yes."

Heinkel nodded at my words.

"The Empire was using necromancers to slowly rot away the North from within, and we didn't even realize they existed."

As I pointed out the ducal house's failure, Heinkel narrowed his eyes.

"If we want to prevent this from ever happening again, House Leinrant must acknowledge my existence."

Heinkel already understood the extent of my abilities.

Achievements created through tricks and tools.

Even so, he could not simply ignore the fact that I had exterminated an entire necromancer nest alone.

'Choose, Heinkel Leinrant.'

Once the logic of "you must understand the enemy to defeat them" was added to the equation, I could finally force the gamble.

'Will you use me to save this house… or allow it to decline into ruin?'

It was while I was thinking that—

"When you first came to the ducal house…"

Heinkel began speaking while staring out through the window in the corner of the study toward the estate courtyard.

"Even after spending seven years imprisoned in the reformation facility… you still called me father without the slightest resentment."

The seven years I had spent under the Church's control inside the correctional institution.

Recalling those torturous years, I too looked toward the same place as Heinkel.

"Even though I failed to protect Claire… and failed to take responsibility for your future…"

Heinkel's voice was filled with regret.

'He'd been carrying that guilt all this time…?'

From my perspective, I had simply been overjoyed to finally escape the Church.
But it seemed Heinkel had been deeply moved by that moment.

"At this point, I no longer have the right… nor the justification… to stop you."

Having made his decision, Heinkel rose from his seat and walked toward me.

"So go forth as you wish, Klein."