Chapter 91
──Liana's Perspective──
After leaving 'Noza Town,' spending a night in a town along the way, and then the following day,
Liana reached the rendezvous point with Grand Duke Charon.
"Oh, you have returned, Princess Liana."
Charon, who had been practicing with a training sword in the inn's garden, welcomed Liana with those words.
"You have a fine expression on your face. It seems your doubts have vanished, Princess."
"Yes, Grand Duke-sama."
Liana knelt before Grand Duke Charon.
"I am grateful for your kindness, Grand Duke-sama. Thanks to you, I was able to see many things in 'Noza Town.' I even met my sister──"
"It is enough that Your Highness's doubts have vanished."
Grand Duke Charon cut Liana off and smiled.
"There is no need to speak of your sister. Keep it in your heart so that no one else learns of it."
"But, Grand Duke-sama──"
"The person I dispatched was my adjutant, Nona. It is sufficient to hear the report from her. Let us say that Nona went to 'Noza Town' on my orders to conduct an inspection, and that whoever was available escorted her."
"I-is that really all right?"
"Indeed. Therefore, there is no need to report whom Your Highness spoke with or what she saw. The identity of an escort is not recorded in official documents, after all."
"...Grand Duke-sama."
When Liana stared at Grand Duke Charon, he said with a bashful smile,
"This is what it means to be cunning with age. One cannot get through noble society by being too straightforward. Though, truthfully, I would have preferred to master swordsmanship alone."
"Why do you go so far for me, Grand Duke-sama?"
"It is something like my own ego."
"...What do you mean by 'ego'?"
"You possess talent, Princess. Perhaps you may be able to inherit my swordsmanship. That makes me want to be kind to you."
Grand Duke Charon's swordsmanship was a style he had created himself.
Its movements were ever-changing. He cut down enemies at incredible speed and evaded their attacks with the smallest possible movements.
In exchange for its power, it was extraordinarily difficult to master.
So far, no one had inherited Charon's swordsmanship.
That was why the next Sword Saint had not yet been chosen.
"It may be difficult for you to inherit all of my swordsmanship. If you inherit just one or two techniques, that will be enough. It would give meaning to the life I have lived. In other words, being kind to you is simply my own ego."
Grand Duke Charon nodded while holding the wooden sword in one hand.
"So you have nothing to worry about, Princess."
"Thank you, Grand Duke-sama."
Liana said this and bowed deeply.
(The Grand Duke seems a little... similar to Alchemist Thor Kanan-sama.)
Neither of them sought honor, advancement, or money.
They thought only of honing their own skills and leaving them behind for the world.
──That was what made them seem similar.
(If Grand Duke-sama and that gentleman ever met, they might get along.)
Imagining that scene brought a smile to her face.
She found herself wondering what her sister and Alchemist Thor were doing now──
Her sister Sofia was probably thinking about the town's future in 'Noza Town.'
Thor Kanan might have returned to the Demon Lord's territory and resumed his alchemy research.
Far from the Imperial Capital, living peacefully and at ease.
Liana did not want to trouble those two with something like the new species of demon beast.
"Grand Duke-sama. I have a request."
And so, Liana bowed deeply to Grand Duke Charon and said,
"May I train with the sword together with you?"
"Of course."
Grand Duke Charon offered Liana a spare wooden sword.
"Actually, I was hoping you would say that, Princess."
"Thank you, Grand Duke-sama."
Liana accepted it and took a stance.
"I shall begin, Grand Duke-sama."
"I am only able to use my right arm. I ask that you go easy on me."
"You must be joking."
Grand Duke Charon, who had taken up his sword casually, left no openings.
Even so, Liana gripped her wooden sword and faced him.
And then──
"──I concede."
A dozen or so minutes later, Liana was sitting on the ground.
Her hands were still tingling.
The ground bore marks where she had been knocked down again and again. Before she knew it, her clothes were covered in dirt as well.
Liana had attacked the former Sword Saint with all her strength.
Even so, she had not been his equal.
"Well, that was quite impressive. As expected of you, Princess."
Grand Duke Charon set down his wooden sword and spoke.
"There were about three times when I was in danger."
"Only three?"
"If I may offer my impressions, Princess Liana, your sword is too straightforward. I can tell when you are about to strike by watching your eyes. You should also be careful because your movements are rather linear. You should try to shift the timing of when you look toward the place you intend to strike and add feints to your movements."
"I understand."
"As expected of you, Princess. You learn quickly."
"So my gaze should be not 'stare, stare' but 'glance, whoosh,' and my movements not 'dash, dash' but 'snap, float,' is that right?"
"........"
"........"
"Princess."
"I-I apologize, Grand Duke-sama!"
Liana hurriedly covered her mouth.
The Grand Duke would not understand her if she spoke this way.
Without thinking, she had spoken to him the way she spoke to Thor.
Thor understood what Liana was trying to say and explained it in an easy-to-understand way.
For her, it was a first—and an invaluable experience.
That impression still remained strongly with her.
"I see. So Princess Liana is guided more by instinct."
Grand Duke Charon nodded as though he understood.
Liana lowered her shoulders, her face bright red, and said,
"Yes. Even the swordsmanship instructor Zagran assigned to me often scolded me. He told me not to interpret things on my own and to move as instructed."
"Your method is not wrong. You should continue honing your swordsmanship freely, just as you are. However... it may be difficult for you to inherit my swordsmanship."
"...I see."
"To inherit my swordsmanship, one must understand both instinct and theory. Anyone who cannot freely control their own body will not be able to master it. Still, that is the fault of my own lack of virtue for creating such a style of swordsmanship."
Grand Duke Charon held the wooden sword and gave a wry smile.
"Perhaps it is fate for it to vanish without anyone to inherit it."
"I am sorry I cannot live up to your expectations, Grand Duke-sama."
Liana stood up and murmured apologetically.
Having crossed swords with him, she understood. Grand Duke Charon's swordsmanship was extraordinarily impressive.
It would be a shame for such techniques to vanish without being passed on. That was what she thought.
"Indeed. The person capable of inheriting my swordsmanship would probably be someone who could control their body completely."
Grand Duke Charon murmured this quietly.
"For example, someone who could slip through a densely packed crowd and swiftly capture an enemy. Someone like that... might be able to inherit my swordsmanship."
"...Someone like that?"
Liana nodded without thinking. Just as she thought.
Liana knew someone who fulfilled those conditions.
That person had slipped through a crowd like water and captured a robber without leaving a single scratch on the hostage.
(That person might be able to inherit Grand Duke-sama's swordsmanship. But──)
Liana had promised Sofia that she would keep that person's identity to herself.
She could not betray her sister.
There was absolutely no way she could make her kind sister angry again. Absolutely none.
She already knew in her bones how frightening Sofia could be when she was angry.
Being scolded, or having her sister cut ties with her──both were terrifying to Liana.
Adjutant Nona-san might tell Grand Duke Charon about that girl.
But she could not find out who the girl was. From Nona's position, it would be impossible to ask Sofia about her.
Besides, even if she asked, Sofia would not answer.
(Even though she might be able to preserve Grand Duke-sama's swordsmanship for future generations...)
Liana clutched her head and sank into thought.
(Whose wishes should I prioritize, my sister's or Grand Duke-sama's...?)
"What is the matter, Princess? You look troubled."
"N-no, it is nothing."
"If you are tired, you may rest for a while... My apologies. Before that, it seems we will have to talk."
Grand Duke Charon turned his gaze toward the entrance of the inn.
Several soldiers were standing there.
They quickly approached Grand Duke Charon and knelt. When he nodded, they rose and whispered into his ear.
"──Understood. You have done well."
"──Those who remained in the Imperial Capital will continue their investigation."
"──Indeed. Then take a day's rest before returning to the Imperial Capital."
"──Understood."
"──You have all been doing excellent work. I am grateful."
"────You honor us."
The lightly armored soldier looked pleased by Grand Duke Charon's words.
Then they bowed and left the inn's grounds.
The soldiers had rented lodgings separate from Charon and Liana. That was presumably where they were headed.
"Grand Duke-sama, who were those people...?"
"They are investigators I left in the Imperial Capital. I had them investigate suspicious movements of money."
Grand Duke Charon said this as though it were nothing unusual.
"It costs money to hire and feed people. Concealing someone's existence costs even more. If they are using a demon beast, there will be the cost of feeding it as well. If that much money is moving around, it cannot be hidden completely."
"Th-then, Grand Duke-sama, you have already begun investigating the demon beast...?"
"Indeed. I suspected we might identify the culprit from the movement of money, so I took steps to prepare for it."
Liana thought it was incredible.
Grand Duke Charon had already taken action before coming here.
Moreover, he had done so by a method Liana never would have imagined.
"According to their investigation, money has recently been flowing into a fortress in the northern part of the Empire."
"B-but... if that had happened, shouldn't Zagran, the Minister of Military Affairs, have noticed...?"
"He most likely sent the funds secretly, without routing them through the Ministry of Military Affairs."
"Then let us go to that fortress at once!"
Liana unconsciously tightened her grip on the wooden sword.
She could not sit still.
A new species of demon beast was a threat.
Last time, the Demon Lord's territory and Sofia had worked together to defeat it, but there was no guarantee the next one would go as well.
Sofia could go into battle and be injured.
"If it is difficult for you to act, Grand Duke-sama, I will go! I will defeat the new species of demon beast with the Holy Sword! So──"
"Calm yourself, Princess."
The Grand Duke's voice was so calm that Liana stopped moving.
Grand Duke Charon folded his arms and seemed to be deep in thought.
"We are still only at the speculation stage. Besides, there are five suspected fortresses. The leading candidate is one of them. What will you do if we go to the wrong place and a demon beast appears somewhere else?"
"...Ugh."
"We will soon receive an additional report from the soldiers we left in the Imperial Capital. Until then, let us patrol the area around the border. That should still help us prepare against the demon beasts, should it not?"
"Yes, Grand Duke-sama."
"Do not worry. We should have results soon. Of course, I understand your impatience. The Demon Lord's territory is involved as well, after all."
Grand Duke Charon wore a fearless smile.
"The Demon Lord's territory will surely investigate the new species of demon beast as well. But if the Empire is involved with that demon beast, it is the Empire's responsibility to resolve the matter. We do not want the Demon Lord's territory to learn the truth. It would be a disgrace to the Empire, too. From here on, we are in a race with the Demon Lord's territory."
"Y-yes, Grand Duke-sama."
"In any case, the Demon Lord's territory cannot know about the flow of Imperial funds. They will have to search for the culprit without any clues. We should be faster."
"...That is true."
Liana could not nod wholeheartedly.
Grand Duke Charon had his own intelligence unit.
They might be able to identify those connected to the new species of demon beast by tracing the flow of money within the Empire.
However, the people of the Demon Lord's territory could not obtain information from within the Empire.
They had no choice but to search for the culprit blindly.
No matter how she looked at it, Grand Duke Charon and Liana should be the first to find the culprit.
(And yet, why do I feel as though we cannot win?)
The thought that Sofia and Alchemist Thor could overturn that disadvantage would not leave her.
She could sense it instinctively.
They might simply zip straight to the culprit, despite their lack of information.
"──Understood. Let us go patrol the border area, Grand Duke-sama."
For now, that was all she could do.
All she could do was pray that the Grand Duke's intelligence unit would find the culprit.
They had to do so quickly, before Sofia or Alchemist Kanan could be placed in danger.
"Indeed. We will depart in the afternoon. Rest until then, Princess Liana."
"Yes, Grand Duke-sama."
And so Liana began preparing for the investigation into the demon beasts.
──Somewhere in northern Imperial territory──
"The experiment was a success."
A voice could be heard in the darkness.
"We will soon begin the field test of that demon beast. Make the preparations."
"...I have a question."
Another voice interrupted the man's.
"...When will we receive our reward?"
"I have not forgotten. You will be paid after the field test of the familiar."
"...We are following you in secret for the sake of that reward."
"I know."
"...Please do not forget that the reward is the only reason we obey you in secret."
"I said I know."
There was a hint of a sigh.
"The people above have not forgotten us. Look. A supply wagon has arrived."
In the darkness, the distant glow of flames could be seen.
The faint whinnying of horses and the sound of wagon wheels could also be heard.
"The familiar's food has arrived. Feed it. Be careful so that it does not run wild."
"...I understand that you have the power to move people and supplies."
"Of course. The Empire trusts us."
"...That remains to be seen."
"That is why we have collaborators. A place for us to flee has also been prepared. From now on, the nation intends to cultivate units like ours. Intelligence... infiltration... investigation... They intend to develop units that never appear in public."
"...Is this part of that effort?"
"Yes."
"...Summoning magic. Even though Heroes no longer come when summoned."
"Heroes will not come. That is why we need a different trump card."
"...I hear that the Grand Duke and the Holy Sword Princess are heading for the border."
"We have left almost no clues. At most, we had the demon beast devour some demon beasts near the border. They will not be able to reach our location."
"...I hope that is true."
"This conversation is over. Go to the supply wagon."
"...Understood. But──"
"Is there something else?"
"...We do not know everything about the new species of demon beast. It is a creature from another world. It would be best not to let your guard down."
"I did not ask for your advice. Do your own job, and tell your subordinates the same. That is all."
"...Understood."
The owner of the voice walked away, making faint footsteps.
A large shadow began to move after him.
Its cry could not have belonged to a creature of this world, and its movements were eerie.
But all of it was controlled by the summoner.
It did not rampage or attack people indiscriminately.
At least, not for now.
"For hired hands, they certainly have a high opinion of themselves."
The man wearing a black robe spat out the words.
"We succeeded in controlling the demon beast through group magic. But we need a little more merit before we can become a regular unit. We will continue the experiments. They are difficult, but it cannot be helped if we want to earn our achievements."
The sound of the demon beast in question eating the food from the wagon could be heard.
It was manageable with only one, but supplying food would become a problem if multiple beasts were summoned.
Keeping them permanently would be expensive.
It would be better to summon them when necessary and dispose of them when they were no longer needed.
"The problem is how the Demon Lord's territory will respond..."
Neither the spider-type demon beast nor the giant-centipede-type demon beast had been a match for the forces of the Demon Lord's territory.
The Demon Lord's territory was overwhelmingly powerful.
As expected of those who had once been humanity's enemies.
But──
"If these beasts can be defeated by the people of the Demon Lord's territory, then turning them into familiars is pointless. That is why I summoned the next one."
Something stronger. Tougher. More powerful.
That was why he had summoned it──
"──That one will overwhelm the people of the Demon Lord's territory. Assuming they ever have to fight it, of course."
The demon beast they had prepared was strong.
It would be difficult to defeat it with the Hero's grand magic 'Meteor'──no, even 'Meteor' might not be enough.
They had succeeded in controlling a demon beast that powerful.
"Please wait. Before long, we will return with a great achievement. Then the nation will achieve even greater development. Under the next plan──"
The figure standing in the darkness murmured those words.