Chapter 428

My entry into Akalusian territory was uneventful. I had a small run-in with the guards shortly after dispelling the fog, but the misunderstanding was quickly cleared up when I made it clear that I was not an intruder.
The captain of the guard in full armor bowed and apologized.
“I apologize for earlier, I thought for sure there was a war in the Empire or some Gracian hillbillies ambushed us in the middle of the night, but I never thought it was you challengers.”
“Oh, I would have been surprised too.”
I waved them off as if it were no big deal. Thirty or so men surrounded us as we stepped off the raft, nearly frozen in astonishment twice: once at the unprecedented dispersal of the mist, and again when they realized it was me and Asel who had caused it.
He was the only one who could hold a normal conversation.
“By the way, you’re really good at organizing siege formations. I’ve been to Gracia before, and I think it’s a lot faster than that.”
“Hmph, sure, but it’s only our job, so don’t take too much credit. It’s a good thing there was no unnecessary bloodshed, thanks to your quick call out of the challenger’s proof.”
I smirked instead of answering.
The challenger’s proof was a word of assurance that the would-be entrant was not trespassing for impure purposes, and proof that they had been invited by a member of Acalusia.
It was a closely guarded secret to begin with, and with the wording changing at irregular intervals, it was nearly impossible to deceive.
‘It’s a memory. It was written on the back of the brooch.’
Nostalgia blooms. It had been a long time, but I remembered it clearly. I had beaten all my seniors in the entrance exams, caught Erzebet’s eye, and earned an invitation to Acalusia.
The back of the brooch, encrusted with black citrine, bore the symbol of the Inquisitor roaring at the moon and the words to be used in the challenger’s proof.
“Do not long for the sun when it is already shining.”
Said the Chamberlain.
“It was on an invitation we issued about three years ago, and I’m pretty sure it was written by Erzebeth, but it’s been a while since I’ve heard it.”
“Heh, did he write it?”
“—Yes. You used to be a good builder.”
“Hmm?”
For a moment, the Legionnaire’s face darkened. It quickly returned to its normal color, but the shadow it cast at the mention of Erzebet’s name was considerable.
What happened to Eri?
The Captain of the Guard, who glanced back and forth between me and Asel, turned away.
“Then follow me. By the rules, you should have a physical copy of the invitation, but since your lordship has accepted your excuse that you lost it, we have no right to sanction you further.”
“Aha, thanks, you’re more flexible than I thought.”
“Go, go with me, Ronan!”
Asell, who had come running, grabbed me by the collar. I glanced around the Acalusian estate as we walked along the forge. The quiet moonlight bathed the gardens in green.
‘Well, it’s a different family, but it’s different, and I think I might like the gardens better here than at the Gracias.
Unlike Gracias, which, in retrospect, he had visited time and time again, Acalusia had never been to the original world. Whereas Gracias had decorated its estate in the traditional aristocratic style, with its emphasis on pomp and circumstance, Acalusia had a more subdued, elegant air that was almost austere.
The manicured landscaping and lawns are beautiful. The tributary of the Taimen River that we rode in on flows through the vast estate and out of sight.
“—pretty.”
“Sure.”
Asel muttered a timid appreciation.
I agreed with him with a light nod. The water was so well maintained that it didn’t smell fishy, even though we were standing by the river. Rather, the scent of wildflowers and wet grass was clearing my head.
The Acalusian mansion was built on a cliff in the form of a broad column. To be precise, half of the cliff is a precipice, and the other half is a relatively gentle hill, so access to the mansion necessarily involved climbing up the hill. A path wide enough for five carriages to pass simultaneously led to the mansion’s main entrance.
I chuckled to myself as I walked, my eyes fixed on the mansion that was getting closer and closer.
“How many windows are there, for fuck’s sake?”
I thought it was big from a distance, but when I got up close, I realized how imposing it was. In terms of the mansion alone, it was bigger than the mansion in Gracia. I wondered if it was because of the family tradition of accepting talented people flexibly. Maybe they need to accommodate more people.
We hustle and bustle and soon arrive at the front door.
“There you go.”
For the first time since the Master Chief had begun his tour, he spoke. The main gate, an opening in the hedge surrounding the manor, perched high above the grounds, overlooked half of Acalusia and the mainstream of the Taimen River in the distance.
“Hic.”
Asel flinched as he watched the front door.
Where I stared, wondering what was going on, there was a giant, lifelike head of a friar. Just above the main entrance, the open-mouthed friar was the symbol of House Acalusia.
Its fangs gleaming in the moonlight, it looked as if it would tear the intruder’s throat out at a moment’s notice.
Still.
I patted him on the back in disbelief.
“Hey, asshole, what’s the big deal with that, do you think the statue is going to eat you?”
“No, I didn’t, I was just staring at it because it was so well made…!”
“Of course you do, Asel. Here, take the balls you dropped.”
“Ha, don’t!”
I picked up a rock and handed it to him, and Asel’s face flushed. It was almost as if he was ashamed of how red he was.
The captain of the guard looked at us and smirked.
“That’s enough. I’ve never seen such an optimistic challenger, despite your skill. Are you not afraid of the Lord’s test?”
“Well, whatever works, I don’t have an answer other than to hope for the best.”
“I like it. It reminds me of my younger self. I shouldn’t, but I have a special piece of advice for you.”
The Captain lowered his voice. The grave expression on his face drew attention to himself.
A whisper escaped his lips as he glanced around.
“Beware of Erzebet the Younger.”
“What? What does that mean—”
The car was about to respond to the unintelligible words. A chilling sense of danger made the hairs on his crown stand on end. A hand that had gotten ahead of the accident grabbed him by the back of the head and yanked him backward.
Kaaaaaah!!!
The lion statue above the main entrance crashed to the ground with a thud.
“Off! Off!”
A girlish scream burst from Asel’s mouth.
My legs gave out from under me. The lion’s jaws were stuck exactly where we were standing. If we were any slower to pull away, we would have died a horrible death, somewhere between strawberry and strawberry jam.
“What the fuck.”
“Oh, my God, are you okay?!”
The Captain of the Guard was horrified. He rushed over to check on us. Luckily, we were unharmed, except for Asel’s slight exhaustion.
“That’s okay, just get him a pair of pants to change into later.”
“Hmph—hmph, hmph, hmph! Lord, I almost died, Ronan—I almost died!”
Asel gasped for air.
I didn’t like the fact that the boy dared to bury his face in me and cry, but I specifically left him alone. Once I entered Pileon, I would have to take Professor Varen’s class whether I liked it or not, and I hoped this wouldn’t be a traumatic experience.
There were signs of corrosion on the cut of the statue’s neck and where it had been suspended.
The Legionnaire’s brow furrowed.
“How ominous that the family emblem, however ancient, should be broken now—!”
“—That’s too plausible to be a coincidence.”
The position of the fall was far too intentional for a simple accident. I squinted my eyes like a bird of prey.
Moonlit gardens, lakes, and forests beckoning to the night breeze came and went in a blink of an eye. I took one last look at the mansion.
“That one.
The gaze stopped on one place. It was one of the lighted windows. The moment my gaze touched it, a hulking shadow disappeared behind the curtain. The distance was too great to make out a face.
“Hmm.”
“Hmph–hmph–! Black, hmph.”
The Shadow had already disappeared, so he counted the floors on his fingers and memorized them. The men who had heard the captain’s call were coming from the bottom of the hill.
At one point, he was going to call for a guardsman to enter the mansion.
“What’s all the fuss about?”
“——!”
A woman’s voice echoed behind him.
I turned my head, feeling a sudden sense of dread. The door to the mansion was unexpectedly open. A woman in a purple dress stood there, her mouth covered by a fan.
“It’s beautiful. Who is it?
She was the kind of beauty that every man would stare at. The fine dress showed off the contours of her model-like figure. The catlike upturned corners of her eyes and the tear ducts beneath them were creepily Erzebet-like.
Did Eri have a sister? I don’t think I heard that?
By the time I realized she was Erzebet’s sister, I was convinced of her identity.
Turning around, the Captain’s eyes widened to the point of bulging.
“Go, see the Lord!”
“What?”
My brow furrowed. I wondered what I’d heard, for there was not a hint of disorientation in the lightning-quick posture of the commander of the guard.
“You want me to leave, my wonderful sister? You can’t mean that—.
For a moment, goosebumps ran down my spine. I couldn’t believe it, but there was only one answer. I swallowed hard and cautiously opened my mouth.
“——Are you Eri’s mother?”
“What? How did you come up with that kid’s nickname—.”
The woman called Gazoo narrowed her eyes. When she heard that it was her daughter, Asher stopped crying and drew in a sharp breath.
“Uh, Mother?!”
“—Are you two the challengers who cut through the fog?”
She was surprised, too; she knew the circumstances of the fog’s disappearance, but didn’t seem to realize it was us. The captain stammered and explained the recent events to Gaju. I, timing it just right, dropped to one knee and bowed.
“I am Ronan. I’m here to become a part of Acalusia.”
“Oh, it’s called Acel!”
“That’s amazing—I didn’t realize you were so young.”
Gaju covered her mouth with her fan and admired. The corners of her eyes curved ever so slightly as she realized we were challengers. She glanced back and forth between the weaponmaster, the broken lion statue, and us, then opened her mouth.
“I am Adrian de Acalusia, Lord of Acalusia. We have a long conversation to have, so please come in.”