Chapter 73

The Belkuth family carriage arrived at the Lorenz mansion early in the morning.

When the attendants who had come out earlier opened the carriage door, Count Hiram in a black uniform and a lady appeared.

She wore a black dress with minimal adornments and a black veil covering her face.

"I apologize for my late arrival, Your Grace. Hiram Belkuth has just arrived."

As Hiram bowed his head politely while saying that, Count Claude twisted his lips and offered a handshake.

"Our territory is rather inconvenient for travel. Welcome to my funeral, Count Hiram."

Seeing Yaan and Cain standing guard on either side of Duke Claude, Hiram did not forget to greet them as well.

"Young Lord Cain, you have taken on a weighty responsibility. I will support you in whatever small way I can."

"Thank you, Sir Belkuth."

'Hmph, young lord. He's technically my superior as a knight, though.'

Watching Hiram shake hands with the smiling Cain, Yaan sneered inwardly.

Hiram held both the count's title and the title of knight. He was obliged to show respect to Commander Cain.

Calling a superior 'young lord' and treating him as noble rather than knight to knight.

It was deliberate disregard.

"And Sir Yaan Verkut."

At the voice calling him, Yaan met Hiram's face.

Forcing down the fist that clenched of its own accord, he grasped the hand Hiram extended.

He felt an impulse to rip that arm off right now.

"I'm glad you returned safely from the theocracy. The late Bidel and your students would rejoice."

"Thank you."

Examining the solemn expression Hiram wore as he spoke, Yaan accepted the greeting with a smiling face.

'Five subordinates dead-he must be seething inside.'

A face wrapped in obvious pretense. Just like his own, a face hiding emotions.

Amid the complex emotion akin to racial hatred, Duke Claude stepped between the two.

"Forgive me for interrupting your reminiscing. I have something to discuss."

"Haha, of course, Your Grace."

A brief exchange. Yet at those few words, the attention of nobles gathered in the banquet hall-no, the funeral hall-shifted to the two men.

"You two, please continue your conversation. I'll take my leave."

"Ah, thank you."

The heads of the old and new aristocracy. Yaan, standing between them, frowned and stepped aside.

"I hear the central front is dire. The continuous battles must be exhausting the soldiers."

"Yes. After the last major offensive, the colossi handle the actual combat. Our knights are fighting valiantly, but we desperately need support."

In this situation, what were the Lorenz knights doing holed up in their territory?

That was the question Belkuth seemed to be asking.

"An incident occurred in Rubra-Vailsar under your charge, so most are there. Whoever is supporting them, they're using Imperial colossi on the Liberation Front-what is that about?"

Duke Claude looked at Hiram and smiled, revealing white teeth.

Though his face smiled, uncontainable anger burned in his eyes.

"Thanks to that, our knights suffered quite an embarrassment. Luckily, the enemy's poor skill kept damage minimal."

"...Is that so."

Individually, they couldn't be called exceptional despite their numbers.

That was the clear limit of Belkuth's knights.

"No matter how important the colony's affairs, not sending a single knight-what does House Lorenz think war is?"

One of the new aristocrats listening to the exchange muttered.

Loud enough to be heard, a deliberately raised voice.

"Hmph! Doesn't House Belkuth operate the most colossi in the Empire? The Imperial colossus that appeared in the colony was also maintained at the Belkuth yards!"

As if unwilling to back down, an old noble of the elder faction snorted and retorted, and another noble raised his voice.

"The fault lies with border security for failing to detect the leak of vital resources like colossi to the colony! Wasn't your family in charge of that?"

"All the officials were appointed by your faction! Ask above and they just clam up-how are we supposed to respond?!"

"Colossi aside, the pilots are also a problem! If mana holders are joining rebels, how is House Lorenz managing the colony?"

"During the first civil war suppression, your Belkuth Knights killed thirty thousand civilians! That resentment still lingers!"

"Mending that rift is your job! Wasn't that why you demanded colonial administration rights?"

"The more I hear...!"

As one finished speaking, shouts of discontent erupted from another, then another.

Watching the funeral hall descend into chaos, Hiram shook his head, and Duke Claude clicked his tongue before stepping forward.

"What do you think you're doing-!"

A roar. Then silence.

The noblefolk frozen by the mana-laden shout glanced at Duke Claude.

"My stepping back from the front lines with this funeral is to sever the Empire's pervasive division! And those who should know better behave like this here!"

Rebuking his own side rather than the opposition, Duke Claude's action made the elder nobles flinch.

"Duke Claude is right."

Hiram stepped forward as if to support him.

"Whatever our feelings or differences, this is undeniably a place to mourn His Grace. Refrain from rash actions."

As Belkuth, head of the new aristocracy, addressed his own faction, the remaining nobles bowed their heads.

"I brought up needless talk. My apologies."

"There's no need for that, Your Grace."

As Claude lowered his head in apology, Hiram raised a hand to stop him.

"Though we call it a grand funeral, there's another reason for gathering here. I believe you've guessed."

Duke Claude extended a hand to Hiram.

"Differences in understanding and origins have built an irreparable rift. But for the Empire's sake, must we not unite now?"

Watching Duke Claude's earnest face, Hiram laughed inwardly.

Reconciliation? Between Belkuth and Lorenz? Ridiculous. Competing for the next power's leadership, if this reconciliation lasted even a year it would be a miracle.

'He must have another real aim.'

Thinking so, Hiram recalled the roster of attending nobles he had secured before the funeral.

'Unlike previous events, he minimized his faction and invited a large number of moderates. That was the real intent.'

With both factions at a standoff, the faction that absorbed these moderates would clearly dominate noble society henceforth.

'If I reject reconciliation here, I'll lose moderate support. I can't fall into that trap lightly.'

While exchanging pleasantries, Hiram twisted his lips. Duke Claude's detached air, as if he had cast everything aside.

And his gaze fell on Cain Lorenz standing like a statue behind him.

'Cain Lorenz...!'

Not the decrepit duke, but young blood. A war hero bearing the title, and the golden noble holding the high post of Central Knights Commander.

Though House Lorenz had lost popular and moderate noble support through its actions, evaluations of Cain Lorenz personally continued to soar.

And today, that man would become the new head of House Lorenz.

'Yes. He steps to the fore. Claude Lorenz's final gambit!'

As former head, he held Belkuth in check while seizing colonial administration rights.

If he now withdrew, bearing all disappointment toward House Lorenz, that void would be filled by Cain's reputation and the expectations placed upon him.

"You said you know much about the Empire's aristocracy?"

"From the day the Empire was founded, thirty years ago, I've watched constantly."

"Then tell me. What is this situation?"

Though Yaan eavesdropped from afar, he could only sense the atmosphere wasn't as amicable as it seemed, unable to grasp the deeper intent.

[Detected slight body temperature rise and convulsions in the marked extinction target.]

"Tell me what this guy's been muttering in his head."

Frowning, Yaan tapped his left temple and muttered.

For an instant, the view in his left eye shifted, outlining objects in various colors.

He had realized ten minutes earlier that hotter objects appeared redder, colder ones bluer.

Unlike Duke Claude, who maintained a stable color, Hiram's red hue flickered wildly, prompting Yaan to tilt his head as Ren spoke.

"Thermal camera. Displays detected body temperature."

"Right. I can tell that Hiram bastard's pretty heated."

"That's enough. You'll get used to it."

Meaning he could at least grasp the other's true feelings.

As he thought that, Ren continued her explanation to Yaan.

"The biggest reason House Lorenz lost the support of the masses and the moderates isn't the House itself, but its head-Duke Claude. In other words, if the head were replaced by someone else, that lost support could be regained quickly."

"And the next head is the war-hero Cain. From Belkuth's standpoint, that must turn his stomach."

Yaan, having grasped Ren's meaning, answered thus, and Ren nodded as well.

"Disappointment toward Lorenz will turn into anticipation for the next head, and with that shift the moderates and the masses will overwhelmingly rally behind him."

"Commander Cain already holds the post of Central Knights Commander; add a ducal title to that and... ha."

Yaan snorted as though the absurdity were too much.

The image of a war-hero, the title of Silver Knight, the office of Central Knights Commander-who can meet the Emperor in private-and a ducal title.

In effect, a monster wielding power second only to the Emperor himself was about to be born.

"Duke Claude planned this from the start. Not for himself, but to make Cain complete."

"Belkuth devoted every resource to eliminating Cain before that could happen."

"The moment the famed Silver Knight arrived on the Kerdan front, the knights' forces withdrew from the front lines."

"A plan born of the certainty that he would never abandon his soldiers."

"Randel remaining on the front, that man colluding with Alfraia-all of it was for that purpose."

Recalling the long war waged after first boarding Glaepnir, Yaan nodded.

Coordinate with the Alfraian knights, time the withdrawal of the knights' forces, then hurl Cain's life to Alfraia along with the frontier front-House Lorenz's strongest card would vanish.

"Originally Cain was meant to die on that frontier. If only some ancient tin can hadn't burst out and shattered the entire front."

As Yaan spoke with satisfaction, the vision in his left eye flickered rapidly.

[Correction demanded. This Frame is the Human Federation forces' standard issue, released only after rigorous procedure and quality control. Demand correction of the remark that called this Frame a "tin can."]

"It crashed five minutes after launch. I almost died. Remember? I was tied up and dragged off by those pointy-eared colossi."

[Upon review of the combat record at the time, the Frame's condition was reported faultless. The sole disqualifying factor in that incident was the pilot's compatibility....]

"Ha, so it's my fault? A tin can that jumped out yelling 'I'm fine' and started barrel-rolling?"

"Oh. A fight. War between man and machine."

Ren picked up a cookie meant for the guests and spoke with interest, yet as though she were invisible, Yaan's voice rose and so did Nill's volume in one side of his vision.

[This action was declared the optimal means of protecting the suitable candidate. Further demand correction of the "tin can" remark; also request improvements regarding the current use of railroads with severe undulations during Frame transport. Moreover...!]

"What, a machine telling me off? Keeps answering back to its master? Pull that again and you...!"

"Lieutenant?"

"What now...!"

Yaan spat irritably and turned-then froze on the spot.

"Father and the Count have gone below.... Whatever are you doing alone?"

Cain, looking flustered, gripped Yaan's shoulder and asked, puzzled.

"Alone? I'm with Ren...."

"Miss Diana told me. She said you were muttering to yourself...."

Behind the speaking Cain, Ren sat expressionless, sipping tea quietly, making a V with both fingers.

'These tin cans, two of them...!'

Yaan thought, then forced the thought down and shook his head at Cain.

"It's nothing. I was just a little tired...."

"Hallucinations from fatigue? Could be side effects from riding an Ancient colossus. I'll fetch a healer at once...."

"No, I'm truly all right."

[Still awaiting a response to the correction demand. Reiterating this AI's request. The pilot in question....]

"Fine, just-shut...!"

About to snap, Yaan noticed Cain still watching him.

"You're in serious shape."

"That's not it. My left eye-!"

"No need to make excuses. You're human too! You're not even a mana-user like me; you've simply been on the front too long!"

Wrong. This nobleman had no intention of listening seriously.

"I appreciate your concern, but that's not-"

"You care for your company and your aide so much, yet what happens if you collapse?"

Damn it-shit, this is insane.

Eyes sparkling, Cain gestured hurriedly to his attendants while still gripping Yaan's shoulders.

'No! That's not it!'

Even as Yaan thought it, three times the size of the thugs he once faced, the attendants bowed politely and took his arms.

'What strength do these guys have?'

Watching with worried eyes, Cain spoke firmly.

"By order of the Central Knights Commander. I'll handle this; you return to quarters and rest. Right now!"

The moment he spoke, Ren rose from her seat. She had waited for this instant.

"I'll escort you all the way to your quarters."

"No, really, I'm fine. I can walk myself."

Out of the banquet hall into the mansion's yard, Yaan waved the attendants away.

Pressing further would be impolite to a knight; the attendants bowed deeply, asking him to call if he felt unwell, and vanished.

"Hah, that noble-too kind for his own good...."

"Thanks to him, we're out of Hiram's sight."

"Right. Let's think of it that way."

Even after seeing Hiram's face, the urge to kill hadn't faded; being in the same place was agony for Yaan.

"Oh my, might you be Sir Yaan Verkut?"

A voice from behind.

Beautiful, yet laced with enough allure to cloud a listener's eyes.

'A woman?'

Turning, Yaan saw a woman in a black dress, her face veiled in black.

He had no dealings with noblewomen; he stared, puzzled, then hardened his expression.

She was the woman who had stepped from the same carriage as Hiram when they first arrived at the Lorenz mansion.

"I spent long years on the battlefield; I'm afraid I don't recognize you, my lady. Might I have your name?"

She made no gesture or bow.

She saw no need.

"Alienor."

So saying, she slowly lifted the veil that had hidden her face.

Black. Unlike Yaan's utterly black hair, hers was deep black tinged here and there with blue, like the night sky, and so were her eyes.

Her gaze slowly rose, sweeping over Yaan's body.

An empty gaze that raked over him.

Not the emotionless machine eyes Ren bore, but eyes that carried madness tangled into chaos.

"I am Alienor la Dunois, head of House Dunois."

Lifting the hem of her dress, she curtsied formally to Yaan. She was the head of one of the two great ducal Houses that rivaled Lorenz.

House Dunois.