[Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]

    Chapter 87

    "Meier... Sword Clan?"

    The Saintess asked in a trembling voice.

    "In this day and age, a sword clan?"

    After the advent of mana suits and the Masters, knights had greatly declined in society.

    It was only natural for the sword clans, which once taught martial arts and formed powerful factions, to fall as well.

    Now, aside from a few historic sword clans, it was nearly impossible to find any.

    "But this place carries the name Meier...

    Meier Sword Clan.

    The name itself was not entirely nonexistent.

    Hundreds of years ago, when knights and sword clans were still active,

    the ''Meier'' Sword Clan, named after the Meier Empire, had sprung up countless times.

    But they were all frauds, and there had never been a true sword master of Meier''s name.

    But the Meier name this person spoke of felt different from those charlatans.

    He had shown the power of a Sword Master, riding Drake and demonstrating combat skills.

    Looking at him, the Saintess couldn’t help but ask.

    "Does the Meier Sword Clan... perhaps have any connection to the Meier Empire?"

    "Yes. I am a descendant of the Meier Imperial Family."

    "I see. I thought the Meier Imperial Family had fallen..."

    "After the collapse of the unified empire, we survived by changing our name and surname. But now, I have earned the right to revive my family’s name, and I’ve decided to restore the sword clan."

    The ''right'' he spoke of,

    must refer to being a Sword Master.

    The Saintess recalled the Aura Sword from earlier.

    "That was definitely not a Holy Knight’s sword."

    The white knight’s Aura Sword made of light.

    Since Holy Knights also dealt with light mana, a skilled Holy Knight could create a sword of light like that.

    To ordinary people, since the sword was made of light, both swords might have seemed similar...

    But through the Saintess’s eyes, the two swords were completely different.

    No matter who made it, a Holy Knight’s sword always had a similar appearance and mana flow.

    The source of a Holy Knight’s power ultimately came from the heavenly realm.

    Thus, every sword created in that manner shared a similar structure to the Holy Sword Astella.

    No matter how skilled a Holy Knight was, they could never create their own unique Aura Sword, like the white knight had.

    After all, even if they wielded the same weapon, they were in different realms.

    This person was definitely a Sword Master.

    "I didn’t originally intend to visit you like this. However, due to an incident at the palace, I had to take the liberty of seeing you."

    "What happened at the palace?"

    "Yes."

    As the white knight explained what had happened at the palace the day before, the Saintess''s expression gradually stiffened.

    Especially when he mentioned the Black Skull, her face turned cold.

    "The Black Skull, you say?"

    "The Black Skull..."

    "It refers to the first stage of demonic transformation, where a human becomes a demon."

    Those who accepted the demonic power into their skulls became loyal minions of the demon world.

    Since the first cases were reported 500 years ago, the Black Skull phenomenon had spread in secrecy.

    Among the high-ranking individuals who learned that the Middle Realm was a colony of the Demon Realm, some often fell into the corruption of becoming Black Skulls.

    "No wonder the movements in the palace seemed odd..."

    "Princess Violet wishes to invite you, Saintess, to help identify them."

    "I understand. I will depart with the Holy Knights. It will take some time to prepare...

    Saintess Theresia said, glancing at the Drake behind her.

    "Dragon Knights used to carry several people on a Drake back in the day."

    Dragon Knights were mostly skilled Sword Masters, able to deploy a Sword Area from their Drake’s back and carry multiple people.

    Could this man do the same? Just then, the white knight spoke first.

    "Shall we ride together? We don’t have much time."

    "Our Holy Knight Order needs to carry at least 30 people... Will that be alright?"

    "That number should be fine."

    "Then I’ll leave it to you."

    "Understood."

    "No need to worry too much. I won’t be taking off the helmet often."

    "No, it''s really fine. You can go ahead and act without the helmet."

    "It’s not because of you."

    Shiiiing.

    As Kaylen activated his mana suit in the form of gauntlets, a bright white light spread across his body.

    His appearance now resembled that of the White Knight he had shown at the royal palace.

    The only difference was that the gauntlets were engraved with a magical circle alongside the "Myorn Workshop."

    This proved that the armor was a mana suit.

    "Mana Suit ''Normal'' and ''Expert.''

    I need to promote it properly."

    "Ah..."

    "If a Sword Master wears it, it will serve as advertisement."

    Had he thought of promoting the mana suit as well?

    Eldir’s gaze kept lingering on the "Myorn Workshop" engraving.

    A mana suit worn by a Sword Master.

    Indeed, any knight would notice it.

    "The workshop will likely get busy."

    Violet had stayed awake all night, keeping watch over Prince Diether Hart''s quarters.

    A priest who had stayed at the royal palace came by to check, but...

    "There''s nothing wrong with the prince''s body."

    The examination results showed no abnormalities.

    Despite this, Diether Hart remained unconscious, limp.

    Violet sent the priest away and decided to investigate his room herself.

    "So many books in the Demon Language..."

    In the past, when Diether Hart read books in the Demon Language, Violet thought he was just gathering information on dungeons.

    But now, seeing the entire room filled with such books, Violet couldn''t help but feel suspicious.

    "That undead pretended to be my brother, and I ignored it... but why did he collapse and urgently tell me to go to the palace?"

    "Why did the palace, which had a magic circle drawn when the White Knight fought the undead, look normal once the magic circle disappeared?"

    "And where are the maids?"

    The sound of the maids'' footsteps, which was normally heard, had disappeared. She had followed the sound, but found no trace of anyone.

    The palace was a place of illusions for Violet.

    "...Brother. It can''t be, can it?"

    Violet sighed as she looked at Diether Hart.

    Ever since her mother was executed, her father, the king, had rarely appeared before her, leaving Diether Hart as the only family she had left.

    "We promised to survive and punish the Duke of Oblaine, to avenge Mother...

    But now he''s following the Demon Realm and trying to control his mind?

    I can''t believe it."

    Despite the many unsettling points, Violet wanted to believe in Diether Hart.

    Then, suddenly, Diether Hart, who had been slumped and unconscious, snapped his eyes open.

    "Violet."

    "Brother, you''re awake?" Violet sighed in relief and hurriedly approached Diether Hart.

    Seeing him awake, Violet felt reassured. That undead had likely impersonated her brother after all. She had doubted him for a moment, but now she felt guilty.

    "Yeah... Ugh, my head hurts. Did something happen?"

    "You don''t remember telling me to go to the palace?"

    "I told you to go to the palace?"

    Diether Hart looked confused.

    When Violet explained, his face contorted.

    "There were minions of the Demon Realm in the palace? And they even impersonated me...?"

    "Yes. I subdued him, but the palace still seems suspicious, so I invited the Saintess to check on your condition as well."

    "The Saintess? Good. You did well."

    Violet felt a weight lift from her chest as Diether Hart responded so readily.

    The fact that he welcomed the Saintess''s arrival made her believe Diether Hart had nothing to do with the undead.

    "Violet, I''m terribly hungry... Could you call the maids?"

    "Yes, Brother."

    As Violet left the room, Diether Hart lifted one corner of his mouth, forming a twisted smile.

    "With the Saintess coming, this is perfect... I''ll have more to offer to my master."

    [Translator - Kiteretsu]

    [Proofreader - Kyros]