128 – The Betrayer
The Betrayer
Even if Philia noticed Rai’s true identity, nothing changed.
She has no position yet, but she is loyal to the Empire.
She wants to be like Adelian someday, and longs for knights who silently defend her beliefs.
It’s all speculation, but Philia didn’t have to do anything as long as she thought it was related to the emperor.
As usual, she is trained by Rai and continues to live while learning swordsmanship from Selma.
There were many academy students who left the academy during the break like Sesset, but those who learn from Rai still remain at the academy.
Abigail, who has no home to return to, Zeroa, who lives in Legandia, and Aslan and Philia, have been breaking through their limits while sweating under Rai during a long break.
It was surprising that Mia did not go back to her home and stayed and trained her, but when she said that she would stay, everyone noticed that the look in her eyes secretly staring at Zeroa was unusual. .
“What are you doing, Zero! Why do you stop that?! Fighting together, not protecting!”
“Sorry!”
Zeroa, who had been sparring on Abigail’s side, apologized loudly for Rai’s unholy order.
Frustrated with blocking her rai’s attack on her side, Zeroa backs away from her to interfere with her rai swinging her sword again while sweating.
A bright light emanates from Zeroa’s clenched fist as Abigail crosses her sword with Rai.
It is the Flash who used it while dealing with the assassin who was targeting the princess and then destroyed her formation.
As the light poured past Abigail, who was standing behind her, Rai deftly ducked into her shadow and attacked again.
She tries to swing her sword without losing Abigail, but as she gets tangled with him and her sword, she becomes increasingly rough with her sword, showing her gap.
At the end of Rai’s sword, aiming for her gap and stabbing her in a straight line, by the time Abigail brushes her face, Zeroa grabs her by the back of the back and drags her behind her, putting her shield in front.
– Caang
Rai’s stabbed sword is blocked by her shield and misses to the side of her, and Abigail, who had stepped back from her, tramples on Zeroa’s shoulder and jumps out in front of her, striking her down.
“This is it.”
Taking her chance this time, it was Abigail who swung hard, but the rye spilled into her outstretched hands and slammed her to the ground.
It’s funny that the blow of her conversion was abruptly overturned, but more than that, Abigail, who was in a straight line with Zeroa, frowned at Rai’s sword touching her neck.
The tip of the blade that came close to her handle rested on Zeroa’s neck.
If Rai wields her sword at this rate, she can decapitate two people at once.
Zeroa bows her head and says that she has worked hard, but her Abigail doesn’t look good as if she’s annoyed at losing in vain.
“What’s wrong with that guy? He seems to have been on his nerves since the festival… Oh, he passed out.”
Aslan looks at Rai and talks, then she passes out and sees Mia lying on the floor and shrugs her shoulders.
Just like the last break, Lai suddenly increased the intensity of her training.
She usually teaches without hesitation, but during her breaks, she immediately points out even the slightest mistake and rushes.
She was a lost child who was embarrassed by the intense training she was experiencing for the first time, but she followed suit and now only faints once or twice a day.
Leyla enters her garden while Philia is taking Mia, who has collapsed from exhaustion, to the shade.
“Philia, a guest has arrived.”
“Yes? Me?”
At Rai’s words, Philia narrowed her eyes.
She thought she came to see Rai, of course, but when she said she came to see herself, she was embarrassed.
“Go home and talk.”
“What… Is it?”
“Don’t worry. I won’t bite. I was bitten.”
Leila glares at Rai, but he giggles and pretends not to know.
The two enter Rai’s empty house and sit on the sofa in the living room.
You can hear Aslan’s screams from outside, but it’s just quiet inside the house.
“Instructor Layla, do you have something to say?”
“Yes, I’d like to talk to you about a secret you’re assuming.”
Leila says as she works her soundproof magic.
At the word her secret, Philia shuts her mouth and examines Layla’s complexion.
She comes to the academy with Rai, and since she seemed to know him well, of course she would know her identity too.
“Instructor Rai is all bad…”
As Philia tries to speak, Layla raises her hand to stop her.
“Keep the secret you guessed within you. Whether it’s a correct answer or a wrong answer, it will protect you if you don’t reveal it.”
“……From whom?”
“From everything around him.”
In Layla’s words, guesses close to the truth are now the truth.
Knowing that the existence of demons in the world does not end with a simple commander, Filia nodded her head without asking Layla more.
The forces are weak, but the resistance of the kingdom of Kaylan still remains, the families of knights and soldiers who died at the hands of evil, and the Northern Nordens who are aiming for the Empire, all these things are uneasy.
Although the emperor’s lifespan is short, the situation is unstable, and Rai’s existence is to add fuel to the unstable situation.
Leila, who has been watching Philia since her freshman year, admires her intelligence.
No matter how Selena revealed Rai to the outside world and she was in a position where it was easy to know his true identity, she was able to uncover her identity on her own.
In addition, he had the prudence to anticipate and be careful to what extent he was involved.
Her father, Infanteserios, was Leila, whom she hated, but Philia could not help but like her.
Looking at Philia, who is looking forward to her future, Layla takes out her golden badge from her arms and places it on her tea table.
The palm-sized badge was shaped similar to a shield as a whole, with a sun and a sword engraved inside.
It is a nameplate symbolizing the gold medallion of the emperor’s direct unit, which is said to be accessible only to the best knights of the empire.
It was already revealed during the Agnes incident that Leyla belonged to her gold pole, but when she shows her nameplate, which she had only heard about, Philia looks closely.
Her attention is short-lived, however, and Philia looks up and meets Leila’s gaze.
“Is showing this to me an order to keep quiet?”
“No. The officers of the Golden Guard can issue a call-up order depending on the situation. Although it is temporary, you have been summoned to me and have been assigned to the Gold Shield. If you need anything, show me your nameplate.”
Her brainy Philia knew right away the reason for giving her nameplate.
Someone may press for Rai’s identity.
I don’t know where that person belongs, but at least if he belongs to the Empire, I can’t ignore the authority of the Golden Pole.
Since it is a unit directly under the emperor, everyone must resign with just one word: the order of the emperor.
“You wouldn’t be able to do that if you were wise, but please carry the nameplate with you at all times and do not show it unless necessary.”
“Yes, thank you for caring about me.”
Philia bows her head in greeting and keeps her nameplate in her arms.
Leyla helped Leila for her own comfort rather than to hide her true identity.
After her conversation, Layla takes her turn and examines one of her swords piled up in her corner.
“I’m borrowing this.”
“Take it.”
Rai told her to stay cool, but Layla didn’t answer and left with her sword on her waist.
The place she is heading to is the head of her academy.
– Knock, Knock
After a knock rang, the secretary who came into the dean’s office came in and informed him that Layla had arrived.
Selena, who was buried in her paperwork, thinks for a moment about Layla’s visit, which she didn’t have an appointment for, and then she laughs and tells the secretary to let her in.
As Selena gets up from her seat, Layla enters and she greets her politely.
“Thank you for your time, Headmaster.”
“Miss Leila always pays.”
Selenas smiled softly, then slowly lowered her gaze to the sword she was wearing at her waist.
From noble mtl dot com
Instructors are not armed unless it is a training ground.
It is also a courtesy, especially in a meeting where many people gather or when the head of the academy is alone.
Selena’s expression hardened for a moment at the sight of the sword at her waist, but she soon smiled meaningfully and held out her hand toward her sofa, asking her to sit down.
“Snow flower tea was brought in yesterday. Would you like some snow flower tea? It smells very good.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
She speaks in a soft voice, but Leila replies in a hard voice.
As Selenas circles behind her to make her tea, her Layla looks at her.
“Is the principal an enemy of the 6th princess?”
Selenas’ hand, which was carrying the tea leaves, stopped at Layla’s words.
As she doesn’t answer and stays silent, only the sound of water boiling in the kettle can be heard in the dean’s office.
“Why do you think so?”
“Why did you send Rai to the heart of the academy?”
Layla doesn’t answer Selena’s question and asks the question again.
As if she had stopped, Selenas, who had been standing around her, slowly turns around and leans her hips against her bedside table.
“Then you’ll get what you want.”
“You trust Rai. Do you intend to void the contract and release the demons of the nations?”
“Well, I’m not sure he wants that.”
Selena tilts her head and grins.
As she said, Rai borrowed the power of System Dion, but left the answer to Layla.
She said that Dion could give the answer in a few months how much computing power she needed, and now she’s waiting.
Leila questions again, knowing that if she wanted him freed from her thrall, she could have killed herself on the spot.
“Why did you send me there?”
“Miss Layla is a watcher, so of course we should give her whereabouts.”
Selenas speaks casually, as if taking her for granted.
Despite her attitude of pissing off her opponent, Layla continues to make eye contact with Selena without any change in expression.
She seems to be thinking a lot in her head, but her mouth opens after a moment of silence.
“Let’s go back to the first question. Are you an enemy of the 6th princess?”
“No.”
Selena shakes her head.
“Then I’ll change the question.”
“Yes, as you please.”
A laid-back Selena smiles and turns around to pour hot water into the teapot.
The sound of water being filled inside her teapot is heard and Leyla speaks to her defenseless Selena’s back.
“6Have you betrayed the princess?”
“……”
Selenas could not answer.
This was enough of an answer, but Leila calmly waited for her answer.
She sets down the kettle from which she was pouring water. Selena stares at her wall for a moment, then opens her mouth.
“Yes, I betrayed you.”
For the 6th princess Emilia, who had almost no power, the existence of the academy head was nothing short of a pillar of power, but even after hearing her answer, Layla didn’t look surprised and asked the question again.
“Are you the enemy of the 6th princess?”
“…… No.”
I betrayed you, but I am not your enemy.
Layla gets up from her seat without any reaction despite the nonsense.
“I’m sorry for taking up the principal’s precious time. I’ll just say I drank tea.”
Leila leaves the academy director’s office without listening to Selena’s answer.
Left alone, Selena doesn’t even think to turn her body towards her wall, she just stands still.
* * *
“Whoah – it’s over now, what does the damn minister think of me?”
“Please, don’t curse at the superiors when there are people around.”
Seeing Joshua casually swearing at the Minister of Information, Cale frowns and looks around her.
But perhaps because Joshua often curses, the agents guarding the area don’t care anymore.
“You act like a dog, but you don’t get cursed at? This job has been very long. No, I’m a deputy minister, why do I only go on business trips? Isn’t this kind of seat originally a place where you sit on a thick chair and harass and harass your subordinates?”
“I’m glad I don’t have a thick chair.”
To Joshua’s dissatisfaction, Cale grumbles and organizes the equipment he has thrown away carelessly.
“Let’s go back, go back. We’ll go and not get out of bed for a week.”
“Yes, yes. I’ll finish this up. I’ve also copied Esti’s ledger, so now I can go up the treasury lines and find the Norden spies. I’m glad it ended well.”
“Eh, copy?”
At Joshua’s words, Cale, who was bending down to pick up equipment, looked up at him with a blank expression.
Seeing the face of his boss tilting his head, Cale frowned and slowly lifted his waist.
“I’m asking just in case, haven’t you been transcribing?”
“Do you have to do that?”
“Then why did you enter the temple?”
“I checked to see if there was a ledger. The priests were kind.”
At Joshua’s immature words, Cale holds his forehead and lowers his head.
Keil took a few deep breaths and made up his mind that it was no big deal, and smiled hard.
“It’s okay. I just need to go back now and copy it.”
“How long does it take to transcribe?”
“If you work hard, it can be done in two days.”
“I see. Work hard.”
Looking blankly at Joshua’s face as he pats him on the shoulder, Cale raises his hand and points at him.
Joshua nods his head.
“Then shall I go? You’re being cheeky and trying to pamper your immediate superior.”
“No, while we were having a hard time, I sent the deputy minister to the temple to make it easier. Ah, whoa-“
“Do you want to play?”
“I think I could stay up all night for two days with your permission.”
“There’s no way they’ll allow it.”
Joshua giggles, pats Cale on the shoulder again, and gets on the wagon.
“Cheer up! If you work hard for two days, you can rest! I’ll go first and rest. Let’s go!”
As Joshua, who only pulled his face out of the wagon window, gave the order, the agents and the wagon abandoned Cale and left.
Cale, left alone, tried to lift her stop towards her carriage, but it was a fleeting resistance.
As Joshua lays down on his seat, he soon falls asleep.
All he did when he was in the temple was sleep, but the more he sleeps the more he does.
Joshua, who has been so asleep that he doesn’t know how much time has passed, wakes up to a loud noise.
With the sound of an explosion, a loud cry, and the sound of weapons, Joshua quickly opens the wagon door and leaves.
As soon as the door opened, Joshua, who nodded his head to avoid the arrow that was aiming for his head, smiled at the man in front of him.
“Hey, Mikhail. It’s been a while. It’s been two years. I still remember the marks I made on your face. You’ve become quite manly.”
“You despicable traitor. This is your grave.”
“I should have said it right. I was not a traitor, I was an Imperial citizen from the beginning. You stupid person didn’t know that either.”
As Joshua laughed, Mikhail winked at his men, as if he didn’t want to talk anymore.
It was a short conversation, but Joshua, who grasped the situation in the meantime, got off the carriage.
All the knights escorting the wagon were killed, and it seems that the agents who were secretly chasing them were also killed.
“Looks like you got it right this time. Did someone bring in a good kid? Or did someone tell you? It’s not an immature Mikhail.”
“The bastard of the Empire!! Die!!”
Instead of Mikhail’s answer, his men shout and run at Joshua.
– Kwaaang!
With a loud explosion, the five bodies of the subordinates who rushed in were separated and the pieces were scattered all over the place.
Joshua walks out laughing through the blood splattered by corpse fragments flying through the air.
“Since then, I’ve seen people who fought on the front lines in the age of war. Doesn’t even the demons of the nations you love trust me and entrust their backs to me?”
Joshua smiles as he draws his sword out of the air.
There is no sign of running away. I plan to face it head on.
“No matter how long I’ve been away from the battlefield, aren’t you underestimating me?”
“Do not underestimate. Traitor.”
“Then you should have brought more. At least you brought some good guys. Or… Mikhail, are you going to deal with me? Have you improved your skills?”
As Joshua laughs, Mikhail shakes his head and steps aside from him.
Joshua’s proud steps stop and the relaxed smile on his lips disappears.
“A- This is against the rules.”
Joshua muttered to Melanie, who was behind Michael.
Facing the cold eyes of the fully armed Melanie, Joshua looks up at the sky and sighs.
“Hey, didn’t you end well with me?”
“It’s over, Captain, and I’m not done with you yet.”
Melanie walks over and says. The blade of her halberd she is holding glimmers in the moonlight.
“Damn it, that’s f*cking sleazy.”
Before she can finish her words, Melanie lunges at Joshua with her halberd in front.