accomplice (2)
woo woo woo woo woo woo woo woo-
The haunting sound of an owl’s cry.
A dreary night with a crescent moon.
The tomahawk, which was deeply pressed into the hood, headed for the headquarters of the Immortal Knights with Leonard. Even as I slowly moved, I wondered if this was right.
The Immortal Knights are famous for their tight security.
A tall wall and observation crystals are installed on the outer wall of the headquarters, and the only entrance is guarded by the elite knights. I’ve also heard that armed scouts roam the interior around the clock.
It wasn’t called the Iron Fortress for nothing.
sneaking into a place like that?
It was absurd. I was worried that I was just getting caught and causing trouble.
Contrary to what was feared, however, Leonard penetrated the security net too easily.
They broke through vines, crawled through rat holes, climbed walls, climbed through windows, and infiltrated the building.
As if you’ve known it for a long time.
“What did you do, Leonard-sama?”
Tomahawk entered the headquarters hallway and asked in a low voice. Leonard put his index finger to his mouth and pushed the tomahawk against the wall. Soon, I heard the sound of tidy footsteps.
chuck! chuck! chuck!
They were internal scouts. Hiding behind a wall, they couldn’t find the tomahawk. just got away Leonard said.
“I will take your questions later. For now, just focus on your mission.”
“·······”
Tomahawk nodded silently. Then, he headed to the bottom floor of the headquarters. The lower you go, the darker the darkness. As we got closer and closer to our destination, Leonard, who was leading the way, raised his fist.
“…!”
It was a signal to stop.
Leonard, who glanced down, whispered in a small voice.
“Two people are guarding the entrance. Do it the way I told you before.”
“If it’s the method you talked about before, the method you talked about in the altar room…?”
“you’re right.”
confident answer.
It’s kind of unreasonable, but is there any other way?
You must have thought of everything.
“All right.”
The tomahawk pressed down on the hood once again, firmly covering its face. After exchanging glances with Leonard, he went downstairs. I saw a large iron gate and two knights guarding the front. I naturally approached them.
jerk- jerk-
gap that is gradually narrowing.
As the distance got closer, the tension increased. My palms were drenched in a cold sweat, and my heart was pounding like it was about to explode. An encounter that was established not long after.
Standing in front of the iron gate, the knight said.
“Password.”
After hesitating for a while, Tomahawk murmured softly.
“…the one who has fainted is silent.”
Then the brows of the knights furrowed.
“What?”
“What are you saying?”
The string of tension that loosened in an instant.
At the same time, Leonard moved swiftly. At once, he cut the two knights’ necks and pressed them.
widely-! widely-!
It was a speed that the eyes could not keep up with, and the eyelids were undone, and the knights collapsed helplessly. It was a one-hit, silent stun.
Tomahawk asked, taking turns between Leonard and the knights.
“Uh, what did you do?”
“I must have said it before.”
Leonard shook his head slightly. He said raising the corner of his mouth.
“It’s called real contraction muscle.”
“Aha······”
Tomahawk understood at once.
Considering the power of the night shot that he once threw at Regilos, it was quite understandable. It was a firmness that could not be compared to my balloon muscles.
······As expected, this is Leonard-sama.
Tomahawk asked, fiddling with his massive forearm.
“Now what?”
“I will unseal the iron gate, so the temporary guardian captain, please remove the soldiers.”
“All right.”
The tomahawk pushed the fallen knights to the back of the stairs. In the meantime, Leonard unlocked the iron door.
Kiki profit ·······
A door that opens loudly.
There was a stench in the prison, and a young man whose legs were chained was hurriedly eating meat. It looked like a wild wolf.
Leonard pointed to the prison.
“Come in.”
“I-I alone? to him?”
“······no. I go in first.”
Leonard entered the prison first, followed by Tomahawk. I looked over Leonard’s shoulder at the young man.
A man who doesn’t blink even when strangers appear.
Crunchy- clumsily-
Leonard, who was closely examining his condition, said.
“Temporary Guard Captain. Could you provide me with a separate quarter?”
“My classmate? It is possible, but can you tell me why?”
“I will transfer that young man to the headquarters of the Imperial Guard.”
＊＊＊
the next morning.
The Imperial Academy was a little messed up due to the Imperial Family Guard Incident.
Jane headed to the Adonis Hall to hear the ‘Intermediate Defense Magic Lecture’. Maybe it was because he went to school at the dormitory instead of Wizdow, his hometown, so his condition was several times better. Definitely less tired.
“·······”
Cohabitation with Ellia started at Reina’s suggestion.
I was reluctant because I hadn’t lived with anyone, but I was worried that we would quarrel because of our lifestyle, but fortunately, we lived relatively harmoniously(?). We helped each other a lot without any friction.
For example, using Elia’s offensive magic for defensive magic training, or using it to measure the perfection of defensive magic…
Thanks to that, the awkwardness was relieved to some extent. Now I was at a level where I could look into your eyes and have a conversation. Besides, Elia followed me around like a puppy.
Even now when I don’t have my own lectures.
“Sister, sister. Are you really going to graduate early after this semester?”
Elia asked with bright eyes. Jane replied sullenly.
“right.”
“Wow. My sister is really great! How can I graduate early like my sister?”
“You can complete the 2nd year course in the 1st year, and you can complete the 4th year course in the 2nd year.”
“Ah… it’s harder than I thought.”
Elia pursed her lips. I thought I was a bit grumpy, but soon I regained my energy. I ran around and looked up at Jane.
“To be able to do such a difficult thing, you must be a genius, sister? right? Isn’t that your sister’s genius?”
“·······”
Jane looked down at Elia with a disapproving gaze.
The genius is you, not me.
Are you asking because you really don’t know? Or are you beating yourself up knowingly?
It was long, but I didn’t bother to show off. Took, instead of answering with a weak honey chestnut.
It’s not that I didn’t, I liked Elia a little bit.
Seeing his innocent face reminded me of my younger brother.
said Jane nonchalantly.
“You take care of yourself. Don’t wander around late at night.”
She also had a younger brother. It doesn’t exist now, it was in the past.
A lump of blood that disappeared before he was even 4 years old.
Thinking of that day still breaks my heart.
Sometimes even in dreams. There was a time when I wandered around with socks for a year to find my younger brother.
However, it was impossible to find missing people in Wisdow, where murders and kidnappings were frequent.
So I have no choice but to bury it quietly in a corner of my heart.
“Absolutely. The dorm curfew is at 10 anyway, so I can’t even go out.”
“… that’s extraordinary.”
Jane smiled at Elia for the first time that day. He stroked her little hair gently.
“Go now. Don’t follow me in the future.”
“Hehe, don’t you like it?”
Elia, sticking out her tongue, shook the back of her head and ran away. No matter how big the talent, the kid was a kid. I’m still 17, so there’s nothing funnier than teasing and running away.
Jane murmured as she watched her receding back.
“If I were an attack mage, I would have fired at least one fireball…”
Then he entered the Adonis Hall. In an instant, Jane’s happy expression cooled. I glared at the pulpit with my pupils filled with hostility.
“·······”
The humiliation suffered by Leonard during the last lecture.
In order to pay off the remnants, I practiced “Petium” over the weekend. Now it has become strong enough to block Elia’s attacks. It wasn’t crappy enough to be destroyed by a finger snap.
“Wait and see…”
You will be recognized as a more developed figure. I will become the worst black magician and avenge you.
With such determination, Jane waited for the lecture. After a while, Reina came up to the podium.
“Nice to meet you guys~ Did you have a good weekend?”
Reina greeted the students with her unique bright voice. said with a proud smile.
“I have good news. Which institution is the most coveted by defense mages?”
““Imperial Guard.””
Some students shouted. Reina seems to be the correct answer! They clapped.
“Yes! It’s the Imperial Guard. Today, a member of the Imperial Household Guard gave a special lecture on behalf of Professor Leonard. Now, everyone clap!”
Clap clap clap-!
Applause echoes through the Adonis tube.
Before long, a male wizard with short yellow hair walked out from behind the podium. He shyly and awkwardly introduced himself.
“nice to see you. My name is Regilos, a member of the Imperial Guard.”
““Wow!””
The students greeted Regilos with enthusiastic cheers. The Imperial Guard is the highest state institution that only the top 0.001% of defense wizards can join. To the defensive students, the imperial family guards were no different from celebrities. It was no exaggeration to say that it was the wish of all defense mages.
“ah······”
However, Jane looked up at Regilos with a blank expression. His sudden appearance was not welcome at all.
······What,
That half-assed guy…?
······Meanwhile.
The lowest level of the headquarters of the Immortal Knights.
Slap–!
Rectacio slapped Duke on the cheek. He then slapped Bation on the cheek as well.
“These assholes!! You can’t do that because you only have to protect it for one day!?”
His finger pointed to the empty dungeon.
Verbein had disappeared with a few hours left before the hearing.
Duke and Bation bowed their heads as if they had no face.
“sorry.”
“Because I was attacked by surprise…”
“Sorry, is everything over? Are you saying that the disappeared Verbain is coming back? Is it because I want to see the line portrait!!?”
Rectacio groaned. My face turned red from the sudden rise in blood pressure, and I even felt a little dizzy. As he stumbled on his forehead, the members around him hurriedly supported him.
“Captain!”
“Are you okay?”
“······Let it go, let it go!”
Rectacio shook off a helping hand and pointed at Duke.
“The Observation Ball? Have you checked?”
“yes. I’ve checked all the observation crystals, but none are stamped. They seem to be familiar with the headquarters structure.”
“There is a traitor inside…”
Rectacio shook his head roughly. After thinking for a while, I looked at Bation.
“Form a tracking team right now and catch that bastard. no kill If found, kill them on the spot.”
“All right.”
The members immediately ran up the stairs. The soldiers were urgently summoned.
Rectacio was left alone in the cool lower floors.
“Damn it……”
He was so brainwashed and self-hypnotized.
It wasn’t that the plan was disrupted. You shouldn’t be shaken just because that one doll is gone. In any case, the essence of the situation is the imperial family’s defense. If they persisted in that matter, the Imperial Guard would inevitably collapse.
So, first of all, let’s finish the hearing and think about it.
“after······”
Rectacio, barely calming his excitement, went up to the knight commander’s office. With a calm mind, I prepared for the hearing that was to take place shortly.
＊＊＊
that afternoon.
The Great War of the Imperial Palace.
A tomahawk was sitting in the middle of a large space, and ministerial-level executives from each state agency, including the Ministry of Magic, the Imperial Administration, the Judiciary, and the Immortal Knights, surrounded him. The emperor sat on the highest seat.
“We will begin the hearing on the 1st imperial family shield case.”
The hearing began in a quiet atmosphere.
First, the naegwan recited the circumstances of the incident.
“About 4:19 a.m. on September 28, 780 in the imperial calendar. Rectacio, the leader of the Immortal Knights, and the knights were looking for a black magician who was wandering around the city of Archinia…”
It was something everyone knew. It was a fact that had already spread throughout the continent.
“······That is all. Next, the interrogation of the ministers of each agency will follow.”
After a brief briefing, the full-scale question-and-answer session began. First, Minister of Magic Tesserine said.
“I will ask the captain of the Tomahawk Guard. What were the Tomahawk Guard Captain and all members doing at the time of the incident?”
A non-aggressive question.
Tomahawk also answered without difficulty.
“Except for the imperial guards and the guards on the exterior of the headquarters, everyone was asleep.”
“Then what actions did you take after you became aware of the incident?”
This time the Minister for the Administration, Pertina, asked. Unlike Tesselline, her tone was quite sharp.
“Three times a day, I checked the Imperial Family Guards of all members and searched through the list and records of Imperial Guards issued.”
“Did you have any income?”
“I would like to tell you that it is directly related to the internal investigation-”
“Answer me, this is the hearing. You do not have the right to remain silent with the captain of the guard.”
Pertina raised her voice. At the same time, the atmosphere inside heated up. Her gaze, which had not always been pretty, became more aggressive.
“Tsk, how dare you say where is this place?”
If it was a Tomahawk with a small liver, it would be enough to shrink.
Even so, Tomahawk did not waver. Following Leonard’s advice, he kept his cool as much as possible. After taking a deep breath, he said.
“All members of the squad had the imperial family shield, and there was no record written on the roster. That is all.”
He answered all the questions that followed promptly.
“Is there a possibility that the members’ Imperial Family Protection Plates are fakes?”
“All of them were commissioned by the Ministry of Magic and tested for authenticity.”
“The official position of the Imperial Guard has not yet been announced. How long are you planning to hold it off?”
“I will make an announcement as soon as the internal situation is sorted out.”
After a storm passed, the order of the Immortal Knights arrived.
Temporary Knight Commander Rectacio looked at the tomahawk with a meaningful look.
“As a result of the investigation, there are a total of 53 members of the Imperial Guard. However, the currently known number of Imperial Guards is 54. In other words, one person besides the imperial family guards can enter and exit the palace freely, which is directly related to the safety of His Majesty the Emperor. It could even lead to a rebellion. What do you think about this?”
He is a person to be most wary of, and a being who must never show weakness.
Tomahawk calmly expressed his feelings.
“I think it is very disgraceful and I apologize to His Majesty the Emperor-”
“No, what do you think of the imperial family shield of unknown origin?”
Rectacio cut off his words harshly. I shifted my gaze to the ticking wall clock. After exactly 5 seconds had elapsed, he said as if he had been waiting.
“You can’t cover anything. Because there are renegades inside.”
turncoat.
It was a word that refined the black magician. The battle was stirred by Rectacio’s direct words.
“As expected, there are renegades inside.”
“Other than that, I can’t explain it.”
“For such a dirty child to set foot in the sacred imperial palace.”
“·······”
Tomahawk clenched his fists.
I clenched my teeth and endured so as not to be shaken by the environment, not to be shaken by emotions, and not to collapse my poker face.
Meanwhile, Rectacio looked at the ministers around him and continued.
“In addition, I know that the Imperial Guard is in charge of the production of the Imperial Guard. Not only the Imperial Guard, but its subcontractors also have problems. In other words, the defector may not be one person.”
His gaze fell back on the tomahawk. He said with a sinister smile.
“Maybe the entire Imperial Guard has been corrupted. The problem is that in the first place, the care of His Majesty was entrusted to the lesser class.”
Provocative words and actions criticizing a certain class.
However, in the imperial palace, where most of the attackers are, it is an acceptable statement.
This was a move to provoke the tomahawk. It was an operation to arouse suspicion by breaking the composure.
However, Tomahawk was surprisingly calm even to himself. No emotion or expression was shown.
This is because all the flow continued as Leonard said.
– I’m going to try to provoke the temporary guardian captain somehow. There will be a lot of discriminatory remarks and absurd speculation. But never let it go. You should answer as calmly as possible. Think of it as a battle of sorts. A battle for the honor of the Imperial Guard.
······Yes, this is a battle.
It is a battle that can never be lost, and must not be lost.
Tomahawk, who had made up his mind, widened his eyes. Reflecting on Leonard’s advice, he spoke firmly.
“It is a wild speculation. It is also a class discriminatory statement.”
Hard vocalization like a giant tree.
It was a posture that would not be shaken by any storm. The atmosphere of the hearing changed at that strong appearance.
“At least, if you are the talented people who lead the empire, if you are the great people who represent each institution, this is something you should never say or agree to.”
Tomahawk looked around at the ministers. They both averted their gaze. no one could object
“·······”
The area became calm as if a storm had swept through it.
In that strange silence, I heard Leonard’s voice as if I was right next to him.
– If the temporary guardian captain doesn’t lose his composure, the other side will panic. At that time, you can eat one shot.
Tomahawk’s pupils turned to Rectacio. Then he asked in a stern voice.
“I also have a question for the commander of the Rectacio Knights. Where is that warlock now?”
“…!”
A small crack appeared in Rectacio’s expression, which had been arrogant throughout the hearing. His shoulders trembled as if he had been hit, and he suddenly drank the water.
Rectacio wiped his mouth and said.
“That, it is detained in the basement of headquarters. For investigation-”
“Are you sure? He is also a necessary person for our own investigation.”
“Yeah, yes. We’ll pass it on when our investigation is over. But what about self-investigation? Are the Imperial Guard also investigating this incident?”
“·······”
The gibberish obscured the point of the conversation, but Tomahawk did not respond. I took a deep breath and calmed my mind.
Tommy Hawk was an “honest” man.
I could count on one hand the number of times I’d lied in my life, and that was also for the sake of others.
And now, for the sake of the Imperial Family Guard, I’m telling lies.
-Currently, there is no evidence on our side. After the hearing here, only us are at a disadvantage. So you have to take your time unconditionally.
-But how…?
─It gives a sense of anticipation. to wait for the next one.
As if a grand investigation was underway, as if it was coming to an end.
Act as if you’ll just wait a little bit and you’ll hear the results.
Also called bluffing.
“·······”
Tomahawk’s gaze landed on someone else.
To Emperor Arnold, who was neither an insider, nor an insider, nor a minister of each agency.
Tomahawk got down on one knee and bowed.
“Your Majesty. I’m sorry to inform you, but we, the Imperial Guard, are also looking for an answer to this situation. Our own investigation is ongoing and is now nearing its final stage. Give us a little more time and we will give you satisfactory results.”
Then the emperor’s expression suddenly changed.
“Is that really true?”
“Yes, it is.”
“······good night. I will give you three more days.”
A hint of interest lingered on his bored-to-die-for face. The emperor leaned on his chin and gazed at the tomahawk.
“In the meantime, if you don’t come up with an answer that everyone agrees with, I’ll ask you for the crime of keeping Jim waiting and give him more punishment. Do you still want it?”
“The castle is nothing but ruin.”
“Then let’s do that. Everyone has gone.”
Arnold shook his hand as if he was annoyed. Hearings were delayed by the authority of the emperor.
“The hearing will be held again in three days. The results are highly anticipated.”
Arnold’s change of heart was simple.
The future, which was visible until yesterday, and the planned fall of the Imperial Guard became uncertain…
＊＊＊
same time.
I am with Verbine in the quarters provided by Tomahawk. Observing him bound with chains through 「Magical Insight」.
“·······”
A dark green aura surrounding Verbine.
The magic that flows between them.
It seemed like a brainwashing curse. It was a technique similar to the one used to restrain Elia in the past.
The solution to that was simple. A bottle of Frederick’s potion will break the curse.
I looked at my quarter watch.
A little past three o’clock. The hearing should have been over by now. It seemed like I could contact Frederick in a moment.
By the way, Tomahawk should have handled the hearing well.
“·······”
Leaving behind the rushing worries, I opened the annals. Seeing even one more character at a time like this was the way for the Imperial Guard and lesser classes.
He continued to peruse the ‘Annals of the Imperial Guard’s Mission 15 Years Ago’ that Tomahawk was reading.
Squeak- Squeak-
Fast-paced pages.
The thick book has reached its end. Only the last record was left.
That time when I read the contents without much expectation.
“ah······”
Unknowingly, I let out an exclamation. It was a completely unexpected shock.
The source is the mission containing the death of Sir Bernos, 15 years ago.
[Bernos dispatched to Catalonia with the crew for the warlock subjugation operation. However, due to the attack of demon beasts, he fell out and suffered serious injuries such as breaking his leg bones. ‘Aww…’ Bernos let out a saliva. When he was about to heal the injured part by expressing the ‘healing magic’ he learned over his shoulder, someone appeared in front of him. Bernos, who discovered that existence… ]
I took out the Annals of Immortal Knights’ missions from my pocket. Fifteen years ago, I turned the page toward the same date.
“No way ……”