62 – 17. Tell the truth (2)
Returning home, Lord Derry enjoyed peace for the first time in a while.
Of course, his time as a knight in the imperial palace wasn’t bad either.
It was honorable, rewarding, and most of all, it made me feel alive.
But as I got older, I felt the need for calm.
So I came back here, to my hometown in the north, and I was satisfied with my return.
I spent time with family, relatives and old friends.
Just sharing miscellaneous stories brought laughter.
Occasionally, there were times when my body would become sore.
Every time that happened, he joined the group that subdued the Demonic Realm and made fun of himself.
It was a hometown that seemed boring when I was young.
Now all I can think of is what a really good place it is.
“The Lord of Lichtenau has returned.”
He taught swordsmanship to junior knights in his hometown for a while.
I asked about the news from Lichtenauer.
“yes. I do, Sir Derry.”
“okay. Then, shall we go for a drink or something?”
“Does anyone know about Lichtenau? It feels like you go there often.”
At the words of one knight, Sir Derry smiled.
If it’s someone you know, yes. You could say that.
There’s a lot more we don’t know about each other than we know about each other.
They weren’t comrades back to back together, nor were they knights who swore the same oath of allegiance.
They are comrades who fought together against the strongest enemy in the most difficult times.
No matter how big the age difference is, no matter how much the difference is in strength.
Neither he nor Adele cared about that at all.
‘I wonder if I’m just playing with memories now that I’m older.’
There is no one more desperate than this to share the past.
Especially something I can’t easily tell others.
Especially those who know the moments that were quite dark and difficult.
The fact that Lichtenau’s head of household has returned must mean that Adele has also returned.
So Sir Derry said hello to Shien and had a chat with Adele.
As before, I moved my steps back to the estate of Lichtenau.
“Sir Derry. Are you here?”
When you cross the gate, the waiting knights welcome you.
If the identity is clear, and if that person is a senior knight.
This kind of welcome was commonplace everywhere.
“Nice to meet you. Yes, I heard that the head of the household has returned. May I ask for a meeting?”
“of course. Rather, the head of the family tried to ask Lord Derry to meet.”
“Me? heh heh heh It’s the first time I’ve heard of that.”
Although he says his hometown is in the north, it is not Lichtenau.
And why did you try to ask for a meeting when there was no point of contact?
‘Are you asking about Adele?’
That is the only reason why Shien, the head of Lichtenau, would ask for a meeting with him.
She must have known that he and Adele knew each other.
Conversely, she said she knew very little about Adele yet.
Lord Derry thought about this and that as he made his way towards the mainland.
If Cien asks about Adele, how much should I tell him and where should I hide it?
First of all, Adele said that she was a child soldier.
If so, they coincidentally met on the battlefield.
I thought it would be okay to pass it on without making it strange.
“My lord. How are you all this time?”
“Welcome, Lord Derry. Welcome to Liechtenau.”
“Thank you for your hospitality.”
The two men and women exchanged light greetings and sat down.
After a while, while drinking the tea brought by the butler, Lord Derry spoke first.
“It looks like you enjoyed this trip quite a bit.”
“yes. It was. It was fine.”
“I heard the news a little while ago, and you showed swordsmanship equal to Sogaju of Fiore.”
“Have you already met him? You are fast.”
“The people in Liechtenau only talked about it. It is said that Fiore’s Sogaju, who was so confident and predicted victory, did nothing.
“I am ashamed. I was just lucky.”
“Following swordsmanship, now you’ve solidified your humility as well.”
At Lord Derry’s words, Shien smiled calmly.
And after tilting the teacup for a while, she opens her mouth slightly.
“Sir Derry. There is something I want to ask you.”
Hearing Shien’s words, Sir Derry thought that something had come.
Perhaps Cien also investigated Adele in various ways.
Where did a young man with such strong skills come from?
What did you do in the past, and what kind of time did you spend?
But in the end, you wouldn’t find anything.
All of them were erased by order of the Emperor.
Following the families, loved ones, and comrades who went first.
He is the emperor who managed to send those who would die while fighting back to the world.
But it wouldn’t be pleasant for them to be dragged into a fight again.
It was only natural that they would somehow try to hide their past.
“Looks like you know my escort, Adele.”
“yes. I have met you in the past.”
“Where did you meet?”
“I don’t remember the exact location, but it was the place where the Demonic Realm was opened. There, I happened to meet Adele, who was active as a volunteer.”
“I think the imperial knight remembers an encounter with a soldier.”
“It was a bit unusual, and a bit too strong. I asked if he had any thoughts on the article, but he refused. So I was very surprised to see him staying by the head of the household as an attendant.”
Not a single change in expression, not a single change in voice.
Lord Derry hurriedly let go of the words he had thought of beforehand.
It’s so natural that you won’t be able to raise any doubts.
As if reminiscing about the old days, while holding up a teacup.
It was the moment when I thought so and waited for the next question.
“Ulfhedin.”
rattle-.
The teacup in my hand shakes violently and the tea drips down.
The peace of mind that had never been shaken at all was broken in an instant.
Instead, what fills my heart is surprise and bewilderment.
“Lord Liechtenauer?”
“You know, I notice.”
“… What are you talking about?”
“Do not worry. Because only I know this.”
Horok-.
Shien takes a sip of tea with a relaxed expression.
But Lord Derry, who was sitting on the other side, had a teacup in his hand.
He was staring at her completely frozen.
“A level 2 demon scene occurred on the way.”
“A second-class Demonic… you mean?”
“The knights, attendants, and soldiers of a territory who were training nearby were massacred. Fortunately, the only survivor made it to Lichtenau, which was returning to its original state.”
“… .”
“So, I informed the imperial army stationed nearby about the news and even asked for support from nearby territories, so I went to subdue them in a hurry. By the way, Sir Derry. The day the march began. Do you know what you saw?”
Sir Derry couldn’t say anything to Shien’s question.
Because he already knows what he’s going to say.
“The demon beasts all died overnight. It wasn’t a battle. It was a massacre. Those terrifying monsters were chased here and there, screaming, and died one by one.”
“… .”
“Then, as we set off again, the Demonic Beast that came out of the Demonic Realm appeared. And by a man, he was killed right away with a mournful sound. Who do you think the man was?”
“… Adele.”
“yes. It was Adele. Killing a Level 2 Witchbeast alone. The unknown existence that left the scars inflicted on that demon beast to countless other demon beasts. It was all Adele.”
At those words, Lord Derry sighed involuntarily.
I wondered why Xian brought up that name all of a sudden.
It’s hard to keep a secret any longer when everything is revealed.
Adele seems to have made that judgment.
“I was going to ask Adele more, Lord Derry. But I saw it, I saw it clearly. The corpses left behind by the beasts, and from Adele who killed the beasts. Uncontrollable anger and hatred.”
“… .”
“So I couldn’t ask more. Adele couldn’t ask more. Instead, I am asking Lord Derry, who seems to know about him. So can you answer me?”
woo woo-.
I was given a really difficult job.
Lord Derry muttered to himself.
“… How far have you heard, Headmistress?”
“That he fought since childhood. It was none other than His Majesty’s side. They themselves were nothing, but those around them called them Wolfheddin. Imperial Special Armed Forces. Wolfheddin, yes. That’s what they call you.”
At Shien’s words, Sir Derry nodded slowly.
“My lord. Before I tell you about Wolfhedin, I want to ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“Since right after the Great War, do you know how many first-class Demonic Encounters have occurred so far?”
“Of course I know. I know it’s four times.”
It is said that one by one is literally at the level of the destruction of the world.
The story that hundreds of knights were sacrificed to close the 1st grade demonic world.
It was even said that one area had completely disappeared.
It’s fortunate that it only happened four times, if there were more 1st grade demons.
The empire would literally be right around the corner of destruction.
Shien remembered hearing such a thing once.
“Almost everyone in the Empire knows that. four times.”
“That word… .”
“Actually, not four times. five times. There was one more, unknown, event that was called destruction itself, and which cannot even be described by the word terrible.”
click-.
Putting down the teacup he was holding in his hand, Sir Derry continued.
“You might be wondering why it wasn’t known. The reason is simple. We managed to close it quickly before the damage escalated. Because the process was so shocking that no one in the world could believe it.”
“It was shocking. In case of great damage… .”
“no. That’s not it. It wasn’t a big damage, Lord.”
Shaking his head, Lord Derry laughed as if he himself were stunned.
“It was only one person who closed the 1st level Demonic Area.”
“… yes?”
“The one who caught the monster that popped out of there and was more terrible than the disaster. He was just one young man.”
“Now, wait a minute. Sir Derry. no way isn’t it? That person… .”
“no. you’re right. A level 1 demon, although it took more than 10 days to get a huge wound. The person who managed to close it by himself without anyone’s help.”
gulp-.
Sir Derry, a knight of the imperial family and one of the powerful people acknowledged by everyone.
I unknowingly swallowed dry saliva and barely parted my lips.
“It was Adele. Yes, the very servant who is by the head of the household right now. that man. And the group he was the leader of. That is Wolfheddin.”