Legacy of the Living
After ten days and two more, the place they arrived at was a city called Huslen. Huslen was the central city of the Margraviate of Oestrua, shaped like a rectangle laid diagonally. In the northeastern part of the city stood the inner fortress, and as residences expanded from there toward the southwestern riverside, it had come to take on that form.
When Roberta and her three companions arrived in the city, it happened to be market day. Beneath the high outer walls, street vendors had gathered to form a marketplace, and buyers and sellers crowded together, creating a noisy bustle.
"Doesn't look like anything's wrong."
Karal said this as he looked at the scene.
The city gates were wide open, and many people were coming and going, yet security was lax. When the four of them passed through the northern gate, the guard merely gestured for them to go in quickly. There was no sense of alertness, and the clamor of the crowd was loud enough to hurt their ears.
"Should we assume we arrived before the archbishop?"
Tilting his head, Fritz looked around the city center.
"Who knows? Even if the archbishop came here for the relic, there's no reason for him to cause a commotion openly."
Archbishop Giacomo's goal was to secure Yusuf's relic. And this place, Oestrua, was where the Dawn Society stored Yusuf's relic. Margrave Olnef of Oestrua, as a member of the Dawn Society, had taken on the role of managing the relic that had been jointly secured.
"If he had come, it would've been noisy," Karal said. "Margrave Olnef isn't someone who'd just yield to the archbishop. If the archbishop got here before us and met him, he would've been refused—and there would've been quite a scene."
They passed through the northern gate and walked along the main road. Karal dismounted and asked passersby about recent events, but no one mentioned anything unusual. They had ridden hard, thinking the archbishop must be far ahead, yet the city was peaceful.
"Brother Karal, you were a vassal of Margrave Olnef of Oestrua, weren't you?"
"Well, I only own a small patch of land, but I've served him for a long time."
"Do you think there's a chance the margrave might have defected to the archbishop's side?"
As Karal mounted his horse again, he frowned.
"The Oestrua family has been managing the relics gathered by the Dawn Society for far longer than that. I hear it's been passed down for more than nine generations. There's no way he'd be swayed just because the archbishop tried to persuade him. He wasn't even interested in the conflict between Kormilius and Jokuster—he turned away both of their envoys when they came."
His tone carried not the slightest suspicion that the margrave might have betrayed them.
"Hey. Wasn't our goal to warn them of the danger before the archbishop arrived?"
Strictly speaking, their goal was to prevent the archbishop from obtaining Yusuf's relic, but Roberta chose not to point that out.
"That's right."
"That's why we hurried here. If we arrived first, that's enough. Why doubt anything else now?"
Instead of answering, Roberta turned to Ulrich.
He was walking behind the three of them, observing the city. As always, his expression was calm. Sometimes that expression held traces of contemplation, but not now.
Sensing her gaze, he turned his head. Then, without a word, he nodded.
"All right. Let's go see the margrave right away."
The lord's residence was in the inner fortress atop a hill. A trench had been dug around it so that it could serve as a moat in emergencies, and the gate could only be reached by crossing a drawbridge. Unlike the outer walls, the drawbridge was raised even during the day, and the gate was closed—but when Karal announced his name, the bridge was lowered.
An elderly attendant came to greet them. The lord's residence was within the inner stronghold. They passed through the entrance and hall, then entered a reception room halfway down a corridor. No one was there yet. After sitting down and waiting briefly, they heard footsteps.
"Karal!"
Seeing the middle-aged man who burst through the door, Karal stood up.
"Have you been well, Lord Olnef?"
His tone was more respectful than usual.
"It's good to see you safe as well."
The two exchanged a brief embrace.
"I recall it hasn't been long since I sent you to Langen. What brings you back?"
"A troublesome issue arose, so I returned in haste."
"Is the absence of Sir Sidoar one of the reasons?"
"…Yes."
With a hardened expression, Margrave Olnef of Oestrua looked at the three standing behind Karal.
Karal stepped aside and introduced them.
"These are the ones who accompanied me regarding that matter. You could call them witnesses."
Margrave Olnef took the seat of honor, placed a pipe between his lips, and lit it.
"Speak."
"I believe we've fallen into a trap."
"To draw us in, you mean."
The margrave narrowed his eyes.
"Yes. The rumor of discovering Yusuf's tomb itself was bait."
"I see."
An attendant entered and placed teacups before each of them.
"Then it means His Excellency's true aim lies with our treasure."
"That's correct. It seems he intends to use the relic you are safeguarding for something."
"And you haven't yet determined what that something is?"
"Unfortunately not."
Olnef frowned as he smoked his pipe, then took a sip of tea.
Ulrich also lifted his cup. Watching the margrave's reaction from beside him, Roberta reached for hers.
At that moment, Ulrich lightly stepped on her left foot.
Startled, she was about to turn her head, but instinctively stopped. There was no way he would step on her foot by accident from where he sat. It was deliberate—there had to be another meaning.
While listening to the conversation between Karal and Olnef, she glanced at Ulrich. With his right index finger—the one holding the teacup—he tapped the cup lightly. It meant there was something in the tea.
She wasn't particularly surprised. Rather, she thought, as expected. The reason she had readily come to the lord's residence was not because she trusted the margrave, but because Ulrich had decided they should.
Karal trusted him because he was his lord and they were close, but Roberta had no such reason. Despite Karal's certainty, her doubts had not faded. Even the archbishop of the Holy Church had defected—why would the margrave be any different? Moreover, Karal didn't even know why the archbishop had defected.
How many could remain calm when tempted with the legitimacy of Hestio—the true bloodline unconnected to Kormilius?
"You figured it out well, Karal."
Putting on a serious expression, Margrave Olnef smoked his pipe.
"I had a bit of help."
"My name is Elmar."
Ulrich gave a slight bow.
"Was it you who informed him that His Excellency is targeting us?"
"Yes. I was tracking the archbishop's movements when I met Brother Karal."
Then, as if to show the margrave, he lifted his teacup once more.
The margrave's lips twitched, as though he were about to smile.
"We are assisting Inquisitor Beatrice. While she keeps watch over the grand temple of Oberlangen, we pursued the archbishop as he traced Yusuf's tomb."
"And that's where you realized the tomb was bait?"
"That's correct."
The margrave stroked his chin, letting out a low hum.
"Did you inform that inquisitor as well?"
Ulrich nodded.
"That complicates things."
"What do you mean?"
"Well… we've kept it hidden until now, but it seems it's about to be exposed."
"That may be so, but shouldn't the immediate concern be that Yusuf's relic is being targeted?"
"Of course. We can't just hand over our treasure to anyone."
As he lifted his teacup again, Ulrich suddenly frowned. He pressed his forehead as if struck by a headache, then shook his head.
"Unless it's someone legitimate."
Roberta mimicked the gesture, pressing her forehead as well.
"Someone legitimate? What do you mean?"
"You said your name was Elmar, was it? Do you know why we collect Yusuf's relics?"
"…I was told it's to prevent them from being used in the wrong way."
Margrave Olnef stared at the two of them, leaned back against his chair, and puffed on his pipe.
"That's right. There's certainly greed in wanting to monopolize the treasure—but there's also a desire to see the relics used in the right way. Yusuf's relics are items meant to be used. So rather than gathering dust and losing their function, I believe it's better for them to fulfill their purpose and come to an end."
"Hmm…"
Groaning softly, Ulrich set down his teacup.
"You mean, to that 'legitimate person' you mentioned earlier?"
"That's correct."
A sharp sound followed.
Karal slammed his teacup down onto the table.
"Lord Olnef."
The margrave let out a long sigh, exhaling smoke.
"Karal, your family has served under mine for a long time. I know you don't get along with Sir Sidoar, and that your behavior can be a bit careless, but I have never once doubted you. And you will continue to treat me the same, won't you? Even if I change my stance. Isn't that so?"
Instead of answering, Karal's eyes widened, and he kicked off from his seat.
That was the signal.
The reception room door burst open, and soldiers rushed in.
"My apologies, Karal. There wasn't time to explain. But I haven't cast you aside, so don't misunderstand. I'll explain everything—why we made this choice."
Maintaining her act, Roberta assessed the intruders. There were twenty-two of them. Judging by their equipment, they were the margrave's knights. Among them were several who had infused their blades with mana, clearly intending intimidation.
"A misunderstanding…? What kind of damned misunderstanding is this?! Lord Olnef, are you truly planning to hand the relic over to the archbishop?!"
Olnef shook his head.
"The one who requires our treasure is not His Excellency. Someone far more exalted."
Karal was about to speak again when a groan escaped.
Ulrich clutched his head and chest, his body curling inward.
"It's not poison, so it won't cause serious harm. There's still much to discuss, so I merely took precautions."
Roberta and Fritz followed Ulrich's lead, crouching as if affected. Karal clenched his teeth, then lowered his head. The soldiers approached the four of them, disarmed them, and dragged them out of the reception room.
***
"You noticed it well, didn't you."
Fritz's bitter voice echoed through the underground cell, followed shortly by a quiet "Mm."
After being captured by Margrave Olnef's soldiers, the three of them were thrown into an underground prison beneath the inner fortress tower. It was a subterranean tunnel where not even a sliver of light could enter.
Even as their eyes adjusted to the darkness, they could see nothing. The air was suffocating, the smell stale, and the dampness clung to everything. In that space where closing or opening one's eyes made no difference, Roberta felt along the wall and moved toward the door. The prison door was made of wood reinforced with iron plates, with a square opening the size of a face in the center.
"Fritz, are you alright over there?"
"I'm fine… aside from the number of bugs."
As if waiting for those words, a rapid scuttling sound echoed.
A chill ran down her spine, and she barely managed to suppress a scream.
"…Ulrich, how long do we have to stay here?"
"We won't need to stay long."
She wanted to ask how long is 'not long', but held back and continued instead.
"Was getting captured the goal from the beginning?"
After a moment, a voice came from beyond the door.
"For now, yes."
"You could have told us beforehand."
"I realized it too late. And Karal was with us, so I had no chance to speak."
"Was there really a need to keep it a secret from Brother Karal?"
"Karal doesn't know the reason, does he?"
He was referring to the reason for the archbishop's betrayal—the true bloodline of Hestio. If even one's lord could defect, then a vassal might turn as well. In fact, it seemed Margrave Olnef believed he could persuade Karal. Karal had been taken somewhere else, separate from the three of them.
"It doesn't matter how much Karal knows about me, or whether the margrave or the archbishop learn of it. It might even be better if they do. But if our act is exposed, that would be a problem."
When she asked why it would be a problem, Ulrich replied that she would soon find out.
Tilting her head, Roberta crossed her arms and sat down.
How much time had passed?
Creak—
The sound of a door opening echoed. Several footsteps followed, and then a voice said, "Wait outside."
It was a voice she vaguely recognized.
As its owner descended the stairs, light seeped through the opening in the door. He stopped in front of the cell diagonally across from hers—Ulrich's cell. Roberta caught a glimpse of his profile. He wore priestly robes. And they were red.
"I came because I heard you were Beatrice's subordinate, but this is unexpected."
Archbishop Giacomo smiled as he shone a torch into Ulrich's cell.
"Weren't you supposed to be a pilgrim? Was your claim of seeking the Pantheon a lie?"
"I'm not a pilgrim, but the Pantheon is no lie."
There was a clinking of chains, as if Ulrich had stood up.
"I had intended to part ways with Beatrice in Langen. You were not my original objective."
"The margrave said you belong to the Congregation for Doctrine."
"I had to say that for you to come looking for me, didn't I?"
Silence settled briefly in the underground chamber.
"You expected me to come looking for you?"
"A thought occurred to me. That if not now, there would be no opportunity to have a proper conversation with you, Giacomo."
Ulrich added that he had taken a bit of a risk because of that.
Giacomo let out a hollow laugh, as if dumbfounded.
"That's quite amusing. You got yourself captured just to talk. Very well—what is it you wish to say?"
"I heard you've chosen to follow the true bloodline of Hestio."
"That's right. So you did know."
"Were you only told about the bloodline?"
A brief silence followed.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean exactly that. Regarding the true bloodline of Hestio—aside from that child, was there no mention of Hestio himself?"
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