WeTried Translations

Translator: Coughing Baby

Editor: Coughing Baby

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

Chapter 102: It Seems So

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The necklace's heat had been strongest only at the moment he touched Ludmia's hand, then quickly faded.

Yet the thread was still visible. A slender thread flowing from Ludmia's heart, passing through the wall toward the main palace.

'The necklace the Angel gave me reacted.'

The bead he had used to wake Lavian was gone. Since then, nothing but an empty pendant had remained, an object that had shown no reaction at all.

And yet that necklace had reacted the moment he touched Ludmia.

'Why?'

Kyle maintained his gentle smile, but his mind raced.

The fact that the necklace would not come off despite having seemingly served its purpose meant it still had some use Kyle did not know about.

Why had the necklace he used to wake Lavian reacted to Ludmia? The thread flowing from Ludmia's chest pointed toward the main palace.

The Emperor's youth. Ludmia's frailty.

If they were connected through that thread...

Could the Emperor have been involved in the accident that put Lavian to sleep as well?

'No way. The Emperor would have to be insane...'

Alastor was the family that had protected the Empire for five hundred years. There was no reason for the Emperor to seek conflict with Alastor. Even today, the Imperial Palace was holding a party centered on Kyle for the sake of promoting Alastor's bond with the Empire and the Empire's future.

In other words, there was no reason for the Emperor to instigate an event that would put him at odds with Alastor.

Kyle reined himself in.

An Emperor who wished to avoid old age might preserve his youth even at the cost of making his own child frail. That much was not impossible to understand. Those who held much in their hands often became drunk on the desire to live longer and longer. Power drove people mad, and aging rulers with immense power were especially prone to it.

The Emperor, after all, held the enormous power of ruling an empire.

Still, no matter how consumed he was by his desires, it did not seem likely that the Emperor would go so far as to target Alastor. Alastor was the Grandica Empire's only Grand Ducal house, its strongest Martial family, and the family that had led the Empire's prosperity for five hundred years.

Alastor's strength was not limited to Vigrid's territory and Gladiheim's military forces. As a family symbolic in continental history, Alastor had allies throughout the continent. It was also the most widely recognized family among the Empire's citizens.

Kyle could acknowledge that Alastor might be an irritation to an Emperor who needed absolute authority. But making an enemy of Alastor this way would bring nothing but fatal consequences. If the Emperor truly had been involved in Lavian's accident, the Empire would split in two. That was no exaggeration.

Alastor was not a family that submitted to the Empire. It was a family that coexisted with it.

If Julius turned the Emperor into an enemy, not only the entire northern Empire but countless Imperial knights and families would support Julius and condemn the Imperial Family. Even kingdoms beyond the Empire's walls would do the same.

The Emperor could not possibly be unaware of that.

But what if the Emperor's eyes and ears had been covered?

The incident Lavian suffered had involved beings far beyond human understanding, angels and demons, sky gods and outer gods.

Even the Emperor of an empire was only another mortal before those lofty beings. What if something connected to them had dangled the sweet fruit of eternal youth before him? What if even the Emperor was not the instigator?

'It is more reasonable to think the Emperor was not involved in Grandmother's accident.'

Otherwise, it made no sense for the Emperor to personally summon Julius to the Imperial Palace and use Kyle and Alastor's name for Imperial propaganda.

'This is a seed for an Imperial civil war. If the truth comes out halfway, Alastor's bond with the Empire will break, and the Empire will split in two.'

What would happen next? There was no need to think about it.

After the Empire's division, there would only be war. And that war would not end with the Empire and Alastor alone. If the Empire faltered, ambition would flare throughout the continent like wildfire.

Kyle knew such an era well.

The Dark Age five hundred years ago.

If Alastor, if Julius, drew their swords against the Emperor, the Dark Age would return soon after.

'This is troublesome.'

The fuse that could bring back the Dark Age was now in Kyle's hands. What troubled him was that he had no firm certainty either.

A thread flowed from Ludmia's chest toward the main palace. The necklace he used to wake Lavian had reacted. That was all.

He could not yet determine what the thread was, nor why the necklace had reacted. He had not even confirmed that the thread truly led to the main palace. Even if it did, there was not enough evidence to say the Emperor was the instigator.

Reasonably speaking, it was more likely that the Emperor was not the instigator. It was more likely that someone had deceived the Emperor and planted a bomb to split the Empire and bring back the Dark Age.

'Still, I'm glad I found out first.'

If the bomb had gone off before they understood the truth, Julius would have drawn his sword in fury.

Lavian had regained her senses, even if she still could not use her left arm or legs. And Kyle had already observed the problem before the bomb exploded.

After the party, he would tell Julius and discuss what they should do next.

For now, Kyle decided that was enough.

What he had to do at this moment was enter the party.

With a smile. Proudly. As the commander of the Sword Wolf Knights.

"Sir Kyle?"

Ludmia called to him carefully.

When he glanced down, Ludmia's brows were slightly furrowed.

"Your hand... y-you're squeezing too hard."

Ludmia spoke cautiously. There was no reproach in her voice. Even though she was a princess, she was watching Kyle's reaction.

Only then did Kyle realize that he had unconsciously gripped Ludmia's hand too tightly.

"My apologies. The ballroom is close, so I got nervous without realizing it."

"Sir Kyle gets nervous too?"

Ludmia blinked. It seemed unexpected to her that a man who had fought the Fist Demon with his life on the line would be nervous about simply entering a party.

"Honestly, standing before people makes me more nervous than swinging a sword."

The closed doors to the ballroom opened.

First, the princes other than Alero and Ludmia entered. Gerhard, Roel, and the Sword Spirit Knights entered after them.

Crown Prince Alero went next, followed by Julius. Hearing the loud introductions from within the ballroom and the cheers of the guests, Kyle steeled himself.

"The pureblood of Alastor, the Grandica Empire's sole Grand Ducal house and the continent's foremost Martial family! The commander of Gladiheim's Sword Wolf Knights! The youngest recipient of the Martial Star Medal, descendant of light, Black Sword Sir Kyle Alastor!"

Inside the ballroom, the booming voice rose even higher.

"And the jewel of the Grandica Empire's Imperial Family, the flower of the Valhart Imperial Family, Her Highness Ludmia Valhart, First Imperial Princess, enters!"

The grand ballroom, which had been buzzing with conversation, fell silent for a moment.

Surprisingly, there was no mockery.

Had Kyle proclaimed an epithet without accomplishments or martial achievements to back it up, people would have laughed. But he was the youngest recipient of the Martial Star Medal.

Holding Ludmia's hand, Kyle entered the grand ballroom with confidence.

Hundreds of gazes focused on him at once. Without shrinking back even slightly, Kyle walked to the center of the ballroom.

The Martial Star Medal on his left chest gleamed beneath the chandelier's light, while Fenris at his waist swayed faintly with every step.

Red hair, golden eyes, a pitch-black sword.

Just as Crown Prince Alero had expected, Kyle was a symbolic and striking sight to the ballroom's distinguished guests.

"Red hair and golden eyes... and Fenris. It is like seeing the Sword Saint reborn after five hundred years."

"Did they not say he was fifteen? Yet he has a Martial Star Medal..."

Quiet whispers spread.

The picture the Empire wanted was being completed. A boy bearing every symbol of Alastor and the Sword Saint stood before the continent's prominent figures, holding the hand of an Imperial Princess.

A tremor ran through Ludmia's cold hand.

Kyle was not the only one nervous about standing before so many distinguished guests. Ludmia also knew exactly what role the Imperial Family expected from her at this party.

Princess Ludmia was not the star of the party. She was only a flower meant to highlight the bond between Alastor and the Imperial Family.

Even so, for a girl who had lived confined to a detached palace, hundreds of eyes were focused on her today.

Ludmia did not stop her slow steps. Her face was pale, but there was a smile on her lips.

"The vice-commander of the Sword Wolf Knights, Alastor's cultivated blade, recipient of the glorious Crescent Moon Medal, Unicorn Sir Lucia enters!"

Lucia entered.

Everyone's attention turned to the single horn rising through her pure white hair. She was the much-rumored Half-blood of the Demon Tribe and humanity that Alastor supposedly kept in its service. A Crescent Moon Medal hung from that rare being's chest.

Unicorn was the epithet Lucia had chosen for herself.

When Kyle told her to choose an epithet, Lucia had spent an entire day thinking about it.

To Lucia, her single horn had never been something to take pride in. If she could have cut it off, she wanted to. If she could have hidden it, she wanted to.

But then, on Beltua Island, she received the Demon King's brand and learned that she was a chimera, something whose creator she did not even know.

Lucia had carried self-hatred since childhood. The events that followed one after another were enough to shake her sense of self, but Kyle had helped her keep her footing.

If anything, living through those events had hardened Lucia's resolve.

Her nature as a chimera, the Demon King's brand, the horn of a Half-blood. All of it was Lucia.

That was why she chose Unicorn as her epithet. She had taken that unmistakable feature and made it her symbol rather than her shame.

"A member of the Sword Wolf Knights, son of Barkas Alastor, commander of Gladiheim's Crimson Snow Knights, pureblood of Alastor, descendant of light, recipient of the Empire's glorious Crescent Moon Medal, Thunderous Sword Sir Bruno Alastor enters!"

Bruno entered with a tense expression.

Kyle had also pressured Bruno into choosing an epithet himself. Thunderous Sword was an ideal Bruno's sword had not yet reached. As he learned Baal's swordsmanship alongside the techniques he had already mastered, Bruno's sword was becoming more destructive and violent.

"A member of the Sword Wolf Knights, descendant of Krase, a Round Table house of Ransel, recipient of the Empire's glorious Crescent Moon Medal, Split Fang Sir Jade Krase enters!"

Jade's eyes wavered slightly as he entered the ballroom.

He had prepared himself for it, but hearing the name Krase called out for real stirred complicated feelings within him.

"Was there someone like that in Krase?"

"Not that I know of. Maybe one of the branch families... or an illegitimate child."

The murmurs only made him feel stranger.

An illegitimate child of Krase stood in the grand ballroom of the Imperial Palace as a recipient of the Crescent Moon Medal. Somewhere in this ballroom, there might be someone from Ransel. Perhaps even someone from the Krase family.

"A member of the Sword Wolf Knights, native of the Tarba tribe of the southern Avara Plateau, Flame Dance Sir Narua enters!"

They had taught Narua the proper etiquette for entering, but when the time came, she kept looking around.

She was not particularly flustered that her origins in the Tarba tribe had been mentioned. Narua knew the Empire had sharp eyes.

If anything, she saw that announcement as an opportunity.

The reason she kept looking around so intently was to see whether anyone reacted to it.

The problem was that too many people reacted.

The Sword Wolf Knights' members all had unusual backgrounds, so it could not be helped.

A Half-blood of the Demon Tribe.

An illegitimate child from Krase, a Round Table house of Ransel.

A native of the Avara Plateau.

Kyle's martial achievements were impressive enough, but the unique backgrounds of his members had created murmurs throughout the ballroom. A few people even tilted their heads.

Other than Jade's epithet, Split Fang, it was the first time they had heard the other members' epithets.

It could not be helped. Lucia, Bruno, and Narua's epithets had been made solely for entering this party today.

"Your Highness Ludmia. Sir Kyle."

A familiar face approached them.

Erdela Lunion, the Association Master. Unlike last time, she was wearing a dress appropriate for the party rather than a mage's robe.

"Association Master Erdera, you're here too!"

Ludmia brightened as she accepted Erdela's greeting.

Erdela glanced at Ludmia's thin collarbones and gave a bitter smile.

"You seem even thinner than when I last saw you."

"Ahaha... I've been doing my best to eat, but I just can't seem to gain any weight."

As Kyle listened to them speak, he looked around Erdela.

Akarion was nowhere to be seen.

[Lastea Tower Master did not come.]

Having read Kyle's gaze, Erdela spoke directly into his mind.

[He does not like facing His Majesty.]

'Is there a particular reason?'

[Hmm... Sir Kyle may not have any prejudice, but His Majesty does not think very highly of vampires. The audience chamber where His Majesty resides is also a deadly place for vampires.]

'What do you mean by a deadly place?'

[You have met with His Majesty, have you not? His audience chamber is filled with all manner of holy arts. The Moon Church's high priests personally made it to protect the Empire's sun.]

Though vampires had become one kind of aberration, their origin was still a byproduct of dark magic.

"Congratulations on receiving the Martial Star Medal."

Erdela spoke into Kyle's mind even as she smiled and spoke aloud.

Erdela was not the only one to approach.

Crown Prince Alero, who had entered earlier, came over with several people, smiling broadly.

"You are the first person in Imperial history to receive the Martial Star Medal at fifteen, Sir Kyle. That record probably will not be broken for hundreds of years."

The Crown Prince spoke as though it were only natural that the Empire would remain strong for hundreds more years.

Standing naturally beside Kyle, he began introducing the people with him.

"Everyone has been curious about Sir Kyle! Sir Kyle, this is Prince Arec Ransel of Ransel. He has been my friend since childhood."

"At last, I get to meet the most famous Sir Kyle on the continent these days."

A young man with short blond hair grinned and extended his hand.

The heir of Ransel, known as the nation of knights. Arec had a sturdy build, and his palm was covered in calluses.

Ransel insisted on being called the nation of knights, so the King of Ransel had to be the strongest among the kingdom's knights. At least on the surface, that was how it worked.

Remembering what Julius had told him before, Kyle clasped Arec's hand.

"And this is my younger sister..."

"Julietta Ransel."

The Princess of Ransel was not wearing a dress.

Julietta strode forward and cut off Arec's introduction. Arec let out a deep sigh and released Kyle's hand.

Julietta Ransel.

From what Kyle had heard, it was not Arec but his younger sister Julietta who was most likely to seize Ransel's next throne.

The reason was simple.

Julietta was stronger than Arec.

At twenty-four, Julietta had already defeated her brother Arec in Ransel's martial arts tournament years ago and claimed victory.

Julietta looked Kyle up and down with blazing eyes, then abruptly thrust out her hand.

Kyle took it immediately without hesitation.

'She uses a weapon other than a sword. A spear, perhaps?'

The moment he felt that through her palm, Julietta's grip tightened.

It was not just her grip strength. Julietta's fierce mana flowed into him through their clasped hands.

Kyle stared at Julietta in disbelief.

This crazy Princess of Ransel was challenging him to a contest of strength the moment they met.

"Did I do something wrong?"

Kyle only looked baffled. His body did not move an inch.

He accepted Julietta's strength as though it were nothing, then pushed back her mana. Julietta's brows furrowed.

"I was curious. I heard you defeated Lizet Beliar?"

"Well, strictly speaking, it is a little different from winning a fight. If we had kept fighting, I probably would have lost."

"Probably? You said probably?"

"We both suffered serious injuries."

"You seriously injured Lizet Beliar...?"

"She recovered faster than I did, but Lizet was alone. I had my members with me."

"You ganged up on Lizet Beliar?!"

It was far too crude a phrase to come from a princess.

Kyle looked at Arec in even greater disbelief. Arec looked deeply troubled, but perhaps he was mindful of Julietta and could not intervene.

Alero's expression was... strange.

In the middle of a party hosted by the Imperial Family, Julietta was being far too rude to Kyle, the party's protagonist. As the Empire's Crown Prince, Alero was in a position to rebuke her disrespect.

But he did not.

Instead, his subtly gleaming eyes watched Kyle.

'This bastard is expecting a lot from me.'

Clicking his tongue, Kyle shook Julietta's hand up and down.

"Ganged up... well, if you put it that way, then yes, we did. But Lizet brought it on herself. If she did not want to get ganged up on, she should not have come."

It was fine to be as rude as Julietta in this situation.

"Are you close with Lizet?"

At Kyle's sudden question, Julietta bit down on her lip.

She was putting strength into her grip and pouring mana into it, yet her hand moved up and down however Kyle shook it. Julietta put in even more force and spat out her answer.

"Once, I went to watch the colosseum in Erebos."

"Ah. Are you Lizet's fan?"

"I'm not a fan. I'm her rival!"

"I think you're the only one who sees it that way."

At Kyle's mocking words, Julietta gritted her teeth.

Kyle did not stop at holding out. He began gradually increasing his strength.

Rumble...!

The flow of the Primordial Chaos Sword Canon circulating through Kyle's body grew faster and more violent.

Jolt.

Julietta's body shook.

The mana forced back into her struck her Circuits and dantian, and pain spread through her tightly clasped fingers. In the end, Julietta could not endure it and had no choice but to release Kyle's hand.

"You're far too weak to call yourself Lizet's rival."

As Kyle let go of Julietta's hand, he glanced at Alero.

The Empire's Crown Prince wore a thoroughly satisfied expression.

'This bastard is really irritating.'

Kyle smiled brightly and stared directly at the Crown Prince.

"Julietta is as full of curiosity as ever."

Meeting Kyle's bright smile, Alero smiled back just as brilliantly.

Alero, who had stepped back, approached again and placed a hand on Kyle's shoulder.

"Please understand, Sir Kyle. Julietta has been competitive and curious since she was young. Lizet Beliar is the Princess of Erebos and a renowned martial artist. She has much in common with Julietta. That is why Julietta personally went to observe Erebos's colosseum..."

Kyle lowered only his eyes to look at the hand on his shoulder.

His chest was hot.

Part of it was because of Alero's attitude, which he disliked, which was irritating in the crudest terms, which honestly made him want to punch the man.

But the necklace was reacting.

Just as it had when he held Ludmia's hand. The necklace was growing hot because he was in contact with the Crown Prince.

Kyle's gaze shifted from Alero's hand on his shoulder to Alero's chest.

A thread identical to Ludmia's was flowing from Alero's chest as well.

"Do you exercise regularly, Your Highness?"

Alero's eyes widened at the sudden question. To him, it must have sounded completely out of place.

"Exercise...? Why ask that all of a sudden?"

"As the child of a Martial family, I suddenly became curious. What sort of exercise the Imperial Family practices in their daily lives."

As he said that, Kyle glanced at Ludmia, who stood several steps away.

"Her Highness Ludmia's hands are cold and delicate, but Your Highness's do not seem to be."

"Ha ha... So that is what you meant. Are you concerned about my health?"

Alero removed his hand from Kyle's shoulder.

"Ludmia's frailty is congenital. It was the fault of the late Third Imperial Consort. But the Empress who gave birth to me is different. I have never been sickly since childhood."

If every member of the Imperial Family were frail like Ludmia while only the Emperor was healthy, that would be a problem too.

'Does the thread connected to that bastard's chest serve a different purpose from Ludmia's?'

Thinking that, Kyle looked at Julietta.

She had steadied her swaying body and was blankly staring down at her trembling hand.

"If you want to know my ability, then set a proper date."

He had intended to show courtesy because she was foreign royalty, and someone likely to become the next Queen of Ransel.

But she was the one who had acted rudely first.

Alastor was not a weak family that had to force a smile at blatant disrespect.

"Come to Gladiheim. Or I can go to Ransel. If neither appeals to you, shall we fight right now?"

"Ha ha, Sir Kyle."

Alero placed his hand on Kyle's shoulder again with a pleased smile.

"Julietta was only curious. Do not blame her too harshly."

Kyle did not act meekly even before Julietta, the likely next Queen of Ransel. Alero was satisfied by Kyle's response.

"Do not take it too hard, Julietta. It is true that you were excessively rude. Especially at a gathering like this, you should have restrained your curiosity. This party is for Sir Kyle, a new sword that will protect the Empire's future..."

"Your Highness Alero."

Tap.

With a light shake of his shoulder, Kyle knocked Alero's hand away.

"This is my first time coming to the Imperial Palace, and my first time meeting the Imperial Family, so I have been very careful."

Alero did not lower his hand and stared at Kyle.

"Sir Kyle. What are you trying to say?"

"If I may correct you, I am not a sword. I am a swordsman."

Kyle spoke with a smile.

"I understand that you wish to use me for the Empire's propaganda, but if you want to tame me into a sword, give up."

Alero's smile stiffened.

Footnotes:

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