Episode 35: Decapitation

The raised sword glints dully in the light streaming through the window. Its wielder, Knight Commander Zefard, glares at me, radiating killing intent.

I deliberately spread my arms, exposing my neck to the blade. Then, I speak boldly to the man standing before me.

“If you wish to strike, be my guest.”

“…What!?”

“I have no intention of offering anyone as a hostage. If refusing means you see me as a traitor—then go ahead and take my head right here, Knight Commander Zefard.”

My aim is the unyielding path of ultimate villainy. To achieve that, I need subordinates like Evan and Beatrice. For the sake of my dream… I won’t hand either of them over as hostages to be slaughtered.

And if refusing a hostage leads to my death… then that’s all the villain I amounted to.

If Zefard’s blade takes my life here, I’ll go out as a pathetic fool who mistook himself for a grand villain, giving Gessler and Izakko a laugh in hell.

A glorious, miserable end they’d gape at in the underworld.

For a few seconds, silence reigns over the throne room. Then… clap, clap—the dry sound of applause echoes through the hall.

“My apologies for testing you like that.”

The masked smile has returned to King Luverios’s face.

“I’ve certainly witnessed your resolve, wagering even your own life. There’s no need for a hostage.”

At those words, Zefard lowers his sword.

“I am deeply grateful for Your Majesty’s gracious words.”

I place a hand gently on my chest, bowing to the king.

“My steward and knight commander are indispensable to me. Losing either to a hostage arrangement would hinder the governance of my territory. That, in turn, might cause trouble for the kingdom. That’s why I dared to speak against Your Majesty’s command.”

“Hmm… that’s true enough.”

I couldn’t care less about troubling the kingdom, but it’s a decent enough pretext. Luverios nods, seemingly satisfied, though he adds a pointed remark.

“Still, it’s a fact that some cast suspicious eyes on you. Therefore—I shall give you an order. Consider it an opportunity to prove your loyalty.”

“Let me hear it. What is this order?”

Luverios takes a slow, deep breath before proclaiming solemnly:

“Siegfried von Kreving. I command you to enroll in the National Military Academy.”

◆

“Was it truly wise to let him keep his head, Your Majesty?”

After Siegfried’s departure, in the now-quiet throne room, Chancellor Joachim questions Luverios.

“If I may be so bold, that man struck me as exceedingly dangerous. We didn’t touch on it this time, but there are suspicious circumstances surrounding Marquis Arving’s death. Moreover, I’ve heard rumors that Count Kreving declared his intent to ‘build an empire of evil.’”

That was during the purge of Governor Gessler. It’s said that Siegfried, in front of his people, proclaimed something along the lines of ‘building an empire of evil to dominate the world.’

Of course, such a claim is absurd and likely just a rumor… or so Joachim judges.

“No, no… sparing him there was the right call.”

The one to interject is a man who didn’t utter a single word in Siegfried’s presence—the Chief Court Mage, Ignas.

“That Siegfried fellow is quite the intriguing character. I sensed a spark of talent in him. …Not as much as me, of course.”

Ignas adjusts his glasses lightly, expounding his opinion.

“At any rate, killing him now would be a waste. Use him until he breaks, then dispose of him. —Isn’t that right, Lord Luverios?”

Luverios nods.

“Precisely. Unfortunately, many neighboring nations refuse to bow to our kingdom’s authority. I intend to send Siegfried to fight them. If he dies there, it’s two birds with one stone. A dangerous man deserves a fitting purpose.”

“And that’s why you ordered him to enroll in the Royal Military Academy…”

Ignas pushes up his glasses smugly, his expression practically screaming, I knew it all along—his usual attitude.

In contrast, Knight Commander Zefard remains silent, his lips sealed.

“What’s wrong, Zefard? Is something on your mind?”

King Luverios prompts him.

“No. I believe the decision not to strike down Count Kreving was appropriate. However…”

Choosing his words carefully, Zefard pauses for a beat.

“I wonder… would I have even been able to cut him down?”

“Hah! That’s a good one, Knight Commander!”

Ignas chimes in again, grinning with amusement.

“The head of the ‘Kingdom’s Three Great Knights’ and the ‘Strongest Swordsman’ unable to cut someone down? That’s absurd!”

“Indeed. But… in that moment, there wasn’t a shred of fear in Count Kreving’s eyes.”

That conviction comes from a knight commander who’s survived countless battlefields.

“So, you’re saying Siegfried didn’t believe he’d be killed? That he thought he could escape this room, with the Chief Court Mage, the Knight Commander, and both of them present?”

When saying both of them, Ignas glances at King Luverios and Chancellor Joachim. He’s one of the few who knows the immense power these two wield, rivaling even his own as Chief Court Mage.

“Or perhaps he was fine with dying if it came to that—either way. No, maybe… both.”

In other words, Siegfried was confident he could handle everyone in this room… and even if he were killed, he’d consider it an acceptable outcome.

Furthermore, as he left the throne room, Siegfried casually added, as if it had just occurred to him:

—“Oh, by the way, Knight Commander Zefard. A kingdom knight named Narcian and his lackeys were causing trouble, so I had the city guards arrest them. Please ensure they’re dealt with strictly.”

With such a report made before the king, Zefard can’t afford to be lenient with Narcian. Not that he cares about Narcian, a knight with the lowest skill among the kingdom’s ranks.

What unsettles Zefard is Siegfried’s effortless composure.

(Siegfried von Kreving… Was sparing him truly the right choice? Or…)