Organization (4)

I leaned against the building wall with a cigarette in my mouth. Since I was burning inside, I needed to burn something outside as well to maintain balance.

“Sigh… They say the scariest thing is when a fool has convictions, and Duke Forys is exactly that type.”

Does he really think he can have a conversation or negotiate with that demon?

It’s possible, I suppose. Edge Forys was a politician who made his name in politics by constantly clashing with Wallace Hope.

Even the public regarded them as rivals, so perhaps Belial might meet with him out of respect for that.

But that’s just a possibility, isn’t it?

Looking at the future I experienced, it’s hard to accept.

He’ll die if he goes.

Belial will kill him without hesitation.

Just considering that Edge Forys died along with his domain due to Belial’s schemes before my regression, I don’t see room for negotiation.

“Is it right to let him go?”

But what matters most is his own will, isn’t it?

If he were charging in with rage clouding his reason, that would be different, but it’s hard to stop someone in such a calm state.

If he can see something I can’t, then that’s possible too. The image I have of Belial might be different from the impression Edge Forys has formed of Wallace Hope through their past confrontations.

“If you keep smoking like that, it’ll ruin your health, Lost.”

“Línea. How’s the surveillance going?”

“He seems to be talking with Beast Forys right now, so I stepped out for a moment. I thought it wouldn’t be right to eavesdrop on a private conversation.”

“Well, that makes sense.”

Línea isn’t a member of an information guild, nor is she an assassin.

It’s one thing to ask her to monitor someone, but it’s only natural that she’d feel uncomfortable if asked to eavesdrop on private conversations.

“Are you giving up on persuading him?”

“I don’t know… I’m not sure.”

Initially, I had planned to persuade him.

Based on what I knew, I was certain that if Edge Forys charged straight at Belial, he would die a meaningless death.

But after speaking with him, I’m not so sure anymore.

He was clearly angry, but he was viewing the situation objectively to an astonishing degree.

And such a person was guaranteeing that he could establish a dialogue.

Seeing that makes even my conviction waver.

“If he were making a choice that anyone would see as foolish, I would have stopped him, but if he has some kind of scheme in mind, I can’t blindly dissuade a professional like him.”

An old monster who has firmly held his ground in imperial politics for 50 years. I can’t ignore the confidence that comes from such experience.

Yes, as Edge Forys said, if he truly can engage in dialogue with Wallace Hope…

In that case, there’s no way for me to calculate his chances of success.

Life is merely a chip, and they’re competing over things I can’t see.

In such a situation, what exactly is Edge Forys aiming for?

“Let’s observe a bit more.”

He has no intention of persuading me. He has no intention of listening to my persuasion either.

Just a damned old man stubbornly doing what he wants.

A greed that refuses to lose anything. Thinking about it from that perspective…

“Línea.”

“Yes?”

“Be careful; Duke Forys might try something.”

“Against me? Oh… come to think of it, that’s possible. I should watch out for being deceived, right?”

He described himself as a veteran who survived both the battlefield and the political arena.

If that’s the case, he would know the perfect moves to defeat me.

I can’t monitor him 24/7, and Edge Forys knows that too.

His countermeasure against me would be…

“He knows that to capture a general, you must first shoot the horse, so he’s dangerous.”

He would target those around me to completely blind my eyes and ears.

*     *      *

Claire headed toward the location of the Ryan barony’s mansion.

A place in the Forys duchy where human trafficking and half-demon cultivation had been brazenly conducted.

She didn’t expect such a place to have been left intact.

If at least the site remained, that would be enough. With that thought, Claire set out, recalling her painful past.

“……”

That’s why she didn’t know.

What had become of the place where the Ryan barony’s mansion once stood.

Whether it had been left in ruins, or completely razed and the land sold to another merchant or noble.

She thought it would be enough just to confirm its current state.

“I never imagined they would go this far.”

But that wasn’t the case.

The site where the Ryan barony’s mansion once stood had been purchased by Duke Forys.

A building for public purposes. No, rather than a building, it was the land itself.

“I wasn’t even paying attention… I really had no idea.”

At the site Claire arrived at, there was a grave.

A grave for just one person.

“Brother…”

The remnants of the mansion had been cleanly swept away, and around it stood a temple alongside a single tombstone.

While the temple was likely for the children who had died miserably here, the tombstone was a consideration solely for her.

“So there were people who remembered besides me and Lost.”

R.I.P

[Here lies one who lived in pain for his family and ultimately accepted death for his family.]

There was no name written on it.

But there was no need to specify who the tombstone was for.

The Ryan barony was essentially a house of traitors. The name wasn’t inscribed to protect Burke, a member of that house. But the epitaph made it clear who rested here.

So that Claire, whenever she might visit, could still consider this place her hometown.

“He must have been a good person.”

Eve spoke to Claire, who was standing dazed in front of Burke’s grave.

In the era she remembered, the Forys duchy had already vanished, so she had never dreamed such a thing existed.

Or perhaps, it was possible.

Maybe this too was thanks to Lost’s efforts.

What was certain was that there were quite a few people who cared about Claire.

Just knowing that made Eve’s heart swell.

“He was a good person, though a bit slow at times. Ah, does that make him sound like a pushover?”

“Of course not. Look, many people besides you have visited.”

And the most surprising thing was that Claire wasn’t the only one who had visited this grave. Besides her, others had passed through, as evidenced by flowers, alcohol, and silver coins decorating the grave.

“He must have been quite popular in the Hunter’s Guild.”

“Haha, I didn’t know because he never talked about it, but I guess he was.”

Claire gave a bitter smile.

It was unlikely they had all come by coincidence. Probably many people regularly visited, perhaps sharing complaints about their daily routines.

Most hunters Claire had met in her life were like that.

If nothing else, they tended to be quite loyal to one another.

“I wonder if the flowers are from Allen? They feel different from the others.”

Cheap alcohol and a single silver coin. These were the kind of items hunters would commonly leave behind, but the bouquet felt out of place with the atmosphere here.

Probably from Allen, who had an image closer to a knight than a hunter.

“At least I don’t need to worry anymore. If people still remember him after all this time, then my brother didn’t live in vain.”

Previously, Claire had thought about taking revenge on Lost.

The reason was that she feared if even she didn’t remember Burke, no one would.

But now she knew that wasn’t the case. While she had long since abandoned thoughts of revenge, finding this kind of closure was a good thing.

“Brother, I became a paladin. I think I’ll receive the title of Paladin when I return. I’ve done well, haven’t I? Next time, I’ll come bearing the title of Paladin.” (TLN: In case it’s confusing. The first one, Claire talks about having the paladin role/job. And the second one is officially having the title of “Paladin”. I got confused at the first time since the first Korean word that the author use is “성기사/seong-gisa” which translates to literally “paladin” and the second one is “팔라딘” which is the Korean word for “paladin” (the word literally sound “paladin/palladin” in Korean)

Claire dusted herself off and stood up.

If she stayed here any longer, she felt she might never leave, regardless of how much time passed.

It was too early to be buried in memories when she still had so much to do.

After all, she hadn’t yet defeated the demon. There was still a long way to go before this journey could come to an end.

“Lilia.”

“Huh? Are you done?”

Claire called out to Lilia, who was sitting on a nearby chair, humming to herself. She had asked her to wait a moment while she indulged in her emotions, and Lilia had obediently remained still.

“Let’s go eat now. Just the three of us having something delicious.”

“Something delicious!”

“Yeah, Lilia. I’m actually from around here. I didn’t go out much, but I do know the good places to eat.”

“Heeheeheehee!”

Lilia grinned so broadly at the mention of delicious food that she looked like she might start rolling around.

“And… Eve, was it? I’d like to hear your story too. To be honest, I support Línea-unnie, but when I look at that bastard, I wonder if that’s right.”

“Haha… So you think Línea is too good for him?”

“Exactly! So let me hear your take. I really can’t understand why such a scummy person is liked at all.”

Claire is quick-witted.

She had long since noticed that Eve felt some inexplicable familiarity toward her.

Eve’s presence was too sudden to begin with. A woman Lost had brought along without much explanation.

As someone who supported Línea, Claire should have found her existence unwelcome, but somehow, she didn’t entirely dislike her presence.

That was because Eve’s eyes were full of goodwill when looking at her.

“Línea has someone she likes? Wow, who would’ve thought.”

“Huh? Oh? Who are you?”

Claire’s eyes widened at the woman who suddenly joined their conversation.

She had received combat training.

Moreover, her senses had become extremely sensitive during her recovery process.

Someone who could approach while deceiving senses like hers. She couldn’t help but be suspicious.

Nevertheless, Claire could only blink in bewilderment, unable to be wary of her.

“Ah, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I heard a familiar name. Sorry about that. Are you friends of Línea’s?”

The blonde woman approached the three of them with a languid manner. As Claire, Eve, and Lilia all flinched at her eerie appearance and stepped back…

Claire, a paladin who made it her duty to protect others, stepped forward protectively and asked:

“Who are you? When you approach so suddenly, we can’t help but be cautious. Would you mind introducing yourself properly?”

“Oh dear… You’re right. I should have identified myself first. Sorry, I’m a bit out of it. Umm, I’m… this kind of person.”

The strange blonde woman rummaged through her possessions for a while before finally pulling out what appeared to be a family seal.

Seeing it, Claire’s eyes widened once again.

Then she began alternately confirming the family seal and the woman’s appearance.

Bright blonde hair, purple eyes.

A pale complexion like a corpse, wearing what looked like hastily thrown-on white clothes.

Dark circles extending down to under her eyes as if she were exhausted, making her look somewhat deranged.

But most importantly, the family seal engraved with a willow tree.

“This can’t be.”

Claire could now fully understand who the person before her was.

Her presence in this place was strange to begin with. This was the site of the Ryan barony’s disgrace and Burke’s grave.

But what if the person before her had been tracing someone’s footsteps?

For instance, a place where someone had started mentioning a family name.

Moreover, there were elements before her eyes that she couldn’t deny even if she wanted to.

Claire carefully confirmed the woman’s identity.

“Are you from the Spirin earldom?”

“That’s right. I’m the eldest daughter of the Spirin family, dispatched for this upcoming war. Celia Spirin. Fufufu.”