“So… the young master sees her as a benefactor, doesn’t he?”
“It’s true that she relinquished the authority of the ducal house and abandoned the demi-humans of her own will.”
That fact does not change.
“However–she undoubtedly made the best decision as the head of Eisenhud.”
Having spent seven years with Artesia, receiving the upbringing of Eisenhud, interpreting the history and will passed down through generations, he knows that she made her decision after staking everything.
“She was undoubtedly the greatest head. Her will embodied that of Eisenhud.”
The words Artesia spoke with pride.
“Our iron will shall never waver. Though our forms may differ, there is no distinction of noble or base in the blood that flows within us. Therefore, we shall call all beings [comrades] and swear to exhaust our iron will and our blood for the sake of peace.”
The precept upheld by the Eisenhud house.
“–That is the [Iron Blood Oath] we of Eisenhud uphold.”
The unwavering will inherited from his benefactor Artesia.
No matter how time may turn back, as long as blood flows through this body, it will never disappear.
Uttering those words etched in his heart, Kurtz quietly lifts his face.
“The will to accomplish something should be understandable to you as well, Lucia-Dienes.”
“…When you ask for my agreement like that, it’s a bit embarrassing.”
When they first met, Lucia seemed surprised when he called her by her name.
That was because [Lucia-Dienes] was a name she had discarded from her past.
“If I had remained a young lady… I would have worried about what dress to wear to social gatherings, hosted tea parties and chatted and laughed, married an appropriate nobleman, and lived a carefree, enjoyable life.”
The Dienes family held the rank of a margraviate in the northern regions.
Their territory bordered neighboring countries, tasked not only with defending against invasions from other nations but also resolving conflicts along the border lines.
However… the House of Dienes was caught in a border conflict and suffered great losses.
“I understand very well how it feels to lose someone precious, and the desire to protect others.”
Lucia speaks while gazing into the void, as if recalling a distant past.
The damage from the conflict was only indirect.
The prolonged conflict had severely weakened House Dienes, who were guarding the border, and they failed to notice when rogue mercenaries and bandits, seeing an opportunity, invaded their territory.
And then–the bandits ultimately attacked the members of House Dienes.
Not satisfied with just stealing valuables, the bandits unleashed their pent-up fury from the conflict through ruthless slaughter, and after everything ended, many corpses were piled up across the territory.
During the attack, her parents and siblings sacrificed themselves to protect Lucia, and a former servant of House Dienes who provided information before the return said that they had fled the territory with young Lucia.
“That’s why I managed to survive even in the worst orphanage.”
After losing everything, Lucia was taken to an orphanage in her country.
However, it wasn’t actually an orphanage but a facility established for different purposes.
To counter the empire’s powerful magic, the children taken to the orphanage were forced to undergo special training in espionage and combat techniques.
A former staff member of the orphanage remorsefully revealed that countless children had lost their lives in the process of being administered drugs to push their physical abilities and senses to their limits.
But she had chosen to go to the orphanage of her own will.
She needed to gain the “power” to avenge her parents and the territory’s people she had been close to.
“Well, you chose me because you know everything about me, right?”
“That’s right. You’re like a senior to me.”
“Ah, I suppose that’s one way to look at it?”
Smiling, Lucia spun around–
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
From nowhere, she produced two large knives in her hands.
Jet-black blades that seemed to melt into the dark night.
These were her tools of trade.
After she had disappeared, her friend had tearfully related how these were the only keepsakes found at the bottom of a waterway after risking danger to search through the imperial capital for traces of her.
With those blades, she had fulfilled her tragic mission.
“–Taking revenge for everyone was my only reason for living.”
She says this while fixing her eyes, now red like blood, unlike their usual color.
Ten years ago from the present, before Kurtz was born, a major incident occurred.
A bandit group that had been moving around the border region, evading various countries’ armies.
Their numbers had grown to nearly a hundred as they absorbed unemployed mercenaries and outlaws who had committed crimes in various regions.
According to remaining documents and testimonies, the situation had become so serious that the various countries and local lords, viewing the bandit group as a threat, held talks and decided to form and dispatch a united army.
However, the united army was never deployed.
When scout units were searching for the bandits’ hideout… the report stated that instead of finding the bandits at their suspected hiding place, they found certain “objects” arranged there.
There were one hundred severed heads of men lined up.
Like the heads of criminals displayed after being cut off at the guillotine to prove their crimes, these were trophy heads.
The bizarre manner of the bandits’ deaths was kept secret, and it was officially recorded that local vigilante groups had handled the situation.
“It was the best feeling ever. Just like they did to my family and people… I got to see the sight of arranging their heads one by one.”
Lucia speaks while gazing into the distance, as if remembering the past.
And so, the girl Lucia Dienes fulfilled her tragic mission of “revenge.”
“It’s strange to say this after telling the story, but I suppose my methods weren’t exactly praiseworthy.”
“That doesn’t matter. Some people who know nothing spout pretty words like ‘revenge has no meaning,’ but I believe it at least has meaning for the person carrying it out.”
“You’re quite an understanding master, aren’t you?”
“What I’m trying to do might sound good if I say I’m saving Lady Artesia, but essentially it also includes revenge against those who drove her to death.”
Saving Artesia from her fate of death.
While this was undeniably Kurtz’s true intention, he couldn’t deny the dark emotions of wanting to make those who tormented her and drove her to death suffer the same fate.
“Besides, after fulfilling your mission, you used the help of supporters to create an intelligence organization, gathering others in similar situations and choosing to teach methods and techniques to those seeking revenge. While society might condemn this, it was undoubtedly salvation for those who had been powerless and could only lament.”
Although they made their living through illegal work like assassinations and revenge, they had their own form of “justice,” and held to principles of not accepting or participating in work that didn’t align with their ideals.
“That’s why I chose Lucia Dienes as a ‘comrade.’ I thought your determination to achieve revenge and your attitude of reaching out to help others resonated with Eisenhud.”
“You don’t need to make it sound so complicated. Simply put, we’re birds of a feather.”
Lucia says this with a happy smile.
“I’m just following you because I believe in such a ‘friend.’ To help that friend achieve their goal, I’ll take care of all the troublesome things and lend a hand so you won’t lose your way.”
After saying this, Lucia adds–
“–And as a reward, you’ll pat my head lots and praise me, right?”
A bewitching smile that seemed to toy with people’s hearts.
Words that seemed to make light of things.
However–that smile and those words appeared more reassuring than anyone else’s.
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