Chapter 35 – Seeking the Truth

Alterph never underestimated his opponents.

Precisely because he didn’t, he gave everything. And that’s why he ran out of strength.

He fought with everything he had—and burned out.

It’s nothing but ironic that the side with less caution won.

The Conjurer Knights’ performance—or perhaps luck—brought victory to their allies.

The enemy routed completely, and the outcome on this front was final.

You couldn’t say this result carried much meaning.

This battlefield hardly mattered to begin with; both sides only needed to halt the other’s advance.

But one fact remained: Alterph died.

For better or worse, he’d earned real military merit. His death wasn’t light.

It was nothing like when Avior, fallen to banditry and nearly isolated, died.

Alterph was in a situation that maximized his abilities, and the Conjurer Knights were overwhelmingly disadvantaged.

And yet the women won; their renown would spread far and wide.

However, at the very moment of victory, members of the Conjurer Knights trembled.

They’d won, technically speaking, but it didn’t feel like victory.

When assaulted by a true elite, they hadn’t reacted at all.

And even Gaikaku’s magitech weapons hadn’t produced their expected results.

They were not knights.

That fact—that reality—stood before them.

“Are you alright, you lot? I hear Alterph came right here… any injuries?”

As the women stood abandoned by the clash of friend and foe alike, a man appeared—one still deserving to be called a once-in-a-generation genius.

He carried emergency medical tools on his back, practically a field medic.

“N-not exactly injuries… but our Fresh Golems broke.”

“Hm? Ah… I see. So that’s what happened.”

Seeing their shock, Gaikaku grasped the situation.

He fell silent for a moment, then met each of their eyes.

“I’m sorry.”

He apologized plainly.

“The enemy’s information lockdown was perfect, but even so, my assessment was too lenient. That’s my failure as your commander.”

With that, he urged them to return for now.

“The outcome is decided. Let’s head back and rest.”

That gentle order from their commander was a blessing for them.

Having barely escaped death, they didn’t even know what they should do.

They staggered along, following his directions.

Among them, one infantrywoman asked:

“E-excuse me, Knight Commander!”

“What is it?”

“Can we… still function as a knight order from here on?”

It was an honest question.

It was everyone’s question.

“I’ll stick to the facts. Alterph, whom you defeated, was strong enough to have killed actual knights. To put it another way, even if you’d been ordinary knights, you’d have been killed without a chance to react.”

“…!”

“It’s true that luck was on your side.”

They’d run into a monstrous foe at the worst timing and been saved by their gear by the slimmest margin.

Had luck gone the other way, they’d be dead.

Recognizing that correctly, they paled further.

“If you keep fighting, you’ll face things like this again.”

“Can we survive?”

“I can say this much.”

Gaikaku was sincere.

“No matter what means it takes, we win.”

His word “win” carried many meanings.

They knew that, which is why they understood this wasn’t an indulgent answer.

(So this is what it means to be exceptional…)

One who could still give his best while staring reality in the face.

One who could be knocked down and stand right back up.

Once again, they felt it strongly.

Within the Conjurer Knights, he alone was the real deal, no different from Tistria or a Full Knight.

Talent aside, he was mentally strong.

He would never freeze up in shock like they just had.

“Seems you understand… Alright, let’s go back.”

They walked on behind him.

Yes—of course they were exhausted.

(We shouldn’t take new jobs for a while.)

Gaikaku turned his thoughts to their future course.

(We should coordinate with other knight orders as much as possible. Fortunately, I have endless tech; I can make anything work. No, if I build that ‘thing’ I’d envisioned, we can reduce the need for close combat… and if I enhance the Lives motor-car…)

Absolutely confident in his own technology, he knew what he could and couldn’t do.

And he was about to slam into a major problem.

(I’m broke…)

Even with overhead cut to the bone, their operations were reaching a limit.

To build new weapons, he needed a patron.

(That said… I can’t take on an idiot as a patron. A bad contract would interfere with the knight order’s work. Can’t a good job just fall into my lap…?)

Gaikaku mulled it over, wondering what to do.

Yet he wasn’t all that worried.

He led a rising knight order.

Even if this time was just luck, he had felled Alterph.

That was an unexpected, massive achievement…

(Now the bigwigs will come to me. Not fools or incompetents—the real heavyweights…)

Just as Gaikaku anticipated, approaches flooded in for the rising knight order.

By the time the Conjurer Knights returned to base, many influential figures had reached out.

Not only that—other knight orders began contacting them as well…

Then came a summons from someone who could overrule all of them.

A heavyweight so great that even Tistria couldn’t push back.

“Lord Gaikaku, you did well this time. Many of my subordinates were killed by Alterph, and other knight orders have sent their thanks for avenging them.”

“It was merely good fortune, gehihihihi…”

No sooner had Gaikaku returned than Tistria summoned him.

The other Full Knights watching him were visibly tense.

It wasn’t only because he’d slain such a major figure. There was another reason.

“However, our subordinates are exhausted from facing a powerful foe. I’d like to give them a break for a while…”

“As a knight order, that’s fine. But Lord Gaikaku, there’s an urgent request for you personally.”

“…For me, individually?”

“Yes. It’s not a job we’d normally accept as a knight order… the resolution of a murder case.”

Knight orders did get difficult assignments, but “solving a murder case” was hardly normal.

And if they still couldn’t refuse, the requester had to be a major figure.

“A joint request from Lord Lasal Hague and Lord Sabik Hague.”

“Hague…!”

“Yes—the current Duke and the former Duke.”

A Duke was the highest of nobles.

Even a king couldn’t ignore such a person.

With a request from them, refusing was out of the question.

“Resolving a case on their behalf… not just anyone can manage it, can they?”

“Correct. What they want appears to be ‘the truth.’”

“…That is… a difficult thing.”

Truth.

The most precious thing in this world—and the hardest to prove.

“The outline… you likely know it… it concerns the final volume of the long-form fantasy magitech novel, ‘大渦’ボルテックス.”

“…What? That’s a banned, prohibited item, isn’t it?”

‘大渦’ボルテックス.

A masterpiece fantasy magitech novel published from roughly forty to thirty years ago.

It was, of course, extremely entertaining—but it was also famous for its long publication span.

“Yes. ‘大渦’ボルテックス was published in a distant country, so just reaching our nation took time, and being in a foreign language, translation took time as well… and on top of that, the author took ages to write each volume. Even in the original country, it took eight years to get from Volume One to Volume Four.”

“And the fifth, supposedly the final volume… it was translated, but fell afoul of censorship and was banned… regrets aside, it was burned.”

“Indeed. Volume V of ‘大渦’ボルテックス couldn’t be released in our country. So despite supposedly being complete, it became an unfinished epic. However… one copy survived the flames.”

A tragic masterpiece made illegal by politics.

That stoked collectors’ passions, sending its premium price soaring.

“Though in terrible condition, it was still barely readable. Such a copy went up for auction, and Lasal Hague—the former Duke—won the bid. You hadn’t heard?”

“No, not at all. I see… so that’s what happened…”

“He declared he would donate the copy to the national museum. It’s long been banned, and not being released publicly wouldn’t be an issue. The museum was delighted and prepared to receive it. However… it was stolen from the ducal manor.”

A banned book of ludicrous value.

Of course its theft caused an uproar.

But the request was, first and foremost, to solve a murder.

“Volume V of ‘大渦’ボルテックス was stored in the library in a locked box. The librarian who managed the key was killed, the key stolen, and the contents taken.”

“…So the goal isn’t recovering the book, but finding who murdered the librarian?”

“Yes. The Dukes likely believe they could find the book if they searched in earnest. But that wouldn’t identify the culprit.”

No matter how expensive or rare, it was trivial to a Duke.

He’d intended to donate it for free, so the money meant little.

And even if a librarian had been killed, she was one subordinate among many—why insist on truth so strongly?

“The librarian appears to have been the former Duke’s illegitimate child.”

“…I see.”

In other words, a child born to a woman he’d taken as a mistress.

Effectively the former Duke’s hidden child—and thus, to the current Duke, a half-sibling.

Merely a matter of blood and biology; politically, it was entirely different.

“He never granted a title or even took the child in as a formal ward, but he kept them close, which suggests the former Duke was very fond of them. Having that child murdered has enraged him. Meanwhile, the current Duke risks dangerous misunderstandings. Hence, they seek the truth.”

“…In short, deliver proof of the murderer so clear that anyone can see it.”

“Impossible under normal circumstances. But in your case…”

Normally, this was a case one could never accept.

But Gaikaku smiled when he heard it.

“I can’t promise a result, but I’ll do my best. If it goes well, perhaps I’ll become a favorite of the Dukes… ihihihihi!”

“Please do. I can’t match you myself, but I believe you can.”

Gaikaku bowed with a fearless smile.

“Very well. I’ll solve it like a conjuring trick.”