Albion’s Pastoral House (3)

-Dear Baronet Asel’s Investigation Department-

My name is Cyrus Merchant, and I’ve been running a retail store directly managed by Asel in Parisa for fifteen years. Parisa City is located in the middle of the Pintos mountains, making it a high-altitude and inconvenient area. It is also the capital of the Kision territory and the location of the Northeast defender’s camp. The soul and climate of the estates are low, and avalanches and landslides often occur. The land isn’t affluent, but the atmosphere is excellent for a city where the military is located. This is because even though the border with Brunnen is close, the war concluded ages ago.

In the northernmost part of the Pintos mountains, the rugged mountain slopes provided a natural barrier. While the terrain here is relatively gentle, it was still hard to move heavy goods through, so trade and exchange with Brunnen take place along the Klotto river in the south instead. In other words, it is an isolated, small town.

There is an Absalom barrier erected north and south along the ridge. Above it, guard posts are well maintained at regular intervals. Kision’s home and the army are located on the other side of that barrier. My own home is in a castle built by magic during Absalom II’s reign, so the ground is solid, and the outer wall is thick enough not to be broken even by shells. However, there is no longer a western outer wall in the citadel.

This is the first time an emergency huge enough to alarm the investigation department has occurred in this peaceful city. Firstly, I must let you know about my background to add credibility to my testimony. I graduated from a commercial school in the capital, so I am not ignorant of knights. I have also learned of Queen Carmela’s wars. However, the force of the one who destroyed this city yesterday morning was capable of transcending humanity. I usually wake up at dawn to organize my ledgers, so I witnessed the incident.

Around three o’clock in the morning, a tremendous shock shook the town. All of the attic windows were rattling, so at first, I thought it was an earthquake. At the same moment, an intense silver light flashed from outside. I thought it was lightning, but what kind of lightning rises from the earth? I took out my telescope to look at Viscount Kision’s castle to see a somewhat shocking sight. A man was standing in front of the wall. It was difficult to recognize at first because his armor was dark, but a blinding light flashed from it when he held up his sword.

The light wasn’t gold but silver, meaning that man was a swordmaster. By his sword, he made the tower of the outer wall collapsed, and even the sturdy gate was reduced to gravel in the blink of an eye! Knights in dark blue armor standing in front of it divided into four groups and moved over the collapsed outer wall. The darkness and dust kicked up made it difficult to see what was happening inside, but I noticed that the collapsed support wall was pouring over the moat within a few minutes. It rumbled the earth, and what followed was that oppressive silver ether, followed by about thirty knights with golden swords. It was a scene straight out of the apocalypse.

Of course, the men at the Kision barracks fought back. The sound of gunfire and artillery tore through the night. The fight’s outcome seemed obvious, and soon all guns stopped firing. I trembled in fear. The intruders were unfamiliar, so I expected it to be a Brunnen invasion.

I went down to the store on the first floor to deliver an emergency report on the unidentified knights. But when I grabbed the handset, the line had already been disconnected. I heard people knocking on the iron bars that I had put down over the door. As I listened with my breath held, I heard people speaking in smooth Albion.

“This is an investigation being conducted by the central government. Open the door.”

It turned out the soldiers had shut the phones down. They were investigating the case of illegal military training in the Kision estate. I kept my eyes open all night. As dawn arrived, there was a post in the square. All offices, post, and train stations would be brought to a halt, and there was a curfew at 6 PM. The stamp of Sir Tasserton, an unfamiliar name, was stamped at the bottom. But the power that name wielded was clear.

No trains were coming in or out of the station, and all carriages were detained at the mountain entrance. The entire city was sealed off. People dared not even open their shutters. A first anxiety-filled day crawled by. Fortunately, the following day, wagons with daily necessities were allowed access. Our merchants were able to unload their luggage under the surveillance of knights and soldiers.

I have seen the castle myself because I had delivered some candles and oil. I came in with a courier’s delivery wagon, and the moment I entered the castle’s driveway, I felt suffocated. The fortress felt like some old tale, a city that had been cursed and sent to ruin overnight. The castle’s walls had collapsed as if a giant stepped upon it.

The inner courtyard, the residence, and the warehouse appeared untouched. However, the violence that these buildings have witnessed could not be denied. Bullet marks marred the walls, and I noticed dried bloodstains. I couldn’t even find a single soldier with a familiar face, let alone the lord or the knights of Kision. The ruined and bloody fortress had a surprisingly peaceful atmosphere, despite all that. The knights dressed in dark blue had laid down their helmets, taking a break from the end of their daily battles. Some of them were even kind enough to help me move my ware. All of the knights waiting had this choppy northern accent.

I’m not sure which order they belonged to.

Presumably, Viscount Kision had been increasing his troops for several years to prepare for Brunnen’s provocation. Perhaps it was only an administrative problem, but the knights had attacked like it was the home of a rebel faction. Yesterday’s raid seemed to have been very effective, as Kision’s troops were detained without mounting a proper response. In the first place, how could ordinary knights and soldiers cope with a swordmaster and these merciless folks? Their armor’s epaulets and their helmets were engraved with a lake and a sword crossed by a diagonal line. (Since my knowledge is lacking, I couldn’t identify the family the insignia represented.)

After moving all of my luggage, I ran into the knight with the silver ether. His drawn sword had dried blood on it. At a glance, I knew it was him. When he appeared, all the knights that had been resting and laughing changed. They suddenly dropped their cigarettes, stopped laughing, and put their helmets back on. It was evident that he was their leader. Thirty soldiers stood up as one, kicking up a cloud of dust. They were a fearless army of thirty men, capable of fighting an entire brigade.

Considering his abilities, the knight with the silver ether was surprisingly young. He had sparse hair and a peculiar wound that crossed his neckline at an angle. I couldn’t see anymore, as my guts ran out then.

The swordmaster is probably a member of an ancient family. He possessed an attitude you don’t see often, and he was rather tall. As I came down from the castle, my legs were shaking. After that, I haven’t been able to enter the palace.

Viscount Kision and his successors are said to still be in custody in the castle. Please refer to your own investigations.》

Cyrus Merchant, CEO of Asel’s store in Parisa City, Kision Territory.

Kleio put down the letter he had read. It contained secrets only a superior trade company could glean, which meant the attack on the Kision estate was carried out so that it was impossible to know without those types of resources. This information, combined with his prior fatigue, caused his temple to ache heavily.

‘Tristein knights raided the Kision territory two days ago.’

At the moment Tasserton Tristein assaulted Kision castle, Arthur and his friends had been arrested in Lundane.

‘The purpose of the detention is now clear. It was to prevent Arthur and his allies from interfering with their search in Kision.’

It was a search that lacked the approval of congress. If they are unable to secure evidence, there would be a movement to rescue Kision’s leader.

Mietsu.’

Mietsu’s letter, which had arrived a week ago, had no indication of this, making it evident that the older knights remaining in Tristein’s estate didn’t know about the raid.

‘If they had, Mietsu would’ve seen it. After letting Arthur know, he would’ve run to Kision.’

Melchior would’ve expected Mietsu to act like that.

‘In the first place, the crown prince noticed this letter too. Did we leave insufficient information on our side?’

It was quite possible. He had grasped Mietsu’s level with his skill so that it would be likely he would try to keep him away from the estate. It wouldn’t be so easy for Tasserton to deal with him.

‘More than anything else, it’s crucial to give Trude a vacation.’

The knights who had developed a special friendship with the children wouldn’t violate the duke’s order, but these knights depicted in Cyrus’s letter weren’t the candid and innocent ones they spent time with. They could laugh at the same time they were cruel. It was the sharp knife that Melchior handled. Gideon, who had been waiting for Kleio to read the letter’s contents, spoke up coldly.

“The letter came under the empty box of the transport wagon carrying necessities. It’s an emergency contact. Transport wagons are now closed, and the estate is completely blocked.”