Chapter 77. Fallen Star (1)
"What do you think you're doing right now!"
Along with a piercing scream from Oben Cryphart, his body recoiled.
His face turned red with bulging veins from the intense pain felt in our clasped hands, and an old knight quickly rushed forward.
"Stop, stop!"
Seeing his knight ready to draw his sword, Oben stopped him.
In that moment, I struggled to suppress the instinct within Yulian to crush Oben's hand, managing to forcibly separate our hands.
'Damn this cursed body!'
Though I had no idea why this involuntary action occurred, I could somewhat understand the reason.
Yulian, bearing the name 'Frason', holds a physiological aversion to the Cryphart family.
The one who pushed this feeling to its peak was none other than Oben Cryphart.
As a result, my body—or rather, Yulian's body—reacted strongly to such psychological stimuli.
"Though it's been a while, your greeting is rather intense. Yulian."
Still, with the lingering pain, Oben rubbed his right hand with a grimace, yet he didn't seem particularly concerned.
Even though he could have punished me for my action, it was strange seeing him remain calm.
'I thought Oben inherited a tyrannical temperament from his father, Ornn.'
I tried recalling some old game information, but there wasn't much about Oben.
Though he holds the name of the head of the 'Cryphart family', there weren't many storylines involving players and him.
On the contrary, there were frequent troubles with Ornn Cryphart, the chairman of the Elder Council of Nobles, which led to various episodes related to the Cryphart family.
Ornn often seemed to be the de facto family head, leaving little reason or opportunity for encounters with Oben, hence a lack of information.
"Do you still resent me?"
While sorting through my impressions of Oben, he suddenly asked.
"How could I possibly resent the family head?"
Even as I spoke, there was something boiling from deep within me.
This wasn't merely a light-hearted resentment.
It was more like... something complex and nuanced that aligns more with the word 'hatred'.
"I always felt sorry."
"About what?"
"Milena."
Milena? Who is Milena...?
Oh! Yulian's mother?!
While I briefly searched my memory, upon hearing her name, Yulian's heart throbbed, and a part of me ached.
A surge of overwhelming emotions spiraled fiercely enough that I could barely control it, and Yulian's hand seemed drawn towards the sword at my waist.
From the heart emanated longing and tenderness, but directing Yulian's body was hatred and anger.
Caught between such conflicting feelings, I was disoriented, desperately trying to stop my hand from reaching for the sword.
'Please listen.'
Noticing the slight movement of my hand, the old knight glared at me with fierce eyes.
"What the family head did must have had reasons. I am fine."
After barely controlling my hand, I spoke to Oben as if nothing happened.
"Regarding you and Milena... I knew life at the main house of the Cryphart family was tough."
"Is that so?"
"So why not let go of the past and start anew?"
In response to Oben's heartfelt and reflective tone, it seemed as though Yulian's heart hesitated briefly, but the burning fury reignited immediately.
"... Now you say?"
"Yes, recognize you as family..."
"My lord, we have come too far."
Seeing my body trembling with rage, it was clear that Yulian held no intention of forgiving Oben.
Showing such raw emotions, it was apparent how much Yulian and his mother, Milena, had been oppressed and disregarded.
Of course, I knew nothing about the story between Yulian, his mother, and Oben. I could only make assumptions.
"To resolve the accumulated resentment, wouldn't we need much more time?"
"Do you mean... you need more time?"
"... Yes."
Seeing Oben's face slightly waver as I forced a small smile, the veins that had stood out in pain softened, but deep wrinkles etched into his features remained.
"If that's what you're saying, then I will wait."
After pondering briefly, Oben nodded.
"Do not take too long. It would be... no, seeing you at the next family meeting would be nice."
Though he seemed to have more to say, he swallowed his words, offering a strained smile.
"If the heart compels, I shall attend."
"I'm leaving. Enil, lead the way."
At Oben's command, the old knight bowed respectfully before turning around.
Even as he did so, he did not retract the killing intent directed at me.
***
Once Oben's figure disappeared from the manor, suspicion took hold within me.
"I didn't expect the family head to visit."
One would expect that a head of one of the four major families would be less mobile and more cautious.
Though it was something closely tied to Yulian's dormant instincts, my personal opinion wasn't much different.
'At this timing?'
In the original story, even as time passed, Yulian bore the label of 'Frason' and was never acknowledged by his family.
Despite this, for the head, Oben, to come here and exhibit such an attitude, there must be a reason.
It certainly required the changed Yulian, influenced by 'Yi Shihu'.
Additionally, it must have been surprising to see Joshua's actions at the family meeting.
To nominate Yulian as the head...
Considering all aspects, it didn't seem to bode well.
Particularly, those instances where he personally intervened were few.
Demon hunting, punishing rebels, and preventing the Sword Saint from gaining power.
Despite appearing loyal to the Imperial Court, the Sword Saint grew weary of oppression, which is why our protagonist, Hayden Reich, maintained a good relationship with the Elder Council of Nobles.
'And the chairman of that Elder Council is.'
Ornn Cryphart, the former head of the Cryphart household.
"I see."
Upon reaching that conclusion, everything began to make sense.
The reason for the visit.
The reason for accepting me.
And why Yulian dislikes that man so much.
'Using the absence of the Sword Saint, they want to seize control from the Elder Council to grasp power directly.'
I looked at the man with slit eyes reflecting in the mirror. The treacherous figure, hard to read, stared back.
"The reason you find your abandoned son now, ultimately, for selfish gain... Father, indeed, blood doesn't lie."
Those weren't my words.
They must have come from Yulian unintentionally.
Preoccupied with the Dawn Society and the Black Knight, I had little room to deeply involve myself, nor did I want to.
While it might have been a spur-of-the-moment decision, asking for time seemed to have been the correct choice.
Not that it would be accepted anyway.
***
Just past dawn, as the sunrise began, Yulian's body fully awoke, and my eyes opened naturally.
Having tidied myself up and finished a simple meal, I headed to 'Blind Eyes' for my duties.
Upon entering my personal office, I noticed an old magazine that Yulian had subscribed to.
An article journal, 'The Knights'.
Curiosity piqued, why would that haughty fellow be subscribing to something like this?
'If it's about swords, he would just say, "The direction I go is the path."'
That thought led me to leaf through the magazine, glancing at its contents. The first thing to catch my eye was a headline prominently displayed.
- 'The Sun Makes the Knights Stronger.'
The content proclaimed that wielding aura was connected to mental fortitude, hence knights disciplined in the burning sun were naturally stronger than others.
'What trash.'
That brief assessment followed tossing the journal into a corner of the office after skimming for entertainment.
While valuing effort is good, endorsing incorrect methods is not my intent.
However, controlling mana does correlate closely with 'mental power' as the article suggests.
'Sombra is indeed one such example.'
So, for further amusement, I started reconsidering the usage of 'Sombra'.
'Moonlit Sword and Sombra. The two generate strong repulsion.'
The focus needs to be on harmonizing the two techniques.
Previously, the repulsion was so intense it cracked the 'Moonstone Sword'.
'If I can manage this at will, I could become much stronger.'
Yet, it wasn't something I could lightly tackle.
'Sombra' was a capability known only through settings; no such combination with 'Moonlit Sword' existed in 〈Let's Slay the Demon King from Now〉.
'... Hmm?'
As I sorted through thoughts, one possibility brushed through my mind.
'Were they uncontrollable due to the lack of a name?'
It seemed unlikely.
Dismissing this sudden notion as a jest, I decided to attempt overlaying 'Sombra' onto the Moonstone Sword again.
If the sword had broken due to my inability to control output, then this time...
"Sir Yulian, a guest has arrived."
Just as I was summoning mana, a voice came from beyond the door.
The energy didn't seem like Razelot's, perhaps another member of 'Blind Eyes'.
"Who is it?"
Feeling irritation from the intrusion at a moment of potential discovery, I asked in a terse voice.
Whether they were responding to the undertone of displeasure, the person hesitated.
"S-Sorry! A boy named 'Eren' claims to have come on Sir Yulian's instruction! I was about to send him away!"
Eren?
I tilted my head, the name vaguely familiar.
'Ah, must be the boy working under T'alle.'
So, the guest must have been sent by the 'Bright Moon Pavilion'.
Considering I had tasked them with trailing the Sword Saint, it seemed progress had been made.
"No, let him in."
"Huh?"
"I said let him in. Must I repeat myself?"
"Oh, yes, understood!"
While I regretted postponing the chance to experiment with 'Sombra', what could be done?
It was an assignment I had initiated after all.
***
"So you came this early. Quite an expectation, wasn't it?"
On the fifth floor of Bright Moon Pavilion, arranged for T'alle's personal use, she came out to greet me with a lascivious drawl.
Compared to the previous time, she seemed considerably arrogant.
"Lady T'alle, I shall take my leave."
"Yes, return now. Eren."
"Y-Yes!"
Oh, it's this boy.
As anticipated, things seem to change once the boy named Eren was out of sight.
"Ha, haha... You're not angry, are you?"
Gone was the arrogance, replaced by T'alle's feeble laughter and a light grin.
"No, I'm not angry."
"That's a relief! As you can see, Sir Yulian, maintaining charisma is the only way I can keep things running here..."
She's calling it charisma?
Those words bubbled to the surface but I managed to suppress them.
I might not understand, but others perceive it so, allowing Bright Moon Pavilion to persist.
"In that case, Sir Yulian, as you have come, would you care for a glass of wine?"
"No, I'm fine. Could you reveal the information you have on my master?"
"What? Oh, if that's what you want."
T'alle appeared to flinch slightly, clearing her throat and shifting her demeanor.
Her previously seductive aura faded long ago with her humbling words.
"Sir Yulian, you might find this shocking, but I must tell you."
T'alle continued hesitantly, with a noticeable tone of caution.
"The Sword Saint, Hayden Reich, chose to abandon his status as a citizen of the Empire and sought asylum in the Holy Kingdom of Fernand."
Asylum...
So this was the reason he hadn't engaged in the role of 'Black Knight'.
"... You don't seem to be as surprised as I expected."
Surprised, indeed, very much so.
"Honestly, I thought it might come to this."
"What?"
T'alle asked again, bewildered and unable to comprehend my words.
"I understand I shouldn't say such things, but Sir Yulian, you were the Sword Saint's disciple, weren't you?"
"Yes."
"Then you must know how much the Sword Saint loved the Empire, and the noble sacrifices he made..."
"Sacrifice, haha."
Listening to T'alle brought a chuckle.
Upon reflecting... the so-called 'nobility' she mentioned struck me as amusing.