Chapter 15

One of the virtues of a knight was cruelty.

Some might call it mercy, but that was only half right and half wrong.

A knight’s mercy was given only to those who surrendered.

To ensure that the enemy dared not provoke, and to bring the enemy to a state worthy of mercy, crushing the enemy was an extremely important task for a knight.

And Lady Trentia was the knight among knights, trained in elite education.

Thunk! The steel-tipped toe of the military boot lodged mercilessly into the belly of the embezzler servant.

“Ugh! Aaaah! Ack!”

“Hold on. If you bend over, you’ll lose your core strength, and that’ll tear your peritoneum. Then we’ll have to call a blood mage or a priest. You know we can’t call someone like that here.”

Despite the pleas from the boy with a gentle face, Lady Trentia didn’t flinch.

It was understandable, considering that she almost let a mere servant’s treachery ruin the most noble and prestigious position achievable with just a sword in the Empire.

‘Should I let this go on for much longer? Seems like a few ribs are definitely broken.’

Duke Valencius frowned as he pondered.

At that moment, Banton shot a venomous glare at Valencius.

Valencius gestured toward Lady Trentia.

“Lady, the sinner’s spirit still lives. It seems he does not yet desire mercy.”

“Yes, Your Grace. I thought the same. I shall show the dignity of the Platinum Knights.”

With that, Trentia lifted her heel.

“Eek!”

“Grit your teeth.”

The beating continued until the companion knights entered the lodging.

“Lady! Hold on.”

“First, we need a confession!”

“Please, spare me! Let me live!”

Two fellow knights and a senior knight held back Lady Trentia, whose eyes were crazed.

“I must interrogate him myself!”

“Are you very angry? But taking out your anger like this is unbecoming of a knight.”

“Isn’t it because of this bastard that our Platinum Knights almost lost control of the Western Palace to the Black Iron Knights?”

“…Then break him in half.”

The senior knight slapped Banton’s cheek, which had been raised by his own hand.

“Die!”

“Lady!”

This time, Duke Valencius had no choice but to intervene.

“I apologize, Your Grace. I have gotten too excited.”

“I understand this is a very important matter for you. I trust you will punish that sinner severely. Do not be swayed by the devil’s hidden tongue.”

“Yes. Understood.”

“Ah, I’ve heard the penpoint has already been sold off. It seems he was just a lackey who carried out the orders.”

“!”

As Banton was being dragged out, he twitched his eyelids.

Lady Trentia made eye contact with the senior knight.

“I hesitate to say this, but…”

She was the first to speak. Valencius could roughly guess the meaning.

“If the penpoint has flowed into the back alleys of the capital, recovering it is virtually impossible.”

Nod. The senior knight nodded.

Lady Trentia turned to Valencius and the senior knight in turn as she continued speaking.

“He embezzled public funds for personal entertainment and even laid hands on imperial relics. That’s how it should be seen.”

“Put a bounty on it, but let’s give up on the pursuit. How long can he hide when he can’t sell or melt it down? He’ll be back in no time.”

“Let’s focus on exposing the corruption in the Western Palace.”

“That’s a valid point. Let’s not waste our energy on relics we won’t be able to find.”

The senior knight and Lady Trentia exchanged back-and-forth dialogue.

One could argue that it was an action meant to manipulate the report in front of the Emperor’s blood.

However, Duke Valencius let out a faint smile.

This meant that he and Lady Trentia had settled their debts with each other.

Moreover, that level of guts was what could be called a tyrant’s knight.

‘Everything is going well.’

For now, Rudi should be safe.

Duke Valencius was satisfied with the thoughtful conclusions of the two knights.

The penpoint of Urglim was a precious magic tool.

The ability to find secret passages in enemy fortresses was always attractive.

However, the Empire had reached a level of overwhelming military power where it no longer needed to find secret passages to siege opponents.

It was still lacking in performance for creating maps as originally intended.

Unlike in ancient times, now was an era where one could tame wyverns and fly in the sky, making detailed maps even without magic.

It was a valuable relic, but not something to be overly obsessed about.

Everyone knew it was an imperial relic, so it was plain to see that no one could openly use it.

There were forces suspected in the background, but they were not the ones to provoke at this moment.

“Lady Trentia.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

“When everything is settled, I shall invite you again. Let’s drink the wine we couldn’t have.”

“I will bring some good wine then.”

“I will wait.”

Duke Valencius stepped out of the maid’s quarters.

He spotted a familiar brown-haired figure.

Rudi was waiting for him by the garden with the coachman.

It seems he managed to get in, likely thanks to Lady Trentia. He muttered as he got onto the carriage.

“Let’s go and sleep. It’s all over now.”

The carriage headed toward the Crimson Crescent Palace.

Duke Valencius noticed the coachman yawning repeatedly.

I hope he doesn’t crash from sleep driving. He bit his lips.

“What happened to Banton?”

At that moment, Rudi asked casually. Duke Valencius replied nonchalantly.

“He’s getting beaten to a pulp by Lady Trentia. He won’t receive any good treatment with the evil he’s sold his soul to. I suspect he’ll die in the dungeon before the execution judgment even comes down.”

The imperial palace’s prison was notoriously miserable.

“…”

Rudi made a peculiar expression.

“Are you worried?”

“No. It’s just that I think human nature is really unpredictable.”

“Right.”

“Did that boy ever think of me as a friend, even once?”

“There are bastards who think it’s okay to use their friends.”

“Huh?”

“There are many strange people in the world. Don’t think too much about each one.”

Duke Valencius recalled his past life, where he lived until the age of 56.

It had only been two months since his return, but it felt like ages ago.

At times, it felt as if he hadn’t experienced regression but had a prophetic dream instead.

‘Did my body grow younger, but my heart didn’t?’

Yet within those fading memories, there was a vividly clear image.

It was mainly those who hurled resentful glances and curses at him.

And Duke Valencius, the tyrant’s beloved retainer, without blinking an eye, kicked them into the inferno of hell.

He was one who lived with an unbearable burden he could never repay to the emperor.

Even considering that, he committed those acts without any guilt, so perhaps the strange one was indeed himself.

‘I chose this.’

Rudi gazed at the face of the Duke, who was three years younger than her.

Suddenly, he felt infinitely reminiscent.

His expression was not one of feigned frivolity but rather the coexistence of youthful impulsiveness and strange urgency.

She had seen that expression from afar a few times.

The veterans who returned from countless wars wore such expressions while drinking.

“Duke?”

“Uh, uh.”

“What’s wrong?”

“No. I was just lost in thought for a moment. I’m debating whether to go to the Hope Casino or the Future Casino tomorrow.”

“Your Grace!”

* * *

However, I couldn’t go to the casino.

As soon as the day broke, the members of the Platinum Knights barged into my room in the Crimson Crescent Palace.

“Knights. What’s going on here?”

“……”

The knights remained silent.

Each one wore their visors down, making it impossible to read their expressions.

“Duke, have you gotten into any trouble I’m unaware of?”

Rudi’s green eyes were trembling like a quaking aspen.

There hadn’t been any incidents lately.

Was it because of Banton?

There were too many of them to have come to hear the circumstances.

There were at least eight knights who appeared to be at least as skilled as Lady Trentia.

I reflexively checked their chest plates.

The silver full moon badge. It signified they were Advanced Sword Experts.

They were “real” knights who could freely wield mana blades.

They were capable enough to solo crush rebellions.

These were not individuals one would assemble for a trivial incident like embezzlement.

“!”

I moved my frozen hand and called Rudi.

“Your Grace?”

“Help me change my clothes.”

“Pardon?”

“Even if I am dragged out, I can’t be dragged out in my pajamas.”

I unabashedly took off my clothes.

The knights did not avert their eyes, and I wasn’t embarrassed by their gaze.

It was quite common for a high-ranking man to expose himself to those of lower status.

I put on the shirt and pants Rudi handed me, draped on a stylish uniform, and slicked my hair back with perfumed pomade.

As I was about to slide the ring that verified my title of Duke onto my thumb, I heard a familiar sound of footsteps.

Thud. The voice of the palace servant began in a deep and dignified announcement.

“The ruler of the five races and the youngest Sword Master in history, recognized by the Master of the Ivory Tower—the great archmage!”

No.

Wait a minute.

“The owner of the Frozen Mountains, the Giants’ Desert, the Golden Octopus, the Dragon Isles, the Steel Valley, and the Great Forest!”

This isn’t happening.

“The Platinum, Silver, Bronze, and Black Iron. Lady of your orders!”

Why are you here?

This sort of thing never happened before my regression.

“The master of the Golden Throne and the 47th Solletarass!”

The clattering footsteps sounded.

Though lighter than those of the knights, the presence felt bigger than any knight in the room.

The servant shouted one last time.

“Her Majesty, Empress Jayrilis has arrived!”

Rudi’s face turned pale, and she fainted right there.

I quickly supported her and hid her behind the bed.

At the same time, my sister stepped into the room.

Jayrilis wore a thin white dress with a deep gold trim matching her golden eyes.

With every step she took, her long, slim thighs repeatedly emerged from beneath her dress hem.

Her platinum hair shone brilliantly, and her golden eyes sparkled like those of a dragon.

It felt as if even the candles on the wall and the sunlight outside had lost their brightness.

“Your Majesty! Long live your reign!”

I knelt on the floor and bowed my head deeply.

As the closest relative, I didn’t need to be this formal.

But right now, I was very scared.

Lechery, embezzlement, assault, drunkenness, gluttony.

Despite the overly extreme acts I committed in my past life, she had never come to find me.

Could it be that I’ve been found out? It can’t be because of one maid.

She was an emperor who would slice anyone’s head off if they thought they could deceive her.

Even she had shown a degree of leniency toward acts born of affection rather than desire.

That’s why she allowed the maid who poisoned the wine for her lord’s revenge to commit suicide.

So please.

“Duke Valenciaunos.”

Her voice seemed to know many things.

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Stand up. I did not come here to see your back or the back of your head.”

I immediately stood up and raised my head.

She wore a mildly refined smile while looking at a face that resembled mine.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen your face.”

“Indeed, it has, Your Majesty.”

“I wanted to see you. Did you want to see me too?”

With no inflection in her voice, it was hard to tell if she was joking or not.

However, fortunately, I had lived by her side for forty years.

“Yes, Your Majesty. Each night, I recalled Your Majesty’s face and voice.”

“How delightful. But I told you, secrets do not make a man more alluring.”

The end of the emperor’s sentence rose slightly.

Her lips curled up, a look on her face that seemed to ponder whether to kill me or spare me.

“Duke Valenciaunos. Responsibility lies with the results. I trust you know this?”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“However, I have my dignity. The knights have their dignity. You have your dignity. Therefore, you can no longer say the penpoint flowed down a different path. Do not make that expression; I believe everyone knows what I’m talking about. My crafty brother.”

Our gazes collided in the air.

At that moment, her words cut off.

Her dragon-like golden eyes flickered hauntingly.

After a brief consideration, I opened my mouth without moistening my lips and lied.

“What other path? I do not know what Your Majesty is referring to.”

“Are you saying it’s my delusion?”

“What delusion have you had?”

“You are truly playful.”

Jayrilis burst into laughter.

“I value affection as a commodity highly.”

That’s right.

“Your maid is both your support and your leash. I believe you wouldn’t want her to be broken in my hands, would you?”

“Indeed, that is correct.”

Jayrilis nodded.

“Then it’s settled. As the outcome is good, I shall grant you your life.”