Chapter 290

It was a story that was occasionally heard.

If, for whatever reason, one were to be dragged into the intelligence agency or the Imperial Knight Order, it was said that they would emerge maimed in some way. Even if it was not a physical disability, there would surely be mental issues. They would reportedly become completely brain-dead…

What was even scarier was that the intelligence agency and the Imperial Knight Order, which were the source of such rumors, only turned ‘definitely guilty people’ into that state.

The reason this was terrifying was that if true, the Imperial Knight Order, linked with the intelligence agency, could dig up every crime record of any individual.

“Well… It’s possible the rumors aren’t wrong,” Nina von Valdek muttered as she removed her gloves, blackened with blood and pus. No answer came from the unconscious man before her.

The occasional shivers that he exhibited were certainly not good signals from a biological standpoint. However, there was no reason for Nina to show any consideration for him.

After all, the man was a notorious criminal linked to public institution terrorism and attempted murder in a national insurrection.

Moreover, Nina von Valdek felt no shred of sympathy for those who had committed crimes against the Empire. Whether seen in a good light or a bad light, she was iron-willed.

Carefully peeling off the gloves caked with filth, Nina tossed the bundled lining toward the man. When it landed squarely on the forehead of the man, who had been scalded by hot water, he reflexively jerked his body.

With skin peeling off, flesh scorched, and blisters forming with oozing wounds, even a breeze would bring him pain.

“How foolish.”

But ultimately, wasn’t this his own doing? Nina smirked as she recalled the memory of capturing the man at the festival of the Caldera Imperial Academy last fall.

It had been almost six months since she had captured him last autumn. Yet, Nina still did not know this man’s name.

Or rather, to be precise, it could be said that the names of such insignificant people had long been sent over from the intelligence agency in cooperation, but Nina had made no effort to remember the names of those who were clearly going to die soon.

Like her thoughts indicated, the man had already reached a state where it wouldn’t be surprising if he died soon. The problem was that he was still clinging to his tough life.

Rifles, submachine guns, handguns, and crude blades. All were items possessed by the subversives, including the man.

Clear circumstances of terrorism. It was merely a place for students to view club festival booths; there was no reason to possess such heinous items unless attending the festival had been planned with terrorism in mind from the start.

What Nina had to do was uncover that truth. No matter how capable the intelligence agency and the Imperial Knight Order were, those captured were still citizens of the Empire.

Though it was disgusting that such vermin were citizens of the same Empire, she no longer cared about that matter. They had crossed the line.

Once they captured citizens of the Empire through the abuse of privilege without following proper procedures, there needed to be a reasonable justification for them to submit and cooperate for the Empire. No, there had to be, or one had to be fabricated.

And fortunately, the man and his comrades had the appropriate reason for ending up like this.

Nina shoved her hand into her coat pocket. She stood still, gazing at the man.

The white cloth, stained with pus and blood, lay over his face, leaving only his forehead, nose, and mouth exposed. The hot water had been fully absorbed by the cloth, which must now be lukewarm.

A bit of water that had not yet been absorbed by the cloth trickled down. The water flowing down his face swept away everything in its path.

Lukewarm, perhaps even warm water skimming over the wounds? It would be normal for the man to scream and jerk his body. However, the man could do nothing.

Only slight, gasping breaths escaped him; he could do nothing at all. Nina clicked her tongue and turned her body to step outside.

Standing on either side of the door were two men and women, both dressed in black coats like Nina. Wiping her hands on the white towel they extended, Nina muttered.

“I think he’s about to die. He’s gone.”

“…Shall we deal with him soon?”

We will deal with him. Nina, having wiped her hands, weighed her sword hanging at her waist.

All information had been drawn out. Consistent information had emerged from others, reducing the possibility of lies.

Unless they had planned to tell lies for contingencies.

Of course, that was unlikely. Nina’s torture skills were specialized in drawing the truth, hidden behind both spoken and unspoken words. If anything, Nina was exceptional.

She had extracted sufficient information. Even Nina, a member of the Imperial Knight Order, was sure of that.

If so, then they had become useless.

What is of no use must be discarded.

Before climbing.

“What did the senior say?”

“Jericho said… he would leave it to Valdek’s discretion.”

Then there was no problem. The thin layer that had been obstructing Nina’s decision had been shattered.

How to deal with it. Bury him in the mountains? Grind him to feed the chickens? Blend him as pig feed?

The corner of Nina’s mouth twitched. As she poured water from the kettle, the image of the man writhing in pain suddenly came to mind.

‘…No.’

She had to distinguish between public and private. Nina subtly raised the corner of her mouth as she spoke.

“Burn him.”

“Understood.”

There is nothing better than burning something for cleaning up. The fastest, deadliest, and most precise method.

Nina moved on. Behind her, she could hear the sounds of two people hurriedly getting to work.

Now, the man, who was barely hanging on to life, would be headed straight for the crematory with his comrades. It was not Nina’s responsibility to cut off his breath before that.

Feelings of guilt had long since vanished.

Maliciously, it had turned out that they had indeed planned terrorism at the academy. Then there was nothing to hold back.

Nina had family in the Empire. People she loved more than anyone, the most precious in the world, whom she would never trade for a fortune.

But are there those threatening such an Empire?

This was a matter threatening Nina’s family. Protecting loved ones and family was a serious matter.

Thus, she had no guilt in killing. Nina had received training for such things from the beginning.

She had learned the skills of torture, trained to never divulge information even when captured by the enemy, and learned ways to extract information from captured enemies more ‘genteel’. Being a knight didn’t mean just being good at fighting.

Of course, without training, Nina, a naturally gifted talent, completed that training in no time.

Among the recruits trying to join the knight order, most of those without promise were filtered out during that process. It was a process too difficult for criminals to endure.

Nina was not one of them. She even enjoyed completing the course.

Therefore, she did not blame herself for the faint smell of blood wafting from her hands. After all, it was the blood of those who had attempted to endanger the Empire, so it was disgusting, but still, it was a proud mark for Nina.

Having cleaned her hands thoroughly, Nina shook off the moisture before leaving the abandoned factory. Due to a factory owner going bankrupt after blindly expanding during the Great War, the Imperial family had bought this nameless derelict factory in the outskirts of the city at a low price, often used by the Imperial Knight Order.

“Nina.”

And, in front of the factory complex, as if it was the most natural thing, Jericho stood there. He tucked a small Bible into his coat as he detached himself from the wall he had been leaning against.

‘The Bible….’

Nina’s eyes, which had been somewhat narrowed, suddenly grew narrow. After meeting with the professor from the academy, Jericho had recently become devout enough to occasionally attend Sunday worship services.

Of course, if one were to ask whether he truly believed in God, the answer would be no. Perhaps he was simply seeking peace of mind. Carrying the Bible and reading it was likely similar in motivation.

‘I wonder if the Sub-priest is doing well? No, that aside….’

Seeing his sturdy figure, Nina involuntarily licked her lips. Unconsciously swallowing, she approached him. The cold expression that had been terrifying was now aimed at Jericho, adorned with a bright smile.

“Senpai. Did you come to meet me?”

“Yeah.”

“I’m touched. It isn’t easy being stuck here all this time.”

“You’ve done well.”

Jericho remained stoic, but he had become more prone to giving compliments lately. This change had also emerged after meeting the professor from the academy.

It was unfortunate to miss the opportunity to directly influence Jericho, but it was still appreciated. Nina offered a brief word of thanks when she thought of the decadent-looking professor of theology.

“It seems the work is done.”

“It just finished. Ugh… It was quite a tough case.”

“Gather the information and send it to the knight order branch.”

“Shall we not send it to the intelligence agency?”

“That side can wait. First, we need to monopolize this.”

Jericho began walking ahead. Nina followed behind his sturdy back.

If it was about protecting loved ones, it seemed there was one more person aside from her family.

“Have you eaten?”

“I haven’t.”

“I skipped breakfast to work, so I’m getting a bit hungry. Shall we have lunch together?”

“That wouldn’t be bad.”

Nina walked. As she followed Jericho, she distanced herself from the abandoned factory.

That was, a welcome thing.

…

“So, you came all the way here?”

I looked at the two people before me and asked with a bewildered expression. The black coats fluttered in the wind, dazzling my eyes.

“Yes! You mentioned we should have a meal together earlier, right?”

“…Well, that’s true…”

Today was a rare weekend, and it was Saturday.

During the weekdays, I was busy with classes or preparing for them, and on Sundays, I was busy presiding over worship services. For me, it was practically the only day off.

No matter what happened today, no exaggeration, even if the sky split in two, I had thought I would rest fully; yet, the Sub-priest Sofia had come looking for me early in the morning, and now these two were unplanned visitors.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it? Since we happen to be meeting like this, it wouldn’t be bad to have a meal together.”

Jericho said with his mustache twitched.

Considering how rarely we met, it seemed they had come to see me without any forethought.

“Only if Jericho pays.”

“…Sofia Sub-priest?”

With what Sofia Sub-priest said, I had no more way out.

Glimpsing Nina’s sparkling eyes as she looked at me and Sofia, I sighed and spoke.

“…Alright. I know a restaurant.”

“Oh. I’m looking forward to it.”

It seemed that my fate was such that I could not enjoy a peaceful rest even on the weekends.