Bonus chapter thanks to @Chris Spurrill and @Dragons33 on Ko-fi!
Night fell, and Selena returned to Manggot.
She was prepared to be disciplined for threatening Frondier with a weapon, but there was none.
Apparently, Frondier had fainted upon reaching the barrier.
Thanks to that, Selena was able to get through the day without incident.
“Jei.”
“Lord Hagley.”
Selena turned around at the voice that came from behind her and bowed her head.
“……Frondier crossed the barrier. He brought me with him. I think I’ve earned at least some of his trust.”
……I suppose so.
I spoke the truth without any lies, but would Frondier really think so?
What does he think of me? Or, did he ever trust me in the first place?
……No. Same goes for me.
Do I trust Frondier?
“Frondier crossed the barrier. Jei, give me a detailed report.”
“……Yes.”
Selena recounted her trip to the lake to Hagley as best as she could remember.
The Sacred Forest, the lake, and even Excalibur.
“He obtained Excalibur? Frondier?”
“No, well, not quite……”
Selena didn’t know how to describe the sight. But she decided to start talking anyway.
“Excalibur was in the lake, and Frondier went into the lake and came out a while later. He was empty-handed at the time.”
“So he didn’t obtain it.”
“……But then, out of nowhere, there was a sword.”
“……A sword appeared? Out of thin air?”
“Yes.”
Hagley stroked his chin. It was hard to believe.
“The sword looked exactly like Excalibur…… No, I guess there’s no way to know that.”
“……Yes. I’ve never seen the real thing.”
“In that case, it’s very likely a fake. Excalibur is a famous sword that chooses its own master. There’s no way Frondier would have it.”
Fake.
For some reason, Selena tensed up at that word.
That’s what Nimue, the Lady of the Lake, had said too. When she saw the sword Frondier had created. ‘That’s a fake!’
How did Frondier react back then?
He smiled so brightly and nodded his head as if he deeply agreed with her.
-Yes. It’s a fake.
Wasn’t that how he responded?
Does the word ‘fake’ hold any significance now?
‘And besides.’
On top of that, even though Frondier was the first to fly off (which was also surprising), Selena hadn’t had a chance to see it.
By the time she arrived in front of the rampart, the battlefield was already in shambles.
There were craters like those left by fallen meteors, and the outside was covered with the carcasses of monsters.
This was how it was on the periphery; in the center, there wasn’t a single drop of blood, let alone the corpses of monsters.
Who did this?
It’s too much to say that Frondier did this, and if it wasn’t him, it becomes even more incomprehensible.
“Jei, I know what you’re thinking.”
At Hagley’s words, Selena raised her head abruptly.
“You’re wondering how the monsters in front of Tyburn’s rampart were annihilated. It’s already spread this far. You’re thinking about how this happened, right?”
“S, sorry. Since I didn’t see the scene at that time.”
Selena answered, breaking out in a cold sweat.
As expected, Manggot’s intelligence capabilities are great. This incident in the north had happened less than a day ago.
Not only that, but even Hagley himself saw through her thoughts.
“Don’t worry. Manggot has already determined that it was the work of ‘Ludwig von Urfa’ based on the circumstances. He’s the only one capable of doing something like that.”
“……I see.”
“He may have retired from the front lines due to his decline, but Ludwig was once a great magician worthy of being in the ‘Zodiac.’ If it wasn’t for his injuries, he would have been shoulder-to-shoulder with ‘Zodiac Heldre.’”
So, he still isn’t completely useless. Hagley seemed convinced as he said this.
‘…So Ludwig was the one who caused the annihilation.’
Yeah, that sounds about right. There’s no way it was Frondier. My heart feels a little lighter thinking that.
“Is this the end of the report?”
When Hagley asked, Selena nodded deeply, saying, ‘Yes, sir.’
…There was something she hadn’t said.
Not only about the huge annihilation in front of the rampart.
She couldn’t report about the ancient language. Perhaps, for Manggot, that was the number one reason for Selena being by his side, something more important than anything else.
– Your name is Selena de Barnier.
– If you doubt it, go to Manggot and say this. Whether it’s true or not.
Frondier’s words lingered in her mind.
How does he know it? My mother, father, and my full name.
‘No, what are you talking about? It must be a lie. He just blurted out anything to get out of that situation. It has to be.’
…But then, why.
Why haven’t I told Hagley about this yet?
If it’s true. If I could find out where I was born.
If I could meet my mom and dad.
‘Then Manggot.’
Would they really let me meet them?
Would they easily send me, who was raised to be an assassin, to a noble family.
…Will the outcast group Manggot really do that?