Chapter 120
Rattiger wasn’t shocked to learn that General Fine was the mastermind.
A reputation built during wartime withers in peace. The man must have gathered young noblemen as disciples to maintain influence.
And the strongest among them was Elber.
‘There’s no way Lady Fine clung to Elber without her father egging her on. If he were normal, he would’ve stopped his daughter instead of letting her cause a scene.’
If Sol ever fell for some good-for-nothing and chased him to his front door, Rattiger was fully prepared to blow that house off the map.
‘Lady Fine causing a scandal at the banquet and the way her father just cut her loose as if severing a tail—that was suspicious too.’
On that day, rather than trying to secure Elber outright, Fine must have shifted strategy—damaging the Schlaiger House’s reputation to lower its standing.
Either way, they had a witness now. Toppling General Fine wouldn’t be hard.
The next target was Marquis Godel.
The man had annoyed him since the year Sol was adopted.
‘Should’ve blown up the Godel estate the day we found the Mana Pearl Detector.’
Sol stopped him, so he spared them. And six years later, the fool dared to make Sol cry.
‘Did he think this would end with simple excommunication? I’ll give him a scaffold and let him squirm.’
The young man being forced to testify let out a groan, clueless as to what was happening.
“H-Please… I don’t know that man…”
“You can start getting to know him now.”
“I-I don’t want to make an enemy of a marquis’s house!”
“You? An enemy of a marquis? Godel is going to think this is General Fine’s scheme and will attack him. Your crime will only get diluted further.”
“B-But… my accomplices— they’ll testify differently…”
“They won’t.”
The Duke rose from his seat.
“Your two accomplices were arrested by guards, but ‘accidentally’ died in the holding cell right before interrogation.”
“…What?”
“Interesting, isn’t it? I’d hate for the same ‘accident’ to happen to you.”
Leaving the youth—who had just realized he had already fallen into hell—Rattiger’s footsteps slowly retreated toward the surface.
* * *
My injuries had healed completely.
At this point, I could probably even do a handstand. But the moment I finished eating and tried to stand up—
“Sol!”
Elber rushed over and turned his back toward me.
“You’ll hurt yourself. Hurry, get on!”
“I can walk perfectly fine on my own.”
“…”
“Ah, seriously.”
Don’t look at me with a face like you’re about to cry!
In the end, I rested against his back. Then, of course, he happily grabbed me and carried me like a human taxi.
I’m the one being spoiled physically, so why does he look like the blissful one?
“Are you using all that strength on me now that you lost your chance to enter the lance tournament?”
“…Oh. I really can’t enter anymore. Then—”
“—Wait! Kyaa! No shoulder rides! It’s too high!”
And that’s more or less how we’ve been spending our time.
After Elber lost his qualification to enter the lance tournament, Father gave me a special mission: “Cheer Elber up.”
But I never got the chance—because after crying for about five minutes when I first woke up, he’d been nothing but smiles.
Still, a shoulder ride was too much.
I forced myself off and began walking beside him.
“What about a swordsmanship tournament? Don’t those exist?”
“In the past, cities or even the king held them. But now, fighting with blades during peacetime is banned. Sparring is the most we’re allowed.”
“Why? Not even duels?”
Sword tournaments are the flower of every romance fantasy novel! What good are potions and healing magic if no one fights?
Elber shook his head.
“The war ended just over a decade ago.”
“Ah…”
“People were killing each other inside the kingdom only ten years ago. It’s too soon to make it entertainment. The lance competition works only because it feels like an outdated tradition.”
“Got it.”
Come to think of it, Father was infamous around that time too.
Good thing I didn’t bring this up outside the manor. I’d get called ‘The duke’s bloodthirsty daughter!’ by everyone.
As I breathed a small sigh of relief, Elber gave me a meaningful look.
“Um… about that sword tournament thing.”
“Yeah?”
“You asked because you wanted to see me in action, right?”
“…”
Well… that wasn’t the reason, but now that I think about it, I’m curious.
His kid-version is burnt into my brain, but the current Elber is fully grown—a handsome romance-fantasy male lead.
I did want to see him wield a sword.
“…Maybe once or twice.”
“…I understand! I’ll show you! I’ll show you how cool I am in a fight!”
“Huh? How, exactly? Duels are banned, remember?”
“It’s fine as long as no one sees us.”
“Who are you going to fight—don’t tell me you’ll grab a random servant?”
Schlaiger’s only angel is not about to start bullying servants… right?
Of course, that didn’t happen.
Right then, Father approached us, carrying a large briefcase.
“Sol, here you are. Step outside with—”
“Father!”
“…What is it, Elber?”
This feels dangerous.
Surely Elber— normally the sensible one— wouldn’t say something ridiculous in front of Father—
“Will you duel me?!”
He did.
Father looked at me as if demanding an explanation. I shrugged.
Even I didn’t have words.
Father nodded slowly.
“…Very well.”
“Thank you, Your Grace! Then later—”
“Begin.”
WHAM.
A giant block of ice fell onto Elber’s head mid-sentence, flattening him to the ground.
“Done.”
“OPPAAAA!”
“He’s sturdy. He’ll wake up within the hour. Now, what is this? Should I imprison my heir for rebellion?”
“No! No, please don’t!”
I chased after Father and explained what happened.
It wasn’t even a big deal—maybe that’s why Father sighed harder.
“How pathetic. Challenging someone to a fair fight when the opponent would never fight fair.”
“Why do you sound proud of that?”
“Better than your father and brother actually fighting each other. And now, you must come watch my duel.”
“…Huh?”
From one nightmare to another. What terrifying fight was he dragging me to now?
“Sol, there you go worrying again.”
“Please don’t hit innocent people. Even if no one’s watching, that doesn’t make it okay. Burying bodies doesn’t make problems disappear.”
“…I think there’s a serious misunderstanding.”
He patted my back reassuringly.
“Don’t worry. I’m not going to interfere. We’re just going to watch.”
That’s even scarier.
Father brought me to a courtroom.
The massive stone building felt overwhelming. We were shown to a private balcony like those in an opera theater.
“Father, what trial is this?”
“A trial where things that ought to disappear… disappear properly.”
“Oh… ah.”
My eyes caught the defendant’s plaque: Fine.
That giant brute must be General Fine. And behind him sat Freya, face smeared with tears.
The trial was already in progress.
“Destruction of the Grand Sanctuary’s nave and threatening innocent students—these constitute destruction of public property and aggravated vandalism. Of the three culprits, two died while ‘escaping’ from the holding cells. Based on the survivor’s testimony, we now proceed against the defendant, Gilbert Fine—”
So there were three culprits. And two died while escaping?
Were they scared of interrogation? Or afraid of Father’s revenge?
I glanced at him—but he was watching the judge with a neutral face.
The judge continued reading legal accusations while General Fine stood defeated.
Father spoke quietly.
“He confessed yesterday. Their first objective was to make you a Saintess and hold you in the temple as a hostage—Schlaiger’s weakness. Investigating the family was a bonus.”
“First objective? What was the second?”
“He knew the bell tower was at risk of collapsing. If it fell, they planned to paint your birth as a Saintess as a cursed omen linked to a fatal disaster. He didn’t expect the nave itself to get damaged, but…”
“A… cursed omen?”
“Yes. They wanted you recognized as Saintess, but stripped of influence. Who would trust a Saintess born as a disaster unfolded?”
“Ugh…”
I thought I was morally questionable… but adults operated on a different league.
General Fine admitted to everything, even saying he did it to suppress House Schlaiger.
But then his tongue kept wagging.
“Everyone knows the Duke threatens the peace of this nation! He pretends he’s softened because of his daughter, but a viper is always a viper!”
“Defendant, remain silent!”
“Ha… Yes, law is His Majesty’s will. Even if I am imprisoned, tell His Majesty—Gilbert Fine acted only with loyalty, in war and in peace!”
He trembled, raising a clenched fist.
It could have been touching—until an assistant handed the judge a second set of documents.
“The matter of the Grand Sanctuary ends here. Next: the private manipulation of the lance tournament and the negligent management that enabled terrorists to infiltrate.”
“…Pardon?”
“Gilbert Fine— you were co-organizer of the tournament and overseer of participant selection. Yet accusations have arisen regarding irregularities.”
Each document stacked on his corruption: bribery, approving unqualified competitors, backdoor deals with equipment suppliers…
And then the key point—terror.
“A terrorist cell operating under a fallen family’s name has been uncovered. Final screening was under your authority. Explain yourself.”
“W-What? I-I know nothing about that!”
“There are too many links pointing to you. Interrogations of your accomplices are complete.”
The curtain over the witness stand pulled back.
Two men sat there.
Wait—why was Marquis Godel there?
One unfamiliar man glanced at us briefly, then shouted at the judge:
“Yes, the defendant made me ring the temple bells and let untested competitors participate.”
Beside him, Marquis Godel nodded calmly.
“As I explained, Your Honor… General Fine mistook his military authority for personal entitlement. I did not act alone—he directed it.”
General Fine looked like he was about to explode.
Marquis Godel quietly insisted Fine was his accomplice.
What a disaster.
But judging from the judge’s expression, both would face ruin.
What on earth…
Only Father’s voice remained calm.
“Interesting, isn’t it?”
“Father… what is happening?”
“I am cleaning up those foolish enough to threaten your peace. All I had to do was point the dogs toward each other.”
They were awful people, true… but this suddenly?
I must’ve looked uneasy, because Father studied my expression.
“Are you… disappointed that I handled everything?”
