I Became a Dark Knight the Empress Is Obsessed With

70 – Iscobar Manor – (4)

Wheein.

As Millia waved her hand, a golden glow formed on her fingertips. The gentle flow of mana she summoned passed by as if stroking the surroundings.

minutes from it. Millia opened her closed eyes and exhaled a small breath.

“Failed.”

He shrugged his shoulders and smiled bitterly. It was a severe self-blame.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t help.”

“No, there’s nothing to be sorry about. There’s nothing special.”

“For some reason, it seems that mana cannot escape to the outside. It may be a topographical effect, or there may be other reasons.”

Millia, who guessed so, saw a densely-packed forest where not a single bit of sunlight penetrated.

Just as Todd said, the Iscobal estate is raging with evil energy, so it can’t be helped that the search magic doesn’t work.

I sighed.

Then I turned and saw the old woman sitting on the side of a rock, gnawing at beef jerky with her front teeth like a beaver.

When our eyes met, Eina tilted her head and held out the jerky.

“Don’t eat, bitch!”

“Pooh.”

Then he puffed up his cheeks and started chewing the jerky again. Before I knew it, I took out another dry weight and held it.

That insectivore was once the strongest female knight on the continent?

It was all my own fault that we had reached such a bleak situation, and I was so full of energy that I was wasting food.

After Eina’s bottle, we had made a campsite in a suitable place without going anywhere. Day and night had no meaning. The trees were standing so densely that even though the sun was up, it was at the same level.

I tried casting search magic with Milia, but as you just saw, it failed without finding any other clues.

As soon as Todd heard that he was lost, he brought a map of the past and started comparing it, but it was no use. Even when he took out his compass, it only pointed to strange places.

“It’s really new.”

You never know if you’ll starve to death.

I took out the magic tool. It was an item that Harzfeld handed over before coming from the capital.

However, there was no response even after injecting weak mana into it.

“Grunt.”

All available means were dead.

In the end, I had no choice but to leave it to chance and move forward, or go back the way I had passed.

And I wasn’t a fighter risking my life against slim odds.

“I can’t help it. Let’s go back.”

It hurts to come all the way here and not be able to get anything, but there was no way. It was right to go through all the preparations and visit again later.

Having made his decision, Todd started clearing out the map he was looking at in a flash of color. It seems he didn’t like this place that much.

“…”

Eina munched on the beef jerky and narrowed her eyes as if she didn’t like it.

what, why It’s because of you, everything.

“Why, why? Back here?”

Meanwhile, Milia blinked her eyes as if she was embarrassed.

Then he looked at me and cautiously opened his mouth.

“But it’s a hometown I’m revisiting after decades… You came with a big decision… If you give up here, you might never come back…”

“……yes?”

“For Sir Fried, the Iscobal estate was a burden on his heart. He came to shake it off, to say goodbye.”

No, it’s not that tidy.

How much are you leaping?

Ever since I told her the whole story a few days ago, Milia used to get so restless when she saw me. It seemed that he was deeply misunderstood. Even with your own imagination.

It is evident from the fact that he paid a large sum of money and gave the family dagger as a gift. Of course, it wouldn’t be a lot of money for Millia, the daughter of the duke.

I said scratching the back of my head.

“……No, as I said before, I said it meant nothing. I just came here because I wanted to check…”

“That’s what it means. You can’t fool your heart.”

After cutting off her words, Milia pushed her face in.

Blue eyes were shaking.

Seeing that, Eina whistled.

Millia smiled slightly and continued.

“Let’s go. Everyone is of the same mind.”

“……Well.”

I looked to the side.

Todd, who had turned into a flower and was organizing the camp, flinched when he heard Milia’s words. And with tears in his eyes, he began to put down the map he had been carrying.

You are suffering too.

“It will be dangerous.”

“it’s okay.”

“If you go forward like this, you may never be able to turn back. You will be killed in a foreign place.”

Todd flinched again.

But Millia nodded as if nothing had happened.

“It’s okay. There must be some way.”

Saying that, Milia looked around. A wall of vegetation rose up in front of me. Now, it was difficult even to move on the jungle road by arranging branches.

While Milia pondered, Todd noticed and gently lowered the lantern he had lifted to the ground.

thud.

“oh!”

And the support the lantern was on tilted and fell over.

The lantern rolled as it was near the bonfire, and the whale oil contained in it caught fire and burned with rage.

Seeing this, Eina cheered and clapped like an idiot. It seemed that he was senile and mistook this for a campfire.

“I can’t even use a lantern, now.”

There’s nothing going on. As I was sighing in desperation, the feeling of Milia next to me was strange.

Millia, who had been contemplating with her hand on her chin, had her eyes wide open as if she had gained an epiphany while looking at the roaring bonfire. His mouth was also wide open.

“what’s the matter?”

When I asked that question, Millia shook her head.

Millia looked in my direction from the campfire and saw the forest behind it.

“I think you found a way?”

And I witnessed the primordial madness in her eyes.

*

“I’ll have a drink.”

Meanwhile, late in the evening, in the drawing room of the imperial palace, two elderly middle-aged people were having a conversation.

Mittern Harzfeld, a middle-aged man with a handsome beard, filled the glass of the man sitting opposite, Coreld Higgins. As if to apologize, Coreld lowered his head to accept the drink, then turned and drank.

“It’s a good drink.”

“It’s from the best brewery in Eldua. It’s brewed by the long-established family of Bal-Halyaq, a dwarven city-state in the northwest of the continent. It’s so popular that they’ve recently increased production. Even that has been fully booked for several years, so I can’t even drink it recklessly.”

Heartsfeld, a lover of wine, grinned.

Coreld made a fuss and gave a thumbs up.

“As expected, he is the Grand Duke of Harzfeld.”

Saying so, Coreld was repeating swear words inwardly. Of course, on the outside, he was putting on an expression of admiration as much as possible.

‘Damn it.’

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Did you just go for a walk? Correld bitterly regretted his wrong choice.

My eyes were too dim, so I was going to breathe the night air, but I ran into Harzfeld.

After the conversation with the Empress, it was Korold who was taking care of lodging and meals in the office, even giving up his vacation.

Perhaps feeling sorry for him, Harzfeld, who was leisurely walking around the palace, offered him a drink.

As a mere magistrate, Koreld had no right to reject the invitation of one of the five grand dukes of the empire.

In the end, he was dragged away and was drinking while repeating random stories with Harzfeld.

No matter how good alcohol is, how can you feel the taste when the drinking party is this cold? Coreld didn’t know if the alcohol was going into his mouth or his nose.

“Oh, so that’s what I mean.”

Harzfeld leaned forward with a hint of rhyme.

“The work meeting is now less than three months away.”

“That’s right.”

“Your Majesty probably hasn’t seen the other Grand Dukes. You were probably at the end of the line of succession until last year.”

Coreld pondered.

There were three grand dukes who were present at the time of the head of state.

Except for Harzfeld, Grand Duke Krater of Elvendel and Philias, Grand Duke of Galesia were present. Of course, compared to the other two grand dukes who were absent, their influence was at least one level.

Therefore, it is safe to say that this duke meeting, attended by the three grand dukes, the biggest magnates in the empire, was the biggest annual event of the empire.

“That’s right.”

“I’m not the only one who’s worried. His Majesty must be having a lot of trouble too. Unlike me, the Grand Duke of Gold and the Grand Duke of Winter are very eccentric.”

“……hahahaha, that……that’s right.”

Correld agreed in a cold sweat.

Neither could be seen simply as aristocrats who swore unconditional allegiance to the Emperor. Although nominally bound as dependents of the Empire, the two principalities remained independent.

Golden Grand Duke Liantur, who dedicated his life to magic, and Winter Grand Duke Aranion, who seems to have a suspicious plan. They were people who were far from ordinary nobles.

Of course, the Iron Blood Grand Duke Harzfeld was just as eccentric.

I didn’t dare put that word in my mouth.

Recently, the head of an aristocrat who filed an appeal was cut off in the street. Because Korold himself might be next in line.

I was shuddering with fear at the thought of that, but Harzfeld continued to speak.

“Your Majesty seems to have been focusing on a knight lately.”

“That’s right.”

“What a traitor, the eldest son of the Iscobal family. To think he even sits in the position of protector of the border. This emperor also has a very extraordinary side.

“……hahahaha.”

Hartzfeld pulled himself away.

“Perhaps due to the nature of the imperial family, there will be no complaints about this. Isn’t it?”

“…”

Correld shut his mouth.

In fact, among the many stories that circulated in the imperial palace, there were strong complaints about the protection of the border.

Even if not now, Iscobal had twice turned away from the Empire and was branded as a renegade family. Since a person from such a family was appointed not just as a guardian knight, but as a guardian guard who served right next to the emperor, the repercussions were bound to be great.

Most of all, Lyncia kissed Fried at the director’s office, and the shock intensified.

“Well, I guess so.”

Hartzfeld smiled softly, probably guessing from Korold’s expression.

“Does His Majesty know about this?”

“You probably don’t know.”

“Why didn’t you report it?”

“……I decided there was no need to worry.”

Korald has not yet reported the fact to Lynthia.

It was because the expression she was going to make was good for her eyes.

“You are loyal.”

“It’s an undeserved compliment.”

“It’s not really a compliment.”

Hartzfeld shrugged and brought the glass to his lips.

And before setting the glass down on the table.

rattle.

One of Harzfeld’s attendants hurriedly opened the door and bowed.

“I’m sorry for coming in on my own. I have an urgent report.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

Harzfeld put down his glass and crossed his legs. It was the look of anticipation.

The attendant hesitated before opening his mouth.

“There was a report from the Mage Tower that a huge fire had broken out in the Great Forest of Lumen-El.”

“What, what?!”

It was Coreld who shouted. He asked the attendant, correcting his monocle, which had been distorted by the wind.

“Great fire?”

“That’s right. It’s said that the fire can be seen even from the capital, Elduah, far away.”

Korald blinked his eyes.

Isn’t the Lumenel Great Forest a forest the size of dozens of viscount estates put together? As more than 30% of the timber used in the empire came from there, it could be seen as a land of gold dust.

Should it burn, the aftermath would be significant.

However, contrary to Korold’s reaction, Harzfeld raised his glass with a chuckle.

“It’s a great forest. The elves living there must be startled.”

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Despite the report that the forests in his country were burning, Harzfeld continued, casually joking.

“Surely, there was an Iscobar estate in the Great Forest, right?”

“That’s right.”

“ha ha ha.”

Harzfeld laughed out loud. Then he waved his hand and gave instructions.

“The source of the fire is probably there. Under the judgment of the field manager, mobilize the wizards of the Mage Tower to extinguish it as soon as possible.”

“yep.”

The servant bowed his head and left the drawing room.

Coreld looked at the figure from behind until it disappeared.

“It’s a big deal, isn’t it?”

“Not really. Aren’t there a lot of trees anyway. There are a lot of trees that have been cut down in advance. There may be some damage, but it’s not a level to worry about.”

Harzfeld raised his glass again.

“How far did you go anyway? Was it about Iscobal?”

“That, yes…”

“Yes. What a great friend.”

Harzfeld, who said that, had the exact opposite expression from before he heard the news.

Now he was raising the corners of his mouth to the sky as if he was going crazy with joy.

Coreld was sure, too, that this man was no less an eccentric than the other Grand Dukes.