The Reborn Swordmaster
Chapter 43
...An eagle-owl?
Riyan slowly tilted his head in confusion.
Petra, on the other hand, showed no sign of surprise.
She quietly rose from her seat, took several steps backward, and slowly raised her right hand.
"..."
To Riyan's surprise, light began flowing from her eyes.
It was an orange glow, reminiscent of the evening sunset.
The same light emerged from her raised right hand.
With her palm held upright, Petra slowly turned in place.
It looked almost as though she were carefully feeling out her surroundings.
Is she searching the area?
Riyan nodded as he watched the energy from Petra's eyes and hand drift throughout the garden.
The fact that Petra had suddenly become so cautious meant the identity of that eagle-owl was probably obvious enough.
"It's safe."
Apparently finished with her search, Petra once again stood quietly with her hands clasped behind her back.
Flap!
The eagle-owl perched on the branch spread its wings and jumped down.
At the same time, black and crimson energy began wrapping around its body.
Then something strange happened.
Whoooosh...
Its lush feathers vanished, becoming smooth skin.
Its wings and legs naturally lengthened and transformed into familiar human limbs.
The pointed feather tufts rising from both sides of its head melted into flowing hair.
Finally, its beak changed into full lips.
Before Riyan knew it, the woman he'd once met at the Arcana Sanctum was sitting in front of him.
Sevanne Eisenhart.
The daughter of Military Commissioner Duke Eisenhart.
And the person who had orchestrated the chain of events surrounding the recent mock naval battle.
She crossed her legs and brushed back the hair that had fallen over her shoulder.
Her dark crimson eyes fixed directly on Riyan as she gave the slightest nod.
"It's been a while."
Riyan returned the greeting with a small nod.
So it was magic.
Of course, he'd already seen her abilities at the Arcana Sanctum and Thermae Mystica.
Still, she seemed even more capable than he'd expected.
"Have you been well, my lady?"
"Not badly. I'm tired, though. I just came from the Arcana Council, in fact. Petra?"
After exchanging brief greetings, Sevanne looked toward Petra and gestured.
Petra went inside the mansion.
Before long, she returned carrying a tray with a teapot and cups.
She neatly placed the cups on the table and poured the tea while standing with her hands behind her back between each movement.
Pour...
Sevanne closed her eyes for a moment, seemingly enjoying the fragrant aroma.
"I'm jealous. I'd like to spend some quiet time somewhere like this, where nobody comes looking for me."
"You must have been quite busy."
"Yes. Very. The Imperial Capital has been turned upside down. Commoners and nobles alike."
"I have quite a few questions."
"We won't be short on time. Let's take them one at a time. Petra, how much did you tell him?"
Petra, who had poured the tea with practiced skill, answered in her usual flat tone.
"I explained the circumstances and outcome of the mock naval battle. As much as he needed to know."
"Did you?"
Sevanne lifted her cup and took a light sip.
Her eyes looked considerably sharper when she turned them toward Riyan again.
"Then I'll go straight to the main point. First, why you've been kept under protection here for more than a week."
She had subtly changed the word confinement into protection.
Then she continued.
"At the Arcana Council, the Military Commissioner pressured the Treasurer. His position was that the series of incidents at the Arena constituted a clear act of terrorism against the Imperial Capital, and that every related party who stood by and allowed it should immediately be taken into custody and held accountable."
Despite speaking about her own father, Sevanne referred to him almost as if he were a stranger.
"Naturally, that demand wasn't carried out as stated. It was simply a political move intended to force a response."
"In other words, he was asking how the Treasurer intended to take responsibility."
Sevanne nodded.
"Then what would have been the Treasurer's best move in that situation?"
"Conduct his own investigation, cut off a suitable tail, and escape with minimal damage."
"A textbook answer."
"Which means there's no chance he would actually do that."
"Correct. If the Treasurer behaved that foolishly, the other permanent members would simply support the Military Commissioner's original demand."
"If someone refuses to let go of what they're holding, eventually the only option is to kill them and take it by force. Is that the idea?"
A glimmer appeared in Sevanne's eyes.
"Exactly. So the Treasurer ultimately had no choice but to ask the Imperial Inspector for help."
"Help? You mean he asked the Inspector to take his side?"
"No. He temporarily transferred the Arcana Council's authority over the matter and requested a thorough investigation of the incident. He put the blade in his own mouth."
"..."
"In the end, full investigative authority was temporarily granted to the Imperial Inspector. The Arena will be dug through from its deepest foundations all the way to its highest offices. Nothing like this has happened before."
"Then does that mean the Treasurer will lose his position?"
"Of course not. Officially, it will probably be recorded as an unfortunate incident caused by the Arena Supervisor acting independently. On the surface, at least. Afterward, the Treasurer will continue ruling over the Arena and greedily gathering gold just as before. However..."
"The destinations of that gold will become more diverse."
"Exactly."
Sevanne's dark crimson eyes gleamed.
"Each permanent member will insert a hand into the investigation. They'll be salivating as they cut off a piece of the pie for themselves."
A piece of the pie...
Riyan tilted his head.
Sevanne noticed his confusion and looked toward Petra.
Petra calmly explained.
"For example, the Sacred Commissioner may argue that the Supervisor's fatal dereliction of duty arose from faithless arrogance and demand that priests under his authority be stationed at the Arena. He would likely require spiritual rites at events held in Judgment, with the real objective of securing additional resources for the religious order."
"So there'll be more tedious prayer sessions. What about the Judicial Commissioner?"
"He may condemn the disaster as the result of institutional shortcomings and push through various special laws to place restrictions on both the Treasurer and gladiatorial events."
Petra's explanation flowed without hesitation.
Sevanne leaned back against her chair.
A faintly cynical smile appeared on her lips.
"If the Treasurer were normally well-liked, perhaps one of the permanent members would feel some sympathy and hold back. But what do you think?"
"I suppose we'll have to leave that to his personality."
At Riyan's answer, Sevanne laced her fingers together.
"That's how it works. If you make a mistake, you have to give something up and pay the price. But that price doesn't last forever. The other commissioners aren't flawless either. It simply happened to be the Treasurer's turn this time."
"..."
"You don't look particularly pleased, Fighter Riyan. Is it because there's no satisfying punishment for the guilty?"
"I won't deny it."
Riyan answered quietly.
Sevanne sighed.
"What can we do? That's the situation. It's not as though I like every part of it either."
"Then there's something I'd like to ask."
Sevanne raised her chin slightly.
"What is it?"
"What piece of the pie did the Military Commissioner take?"
"..."
Her smile deepened.
"Now that's the real question. Very well. The Military Commissioner wants the people of the Empire to hold House Eisenhart in respect and trust. As part of that effort, he intends to deploy fighters who have reached the proper stage of development to the frontier."
"You mentioned something like that before."
"Then you should be able to guess the purpose behind it. Speak freely. No one here is going to use your words against you."
"He wants to reap the benefits without doing the work himself."
"Precisely."
Once again, she spoke of House Eisenhart and the Military Commissioner as though they had nothing to do with her.
It created a strangely detached impression.
"House Eisenhart possesses tremendous power, but even so, it can't perfectly administer the entire vast Empire. And if they simply use the Imperial standing army, then whatever good is accomplished won't be seen as a blessing granted by House Eisenhart."
"So they'll use fighters instead. Under the Military Commissioner's name."
"Exactly. Fighters sent through the provinces under his authority will take the form of something like a pilgrimage. If they achieve suitable accomplishments and victories along the way, freedom will be waiting for them at the end."
"..."
The Imperial Capital produced fighters endlessly beneath the Arena known as Judgment.
Training centers handled their development.
The gladiatorial matches acted as a furnace that discovered talent.
The resulting weapons, fighters hardened through battle, were eventually given the title of Champion and absorbed into the Treasurer's faction or noble houses closely tied to him.
Until now, the process had operated according to the Treasurer's preferences.
Apparently, the Military Commissioner disliked that monopoly.
Absurd.
Without making any meaningful investment, he could use an armed force created by someone else to perform work that was originally his responsibility.
And if any particularly useful talents appeared, he could naturally absorb them into his own faction.
Riyan gave a quiet, humorless laugh.
How was what the Military Commissioner wanted any different from the Arena standing openly in the heart of the Imperial Capital?
The structure was exactly the same.
Freedom held hostage while people were exploited mercilessly.
"That objective is connected to why you're being protected here. Soon, you'll have to testify before the Arcana Council."
"Testify?"
"I just explained the Military Commissioner's objective."
"Do I really need to perform in another play?"
"Yes. Even if only to protect yourself. Something along the lines of, 'The Imperial citizens were in danger, so I rushed in without thinking.' That will be enough. There are more than enough witnesses to support it. Your crime will be erased by your achievement, and you'll easily gain the qualifications to become one of the fighters sent on the first pilgrimage."
"Are there no other options?"
Sevanne's dark crimson eyes gleamed again.
"Well. I told you earlier. At least among the important people involved in this affair, many will find you stranger than the Treasurer. And I feel the same way."
"..."
"The Treasurer's skill and caution... every event that began undermining those things started with you. Your abilities can't possibly be explained by your perfectly clean past. Then there's your seemingly sincere, noble behavior that inspires others without even a trace of calculation. And beneath all that, you also possess enough cunning to secretly cooperate with House Eisenhart. Of course, only a very small number of people know the last part."
Tap. Tap.
Her fingers tapped the tabletop.
"Whether you like it or not, you've already stepped into the center of the storm. No. Perhaps you've already become the storm yourself. Whenever I watch you, I can feel the stagnant Imperial Capital beginning to change rapidly."
A storm.
Sevanne placed particular emphasis on the word.
"And my father, the Military Commissioner, along with the other permanent members of the Arcana Council, are still uncertain about you. But they're the kind of people who, if they can't seize control of the center of change, would rather destroy it."
"I'm only a fighter. Would they really go that far?"
"Does this sound like a joke?"
Sevanne's expression became serious.
Riyan could no longer dismiss her words.
"No. It doesn't."
He roughly understood what she was trying to say.
But there was also one thing he still couldn't understand.
Sevanne is still a member of House Eisenhart.
And yet she constantly spoke as though she were separate from her family.
Her talk of the storm was no different.
If she truly valued Riyan that highly, wouldn't the natural choice be to package him attractively and present him to the Military Commissioner?
Riyan narrowed his eyes and spoke.
"I apologize if I'm misunderstanding you, but for some reason, I get the feeling that you want me to leave the Imperial Capital for reasons beyond the ones you've explained. Am I right?"
At the bold question, Sevanne turned away.
She looked beyond the high walls toward the burning red sunset.
"Perhaps. I don't know yet."
"..."
"But leave anyway. Until the storm that has arrived passes and things become quiet again. Until that storm is needed once more. When the time comes, I'll find you."
"Will the Military Commissioner be calling for me?"
"No."
Sevanne turned her dark crimson eyes back toward him.
"I, Sevanne Eisenhart, will be the one calling you."
