Doynes’ funeral was held so quietly that it was hard to believe it was the funeral for an elder who had lived to a hundred twenty.
Usually, for the funeral of such a distinguished figure like Doynes, it wouldn’t have been strange even if all of the Lionheart’s collateral branches, prominent foreign dignitaries, and even the Emperor of Kiehl attended personally as mourners. However, Doynes had specifically mentioned in his will that he didn’t want a grand funeral and opted for a simpler ceremony solely attended by those family members currently at the Black Lion Castle.
Eugene was unable to attend the funeral because of his physical condition, but he was still able to lie down by the window and look down on the funeral procession.
Everyone was wearing dark formal clothes as they walked down the flag-lined procession. Although it hadn’t been a glorious death, the elders and all the Black Lions present still mourned the passing of the respected Immortal White Lion, who had ruled the castle for decades.
The Captains of the Black Lion Knights carried the black coffin. Doynes was to be buried in the Black Lions’ Graveyard behind the castle.
Although he wasn’t able to participate in the procession, Eugene also gave his condolences to Doynes. Though he hadn’t fully brought this situation down on himself, in the end, Doynes had died because he hadn’t raised his child… no, his grandson, well.
“...It seems that educating your children never goes quite as you desire.” Eugene was looking out of the window with a swollen face but now muttered to himself as the funeral came to an end.
“I don’t need any education,” Mer suddenly spoke up from her preoccupation with slicing apples on the other side of the bed.
She was working hard to reproduce the rabbit-shaped apple slices that Genos had carved for them.
However, it wasn’t going well. Despite her best efforts, the bodies of the rabbits that she made were crushed and lumpy, and their ears were blunt and thick. Mer really wanted to make a rabbit that was as sleek and smooth as the ones Genos had carved, but….
“If you want to know why, it’s because I’m so perfect that I don’t need any education,” Mer declared proudly. “The base for my character is astounding as well. From childhood, Lady Sienna has always been bright and compassionate.”
“I’m not sure about anything else, but it looks like you need education on how to peel apples,” Eugene remarked.
“Lady Sienna probably isn’t able to wield a dagger… or a fruit knife very skillfully either,” Mer protested. “I might be experienced in the theory of magic, but I’m new to this sort of petty work. However, I still don’t need any education. I can learn just fine on my own.”
“It seems that you’re not aware of this, but Sienna was also pretty good at wielding a knife,” Eugene revealed.
At these words, the fruit knife fell from Mer’s hands. Her eyes opened wide, and she stared at Eugene like she had received a huge shock.
“Eh?” Mer cried out wordlessly.
“Isn’t it ridiculous to believe that a wizard can only swing a staff around? I’m not sure about a wizard whose only role is to stay in the back apart from casting spells, but the battlefield in our era was a real, fucking mess.” As he drew on his memories from three hundred years ago, Eugene continued, “...Anise was quite good at cracking heads open with a mace… and Sienna used daggers that she could hide in her pockets.”
“...You’re saying she gave up Akasha to use daggers instead?” Mer asked in disbelief.
“You’ve had a good look at it, so you should already know why. Akasha’s design is a bit poor if you want to use it as a weapon instead of a magic staff. What happens if you break the Dragonheart due to a careless swing?” Eugene reminded her.
Though it wasn’t like he had never suggested using Akasha as a weapon.
—If you’re worried about the Dragonheart breaking, you can just cast a reinforcement spell on it.
—Why are you making such a fuss about my decision to stab my opponents with my daggers instead of swinging my staff?
—No, fuck, you’re just a wizard in the first place. You should just quietly stay behind the scenes casting your magic. Why do you need to come to the front and use a dagger instead of using magic?
—I’m fully capable of covering an opponent and stabbing him with my daggers, so don’t…. Hamel, are you actually worried about me?
—I’m not worried. I’m more confused….
—You’re worried that I’m fighting on the front instead of staying on the rear where it’s safe, aren’t you?
—I mean, if you’re a wizard, you should know your place and just stay squeezed into the back….
—Heh… hehehe. Thanks for your concern. I mean, there’s no need for it, but, um, you… you were concerned for me in particular, huh? Like you just said, I guess I should know my place!
—No, like I said, I’m not worried….
Sienna did have her reasons for personally stabbing the enemy with a dagger. One of the oldest spells in use, ‘Curse,’ wasn’t just a black magic spell; it also had a generic magic variant. The conditions for casting the black magic version of Curse were simple compared to its power, but many conditions were required for the generic version of Curse to be cast properly.
Amongst these conditions, the most important were the blood and flesh of the enemy. Whenever Sienna had swung her Cursed dagger at the forefront of the party, it had weakened all the monsters in the battle.
However, was there really a need for that?
Eugene had asked himself the same question several times during his previous life. Although they had seen quite a lot of benefits from Sienna’s use of Curse during battles with large groups of foes, wasn't it still much more effective to hit the enemy with a large-scale spell cast from the rear of the party than to come to the forefront and swing a dagger…?
—From now on, stop coming forward!
—I will do what I want!
—If you’re going to come out like that, at least go over and stay by Molon’s side instead of coming to me! Why do you keep playing around near me?
—P-p-playing around? You son of a bitch!
—You’re being a burden, so just back off a little!
—Don’t say something so foul, Hamel.
—Your words were a bit harsh.
—Why are you all taking Sienna’s side? She’s the one who keeps coming over to mess with me!
—That’s… that’s because Sienna also wants to watch your back—
—I-i-i-it’s because I want to put a dagger in your back, you bastard!
“...Well… in any case, unlike what you might expect, Sienna was also pretty handy with a dagger,” Eugene confirmed.
“...I… I can be good at stabbing stuff with a dagger, too,” Mer insisted stubbornly.
Narrowing her eyes, Mer held the fruit knife in a two-handed grip. Then she began stabbing into the empty air as if trying to show off her skills.
Eugene didn’t discourage her and just watched Mer stab into the air with her dagger with the feeling of watching a child in a talent show.
He even gave her some advice, “If you stab like that, the blade won’t sink in. You need a bit more of an angle, just like that, and put some more weight into it….”
Just sitting there watching this was enough to make Eugene’s body twitch in impatience. He had been lying in bed for three whole days. Since he couldn’t even move his body because of the lingering pain, he couldn’t help but be bored. Eugene was so bored that he even missed Kristina, who had gone off to investigate the Holy Empire.
‘...She might not be as good as Anise, but she’s pretty good at performing miracles. If Kristina were here, wouldn’t my body have gotten better immediately?’
While wistfully thinking such thoughts, he kept teaching Mer some dagger techniques.
The door suddenly swung open without a knock. There weren’t many people in this castle who would thoughtlessly barge into Eugene’s room like this.
“Are you trying to pull some shit just because my body is currently in bad shape?” Eugene asked as he gave a sideways scowl to Cyan, who was now standing in Eugene’s doorway. “You need to knock before you enter, you rotten bastard. As soon as I get better, I’ll be sure to reeducate you in the rules of etiquette.”
“We’re brothers, so why….” Cyan grumbled, even as he slowly stepped backward and closed the door behind him.
Knock knock.
Mer giggled and stopped playing with her dagger at the sound of Cyan knocking and reopening the door.
“...Are you trying to raise your familiar as an assassin?” Cyan asked with an uncertain expression as he turned to look at Mer.
The way she held that dagger in her tiny hands….
Cyan coughed and continued. “That’s… it actually sounds like a pretty smart idea, but if possible, maybe you should reconsider it? I think my mother will dislike the idea… and I can’t say I feel very comfortable about it either.”
“Stop talking nonsense. How is your body?” Eugene asked.
“It’s fine,” Cyan replied with a shrug. “...Although it’s embarrassing, I must admit that the injuries I sustained during my battle weren’t very serious….”
“But what about your head?”
“From what I can tell, there don’t seem to be any problems.”
As he said this, Cyan walked into the room. Eugene turned to look at Gargith and Dezra, who casually followed behind Cyan.
“And what are you two doing here?” Eugene asked them.
“We’ve come here to give you our thanks,” Gargith responded as he flexed his pectoral muscles.
Even Dezra, slouching next to Gargith, bowed her head deeply after a few moments of hesitation and said, “If it weren’t for you, we all could have died there, so….”
“Since when did people start coming to give thanks empty-handed?” Eugene asked with a petulant tilt of his head.
He had only said this as a joke, but as if waiting for this signal, Gargith reached into a thick pocket and pulled out a potion.
Gargith began to speak, “Our family’s revolutionary
Only for Eugene to cut him short, “Alright, fine. I’ll save it for my later use, so just leave it on the desk somewhere.”
“I… I haven’t prepared anything special, but… I won’t forget this favor for the rest of my life,” Dezra spoke hesitantly, unsure what to do or say.
Should she at least try to offer a cash reward? But just how much should she give for having saved her life? Was there any meaning in giving money to the main family, who were already rolling in so much cash that most of it was probably just rotting away? Or perhaps she could try to repay him with some other piece of valuable treasure?
“Hmmph,” while Dezra was lost in her own thoughts, Cyan let out a snort. “If you’re done giving your thanks, why don’t you head back out for a bit? I need to have a serious talk with my brother about this latest incident.”
“Eugene, you need to follow the directions when you take the supplements,” Gargith entreated before leaving. “Don’t get greedy and take them on your own. Make sure to call for my help.”
Eugene sighed, “Like I said, I’ll use them later….”
After Gargith and Dezra had left, Cyan let out a long sigh and plopped down on the sofa near Eugene’s bed.
“...Your body really is fine, right?” Cyan asked in concern.
“I said that it’s fine. I should be all better after a few more days or so?” Eugene replied with an indifferent expression as he openly stared at Cyan’s face.
This proud and self-centered brother of his seemed unable to fully resolve all the feelings lingering in his heart and could only reveal them through the pout on his lips.
Eugene didn’t have any intention to try and sympathize with the confusion and anxiety that Cyan must be feeling, but he still opened his mouth to offer at least some comfort.
“What’s the matter?” he asked.
Cyan stayed silent.
“We’re brothers, aren't we? It probably won’t happen in my lifetime, but if I was ever disgracefully held captive like you were… wouldn’t you do the same thing that I did and try to save me without going back and forth on whether you could or not?” Eugene asked hypothetically.
“...It wasn’t disgraceful,” Cyan spat out as his shoulders hunched in embarrassment. “I was just… careless. …I was also in a lot of distress since Ciel had just been captured by them.”
“Of course, that must have been the case,” Eugene agreed half-heartedly.
“...I didn’t know that Eward would really be that crazy,” Cyan argued. “I… I was just trying to do my duty as the heir of the main family. I wanted to save Ciel and punish Eward, who had fallen into insanity. But to think that Hector of all people would be collaborating with Eward—! If I hadn’t been flustered by Hector attacking me, I would have been able to save Ciel without your help.”
“Really?” Eugene asked skeptically as the corners of his mouth curved up in a sly smile.
Noticing that Eugene was looking right at him with such a blatant expression of disbelief, Cyan chewed on his lips in embarrassment before letting out a deep sigh.
“...No, I couldn’t have,” Cyan admitted. “On my own, I wouldn’t have the means to save Ciel and stop Eward. It’s true that I was careless and distressed, but… in the end, that’s all just an excuse.”
“As long as you’re aware of that,” Eugene said, nodding his head in appreciation. “It’s not like you were crippled anyhow. You managed to survive safely. Then it’s all fine. You just have to admit your mistakes and do better next time so that something like this doesn’t happen.”
“...I know,” Cyan accepted sulkily.
Eugene warned him, “From now on, things will get very difficult for you. With as much of an impact as this incident has had on the main family, you have to do an even better job as the next Patriarch. You get what I’m saying, right? You need to train harder and become stronger, or else do you want to end up getting beaten up wherever you go?”
As Cyan quietly listened to Eugene’s speech, he couldn’t help but feel a seed of doubt rising inside him. Eugene’s words were valid, and there was nothing to refute. …But was this advice really something that should come out of the mouth of a brother who was around the same age as him?
Cyan cursed. “...Bastard. I know you’re right, but do you really need to talk to me like you’re some old man?”
Eugene brushed off the insult. “Isn’t that just because my mind is much more mature than yours? Brother, could it be that your mental age is still stuck at when you were thirteen?”
Cyan didn’t respond and just pouted his lips. He sat like that on the sofa for a few seconds, clasping and unclasping his hands, then he slowly raised his gaze to look up at Eugene.
Hesitantly, Cyan proposed, “Since something like this happened, why don’t you just become the Patri
“Are you looking for a beating?” Eugene interrupted him with a growl.
“Ahem…. Alright, I’ve got it, so don’t get angry.”
Cyan immediately backed down, his tail curling up between his legs as he avoided eye contact.
“...I heard some news from the elders earlier. Father will be coming to the Black Lion Castle in two days at the very latest. The Red Tower Master and the White Tower Master will also be coming here at the same time,” Cyan reported.
But why?
Eugene was about to question Cyan out of reflex, but he managed to swallow it back. It really wasn’t difficult to infer their reasons for coming here.
In order to understand the truth behind this situation more thoroughly, the Lionheart clan would need the help of these Archwizards. Eward had died, and the magic circle he had drawn had been swept away during their fierce battle.
However, Eugene was able to remember exactly what that magic circle looked like. He had only gotten a brief glance at it, but Akasha allowed Eugene to store all the magic circles he had ever seen inside his head. Eugene wasn’t the only one who remembered it either; Mer had also memorized it.
Besides that, there was also the spirit of darkness. The White Tower Master, Melkith El-Haya, was the best Spirit Summoner of her time. Although she hadn’t made any contracts with a spirit of darkness, there was no greater expert than Melkith when it came to spirits.
‘In fact, the best thing would be to summon the Black Tower Master, but….’
There was no way that the Black Lion Castle would welcome his presence. Since black magic had been involved in this incident, they would have no reason to want even more black wizards to get dragged into this.
“What about the Holy Empire?” Eugene asked as he tilted his head in curiosity.
With the Red Tower Master and White Tower Master, they would have more than enough experts in terms of magic and spirits, but in Eugene’s opinion, they would also need the Holy Empire’s help investigating the traces of black magic.
“...We sent an invitation to Assistant Bishop Kirstina, but it appears that she was forced to reject it due to being too busy. Instead, an Inquisitor will be visiting us.”
“Hm.”
An Inquisitor, huh? Eugene recalled the Inquisitors that he had met three hundred years ago. They were hunters who tracked down and erased every trace of black magic, fanatics who had even more faith in their God than anyone else in the Holy Empire. These were a group of people who, while hunting black wizards, could be even crueler than the cruelest black wizard.
“...They are quite the experts,” Eugene admitted thoughtfully.
They were not able to cast miracles as powerful as Kristina’s, but they were certainly of more use than Kristina when it came to tracking down black magic.
“But why didn’t Ciel come with you?” Eugene asked after belatedly realizing Ciel’s absence.
He had seen the two of them standing together during the funeral procession earlier, but it was strange that Ciel hadn’t accompanied Cyan when even Gargith and Dezra had chosen to visit.
“Well, I did tell her to come with me,” Cyan said, smacking his lips. “But Ciel said that she would come by herself later.”
“But why?”
“How should I know?”
* * *
Ciel glared at her reflection in the mirror. She was wearing a dress uniform that was solid black from top to bottom. It was the prestigious uniform of the Black Lions, but she still felt stuffy seeing all the buttons on the dress shirt underneath done up neatly.
The funeral was over. It didn’t matter even if she did change clothes. However, she couldn’t just change right away.
She needed to firm her resolve.
This would be her first time taking part in a bedside visit. That barbarically strong guy was currently confined to lying in bed, unable to lift even a finger.
‘...This is my first bedside visit, but it might also be my last,’ Ciel reminded herself resolutely.
Although most of Ciel’s wardrobe consisted of dress uniforms and training clothes, there were still a few other clothes she had never worn before. Most of these were clothes that she had received as birthday gifts. She had intended to wear them if she ever needed to go to a party, but wouldn’t it be fine for her to wear one of these outfits to commemorate her first, and potentially last, bedside visit?
Ciel imagined a voice asking her, ‘Are you crazy?’
Of course, that rude bastard might say such a thing as soon as he saw her in such a fancy outfit, but it didn’t matter. In fact, Ciel actually wanted to fluster Eugene by doing this and hopefully alleviate the currently gloomy atmosphere through an exchange of jokes.
“...Alright,” Ciel said, having mustered her resolve.
Then she began determinedly undoing the buttons on her dress uniform. After taking off her clothes, she walked over to her wardrobe and stood in front of it.
Then she spent quite some time choosing what to wear. She needed something that wasn’t too extravagant. Not like this dress, for example. Just why were its chest and back cut so low?
Ciel hesitated. ‘...If I wear this….’
After imagining a crumpled look on Eugene’s face that made it appear like he had just taken a mouthful of shit, Ciel snickered to herself. Although seeing such an expression on him would also be amusing, she didn’t want to wear this crazy dress just to elicit such a reaction.
“You, I’ll leave for later,” Ciel promised the dress.
After making a quick mental note regarding the dress, Ciel resumed tearing through her wardrobe. In the end, what Ciel chose was a simple and neat dress that wasn’t too fancy. Ciel patted the wrinkles out of the skirt with her hand, then looked at her reflection in the mirror.
It had been a long time since Ciel last wore a skirt. After staring at her appearance for a few moments, her gaze shifted toward her uncovered collarbone.
‘That guy always goes around wearing that strange necklace, doesn’t he,’ Ciel recalled.
The necklace appeared ancient. As it seemed to have a story behind it, Ciel had asked Eugene for the details several times ever since they were young, but Eugene had never once given her an answer.
‘What’s with that necklace?’
‘Isn’t it pretty?’
‘...Well, it suits you.’
‘Would you like me to give you a necklace as well? One that’s exactly the, same, as, mine.’
While imagining such an exchange of words inside her head, Ciel rummaged through her accessories. She had received quite a few necklaces as presents, so she had to choose one that wasn’t too extravagant and was something similar to Eugene’s necklace…. After selecting a necklace laced with a few small jewels, Ciel hung it around her own neck.
“...Earrings and bracelets would be a bit too much, right? It’s not like we’re going to a party,” Ciel muttered to herself.
The funeral may have been over, but she still shouldn’t wear an overly colorful and flashy outfit. The dress Ciel had chosen after struggling so much just now was also a black one-piece.
“Fine then,” Ciel murmured.
She reached up and changed the shape of her hair a few times. Should she let the ends of her hair hang loose or perhaps tie it up? Maybe she should brush it over her shoulder? But the casual look would probably be better.
After spraying on a gentle perfume, her preparations were complete. Ciel left her room with a satisfied smile and headed over to the suite of rooms where Eugene was staying.
“Ciel, what are you doing—?”
“I’ll kill you if you say another word.”
Cyan had run into Ciel on her way there and addressed her with surprise, only for Ciel to silence him with a threat and immediately leave him behind as she headed up the stairs.
But Ciel silently stopped walking before she had even reached the end of the hallway.
Genia was standing in front of the door to Eugene’s room, sighing deeply as she cradled a large bouquet of flowers.
