Volume 3 Chapter 41 Such Unreasonableness, It Should Not Be Forgiven
"...That's the whole story of the chaos that the Dark Mage, Emerada, is causing in this country and the Goldmont Kingdom. It's all I know..."
"........."
After hearing my tale, Mr. Wolf closed his eyes, leaned back against the sofa, and stared up at the ceiling.
"...Is that really the truth?"
"I can't make up lies with such poor taste."
Answering Mr. Wolf's question with a calm demeanor, my hand covering my face, I felt his sentiment.
He was strict, but that person who had been so kind couldn't have changed so drastically.
After a minute of silence, Mr. Wolf finally lifted his face and turned to face me, his expression weary and different from before.
"So, you're trying to find out why that person fell to become a Dark Mage?"
"Yes. The crimes committed can't be erased, but I thought, perhaps we can stop her from going further. That's why I'm here to hear your story."
Understanding everything, I nodded in response to Mr. Wolf's words.
I wish this man knew what led Emerada to despair and choose the path of a Dark Mage.
Mr. Wolf let out a heavy sigh and looked towards the left wall.
Following his gaze, I saw that there was nothing unusual──just a longsword displayed with no fanfare.
"...That sword there, it belonged to the leader of the First Rank party 'Black Swan,' a man named Abel. It was Emerada's memento. That's the only thing I managed to take back from that bastard."
Mr. Wolf began to speak in a low tone, but──'heirloom'?
'Them'?
"...'that bastard', what do you mean? And if we're talking about 'heirloom', does that mean the person named Abel has already passed away?"
I had half-expected Emerada to have been part of a former First Rank Adventurer party, so I wasn't particularly shocked.
However, judging by the way Mr. Wolf spoke, it seemed like the party had fallen apart.
At my question, Mr. Wolf crossed his arms, closed his eyes, and nodded slightly.
"To explain that, we must start with the end of the 'Black Swan'."
* * *
According to Mr. Wolf, the First Rank party 'Black Swan' consisted of a warrior named Abel, a priestess named Emerada, and 2 magicians.
"That sounds like a rather unbalanced party."
I blurted out my candid thoughts.
A party so heavily skewed towards magicians and priests was quite rare.
And what about a scout to detect traps in dungeons?
How did they manage to climb all the way to First Rank?
"Even though they were called magicians, they were the type who could hold their own in close combat. Plus, fundamentally, they didn't go into dungeons often. That's why there was no scout."
My doubts were cleared before I even asked.
I see, so those magicians were like me, capable of fighting alongside others.
"...Speaking of those magicians, they were siblings named Adiliana and Ferron."
"Wha──"
I was left speechless by the unexpected names.
Adiliana?
Ferron?
"I think, based on what I heard earlier, that they might be the same individuals. And I have my own reasons for wondering why those 2 are linked to you."
"And that would be...?"
What did he mean by turning her former comrades into her followers?
I found myself leaning in, completely drawn in by the mystery, and asked.
"It's simple──it's a grudge. Those siblings were nobles who took on new names and became Adventurers, but their original names were Adelaide and Ferdinand. They were children of the former Marquis Beltlam."
"........."
Now that I thought about it, Ferron had always spoken in a way that sounded rather aristocratic, much like Adiliana.
I guessed that was because they were once nobles.
But a grudge, huh?
Emerada had been treating the powerful like enemies.
Was this the root of her bitterness?
"By the way, you said former Marquis Beltlam, right? Does 'former' imply that something happened that led to the downfall of the family?"
I had heard that a noble's title could be stripped if they were deemed unworthy of it.
However, such things were rare.
If they weren't, the world would be crawling with corrupt lords.
There are only so many nobles, after all, so it's unlikely anyone would be stripped of their title too frequently.
"Ah, it was about an innocent young man. His execution for killing a hero renowned even in the Capital City reached His Majesty's ears, you know. And that young man was Abel."
"...You called him innocent, but what about the former Marquis Beltlam's claims?"
"He supposedly kidnapped and killed his daughter and son. So, it's essentially vigilante justice. It happened about ten years ago."
...I see, I finally grasped the situation, albeit with some confusion.
The siblings, who had changed their names and worked as Adventurers, were dead, and the former Marquis Beltlam had blamed it all on someone named Abel.
But there's something I don't get.
Why didn't Emerada, who's in the same party, get blamed?
When I asked, Mr. Wolf nodded as if he knew.
He probably expected my question.
"See, Abel and Emerada were lovers, but after the accident, Abel broke up with her. Then, after Emerada left on a journey, heartbroken, Abel was executed."
"...So, even though she was innocent, she took the blame alone."
"That's right."
Mr. Wolf nodded solemnly.
I see.
Emerada must have learned of Abel's death after their journey and fallen into despair.
I looked up at the sword on the wall again.
The dull-colored sword just listened silently to our story, but what was it thinking?
"She doted on those that person, but in the end, I couldn't protect Abel. Sure, an adventurer's life is always on the line, but a senseless death at the hands of humans? There's no way I can forgive that."
I stared at the sword, unable to say anything back to his words, filled with quiet anger.
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