Exposure
The day before the murder of Lord Yurei, in the village of Hestia.
Unaware that anything unusual was unfolding, the people of Hestia went about their daily lives as usual.
As the population grew, crime increased with it, and rough men began organizing themselves into groups.
It had been inevitable.
But inevitable or not, it was the duty of Hestia's constabulary to stop it at all costs.
They busied themselves maintaining order throughout the village.
"Captain William, shouldn't you be heading home now?"
"Is it already that late?"
"It passed quitting time ages ago. You're working overtime."
William had no objection to working overtime.
However, when a superior continued working, the subordinates beneath him inevitably felt pressured to remain as well.
Some matters needed to be put off until tomorrow.
William grabbed his coat and rose from his seat.
"Then I'll be going. Good work today."
"Loyalty! See you tomorrow, Captain!"
"Try not to get drunk and roll around in the street again!"
Leaving his laughing subordinates behind, William set out for home.
He looked up at the evening sky, where red and black blended together.
Another day was passing just like this.
Everything around him was perfectly ordinary, yet an unresolved knot remained buried deep within his heart.
Whenever he thought of it, his left hand throbbed.
It was the hand Regent Ferda had driven a dagger through.
The hole had closed, and he had recovered enough to use it to some extent, but it continued to ache as though fragments remained embedded inside.
The fear that he might permanently lose the use of that hand washed over him.
"Damn it…"
It seemed he would not be getting any proper sleep tonight either.
Muttering to himself, William continued walking.
On the way to his house, he entered a tavern.
Unlike the boisterous establishments along the main road, it was a quiet place tucked away on the outskirts.
Since regular customers were more important here than anywhere else, the proprietor, a man with an impressive mustache, welcomed William warmly.
"Oh, Captain! Finished work for the day?"
"One beer, please."
"Coming right up."
William slid forward the coin he had already taken out, and the proprietor fetched his beer.
The proprietor was a talkative man, but he was equally skilled at reading the mood.
He easily noticed that William needed some quiet rest.
"Here you are. Don't gulp it down like last time. Drink it slowly!"
After placing the beer before him, the proprietor immediately turned away.
William looked at the coin still sitting on the table.
"Proprietor, aren't you going to take the money? Are you running this place out of charity?"
"Charity? This is honest business! You already paid, so why would I take your money again?"
"What are you talking about?"
"That gentleman over there said he wanted to buy you a drink."
Wondering who it was, William turned his head.
It was a man he had never seen in the village before.
William instinctively felt uneasy.
Still, he decided not to jump to conclusions.
He merely raised his glass in thanks before turning away again.
The moment he did, he heard a chair scrape against the floor.
The man had risen.
William quietly unfastened the clasp on his dagger sheath.
"Are you Captain William?"
"I am."
"I'm the one who bought you that drink. Wouldn't it be polite to at least share a toast?"
"My apologies. I'm not particularly good at befriending strangers."
"Understandable. You are the captain of the constabulary, after all."
William's hand drifted subtly toward his waist.
"There is no need to be so wary. I did not come here intending to harm you."
The stranger placed both hands on the table, demonstrating that he meant no harm.
William acted as though he always drank in such a guarded posture and offered no response.
However, the performance did not last long.
The beer mug in his left hand trembled from the pain, causing the foam inside to churn.
"That injury looks rather serious. Wouldn't it be better to drink with your right hand?"
"That is none of your concern."
William's reply grew even colder.
Yet the man remained visibly interested.
"You seem to have quite a story behind it. Would you care to tell me?"
"I fell while drinking."
"Do not lie. Who gets a stab wound from falling over drunk?"
"It was an extraordinarily embarrassing fall. Now, would you stop asking?"
William casually brushed aside the man's sharp observation.
"Let us stop wasting time with this pointless exchange. I already know what happened."
"Did I not just tell you? I fell."
"Enough. I came here to help you."
"I have no idea what you are talking about, so leave at once. Otherwise—"
"Regent Ferda will bring ruin to the Far East."
The man cut William off.
William felt emotion surge within his chest.
"You dare utter such slander inside the Princeps's territory?"
"Slander? It seems you are unaware. That man practices black magic. Even the Cerdes Magical Society has already taken an interest in him."
William finally drew his dagger.
"As captain of the constabulary, I can no longer overlook this. Identify yourself. If you refuse, this conversation ends here."
Despite the blade held at his throat, the man did not flinch in the slightest.
He looked as though he had long since grown accustomed to placing his life at risk.
Slowly, the man reached into his coat and took something out.
"I am an investigator from the Golden Eye, an organization directly under the Imperial Family."
It was an insignia proving that he was a mage in imperial service.
"And I also serve Crown Prince Alexander."
"Did an imperial investigator come all this way merely to lord his authority over a lowly constabulary captain?"
"Lowly? William Miller, surely you know that you are capable of far more than this. I already know that you were renowned as a promising knight in Duke Yurei's territory."
He knew William's true identity.
William had suspected as much from the moment the man began provoking him.
"So lower the dagger and let us talk. I have no intention of using force in another lord's territory, but if you attack first, I have no intention of holding back either."
William did not believe he would lose.
However, as captain of the constabulary, he could not cause a disturbance.
He lowered the dagger, and the investigator smiled.
"What business does an investigator have here?"
"I am investigating a murder."
"Whose?"
"Someone you know. Lord Yurei."
William tensed.
A murder investigation was serious enough, but the victim being a member of the Yurei family made it even worse.
"Rumors say he died in this territory. Were you aware of that?"
"Are you suspecting me?"
"Of course not. I heard that you betrayed your former lord, but I also know that you are not the kind of man capable of killing that young lord."
"Then I have nothing to tell you. I have never seen Lord Yurei or any of his knights."
"I prepared the questions. You need only answer them."
"What?"
The investigator produced an object.
At first glance, it looked like an ordinary crystal orb, but the mana and spellwork contained within it were anything but ordinary.
Once he had finished setting it up, he asked William,
"Let us begin with something simple. Is your name William Miller?"
"It is."
At William's answer, the crystal orb glowed green.
It was enchanted with lie-detection magic.
"You were once a knight apprentice of House Yurei?"
"That is correct."
Green.
"And you came here as the leader of a large group of refugees?"
"That is correct."
Green again.
"Are you satisfied with your position as captain of the constabulary?"
"I am."
"Hmm. It does not seem so."
The orb glowed red.
It meant that he had lied.
"You may say otherwise, but the heart cannot be deceived."
The investigator continued.
"A promising knight apprentice reduced to a mere constabulary captain. You may find meaning in your work, but do you truly expect me to believe that someone who once stood on the path to a higher position could be satisfied so easily?"
"I have never thought that way."
The orb glowed red once more.
William asked himself the question again.
Did he truly have no desire to rise in status?
Of course he did.
William knew that better than anyone.
At times, he regretted his decision.
Had he simply closed his eyes to what was happening that one time, he would not have been suffering like this now.
"Do you know what kind of man your lord is?"
"I do."
"Do you also know that he is a black mage?"
William's expression stiffened at the words black mage.
He had never spoken of it to anyone, but he had harbored some suspicions.
He had sensed it strongly whenever Ferda became emotional.
Ferda possessed a Red Circle.
And most mages who possessed Red Circles were black mages.
However, William had pushed that thought far into the back of his mind, because judging Ferda was not his responsibility.
"No answer?"
"…I do not know."
The orb glowed red again.
"Even if he is a black mage, it is only a suspicion in my mind. There is no doubt that he is someone who has devoted himself to the Far East."
"Devotion…"
The investigator nodded with a serious expression.
"Then let me ask you this. What do you think it means when a black mage possessing a Red Circle shows mercy?"
William had walked the path of an elite knight, so it was a question he could answer immediately.
It was extremely dangerous.
Black mages always had ulterior motives, and hidden within their mercy and generosity were vicious blades and poison.
"Do you believe Regent Ferda is any different from them?"
There were no exceptions among black mages.
"Black mages are all the same. Their policies for the people are no different from tossing feed to pigs. The pigs gorge themselves without knowing anything, only realizing on the day they are slaughtered that they should have escaped long ago."
"Did you not flee Duke Yurei's embrace because you wished to prevent the deaths of innocent people?"
"You barely escaped a pit of thorns, only to find a pit of fire waiting for you. Will you simply submit to that fate?"
William bit his lip tightly.
It would not have mattered if he were the only one to die.
But when he imagined the people of Hestia suffering, his heart ached.
And when he pictured himself regretting his foolishness afterward, the pain grew even worse.
"You are a righteous man. You cannot forgive injustice before your eyes. You must see justice done, must you not?"
Justice.
William unconsciously lowered his gaze to his hand.
The wound where Ferda had driven the dagger through it had not yet healed properly.
Whenever the pain returned, the scene from that day resurfaced in his mind.
What Regent Ferda had shown was rage.
And black energy had enveloped his body.
Yes.
It would not have been strange if Ferda had killed William that day.
The terror he had felt then remained vivid.
'What rose within me because of that terror was…'
Anger.
That anger still lingered in William's heart.
After closing his eyes and sinking into thought, William finally made his decision.
"What do you want me to do?"
"Tomorrow, Regent Ferda will be named as the murderer of Lord Yurei. All you need to do is reveal that he possesses a Red Circle and is a time bomb ruled by his emotions. You do not even need to say it too directly. Simply show them that hand and support the accusation."
He gestured toward William's bandaged hand with his chin.
"And what do I receive in return?"
The man looked at William in surprise before answering.
"His Highness the Crown Prince will appoint you as a Guardian Knight. Should you have no desire to become an Imperial Knight, he will grant you territory instead. You may live there however you please."
William would receive land, relocate there, and begin a new life.
Living according to one's own ideals of justice was every knight's dream.
William was no exception.
"…Very well."
"To be clear, you are agreeing to cooperate?"
"I will expose his atrocities."
The crystal orb glowed green.
The investigator grinned and rose from his seat.
"Then let us move. There is someone who has been eagerly awaiting news of your cooperation."
William set down his beer and followed the investigator.
Because there was little time, they required a swift means of travel, and the investigator transported them together using teleportation magic.
And now William stood before the Golden Council.
Only two people entered his eyes.
Duke Yurei, his former lord.
And Regent Ferda, his current lord.
Duke Yurei's gaze was piercing.
William could understand why.
The duke had fed him, housed him, and trained him, only for William to join the rebels and betray him.
"Sir William, would you testify regarding Regent Ferda?"
At the chairman's words, William's eyes reflexively turned toward Ferda.
Count Consilus drew his attention first. His throat repeatedly bobbed, as though he were struggling to suppress the rage born from betrayal.
If even one of Ferda's close allies was that furious, how did Ferda himself feel?
Ferda stood with his arms folded, watching.
Unlike Consilus, there was no resentment or anger in his expression.
His gaze was tranquil and composed.
Like a deep lake.
"Regent Ferda is…"
Looking into those eyes, William became certain.
He had made the right choice by standing on this platform.
"He is a man who has devoted himself to the common people more than anyone else."
William had supposedly come to expose Ferda's character.
With that single statement, delight and despair split the chamber.
Alexander's expression changed most openly.
His trusted subordinate had assured him that William had been persuaded.
Yet William was now giving testimony that directly contradicted everything they had arranged.
'I was told Ferda drove a dagger through the back of his hand…?'
A knight's hands were his life.
Alexander knew how disrespectful and humiliating it was to injure one.
He had also been told that William was undoubtedly furious.
A man who had lived as a knight should never have been able to forgive Ferda.
Alexander abruptly interrupted in an attempt to stop William from shifting the mood.
"Wait, Sir William!"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"I understand that Regent Ferda was responsible for that wound."
Had William lied by saying he had fallen while drunk, Alexander intended to denounce him for breaking his oath to speak only the truth.
"That is correct."
William admitted it without hesitation.
"Is injuring a knight's hand not a grave crime, even for the knight's lord?"
"That punishment applies to knights. I am not a knight, but the captain of the constabulary. Therefore, it was a punishment I deserved."
Ferda had certainly been emotional that day.
Whenever William looked at the back of his hand, he vividly remembered the emotion Ferda had shown.
But nothing further had happened afterward.
Even though William, the captain of the constabulary, had committed the grave crime of allowing himself to be swept away by emotion and abducting an imperial princess, Ferda had demanded no further punishment.
"I am grateful for his mercy, as he allowed my wrongdoing to end with such a minor punishment."
At the same time, anger boiled within William.
It was anger directed at himself for having made such a foolish choice.
"Sir William, you came here to make an exposure. If your purpose is to praise him, then leave the platform immediately."
"I did come here to expose someone."
Only the target was different.
William turned his gaze away from Ferda and toward Duke Yurei.
"I wished to stand here so that I could expose Duke Yurei's tyranny!"
William revealed everything he had witnessed in Duke Yurei's territory while walking the path of an elite knight.
"I speak of the true tyrant who refused to take responsibility for his own failures, ruined the lives of his people through excessive taxation, and branded anyone who resisted him a traitor so that he could squeeze them dry!"
The public opinion that had been turning against Ferda came to a halt.
Consilus's previously dark expression brightened.
Curious about Ferda, who had shown no reaction at all, Consilus quietly asked,
"Regent, did you know that the constabulary captain would do this?"
"To some extent."
"What do you mean by 'to some extent'?"
"I was not certain either. He came here on his own without telling me."
"If he intended to do this, he should at least have warned us beforehand. He has been throwing everyone's emotions into turmoil."
Ferda had not been certain.
But he had trusted William.
Ferda had brought William with him because the man possessed the spirit of a knight.
Because he trusted William's chivalry, he had also felt the greatest sense of betrayal when William became involved in the princess's escape.
Had William uttered even the slightest nonsense that day, Ferda had been prepared to kill him on the spot.
But he had not.
Because what William had done was not deliberate betrayal, but a mistake.
And Ferda believed that William would not make the same mistake again.
That belief had now been proven.
William remained a noble knight.
Alexander covered his face.
The flesh that remained visible beyond his hands was as red as a ripe pepper.
Valdemar must have suffered the same humiliation, yet he showed no sign of agitation.
Either that, or unlike Alexander, he was simply better at concealing it.
While William's account continued, Akad finally intervened.
"Sir William, such an exposure may be worthwhile, but this proceeding concerns Regent Ferda's character. Speak only to that matter, and do so briefly."
Told to state only his conclusion, William answered,
"If Regent Ferda says that he did not kill Lord Yurei, then I believe he did not kill him. And even if he did, there must have been a valid reason, just as he said."
"Understood. You may step down."
As William left the platform, he glanced toward Duke Yurei.
The duke's face had turned crimson with rage.
"Miller… How dare you…"
William could not answer and kept his mouth shut.
He could not wear a relieved expression simply because he had exposed the truth.
The fact remained that William had betrayed him.
Thanks to William entering as though he were an ally before revealing himself as an ambush, the council could no longer treat Ferda carelessly.
Ferda, who had remained silent until now, decided it was time to step forward.
"Digging through my past is all well and good, but would it not be better to approach the root of the matter?"
"What do you mean, Regent?"
"The black magic that killed Lord Yurei left traces behind."
Seizing the momentum, Ferda addressed them.
"I request that those traces of black magic be investigated so that the truth may be uncovered."
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