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[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 35
Cohen and I headed to the drawing room of the mansion.
Since he would also be staying at the graveyard for several days to learn the Cold Energy Technique, he had to prepare accordingly.
“Please drink, my lord.”
“…Yes.”
The title “my lord” felt very awkward.
Especially hearing it from Cohen Trevis.
“Why did you choose me?”
Having been by their side, I could roughly gauge how strained the relationship between Ruben and Cohen had been.
But only to that extent.
Even though Cohen’s resentment may have eased, I couldn’t truly grasp how deep it had run.
Was the reason really significant enough for him to devote the rest of his life to following me?
I remained skeptical.
Especially since Cohen was a meticulous and cautious man.
There must be more to it.
Sip—
He gently swirled his wine glass, took a sip, and stared into the glass as he spoke.
“In truth, there is a passage passed down through my family for generations.”
“What is it?”
“It says that a true hero will appear to restore glory to the Trevis family.”
“Glory… you say?”
“Yes. ‘A hero who will summon the heroes of old, save the world, and restore the kingdom shall redeem the family.’ That is the passage.”
Summon the heroes of old?
That sounds oddly familiar.
‘This is just like…’
Waking heroes from their graves and summoning them into my body to bring them back to the world.
And if restoring the kingdom means reviving the Kingdom of Brillant—doesn’t that perfectly align with my goal?
‘No way… Is it really me?’
Just reading that line, it felt like it was specifically referring to me.
Why would such a passage be passed down in the Trevis family?
“At first, I didn’t understand what summoning the old heroes meant. I thought it was just a distorted tale passed down over time. But after meeting you, my perspective changed.”
“…”
“Look at how the wine climbs up the surface of the glass. Doesn’t it look like it’s struggling to escape?”
Just like he said, the wine did seem like it was trying to break free.
“But no matter how much it struggles, what's impossible remains impossible. That’s what I always believed. But you shattered that belief with your actions, my lord.”
“You didn’t know me before, though?”
“Not knowing you personally doesn’t mean I couldn’t see what you’ve done, my lord.”
That my lord, again and again.
Even if he truly considers me his lord, there’s no need to speak so formally.
Besides, what would others think if they saw this?
“Um… can’t you stop with the formal speech?”
I didn’t think this strict knight would grant my request, but I asked anyway.
“No.”
Of course.
“People will find it suspicious.”
“What does that matter?”
“I’m keeping my identity hidden. If you use honorifics like that, it’ll raise suspicion.”
“Weren’t you planning to step into the light soon?”
He stopped slicing his meat and looked up at me, eyes sharp.
That piercing gaze made me flinch involuntarily.
But why am I the one getting intimidated? I’m the lord here.
“What do you mean, step into the light?”
“This desert expedition. Honestly, the gravekeeper’s participation was practically forced. People didn’t care much, so it passed without issue, but for those with suspicions about you, it was strange.”
“...Go on.”
“The gravekeeper joined on Princess Jane’s request—a princess who never moved before. It may have seemed like a careless suggestion, but those who know better are aware she’s not that kind of person.”
He knows more about the desert expedition than I thought.
Most people don’t even know that Princess Jane recommended me, yet Trevis, who didn’t even participate, is this well-informed.
“On top of that, the gravekeeper—who had no reason to be on the front lines—just happened to help Prince Louise escape from a black mage and the desert boss and returned alive... To most people, it might seem like luck, but those in the know won’t see it that way.”
“…”
He’s too right for me to say anything back.
I hadn’t expected things to escalate this much either.
“If anyone had been watching you closely, they would’ve already suspected a connection between you and Princess Jane.”
“Not an ideal situation.”
Even I could admit it looked suspicious.
If even someone like Scarlett—who only thinks of fighting—was doubtful, that says it all.
Up to now, the reputation of Ren Arzen, the “useless gravekeeper,” has just been hiding me from view.
“You needn’t worry too much. There probably aren’t many people keeping an eye on you yet.”
Not true.
The woman who’s the biggest problem is interested in me, and it's already giving me a headache.
“You’ve been hiding your strength, haven’t you?”
“…Yes, I have.”
“Then you really were planning to step into the spotlight, weren’t you? At this level, it seems more like you were deliberately revealing yourself.”
Is he mocking me or genuinely curious?
I couldn’t tell.
‘It’s too soon to reveal myself.’
I’m still not strong enough.
Ever since returning to the past, I’ve encountered many powerful individuals.
It made me wonder how I was ever surrounded by so many strong people.
And after going through all of that, I’m even more certain.
‘Now’s not the time.’
Right now, I need to grow stronger, even a day faster.
“That’s not it. I only stepped forward this time because I had no other choice.”
“What do you mean?”
“I plan to change Brillant first. But in doing so, I must eliminate the black mages and the entrenched powers that are rotting it from within.”
Cohen stroked his chin, looking deep in thought.
"…Ah, so you're planning to place Prince Louise on the throne."
He had barely started the conversation, yet Cohen had already reached a conclusion close to the truth.
His intuitive insight was impressive enough to draw a silent gasp of admiration.
When I showed my surprise not through words but through my expression, he chuckled and continued.
"I'm not the Royal Administrative Officer for nothing."
"You've already finished investigating Prince Louise, then."
"Correct. Now that most of the internal issues within the Trevis family have been resolved, the House must choose a side for the next king."
The next king…
It's a difficult matter.
With the current king's reign in an uncertain state, it's not easy to openly support any of the princes.
Also, while the rivalry between the first and second princes is fierce, the third prince can't be dismissed either.
A family like Trevis could easily play both sides and shift support to the most likely heir when the time is right.
Still, if you're going to choose a side, it's better to grab the front end of the rope rather than the tail.
It’s likely Louise wasn’t even considered among their candidates.
"Actually, our House was leaning toward the second prince."
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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"The second prince? That's unexpected."
While it was a competition between the first and second princes, the general consensus among nobles was that the first prince had the higher chance of ascending the throne.
I had assumed the Trevis family would think the same—clearly, they knew something more.
"My Lord seems to be trying to bring the third prince forward, working from the shadows to uproot the kingdom’s corruption. But that’s no easy task."
He talks as if I’m some kind of puppet master behind the scenes, but in truth, I’m just planning to ride Louise’s coattails.
He’s a future master-level knight and the next king—I’m simply grabbing the rope before anyone else does.
"The third prince has potential."
"He has no power base, no political skills, and even his swordsmanship is average. On what basis do you say that?"
"There’s something more important than all three, Sir Cohen. You know what I mean, don’t you?"
My gaze made his eyes waver for a moment.
He was smart enough to catch on right away to what I was implying.
A bitter smile crept across his lips, and he gave a slow nod.
"I see. My Lord is looking beyond their abilities—you’re considering their hearts and direction."
Cohen had been cast aside by Ruben after advocating for abandoning Brillant and defecting to another country.
Having felt the sting of that mistake, he would surely understand now.
"In fact, our House initially considered pitting the third and first princes against each other while raising up the second prince."
"A confrontation between the two? What do you mean?"
"During our family's investigation into the desert expedition, we uncovered some information. Apparently, a black mage was part of the group."
I had thought about that too.
Though for slightly different reasons.
‘The aggression of the Duskworm... it definitely wasn’t indiscriminate.’
That creature had to be an abomination created by black mages.
I didn’t know exactly how it came to be, but it clearly showed hostility toward the black mages.
That’s why it ignored Louise and the knights who were nearby.
Thinking back, the timing of the attack on the main expedition force was also suspicious.
Why attack at that specific moment?
The creature showed no interest in me, Louise, or our group, even though we were nearby.
What if there had been a black mage embedded in the main force? What if that was why the boss monster targeted them?
‘And the presence of powerful black mages like Nigermann and Kaiden—it made no sense.’
One of them alone would have been more than enough to take down the Duskworm.
They wouldn’t have deployed such elite forces just to find the Red Moon Tribe’s tomb, either.
Which meant there had to be another reason.
Could it be they were there to meet with the hidden black mage among the expedition?
“I agree with you on that point.”
“You know something?”
“Well…”
I explained to Cohen what had happened at the time.
“…Hah… Is that true?”
Cohen looked at me in disbelief.
It was probably because I had said I fought Kaiden inside the Red Moon Tribe’s tomb.
Given Kaiden’s overwhelming power—enough to dominate Louise and the knights—he would’ve needed to be at least a high-level knight to defeat him.
And I had claimed to do just that…
‘It’s too early to reveal my necromancy.’
That power was the core of my current strength.
No matter how loyal Cohen claimed to be, I couldn’t reveal it so lightly.
Maybe if there were a better reason later.
“I got lucky. My spiritual ability temporarily disrupted his magic, and that gave me the opening I needed.”
“Hmm, even so… to cut through those tendrils…”
“I’m a bit of a genius.”
The moment I said it, I almost scratched my head out of sheer embarrassment.
But sometimes it’s easier to call yourself a genius than try to explain something incomprehensible.
“…Is that so?”
“Yes.”
Cohen muttered with a slightly displeased look.
“Well, setting that aside, our family tracked the black mage and uncovered evidence of collusion between him and the first prince.”
Evidence of collusion with a black mage…
That was hard to believe.
In my previous life, the Trevis family had vanished without a trace, and the first prince had ascended the throne almost effortlessly.
‘So history really is changing because of me, huh?’
With that in mind, I could start to guess how they intended to use Louise.
“You planned to use his character, didn’t you? By revealing the first prince’s grave crime—colluding with black mages—you could force Louise to act against his greatest enemy.”
“Exactly. That’s one of the main reasons we backed the second prince. There’s no way the first prince should ever ascend the throne after such a betrayal.”
“What about the second prince? Could he be involved too?”
“It’s not impossible…”
Cohen trailed off.
It was clear he couldn’t deny the rot had spread deep within this kingdom—and the second prince could have been touched by it as well.
“If the second prince is also involved, our plan was to stay close to him and find the evidence ourselves… but it seems we don’t have to bother anymore.”
“What do you mean?”
“Because now it’s clear my Lord supports the third prince.”
What was this man saying all of a sudden?
“The Trevis family will also support the third prince.”
“…You’re not the head of the family, Sir Cohen.”
“True. But I’ll persuade the family head.”
“How? By saying you’ve become my knight?”
“Yes.”
“……”
I was momentarily speechless.
What would the Trevis family head think?
A knight who had just regained control of ice magic and returned to the level of a high-tier knight suddenly swearing loyalty not to Trevis, but to me?
‘What if it turns out Layton is the one to kill me, not the black mages?’
Why did it suddenly feel so cold in here?
Was I just imagining it?
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[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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