Chapter 33
Thump. His heart pounded.
Desmond's face and the ominous glint in his eyes from their final battle.
The dreadful miasma that seemed to steal all life at its touch.
The screams and groans of people. And the stench.
They rose like dumplings thrown onto the surface of memory's water, rapidly touching scene after scene, rippling and then dissipating.
Kain tried to regain his composure and turned the page to examine the details.
"......"
Fortunately, the content was different from what he had worried about.
「…The captured criminal claimed diminished responsibility, stating that he had been driven insane by Desmond's wicked enticements, which he had accidentally read in a certain book…」
「…Subsequently, the book in question was retrieved and investigated, but it turned out to be nothing more than a crude piece of trash that carelessly used Desmond's name…」
In summary, it was a case where a serial killer who had been secretly committing murders for fun was caught and, in a desperate attempt to buy time or bribe a priest, claimed to be under Desmond's influence to be investigated by the clergy, but was ultimately executed.
'Since such cases usually result in immediate execution once clear evidence is found, he must have been trying to buy time or bribe a priest if possible to increase his chances of survival even slightly.'
Once the authority to investigate was handed over to the temple, the original investigators could no longer intervene in the subsequent proceedings.
This was the case even for the prestigious clan's judicial court.
From the criminal's perspective, it was the most likely way to survive.
'Looks like those temple bastards are still the same. I can't trust them for anything.'
Even in his past life, Kain had never trusted the temple.
He knew that while they outwardly chanted the name of the main god and pretended to be virtuous, their insides were festering with lust for power and material wealth.
-Haha, Clan Head. This matter seems a bit ambiguous to determine right and wrong. That's why I'm saying this, but... if the Siers Clan Head were to show sincerity to the main god, we would...
-What exactly do you mean by showing sincerity?
-That is... just appropriately...
-Appropriately?
-W-well, just a little...
-A little?
-Ah, it's nothing. I apologize, please forget what I just said!
Shortly after Kain became the Clan Head, a mid-ranking priest had quietly approached him and proposed a shady deal.
It was Harman who later told him that it was a proposal for a backroom deal.
'If only the temple had been a great help in killing Desmond, it might be different, but that wasn't the case either.'
The reason the temple could wield such immense power as an independent institution within the empire was because only blessed priests could handle 'mana of light,' also called holy power.
'They also performed roles such as dispelling curses, bestowing blessings, and weakening and eliminating demon beasts with dark attributes.'
Mages or knights who didn't have strong mental fortitude and constantly carried mana in their bodies had no power to break free from even minor curses on their own, so they had to receive dispelling from priests.
Since there were also quite a few diseases that could be cured with blessings, priests were practically divine beings among the common imperial citizens.
However, when Desmond and his followers began to run rampant, the priests who had boasted that they could suppress the 'demonic energy' with dark attributes using the power of holy light failed to display the expected strength.
To put it bluntly, the high priests and senior priests were annihilated by Desmond without even putting up a fight.
It was partly because Desmond had targeted them first, but from Kain's perspective, the priests had simply died because they were weak.
They had overestimated the power of the heavenly blessing they possessed and therefore had not trained diligently.
In any case, contrary to his worries, Desmond wasn't alive or anything like that.
Come to think of it, it might not have been that strange for Desmond's name to be occasionally mentioned in the records.
Even in the record he had just read, it said that Desmond's name was in some trashy book.
Since he was a unique being who had almost single-handedly destroyed the continent, it wouldn't be entirely abnormal for his name to remain even after time had passed.
Even if the meaning behind it had become diluted, and now it only served the role of the 'evil one' in phrases like, 'Evil one, begone!'
But even so, the reason Kain had flinched at the name Desmond was because of.
'A possible chance.'
A one in ten thousand, no, a one in ten thousand squared chance that he might return alive.
In fact, he had vaguely thought about this ever since he first awakened his memories of his past life and was training alone for about a month to create the 2nd Circle of fire magic.
Clearly, Kain had severed Desmond's life force in his past life and repeatedly confirmed that there was no possibility of revival.
'But since I'm alive like this, I can't be certain that Desmond isn't alive somewhere in the same way.'
The logic was simple.
Kain had died in his past life but had been reincarnated for some reason and awakened those memories at the age of fifteen.
Could he guarantee that the same thing hadn't happened to Desmond?
-【Kuh... I thought I would definitely obtain it this time. But surely, in the future...】
'In the future... he said.'
Desmond's words also bothered him more and more the more he pondered them after regaining his memories.
Did Desmond know about reincarnation when he said that? If so, had he already been reincarnated, or was he going to be but hadn't yet? If he had, had he regained his memories, or was he going to?
There was nothing he could know.
'I definitely need to be cautious.'
Especially if there were still those on the continent who sought to carry out Desmond's will even after his death.
That was why Kain had been trying to find records about Desmond if possible, while also looking for records about the clan.
But even though he had somewhat prepared himself mentally, the moment he saw the name Desmond, the memories of his past life flashed vividly before his eyes for an instant, and he couldn't help but be shaken for a moment.
"Hoo. Should I look at some other records?"
Kain tried to find more records about Desmond after that, but unfortunately, it seemed that was all there was.
He even searched the attached repository more thoroughly, looking for the oldest books possible.
All he had found was another record that turned his stomach.
The content of that record was that the temple had taken about half the credit for killing Desmond during the Great War in the past.
'Even if there were no witnesses, they really go all out.'
But perhaps they had some last shred of conscience, or maybe they couldn't completely fabricate the story.
The record stated, 'After a fierce battle where no one could have survived, a stigmata was later discovered at the presumed location of Desmond, and it is believed that the grace of the main god ended Desmond's life.'
'What utter nonsense. It was just the result of Desmond mockingly swallowing the high priest's stigmata.'
Even before that, the stigmata had already lost its power.
'Hoo. There's no way I can bring this up now, after two hundred years.'
If Kain suddenly went out in front of the imperial palace or the temple and shouted, 'It was actually Sein Siers who killed Desmond,' he would only be treated like a madman.
What difference would it make if a very young boy who hadn't even been born back then made such a claim?
Even if a miracle happened and the imperial clan believed it, the current Siers clan didn't even have the power to uphold that honor.
'Should I be thankful that the credit didn't go to another clan instead?'
Kain organized the records and put them back in their place, letting out a sigh.
He felt wronged. His chest felt tight, as if it were being constricted.
Not having been able to completely defeat Desmond and ending in mutual destruction. The clan's lineage being severed and their prestige falling to the ground.
But.
'If only I had been stronger back then.'
No, if the entire clan, including him, had been stronger.
Of course, fundamentally, all the blame lay with Desmond.
It wasn't Sein Siers' fault that the disciples hadn't become strong enough.
On the contrary, if it hadn't been for Sein Siers, they wouldn't have even gotten that far.
He knew that better than anyone.
But in the end, what remained was the result, and he knew that no one but a god could consider and reward such achievements and efforts.
Therefore.
'In this life, I will definitely produce the best results.'
Regarding himself and regarding the clan, so that there would be no regrets left.
'For now, the Desmond matter is on hold.'
It's still uncertain whether he has reincarnated or will.
Until he found something that could serve as a clue, it was better to focus on the present.
'Yes. I need to focus on the present.'
Kain checked the time.
'It's already lunchtime.'
And he decided to eat first.
***
"Wow, Kain. Your cooking is getting tastier and tastier. I'm so jealous."
"Alice has been practicing cooking a lot lately."
"S-still, thank you for always changing the side dishes a little for me, Kain. Being friends with you has brought me many good things. Hehe."
As Fohn smiled at Kain with sparkling eyes, Kain averted his gaze and replied,
"It's more efficient that way. There's no other meaning."
After finishing their meal behind the main building, they took a light walk to aid digestion.
"What are you going to do until evening, Kain?"
"I was planning on having personal training time."
"You're going to train after all. Then can we join you?"
"Y-yeah, we were told we don't have classes in the afternoon today either."
They had planned to train together in the evening, but since everyone happened to have free time, they decided to do one more training session before dinner and then rest to replenish their stamina until mealtime.
"Hey, are you guys training without me?!"
Bolio, who had finished eating at the cafeteria, joined them while they were running in the East Wing's vacant lot.
"Hah... hah..."
"Hah..."
The hardest part about pushing physical training to the limit was that even as their stamina increased, they had to endure extreme pain every time.
But despite that, Edward, Fohn, and Bolio ran and cast magic repeatedly without complaint to improve their skills.
"From now on, I won't personally monitor you when you cast magic to your limit, so do it until you can't anymore and then rest on your own."
"Oh, you don't need to watch?"
"Of course, it would be better if I did, but I can't just keep watching the three of you all the time."
In the case of physical training, he had been watching not only to push them to their limits but also to prevent injuries if they went beyond those limits.
But since the worst that could happen when casting magic was fainting briefly while sitting, it was safe to leave them to their own devices.
"You guys have done it a few times now, so you should be somewhat familiar with the feeling of your limits."
"Okay! Then we'll try it on our own!"
While the three of them practiced casting magic with minimal mental strength after their physical training, Kain checked his own body and steadily built up his fire magic circles with the pure fire mana extracted from the Snow Blossom Ice Crystal.
"N-no... more..."
"Ughhhh..."
"Gweh."
There was a sound of someone losing consciousness from somewhere, but Kain continued his training without paying attention.
He gradually gave the disciples more autonomy and monitored them at necessary times, repeating this process.
About a week later, they had reached the point where they would come out and start training on their own without being told.
'They seem to have become somewhat accustomed to using magic efficiently.'
Now, all of them could successfully cast magic in one go with minimal mental strength even when their physical strength was completely depleted.
From tomorrow, it seemed like he could point out the specific areas where their fire magic was lacking and how they should develop it.
Kain watched the three of them for a moment, then closed his eyes and focused on his own circles.
'This side is also progressing at a steady pace.'
Thanks to the pure mana he had extracted from the Snow Blossom Ice Crystal and his innate affinity, Kain's own mastery was also accumulating at a satisfactory rate.
'Now, the only remaining issue I need to resolve immediately is the financial problem.'
The support funds had been largely restored, but it was still only enough to breathe a little easier.
It might help in resolving the pending issues, but it was nowhere near enough to bring the clan back to its former glory.
'I need to improve the fundamental structure so that we can operate well even without receiving support in the first place.'
Combining the stories he had heard from Alice and Nefty with the information he had seen in the archives, the biggest problem besides the support funds seemed to be the monopoly on the commercial rights and distribution network.
However.
'Unfortunately, I don't know much about that area.'
Of course, he knew the basics and the concepts commonly used in the commercial world.
But detailed information such as actual statistics and on-site situations had always been reported and resolved by the finance officer or the disciples working in finance who were knowledgeable in commerce.
'I can't just go to the finance office right now and tell them to report what the core problems are and how best to solve them.'
As Kain was deep in thought, a voice came from beside him.
"K-Kain."
"What is it? Did you encounter a difficult part?"
"Ah, no... it's not that... I was just resting for a bit, and you looked like you had a lot on your mind. W-what were you thinking about?"
Kain answered honestly.
"I heard that the situation in our clan's territory isn't good right now. Especially since the Bederman clan has a hold on the commercial rights, it seems there's a hit to trade. I was thinking of suggesting that even if we have to take a detour, we should try to pioneer a completely new route to secure a distribution network for our goods."
There was no need to explain in such detail, but...
'It's better than just giving a vague answer and then having a string of follow-up questions.'
In his past life, if he answered like this, most people would just say, 'Ah, I see, Clan Head. Thank you for your hard work,' and leave.
Fohn had said this, so he would probably go back to practicing magic soon...
"No. The method you mentioned isn't impossible, Kain, but right now, it's better to resolve the monopoly on the existing route, even if it's just temporarily. Take the White Magic Stone, which is a high-priced core item. The section from the Hyperen region to Grenden Village is a reasonable route with moderate risk that doesn't involve going around, but the Bederman clan has a high commission on it. If we were to create a more roundabout route, no matter how safely we secure it, the distance would become too long and inefficient. So, if we could revive one of the existing routes that we weren't using because of high risk and just resolve the safety issue, we could significantly reduce costs, even though it's beneficial in terms of the travel path."
"?"
