Chapter 51: The Duke and the last of that mag

 

     “If that person was a fake, then where would the real saint have gone?”

     “Hey, that priest there! Earlier he asked, “How can you help the real saint?””

     “What did the imposter do to the saint?”

     Angry senior vassals started to make a fuss. Lloyd silently grimaced at the question, it was difficult to answer.

     Keefa was the one who answered, “The Duke of Igner knows it.”

     “Eh…?”

     The duke smiled wryly in front of the confused people, “It seems that His Highness wants to make me the criminal. I was also shocked that the saint was actually an impostor. His Highness said that it has something to do with me, but that’s impossible. You may ask her—well, you can’t ask her anymore.” he shook his head regretfully.

     The fake saint disappeared and Liz knew that it’s rather convenient for the duke. After Sheena, there’s no one who knows what the duke had done.

     Regardless, Keefa continued, “It’s all right. The duke’s sins are well known. Civil war and treason. You made Sheena a saint in Colorado and sent her to the royal palace to be my wife, and have that imposter become the real saint. To be able to manipulate the country from behind as you try to have the future queen and saint under your hands. For that purpose, you deliberately caused that conflict in the Colorado region only for your own ambition…!”

     As expected, the complexions of the senior vassals changed. However, the duke laughed as if to appease a child that began saying ridiculous things.

     “That’s ridiculous. I would never do such a thing. Excuse me, but His Highness seems to be confused by the poison.”

     “Not at all. I will never do such a thing. Excuse me, but the Lord is confused by the poison.” he began to sharply appeal to the king.

     Ignoring it, Keefa called out towards the door. When Eric opened the door, the young man came in with a person whose hands are tied up behind their back.

     “—Sheena!?” The duke rose up in spite of himself.

     She slowly looked up. Her eyes stared at the duke, there was a quiet color of resentment in them. She was betrayed and all of his sins were pushed onto her.

     The duke cried out, “Why …!?”

     “Is she alive?” Keefa sharply cut him off and continued his question. 

     The duke paled. There’s no room for any error.

     “She’s alive and is able to talk.” Eric smiled, to answer his question.

     —Sheena was shot through her chest with an arrow, she survived thanks to the chief priest’s magic.

     When she woke up, she saw soldiers surrounding her and Keefa’s stern expression. Then she instantly remembered her current situation, her crimes being found out as well as being abandoned by the duke. She originally might’ve been slightly aware of the duke’s intentions. However if she admits to it, she’d lose her significance, the meaning of her existence, and she wanted to avoid thinking of it.

     Keefa looks at Sheena.

     Sheena began in a trembling voice, her hands are both clasped together as she made up her mind. Unless she tells the truth, she’d be blamed with all of the duke’s crimes.

     “I am— I’m originally Emilia Kafen. I was taken by one of the duke’s subordinates and went to his mansion in a mountain in the Zac region. There, the magician changed my face and the duke told me to live as Sheena. He said that if I do it, I’ll become the crown princess. To that, the duke caused a dispute in the Colorado region. To make me a saint, a local brought me to where the conflict took place.”

     “…It’s a lie. It’s a hoax, King.”

     “It’s true! The magician transformed herself into the present saint and was able to use forbidden magic. I don’t know what she originally looked like, but the one I saw in the mansion didn’t seem to be the real one. They gave me manastones to place it in the temple and the barrier placed in it was so powerful that it couldn’t be easily noticed. Taking advantage of the confusion and chaos, they replaced her as the real saint and the duke is aware of it…!”

     “No, no! She’s lying!” the duke said loudly, there’s burning anger in his eyes.

     Keefa took a step back.

     “Is that so? We have also captured the pharmacist who had given Emilia the knowledge in medicinal herbs. He’s a gloomy grumpy  man who speaks his mind without much moving his mouth. He testified that Emilia was certainly in the mansion and that it was him who had taught her. And the head of the monastery, it seemed that that duke had a firm hold on him as he did not say anything at first, but it was indeed true that one of the duke’s men came to pick Emilia up under the duke’s orders.”

     The duke let out a breath.

     “And the other servants. We also talked to the duke’s servants in the mansion within the mountains of the Zak region and the travelers who would deliver goods to the mansion. They’d see the duke talking to Sheena and Emilia—they thought they were different— and would have a secret conversation with a female magician. At one point, they had thought that the duke had Emilia killed since she hadn’t gone out nor have seen her. It seems that he had only hired a few people in fear of being discovered. You should’ve been more attentive to your underworkers.”

     Keefa looked at the duke, his eyes were filled with emotions.

     “It’s the same as before… It was like that 500 years ago. You don’t pay attention to the people below. You just think that they’re just a piece, less than a livestock. That’s why you don’t care and do as you please. However, they’re also people, they can see and hear though cannot freely speak. Moreover, I’ve thought of it and I know it well. It’s sad and disappointing to be treated as something akin to being nonexistent, regarded as a fool.” 

     Like Eugene in his previous life—

     Keefa’s thoughts were clear to Liz and she understood. The duke would have just passed on.

     The duke stiffened and his face was in a frown, bitterly turning his head.

     But he quickly raised his head, the corner of his lips went up. He still has plenty of time to fight back.

     “But that doesn’t prove that I caused the conflict in Colorado. That’s Sheena’s testimony alone. Indeed, I am certainly acquainted with that magician. I apologize for lying about it. The magician said, “I can change my face,” and so on. Though, the reason why Emilia changed to Sheena was to adopt her. My daughter, Grace, who was guilty of her crime, could have a good relationship and connection with a good family. That’s why I was happy that she played an active part and became the saint of Colorado, she even went up to the temple. However, it seems that I was mistaken…without shame, this woman lied…! I swear by it, I didn’t know that the magician was going ro take over and replace the current saint.”

     Without any shame, he turned his cold eyes to Sheena as the final act, “It was you who wanted to go up to the temple―well, you and the magician. You tried to probe and fool His Highness, trying to seize the position of Crown Princess and that magician as the saint. Both of you had the idea of manipulating this country from behind. What a shameful thing……!”

     ‘You’re the shameful one.’ Liz instantly thought.　

     Sheena’s complexion changed. She felt such intense emotions piling up and she trembled as she couldn’t let any words come out of her mouth.

　Keefa gave out a small sigh, “ A local in Colorado testified that he was hired by the duke’s subordinates and guided Sheena into the conflict. Moreover, he was told to deliberately offend the people and create a conflict because they were all ordered to.”

     “…!?” The duke turned pale. That’s impossible. He let out an assassin in the prison. Like Sheena, he should have been silenced by his subordinates.

     “Yesterday, a soldier caught someone sneaking into prison. He seems to be someone who undertakes assassination. Unfortunately, he died before he was able to make any statement. However, as soon as he showed his disapproval, the man began to speak and said that it was all ordered by the duke.” 

     “Lies….!”

     Despite the duke’s trembling voice, Keefa continued.

     “Unlike the man from Colorado, he was covering up for you until then. No matter how hard I inquired, he’d say that everything was done at his own discretion, that the duke had no connection with it. It was really a show of his loyalty.”

     Just like Bauer, the butler, in his previous life. He served Eugene’s father, the head of the Howard family,  with all his heart and sincerity.

     “You were the one who turned him against him.”

     The man under his command realized that the duke was trying to silence him.

     The duke gasped quietly. He knew he had no escape. He looked around to ask for help, but was confronted with a stern face and looked away from the prime minister.

     The king stared the duke in silence. He couldn’t bear his gaze and loudly exclaimed, “This is a mistake, your Majesty…Yes! Someone threw me in. I swear that I have had no part in the conflict in Colorado, and I am innocent regarding that magician!”

     There is no room for him to be calm. In front of them is an unscrupulous man trying to escape his sins as he is being confronted about it.

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     The king opened his mouth to the duke who had an eager expression.

     “I’m sorry, duke.” he said, full of disappointment.

     A cold tone. He’s in complete denial. The duke’s face turned pale.

     “Prince Keefa told me that you, duke, were involved in the conflict in Colorado. Since then, I have been looking into it. So I know there’s no lie about what he had said. As well as your relationship with the prime minister, it seems like you had other people around whether higher or lower. They tried to take over the country. In order for you to live easily, you use them and exhaust them all.”

     The prime minister was also unnerved and turned pale.

     As the king still  had his eyes on the Duke, he squeezed out a question, “What on earth do you take a human life for?” 

     His cheeks are flushed, though from his expression one can’t tell it, he’s surely very angry inside. However, at the same time, he didn’t notice the duke’s scheme and placed people’s lives at risk. As a king, he felt responsible.

     “I know you think of me as a harmless King, as I have no doubt and take in people’s words. Moreover, I don’t think a king should have to go through his own firm opinion because it would become self-righteous. I  believe it’s most important to listen to the opinions of those around me and carefully scrutinize them since they are sincere and honest words of the people. But that was the end of it. The people of Colorado have terribly suffered. A lost life can never be recovered—”

     Nobody uttered  a word. Everyone was holding their breath as they stared, watching the King’s penitence from the bottom of his heart.

     It was the prime minister who broke the silence. He pleaded in a desperate voice, “Your Majesty! I didn’t know anything! I didn’t know the duke was going to do such treason—!”

     “I’ll hear your excuses plenty later. Take him.” the king flatly said. Keefa had said that through investigation, the prime minister was not involved in any of the duke’s plans. Still, if threatened, the prime minister is likely to be willing to tell everything he knows about the duke.

     The haggard duke, who looked as if he had aged beyond years, and the prime minister, who kept on desperately pleading, were being taken away by the soldiers. The senior vassals looked at each other and began to talk.

     “I never knew that Duke Igner would ever think of doing such a thing. I’m shocked!”

     “It’s terrible. The Prime Minister was also—!”

     Suddenly the duke stumbled. Someone deliberately put his foot out. With both knees on the floor, the duke’s remaining pride may have been wounded even more as he glared at him with burning eyes.

     “I’m sorry,” he apologized in a cold tone, looking back to the front. It was the captain of the knights.

     ‘Why?’ Liz thought and Keefa whispered to her ear, “He led the people to end the conflict in Colorado. We were aware of the situation there and many of his men were put to risk and had casualties, some were killed or injured.”

     She knew that it’d be unforgivable that the duke had done such a thing on purpose for the sake of his own desires and selfishness.

     “This will be a tough interrogation… the crime he did was heavy.”

     Liz nodded and approached the Duke. There are things that she hasn’t told him yet.

     The duke, who had his knees on the floor, was stunned. The captain of the knights had a cold gaze on him and the situation at present and in the future went through his mind.

     At the sight of the duke, Liz went before him and took out a hair ornament from her pocket. It was what Sheena had. It was made to imitate what Eugene had given to Cecil in his previous life.

     The moment the duke saw it, his face distorted. It was supposed to be Sheena who Keefa would love. Even so, he was angry that Liz had it, or whether he could not stand on being looked down upon by a commoner. He could not stand it and his expression isn’t hard to see.

     Liz looked straight to his angry face. She didn’t feel strange nor scared. He was the butler of the Howard family in the previous life. When she was Cecil, she was looked down upon and was lied to under the unperceived eyes of others. That time, she had no choice but to run away.

     But now it’s different. She’s not alone. There’s Keefa, the Holy dragon, and Lloyd. She had formed friends and allies by her own power and self. And there are things that she could do too.

     “I will get this hair ornament.”

      It’s strange but it’s done well. A reminder of her previous life. Though the material is cheap, the duke knew that it was a first class item made by a master craftsman. Liz wondered if her intentions were understood.

     “Don’t play around. Why don’t you—”

     To the yelling duke, Liz slowly said, “It’s interest. Five hundred years worth.”

     He didn’t understand what she meant, the duke frowned.

     “I didn’t receive the wages that Eugene gave 500 years ago for working at the Howard family.”

     The money Eugene asked the butler to send to Cecil.

     “…What?” The duke frowned, suspicious. He seemed to be desperately thinking hard, but after a while he looked shocked. So far, everything went quite well.

     “No way…Your last life was…!” he said hoarsely.

     Liz quietly looked at the duke and her red eyes gleamed with power. It was a deep hue that allowed one to see that she had overcome so many difficulties. The duke seemed to see that glint and the divine aura that surrounded Liz. He took in a breath as if he was pressured.

     Keefa stood next to Liz as if he was defending her. The royal coat of arms on his waist shook.

     The duke, who was on his knees, collapsed on the floor. He lost his strength to keep himself up as well as his spirit. Its different from the previous life. He realized the true value of those people who he had turned himself as the enemy.

     The duke covered his head with both hands and groaned like it was the end of the world.

     “Get up! Come on!” The soldier yelled at him and the duke staggered to his feet. The despair of the lost future seemed to surround him. The duke walked out of the room as he was led away. He turned around a little and it seemed that he had lost hope and looked like he had aged for many decades.

     Liz let out a breath.

     ‘It’s over…’

     A feeling of weariness came pouring in and she slowly glanced down on her right hand.The hair ornament in her hand is old. It’s not really old, but it’s made out to look old on purpose. In her memory, it was new and shiny.

     Feeling the weight of five hundred years on it, Keefa managed to gently take the accessory.

     “This hair ornament is expensive, but it is a fake. It is not fit for Liz.” He smiled gently, “I will give you a new one which suits you.”

     Five hundred years ago, the words that Eugene had told her came back to her,”I will give you a ring.”

     Her memories from before bursted into her mind at once. It’s not just fun memories. Still—

     “Yes.Thank you.” Liz laughed again.

     This lifetime is different from the previous one. There were times where she had denied the past and wondered why she was reborn with such a painful memory. But that was the past and this was the present. 

     

 

I didn’t notice till now but thank you so much MarcosV for buying me a coffee! I appreciate it so much!~ (*ˊᗜˋ*)/ᵗᑋᵃᐢᵏ ᵞᵒᵘ*

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