Chapter 1: The Hearing

1

And so, after completing our various tasks, we departed together from the Ruu settlement.

Since the group was just too large, we couldn’t use the wagon. After all, we had the nine people participating in the meeting, Zuuro Suun’s group of seven, and ten guards, making for twenty-six in total.

The nine attending the meeting were the three leading clan heads, Gazraan Rutim, the Fou and Beim clan heads, me and Ai Fa, and Bartha.

The group of seven whose crimes would be probed by Cyclaeus consisted of Zuuro Suun, Diga, Doddo, Mida, Yamiru Lea, Oura, and Tsuvai.

And the ten guards included the familiar faces of Darmu and Ludo Ruu, Dan Rutim, and Rau Lea, as well as two members each from the Zaza, Dom, and Jeen, making for a pretty elite unit.

Of particular note was the fact that both Gazraan and Dan Rutim would be participating.

The custom at the forest’s edge was that in emergency situations, either the clan head or their heir was to stay behind to protect their home. Even last night, those participating in the meeting remained in the Ruu settlement to help keep an eye on Zuuro Suun and company, but Dan Rutim and Rau Lea temporarily returned home.

Today, however, was a unique case, so Dan Rutim was selected to be one of the guards under Donda Ruu’s orders. Since we were treading into the unknown territory of the castle town, he decided it would be best to have the strongest formation possible.

Now that I thought about it, since even Ai Fa and Mida would be present, that meant seven of the top eight from the contest of strength held by the Ruu clan would be there.

The only one missing would be Jiza Ruu, as he alone was staying back to protect the settlement. The safety of the hundred or so people under the Ruu clan was placed firmly on his shoulders as his father’s heir. And Shin Ruu also wasn’t chosen, so he would be remaining to carry out his own work too.

Still, those hunters from the north sure are overwhelming... I thought to myself as I walked down the path to the post town, surrounded by hunters and plenty of lush greenery.

The men around me were elites from the Zaza, Dom, and Jeen, clans from the north that had previously fallen under the Suun. They were said to be every bit as brave as the Ruu and their related clans, and they certainly looked impressive enough to fit that reputation.

“You don’t have any objections to leaving Deek Dom and Dan Rutim in charge of the guard group, right?” Gulaf Zaza called out to Donda Ruu as we walked the trail.

Apparently Deek Dom referred to the Dom clan head, that muscular mountain of a man who wore a giba skull over his head. He had an even larger build than Donda Ruu and Gulaf Zaza, and his face and arms were covered in countless scars. Even after all this time I’d spent among the people of the forest’s edge, I had to say he still had the most intimidating appearance of any of the hunters I had ever seen.

“With me and Deek Dom around, we’ll have nothing to fear no matter how many hundreds of soldiers surround us!” Dan Rutim said with a hearty laugh, while his northern counterpart just silently watched him out of the corner of his eye. However, his black eyes were ablaze like flames underneath that giba skull.

Though the two of them really were polar opposites, I had trouble imagining a stronger combination. And it made me realize once again how precarious the fate of the forest’s edge was, requiring us to use everything we had.

“I’ve been waiting for all of you, representatives from the forest’s edge,” Leito called out, having been waiting for us at the midpoint between the town and the forest.

Originally, Kamyua Yoshu had been the one to invite Bartha to stand as a witness. That was why Leito would be accompanying us in his place as we headed into the castle town.

“Melfried prepared a pass for Bartha, but he couldn’t mobilize the ducal guards for private business, so is it all right if we head to Cyclaeus’s manor together?”

“Hmph. So Kamyua Yoshu didn’t make it in the end...” Donda Ruu said.

“There’s still time before the sun hits its peak, so I can’t say anything for certain. I definitely hope he does make it, though.”

Naturally, there was no reason to turn down Leito’s request at this point. And so, we headed for the castle gates together.

Normally when Donda Ruu and the others went to one of these meetings, they would pass behind the thicket so as to attract as little attention as possible from the townsfolk, but that would prove difficult with such a large crowd.

“There’s no need to worry about attention. After all, while you were kidnapped by that noble’s daughter there was an even bigger crowd of our comrades in town.”

“Huh...? But today we’ve got Zuuro Suun and his family with us, right?”

Diga and Doddo had been unbound, while Zuuro Suun remained the only one today with his arms and legs restrained with leather straps. If we went and openly paraded him through the post town, it might impart the same fear and confusion the townsfolk had experienced when they saw Zattsu Suun being dragged along.

And then there was Mida. In the past, he had thrown ridiculous tantrums that left stalls destroyed when he didn’t like the cooking they served. Though he had lost a bit of excess fat by this point, I doubted any of the townsfolk would fail to recognize him.

“I said there’s no need to worry about that. Don’t make me repeat the same line again and again,” Donda Ruu grumbled, then turned toward his comrades. “Zuuro Suun’s group, get in the center of the lineup. And Asuta of the Fa clan, you stay with the women.”

“Got it.”

It was then I finally realized how essential those measures were.

Would the people of the post town be willing to forgive the lawless actions of the Suun clan, or no? Just like Gazraan Rutim had once said, it wouldn’t just be the lord of Genos deciding that. This was also an unavoidable moment of judgment for them.

Looking at him now, Zuuro Suun’s big toad-like mouth was open wide, puffing and panting, as if he had been made to march through the mountains. And Diga and Doddo were both staring down at their feet with worried looks.

Diga had been afraid of the townsfolk to begin with, and Doddo was every bit as weak-willed when he didn’t have booze in him to give him courage. But their eyes seemed to be showing a lot more life in them now when compared to how they were before last night’s dinner.

On the other hand, the women looked firmly resolute. That of course went for Yamiru Lea and Tsuvai, but even the usually helpless-looking Oura was solemnly holding her head high and seemed to be facing her fate head on.

“Let’s go.”

After slipping through an alley between buildings, our group that had grown to twenty-seven with Leito set foot on the stone highway.

There was only half an hour or so left until the sun would hit its peak, so it was around the point that the town started bustling.

Perhaps it was only natural, but I sensed fear and confusion quickly roiling in the air throughout the street.

Since he was surrounded by so many hunters, it was possible they weren’t really seeing Zuuro Suun. And in fact, I sensed there was more shock coming from the sight of the hunters from the north, wearing their giba pelts with heads or skulls on top.

The Zaza and Dom settlements were located far away from the post town. Even now that we had wagons, it was still surely only the women who came to town. And so, it might well have been decades since any hunters from the north were seen around the post town.

Even driven into the center of the group, Mida’s huge frame still peeked out more than half a head over everyone else. Zattsu and Tei Suun had mostly kept their wicked deeds outside of Genos proper, so in recent years the ones menacing the townsfolk had been Mida and Doddo. And since Mida had gone on rampages while looking so unusual to begin with, he had surely engraved a deep sense of terror into plenty of minds.

The young women and old folks present looked ready to shriek, and some even collapsed to their knees. Even plenty of the southerners, who tended not to be as prejudiced as westerners, stood there looking startled by Mida’s appearance.

As those feelings of fear and confusion washed over us, the hunters of the forest’s edge just strode down the stone street. And the guards patrolling the post town showed no signs of approaching.

Th-That’s...

After progressing for a bit, we came across a familiar figure: the owner of The Kimyuus’s Tail, Milano Mas. He was standing in front of his inn, looking our way with an intense gaze.

All the criminals had died out, and those left weren’t guilty... Milano Mas said something like that, but Zuuro Suun and his former family were the direct descendents of those criminals. Just what sort of emotions were whirling about in the man’s chest right now?

A little bit farther down the road we approached the area with the stalls, where we found Yang setting up for business. The face of the girl helping him went completely pale as she froze in place, while the chef himself looked our way in surprise.

Yang was a chef in the castle town, and he didn’t exactly have fond feelings toward Cyclaeus. He wasn’t involved directly in the discord between us people of the forest’s edge and that wicked noble, but he had likely at least heard a summary of what was going on from his employer, Polarth.

But even while Yang was going rather pale himself, I noticed him scanning the crowd for me and sending a firm nod my way. I nodded back over Ai Fa and Ludo Ruu’s shoulders.

After that, the end of the post town finally came into view... along with a single man leaping out in front of us.

It was the vegetable seller, Dora.

Donda Ruu was standing at the head of our group, so he was the one to stop and raise his right arm for everyone else to do the same.

“Y-You’re Donda Ruu, one of the leading clan heads of the forest’s edge, right? D-Do you remember me? I met you a number of times back when Asuta was kidnapped, but still...”

Even Dora’s face was looking pale. He was a large, fairly strong-looking man, but when faced with a group like this, he looked like a pitiful little puppy.

After exchanging a look with Ai Fa in the center of the cluster, she and I hurried over that way, while the conversation continued on.

“I don’t recall hearing your name, but you’re a vegetable seller from around these parts, aren’t you?”

“Y-Yes, that’s right. I grow vegetables on the Daleim plantations and sell them, and my name is Dora. Your son and daughters have been kind enough to favor my business.”

“In that case... You grow and sell the aria and poitan we always eat,” Donda Ruu replied in his deep tone, standing there imposingly.

The passing crowd watched with bated breath as the two continued talking.

“R-Right. My shop has been thriving thanks to Asuta and the folks from your Ruu clan buying so many vegetables. I-I hope to keep doing business with all of you in the future, Donda Ruu...”

At that point, Ai Fa and I finally managed to make it to Donda Ruu’s side.

Seeing that, Dora listlessly shot us a smile, his well muscled body trembling lightly.

“We want to keep on living as we have been too... And if things are going to change, we want it to be in a good way,” Donda Ruu replied. “That’s why we’ve come to today’s meeting. If things go well, I’ll be sending my daughters to buy vegetables from you again before long.”

“I’ll be praying from the depths of my heart that that’s how things turn out. May the divine protection of the western god Selva be with you... And Asuta, you and all your people better give it your best, all right?”

“Right. Thank you.”

With that, Dora backed away, and Donda Ruu continued on as if nothing had happened.

And as her father watched us leave, Tara clung to his leg. I turned my neck and kept on staring at the two of them until they disappeared from view.

Will we be able to keep on interacting with folks from the post town like we have up till now...? That’s riding on today’s meeting too.

And as we moved out of the post town, there was a scattering of trees on either side of the road. Continuing further north we came across another road to the west, which led to the castle town. While we had been seeing glimpses of the castle walls through the gaps between the trees, they had now come into clear view.

The stone walls were around six or seven meters high, and surrounded the castle town. This was my first time seeing them while it was still bright out.

They stretched out seemingly without end to the west alongside the highway, but once we advanced around twenty meters, we finally saw the gates. They were massive, like a mouth left gaping wide in an arch shape. And atop the drawbridge leading to the gateway, there were wealthy-looking merchants and old folks in frocks coming and going, protected by soldiers and the like.

Then, when we at last reached the base of the drawbridge, a large group appeared from the thicket to the south.

“We’ve been waiting for you, leading clan heads,” one of them said, walking up to Gulaf Zaza.

The large young man also wore a giba pelt with the head still attached. This was the eldest son of the main Jeen house. And the thirty or so men he had behind him were all hunters of the forest’s edge. They were a mixed group that had hurried over from the Zaza, Jeen, and Sauti settlements.

Their duty was to keep watch and make sure the castle town’s militia wasn’t making any strange moves, and also to wait for the leading clan heads to safely return to them. Donda Ruu and the other heads were prepared even for the possibility that Cyclaeus might launch an attack on the settlement at the forest’s edge while they were away in the castle town.

“Apparently here in the castle town, they ring the bell six times between when the sun hits its peak and when it sets. If the meeting doesn’t look like it’ll be over before the third bell, we’ll send one of the guards as a messenger, so wait here for them.”

“Understood.”

With that, the hunters disappeared again into the thicket.

And then, as if waiting for that moment, a single soldier approached across the drawbridge.

“We have been awaiting you, leading clan heads of the forest’s edge.”

The large man, Jimon, had the crest of the Turan house engraved on his breastplate. Though he had acted so arrogantly in front of me and Ludo Ruu, his tone and attitude had shifted when faced with the leading clan heads.

“I am the captain of Count Turan’s first guard unit, Jimon, and I shall lead you to the count’s manor. There are eight participants in the meeting, seven criminals whose crimes shall be tried, and ten guards accompanying you, correct?”

“Your numbers aren’t wrong, but there’s one thing I’d like to revise. Only one of those seven can rightly be called a criminal. We’ll be assessing the crimes of the other six today, won’t we?”

“My apologies for misspeaking...” Jimon said, expressionlessly bowing his head.

I found it difficult to imagine what he must be feeling, faced with so many hunters.

“And we’ve got two extra tagging along, as well. It’s not our job to handle them, though,” Donda Ruu added, at which point Leito and Bartha stepped forward.

“We were invited by the leader of the ducal guard, Sir Melfried, to participate in today’s meeting. We have passes prepared, so we ask that you guide us too.”

“The count also informed me of that matter,” Jimon said as he gestured toward the drawbridge with his right hand. “The passes for your leaders have been prepared, so please board the totos wagons over that way.”

“Totos wagons?”

Looking where he directed, I saw that there were indeed a number of wagons slowly approaching. In fact, there were four somewhat large ones, each drawn by two totos. They were built in a sealed box shape, and naturally the Turan emblem was clearly displayed on their sides.

“You certainly went through some trouble, preparing wagons for us. Did you mistake us for noble ladies or something?”

“No. But it would take some time to make it to the manor from the gates on foot, and besides...it wouldn’t do to needlessly upset the residents of the castle town,” Jimon politely responded, to which Donda Ruu gave a displeased snort.

“Each wagon can seat up to ten, so please board as best suits you.”

“Hmph...”

Naturally, we split up so that the hunters equipped with their blades were evenly distributed alongside those of us who were defenseless. I ended up riding alongside Ai Fa, Ludo and Darmu Ruu, Bartha, and Leito. We took our seats with three each on either bench, facing one another across the truly spacious wagon interior. With Ai Fa and Ludo Ruu now on either side of me, I called out to the driver, “Um, is it all right if we pull back the cloth covering this window?”

“As you wish...” the man replied in a slightly trembling voice. Apparently he wasn’t as successful at suppressing his emotions as Jimon.

At any rate, though, I went ahead and pulled back the curtain on the little window.

“Yeah, it just puts me on edge, not being able to see my surroundings,” Bartha said from the opposite seat as she did the same. She had her crescent-shaped blade hanging from her hip again, marking her as one of the combat-ready members of the group.

“Well then, let us be off!” Jimon ordered, at which point the totos wagons started crossing the drawbridge one by one.

Slowly but steadily, the thicket where our comrades were hiding vanished into the distance.

It’s finally time...

At last, we would be settling things.

Our relationship with Genos had become complex and twisted, and I had no idea how much that could be improved today alone.

But Kamyua Yoshu had formed his plan to use Bartha as a foundation to build a case that would expose Cyclaeus’s old crimes, and the leading clan heads had determined this was the day we’d settle everything.

This meeting would determine whether Cyclaeus, and in turn Duke Marstein Genos, were worthy of the people of the forest’s edge offering up their blades in service.

And so with all sorts of thoughts and emotions burning bright inside of us, we finally passed through the gates to the Genos castle town.

2

So this is the Genos castle town, huh? As my body rocked along with the wagon, I got to see what the place looked like clearly for the first time.

People called it the city of stone, which was fitting, since that’s what not only the road but also the buildings were made of. The road was wide, and the structures were large. Though there were occasionally some trees lined up alongside the road, there was hardly any dirt to be seen. And everyone passing by looked real well off too.

Still, foreign merchants like Shumiral and Diel were also permitted to come and go here. Thanks to that, there were plenty of southern merchants with totos pulling heavy-looking luggage, as well as easterners whose faces were completely hidden under their hoods.

And even among the westerners dressed up all nice and proper, the majority of them still looked to be merchants. Perhaps this area nearest to the gates was some sort of trade district.

As we advanced farther we approached a plaza with a large fountain, and I spied stalls set up there.

Well, I guess even the residents of the castle town need to earn a living.

A town this big had to have thousands of residents, or maybe even tens of thousands. And only a handful of them were nobles.

There was a man selling mountains of vegetables piled high.

A woman had laid out beautiful fabrics to attract the attention of passersby.

Children bit into red fruits while running about the fountain.

There was a vivid energy to the place, like these people were all celebrating the peace they enjoyed.

And it’s not like the people of the forest’s edge want to take away their tranquility.

In fact, the hunters undertook the dangerous task of taking down giba precisely to protect that peace and prosperity.

Only the Turan and Daleim lands had large-scale fields here in Genos. That meant the people of the castle town had to bring food in from outside the stone walls in order to satisfy their hunger.

Fuwano, superior fruit wine, and all sorts of first-class vegetables that commanded higher prices came here to the castle town. Someone had once grumbled that the post town only had stuff like sour tarapa, while the more expensive and less sour foods were all bought up by folks in these stone walls.

That’s not necessarily a problem. But...when they hole up inside these stone walls, do they even really know how much their prosperous lives are supported by the people of the forest’s edge?

Of course, it wasn’t like the hunters were working so hard to be given awards or words of gratitude.

Anyway, Ai Fa stared out the window together with me, but the sights didn’t seem to be leaving any real deep impression on her.

Still, I couldn’t help but find it all a bit hard to understand.

Even if Cyclaeus is an outlier, what exactly does the lord of Genos think about all this? Does he just not care about anything else as long as things are peaceful and prosperous inside these stone walls?

The totos wagon just kept on moving down the road, caring nothing for my concerns. And before long, we stopped in front of the manor.

“We’ve arrived...” the driver declared, and the door in the rear swung wide open.

We all exited the wagon together. The ground below our feet was paved in stone, and the manor towering over us was made from the same stuff too.

This was the Turan manor, the place where I had been imprisoned up until six days ago. And yet, this was my first time seeing it while it was bright out.

It might have been more accurate to say that the large building was constructed from grey bricks rather than stone, though the gabled roof was a strangely vivid shade of yellow. Now that I thought back on it, I was pretty sure Shumiral had once described the Turan residence as a yellow manor.

The building stretched out with two imposing square wings on the left and right. The center alone was four stories high, while the wings were each three. The structure on the right was where Lefreya had held me captive.

On the way here we had seen plenty of buildings throughout the castle town, but we hadn’t passed anything as imposing as this one. Comparing it to something I was familiar with, it was likely on the same scale as a school building.

Cyclaeus’s manor was also surrounded by stone walls that looked to be four or five meters high. We were currently on the inside of them, with our four wagons and crowd of nearly thirty standing in the vast courtyard with room to spare.

The stone path continued straight up to the building, with a lush lawn stretching out to either side of it. And during the night, guard dogs were let loose in this space.

Still, it’s hard to believe a family of just two is living in such a huge building... It’s like they prepared such a huge house just for all the servants and soldiers they employ, I thought to myself.

Jimon then directed us, “This way, please,” as he started walking toward the manor.

The leading clan heads went first, while the rest of us followed after.

There were two soldiers standing guard in front of what looked to be the front door, brandishing long spears with silvery heads. And when Jimon stopped several steps in front of them, one of the soldiers went and pulled open the heavy-looking door.

“Please, come inside,” Jimon stated as he went to continue onwards.

However, Donda Ruu didn’t budge. “Hold on. Only the folks participating in the meeting will be continuing on past this point.”

“What do you mean, exactly? We’ve prepared a waiting room for your bodyguards.”

The one to answer Jimon’s question was instead Dan Rutim, who was standing right behind Donda Ruu.

“If we pass through this door, we’ll have to hand over our blades, right? We can’t exactly do our duty as bodyguards like that! So let us stay here instead.”

“But... I do not see how you could guard the leading clan heads if you’re not by their side...”

“Don’t you worry! We’ll protect them just fine, along with everyone in this building!” Dan Rutim replied with a hearty chuckle.

“I see,” Jimon replied with a small nod. “In that case, we will leave a guard unit of several men here with you, so I ask that you follow their instructions from here on out. Is that acceptable?”

“Yeah, of course!”

“Very well, then... Leading clan heads and company, please come this way.”

As we left them all behind, Dan Rutim was grinning, Ludo Ruu looked serious, and Darmu Ruu and Deek Dom had a dangerous gleam shining in their eyes. But at any rate, our group went ahead and stepped into the manor.

The first thing to greet us was the vast entrance hall. At our feet, there was a reddish-brown rug already laid out. And as we all stepped onto it, the door closed behind us with a weighty sound.

“Welcome, everyone...” greeted the ten pages waiting there for us, all dressed in yellow uniforms.

They had a skin color typical of westerners, and were boys who looked to be even younger than me. But perhaps due to all the training they had undergone, they all stood there in a row with their gazes cast downward, their faces all as still as masks.

“We will take charge of your blades...”

With that, a number of them politely held out their hands, and the hunters all silently handed over the weapons at their hips.

“Shall we also take your cloaks?”

“No thanks. These are a hunter’s pride.”

Donda Ruu’s voice sounded even calmer than usual, but it was enough to cause the boy who had asked to flinch and cower a bit.

After giving the boy a glance, the clan head turned around to face his comrades.

“If you’ve got any metal skewers or small knives in your cloaks, hand those over too. As long as we don’t have anything that can serve as a weapon, nobody can complain.”

At that, the hunters followed his instructions and pulled out everything applicable.

And so, everyone was left unarmed. While we had been prepared for that from the start, I could still definitely feel my heartbeat quicken a bit.

“Well then, this way,” Jimon gestured, then started leading us down the carpeted hallway.

As we advanced to the left, the path suddenly narrowed and took on a maze-like structure. That meant we had crossed over into the left wing of the house. And though this part of the building was unexplored territory for me, the cramped, dimly-lit conditions stirred up some intense déjà vu.

Though there were countless doors along the walls, we ignored all of them and just kept following the path, taking both left and right turns. Was the route so complex in order to throw off intruders?

Slowly but steadily, we were growing more and more distant from Dan Rutim’s group outside the manor. However, I had already informed Donda Ruu of how Cyclaeus’s manor was structured in advance. On top of that, Dan Rutim’s group was standing by on the outside, so there should be no reason to worry...but my heart rate just kept on rising.

Eventually, we at last reached a spiral staircase made of bricks.

After climbing it, we continued a bit further down the hall, at which point Jimon finally stopped. Sure enough, there were once again two soldiers brandishing spears in front of the ostentatiously large door.

As he stood in front of them, Jimon announced, “The visitors from the forest’s edge have arrived!”

There was some muffled reply, and after hearing it Jimon pulled the door open. After that, he strode inside without any hesitation, and we followed right on after him.

At last, we were standing before Cyclaeus again.

“You have my thanks for coming, leading clan heads of the forest’s edge... I’m truly sorry for making you come all the way here on account of my own personal concerns,” the wicked noble greeted hoarsely.

The large reception hall looked to be a square of around ten meters on each side.

Unsurprisingly there was reddish brown carpet laid out atop the floor, and there were large partitioning screens along the left and right walls, while straight ahead hung what looked like a thick curtain. And Cyclaeus was sitting there in front of that massive curtain embroidered with the emblem of the house of Turan.

“I had heard you weren’t doing well, but I’m glad to see you have enough strength left to speak,” Dari Sauti replied in a blunt tone as he looked around the room.

Following his lead, I also stole some peeks around.

While it was certainly luxurious, the room also felt somehow dreary. The partitioning screens, curtain, and carpet all looked clearly high quality, but the only other furnishings seemed to be just enough stools for the people present. If there were at least some sort of big conference table or something in the center it’d seem about right, but as it was, it felt strangely empty.

Straight in front of us were Cyclaeus and another man I didn’t recognize, while a few meters away, Melfried and another unfamiliar white haired older fellow sat facing toward the master of the house.

“Beside me is the leader of the militia, Ciluel, while the legal officer of Genos, Sir Zylus, is there beside Lord Melfried.”

So that’s Cyclaeus’s younger brother, huh? I thought to myself, my attention first turning straight ahead.

The middle-aged man wore simple white armor over his large frame. His nose really stood out with how short and flat it was, and something about his face just screamed contempt. But when you added in the fact that he wore his dark brown hair in a mushroom-looking bowl cut, it made for a sort of comical appearance.

As for his age, he was probably somewhere in his forties. And honestly, he didn’t look anything like Cyclaeus, who had the appearance of a gaunt old man. The only thing that was similar between them was the tenacious shine in his pale eyes.

Meanwhile, that Zylus man was a skinny old fellow with a golden accessory hanging from the breast of his long white frock. I could only see the side of his face from where I was looking, but he seemed to be silently fuming.

“At Lord Melfried’s request, both Ciluel and Sir Zylus shall be participating. You have no objections to that, do you, leading clan heads...?”

Donda Ruu just silently nodded. After all, he had already heard of that matter from Leito.

Kamyua Yoshu’s plan was that by having Cyclaeus’s co-conspirator Ciluel and the man most well versed in the laws of Genos in one room, we would finally be able to bring the wicked noble’s crimes to light.

However, Kamyua Yoshu himself was absent. Would we still be able to fight properly alongside Melfried without him around? While nursing that worry, I snuck a glance at our noble ally.

Though I had heard Gazraan Rutim describe it, this was actually my first time seeing his face without the helmet. His hair was a medium brown, the bridge of his nose was straight, and his jaw was firm and lean. He was definitely more handsome than I had imagined, with a really fitting appearance for a noble. With his toned, tall, and lean body clad in white armor, he looked like a seriously admirable warrior.

However, the light in his grey eyes really was chilly in a way that felt almost reptilian. It was a cold light, but in a way completely different than Yamiru Lea’s had once been.

“Well then, you may start by seating yourselves, leading clan heads of the forest’s edge...” Cyclaeus urged, only for Dari Sauti to furrow his brow.

“I’m grateful for the consideration, but we people of the forest’s edge have no custom of sitting on such things.”

“You’ve said as much before... But since today’s meeting shall be rather time consuming, could I ask that you follow the customs of Genos? It is difficult to relax when you are the only ones sitting, after all.”

Dari Sauti seemed like he was about to object further, but he apparently rethought it and followed along with Cyclaeus’s request. And then the rest of us followed soon after.

Our seats were simple wooden stools, lacking even backs. And since Cyclaeus and his brother were sitting in big chairs with not only backs but also armrests, the sort of thrones you’d expect to see a king in, it really made it feel like they were looking down on us right from the very start.

On top of that, since we had such a big crowd, our seats were all spread out in a half circle stretching from left to right and facing the distant Cyclaeus and Ciluel.

Melfried and Zylus had been seated to the right to start with and Bartha and Leito joined them there alongside me and Ai Fa, while the leading clan heads’ group of six took the left, and Zuuro Suun and company were seated in the center.

“Well then, please summon me if you have need for my services,” Jimon stated, exiting the room after seeing us seated.

With that, I finally identified the source of the vague unease I had been feeling: There weren’t any soldiers guarding Cyclaeus.

I had heard the man had brought along twenty men to protect him at the last meeting, but now even his close aide Jimon had withdrawn. The only one left at his side now was his sluggish-looking younger brother.

“Don’t let your guard down, Asuta... The soldiers appear to be hidden behind that massive curtain,” Ai Fa whispered into my ear, apparently having sensed my concern. “There are twenty of them... No, it may actually be more. But no matter how much they may hold their breath, they are not able to fully hide their presence.”

“I see. So they’re trying to catch us off guard by hiding, huh?”

“If that is the case, then I cannot call it anything but a ridiculous farce. Still, it seems even that Melfried man was not permitted to come here with a blade.”

In shock, I stole a glance at Melfried, who was seated next to Bartha. Sure enough, while the man himself was seated atop the stool with perfect posture, there was no sign of his trademark twin longswords.

“I believe in the last meeting, both that man and Kamyua Yoshu were permitted to keep their blades on them... It may simply be that customs differ between the Turan land and the castle town, but at any rate, make certain to stay on guard.”

There were twenty or more soldiers hidden there behind Cyclaeus, likely all fully equipped. Compared to them, we had seven hunters of the forest’s edge, or eight if you included Mida in their number, and Bartha and Melfried seemed fairly strong too, but they were all barehanded. If things got violent under these circumstances, could it really end without bloodshed?

Either way, I definitely couldn’t wipe away the unease I was feeling.

And around then, Dari Sauti suddenly let out an “Ah!” At the same time, a strange smell wafted through the air, making it all the way to us.

“What is that unusual odor?!” Ciluel shouted in his hoarse voice.

“My apologies. It seems as I went to sit, I crushed a giba warding fruit.”

“A-A giba warding fruit, you say?!”

“Indeed. It is a rare fruit known throughout our Sauti clan. Since sprinkling its juice around will keep away giba for half a day, it’s quite valuable, so this is quite a blunder on my part.”

It was a real pungent aroma, and I couldn’t exactly say I was fond of it myself.

“Do not worry, as it is not harmful to humans. However, perhaps it would be wise to open up any windows and let in fresh air.”

“As the sun is currently high in the sky, all the windows are already open... Do not worry yourself and simply be seated, leading clan head of the forest’s edge,” Cyclaeus mediated with a sickly sweet grin.

Dari Sauti had been starting to stand, but to that he replied, “I see,” and sat back down.

The windows seemed to be on the opposite side of the partitioning screens to our right. There were small windows high up on the walls too, which meant the room was at least somewhat lit, and it did in fact seem like the air was ventilating.

Still, that giba warding fruit really had a powerful scent, to the point that I felt like I was going to choke on it.

“A month ago, we used this same giba warding fruit when leading that group pretending to be a merchant caravan. But the other side used enough giba summoning fruit to completely overwhelm it, making our efforts pointless. A truly frustrating incident.”

“There is no need to rush. After all, the midday bell still hasn’t yet rung. For today, why not talk to our hearts’ content, until all unfortunate misunderstandings have been cleared away...?” Cyclaeus chimed in, the same grin still on his face.

He was still just as sickly pale as always, but other than that, he didn’t look to be in bad health. However, the way he supported his frail body on the armrest did make him look a bit weak.

“Still... I don’t seem to see that accursed blond scoundrel who whispered such slander into Lord Melfried’s ear,” Cyclaeus said, his tenacious gaze turning toward the younger noble. “For him to throw such false accusations at Ciluel, only to then hide himself... I must say, it is both a let-down and also quite upsetting. Lord Melfried, what exactly are your thoughts on that matter?”

“I cannot say I find it especially troublesome. Kamyua Yoshu himself had said he may not make it in time for this meeting, and as you can see, his representative is included here in our midst.”

Leito just grinned, while Bartha’s glare remained fixed straight ahead.

And I didn’t miss it either when Bartha muttered quietly, “I see... So that’s how it is.”

Her voice had likely only reached those seated on the same side as her, like Ai Fa. But at any rate, she kept on glaring with a hunter’s grin not at Cyclaeus, but at his brother who was seated next to him.

“This is utterly ridiculous! To think, some wanderer who just happened to make the acquaintance of Duke Genos would be allowed to slander my brother and myself, of all people!” Ciluel shouted again in his hoarse voice. “I have countless responsibilities as the head of the militia, you know! Unlike the ducal guard tasked solely with keeping the peace inside the castle! Don’t you agree, Lord Melfried?”

Melfried offered no response, simply staring back at Ciluel with his chilly grey eyes.

Still seated, the militia head stomped his feet like a child.

“Hmph, so be it. That wanderer’s crafty plots end today! And you may be the first son of Duke Genos, but the crime of falling for that vulgar man’s reckless remarks is grave indeed, Lord Melfried.”

“That’s quite enough vain words from you for now, Ciluel... After all, we will be bringing the entirety of the truth to light today,” Cyclaeus stated, right before the heavy gong of a bell sounded out from the distance.

The sun had finally hit its peak.

“Well then, shall we get this meeting started...?” Cyclaeus asked, his bluish-gray face twisted into an eerie grin.

3

“Firstly, allow me to begin by conveying the words of Duke Marstein Genos... He stated that there are two concerns that must be cleared up in today’s meeting,” Cyclaeus said, showing us the back of his hand and raising his index finger. “Firstly, we must lay out clearly just how heavy of a punishment the members of the Suun clan must face for the crime of pillaging the forest of Morga, according to the laws of Genos.”

The Suun group of seven all sat there perfectly still as they listened to Cyclaeus’s words. Zuuro Suun himself hung his head, Diga and Doddo looked perplexed at being in a noble’s manor for the first time, Yamiru Lea and Oura were expressionless, Tsuvai was pouting, and Mida... Mida wore the same absentminded look as always.

“And secondly...” Cyclaeus stated, now raising his middle finger. “The background and objective of Asuta of the Fa clan, this man from overseas who calls himself a person of the forest’s edge, must be made clear. The duke has stated that these two points cannot be overlooked.”

“Hmph. So you’re saying Duke Genos doesn’t care in the least about our concerns as to whether you yourself are guilty, Count Turan?” Dari Sauti asked, clearly displeased.

Cyclaeus just kept grinning away.

“Worry not, leading clan head of the forest’s edge. It is my belief that all of those matters are connected. When we stand up from these seats today, there shall be true understanding and empathy shared between us.”

“If such a time comes, we shall also give our unending thanks to our mother forest and the western god,” Dari Sauti replied with a shrug of his bulky shoulders.

Then, Cyclaeus’s gaze slowly shifted, going straight past Zuuro Suun’s group and fixating right on me.

“Well then, let us begin with the interrogation of this Asuta of the Fa clan...” At that, I sat up straight and looked right back at the wicked noble. “Asuta of the Fa clan, the other day my daughter committed a terrible act of misconduct... But by a twist of fate, that in turn brought your lineage to our attention. You are not a child of Amusehorn, the continent created by the four great gods, but rather a visitor from overseas... There is no mistake there, correct?”

“Right. I never put it quite that way myself, but it’s a fact that I wasn’t born on this continent.”

“Hmm... It is true that visitors from overseas do not call themselves as such. So shall we follow the customs of your people and instead refer to you as a man of the dragon god?”

“A... man of the dragon god?”

“You visitors from overseas revere the ruler of the seas, the dragon god... That is why you refer to yourselves as the people of the dragon god, is it not?”

This was my first time ever hearing that name.

Figuring I had no choice but to tell the truth at this point, I worked up my resolve while adjusting my posture atop the uncomfortable stool.

“I was born in an island nation outside of this continent, but I can’t say I’ve ever worshiped the dragon god or called myself one of its people. So in that way, I guess you could say I’m not one of those visitors from overseas you’re referring to.”

“You are not...a visitor from overseas?” Cyclaeus’s small eyes seemed to ignite.

And beside him, Ciluel shouted, “That’s ridiculous! The only ones who come from over the seas are people of the dragon god! Don’t go thinking you can deceive us with such drivel, you brat!”

“I’m really not trying to deceive anyone.”

“Hmph! I’ve heard tell that you visitors from overseas are the same as the people of Mahyudra at your core! Legends say that in ancient times, folks from Mahyudra abandoned the continent and became children of the dragon god! That is why they only try to do business with Mahyudra and Sym! If the blood of Mahyudra runs in your veins, that may as well make you our sworn enemy, no matter what you may call yourself!”

Since I didn’t know anything about all that, I held my tongue.

Still, this just made it all the more important that I prove my innocence.

Before I could raise an objection, though, Cyclaeus moved to restrain his raging younger brother.

“Yet that legend also says that most of those visitors from overseas have appearances similar to the citizens of Mahyudra... Massive brutes with golden hair, purple eyes, and skin that appears sunburned... That is the appearance of visitors from overseas I have heard spoken of.” Cyclaeus’s eerie gaze remained fixed right on me. “However, you have black hair and eyes like a citizen of Sym, and also the skin color of a westerner. In that case... Are you truly not a man of the dragon god...?”

“That’s right. I was born in an island nation called Japan, and I don’t think my people have ever been called children of the dragon god.”

“Japan...? And where exactly is this island nation of yours located...?”

“I don’t know myself. I’m not even sure how, and it wasn’t by my own choice, but I found myself here in the middle of the continent,” I replied. And I couldn’t help but be concerned with how Cyclaeus was acting all the while.

There was a strange light shining in both of his eyes, and he was leaning forward a bit like he was excited. It almost seemed like the innocent reaction of a young child finding some brand new toy, which only made it all the more eerie.

“There you go again, uttering more nonsense! This land of Genos is located in the interior of the continent, far removed from any ocean. Even ignoring any rumors about your bloodline, a visitor from overseas being in a place like this is enough to prove suspicious in and of itself! And then on top of that you say it wasn’t of your own choice, of all things... Just admit that you’ve been hiding some sort of wicked plot already, you little brat!” Ciluel just kept on shouting.

I couldn’t help but be reminded of how Diga and Doddo were before the Suun fell.

When people who couldn’t control their emotions got a hold of serious authority, they tended to get really inflated egos. He had the aura of a petty underling about him, except this petty underling was a more dangerous and troublesome opponent than Diga and Doddo had ever been.

“I don’t have any wicked plots or anything of the sort. Before I realized it, I found myself collapsed in the middle of the forest of Morga... and then I was taken in by the Fa clan head Ai Fa. It didn’t seem like I’d ever be able to find a way back to my old home, so I made up my mind to live as a person of the forest’s edge,” I replied as firmly as I could manage while trying not to agitate Ciluel further. “Is that some sort of crime? I was born overseas, but I want to live as a person of the forest’s edge. And if you say they’re children of the western god Selva, then I’ll gladly be reborn as one too.”

“You would discard your own god and become a child of Selva...?”

“Yes. I came here today with that much resolve.”

Cyclaeus fell back and leaned up against the back of his chair, his gaze shifting toward that old man, Zylus.

“What do you think, Sir Zylus...? Is it possible for a visitor from overseas to become a child of Selva...?”

“Hmm... There aren’t any past precedents of such matters, so it would require the opinions of the high priest and various religious officials,” the man emotionlessly replied.

Unlike Melfried, he seemed more like he was forcefully suppressing his emotions. He had to be feeling rather nervous, being faced with people of the forest’s edge, who normally had nothing whatsoever to do with folks from the castle town.

“In that case, I suppose we will simply have to wait until we can hear what they have to say on the matter... However, you are still suspected of something quite serious, Asuta of the Fa clan.”

“I’m suspected of something?”

“Indeed... It is believed that you may well have plotted together with that scoundrel Kamyua Yoshu in order to destroy the relationship between Genos and the people of the forest’s edge.”

“That’s ridiculous...” Ai Fa quietly muttered. There was a blazing inferno in her blue eyes, and it was clear she couldn’t hold it back any longer. “Count Turan, I have lived together with Asuta for these past several months. I know better than anyone that he holds no such wicked designs. I cannot take your words as anything but an insult to myself as well.”

“Is that so...? No matter how much time you may spend together, though, I don’t believe that you can truly know every last bit of another person’s heart and mind...”

“Asuta isn’t just some other person. He is a member of my house.” Though Ai Fa’s eyes kept blazing brightly, her voice remained quiet and calm. “Asuta will never betray me. If I did not believe that, I couldn’t have accepted a foreigner such as him... I ask that you take back your previous remark.”

“Allow me to say something too,” Gazraan Rutim calmly chimed in. “When Asuta came and consulted with us about the idea of doing business in the post town, the Ruu clan head Donda Ruu also expressed concern regarding the matter. And so, he added a condition. If Asuta were working with Kamyua Yoshu on some sort of suspicious plot, the Fa clan chef would offer up his right arm. As you can see, Asuta is still in possession of both arms, which serves as proof that he has earned Donda Ruu’s trust.”

“Hmm, his trust, is it...?”

“There are many at the forest’s edge who oppose Asuta’s business. But not a one of them suspects Asuta of conspiring with anyone from town. Your previous statement was an insult not just to Ai Fa and Asuta, but every last person of the forest’s edge.”

“I see... But unfortunately, I cannot find any basis for us to trust this man Asuta, young hunter of the forest’s edge,” Cyclaeus calmly stated. “Asuta of the Fa clan, I hear tell that you were first seen in the Genos post town on the fourteenth day of the green month... Is that correct?”

“Huh? I can’t say I remember the exact day, but it should have been around two months back.”

“There was a record left in the post town’s guard station. You and the Fa clan head caused a commotion along with the second son of the Suun there, only to be saved by Kamyua Yoshu, correct?”

Doddo’s shoulders trembled.

“Then less than half a month later you opened a stall in the post town and brought wealth to the Fa and Ruu clans... And a further half month after that, the Suun’s crimes were brought to light and they were stripped of the right to rule. Was it merely a coincidence that all of those unusual circumstances kept occurring?”

“A coincidence...? I think it would be more accurate to say it was a necessary follow-up. It’s true that Kamyua Yoshu was the one who suggested I start doing business in the post town, but that’s all. You should already know this, but he formed a plan along with Melfried to expose the Suun’s past crimes, and he wanted me to open a stall so that the bonds between the people of the forest’s edge and the post town wouldn’t break down completely.”

Cyclaeus broke out in an even eerier grin. It really was creepy enough that I could understand how Gazraan Rutim had compared it to the sort of expression you’d expect from a mundt.

“Kamyua Yoshu manipulated Lord Melfried, while you did the same with the people of the forest’s edge, all to bring about the downfall of the Suun clan... Is that not why you posed as a person of the forest’s edge to begin with...?”

“What do you mean, ‘posed as’?” Ai Fa questioned, her eyes burning even brighter.

“I cannot believe the look in this woman’s eyes!” Ciluel shouted.

And yet, Cyclaeus’s smile didn’t vanish in the least.

“Thinking as such simply makes more sense to me... Both Asuta of the Fa clan and Kamyua Yoshu appeared together in the post town, and less than half a month later, the Suun clan had fallen. And if both of them were involved, is it not unnatural to simply write that off as mere coincidence...?”

I furrowed my brow. “And you’re saying that was all a plot to cause trouble between Genos and the forest’s edge? But what would we even have to gain from something like that?”

“You are a visitor from overseas, while the blood of Mahyudra runs through Kamyua Yoshu’s veins... What greater reason could you have than to cause calamitous harm to the western kingdom?” Cyclaeus’s voice had become so viscous and foul, it almost seemed like it had taken on physical form. “And besides, I also use a great many people of Mahyudra as slaves throughout the Turan lands. So I could see how I could earn resentment from those with roots in that vile nation...”

“But as we just discussed, I’m not a man of the dragon god, and I’ve got no ties to Mahyudra whatsoever. I have no reason to cause trouble for the western kingdom.”

“Visitors from overseas are almost always people of the dragon god. It is certainly hard to imagine so with your appearance, but that alone isn’t enough to determine you are not one of their people.”

It really was a complete curveball for me, finding out that visitors from overseas had ties to Mahyudra.

Still, even when I had opened up and told them I wasn’t born on this continent, I hadn’t really faced any particular discrimination from the people of Genos. So it was probably nothing more than a single bit of folklore that people from overseas had blood ties with Mahyudra, and Cyclaeus’s words were just false accusations.

But how exactly could I refute what he was saying? Since I had gone and decided to fight alongside a reckless guy like Kamyua Yoshu, I figured it would be exceptionally difficult to prove my innocence.

“I hear tell that you are quite skilled as a chef... That allowed your business in the post town to succeed, which you used to bring great wealth to the Fa and Ruu clans and earn their trust. Isn’t that so, Asuta of the Fa clan...?”

“You’re wrong. I just wanted to bring greater prosperity to the settlement at the forest’s edge. I know it may be presumptuous of a foreigner like me to feel that way, but I talked to Ai Fa and Gazraan Rutim and everyone about it, and then finally made up my mind to go forward.”

Everything I was saying was how I truly felt.

And yet, that didn’t seem to have moved Cyclaeus or Ciluel in the slightest.

Still, that was perfectly natural. After all, they certainly never cared about the truth. Or rather, they weren’t likely to accept anything as true unless it benefited them in some way.

I couldn’t help but feel empty at the thought of how fruitless it must be to try to speak the truth to people who never wanted to understand one another from the start, but then I forced that down with all my might.

And as I searched for what to say next, someone else spoke up. “Sir Cyclaeus, exactly what purpose does gossiping about such matters serve?” It was Melfried, who had been silent all this time. “Even if you were to assume Asuta of the Fa clan here was Kamyua Yoshu’s compatriot, it would still have nothing to do with me, regardless of where their objective may lie. And whatever the case, it does not change the fact that the Suun clan committed criminal acts, nor the suspicion cast upon Sir Ciluel and yourself in turn.”

“There is a great meaning to all this... Or so I believe,” Cyclaeus stated, holding up a hand to stop Ciluel before he could shout something else. “It’s certainly true that the Suun clan committed crimes... However, the only matters clearly proven are that Zattsu and Tei Suun attacked your group when you acted as a merchant caravan, and I suppose that assault on the actual merchant caravan ten years prior, correct?”

“Hold on. There’s also the matter of the Suun clan pillaging Morga’s blessings. That is why Zuuro Suun is currently awaiting judgment,” Dari Sauti swiftly interjected.

Cyclaeus turned to face the leading clan head, and once more grinned.

“It is not as if we actually witnessed the members of the Suun clan committing that crime... It is simply that we had no choice but to trust your claim that they did so.”

“Are you trying to say that we made up some false accusation in order to bring down the Suun clan?” Dari Sauti questioned, his voice trembling with rage.

Normally he was a gentle, peaceful man, but it seemed that when faced with townsfolk, he could get more than a little hotblooded. But he was still very much the intellectual type compared to other men of the forest’s edge, so he was tasked with leading the discussion alongside Gazraan Rutim.

“It’s certainly difficult to imagine that every last one of you has been lying... However, we cannot disregard the possibility of you noble people of the forest’s edge having been deceived by townsfolk.”

“Yes, and the one who deceived the members of the Suun was—”

“Were you not fooled by Asuta of the Fa clan and Kamyua Yoshu, leading clan heads of the forest’s edge?” Cyclaeus asked, cutting Dari Sauti off. “It’s true that the Suun clan’s members may well have pillaged the forest of Morga... But who is it who revealed those crimes? Did you not inform me that it occurred at the advice of Asuta of the Fa clan on the day of the clan head meeting?”

“That’s right. Since Asuta was manning the stove, he was able to realize that fact before anyone else. There’s nothing strange about that.”

“And thanks to that, you all felt grateful to Asuta of the Fa clan, correct? After all, the Suun had continuously broken the laws of the forest for ten whole years...”

“What would it matter if we did?” Dari Sauti retorted, steadily losing his cool.

In response, Cyclaeus shot him a truly irritating smile.

“Was that not Asuta of the Fa clan’s strategy all along...? By exposing the Suun clan’s crimes, he and Kamyua Yoshu earned the trust of Lord Melfried and the people of the forest’s edge. And now they are plotting to thrust false crimes upon the Suun clan and ourselves, bringing further chaos to our land of Genos.”

“I see. So your assertion is that the Suun clan’s only crimes were pillaging the blessings of Morga and assaulting the merchant caravan, while everything else is false accusations invented by Kamyua Yoshu,” Gazraan Rutim replied in a perfectly calm tone. “The attack on the envoys from the town of Banarm, the murder of the militia’s leader, and the claim that you tried to pin all of those crimes on the bandit group known as the Red Beards... You say those are all groundless, made-up claims, Cyclaeus?”

“That is exactly the case, young hunter of the forest’s edge. By mixing in truth with his statements, Kamyua Yoshu plotted to lend his false claims credibility... What a truly unscrupulous method.” At that Cyclaeus crossed both arms in front of his emaciated stomach, then continued on in a truly pompous tone. “That man has mixed blood of Mahyudra and Selva... He could simply live in Sym or Jagar where no one would find issue with his background, but instead he specifically chose to live an ill-fated half-a-life here in Selva, and grew to hate our great nation... I cannot help but sympathize with you, Lord Melfried, and you people of the forest’s edge, getting caught up in such a man’s wicked ambitions.”

“So you insist on looking down on us as fools who cannot even tell right from wrong to the bitter end, do you, Cyclaeus...?” Gulaf Zaza grumbled, apparently unable to hold back any longer. “We never at any point thought of an outsider like Kamyua Yoshu as an ally. But we sensed truth in his words, and came here to talk to you in order to determine the facts of the matter, Cyclaeus.”

“And...? Do you truly believe it just and valid to believe only Kamyua Yoshu’s words as truth while doubting everything I say as a falsehood...?” Cyclaeus retorted, his gaze now turning to Zuuro Suun. “Zuuro Suun, O former leading clan head of the forest’s edge...”

Zuuro Suun’s hollow eyes looked up at Cyclaeus.

“It has been over twenty years now since I began mediating matters with the leading clan head of the forest’s edge. The first ten years were with Zattsu Suun, and for the following ten I formed a bond with you... As such, there are truths which only I am able to see.”

Zuuro Suun offered no response.

“Zattsu Suun was a man akin to ambition personified. And I had always feared his ambitious fangs might one day be bared at Genos... However, I never sensed your father’s wicked ambition from you, even once.”

Still nothing.

“It is certainly true that you may well have led the Suun down a poor path... However, that was simply the path laid out for you by Zattsu Suun, was it not? And so, I cannot help but find the idea of treating you alone as a criminal pitiable...”

“What do you mean, ‘pitiable’?” Gulaf Zaza interjected, his voice dripping with irritation. “We discussed this matter back at the forest’s edge too. But the crime for abandoning giba hunting and pillaging the fruits of the forest for ten whole years is a heavy one... And on top of that, many in the Suun settlement had their souls rotted away with despair.”

“Oh... And it is the judgment of the people of the forest’s edge that Zuuro Suun alone must bear responsibility for those crimes...?”

“Zuuro Suun was both the leading clan head and the head of the Suun. Since Zattsu Suun had already retired from the position, there is no one else who can answer for the crimes committed during those ten years,” Gulaf Zaza answered, his eyes now a fiery blaze.

As his people previously fell under the man, the Zaza clan head had the deepest ties with Zuuro Suun.

The Zaza and Suun had exchanged ties of blood for a long, long time. I couldn’t even fathom how Gulaf Zaza must have been feeling at the moment, having to denounce the former head of his parent clan.

And yet Cyclaeus just kept on sneering, caring nothing about such matters.

“Hmm... As you say, no matter how pitiable it may be, we have no choice but to have Zuuro Suun answer for these crimes. However... If you leading clan heads were deceived by an outsider, it would be a different matter entirely, would it not...?”

“So you’re going to keep on insisting Asuta of the Fa clan and Kamyua Yoshu tricked us?”

“Indeed... If you are not satisfied, then shall we hear the impartial opinion of Genos’s legal officer, Sir Zylus?” Cyclaeus asked, his eyes once again turning toward the old man in question.

And sitting there beside Melfried, Zylus shot him back an annoyed scowl.

“Sir Zylus... Is it necessary that Zuuro Suun face an impartial trial for misleading his people?”

“Yes, well... A man in the position of leading clan head and head of his own clan coercing others to break the law is a serious crime indeed.”

“Then is it also necessary to judge the man’s family...? From what I am told, the punishment for that family in question sitting here was having the Suun name taken from them and becoming members of other clans...”

“I cannot say that is in agreement with the laws of Genos,” Zylus stated, restraining his emotions. “I hear tell that it is the clan heads who lead their people at the forest’s edge. As such, even family would not be able to oppose them. If the crimes of the branch houses are to be wiped clean, then would those six not also be innocent of any crimes?”

“We have not said the crimes of the members of the branch houses have gone unquestioned. They have instead been given a path to atonement, by living properly as people of the forest’s edge,” Gazraan Rutim calmly interjected. “The same is also true for these six former members of the main Suun house. To some extent or another, they have all received Zattsu Suun’s wicked influence. And so we also judged them discarding the Suun name as important for the sake of freeing them from that curse as well.”

“Hmm... And then you stole the right to lead from the Suun, correct?” Cyclaeus asked with a grin and a suspicious light shining in his eyes. “That is one point I cannot accept... Even more so with the motives of outsiders interfering here and there in the background.”

“Those measures had nothing to do with Asuta. While it’s true that he was crucial in exposing the Suun’s crimes, it was the will of all the clan heads present at the meeting that determined what would happen after.”

“But it changes matters if the downfall of the Suun was part of a greater plot, does it not? In actuality, you were all deceived by Kamyua Yoshu’s sweet talk afterward and went so far as to slander me, after all. How far can we trust you when you were chosen as leading clan heads as the result of such a plot...? I have my doubts on that matter.”

For a while, the room went silent.

The hand Cyclaeus was playing to escape from answering for his crimes was coming more and more into view.

Part of it was unsurprising, yet some of it was completely unexpected too. And as the leading clan heads sat there wondering what point to strike at, their eyes quietly blazing away, there was suddenly a voice.

“So... What exactly do you intend to do if you can’t trust the current three leading clan heads? You couldn’t possibly be planning on reinstating the Suun clan to the post, could you?” Yamiru Lea questioned with a chilling chuckle, finally breaking the silence.

4

“I have yet to hear your name...” Cyclaeus stated, calmly turning toward Yamiru Lea.

Breaking out in a bewitching smile, she replied, “I am Yamiru Lea, former eldest daughter of the main Suun house. On this side of me are Diga, Doddo, and Mida, while these two are Oura and Tsuvai. Oura is Zuuro Suun’s former wife, while the rest of us are all his children... However, only Tsuvai is Oura’s daughter, while the rest of us all had different mothers.”

“Hmm... You certainly seem appropriately bold for one who has inherited Zattsu Suun’s blood.”

“Should I respond to your words with something like, ‘You have my deepest thanks for your excessive praise,’ I wonder?” Yamiru Lea said in such a provocative tone that it even caused me to feel anxious. “Allow me to simply confirm: is it not the case that you summoned us here because you thought the punishment toward the members of the Suun clan was too lax? We came prepared to be judged by the laws of Genos as criminals.”

As she said that, Yamiru Lea looked over her former family. And the first to return her gaze and respond was shockingly Mida of all people.

“Yeah... I did lots of bad stuff, so I’ve gotta a-atone...? Atone for that. That’s what everyone from the Ruu told me...”

It was hard to tell just how much of the conversation he had understood, and his words were awkward like a child’s, but they were so filled with earnest emotion that it was enough to bring you to tears.

“I wanna live with the Ruu clan as a man of the forest’s edge... So I won’t cry, no matter how you punish me...”

A silence fell over the room.

And then in the midst of that, Ciluel quietly grumbled, “Damn monster...” but his voice seemed to carry unusually well.

For a moment I felt like I was about to burst a blood vessel with pure rage, but a swift hand from beside me grabbing my wrist managed to keep me from losing control. When I turned to look, I found Ai Fa’s eyes were blazing just as brightly as before as she came in close to my ear.

“Do not lose your composure. All of us here feel the same as you.”

“Sorry...” I nodded back, then calmed my wild breathing.

Not long after, Yamiru Lea’s chilly laughter once again filled the room.

“As you can see, even Mida, mentally the youngest of us all, has gathered up an unyielding resolve. And yet now, you’ve changed over to saying the punishment handed down by the leading clan heads is unjustly heavy?”

“At the previous meeting, I had not yet seen through Kamyua Yoshu and this Asuta man’s machinations... Still, it does not change the fact that your crimes must be judged anew.”

“I see... But regardless of what you may be thinking, it simply isn’t possible to reinstate the Suun as the leading clan at this point, Count Turan.”

“Oh...? And why is that, exactly...?”

“It should be obvious with just a little thought, wouldn’t you say? After our long years of continuously betraying them, not a single person of the forest’s edge would accept the Suun leading them again,” Yamiru Lea coolly stated. “Our people cannot accept betrayal and corruption. If you attempt to reinstate the Suun as the leading clan, they would rise up in revolt. It’s possible that everyone but the Suun may even abandon the forest of Morga entirely... So tell me, count, is that the sort of conclusion you desire?”

“But you people of the forest’s edge respect the law highly, do you not...? If the members of the Suun aside from Zuuro Suun are judged innocent of these crimes, that concern should not apply, correct?”

“Not so. The Suun clan hasn’t properly hunted giba for ten years now. Though the members of the branch houses are in the midst of being taught how to do so, as you can see, this is the present state of the former main house,” Yamiru Lea proclaimed, pointing toward Diga and Doddo with her elegant finger. “There’s simply no way a man lacking the strength to even hunt a giba could possibly lead the people of the forest’s edge. And so in every way imaginable, the Suun are unfit to serve as the leading clan.”

Yamiru Lea once said that depending on circumstances she would be willing to take the seat of leading clan head and place herself in Cyclaeus’s pocket, only for Granny Jiba and Gulaf Zaza to reject the idea. But now, she was taking this tack to counter Cyclaeus’s argument.

The unexpected sudden ambush left even Cyclaeus contemplating matters for a bit.

But before long, as if he had been waiting for that moment, his younger brother shouted out, “Woman, you seem to be pleased with yourself, thinking you really laid it all out perfectly, but that just goes to show how shallow the thinking of you barbarians really is! Such drivel is pointless before our solemn laws!”

Yamiru Lea shot Ciluel a chilly sidelong glance.

The man gave a devilish laugh, the bangs of his mushroom-like hair swaying all the while.

“Qualifications don’t come from someone’s ability! They come from their bloodline and position! As long as someone has the right blood flowing through their veins, it doesn’t matter how incompetent or wicked they may be!”

“So even if they’re incompetent or abuse their power, it doesn’t matter so long as they’re not a criminal?”

“That’s right! And none have been tormented more by that harsh truth than my older brother and myself!”

For some reason, Cyclaeus wiped the expression from his face and closed his eyes. There was a strange feel hanging in the air.

“Lord Melfried and Sir Zylus, you both understand what I am saying, don’t you? Our father and older brother were utterly useless fools! They may not have been wicked, but they were thoroughly ordinary incompetents incapable of shouldering the Turan name! But until their souls were sent to Selva, we had to keep on living in their shadows!”

So there was yet another older brother above Cyclaeus, the current head of the house?

At any rate, there was some unidentifiable emotion like an inferno whirling about in Ciluel’s eyes as he sat there, his face bright red.

“And yet, we had no choice but to endure those hardships until Selva indicated the proper path forward! Then, at the end of that travail awaited the prosperity Turan now enjoys! Since you people of the forest’s edge live here in Genos, you must obey its laws! Even if your leading clan head is incompetent and foolish, your one and only option is to live alongside and support them!”

“I do not know what sort of life you were forced to live... But does reinstating the Suun clan truly align so perfectly with the laws of Genos?” Yamiru Lea replied, having calmly stared at Ciluel as he suddenly tossed his dignity out the window. “It was our people who determined several decades ago that the Suun would be the leading clan. And now, with the approval of all of the clan heads, the Ruu, Zaza, and Sauti have taken up that responsibility. Neither of those matters should have anything to do with the laws of Genos.”

“If that was a matter solely relating to the people of the forest’s edge, it is true that we might have no room to interfere... But what if a plot by those meaning to cause friction here in Genos was involved?” Cyclaeus asked, suddenly reviving.

It was impossible to say what was going on with how he had turned so eerily silent and expressionless, but now he was once again staring back at Yamiru Lea with a viscous smile.

“I cannot help but believe it incredibly dangerous to continue to accept the three leading clan heads put in place as a result of a plot formed by Kamyua Yoshu and this visitor from overseas, Asuta... Will those three clans not bring even greater chaos and disaster to both Genos and the forest’s edge than the Suun ever did?”

“So you’ve decided the eldest son of the main Suun house should be the next leading clan head?” Donda Ruu chimed in, speaking up for the first time.

His expression looked far calmer than Gulaf Zaza and Dari Sauti, who both had rage burning brightly in their eyes.

“If you value bloodline above all else, then Diga there would be the one most qualified to lead.”

Diga turned to face Donda Ruu, looking utterly aghast. His stubble-coated face was now twisted with what could be described as pure terror.

“So you are the eldest son, Diga Suun...?” Cyclaeus asked, his sickening gaze turning that way. “Your father was the former leading clan head as well as the head of your clan, but he must be judged for his crimes... Do you not have a responsibility to properly lead your people as his heir?”

“I-I...” Diga started, his voice trembling with fear.

It was like watching a frog being glared at by a snake.

“You are still young... And so, I believe it would be for the best if you put your life on the line and strove to rectify the mistakes of your father and grandfather... What do you say...?”

Diga gulped so loud it was clearly audible.

But then... for some reason, he stole a glance at me and Ai Fa, and said, “I-I... I had the Suun name taken from me a month back now... I-I’m not qualified to be called an heir anymore.”

“Oh...? But if it is judged that punishment was improper, then just as before, you can—”

“I-I surrendered to my fear of the criminal Zattsu Suun and fled the Dom settlement! And then after that, I ran away from Zattsu Suun too! There’s no way someone like me would ever be qualified to call myself a member of the Suun clan!” Diga suddenly shouted.

His eyes that had sunken into his gaunt face started to faintly tear up.

“Tei Suun ran from the Dom settlement along with us! But he stayed by Zattsu Suun’s side and took back the Suun name... And then he died as a criminal! Doddo and I just abandoned him, so we’re not good enough to call ourselves Suun! As if we ever could! If you want to give me the Suun name back anyway, th-then just scalp me right next to my father!”

“If Diga’s executed, then I’d be next in line as the second son...” Doddo mumbled in a gloomy voice. “But I feel the same as him... So I guess that brings things to Mida.”

At that, Mida stared blankly down at his former big brother.

And from beside them, Yamiru Lea broke out in a graceful smile.

“Mida is still only fourteen, so it will be a year until he’s qualified to be clan head. Up until that time, I would need to hold onto that post for him as eldest daughter... Of course, I also have no interest in taking over as the head of the wicked Suun clan.”

“When there are no children over the age of fifteen, the custom is for the clan head’s wife to take charge...” Oura quietly chimed in while tightly grasping Tsuvai’s hand. “But I have no intention of serving in that role either. So please, execute me as a criminal along with the others.”

Every last one of them had renounced the post of Suun clan head.

And as she sat there before the silenced Cyclaeus, Yamiru Lea’s lips twisted into a grin.

“It seems that none of the members of the main house are up to the task. In cases such as that, next we look to branch houses with strong ties of blood. However, Zuuro Suun’s siblings all died without leaving behind children, and so it turns to looking at branch houses with weaker blood ties.”

Cyclaeus had no response.

“But can someone with such fleeting ties of blood truly serve as leading clan head? To start with, I can’t imagine those men and women who were bound by their fear of Zattsu Suun alone would have the backbone needed for the task.” At that, Yamiru Lea shot Gulaf Zaza a suspicious sidelong glance. “If a member of the branch houses were to become clan head, everyone would want them to be folded into one of their former subordinate clans. In order to recover severed blood ties, the largest of the clans formerly under the Suun would be chosen, so the post of leading clan head would ultimately go to Gulaf Zaza.”

The wicked noble remained silent.

“That is the only path forward if you wish to respect the Suun bloodline when choosing the leading clan head. Are you satisfied now, Count Turan?”

“That’s ridiculous! There’s no way it’s all right for everyone but me and Mida to get executed!” Tsuvai wailed, shooting to her feet.

“No standing without permission!” Ciluel shouted.

But Tsuvai just shot back, “Shut up! I’ve been sitting here silently listening, but everyone just keeps spouting selfish drivel! Besides, there’s no way we’d ever become underlings to some noble like that!”

“You brat! You dare make light of the noble bloodlines of Genos?!” Ciluel raged, reaching for his hip without thinking. Naturally, though, there wasn’t a sword there.

As she met his glare head on, Tsuvai snorted. “Hmph! If you all claim to be the rulers of us people of the forest’s edge, then you should show some responsibility too! You just let Zattsu Suun do as he pleased, so how can you just sit there acting all arrogant?!”

“You little...!”

“Our people of the forest’s edge decided every last one of us would atone for Zattsu Suun’s crimes! The Suun clan is making up for it by living properly from here on out, and everyone else is guiding us down the right path! That’s why the Ruu and Rutim and Dom took in troublemakers like us!”

Though Tsuvai was the littlest one present, she was standing in front of her precious mother to protect her as she glared at Ciluel. And right now, her big eyes were blazing even brighter with rage than they had last night. “Still, Zattsu Suun and his group committed crimes outside the forest’s edge too! And if you knew and just turned a blind eye, then you’re guilty too! So how can you go blaming the people of the forest’s edge?!”

“That’s nothing more than slander fabricated by that scoundrel Kamyua Yoshu! We knew nothing of any crimes committed by members of the Suun clan!”

“You must be blind, then! And the Ruu and Rutim must be more capable than you, since they noticed first!” Tsuvai retorted, and then her big eyes half closed. “And besides, Diga and Doddo said before that you folks from the castle town let the Suun clan’s crimes slide. So when Doddo or Mida caused a commotion in town, you all smoothed it over, didn’t you?”

“Yes, you dodged that question at the last meeting, but can you provide a satisfactory answer to it today?” Gazraan Rutim calmly interjected, gently reaching out with his long arm and sitting Tsuvai back down. “You’re insisting that you had no knowledge of Zattsu Suun’s wrongdoing. On the other hand, you have unjustly covered for Doddo and Mida’s crimes. Exactly what reasons did you have for doing that?”

Even now, the noble brothers remained silent.

“I am asking you, Ciluel, leader of the militia. It was the town guards who protected the Suun clan, and they fall under your command, do they not?”

“Hmph! You think I know anything about the failings of the guards in the post town?! My job is to command the whole of the militia!”

“So you are saying it isn’t your role to command the town guards?” Gazraan Rutim calmly pressed, only for Ciluel to reply with an extremely repulsive faint smile.

“If you’ve got a complaint, then lodge it with the head guard. It’s got nothing to do with me!”

“So it was done at that head guard’s sole discretion? I’ve heard tell that whenever Mida destroyed a stall, soldiers came from the castle town to pay for the damages and settle things, though.”

“Don’t ask me! If there really is someone who’d do that in my militia, then start by proving it!”

“I cannot say your demeanor shows much willingness to understand and sympathize with our position. How truly disappointing,” Gazraan Rutim said while maintaining that same calm tone as always. “The truth is, Asuta is a pure-blooded person of the forest’s edge, born in our settlement... Could you believe such a statement?”

“What? What are you trying to pull now?”

“Every now and again, someone with an appearance like Asuta’s is born in the settlement at the forest’s edge. Asuta was simply joking when he said he was a visitor from overseas, so I ask that you discard any suspicion of him conspiring with Kamyua Yoshu here and now.”

“That’s ridiculous! Do you really think an excuse like that will work at this—”

“Well then, is there any proof that Asuta is a visitor from overseas? Asuta just happened to be born at the forest’s edge with the appearance of a foreigner, and visited the post town for the first time at the age of seventeen. That’s all there is to it. There’s no way someone like him would conspire with someone from town to bring harm to Genos and the forest’s edge, wouldn’t you say?” After saying all that in a dead serious tone, Gazraan Rutim broke out in a smile. “That is the sort of thing that you are saying. If you cannot trust me, then I also cannot trust you.”

Though Ciluel looked furious, he held his tongue.

Taking that as his cue, Leito grinned and started pouring salt on that wound. “Well then, I suppose it’s our turn. After all, focusing on topics with actual proof seems beneficial to us all.”

“You are Kamyua Yoshu’s attendant, are you not, child...?” Cyclaeus asked, shooting Leito a crafty look. “And I have also heard tell that you are the orphaned child of the leader of that merchant caravan that was attacked ten years ago. I most certainly sympathize with your circumstances, but I cannot imagine anything useful can be gained from having a child like yourself act as a witness at this point...”

“Yes, there isn’t any value to my testimony. Instead, as Kamyua Yoshu’s proxy I have brought Bartha here as a witness.”

Cyclaeus’s eyes narrowed suspiciously, but Leito just smiled even brighter.

“Did you think that Kamyua planned to have me act as a witness out of desperation when he realized he wouldn’t make it? That’s certainly quite a misunderstanding. In fact, the reason Kamyua left Genos in the first place was to search for Bartha here.”

All the while, Bartha was silently burning holes in Ciluel with her glare.

After glancing her way out of the corner of his eye, Leito continued on, “Bartha was the wife of the late leader of the Red Beards, Goram. Have I said enough for you to understand the value of her testimony?”

“Wife...? Wait, are you saying that person is a woman...?” Cyclaeus asked.

“Geez, everyone’s so rude about that. Well, I’m used to getting treated like a man by this point,” Bartha said with a brazen grin.

And then, she reached up and roughly pulled off the leather strap holding back her hair, letting her surprisingly long blackish-brown locks tumble down over her face.

“Well? Do I look at least a bit womanly now? Not that I’m ever gonna look sensual with a face like this, though.”

In all likelihood, everyone had noticed the unusual change that had occurred. Ciluel had just been beet red with rage, but now he was frozen stiff like a statue and completely pale.

“Over these past ten years and some change, I’ve been retraining my weakened body. I was pretty skinny back then, so did you not recognize me? I knew who you were at first sight, though.”

“Wh-What are you saying...?”

“Don’t play dumb. You were the one who asked my husband Goram to attack those envoys from Banarm, weren’t you, Ciluel?” Bartha said, the rage simmering in her eyes. “If I’m wrong, why not lift up that amusing hair of yours a bit? Goram was so furious that he gave you a nice, deep cut on your forehead, and I can’t imagine a scar like that would vanish after just ten years.”

Ciluel was pressed tight up against the back of his chair, and he had started trembling like he had the shakes. He probably didn’t even realize it, but his hand had reached up to cover his hearty bangs and forehead.

“Even I never thought a noble would personally hire bandits, but it looks like Kamyua’s guess hit the mark,” Leito chimed in with the same smile as before. “Well, before taking on the role of militia leader, you had plenty of time on your hands, didn’t you? And Kamyua also said Lord Cyclaeus would never trust anyone but a relative to help with such a criminal plot.”

“I see... So this is yet another of that fool’s ploys, is it...?” Cyclaeus responded with a gloomy chuckle. “Did he learn of the old scar on Ciluel’s head and then come up with it...? Woman, if you value your life, I suggest that you wash your hands of this trickery...”

“Hmph, you don’t need to worry about that. You can’t go picking a fight with nobles if you aren’t willing to put your life on the line, after all.”

“Oh...? Do you truly understand...? After all, if you are the Red Beard leader’s wife, that means you were a member of those bandits until you had his child...”

“I’m well aware of what that means.”

“Hmph... So you say you came here prepared to be judged as a remnant of that bandit group...?” Cyclaeus asked, a downright venomous shine in his eyes. “Ten years may have passed, but those crimes haven’t been forgiven... If you insist that you are Goram Redbeard’s wife, then regardless of anything Ciluel may or may not have done, you will be punished as a criminal...”

“This is getting repetitive. What did you think I meant when I said I was putting my life on the line, eh?” Bartha asked with a daring grin, brushing off Cyclaeus’s glare. “I’m the last survivor of the Red Beards, Goram Redbeard’s wife Bartha. You can go ahead and hang me or whatever you need to do. I was ready for that when I set foot in the castle town, after all.”

I unwittingly gulped. And then, I remembered how Bartha was yesterday. She said she wanted to see her son Jeeda one last time... Thinking back on her words, I was impressed again by how much resolve was behind them.

And from beside me, Ai Fa was also staring intensely at Bartha.

“I swear on my life and the name of the western god Selva that I am the wife of Goram Redbeard, and that the man seated there is the fiend who tried to get my husband wrapped up in this wicked plot. He tried to instigate Goram by telling him a group of envoys from Banarm would be coming soon, as well as the date they’d arrive on, the route they’d be taking, and how they’d be guarded. And he said to kill them all and loot their treasure.”

“S-Silence! I have the noble Turan blood running through my veins, so the idea of me visiting some bandit group is—”

“But being part of a count’s house in Genos is pretty insignificant as far as nobles go, right? Kamyua Yoshu said the only ones with a significant position and fortune are the heads of house and their heirs,” Bartha calmly yet fiercely responded, cutting off a bewildered Ciluel. “That’s why you became your house head’s yes-man and errand boy, isn’t it? Well, whatever. All I can do is testify that you’re the one who visited my husband and tried to incite him to commit that crime. I leave the rest to everyone else.”

Once again, silence descended over the room.

And the one to break it this time around was Melfried.

“Sir Ciluel, it was in the same period in which those envoys from Banarm were attacked that you were assigned the task of leading the militia. And from what I am told, that was an unprecedented promotion, brought about by the emphatic demands of Count Cyclaeus.”

Ciluel sat there silently.

“And once you acquired that post, you declared the Red Beards were the ones who had attacked the envoy group and the previous militia leader, and mobilized a group to subdue them. However, from what I am told, the only reason it was determined that the Red Beards were responsible was because they were the only bandit group with sufficient forces to do such a thing at the time.”

Even still, Ciluel didn’t say a word.

“But the ambush in the forest of Morga was also said to be the work of the Red Beards, while we now know it was committed by Zattsu Suun. Is it not true that when you failed to bring the Red Beards under your command, you decided instead to pin false crimes upon them in order to seal their lips?”

“Ridiculous! The Red Beards were a vicious band of thieves! It is an undeniable fact that they perpetrated countless crimes over the course of many years!”

“That’s true, of course. Even if the group didn’t kill, it doesn’t change the weight of their other crimes. As such, there was no option but to have everyone who had committed those numerous robberies pay with their lives.”

Did that mean...Bartha was going to receive a death sentence too?

As I just sat there worrying, I heard Ai Fa grinding her teeth next to me.

“Even so, the blade of justice must be swung in a correct and proper manner. Even if someone is already a criminal, that doesn’t make it acceptable to place false charges upon them.”

“Hold on, Lord Melfried... This is all a plot by that scoundrel, Kamyua Yoshu. That despicable man set about laying all sorts of traps in a scheme to bring down Ciluel and myself,” Cyclaeus stated, once more holding out a hand to restrain his brother, who was currently alternating between going pale and red with rage. Though he had the look of a cornered beast in his eyes, his twisted grin still clung to his face. “That woman may indeed be the survivor of that bandit group... But even if that is so, that doesn’t mean that everything she says is true, now does it...?”

“Are you claiming that she is telling lies? What reason could there be for going so far as risking your life to submit false testimony?”

“Oh, there is a reason for such things... For example, what if Kamyua Yoshu held someone more precious to her than life itself in his grasp?”

“Hah! Are you talking about my boy Jeeda, perhaps? No matter how skilled of a bodyguard Kamyua Yoshu may be, he won’t be catching that wild brat of mine easily,” Bartha replied with a sneer.

And as his gaze remained fixed on Melfried, Cyclaeus’s lips twisted into a grin.

“I wonder about that... Half a month ago, a red-haired bandit child attacked people of the forest’s edge in town, including Asuta there. If that boy was the child of the late bandit leader, that would mean he had contact with Asuta, who in turn has ties to Kamyua Yoshu. Is that all simply a coincidence...?”

“It is. It’s been a year now since Jeeda and I went our separate ways. I’m following my own will, and the same is true of that son of mine,” Bartha replied, but Cyclaeus unsurprisingly ignored her.

“There has also been further suspicion cast upon Kamyua Yoshu... Lord Melfried, you have heard tell of the bandits dressed as people of the forest’s edge who attacked the Daleim plantations, have you not...? I believe that incident was also part of that accursed Kamyua Yoshu’s plot.”

Melfried just sat there listening to his words, expressionless. I really couldn’t sense any emotion at all in his chilly gray eyes.

“That man took several hunters of the forest’s edge along with him and left Genos... And not long after, that suspicious group of bandits appeared... Was it not Kamyua Yoshu’s plan to frame the hunters with him as the culprits and have the militia cast judgment upon them?”

“And you’re saying this is yet another piece of that supposed plot to form a rift between Genos and the people of the forest’s edge?”

“Of course... Naturally, though, Ciluel was not foolish enough to fall for such an obvious ploy. Currently, he has a unit patrolling outside of Genos in order to capture the criminals who have committed these deeds under Kamyua Yoshu’s guidance. I’m certain Kamyua Yoshu and his accomplices shall be brought in by the militia in short order...”

So that whole commotion was meant to take down Kamyua Yoshu rather than the people of the forest’s edge... Cyclaeus must have been plotting to seal that aloof bodyguard’s lips first.

In that case, maybe it’s a good thing that Kamyua didn’t make it back... Or is it the opposite, and we can’t settle anything without him around? I pondered, only for a voice to sound out from behind us.

“Count Turan, guests have arrived!” Jimon shouted out from the other side of the heavy door.

Cyclaeus’s face froze, with his eerie grin still firmly in place.

“Guests...? But all the participants in today’s meeting are already gathered...”

“That’s not true. I’m nothing but a proxy, after all,” Leito cheerfully chimed in.

With that, everyone realized just who had arrived.

A moment later, the door swung open, and just the person we had expected came into view.

“I’m seriously late, huh? I’m just glad I managed to make it before everyone left,” a voice said with an aloof chuckle.

This was my first time in half a month seeing Kamyua Yoshu, as he wandered into the room.

5

“Impossible!” Ciluel shouted. “Why are you here...? What were my men doing?!”

“Oh, the members of the militia carried out their duty just fine. It was a real shock, seeing such a huge unit deployed along the highway,” Kamyua Yoshu said with a grin, his gaze turning toward Donda Ruu. “Donda Ruu, the three hunters from your clan that I borrowed have safely returned. Since they don’t have passes, they met up with the group of hunters standing by near the gates.”

The Ruu clan head silently nodded.

Having been thoroughly brushed off, Ciluel started stamping his feet again.

“You’re under suspicion of sending bandits to the plantations! It couldn’t be... Did you kill soldiers of the militia?”

“Of course not. We appealed to their hearts and minds and had them open the way to us. You may say I’m under suspicion, but it’s not as if there’s an official warrant out for me, after all.”

Kamyua Yoshu really was just the same as always.

Thanks to the long journey, his clothes looked a bit filthy, but his aloof attitude and grin hadn’t changed a bit. And with one of his long, spindly arms, he gestured toward the still-open door.

“By the way, I brought along one more guest. Melfried, the pass you gave me didn’t go to waste after all.”

The young man who then appeared looked exactly as you’d expect of a noble. He had black hair, unusual for a westerner, and his skin was an ivory white that didn’t seem like it had ever been tanned much by the sun. He had a medium build and a youthful face, but he wore a serious look. As for his attire, since he had on the same sort of long cloak as Kamyua Yoshu, I could only see that he wore some high-quality leather shoes.

Everyone’s piercing gazes were fixated on the man, trying to see if it was someone they recognized.

“This is Lord Welhide of the Banarm ducal house. He is the second son of the duke’s younger sister, placing him sixth in line in terms of succession.”

“Th-The Banarm ducal house?!” Ciluel shouted, his voice cracking.

Though his mouth remained firmly shut, the man’s light brown eyes turned toward the militia leader.

“The leader of the envoys who were attacked ten years ago was Lord Welhide’s father. I believe he also has a right to know the truth, and so I asked him to accompany me,” Kamyua Yoshu nonchalantly replied with a smile.

As he shot the aloof bodyguard a stormy glare, Cyclaeus quietly asked, “Jimon... are these two the only guests...? If so, hurry up and close the door.”

“Yes, lord...” Jimon replied while showing a bit of hesitation. Ultimately, though, he offered no retort to his master and just slowly closed the heavy door.

“I really am sorry for not only showing up later than agreed, but also bringing along more guests than expected. Ah, you don’t need to prepare any more seats. Leito, could you give yours to Lord Welhide?”

“Of course,” Leito replied as he stood, and Welhide silently went ahead and seated himself.

“Kamyua Yoshu... What exactly is your aim here...?” Cyclaeus asked.

“My aim?” Kamyua repeated, tilting his head. “Well, let’s see... I had already planned on inviting Lord Welhide in advance. After all, since you’re just as influential as Duke Genos himself, I figured I needed a witness who wouldn’t be intimidated by that fact. Lord Welhide seemed a suitable candidate due to his ties to the matters in question, and I’ve been trying to convince him to join in even up to yesterday.”

Cyclaeus just sat there silently glaring.

“Melfried prepared me a letter of introduction, but that didn’t change the fact that I was just a traveler with no one else to back me up. It took quite a bit of time to obtain a meeting with the noble ducal house. Then in the meantime those bandits dressed in the attire of the forest’s edge started appearing around Genos, but since we were in Banarm from the sixth of the white month until the thirteenth, we at least couldn’t possibly have been involved in those crimes. And considering I have the looks of someone from Mahyudra and there were three people of the forest’s edge along with me, the guy running the inn where we were staying certainly wouldn’t fail to remember us.”

If I remembered correctly, those bandits were active until the day I was released from Cyclaeus’s manor, on the ninth of the white month. It was possible Kamyua Yoshu had openly remained in Banarm in order to secure an alibi.

“It seems like I’m suspected of directing those bandits, but ultimately, there’s no proof to that claim. When I explained that I needed to escort Lord Welhide, a noble of Banarm, to Genos, the men in the militia all willingly opened the way to us.”

“You... You went so far as to involve the Banarm ducal house in your wicked plot?”

“I’m not the one who mixed them up in all this. That’s down to whoever attacked those envoys ten years ago. If it weren’t for that tragic incident, Lord Welhide likely would’ve never even set foot in Genos,” Kamyua replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

And then from beside him, Welhide finally spoke up. “I... I came here to learn the truth. I was told that if I came to this place, I would find out the true circumstances behind my father’s death... And I intend to apologize directly to Duke Marstein Genos later on for rudely passing through the gates without notice.”

Leito and this young man’s circumstances really were a lot alike, both having lost a father to those attacks ten years ago. For sure, he didn’t come because Kamyua Yoshu asked. It was the culprit behind those murders that drew him here.

“Now then, it looks like we’ve got all the players gathered together... I really, truly am grateful that you came here today, Bartha.”

“I’ve been hesitating this whole time over whether I would or not, but last night I finally worked up the nerve.”

Bartha’s ferocious stare met directly with Kamyua Yoshu’s mysterious gaze.

By hurrying here as a witness, Bartha set herself to be judged as a criminal... and Kamyua Yoshu must have known that right from the start. For a long moment, his penetrating gaze lingered on her before turning back toward Cyclaeus.

“From what I can see, it looks like the interrogation has more or less come to a close. We’ve got the first son of Duke Genos, Melfried, Lord Welhide of the Banarm ducal house, and if I’m not mistaken, even the legal officer from the castle. You still haven’t admitted to your crimes, even when faced with all these elites, huh?”

“Kamyua Yoshu... Why are you so determined to cause harm to our fair land of Genos...?”

“Cause harm to Genos? Not at all. All I want is a fair trial and for Genos to prosper,” Kamyua Yoshu said with a grin as he waved his right arm in a wide arc. When his long cloak trailed behind him, it looked as if a huge bird was spreading out a single wing or something. And then, he placed his left hand over his heart. “My god is the western god Selva. Fifteen years ago, I renounced the northern god Mahyudra. And all I desire is peace for Genos, a part of Selva’s territory.”

“How insolent... If you perform such a ritual to the gods untruthfully, your soul will be ripped into four...”

“Yup. And is there really reason enough for me to want to bring harm to Selva so badly that I’d sacrifice my very soul? It’s true that the western kingdom didn’t exactly welcome me with open arms, but that was nothing compared to how I was treated in Mahyudra.” With a grin, Kamyua folded his arms again. “Otherwise, why would I need to change gods in the first place? I might have been born in Mahyudra, but my mother and I were persecuted constantly there. So after my mother passed, I had no ties left to that place and changed gods. If I were going to curse any blood in my veins, I’d think of causing trouble for Mahyudra, not Selva.”

Cyclaeus quietly glared.

“But fortunately Genos is pretty far removed from Mahyudra, so it’s rare for anyone to persecute someone like me. Thanks to that, I can freely wish for Genos’s prosperity without any reservations. Still, are you certain you aren’t the ones who cursed the world, Count Cyclaeus?”

Still no response.

“You two didn’t wish for Genos’s prosperity, or even glory for the Turan house. All you wanted was to boost your own fortunes. Looking back, wasn’t that the start of all this tragedy?”

Even as he nonchalantly chuckled, Kamyua Yoshu’s eyes had begun taking on that piercing look. It was a mysterious light in his eyes that somehow reminded me of Granny Jiba.

“From what I’m told, you were originally a second son, Count Cyclaeus. And here in Genos, just being part of a count’s house isn’t all that valuable. I’ve heard Lord Polarth of the house of Daleim lament that second sons have no choice but to live their lives in the shadows.”

Even at that, Cyclaeus remained silent.

“Still, Lord Polarth doesn’t seem to have enough ambition in him to push aside his father and older brother in order to grab hold of prosperity for himself. What was the case for you, though? Just what sort of emotions festered in your heart at having been born as a mere second son of a house given just the small Turan territory to rule over?”

“You intend on slandering me even further...?”

“This isn’t slander. It’s an accusation,” Kamyua Yoshu readily replied. “In those incidents from ten years ago involving the people of the forest’s edge and the Red Beards... You had the leading clan head Zattsu Suun attack the merchant caravan heading for Sym, the envoys from Banarm, and the previous militia leaders. Those are the three incidents I’ve been able to clearly identify, but I’m sure you’ve done much more aside from those. Going even further back to thirty years in the past, I suspect that you also murdered your father and older brother, the previous Count Turan and the next in line.”

“You...”

“There was no way you would be able to bear living a life in the shadows. And that’s why you took care of your father and brother, right? I couldn’t find any proof on the matter, but first your older brother fell from a totos and broke his neck, and then less than a year later the previous count passed away from illness. I’m assuming that ‘illness’ came from poisonous herbs from Sym.”

“You... You dare try to bring me, the head of the noble Turan house, down without any proof whatsoever...?” Cyclaeus retorted as he glared at Kamyua Yoshu’s tall frame as if he was staring at an amoeba.

As for Kamyua Yoshu, he just kept on looking back with that mysterious gaze and a relaxed smile.

“You want to charge me for acting disrespectfully toward a noble? If you really turn out to be innocent, then go ahead. After all, I intend to keep heaping on more disrespect from here on out. What I’ve discussed up till now have all been crimes far in the past... But you don’t have any intention of curbing your ambition from here on out, now do you?”

“You insolent...”

“I tried going ahead and stretching my imagination to its limit. First you murdered your own family, then employed slaves to expand your fortune, and used the people of the forest’s edge to secure even greater prosperity... So just what sort of plans have you drawn up for the future beyond that?”

Cyclaeus was silent.

“Among the houses of the three counts of Genos, the Turan now hold the most power. So much so that you can stand shoulder to shoulder with Duke Genos himself. In that case, your next target can’t be anything else but Duke Genos’s fortune. You started off by taking control of the trade of foods, and now you’re expanding into metalwork. Just last month, I hear you entered into an exclusive trade contract with Jeland, the town in Jagar famous for its steel.”

He must have been talking about the merchant group led by Diel’s father.

“From what I’m told, those metalwork traders visiting from the south have been entrusted with providing all the cookware sold in the castle town, as well as the weapons used by soldiers. Once that’s all set in place, are you planning on taking control of the stonemason or construction groups next? While Duke Marstein Genos is occupied with official business, you plot to plunder all the profits earned in the castle town, don’t you, Count Cyclaeus?”

“It goes without saying that that is all baseless slander...”

It felt as if I could sense a pitch black miasma rising inside Cyclaeus’s small body.

His pale eyes had finally taken on the glare of an injured beast. And opposing him, Kamyua Yoshu just kept wearing the same thin smile.

“So without proof, you can just wave everything away by calling it slander, eh? Well, the only matters I can accuse you of with raw logic are those incidents from ten years back. But if I can prove those crimes, that would be enough to bring home a clear victory, so I’ll have to leave the rest to Duke Genos at that point.”

“You accursed fool...! The blood of Mahyudra runs in your veins, so who would ever believe what you have to say?!” Ciluel exploded for the first time in a while. “Sir Zylus! As the vice-chief legal officer, I would like you to make a clear statement! Is it not fitting for that scoundrel to be whipped and then driven out of Genos?!”

“If you intend to make claims of disrespect, that should be properly judged according to the laws of Genos,” the old man calmly responded. “However... Before that, it is necessary to hear out and examine this Kamyua Yoshu man’s claims regarding the incidents ten years ago.”

“What?! That’s utterly ridiculous! It’s all slander by this man, meant to unjustly bring about our downfall!”

“In that case, it is important to prove that it is in fact slander. And as you can see, they have gone so far as to prepare a witness,” Zylus said, glancing over at Bartha. “We must start by determining in an official trial whether this woman Bartha’s words or your own are the truth.”

“Insanity! Are you claiming the words of some bandit hold the same weight as a noble’s?!”

“This bandit has gone so far as to acknowledge her own crimes in order to testify against you. And so I would say the question of the weight of one’s words is not relevant here.”

“Sir Zylus, you... You come from a branch of the Saturas bloodline, do you not?” Ciluel murmured, looking even more cornered than his brother.

And as Ciluel got all worked up again, Cyclaeus once more closed his eyes.

“So the house of Saturas has been spurred on by the foolish second son of Count Daleim to turn on our Turan house, has it?! You intend to use this conspiracy to bring about our noble house’s downfall, do you?!”

“Your statement just now is what I would call baseless slander. I was invited here not as a member of the house of Saturas, but in my role as legal officer.”

“As if anyone could believe such words! You formulated this plot aiming for our fortune! You’re nothing but a mundt, scrounging for carrion flesh to pick clean!”

Zylus deeply furrowed his brow, looking truly displeased. “I ask that you hold your tongue, Lord Ciluel. You have used muddied words, intimidation, and outright avoiding the questions asked of you not only now, but also with the reasonable queries posed by the leading clan heads of the forest’s edge. It should be clear to anyone just whose words are more reasonable here, without needing to wait for an official hearing.”

“Who cares what the people of the forest’s edge have to say?! They’re nothing but a group of filthy barbarians who slurp down giba blood!”

It was obvious Ciluel had completely lost it.

Zylus gave a sour look as he held his tongue, while Kamyua Yoshu flashed a smile and took up the reins.

“Lord Ciluel, leader of the militia... In actuality, I’ve only raised a single point so far without firm proof. But I suppose I could see you writing off those words as slander with that in mind.”

Hearing that, Ciluel turned in utter bewilderment to face Kamyua Yoshu.

Still wearing a faint smile, the aloof bodyguard narrowed his eyes as he stared back.

“Everything I’ve discussed up till now required an unshakeable pact between the two of you in order to carry out. Since Count Cyclaeus is the head of the house of Turan, I had suspected him as the primary offender, but...now that I’m finally getting a good look at you firsthand, that assumption has been shaken.”

Ciluel sat there, his body trembling.

“Could it be...that it was you rather than Count Cyclaeus who drafted up this whole plot, Lord Ciluel?”

The instant those words slipped free from Kamyua Yoshu’s lips, Ciluel’s hand shot to his hip.

However, there was no sword attached to his leather belt. Thanks to that, nobody instantly reacted. What was there instead, though, was some small silver ornament, which didn’t look in any way like a weapon.

Actually, it seemed more like a bell or something, which Ciluel soon rang, signaling the large curtain behind him to audibly swing open.

Just as Ai Fa had sensed, there were dozens of soldiers waiting there, and all of them were holding drawn bows notched with arrows.

“Nobody move! If you do, I’ll send every last one of your souls to Selva!” Ciluel shouted, with a loud bark of triumphant laughter.

“I can’t believe this...” Zylus sputtered in shock. “H-Have you gone mad, Lord Ciluel? Both Lord Melfried and the son of house Banarm, Lord—”

“If they’re all dead, then their rank doesn’t matter in the least! Our foolish father and brother proved that full well!” Ciluel shouted, ducking down atop his chair. Was there a steel plate to protect him from stray arrows or something hidden in its huge back?

Half of the soldiers kneeled down while the others remained standing, meaning they were prepared to fire their arrows from two separate rows. And there had to be at least thirty of them in total. If they all fired their bows, there wouldn’t be anywhere to escape here in this room.

“You’re a fool, Kamyua Yoshu! And so are all of you who let him smooth-talk you! After every last one of you is dead, the house of Turan will rule over Genos for all eternity!”

Even as Ciluel raged away madly, Cyclaeus just kept sitting beside him with his eyes closed. The smile had vanished from his bluish-gray face, and without it, he just looked like a sickly, decrepit old man whose power had left him.

As for Ai Fa and the other hunters of the forest’s edge, they all didn’t look shaken in the least, just profoundly angry.

“So you’ve gone and acknowledged your crimes without even needing to wait for the trial?” Kamyua Yoshu casually asked. “I’d like to say you’ve saved us some trouble... But it’s not like you’re avoiding judgment either way. You’re just trying to cover up your old crimes with new ones.”

“Silence, you insolent fool! Every last one of you will die here and now!”

“You really intend to make enemies of the ducal houses of both Genos and Banarm? You may be a member of a count’s house, but even you won’t be able to escape being executed for this.”

“During the meeting, our guests from the forest’s edge suddenly grew violent... We had no choice but to order our men to fire their arrows in order to protect ourselves,” Ciluel said in a voice like boiling sludge, moistening his thick lips with his tongue. “Though it was truly unfortunate, Lord Melfried and our guest from Banarm got caught up in what followed... I’d imagine Duke Genos will be quite distraught at having lost his precious heir.”

“I see. So you had that in mind when you took away Melfried’s blades too. Still, he’s just as skilled and brave as the hunters of the forest’s edge, so—”

“The time for arguing is past!”

For a second time, Ciluel reached out and rang that silver bell.

Instantly, the arrows went flying... or at least, that’s what I figured.

I wasn’t exactly able to see it myself, after all. That was because the moment the bell rang, someone kicked out the legs of my stool and the world flipped around me.

As my back thudded hard on the ground, I heard two strange sounds. The first of them was someone’s muffled groan, while the other was a sharp grass whistle blown by a hunter of the forest’s edge.

“You’re not injured, are you, Asuta?” Ai Fa asked from overhead.

Sure enough, she had been the one to knock over my stool. Glancing up at her, I saw that she was now kneeling right next to me.

She was holding onto the legs of a stool, which now had numerous arrows stuck in it. With nowhere to run, she had apparently acted swiftly and used her own seat as a shield. Considering those soldiers looked to only be around five or six meters away, that really was an astounding feat of reflexes and pure physical ability.

As I lay there on my back, I glanced around and saw that the other hunters had protected the rest of our comrades in the same way. Gulaf Zaza and Gazraan Rutim stood imposingly in front of the former members of the Suun clan, Melfried had Zylus covered, and Bartha protected Welhide. Not a single person present looked to be injured.

Just as I was about to breathe a sigh of relief, Kamyua Yoshu’s voice whispered into my ear, “Whew, that was a close one. I never imagined they’d resort to such forceful methods.”

I figured he sounded awful close, and as it turned out he was on his hands and knees right behind me. And underneath his cloak, he was cradling Leito like an infant. Since he didn’t have a stool to use as a shield, Kamyua Yoshu had hugged the ground behind Ai Fa in order to escape the danger.

“Wh-What about Cyclaeus and Ciluel...?”

“No worries there. Looks like they’re dealing with an unexpected visitor, though.”

Not getting what he meant, I sat up, and what I saw was definitely unexpected.

Ciluel’s weighty frame was hanging in the air. And the one holding it was Donda Ruu. In his left hand he held a stool riddled with arrows, and in his right he had grabbed Ciluel by the collar as he stood in the center of the room.

“You damn criminal... How dare you attempt to do such a thing to my comrades,” Donda Ruu’s voice rumbled as Ciluel desperately gasped. At their feet, his weighty-looking chair had tumbled over.

And then, there was Cyclaeus.

The older of the wicked nobles wasn’t exactly able to move freely either. As to why, it was because a figure clad in a hunter’s cloak had pressed a crescent-shaped blade up to his throat.

The boy had flaming red disheveled hair and skinny limbs, and was clearly a hunter of Masara who I could never mistake even from behind.

“Jeeda... What are you doing in a place like this?” Bartha quietly asked.

Jeeda stayed turned away, offering no response.

Instead, the one to answer was Ai Fa, as she pulled me up while still keeping on guard with the stool.

“He has been hiding up in the ceiling, it seems. I sensed his presence slip out several times, but you didn’t notice, Bartha of Masara?”

“Embarrassing as it is to admit, I didn’t notice a thing. Apparently I’m not on the same level as you or that idiot son of mine as a hunter.” Bartha’s face looked somewhat sad as I stared at her from the side, her long hair hanging down. “Jeeda, don’t hurt him. What he needs to face isn’t a blade fueled by revenge, but the law’s judgment.”

Even still, Jeeda didn’t respond.

If he had been hiding up in the ceiling, he must have also heard Bartha’s words brimming with resolve. When that thought came to mind, it caused me to choke up a bit too.

“Well, what are you going to do? As you can see, your masters have fallen into our hands,” Donda Ruu solemnly proclaimed.

The soldiers up along the inner wall had all frozen in place with their second volley of arrows at the ready.

“You can’t silence us with such piddly arrows. How about you try drawing those blades at your hips next? Not that it will change anything...”

Thanks to the face guards on their helmets, it was impossible to read the expressions on those soldiers. However, I could see a number of them glancing over toward Melfried.

“What are you doing?! Kill them!” Ciluel shouted as he was suspended high in the air. “You fired arrows at Melfried! If he makes it out of here alive, you’ll all be hanged! If you value your lives, you’ll kill every last one of them!”

“That is untrue. The crimes here all belong to the traitor Ciluel,” Melfried emotionlessly stated. “You members of the militia were unable to go against his orders. However, as of this moment, this man has lost the right to act as your leader. From here on out, you are to follow my orders as leader of the ducal guard.”

“Don’t be fooled! If you lay down your weapons, your whole family line will be wiped out!”

While the bows remained taut, the tips of the arrows swayed as if searching for a target.

It was then that the door behind us suddenly flew open and Jimon came tumbling into the room. Well, not that he entered of his own will, though. As his back slammed down into the carpet, the man started twisting and groaning in anguish.

“Gahaha! You certainly went all-out here, Donda Ruu! I was getting nervous and starting to think I wouldn’t have a chance to shine!”

It was Dan Rutim.

And Ludo and Darmu Ruu were there too, brandishing their weapons as they stepped inside.

“You didn’t enter through the window, Dan Rutim?” Dari Sauti questioned, only for Dan Rutim to give another hearty chuckle.

“This room’s windows have iron bars over them! So we had to clamber up to the neighboring room’s windows and let ourselves in that way! Deek Dom’s group stayed behind to hold back the soldiers outside!” Dan Rutim replied, rubbing under his round nose. “Still, this sure is one awful smell! It may be convenient, but we don’t need any giba warding fruit in the Rutim settlement!”

I had completely driven it from my mind, but apparently Dan Rutim had followed the smell of the giba warding fruit to this room. And then the grass whistle Gazraan Rutim blew must have acted as a signal for them to come running.

At any rate, it seemed to have clinched our victory.

Dan Rutim, Ludo and Darmu Ruu, and Rau Lea were all standing there with blades in their hands and the wrath of hunters burning brightly in their eyes. While there were only four of them, they were strong and imposing enough to completely overwhelm the thirty soldiers facing them.

“Cast aside your weapons and surrender. If you follow that command immediately, I promise that you shall not face any greater punishment than confinement,” Melfried stated, at which point the soldiers lowered their bows.

“You fools!” Ciluel angrily roared. And then, Donda Ruu firmly threw the man’s body down at his feet. Ciluel writhed in pain and moaned like a toad on the verge of dying.

“Your name is Melfried, isn’t it? Since you’re the son of the lord of Genos, I’ve got a question I’d like to ask you,” Donda Ruu said, slowly turning to face the young noble. “It’s been made perfectly clear today that this Ciluel man is guilty. But it isn’t definitive yet just how deep Cyclaeus’s crimes go... So does that mean we have to keep treating him as the representative for the lord of Genos?”

“Ciluel’s guilt is indeed clear... As for Count Cyclaeus’s crimes, we will have to hold an official trial,” Melfried replied, his gray eyes still keeping their usual chilliness. “Until that trial is finished, the laws of Genos say that he is to be removed from all official duties.”

“I see... But isn’t it possible he’ll manage to push all his crimes off on his brother in order to escape punishment?”

“As long as he isn’t truly innocent, things won’t play out that way,” an unfamiliar voice interjected.

Rau Lea had been closest to the door, so he swiftly turned that way.

“Who are you? Were there even more troops in hiding?”

The new group clad in white armor was eerily silent as they pushed their way into the room.

Ludo Ruu and the other hunters all immediately moved to face them, but after lining up to block the exit, the soldiers all stopped with machinelike precision.

And then, the tall man right in the center of the group stepped forward without any hesitation.

He was a middle-aged man, and he had long medium-brown hair. His mustache looked pretentious, to put it bluntly, and he had a slim, elegant figure. He was dressed in a nice-looking yet not gaudy Jagar-style collared vest and cylinder-legged pants. As he approached, his handsome face broke out in a relaxed grin.

Though he was dressed like someone from Jagar, his skin color marked him clearly as a westerner. Overall, he looked to be a noble man overflowing with strength and confidence, and he had a youthful yet majestic air about him.

“Ah, it’s been some time, Lord Welhide. Not since the wedding of the first daughter of Banarm? Anyway, I’m glad to see you doing well.”

Welhide had been pale as he watched Donda Ruu and the others have their exchange, but now he swiftly hung his head. And the soldiers who had tossed aside their bows had started moaning in fear.

“I ordered the soldiers out front to lay down their blades too. It didn’t seem like any of our comrades from the forest’s edge were injured, so that’s certainly a relief.”

Donda Ruu just silently met that grin with a glare.

And from beside me, Kamyua Yoshu casually called out, “Well, well. I never imagined a slouch like you would drag himself all the way here.”

“What are you saying? You are the one who sent a messenger to inform me of Lord Welhide’s arrival, aren’t you? I couldn’t exactly loaf around after hearing of that.” Then, the man looked over to Cyclaeus, who still had Jeeda’s blade pressed to his throat, and sighed. “It truly is a shame that things turned out this way, Count Cyclaeus. You’ve been most skillful at managing the Turan lands, so it’s really making my head hurt thinking of how things will go from here on out.”

As he still sat pressed down into his throne-like chair, Cyclaeus slowly opened his eyes. At once, his face went deathly pale, and a cold sweat started forming on his deeply wrinkled skin.

“It seems my fate is sealed, then...”

“That’s true. I’ll handle things from here to the best of my judgment, so you can just take it easy and wait for your trial.”

“Hmph... I’d certainly like to hear just how you’ll be handling things, and in detail,” Donda Ruu chimed in.

By this point, everyone must have realized just who the man was. And while still grinning, he bowed to Donda Ruu.

“From what I can tell, you seem to be one of the new leading clan heads of the forest’s edge, correct? My first task will surely be reforging a proper bond with all of you. By my name of Duke Marstein Genos, allow me to offer my apologies for my impoliteness up until now.”

It had been roughly eighty days now since I first arrived at the settlement at the forest’s edge. And now, I had met with the highest authority in all of Genos face to face.

Well, not that he had clearly seen my face just yet, though. It would still be a few hours more before I would talk to him directly, after all.

At any rate, that was how the curtain closed on the chaotic third meeting between Cyclaeus and the leading clan heads of the forest’s edge.