Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The ice shards in her hands were shining strangely. As he opened his eyes wide, he saw a white energy flowing. Veryoros murmured with an embarrassing face.

“This, this… I need to get paid more. It’s too difficult. It’s clumsy, but there’s one more person who can use intangible swords.”

He slipped something like an amulet out of his arms. Then he tore it apart before Leasis could react. Leasis threw ice debris at him, just like when she had thrown stones at monsters. But there were blocked by an invisible force.

There was a strong hollow sound. The terrible noise tearing his ears gave him a creepy feeling. If he had gotten hit properly, he would have died. That girl, she was no joke. Veryoros trembled. He skillfully shook off his fear and laughed.

“Bye bye!”

Taking another scroll out of his arms in an instant, he tried to rip it off leisurely. But at that moment, a white glow pierced the paper. Turning his head, he saw Hizen running, looking like a reaper.

“Oh… haha. Right. There was that guy too.”

With a cold sweat, Veryoros tried to find a place to run. The red-haired girl on the left, Hizen on the right… Then to the left! Facing Veryoros running, Leasis clenched her fists. She shouted threateningly.

“Just surrender!”

“Nope.”

Veryoros said with a charming smile. The moment Leasis pulled her strength together, the floor opened wide.

“Ahh!”

Thump.

Leasis screamed and crashed to the floor.

*

Leasis could not raise her head. She avoided Hizen’s eyes after he had save her from the puddle.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Look up.”

At Hizen’s command, she slowly raised her head. Contrary to her expectations, Hizen was not angry.

He spoke in a chilly voice, like the owner of an ice museum.

“I missed him, but it went as the owner intended.”

“Yes? What’s that…”

“From the beginning, this mission was impossible to succeed.”

Hizen walked and stopped in front of Tatar. Tatar sat blankly in front of the remnants of the Ice Unicorn that formed a large pool of water. Hizen’s sword was pointed at his neck.

“Tatar Hen Ichrissen. You are under arrest for cooperating with Veryoros. There’s no objection of being an accomplice.”

Tatar burst into laughter like a man who had lost his mind. He raised his head slowly. Blue eyes were shining subtly with the light entering from the perforated ceiling.

“I got caught. You’re amazing, too.”

“You… If you’re going to admit it so easily…”

Hizen frowned after spitting out his words. Max, who was watching silently, strode closer. He quite liked Tatar, who was usually not acting aristocratic but was honest and modest. He could not just look at this situation without saying anything.

“Commander-nim. What do you mean? Count Ichrissen-nim was the one who suffered the most from this incident.”

“It’s what he wanted himself. This guy hired Veryoros.”

Who in the world wanted to lose money and honor? Max blinked his brown eyes at the inexplicable words.

Only Tatar and Hizen remained still. The faint playfulness on Tatar’s face had disappeared. He seemed to have put everything down.

“Since when… did you know that I was on the same side as him?”

“From the moment you first entered this room. Since you didn’t looked at the Ice Unicorn properly, you’ve been suspicious.”

A blue tendon wriggled on the back of Hizen’s hand, as he was holding back his anger. He spat out his words.

“This statue, it was your mother’s last relic.”

“As expected… that was the problem.”

“You. What’s the point of doing this stupid self-play? And what the hell are those jewels?”

Tatar sighed. He looked at the water that had melted and settled like a pond. There were brilliant shiny jewels in it. It was a terrible sight for Tatar, to the point where he wanted to destroy them right now. He confessed the truth with a voice full of pain.

“I never imagined it before I became the head of my family. This beautiful piece of ice, the castle… That there’s a secret behind it…”

After that, Leasis closed her eyes tightly. The truth was terrible. Tatar’s mother was a fairy. She had met and fallen in love with the former Count Ichrissen, Tatar’s father, and had dedicated everything to him. However, the situation had changed since the death of the former Count Ichrissen, Tatar’s grandfather. Upon learning of the existence of the ‘Fairy Tears’, Count Ichrissen had refused to let her go.

The Fairy Tears were jewels that came after a long period of pain. Tatar’s mother was only allowed to eat and drink, and had to be beaten for no reason. Her tears were sold at a high price. Count Ichrissen moved cleverly behind the young Tatar, who was ignorant of this.

Under the imperial laws, selling Fairy Tears was illegal. It had long been forbidden to use other people’s pain as a good. So instead, he began to make ice sculptures hiding the Fairy Tears to avoid the imperial eye, and sold them. The ice cubes, sprinkled with magic power, did not melt even after a few days, so it was a good smoke screen to sell the Fairy Tears.

Greed quickly grew like a snowball. Eventually, it was stopped after making the Ice Unicorn, with a size comparable to a castle. It was terrible, his fairy mother was sacrificed until the end. She put all her tears in the Ice Unicorn and died.

“Since then, everyone who knew about the Ice Unicorn has died. Then, I became the head of this house. I found out about this only recently.”

Two tears fell on Tatar’s cheeks. The art museum, the Ice Unicorn, which was built with his mother’s death. It must have been difficult for him to look at it. At first, he tried to ruin the family and get rid of the art museum. But his innocent nephews were growing up little by little. He could not trample on the future of children.

So he came to a conclusion after thinking deeply. He should take responsibility for the children by eliminating the wrong art museum and selling the remaining Fairy Tears. To do the job without undermining the family’s honor, he needed the title of the ‘Legendary Thief’ and a well-known witness. The witness he chose was the Commander of the Imperial Elite Knights, who was a powerful man that the Imperial Family could not touch.

Tatar smiled bitterly. In fact, it was a difficult choice for him, who could not even lie properly, and it was more like a gamble. But he had no regrets. Even if the plan failed, he had the strong belief that Hizen would protect his nephews. So he took the risk and chose Hizen.

“Then…”

Everyone was shocked. Hizen was the only one who remained calm. He acted according to the procedure.

“We follow the imperial rules. Wait for a fair punishment for the time being.”

Hizen, with the sword in his hand, lowered his gaze. He tried not to worry about anything. However, his throat was itchy as if he had swallowed grains of sand. He said coldly on purpose.

“Using imperial knights for doing mischief is a blasphemy to the Imperial Family. The punishment for a member of the three major families for insulting the Imperial Family… is the death penalty.”

Hizen slowly closed his eyes. Although the three families were called the pillars of the Empire, they had a great possibility of threatening the imperial power. The Emperor, afraid of them, had thought hard about this. He had decided to impose stricter rules on the three major families, whose heads were Count Dratius, Count Ichrissen, and the Duke of Armada. They would be severely punished if they insulted the Imperial Family or showed signs of rebellion.

“Count Dratius-nim.”

Leasis looked up at him with earnest eyes. Everything could be covered if only the people who were here now stayed silent. After reading her heart, Hizen shook his head. He could not mess up public affairs with personal feelings.

“We can’t let this go. Innocent people have already been harmed…”

“I saw it on the way. Everyone left the museum at the command of Count Ichrissen. No one was harmed.”

That was what Hizen had expected, and Leasis knew he had. But she could not help but say it.

For Tatar and Hizen, for anyone else, she had to say something. The only person who would do it was Leasis herself. With courage, she strengthened her neck.

“Please close your eyes this once. It’s an art museum and a statue made by Count Ichrissen’s mother.”

Max and Taker also nodded in sympathy. Hizen glanced down at her. To be precise, at her hand. The frostbite hand was swollen, torn and messed up. She hurriedly hid her hands behind her back.

Hizen’s mood fell. At the same time, his voice also sank low.

“That’s funny. It’s not a trivial matter that criminals used the Imperial Elite Knights for self-produced dramas.”

“He is a friend of Count Dratius-nim. Isn’t it Count Ichrissen-nim that gave you the old amulet protecting you even against strong wizards?”

Leasis’ eyes shone clear. She had happened to see an amulet while organizing his uniforms. The ends were worn out and faded. It was like Veryoros’ amulet. Hizen carried the amulet from his old friend like a alter ego.

At this moment, it would be in one of his uniforms. It was obviously a gift from a precious person.

“He’s precious to Count-nim.”

His blue eyes became cooler, but she did not avoid them. She faced his gaze firmly.

“We can wrap it up.”

“Commander-nim, Miss Leasis is right. This is an emergency, so why don’t you just say that we hired the Imperial Elite Knights in top secret?”

When Max joined, Hizen remained silent. It was obvious that he was conflicted. Leasis did not just stare. She approached Tatar.

Leasis had read in a book about the ‘Golden Card’, a privilege of the three great families. It was a kind of privilege that the heads of the three families could use only once in their lives. With that card and the Fairy Tears, he could get over this. It was a legitimate procedure and cost that Hizen could accept.

Leasis bent over in front of Tatar. She spoke clearly, facing his surprised eyes.

“Count Ichrissen-nim. In return for this, and with your authority as the head of one of the three major families, please use the Golden Card and the Fairy Tears to pay the Imperial Elite Knights.”

Tatar could not answer easily. The Golden Card did not matter, but if he paid with the Fairy Tears, the future of his nephews would be a problem. She shook her head greatly.

“Count Ichrissen-nim, your nephews don’t have to worry.”

Everyone looked at Leasis with curious eyes. She lowered her arm to point to the flat land where the castle was located.

“Below here is hidden a relic of the earth, a truffle.”

Everyone looked shocked. Truffle. It was one of the three greatest delicacies, and it was a food ingredient that could never be cultivated or grown. Especially, the variety was so good that you could not buy it even if you sold a castle. Tatar opened his eyes wide because it was his first time hearing about it.

“What is that…”

“When I arrived here, I found a magic rat. He told me that Tatar’s mother had hidden a truffle on the floor of the castle.”

Leasis rolled up her sleeves and began digging. Hizen frowned slightly at her mole-like appearance. Her clothes and apron got dirty, but she dug hard.

After a while, something shaped like a stone came out of the ground. It was the delicacy called the relic of the earth. Hizen opened his eyes wide, too. It was difficult to recognize the form properly because of the soil, but it was the same as what he had eaten briefly as a child.

Leasis shook her hands and jumped up. Then she looked alternately at Hizen and Tatar.

“Is it all right now, Count-nims?”

Leasis smiled brightly with her clothes and body covered in dirt. Hizen could not understand at all. She broke the ice wall with all her might, and then was hurt everywhere, and she was still full of enthusiasm. She did not get tired. Looking at her, Hizen had no choice but to admit one fact. Leasis was a woman who had a strong will to act and a steady mental strengh. In the face of any hardship, she would overcome it as she was doing now. Even if she was trembling in fear, she would soon get up and face it again.

Hizen looked up at the sky. The shining sky with the sun rising reminded him of Neren. Hizen slowly closed his eyes. Now, he thought he could understand Neren’s decision a little bit.