ITBFL | Chapter 42

Episode 42

A few hours? No, perhaps just a few minutes.

The energy within his body was shifting rapidly.

The force that had turned him into a rabbit was gradually shrinking, and heat began to spread through different parts of his body.

He had felt this sensation before—when he briefly returned to his human form.

But this time, the feeling was several times more intense.

He couldn’t afford to transform in front of Lize, so he temporarily slowed the flow of energy within his body.

For a Swordmaster like him, controlling mana’s movement wasn’t particularly difficult.

And the moment Lize left, and the door closed—

The energy within his body surged once more.

“…….”

His breath grew heavy.

He looked down at the foot he had pressed against the floor.

The next moment, a thick white mist began to spread.

From within that mist, the figure that emerged was no longer a rabbit.

The soft light filtering through the window faintly illuminated the broad back of a man.

A large hand clenched into a fist, as if grabbing hold of something.

And at that moment—

The door opened.

The central hall of the Erne Knights, where the elders’ meeting was being held.

The semicircular, tiered seats surrounding the podium in the front were occupied by dozens of elders.

Each of them wore a silver mask.

It was a rule of the Erne Elders’ Council, designed to ensure anonymity and allow free speech.

Seated in my place in the second row, I quietly observed the atmosphere of the hall.

It wasn’t particularly noisy, yet a heavy tension—like the calm before a storm—filled the air.

“Then, let us begin the meeting.”

Commander Denver, seated in the central chair, spoke.

“As for the expansion of Erne’s jurisdiction…”

“To what extent should we cooperate with the private knight orders in the region…?”

While discussions proceeded on the scheduled agenda, my gaze remained fixed on an empty seat.

The seat designated for the Black Leopard Division’s commander—the one with the nameplate that read “Cassium Ruden Balteire.”

I had to press my lips together to keep a sigh from escaping.

That sense of inevitability—the feeling that something was about to come—was closing in.

“That concludes the discussion on the formal agenda.”

The moment Commander Denver finished speaking, one of the elders raised a hand.

“Then, shall we now discuss ‘that matter’?”

Ah, I had a feeling about this. I already knew what this elder was going to bring up.

“I have heard that Sir Balteire has gone missing.”

…As expected.

With that, four or five other elders immediately joined in.

“Is it appropriate to leave that seat empty like this?”

“That seat has never been left vacant before, not even once.”

“Has he truly gone missing? Then what exactly is the ducal house doing about it?”

The public hearing had begun.

“Have you really been unable to find him?”

Questions poured in. Commander Denver responded to them all smoothly, without revealing everything. His eloquence was truly impressive.

In reality, there was no need to disclose all the details about Cassium to the elders.

‘What they need to know is the current situation of the Erne Knights, not Cassium’s personal circumstances.’

That meant there was no reason to mention that Cassium had turned into stone.

Still, his absence posed a serious challenge for Erne.

“Then, how do you plan to lead the Black Leopard Division?”

At last, the question was asked. My head turned toward Commander Denver.

A brief flicker of acknowledgment passed over his face—he had expected this.

But he quickly composed himself and responded in a calm tone.

“We have asked another division commander within Erne to take on the role concurrently.”

Our eyes met.

I nodded.

‘I don’t like it… but I’ll accept it.’

At first, I had been determined to refuse.

But now that I had at least found Cassium—even if he was in his petrified state—things were a little different.

‘One day, Cassium will return to his human form.’

Even if there was no fixed duration for the dark magic cast upon him, this was Cassium. If it were him, he would surely return someday.

‘But if a new division commander is officially appointed, his position will become uncertain when he returns.’

If I took on the role temporarily, I could simply hand it back to him when the time came—avoiding any complications.

I was determined to make Cassium owe me a favor.

‘So make sure you come back as a human, Cassium. You need to return and repay me.’

As I was thinking that and preparing to rise from my seat—

“That was our initial plan. However, a division commander has expressed the opinion that a new leader should be chosen from within the division itself.”

“……!?”

Commander?

My eyes met Commander Denver’s again.

With a thoughtful expression, he gave a small nod.

It felt like he was saying, I respect your wishes, Lize.

It seemed he had misunderstood my stance, and I hurriedly opened my mouth to correct him.

“That’s not what I—”

“So, we will proceed with selecting a new division commander from within the Black Leopard Division, where Cassium Ruden Balteire once served.”

“…….”

But his voice was faster.

‘I should have told him about Cassium turning into stone first!’

I had been so focused on finding a way to restore Cassium overnight that I had rushed here without explaining everything.

‘At this rate, Cassium will lose his position as division commander.’

Of course, whether or not he lost his title wasn’t really my concern.

And yet, I felt a strange sense of responsibility.

Was it because I could still vividly picture Cassium trembling as he responded to me yesterday?

Or was it because I was the only one who knew that he was still alive—even in that form?

“The next division commander will be…”

If this continued, Cassium would truly be replaced.

“Wait…”

Wait a minute.

‘…Wouldn’t this actually be a good thing for me?’

If things followed the original story, Cassium would later become my senior in the knights and make Bryce’s life miserable.

Without him in that position, I wouldn’t have to deal with his irritating presence either.

“…….”

But before I could even finish that thought, my body moved on its own.

I shot up from my seat.

“Commander!”

All the elders’ eyes turned to me.

Commander Denver gestured for me to speak.

“Speak, Sir Artiel.”

“…….”

“Sir?”

“Well…….”

I wasn’t exactly sure what this feeling was, but if Cassium’s position were to disappear like this, it somehow felt like I was the one losing.

Ah, whatever.

I’d think about the consequences later……

“I propose that, for now, the Black Leopard Division Commander’s position be assigned as an acting commander rather than a permanent appointment.”

“An acting commander?”

“Yes. Whether the selection comes from within the Black Leopard Division or another Erne division commander takes on the role concurrently, I believe it should be operated as a temporary position.”

The moment I finished speaking, grumbles erupted from various seats among the elders.

“Acting commander? Are you taking the division commander’s position lightly?”

“Are you suggesting we leave the position indefinitely vacant when we don’t even know where Commander Balteir is?”

Turning to the elders, I responded,

“Of course, with a three-month limit. Once the acting commander’s term ends, we can officially appoint a new division commander then—it won’t be too late.”

“Sir Artiel, are you saying…”

A sharp voice came from the elders’ seats.

“Are you certain that the missing Sir Balteire will return within three months?”

“Yes.”

I answered without hesitation.

Was I really certain? Not exactly.

But showing any doubt or wavering here would be the worst possible move.

“Three months is too long.”

“Indeed! How can we leave the position vacant for that long?”

But the resistance from the elders was stronger than I had anticipated.

‘I expected this, but still…….’

There were many factions in the Empire eager to keep the powerful Balteir family in check.

And since the elders’ council was conducted anonymously, it was one of the rare opportunities they had to challenge Balteire without consequences.

Of course, there were also elders who supported waiting for Cassium’s return.

They were the ones who recognized his exceptional skills as a knight.

But the opposition was just as strong.

‘Why did Cassium have to be born into such a ridiculously powerful family…….’

I opened my mouth several times to speak, but the elders continued their arguments without giving me a chance to intervene.

Glancing in the direction of my office—where Cassium’s stone form was—I muttered inwardly,

‘Cassium, I’m sorry. I couldn’t protect your position…….’

When you return… just transfer to another knight order.