Special SS ~ 3
As Lexion sat in front of the grave, his face was devoid of any expression. He looked like a shell of a person, sitting there in a daze.
“……”
Am I dreaming right now?
A terrible nightmare.
Otherwise, why you?
Why not me, Seriniel? Why you?
[Get up, quickly!]
Seriniel’s face, disheveled but reaching out her hand to him, overlapped with the overgrown grave.
[Would you dance with me?]
Her cheeks lovingly flushed as she cautiously asked him.
[I am Seriniel Verdellete.]
Seriniel Verdellete.
Even after death, he couldn’t forget the moment he first heard that name.
[May I ask which noble house you are from?]
And… on that day, when he had to turn away without giving her an answer.
Lexion reached out with a broken expression, with trembling hands, he began to sweep the dry grave.
And then…
“Seriniel…”
For the first time since that foolish party, he called out her name in front of her.
“Seriniel…”
Lexion repeated her name endlessly, as if he had decided to do all the things he couldn’t do before in one go.
And he soon realized.
Even if he called her name thousands or tens of thousands of times… he would no longer receive any answer.
“Ugh…”
Lexion, who had been caressing the grave, clutched his chest in pain.
“If I had known you would end up like this…”
If he had even slightly anticipated it, he would have done anything to keep her by his side.
Even if she ended up hating him for it, he would have done it.
“It’s all… my fault…”
Hugging the grave, Lexion groaned in a boiling voice.
“If only I had protected you…”
If he hadn’t been wandering from battlefield to battlefield.
Even if seeing Seriniel happy with Calian crushed and tore at his heart, if he hadn’t left the capital.
If he had stayed, enduring the daily pain of piecing his shattered heart back together only for it to break again.
If he had been there, Seriniel would be alive.
At least they wouldn’t have reunited like this.
So Seriniel’s death, her lonely burial in a place with no visitors and no proper tombstone… it was all his fault.
There was nothing in this world that wasn’t his fault.
“……”
Lexion’s bloodshot eyes eventually burst, filling with something akin to bloody tears.
But he didn’t cry.
Maybe he felt he didn’t even deserve to cry.
[Are you happy?]
“Even if I couldn’t be your happiness…”
[Are you happy, Seriniel Verdellete?]
“I could have stepped back for your happiness.”
Lexion spoke in a choked voice.
“For your sake, I could have kept my feelings to myself and stepped back, no matter how many times…”
But how foolish that was.
“I… Seriniel. I…”
Holding the grave tightly, Lexion’s hands trembled.
“Even now… I can’t be your happiness. I may mean nothing to you…”
But still.
“I’m still…”
“I’m stuck in that day…”
So…
“I’ll do what I can.”
Even if it’s something you never wanted or wished for, it’s the only thing that means anything to me now.
“Instead of your happiness…”
Lexion trembled with swallowed rage.
“…I’ll become your sword.”
Yes.
“The sharpest and most keen blade… that can cut down anyone…”
Now, the only thing I can do for you,
and the only thing I must do, is this.
Under the morning sunlight, Lexion’s eyes, dark as if reflecting hell itself, were filled with nothing but intense desire for revenge.
Together with a powerful anger that even he could hardly control.
* * *
“I was wondering what brought you here so urgently, Lexion.”
The emperor’s face was filled with concern as he looked down at Lexion from his throne.
“…It seems your story is correct. After Seriniel Helcar’s death, her uncle Beles Verdellete and her husband Calian Helcar inherited her mine. Yes, the mine that yielded an enormous profit from the mined ore.”
“……”
“I was already investigating where that large sum of money was flowing, but I didn’t expect they were preparing for rebellion this way.”
After leaving the mountain, Lexion went straight to the imperial palace.
There, he told the emperor that he needed to investigate the profits from Seriniel’s mine, inherited by Beles Verdellete and Calian Helcar.
Since everyone in the Carteia Empire already knew about the inheritance, it wasn’t difficult.
What Lexion focused on was the flow of funds, as the emperor had just mentioned.
…If Beles and Calian had targeted the mine from the beginning?
If they had colluded from the start and murdered Seriniel?
And the frequent meetings between Grand Duke Clan, who was subtly checking the emperor, and Beles—could they really be coincidental?
Lexion’s assumption was spot on.
“It’s unclear how long they’ve been preparing, but it’s certain they’ve been putting in considerable effort.”
The emperor sighed as he spoke.
“To be honest, I’m still not sure. The funds must have been used to gather soldiers to attack the palace. Comparing the number of soldiers they’ve amassed over the years to the number of palace guards…”
“It doesn’t matter.”
The firmness in Lexion’s response made the emperor momentarily pause.
“No matter how many soldiers they gather, there’s only one way to dismantle them.”
“What?”
“Kill Beles Verdellete and Grand Duke Clan.”
“……Lord.”
“There’s no time. They could attack the palace as soon as tomorrow.”
Lexion’s words were completely accurate. Moreover, he was a seasoned war veteran, and wise. That was why he always returned victorious from disadvantageous wars.
But from the emperor’s perspective, acting so hastily was too dangerous.
“If we make a mistake, we could be accused of rebellion instead.”
“……”
“And if a preemptive strike fails, Beles Verdellete and Grand Duke Clan will use it as a pretext to attack, both you and I would have to risk our lives.”
Lives?
Do I still have a life worth risking here?
My life is already as good as over.
Lexion thought to himself.
“…We’ve grasped the situation, and that’s a significant gain. For now, it would be best if you canceled your expedition and stayed in the capital to observe the situation with me.”
“I understand your concerns, Your Majesty.”
“Yes, so…”
“However, I have no intention of stepping back.”
…Has Lexion ever defied me like this before?
Looking at him now, Lexion seemed different from the man the emperor had always known.
Far more dangerous, precarious…and filled with rage.
“If things go wrong, you’ll be the first in danger, Lexion!”
The emperor, gripped by intense anxiety, shouted urgently.
“For my sake, please…”
“Just pretend you know nothing, Your Majesty.”
“What?”
“Even if it fails, if I act independently, they won’t be able to accuse you of anything.”
“Lord!”
“And only you and I in Carteia know about this. There’s no evidence or suspicion linking you to this.”
What on earth is he thinking, being so reckless?
The emperor felt dizzy, but Lexion seemed utterly unreserved.
Lexion slowly stood up and respectfully bowed to the emperor.
“As I said before, Your Majesty knows nothing.”
Then, looking at the emperor with a dry expression, he said,
“That is enough.”
“Wait. Wait! Lord Lexion!”
The emperor called out desperately, but Lexion didn’t flinch.
Lexion walked away without looking back once, his hands still trembling slightly as he clenched his fists tightly.
