Episode 32: Arson (5)
Muriel was taken to Sharan’s office. It was a relief. If she had been taken to the throne room or the banquet hall, Muriel wouldn’t have had a chance to do anything. The fact that she’d been brought to Sharan’s office, accompanied by several guards, meant that they hadn’t yet decided what to do with Muriel.
“Tell me why I should spare your life.”
As soon as Sharan saw Muriel, he bluntly asked that question. It seemed like he was burdened with many tasks, since there were slight shadows under his eyes. Still, his body was shiny enough for her to feel unpleasant.
“The priests are making a fuss, saying that you’re the saint candidate, and that I shouldn’t kill you. But isn’t it impossible for a saint to conjure up that much fire with magic? That means you’re not the Saint. So why should I keep you alive?”
Sharan asked nonchalantly as if he was talking about the life of an insignificant fly. If Muriel showed any signs of begging for mercy, she would be dragged to the execution grounds immediately.
“If you spare me, I will find the fragments of Ur.”
To keep Sharan interested, Muriel got straight to the point. Sharan furrowed his brow but seemed intrigued, uncrossing his legs which he had crossed drowsily, and sat up straight.
“Are you trying to imitate Sharan?”
“Please take a look at this, Sharan. This is the reason why I set fire to Sharan’s mountain.”
Muriel took out a piece of Ur from the Nihil.
“I was trying to figure out the authenticity of the Ur fragment I found when I accidentally set it on fire. Give me a way to prove my loyalty. I will find all the other fragments scattered throughout the kingdom.”
The knights in the office could feel the tension rising. Muriel bowed her head even deeper to be courteous. It was a grave offense just to possess a piece of Ur. If Sharan were to question her guilt here, Muriel would have no chance to survive.
However, since she had already been accused of burning Sharan’s mountain, she had nothing to lose.
“…Since when have you had the fragment? Why didn’t you bring it to the king immediately?”
Sharan’s voice turned icy, but Muriel knew that he was already intrigued enough by her promise to find all the fragments. Instead of being dragged into questions she could not answer, she intended to steer the conversation towards a tempting proposal.
“I know who is hiding the fragments. If you leave it to me, I’ll find all of them.”
“…You still haven’t answered my question. Since when have you had the piece? How do you know the location of the sculpture? Are you truly the Saint?”
“…”
“If you don’t answer, I can drag you to the underground prison and torture you until you confess.”
“Isn’t it not possible to find the fragments of Ur without the prayer of the saint?”
“…What did you say?”
He had never explained to Rovelia and Muriel why they were made to pray day and night. Yet, Muriel knew exactly what her purpose was.
How much did she know? A sharp suspicion passed through the fake Sharan’s mind, who was hiding his brother deep in a dungeon.
“I am telling you that keeping me alive would be useful.”
“Did you get an oracle?”
“…”
“What did you see?”
Sharan asked, ready to kill Muriel right away if she showed even the slightest hint of knowing the real Sharan.
“All I know is who possesses the fragments of Ur.”
Muriel prostrated herself and waited for Sharan’s response. Sharan’s contemplation lasted a long time. Everyone in the room was holding their breath. Muriel too thought it was a clumsy proposal to stake her life on. But she wanted to bet on Sharan’s pride and arrogance. Even if there was a small chance of finding the fragments of Ur, he wouldn’t want to let it slip away so easily. Even if he had doubts, he could just punish her for them later. The arrogant king thought that way.
“You don’t answer anything properly, even when pressed.”
“…”
“I know the saying a typhoon is brewing very well. You’re shamelessly good at telling obvious lies, aren’t you?”
“…”
“There are too many loopholes in your words. They seem like shallow lies to evade the situation. First, you say you’ll go directly to get the fragments of Ur. Why don’t you give their names to me?”
“…”
Sharan smirked while looking at Muriel, who was silently looking up at him without a response.
“To dare to try to deceive the king with decorative words without fear. You are incredibly stupid, and terribly senseless.”
Was it really over? Muriel wondered even now whether Kaiton would truly appear if she called out to him while holding the fragment of Ur. But then a head-to-head confrontation between Sharan and Ur would be inevitable, and the kingdom would be thrown into chaos. When she thought that maybe she should just die quietly by herself, Sharan’s mocking voice reached her ears again.
“However, it wouldn’t hurt to find out what you’re up to. The king’s eyes see every corner of the kingdom, and there is no prey that my knights can’t chase within the kingdom. You should know better than anyone that you will not be able to evade punishment if you take this easy.”
Muriel couldn’t hide her displeasure and muttered a half-hearted thank you, but Sharan didn’t pay attention to such impolite behavior and looked back at his escort knights.
“Jaron.”
“Yes, Sharan.”
The largest man among the knights answered Sharan’s call. He was even bigger than August. He had a lumpy wound all over his neck, as if his neck had been torn and reattached. His massive build looked even more threatening due to the intense scars that were hard to look away from, but his face seemed sincere and upright enough to believe he was a priest.
“I will give you Jaron. He is an excellent knight, loyal enough to jump into a demon’s den without hesitation to save his king’s life.”
“…Thank you.”
Although he said he would give him to her, the thanks came out awkwardly because it was clear that he was going to be a watchdog.
“Jaron, assist Muriel Storm in retrieving all of Ur’s fragments.”
“Yes, Sharan.”
“In any case, to ensure that, prioritize securing Ur’s fragments.”
“Yes, Sharan.”
Sharan’s words contained a lot of meanings. It seemed to imply that if necessary, he should kill Muriel and bring the fragments. But the sincere-looking knight responded without hesitation, whether or not he understood the underlying meaning.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
“I’ll stop by the Dachini estate for a moment to pick up their sword. We need to have a plan for dealing with demons if we encounter them.”
Muriel had a brief moment to prepare. She changed into clean clothes but kept the cloak that Kaiton had given her wrapped around her. It was because the thick, heavy cloak, reaching down to her ankles, provided her with a sense of determination just by wearing it.
“If you have a fragment of Ur, you won’t lose your pacio to demons.”
Jaron was dressed much more simply than when she saw him in the office. His attire was so free-spirited that if they met outside, one could mistake him for a mercenary. He seemed well versed in life outside the palace.
“But it’s not like we can not kill the demons. If we let them live, the damage will be greater, so you have to deal with them every time we encounter them.”
“…Do I do it?”
“…If you don’t want to, I can do it, but…”
Muriel had never handled a sword before.
“If there’s a need for me to wield Dachni’s sword, I won’t hesitate. It’s just that the Dachini might not willingly give it up.”
She was worried that he might refuse to do something Sharan didn’t ask him to, but it seemed her worries were unfounded.
“Don’t worry about it. I’m just going to retrieve the items I left.”
Jaron rubbed his sore neck and agonized.
Should he trust her?
Muriel’s words seemed more nonsensical with each passing moment, yet she was strangely persuasive, much to his dismay.
Jaron was a commoner. It was difficult for him to secure a position in the palace even if he rolled around like a dog. His natural pacio was good, and luckily, he could handle white magic, but that was about it. Without the support he had, such mediocre talents would never see the light of day. However, by chance, one day, he stopped a demon charging towards Sharan and in recognition for his efforts, became the captain of the royal guard. He was always risking his life fighting demons, so if it weren’t for Sharan, he would have met a dog’s death. He was fortunate, and that paved the pathway for his career.
This time, he was tasked with retrieving Ur’s fragment. If it wasn’t a matter that needed to be handled discreetly, it would have been a perfect opportunity for him to not return. He wanted to make a name for himself somehow. To do so, he had to properly carry out Sharan’s orders.
Be wary of Muriel, and prioritize retrieving Ur’s fragment. But it was Dachni’s sword… Would he ever have another chance to hold Dachni’s sword in his lifetime? Or even see it?
“…Let’s go.”
In the end, Jaron succumbed to his greed as a swordsman.
Unlike his sincere appearance, he was vulnerable to temptation.
⚜ ⚜ ⚜
“Give me the sword.”
“M-Muriel. What do you mean?”
Muriel said that as soon as she saw Rovelia. Jaron flinched at her tone that sounded like she was talking about something she’d entrusted to them. Maybe he shouldn’t have followed her. If the head of Dachini and his sons, known for their hot temper, came rushing out – he wasn’t confident that he could stop them.
Jaron clicked his tongue when the only young daughter of the proud Guardian family, known for their haughtiness, spoke softly as if trying to appease them instead of getting angry. Rovelia acted like a frightened person from the moment Muriel appeared. Her face turned pale as if her blood had been drained, and she trembled as if she was afraid. It was just enough for her not to collapse right away.
Jaron wondered if the poor young lady was being threatened or blackmailed by Muriel. Still… if he could get a hold of Dachini’s sword because of it, he didn’t mind. Despite his dignified appearance, Jaron was a man who wouldn’t hesitate to do whatever it took to achieve his goals.
“I don’t have time. Quickly. Give me Dachini’s sword. I’ll borrow it for a while.”
“Look, young lady. How can you suddenly come here and speak so rudely like a thug…”
Muriel took out the talisman ring without another word. It was something Rovelia had dropped at the scene of the wildfire.
“Should I explain more?”
Muriel didn’t have any sympathy left for Rovelia, who had caused trouble with the wildfire and even messed with her own head with the fake fragment of Ur. Looking back, Rovelia made her stomach churn from the moment she first saw her. Quite literally made her want to vomit. Now that she thought about it, her instincts had warned her in advance, but she fell for her deceit still, making her even grumpier.
“Let the knight here go get Dachini’s sword, and we’ll talk a bit more among ourselves. I still have something else to get back.”
She didn’t know how far Jaron would report back to Sharan the things he’d seen, so Muriel intended to get the piece back without his knowledge. Not for Rovelia’s sake, but for the sake of the kingdom’s peace. It would be troublesome if the relationship between Sharan and the Guardians became strained.
“…”
“You can talk now, right?”
“…Wait here. I’ll go talk to my father and come back.”
Rovelia stumbled as she got up clutching her dress, but there was no one to offer a helping hand to her frail figure. Instead, Muriel’s face crumpled as she spoke coldly.
“Rovelia, don’t try anything this time. There’s a limit to my patience, too.”
