For Yuri to know that Conrad was affiliated with a Beast Knight was shocking enough. But for him to learn the same Beast Knight was already dead... Honestly speaking, he didn't know what to say or feel about it. When he first heard of it from Conrad, he was seriously left speechless. Though his godfather tried to act in front of him that it was alright, Yuri could still see that it hurt Conrad to some extent.
The Maoh heaved quite a depressing sigh as he thought about that. It was more than enough to catch Wolfram and Murata's attention, though.
"It looks like Lord Weller had given you more issues to think about with the way you're sighing right now, Shibuya," Murata commented as lightly as he could.
But Yuri didn't respond to that. This time, the other three males Gwendal, Shori, and Yozak had their focus shifted to the deep thinking young king.
"What's wrong, Yuri?" Shori couldn't help asking.
"I think it was a bad idea to bring Conrad along now that I heard the story." Though Yuri said it as softly as he could, it was still audible enough for the others to hear, which left them all confused.
"What do you mean, Yuri?"
"Conrad appeared to have an even deeper connection to the Esovian Mazoku than we ever thought. He said the Beast Knight he met before... died 25 years ago."
Surprise filled the air upon hearing that. The others exchanged glances looking for answers to their unspoken questions.
"If it was 25 years ago, then it was before the Mazoku's war against the humans. It was before Julia died," Wolfram said, soon breaking the tensed silence. "I never knew... he lost another important person that time. He lost that person... and then Julia not long after."
"All of us didn't know that," Gwendal suddenly spoke in a firm tone. "So there's no reason for you to only blame yourself, Wolfram."
"But Brother-"
"Gwendal's right, Wolfram," Yuri soon cut off Wolfram's words. "We had no idea at all. Conrad kept it all to himself all this time."
But Murata, who remained silent for the long time since he last said something, suddenly spoke. "I don't think Lord Weller kept it all to himself, Shibuya."
Yuri faced his friend with a frown. "Are you saying that someone else in Shin Makoku knew about Lyall besides Conrad?"
"Lyall?"
That was when Yuri clamped his mouth. Damn it! Conrad would surely kill him. Why was he blurting out everything all of a sudden?
"Mothers know best, Shibuya. It wasn't just Lord Weller who was acting weird ever since the Beast Knight topic was brought up," Murata stated.
It didn't take long for the others to realize what the Daikenja was talking about.
"Then Your Grace, are you talking about Cherie-sama? She knew about this Beast Knight that Conrad met before?" Yozak inquired simultaneously.
"There is that possibility. We still don't have any idea what she knew about that topic concerning Lord Weller and the Wind Tiger Knight. But whatever it is that she knew, she made it her duty to protect it for Lord Weller's sake. Losing this Lyall person was already something painful for him to bear. As a mother, Lady von Spitzberg could only help her son this way," Murata explained.
No one was able to say anything after that. Who would be, when they knew that Murata had a point? But to think such a story existed...
"By the way, Shibuya," Murata soon said, catching the Maoh's attention. "I'm betting you used the demon mirror to have an idea about that Wind Tiger Knight. Anything else you found out about that person?"
All Yuri did was scratch the back of his head as the others stared at him. Well, he was guilty about that, anyway. But soon after, his expression turned serious. "I only used it once, Murata. For some reason, even though I had a lot of opportunities to use the demon mirror again to know more about her, I couldn't find myself doing it again. I told Conrad the same thing when we were talking a while back. I also apologized for doing such thing as looking for his past in the demon mirror."
But out of all the things that Yuri said, there was one that caught the others' attention.
"'Her'? Then you're saying that the Beast Knight Conrad met a long time ago was a girl?"
"Shibuya, you said that her name was Lyall, right? Do you know her full name?"
Yuri nodded. "I was able to know that using the demon mirror. Her full name was Lyall Corliss Amrein. Conrad said that she belonged to the Central Aristocratic Family. What about it?"
Murata was the one who became silent this time. But his silence was something that spelled certain news to Shori.
"Don't tell me you know her, my younger brother's friend?"
The Daikenja shook his head. "No. But I know that the House of Amrein was founded by two of the original Beast Knights Lord Chunho of the Lee clan and Lady Hyorin of the Yin clan. They were the ones who married each other out of the six Beast Knights. Because of that, the House of Amrein became the ruling house of the Kingdom of Esovia."
"But according to Conrad, the monarchy system of that country was already abolished around the same time the war between the Mazoku and the humans broke out. And yet the House of Amrein remained as the ruling house?"
"Something must have happened between the time Lady Lyall died and the war broke out for Esovia's monarchy system to disappear just like what Conrad told us," Gwendal stated which earned him a nod from Murata.
"It's like you're saying that her death triggered something for that to happen in the end," Shori commented soon after.
"I don't know if we'll be able to discover the truth behind that. But if it has something to do with what happened ages ago around the same time as the era of Esovia's founders, then perhaps-"
"She died... because of a curse," a voice soon interrupted Murata which surprised everyone.
When they looked around to find the source, they all saw Conrad by the door looking solemnly at them.
"Conrad..." Yuri could only say.
"Klaus told me that Lyall used her body as a vessel of the curse that once caused havoc to Esovia a long time ago," Conrad continued as he finally entered the room.
"If it was the same curse that wiped out the members of the royal family during Lady Yunsoo's time, then I can understand what happened for the ruling house to finally abolish the monarchy system. Lady Amrein used her own body to save the members of the royal family."
"But why would she do that?"
"If she did that much to save the royal family, I'm now guessing the reason for her to do that was to ensure the past won't repeat itself. She sacrificed herself to make sure the royal family won't be wiped out again," Murata said as an answer to Wolfram's question.
The others noticed Conrad's silence which only made the said soldier sigh. Soon after, he faced the Daikenja. "Your Grace, do you think the curse has something to do with the Phantasma and the presence that you said was similar to Soushu?"
Tensed silence surrounded them once again. But it didn't last long.
"I have no idea, to be honest, Lord Weller," Murata replied. "Why would you ask such a thing?"
"Three years after Lyall died, Klaus said that the Phantasma attacked Esovia to retrieve her body to be used as a core to create more Phantasma."
What Conrad said, however, was enough for Murata to realize something. "Wait a minute, Lord Weller. Use her body to become the core? Are you saying that Lady Amrein wasn't just an elite member of the House of Amrein?"
With a frown, Conrad nodded and decided to tell the truth. "Lyall was the youngest child of the last queen of Esovia, Queen Roheis Imayne Amrein. She was also Klaus' younger sister."