Chapter 89: Awakening of the Demon Sword
"Let's go back to the capital. Get ready, Zoe."
"Understood."
Zoe nods.
I leave the room with Zoe.
With this 25 million, we can move what we stopped.
The main goal, the salt tax, has already been resolved, so there is no need to stay in Dusselany longer.
As I left the building, I saw Zoe, who had left a step ahead of me, coming toward me with a carriage in tow.
Zoe acted as usual and tried to come back to me.
Then, right beside her.
Something suddenly appeared from the shadows and jumped on her.
It was an arc of dull light.
It gouged Zoe's throat.
Zoe then fell to her knees.
"Who are you?"
Kicking the ground and stepping forward in an instant, I pulled out Leviathan and held it to the man's throat.
It was a middle-aged man, with a gaunt appearance and bloodshot eyes.
He had a dagger in his hand.
Is that the weapon that just slashed Zoe's throat?
"..."
The man stared at me with furious eyes, refusing to answer.
"I've seen that man before."
"... Eh?"
But when he saw Zoe speaking – mixed with surprise, but normally – the man's expression changed to astonishment.
"H-How ..."
"Do you know this guy, Zoe?"
"Yes. I saw his face when I went there as a spy."
"He's one of theirs. ... I see… they're just pissed off at Zoe for screwing you over, huh."
"...."
I knew by his reaction that my guess was correct.
If that's the case, I stunned him with Leviathan's intimidation.
The man crumples to the ground, with his eyes white.
On the other hand, Zoe puts her hand on her neck and is surprised to see that there is no blood on her neck, even though she should have been cut.
"Why is there no scar ...?"
"Look at your bosom."
"Bosom ...? There's something there. Is this ... a jewel?"
Zoe was surprised to see a shattered red gemstone, a ruby.
"It's a replacement ruby. You've been carrying it casually for a while now."
"Ehhh?"
"When sending out a spy, I can't just send you out without any insurance, now can I?"
"Your Majesty, ...."
Zoe's eyes moistened as she looked at me with admiration.
"Your Majesty is amazing ... you thought that much about it."
"You're a very important maid, you know."
"Your Majesty,...."
Zoe looked even more impressed.
☆
The day after I returned to the capital, in the study of the detached palace.
I summoned Dustin, the Tenth Prince.
The man, who is also my elder brother, knelt down on one knee and gave me the proper courtesy.
"What might be the reason for your calling, Your Majesty?"
Dustin asked me in a frank tone, unlike other Princes.
"You've heard about Dussel, haven't you?"
"Yeah, kind of."
"They say they sent you a woman, too, but do you have anything to say about that?"
"Did you find out? They were pretty good girls, so I took them and I enjoy them every day."
Dustin answered casually, 'So what?'.
"So you're saying you took a bribe?"
I stared at Dustin.
"If you took a bribe and offered favors, even as your brother I can't protect you."
"What? Why would I do favors for those guys?"
"Hmm?"
"I'm the Prince, right? Why should I work for them just to get a few girls from some low-life?"
"....Fumu"
I couldn't help but laugh at Dustin's tone.
"They gave me a woman, and I took her because she was good enough for me. That's all."
"You don't know they were cheating on the salt tax, do you?"
"What are you saying, Your Majesty, I'm not an emperor, I'm just a prince without a title. I don't care about that kind of thing."
"..."
"Or, Your Majesty, the way you put it, seems they won't be sending any more women, huh? Come on, the quality of the women they send is good, so it being cut off–."
"All right, all right. That's enough."
I laughed even more.
This guy is just.
"I know you didn't have anything to do with it. But it doesn't change the fact that you took a bribe. You need to be punished lightly."
I thought about it for a moment, and then I told him.
"A year's pay and a month's house arrest."
"Yes, yes. Oh, and while under house arrest, I can bring in prostitutes and the like to the house, right?"
"Do as you please."
With a bitter smile on his face, Dustin left the study with a light-hearted, "Okay".
"Good grief."
"Your Majesty, is this okay?"
Zoe, who was waiting in the corner of the study, asked.
She had a rare expression that revealed her unhappiness, glanced at the door Dustin had left and asked me.
"What?"
"About His Highness Dustin. Wasn't that too much disrespect?"
'Heh' I laughed.
"It was Dustin's way of showing it."
"You mean ...?"
"It's about hiding his talent and his true intentions. Saying that, 'I'm just for the girls, nothing more'."
" ... and about the one with the ambition?"
"...."
Surprised.
I looked at Zoe.
She instantly understood that in the exchange we just had.
Her intelligence was such that it would be a crime to keep her as a maid any longer.
"Don't worry about that. I've got it under control."
"I understand."
"I'll tell you what, Zoe. There is somewhere I need you to go."
"Yes, whatever you want. What can I do for you?"
Zoe straightened up and bowed lightly.
I told Zoe straight-face.
"You're going to be a Governor for a while."
"–!."
Zoe was astonished, expecting it to be a simple errand.
"I-I am going to be a Governor?"
"What are you surprised about? You've done this before."
"T-that's right. But not"
"It's easier for me to have you go there."
"... Is it Dussel?"
Zoe guessed exactly what I was trying to say, although she was still slightly surprised.
"Yes, that's right. Dussel's Governor is Phil Mohm, but for an inexperienced young man, such a big job must be too much for him. I want you to go to Dussel, keep a close watch on him, and report to me immediately if anything should happen."
"I understand. If that's the case, leave it to me."
Unlike before, Zoe made up her mind.
I made a Fuwawa Box on the spot and handed it to her along with the Imperial rescript.
Zoe received it and left the room with an enthusiastic look on her face.
A few moments later, Gig, the maid, came running into the room.
"M-Master–not that, Your Majesty. It's serious."
"What's the matter? Report slowly and accurately."
In contrast to Zoe, I lightly reprimanded Gig for not being "ready yet" and urged her to make a report.
"F-Former Emperor is here."
"What!?
I was surprised at this.
"Lead him in immediately."
"Ha-ha-ha, I'm already here."
With a hearty laugh, the Former Εmperor – my father – entered the study.
He was dressed in light clothing, not at all like the Emperor, but rather like a local landowner.
He seemed very friendly when he came in as if he had been invited for dinner.
However, he's my Father and the Emperor.
I stood up and bowed to him in a hurry.
"Is there anything Father, please just have someone send an errand to me if you need anything."
"Hoho, I just came to visit because I had some free time. But anyway…"
Father laughed with a happy look on his face.
"As expected of you, Noah."
And it's,
"About what?"
Although I asked, I had a good guess that it was probably the salt tax.
"That girl. A simple farmer's daughter, how could you have trained her to be so clever?"
"... As usual you got some hell of an ear, Father."
I chuckled at the unexpected.
My father already knew about Zoe, even though I had only just made up my mind about her.
I've always known that my father has a great ear, but I've learned that I'm still a bit naive.
"People are treasures."
"That's right."
"But more importantly, why is father here?"
"Oh, about that. You did a great job on the Gabel case."
"Thank you very much."
I was not surprised, because I knew it.
"I've heard the whole story, and I think it's safe to give it to Noah now."
"What is it?"
"Leviathan's seal."
"..., Ohh, it's time."
"You noticed, huh."
I nodded deeply.
"I knew there was more to it. It kept going up against Bahamut so much, and it kept seeming like it was going to break the seal, but it didn't. There were a number of times when it could have awakened, from the feel I actually had, but it didn't. It's natural to think there's something more to it."
"As expected."
Father laughed happily and held up his hand.
Then the door to the study opened, and the eunuch Curuz, my father's confidant, entered with his hands holding a long, thin box.
He came in front of me with it in his arms and opened the box.
"This is ...."
I look at my father in surprise at what is inside the box.
There was Leviathan.
I took out the Leviathan, which I had stored in my bracelet.
My Leviathan is here, and that is another Leviathan.
"You know that the Water Demon Sword Leviathan has a soul, don't you?"
"Yes."
"It is not complete. When Leviathan was sealed in the past, its soul was split in two and sealed."[TN: Kurama?]
"I see ..., if the soul is not complete in the first place, there is no way to solve the problem."
"That's exactly as you say."
Father's expression became serious.
"The legend says that the true seal of Leviathan must not be broken, but.... Noah will be fine."
"... thank you."
"However."
Father's expression changed from serious to a joyful smile again.
"I don't even know how to break the seal. It wasn't there, to begin with."
"A poisoner who can't make an antidote is the worst, isn't he?"[TN: The correct term might be Toxicologists or Poison maker, but hey Poisoner sounds cool, so why not?]
"Ha-ha-ha, you are right."
Father looked up and laughed out loud.
I picked up another Leviathan from the box Curuz was holding.
Compared the two Leviathans.
I thought.
Both of them contain the soul of Leviathan.
They were originally one soul, but it was split in two.
How can I put them back together ...?
I thought and kept thinking for a while.
After pondering for a while, I slammed the two Leviathans against each other.
Pakin!
There was a beautiful sound and both shattered into pieces.
"What are you doing?"
"Look here."
I pulled out a ruby.
The replacement ruby that saved Zoe's life when she was almost assassinated in Dussel.
"These have a soul, and I made a vessel as for its when it shattered. What I am going to do will be similar."
"Whoa."
"Fuwawa."
I summoned Fuwawa and borrowed its power.
Fuwawa is skilled at creating things and shaping them.
With its power, it brought together the fragments that had been scattered in the air and formed them into the shape of a single sword.
And the soul.
Two leviathan souls are pressed into it.
Pushing in the image of the two souls as if they were fused into one.
Eventually, the sword returned to its original form.
{It's been a long time.}
What had been only an emotion until then, echoed in my brain in a clear voice.
Leviathan — or rather.
The Leviathan's voice echoed in my brain. [TN: It's a bit complicated here. Till now it's 'レヴィアタン' (Revu~iatan) now it's 'リヴァイアサン' (Rivu~aiasan), Don't know what to change.]
――――――――――――
Name: Noah Ararat
Emperor of Empire
Gender: Male
Level: 17 + 1 / ∞
―――――――――――
And in the status that was always visible out of the corner of my eye, the "+" in Water went up even more.
I saw it, and my father sensed what I saw in my gaze.
"Umu, as expected, Noah,"
He said with a proud smile.
The Demon Sword, Leviathan.
It was the moment of awakening.