Leorino returned to the royal capital with Gravis for the first time in months. The city remained unchanged, as if the war with Zwelf had never happened.
Evidence of the Marquis of Lagarea’s treachery had already been gathered. General Zberav of Zwelf, who was thought to have been executed, was secretly held in the cellar under the Palace of Defense as a living witness to the betrayal, joining Smirnov in custody. Zberav would be imprisoned for the rest of his life, but he agreed to testify in exchange for the lives of his family and retainers.
Perhaps the man who had made the King of Zwelf his puppet ruler and brought about the war that shook the continent had some humanity left in him after all.
According to Ginter, the Marquis of Lagarea did not seem upset in the slightest even after the fall of Zwelf. He acted as if he had never betrayed Fanoren, never losing his facade as a loyal subject.
Leorino wanted to hear the Marquis of Lagarea’s sincere thoughts before capturing him, and to that end, he offered himself up as bait. He couldn’t risk the other men losing their memories.
Gravis and Ginter were very much against it. But Leorino convinced them that losing his memories would not pose any problem for him and that he would always be able to remember what mattered most as long as he had Ionia’s memories.
“Look, Leorino. The moment he says or does something suspicious, we will intervene, even if that means not getting any concrete evidence. Is that clear?”
“Of course, I understand.”
Thus, the Marquis of Lagarea and Leorino were given a carefully crafted opportunity to be alone.
The setting would be the king’s office.
On that day, the Marquis of Lagarea was waiting for Joachim to appear in the king’s office. After the defeat of Zwelf, a veritable mountain of documents was waiting for the approval of the king.
But the king did not appear at the usual time.
Then a knock sounded, and the king’s full-time attendant entered the room.
The attendant seemed surprised to find the Secretary of the Interior waiting alone in the office.
The attendant was leading someone into the room, whose eyes also went wide at the sight of the marquis.
“Marquis of Lagarea…?”
The person who walked into the office was Leorino Cassieux, who would soon become royalty as the spouse of the king’s brother.
Leorino looked up at the attendant with concern. The king’s attendant looked apologetically toward both of them.
“Marquis of Lagarea, if I am not mistaken, there has been a miscommunication about His Majesty’s plans for today.”
The gray-haired Secretary of the Interior calmly asked, “…You mean to say that His Majesty’s schedule for today has been changed?”
“Yes. His Majesty scheduled a private audience with Lord Leorino Cassieux on short notice and will have time for decisions on political matters after lunch. I apologize for failing to inform you sooner.” The attendant bowed deeply.
“No, that’s fine… Leorino, it’s been a fair while.”
Leorino, with a somewhat hesitant look on his face, bowed to his father’s best friend.
“Uncle Bruno… It’s good to see you.”
“I’m glad to see you’re doing well. Your marriage ceremony to His Highness Prince Gravis is quickly coming up, isn’t it?”
“Yes, thank you. So, Uncle… Um…,” Leorino asked haltingly, concerned about the king’s attendant. “I hope Lord Julian is well?”
“Oh, yes. My nephew is about to get married. He’s faring reasonably well.”
“I see.”
Leorino seemed relieved.
“What business do you have with His Majesty today?”
“He said that he had something he wanted me to relay to my father concerning future matters with Brungwurt,” said Leorino.
The Marquis of Lagarea waved the attendant away. “Then I will keep Lord Leorino company until His Majesty’s arrival.”
“But to leave you unattended…”
The marquis forced a smile at the attendant’s unnecessary concern. “Are you expecting an old man like myself to do something unwholesome to him?”
“No, sir… I will ask His Majesty to come as soon as possible.”
The attendant bowed and left the room.
Leorino and the Marquis of Lagarea were left alone in the king’s office.
“Uncle Bruno… No, Marquis of Lagarea, I am late in thanking you for your permission to marry His Highness.”
The old marquis smiled kindly.
“I am glad to hear that His Highness, who was, after all, in command on the front lines, is safe and sound. As his fiancé, you must be relieved.”
Leorino nodded happily at his words.
“How does it feel to marry the greatest man, not only in our country, but on the entire continent, Leorino?”
“I am honored. I deeply respect His Highness and his willingness to work so hard, despite his noble rank.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes,” Leorino answered with a smile on his lips. “His Highness even caught the man who kidnapped me on your orders, Uncle. He is a partner I can rely on.”
The smile faded from the old nobleman’s face.
“…What did you just say?”
“I said that His Highness has captured the ability user who calls himself ‘Smirnov,’ and who claims you as his master.”
Ionia… Finally, we’re here.
Leorino spoke to his soul, then stared at the traitor with his violet eyes.
“You are making a terrible mistake, Leorino.”
Leorino inclined his head.
“I don’t see how. Smirnov worshipped you, saying that you found him and helped him escape his difficult life. He also said that your Power made him more confident with his own ability.”
“…You.”
The Marquis of Lagarea’s mild expression drastically changed.
Realizing this was the man behind the mask, Leorino calmly watched him reveal his true nature.
“I suspect you will erase my memory after this anyway, so before that, please tell me something.”
“…How much do you know?”
“Should I begin with the secret of your birth?”
At that moment, the “Marquis of Lagarea,” who had served the royal court of Fanoren for decades, vanished without a trace.
His gentle expression changed completely to something dark and brooding.
Seeing Leorino clearly knew much more than he could have imagined, the marquis must have been calculating how to manipulate Leorino’s memories.
The old marquis’s eyes lit up.
“…What is the worst thing you can imagine?”
Leorino answered honestly, “Losing His Highness Prince Gravis.”
“How honest you are… I will erase all memories of that man from your mind.”
“…So you truly have the Power to manipulate people’s memories, don’t you?”
The Marquis of Lagarea smiled wickedly. “You knew that and recklessly decided to cross me regardless? Now…what shall I do? Make you forget His Highness and arrange an illicit love affair with Julian? He must still have feelings for you.”
But Leorino laughed out loud.
“It’s no use. You can’t take memories of His Highness Prince Gravis away from me.”
“…What?”
“I have memories of Vi that no one can erase, somewhere you will never be able to reach. As long as I have that, I will never forget Vi, or you, or even…Edgar Yorke.”
Leorino’s words came as a shock. “Why… How did you remember?”
“That’s a secret,” said Leorino. “What I want to know is your motive. Why did you join forces with Zwelf? Why did you betray our country?”
“Hah! What proof do you have that I am a traitor?”
“All your evil has already been exposed.”
“And your proof? Smirnov? He proves nothing.” The Marquis of Lagarea sneered.
“There is other, better evidence, but I don’t see why I should explain that to you. It is enough that you have revealed that you possess the ability to manipulate memories.”
“And why is that…?”
“Because your trial is already over and your guilt has been established.”
“What…?”
With that, men suddenly entered the room from the lounge attached to the office.
The Marquis of Lagarea sat up in surprise.
The men who entered the room were Chancellor Ginter; Lucas, the lieutenant general; Dirk, the general’s adjutant; August, the margrave of Brungwurt; and Gravis.
Last to appear was the calm-faced King Joachim.
Gravis beckoned Leorino over.
While the Marquis of Lagarea was shaken, Leorino rushed to the safety of Gravis’s arms.
Chancellor Ginter calmly offered the old nobleman his verdict.
“Bruno Henckel, Marquis of Lagarea. You are guilty of, among other things, treason in the war that took place nineteen years ago and of kidnapping craftsmen and forcing them to work for the enemy. For your crimes, you are relieved of your position as Secretary of the Interior and stripped of your noble status, effective immediately.”
The alarm on the old marquis’s face disappeared.
“…Well, this is awfully one-sided. Do I not get to defend myself? …What proof do you have anyway?!”
The Marquis of Lagarea looked around at the men, his eyes finally landing on his best friend.
“August…say something. Do you believe me to be a traitor…?”
Hearing the Marquis of Lagarea’s appeal, August’s expression was that of agony. But he nodded in silence.
“August…why?”
August answered the astonished marquis with a plaintive expression. “I am sheltering the kidnapped craftsmen who were forced to work in Gdaniraque, Bruno.”
“…!”
“Why would you do such a terrible thing to the innocent? Simply for your own ambitions? …You, who once sheltered the people we evacuated from my lands during the cold spell, with your other hand you invited the enemy into Zweilink… Why?! Why, Bruno?!”
August’s heartbreaking appeal turned the men’s faces rigid.
But the Marquis of Lagarea refused to admit his guilt.
“But what proof do you have that I did it? I have contributed to the development of this country for so long, and you punish me without proof?! Since when does this kingdom allow an act so inhumane?!”
“You are the one who has been acting inhumanely this entire time!” Lucas barked in reply. “We will never forget the tragedy of Zweilink nineteen years ago. We will not forget this war, either.”
“What…?”
“Do you think our army survived unscathed? Many soldiers lost their lives out there! The people of Zwelf were also hurt. And it’s all the result of your treachery!”
Ginter also harshly denounced the marquis.
“We have ample proof. We have the kidnapper with the special ability, alias ‘Smirnov,’ in custody, and we have already obtained his confession… Marquis of Lagarea, you cannot talk your way out of this.”
Hearing they had Smirnov, Lagarea’s eyes widened. “How in the world did you capture that man…?”
“Oh. So you admit that you knew of Smirnov’s ability, Bruno Henkel? We have also received testimony from General Zberav of the Kingdom of Zwelf.”
Lagarea was beyond flustered. “…I was told that man was executed in the final battle of Zwelf.”
“Officially, he was. But he lives, and he testified that the man he communicated with was you, Bruno Henkel. We also have in evidence a petition from him to you for the rescue of the king of Zwelf.”
The old marquis staggered. “What…? I can’t believe this. This can’t be happening… It can’t…”
Gravis signaled, and Dirk stepped forward. It took little to no effort for a warrior like Dirk to restrain the old marquis.
Tied up, Lagarea finally fell to his knees.