Chapter 141. Victoria Kazimieśi Domain (1)

My growth was stalling.

I concluded this, gripping my sword.

Days had passed since the banquet. Holed up, training relentlessly, I reached this verdict about myself.

The underground air was cold, even at noon.

Exhaling white breath, I sheathed the two-handed sword I’d held reversed for [Lethal Strike]. The silver crossguard clinked against the scabbard’s metal.

Stowing the sheathed sword in my bag, I calmly reviewed my training.

I’d tested enough overnight.

Leaving the training room, walking the corridor to my room, my hands, gripping the sword all night, trembled with extreme fatigue.

I stared at them blankly, as if they weren’t mine.

During the Ixion battle, I’d awakened the [Explosive Sword] and [Lethal Strike] linkage mid-fight.

Post-banquet, I’d followed the Last Sword Saint’s advice, training to perfect it.

The mana-bursting technique strained my body, requiring full mastery to use in combat without burden.

But there was a problem.

I’d gained proficiency, but couldn’t execute it perfectly. The physical strain didn’t improve beyond a point.

The reason was clear.

‘Because I don’t understand Enoch’s mana.’

A wry smile formed.

I hadn’t had time to delve into the original Enoch.

I’d only memorized essentials—family ties, direct descendants’ names—from Lien’s fragmented info.

I knew nothing of his personal history.

No help for it. Even in the original story’s official history, an extra’s detailed past wasn’t shown.

For a change, I looked up.

Through the fortress corridor’s vast window, spring neared. A cool, sweet breeze brushed my hair and nose.

I’d thought my growth was unstoppable, yet here was my first slump.

Like hitting an invisible wall.

My rapid growth might’ve caused a bottleneck, understandable enough.

Still, I needed a solution.

Growth hadn’t fully stopped. But continuing like this would hinder inheriting and mastering the Sword Saint’s techniques.

That would be fatal.

Especially now, entering a phase where spec loss was unacceptable.

I reaffirmed my plan to explore ways to uncover Enoch’s past.

“You’re back, Young Master.”

Opening my room’s door, Lien, in her maid outfit, greeted me politely.

As the heavy door closed, she looked up, meeting my eyes coldly, adding.

“I’ve prepared a bath and meal.”

“Thanks.”

“…”

Lien hesitated, glancing at me.

Passing her, I changed the subject.

“Oh, what do you think of these photos?”

I pulled thin papers from my jacket, handing them to her.

The photos Ariadne gave me at the banquet.

Blurry, likely from camera shake, the subjects weren’t clear.

But I was certain. They depicted Tantalus’s bioengineered magical beasts.

Looking at Lien, I explained calmly.

“They appeared near Victoria Kazimieśi. They look identical to Tantalus’s experimental beasts.”

“…Yeah.”

Lien, who’d fought such beasts alone during the Persona battle, seemed to recognize them.

But she tilted her head, questioning.

“Victoria Kazimieśi? Why?”

Why Tantalus’s beasts appeared in another Main House domain.

I voiced a concise guess.

“Though Tantalus is gone, it’s hard to believe all his scattered experimental beasts vanished.”

“Recycled?”

Lien nodded, understanding. I glared at the photos, adding.

“Likely. If he created them through experiments long ago, they’d still exist.”

The most plausible theory for now.

From past missions, Tantalus had conducted experiments across the empire. Elsyde’s domain was just part.

I added simply.

“Vendetta would likely use Tantalus’s legacy beasts as forces. No reason not to.”

Lien’s cold gaze met mine.

“But there’s still a question.”

“What?”

“Even if Tantalus made them artificially, can others control them?”

I shook my head lightly.

“Don’t know. I can only guess Vendetta has means to control them separately. Or they’re just unleashed.”

No lie.

I was puzzled too. Tantalus had controlled his creations in past battles.

But he was gone.

What would his creations do without their creator? Staring at the photos, I concluded.

“We need to investigate further.”

“Investigate? Got a plan?”

“Maybe. I want to know for sure.”

Narrowing my eyes, I’d sensed it upon seeing the photos.

This likely tied to a major event in the main storyline.

A massive incident.

I glanced out the window.

Golden sunlight was swallowed by passing clouds, casting shadows.

So far, beyond survival episodes, my ties to the main storyline were minor, tangential.

But soon, I might face an unprecedented storm.

—The first hurdle.

A colossal trial to overcome for the main storyline. I had to surpass it.

The reason was clear.

In the original flow, preventing it early made the storyline easier to navigate.

Everything I’d done was to surmount this hurdle.

Rushing specs five years early was to survive as Enoch and alter the official history to my will.

Lien’s icy voice broke my thoughts.

“Why tell me this?”

Tucking the photos away, I replied.

“If my guess is right, the family might assign another mission for this. They’d likely call the direct descendant who faced Tantalus.”

A prediction—more a certainty.

That’s how the official history would flow.

My involvement was obvious. I added calmly.

“I figured you’d come along. If there’s prep, you should know.”

I said it, but doubted it’d please her, turning slightly.

Her cold voice rang.

“If it’s black magic, I’m interested.”

“…What?”

Surprised, I looked up. Her azure eyes stared at me.

“I need a lead on black magic. It might hint at your situation.”

I realized something.

“During the Ixion fight, you asked about possession black magic for this?”

“Yeah. It’s getting harder to understand.”

“Understand what?”

She glanced at me, hesitating, then added quietly.

“…Something’s off about you. Too much like…”

Trailing off in a faint voice, she shook her head.

“No. Nothing.”

“…”

“The point is, I can’t ignore this forever. Investigating black magic might reveal possession clues.”

Her logic made sense, and I nodded.

“Not wrong.”

From her behavior, Lien suspected my situation stemmed from black magic.

Unsure if true, I was relieved she hadn’t opposed missions for my safety.

Plus, I knew one fact.

Even without Tantalus in the original history, beasts operated fine.

They’d hunted and killed Enoch without his orders.

Thus, beast-related events in the official history would likely occur without him.

Especially an imminent event I knew.

***

Emerging from the bathroom’s hot water Lien prepared, warmth lingered pleasantly.

At the dining table, a savory meal of meat, vegetables, and bread awaited.

Famished from training, I finished alongside Sirocco, crumbs on her cheeks, devouring food.

Lien, attending us, left with laundry.

I ushered a messier Sirocco to the bathroom, then collapsed onto the room’s sole plush bed.

The mattress’s soft embrace soothed my weary body.

A clear ding from my bedside device lit its screen.

Grabbing it while lying down, the display glowed, showing dozens of unread messenger notifications.

Scrolling, most were from one person.

The profile name felt familiar.

> [April: Yo?]

> [April: No profile set, so what do I call you? Anyway, got a job you’d like.]

> [April: Victoria Kazimieśi’s outsourcing district needs investigators. Interested in freelance travel?]

> [April: Not even read-ignoring, just ignoring? Why take my contact then? >:(]

> [April: Yo, you dead?]

> [April: Ughhh]

Reading blankly, April seemed heated from days of no reply.

Had I been that absorbed in training? I scratched my head.

Victoria Kazimieśi again.

“Something’s definitely happening.”

I muttered unwittingly. Too blatant a sign.

Outsourcing districts were scattered across the empire.

Yet April, freelancing in Elsyde’s district, knew of events in distant Victoria Kazimieśi?

Clearly, something was amiss.

A warm weight and pressure landed on my chest, and a wolf-eared figure leaned into my view.

Sirocco.

Climbing onto my chest, she peered at the device’s screen.

Freshly bathed, her warmth and shampoo scent filled my senses.

“Move, I can’t see.”

Exhausted, I spoke, but she ignored me, asking curiously.

“Hmph, what’re you doing?”

“Meeting someone soon.”

“Really?”

Nodding, I typed a reply.

Seeing it marked read, I turned off the screen.

Leaving Sirocco on my chest, I tossed the device onto the shelf, closing my eyes.

Another active phase was nearing.

Not yet.

Now, I needed rest to recover from training fatigue for peak condition.

Sirocco, silent, looked up at me.

“Nap time? I’ll sleep too.”

Despite one bed, she hadn’t given up staying here.

About to retort at her casual assumption, I smiled wryly, gazing at the ceiling.

Too drained to argue.

Her weight should’ve made breathing hard, but her warmth felt oddly comforting, lulling my consciousness.

A thought struck.

Had I ever felt such warmth, falling asleep anxious about the future?

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