Arc 5 Chapter 2 : To Capital Herminsky

[Rurik PoV]

After welcoming Raul de Garcia, the four of us had dinner together.

The cook at the residence served traditional dishes from our country, such as Sour Dumplings, goat's milk, roasted goat meat, cheese, and a bowl of soup.

No one spoke while we ate.

However, I kept watching the man's movements.

I was slightly surprised by the way he ate.

He behaved more like an ordinary person who had never been taught proper dining etiquette for formal noble gatherings.

Wasn't he supposed to come from a high-ranking noble family?

However, perhaps this was not something worth thinking about.

On the other hand, I noticed no change at all in Misha—my younger sister.

She was as beautiful as ever.

She should be twenty-one years old by now and helping Father manage this region.

After nearly half an hour, dinner finally came to an end.

All the remaining plates and glasses were cleared away by the servants.

"Lord Raul, what happened to your eye?" I asked, breaking the silence.

"I lost the sight in one of my eyes during the war that just ended, Lord Rurik," the man replied casually. "On the other hand, you still seem to have all your limbs despite hearing that you fought desperately to exterminate hundreds of monsters that attacked one of the regions in this country."

A war wound, huh?

To be honest, I had not expected someone like Raul de Garcia to be the type of person willing to fight on the front lines.

With his family's influence and wealth, I thought he could have simply asked the Ministry of Defense to assign him to an area far from the battlefield.

"My son, Rurik, is one of the five Knitaz in this country," Father said in response to Raul's remark. "He possesses exceptional combat abilities that were even acknowledged by Tsar Feodor."

"Is that so? A Knitaz should be able to stand alongside the Grand Espada of the Aragon Empire," Raul de Garcia said before looking at me. "However, the two Knitaz who were supposed to protect Tsar Feodor were killed, resulting in both him and my father being killed that night. If the Knitaz are truly that powerful, then why did they fail to protect their lord, Knitaz Rurik Stronov?"

Hearing his words made me clench my fists to suppress my anger.

It was true.

The five Knitaz were supposed to be the most loyal and powerful Knights in the country.

But nowadays, that was little more than a pretty title used to maintain their image among the people.

There had been constant attempts by the Boyars to interfere with the selection of the Knitaz who would serve as guards to the person leading this country.

In the past, the Knitaz had predominantly consisted of commoners who possessed the best of the best abilities.

That was what caused the name Knitaz to rise so high that becoming one had eventually become the greatest honor a man in this country could achieve.

Because of that, many Boyars had grown jealous of the commoners who dominated this prestigious position and began interfering with the selection of new Knitaz.

Before the two Knitaz were killed in that incident, four of the five had come from Boyar families, while only one had been a commoner.

The two who were killed came from the family of Boyar Marivka and the commoner class respectively.

"Our Knitaz have always been competent in carrying out their duties, Lord Raul," Father answered the question.

"If they had fought their enemies fairly, then this incident would never have happened. Instead, someone ambushed them, which meant that the two Knitaz were already at a disadvantage when the battle began.

What Father said was true.

Although the quality of the Knitaz had declined because of nepotism, they would not be easily defeated if they faced their enemies directly.

"Ambushed? You mean someone had anticipated my father's meeting with Tsar Feodor?" Raul de Garcia did not seem interested at all despite asking the question.

"Of course. Otherwise, how could anyone possibly kill an Archwizard and two Knitaz?" Father's voice grew louder.

"They must be people who intend to influence and control this country from the shadows! Oh, I swear by the Great Goddess, I will never allow this country to fall into the hands of those bastards!"

Father glared sharply at Raul de Garcia as he shouted those words.

On the other hand, the young man in front of me did not avert his gaze from Father.

Silence filled the room.

The two men simply stared at each other for several seconds.

"Do you truly love this country, Boyar Lenin?" Raul de Garcia asked, breaking the silence.

"Of course. I will do whatever it takes to protect this country from our enemies!" Father answered firmly.

Raul de Garcia then nodded before turning his attention toward me.

"Then when will the two new Knitaz be selected to protect the Romanov family, Lord Rurik?" the man asked me.

"The selection process will begin after Princess Alisha is crowned Tsarina—the new leader of the Tsardom of Slavia," I replied.

"Why is it taking so long? Wouldn't the Romanov family require strict protection under these circumstances to prevent another assassination from occurring?"

His words left me silent, unable to answer.

The delay in selecting the new Knitaz was also because of the Boyars' demands.

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They were still bargaining among themselves over which member of their respective families would take the positions left vacant by the two fallen Knitaz.

Even I was disgusted by their games.

They continued to put their own interests first despite the country being in a state of emergency.

"We will do our best to ensure that the new guards serving the Romanov family can take up their duties as soon as possible, Lord Raul."

After speaking for a while, Raul de Garcia was escorted to his room by a maid.

Only Father, Misha, and I remained in the room.

Raul de Garcia...

Although he was still young, there was something strangely familiar about him.

As a Knight who had fought countless battles where life and death hung in the balance, I could sense the aura of someone who had experienced the same things I had.

Did he gain that aura from the war?

I did not know.

What I did know was that he was not a young man who could be taken lightly.

"What do you think, Misha?" Father asked my sister, breaking the silence.

"Just as I said, Father. It was definitely his family that planned this assassination," Misha replied in a tone that sounded strangely unfamiliar to me.

Something was wrong.

I had thought that the suspicion that the Garcia family was behind the conspiracy to assassinate Tsar Feodor had originated from Father.

But judging from their conversation just now, it seemed that this suspicion had actually originated from Misha.

"Father, remember what I told you earlier? Continue with the plan no matter what happens."

Misha sounded as though she were ordering Father.

"Of course, Misha. Be careful tomorrow when you escort that man to the capital," Father replied with concern in his voice.

"What exactly are the two of you talking about?"

I looked at Misha this time.

"Obviously, the plan to make my brother the Tsar of this country, isn't it?" she answered casually.

"I will also accompany him to the capital to monitor that man's movements."

My sister had changed as well.

She had never behaved like this last year.

Misha had been a quiet girl who was not particularly interested in politics, just like Father.

What had happened to the two of them?

---

[Raul PoV]

The next morning, Misha, Rurik, and I were ready in front of the Mansion gates to depart for the capital of the Tsardom of Slavia—Herminsky.

"Father! Take good care of yourself!" Misha said as she hugged her father, Boyar Lenin.

"Father, I will be leaving now," Rurik said to him.

He then mounted a horse while Misha and I boarded the carriage waiting in front of the Mansion.

Our convoy consisted of three carriages, two servants, and twenty guards.

The journey to the capital, located at the center of the country, would take three days.

The carriages began moving.

For now, all I could do was wait until we reached the capital.

"How did you sleep last night, Lord Raul?" Misha asked with a smile.

"With the heating artifact your family possesses, I was able to sleep comfortably without feeling cold, Miss Misha," I replied.

"See? Just as I told you. Even though our country may seem backward, our magical technology is no inferior to that of any other country on this continent!" Misha said proudly.

Heating artifacts were probably only produced in this country.

That was because the Tsardom of Slavia had a much colder climate than the other nations.

Low-grade artifacts were sold in ordinary markets, unlike high-grade artifacts.

These low-grade artifacts were usually used for everyday necessities by people who were unable to use certain types of magic to assist with their work.

Even so, a single low-grade artifact was still extremely expensive for ordinary citizens.

Only businessmen and nobles could generally afford to purchase them, often using them to display their status among the elite.

In this country, mass-producing artifacts was still extremely difficult.

Usually, these artifacts were produced by mages specializing in Runes.

They worked in Magic Towers that cooperated with the various nations across the continent.

"Miss Misha, have you ever met Princess Alisha?" I asked her.

"Only a few times when Father visited the capital! I even had a chance to speak with Her Highness back then!" the beautiful woman in front of me replied with a bright smile.

"I see. What was she like back then? Did she often leave the palace?" I asked again.

Alisha should still have six months left to live.

Once she reached the point where she had only about a month remaining, her entire body would become paralyzed, leaving her able to move only her head.

Even so, I had already made my decision regarding the illness Alisha suffered from before coming here.

For that reason, no matter what happened, I would hold firmly to this principle.

If she was at least willing to acknowledge it, then I could entrust this country to her.

If not, I would probably entrust that flower to someone more deserving and whom I could trust to lead this world toward a better future.

"She was always cheerful back then! However, after Tsar Feodor's death, I don't think Her Highness will smile as she used to," Misha replied.

"Princess Alisha's twentieth birthday is only a few months away, Lord Raul! Do you have a gift to cheer her up?"

"A gift?" I muttered.

"I suppose I do, but it depends on Her Highness's decision."

Misha looked confused by my words, but I paid no attention to it.

After traveling for several hours, we arrived at a small town that evening.

The convoy decided to rest here before continuing our journey.

Misha and I then got out of the carriage because the road ahead was impassable due to the accumulation of snow throughout the town.

"Misha, find an inn for yourself and Lord Raul while I take the guards to their accommodations. Understand?" Rurik said to his sister.

"All right, Brother Rurik! Leave it to me!" Misha replied confidently.

"We'll meet again tomorrow morning at the town square."

After saying that, Rurik left with the guards who had been accompanying us throughout the journey.

Misha and I then walked through the town.

I was quite uncomfortable with the cold temperature.

Even though I was wearing extremely thick clothing, the cold could still be felt throughout my entire body.

"Lord Raul, if you don't mind..."

Misha looked toward my hand.

I nodded, accepting her offer.

She then wrapped her arms around mine to keep me from getting too cold.

The two of us probably looked like lovers walking in such a position.

However, I did not think much of it because I knew Misha was only trying to make me more comfortable during the journey.

Not long afterward, we entered an inn and approached the reception desk.

"How may I help you, sir and madam?" the receptionist asked us.

"The two best rooms you have," Misha replied before showing the receptionist a medallion bearing her family's emblem.

"Of course. It would be our pleasure to serve one of the noble families of this country," the receptionist said before handing us two keys.

"Your rooms are on the seventh floor."

Misha and I nodded.

We then climbed the stairs to the highest floor of the building.

When we arrived at the door to my room, Misha unlocked it with the key given to her by the receptionist.

"Lord Raul, you should rest for now," Misha said as she handed me the room key.

"I need to visit somewhere in this town first because I have some business to take care of."

"I understand."

Misha then left me alone.

After closing the door, I removed all my clothes and immediately lay down on the bed.

There was an artifact on the table that looked similar to the one I had received from the Dwarves.

It seemed to be used to summon a servant whenever I needed something.

I then closed my eyes and thought about everything that had happened since I arrived in the Tsardom of Slavia.

From my conversation with Boyar Lenin's family the previous night, it seemed that the nobles of this country suspected that someone was attempting to undermine the Romanov family.

And I suspected that they were beginning to suspect my family of being behind Tsar Feodor's death.

It was understandable.

Duke Alvaro himself had prepared the meeting place, and they would not be fooled simply because Duke Alvaro had also been declared dead in the incident.

Even so, this meant that the Boyars were also suspicious of me.

It seemed that they were gathering solid evidence linking my family to responsibility for this case.

I supposed my days would not be pleasant once I reached the capital.

After thinking about what would happen next, a strong wave of drowsiness overcame me.

I soon fell asleep, allowing my strength to recover before continuing the journey.

.

.

.

.

I heard shouting outside my room, jolting me awake.

Opening my eyes, I could clearly hear someone shouting while pounding on the door.

"Lord Raul! Are you inside!? Please open the door right now!"

This was...

Rurik's voice.

What had brought him here this late at night and disturbed my rest?

I rose from the bed, walked toward the door, and opened it.

A man stood before me, his face filled with tears and despair.

"Lord Rurik, what happened?" I asked him.

"I should be the one asking you that!?" he snapped at me.

I was confused by Rurik's reaction.

What had caused him to behave like this toward me?

"Misha! What happened when the two of you entered this inn!?" Rurik asked while gripping both of my shoulders.

"Misha? What do you mean, Lord Rurik? Tell me what happened slowly," I asked him.

"My sister—Misha... Her corpse was found in a sewer in this town just half an hour ago..."

My heart seemed to stop beating upon hearing his unexpected news.

Hadn't she said goodbye to me because she had something to take care of?

What had happened?