Chapter 11. Unexpected Power①　

In a room given to him at the royal castle after the victory celebration, Elliot gazed absent-mindedly at the holy sword .

　The pale light it wore on the battlefield was now gone, but the beautiful blade, decorated with a delicate relief of ivy, still sparkles in the moonlight.

　Just about a year ago –as part of a campaign to defeat the undead they entered a forested area . As they were carefully killing the immortal monsters one by one, a heavy downpour suddenly hit the area, leaving a platoon of about ten men, including Elliot, isolated. 

　The blessing of the sword, which had been purified with holy water, would disappear after killing just one. Surrounded by a large number of undead beasts, everyone there prepared to die.

　What popped into his mind, at the very last moment, was Flora, waiting for him in the royal capital, but he had no clear memory of what happened after that.

　He found himself standing amidst a wreckage of undead demonic beasts. And in his hand was this sword, glowing faintly.

　　Relieved that his fallen comrade were still breathing, he met up with the troop that had come to rescue them, and everyone called the sword in Elliott’s hand a holy sword and shouted with delight.

　─ ─ Since that day, my situation has changed drastically.

　Strangely enough, the sword instantly became heavier in the hands of anyone other than Elliot, and its handicap of slaughtering the undead without holy water disappeared. Everyone agreed that this was a sign that he was a holy knight who had been bestowed with a holy sword, and Elliot began to always be at the forefront of the front lines.

　He had been a low-ranking knight until only just a few days ago, but after that day, he was treated like a senior knight, and since Elliot had made a huge difference in the harsh situation of the battle, he was often thanked more than anything else, so he was pretty lucky to have avoided being subjected to open envy, jealousy, and scorn.

　I still don’t know why I was chosen…

“You have always put yourself into training without fail, so your sincerity must have been recognized by the goddess, right?”

　The one who told him this was one of the senior knights who had taken good care of Elliott since he first joined the knighthood.

　–I was naturally clumsy at everything, but I was just crazy about the sword, the only thing I was good at.

　For a long time, he had often been so engrossed in training that he wouldn’t notice what was going on around him. Elliot wrinkles his brow and sighs.

　–And because of that, there are many things that I didn’t… notice.

　As he sipped his drink to overcome his bitter sentiments, there was a knock at the door of his room.

　Several senior knights peeked out. 

“Deputy Commander Elliott, thank you for the victory celebration!　Before you go to rest, I have a report to make!”

　The one who raised his voice as soon as he entered the room was the youngest knight present, a senior knight named Marcus.

　He is the third son of a well-known count in the royal capital, and although he is two years Elliot’s junior in the knighthood, he is a rising star who quickly became a senior knight due to his talent with the sword and his noble family origins.

　Before he was bestowed the peerage, Elliot was inferior to him in status, but because they were in the same platoon on the day he obtained the holy sword, he looked up to Elliot and called him his savior.

　Marcus walked over to the sofa where Elliott was sitting and laid out several inventory-like documents, filled with dates and detailed numbers, on the low table.

“Here’s the interim report on that matter!”

Lloyd, A senior knight, supplemented in a calm voice from behind Marcus,

“…It hasn’t been thoroughly examined yet, it’s just a list of the information that has come out so far.”

　He was currently the oldest person there, and like Elliot, he came from a baronet family, but he was someone who had risen to the rank of high-ranking knight on merit alone.

　Elliot looked over the documents offered to him, his expression distorted, and he covered his forehead with his hand.

“A woman claiming to be the wife of a holy knight has been taking advantage of her husband’s fame and borrowing money here and there.”

　It was about six months ago that this story reached the battlefield. Considering his ex-wife’s character and temper, it was very hard to believe.

　In addition, at that time, he had heard several stories of women he new nothing of claiming to be his girlfriend or wife, so he initially dismissed the story, believing it to be an extension of that category.

　However, less than a month later, Elliott was driven to the brink of despair.

　A copy of the IOU signed in his wife’s name and in a handwriting that was familiar to him was delivered to the battlefield. The amount was so large that they could not possibly repay it with the earnings they had up until that point.

–At first I was worried that something might have happened to place her such financial trouble. ……

　However, even after the war, he heard stories about her buying expensive jewelry, eating and drinking at high-end restaurants every day, quitting her job to play around, and even of her paying off her lover.

　No matter how many times he tried to deny that she was such a woman, the more he heard such stories over and over again, the more they slowly began to eat away at his heart.

　If true, it would have been a big scandal, and only a few people in the Order would have heard about it. However, the seeds of suspicion had gradually grown in his mind, and eventually the cracks triggered a crisis that shook his trust in his wife.

　　Lloyd spoke up, concerned for the silent Elliot.

“That list is merely a compilation of testimonies from moneylenders in the royal capital. It could be fake or even fabricated.…… Please stay calm.”

“But Mr. Lloyd! Didn’t the Deputy commander himself confirm the handwriting of at least one of the signatures?!”

　Marcus shouted in rebuttal, but Lloyd scolded him with a look.

“…Well, unexpected power can drive people crazy. No matter how good a person is, gaining fame beyond your means can sometimes tempt you…”

 　But, Marcus still pouted in dissatisfaction at Lloyd’s words.

“it was the work of Deputy Commander Elliott and the saint in the first place, wasn’t it?。It’s not right that a woman who hasn’t done anything should enjoy it in this way!”

“Marcus ……, stop right there.”

 　In order to calm the junior, who tends to be narrow-minded due to his youth and his reverence for the Holy Knight and the Saintess, Lloyd had him sit down in a chair for a while.

　The other senior knight in the back of the room stepped forward and laid out another set of papers on the low table.

“Here’s a follow-up on how the money was spent. Only what records were kept.” 

　His name was Richard, and he is the second son of a marquis’s family that produced many knights of the Kingsguard. He is a young man who is roughly the same age as Marcus.

　The document presented to him was a record of donations to the church. It dated back to just after the Knights left for war.

“Even after she started getting into debt, she continued to make small donations. It’s kind of devious, isn’t it? I think the reason she agreed to the divorce was because she was probably desperate, wasn’t it?”

　Richard sneered.

“His Majesty has annulled her marriage to the Deputy-commander, so I’m sure she will be able to sort it out somehow. I don’t know if she can pay, though.”

“Isn’t it true that she fled the royal capital?!　Is it going to be all right?!”

“Just leave it. I’m sure the moneylenders will go after her.”

　Lloyd sighed as the two young men continued their discussion, making all kinds of assertions.

“I have also heard that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince will conduct his own investigation. Don’t say anything rash right now.”

　Lloyd scolded Richard, but he just snorted.

“His Highness, that disgrace? He’s also desperately trying to find fault with Deputy  Commander Elliot.”

“Stop it, that’s disrespectful.”

　As this was a room in the royal castle, Richard naturally kept his mouth shut, but he still looked displeased.

“…You want to talk about disrespectful, it would be this woman. I agree with Marcus. Not only is she taking advantage of the vice-commander’s reputation, but he is also tarnishing the achievements of Saint Emily.”

“That’s right! If it weren’t for the Saint, we might not even have the Holy Sword!”

　Marcus chimes in, raising his voice again.

　Elliot, who had been listening silently all along, clenched his fists in his lap as if to hold back the emotions that were welling up.

Tl note:

Relief work on a sword Relief work on a sword: refers to the decorative carving of a design on the surface of a sword blade, where the image is raised above the background, creating a three-dimensional effect, often seen in intricate patterns or scenes on historical swords, particularly from cultures known for their ornate weaponry. It can be found on the hilt, or the part of the sword that holds the handle together.

Previous chapter | TOC | Next chapter