Berhem froze for a moment, his face blank. How could some backwater ruffian possibly know about the royal family's secrets?
"How… how do you know about the Shadow Knights?"
"I'm the one asking the questions."
"....."
The humiliation was unbearable for Berhem. But what could he do? His life was now in the hands of this man.
The accursed priest from the Salvation Church had fled the moment he heard that the Count Fenris was in the capital. With the commander of the royal knights defeated, no one remained to protect Berhem.
Ghislain, too, didn't bother asking about Flaccus' absence. It was obvious—Flaccus must have decided the king was no longer useful and fled.
Berhem hesitated before finally speaking slowly.
"Did Marquis Branford tell you? Even I don't know much about them. All I know is that they are another 'king' of this kingdom..."
"What? King?"
"Y-yes. Not a king who rules the kingdom, but one with authority akin to that of a king."
"Explain further."
"It's a royal secret..."
"Then just die."
As Ghislain raised his sword, Berhem flinched and shouted.
"They're one of the three founding families!"
"Hmm…"
"The Kingdom of Lutania was founded by the Founding King, the family of the Shadow Knights, and the Delphine family! The three families shared equal authority!"
Berhem glanced nervously at Ghislain before continuing.
"That's why the title of duke has only ever been granted to the Delphine Duchy in this kingdom. And the House of Delphine retained the authority to overthrow the royal family whenever necessary!"
"Heh…"
Ghislain's expression showed his disbelief.
Typically, immunity granted to founding allies doesn't extend to rebellion. But the House of Delphine held the authority to overthrow the royal family itself—a level of power nearly equivalent to a monarch.
"What about the Shadow Knights? Why don't they have a noble title?"
"They chose to hide their identity. They became the rulers of the kingdom's nights."
"Why would the Founding King give away such authority?"
"I don't know. I can only guess it was an unavoidable choice. It's said that the political situation at the time was extremely chaotic—so much so that the three powerful families had to join forces."
"Are there no records? The royal family is known for preserving history."
"There are none, absolutely none. It's said that the people of that time deliberately erased all records."
It was known that after the fall of the ancient empire, countless factions vied for power. This was only passed down through oral tradition, however.
The lack of historical records from that era was generally attributed to their destruction during the wars. Systematic record-keeping had only begun more recently.
But according to Berhem, the lack of historical documentation wasn't due to war but because the elites of the time had deliberately erased it. The reasons for this were unclear, and it seemed Berhem didn't know either.
"The three families shared equal authority… How did things end up like this?"
"The royal family always sought to monopolize power. After all, among the three families, the royal family served as their representative. Over centuries, they worked to weaken the other two families."
"And they succeeded, to some extent."
"So they thought. But… the Shadow Knights weren't interested in power. They only focused on protecting the royal family."
"Hmm."
"The same was true for the House of Delphine. They avoided external politics and concentrated solely on governing the southern regions."
In short, it was only the royal family that felt threatened by the other two families and tried to eliminate them. Even so, they managed only to diminish their power, not destroy them.
Berhem spoke in a trembling voice.
"That's all I know. This is just a story passed down in secrecy within the royal family. I don't even know if it's true. Without proper records, it has only been orally transmitted from king to king."
"Hmm… Then what about this holy relic?"
"T-that… It's been passed down since the time of the Founding King. It was said to be a treasure meant to protect the royal family, but I didn't know it held such holy power until now."
"That's it? Your expression says you're hiding something."
Ghislain pressed the blade against Berhem's neck, his eyes cold. It was obvious Berhem knew more than he was letting on.
Berhem hesitated before shutting his eyes tightly. If he wanted to live, he had no choice but to answer honestly.
"It's the Necklace of the Saintess."
"The Saintess? What saintess?"
The holy relic had been passed down since the time of the Founding King. It seemed there had been a saintess in that era, much like Parniel.
Berhem hesitated before explaining.
"The necklace belonged to… the 'First Saintess.' She was said to have received the love of all goddesses."
"A saintess? Wasn't the Founding King a man? Why would the royal family have the saintess's necklace?"
Under Ghislain's impatient gaze, Berhem spoke with difficulty.
"The Founding King was… the saintess's servant."
"...Servant?"
"Y-yes. He served the saintess… I-it's a royal secret!"
Berhem's words shocked even the attendants nearby. Did this mean that the noble bloodline of the kingdom originated from a servant's lineage?
Ghislain chuckled.
"Well, this is surprising. How does a mere servant go on to found a nation? He must not have been an ordinary servant."
"No, no! It's not a proven fact! It's just an old myth!"
"Perhaps, but if it's a story passed down secretly within the royal family, it carries more weight. Anyway, why has the royal family kept this necklace? Especially if they didn't know what it could do?"
"I-I don't know, I truly don't know! All I was told was to keep it hidden and never reveal it to anyone. That it was incredibly important. That's why the royal family created countless treasures to hide its existence."
"And yet you handed it over to the House of Delphine?"
"Of course! I thought it was just an ordinary necklace. I thought it only had symbolic value."
"Hmm…"
"I believed that with the Shadow Knights gone and the House of Delphine destroyed, there was no need to cling to relics of the past."
Ghislain nodded. If Berhem truly thought it was just an old trinket, his actions made sense. It seemed certain that the king knew little of its true nature.
But based on what Berhem had revealed, Ghislain could make a few inferences.
'This holy relic definitely holds some secret. That's why the House of Delphine wants it, and the Shadow Knights sought to protect it. Could it be that the Shadow Knights were safeguarding this necklace all along?'
For centuries, the royal family had concealed the holy relic. The other two families likely didn't know its location.
The House of Delphine sought to possess it, while the Shadow Knights worked to protect it. This delicate balance of power had lasted for generations.
The Founding King must have foreseen that simply hiding the holy relic would ensure the royal family's survival.
Only this foolish king seemed unaware of its significance, while the House of Delphine and the Shadow Knights clearly understood its value.
"Interesting. Do you know anything else about the Shadow Knights? Why did they disappear?"
Ghislain had already learned much from Belinda. She'd told him about the betrayal by the vice-captain, Melkir, who had conspired with the Salvation Church. Still, Ghislain wanted to hear the king's perspective, especially since it concerned his mother.
Berhem hesitated again before finally confessing.
"I… I gave permission to destroy them."
"What?"
"How can there be two suns under the same sky? My ancestors failed, but I succeeded!"
"What exactly did you do?"
"The vice-captain, Melkir, approached me in secret with a proposal. He promised to kill the captain. He even claimed the House of Delphine would assist. So I…"
"And?"
"I gave him permission and revealed the captain's hidden refuge. Only the king knew of that place."
"Ha."
"Agents from the House of Delphine were covertly guided there by the vice-captain. Afterward, I planned to destroy the House of Delphine as well, but my health deteriorated…"
Berhem seemed proud, but Ghislain felt disgusted as he listened.
"...Wow. You betrayed the person protecting you? And you even involved external forces?"
"What else could I do? How could I let someone else wield power equal to a king? Melkir swore his loyalty to me!"
Ghislain glanced over his shoulder and felt a surge of murderous intent.
Belinda stood trembling, tears in her eyes, as dozens of daggers hovered menacingly around her.
"So you're telling me… you played a key role in taking down the captain?"
Annette's hidden refuge was unknown even to Belinda. It was a secret shared only between the royal family and the Shadow Knight leader.
This secrecy was meant to provide the royal family with a safe haven in times of peril.
But Berhem had betrayed that trust, leaking the location to the Shadow Knights' enemies.
"I had no idea…"
Belinda had thought Annette had been ambushed elsewhere. Even with overwhelming numbers of powerful enemies, Annette's defeat had seemed odd.
In her hidden refuge, Annette must have felt somewhat safe. But she'd been ambushed and gravely injured.
Yet even then, Annette hadn't killed Berhem. She'd left, determined to fulfill her duties despite the betrayal.
Belinda could barely fathom how much pain and sorrow Annette must have endured.
"You bastard!"
Shwing!
Belinda's daggers shot forward, piercing Berhem's body in multiple places. He was thrown back and pinned against the wall.
"Aaaaargh!"
Berhem screamed as the daggers drove through his arms and legs, holding him in place.
"Why… why are you doing this?! Didn't I tell you everything you wanted to know?!"
Ghislain shrugged and said calmly.
"She happens to be the sole surviving member of the Shadow Knights."
"What? That's impossible! All the Shadow Knights should have been wiped out!"
During Annette's absence, the Shadow Knights' refuge had also been attacked. They'd held out for a while, but annihilation had been inevitable.
Belinda had survived only because Annette arrived just in time to save her, a mere trainee, from death.
"Spare me! I wasn't the one who killed them directly, was I? It was Melkir and the Delphine family who carried out the act!"
"If you hadn't revealed the captain's location, they wouldn't have dared to move so recklessly."
"Ugh… how dare you do this to a king! The Shadow Knights swore loyalty to me! That was the pact, wasn't it?"
Berhem's frustration knew no bounds. What crime had he committed to deserve such humiliation? He was the king, the father of this nation. Being tormented by such vile, insignificant individuals filled him with bitter resentment.
Still, he couldn't die here. He had even allied with the Salvation Church to survive. No matter what, he had to live.
Bleeding profusely from his hands and feet, Berhem begged.
"Untie me at once. I will forgive your rebellion. I will retreat into quiet obscurity if I can just heal my body."
Ghislain shook his head and raised his sword.
"That won't work. You have to die for this matter to be resolved cleanly."
In truth, a powerless king posed no real threat. They could have simply imprisoned him in a tower. However, his very existence would create discomfort for many.
Seeing Ghislain's bloodied sword, Berhem turned pale and shouted.
"Haven't I told you everything I know? I've revealed it all!"
"I never said I'd spare you for talking. I was just curious."
"…Y-you, you, you bastard! Aaaaaah!"
Berhem tried to raise his hands, but the daggers embedded in his arms kept him from moving. All he achieved was an increase in his agony.
Panting heavily, Berhem glared at Ghislain with bloodshot eyes.
"Ugh… I made a mistake. If the Shadow Knight captain were still alive… your kind wouldn't have dared to step foot here."
"...Hmm."
Ghislain scratched his chin. There wasn't much to say in response to such a statement; the situation was indeed awkward.
"If Marquis Branford were still in place, would you rebels have dared to rise?"
It was a valid point. They had tried to avoid turning both the kingdom and the Delphine family into enemies. But what use was regret now? Berhem himself had cast aside all those safeguards.
"Are your last words finished?"
As Ghislain prepared to end him, Belinda shouted.
"His mother was Lady Annette!"
Berhem froze in his tracks, forgetting even his imminent death, and looked at Belinda with a blank expression.
"What?"
"Lady Annette was the wife of Marquis Perdium!"
"W-w-what…?"
"She died from the injuries you and your accomplices inflicted on her. But before that, she met the Marquis and left behind her son and daughter. So this, right now, is Lady Annette's revenge. Even in death, never forget that."
Belinda had no intention of letting Berhem die ignorant of his deeds. She wanted him to fully comprehend the consequences of his actions.
Berhem, his expression vacant, muttered as he stared at Ghislain.
"You… you're the Shadow Knight captain's son? That woman… she was alive?"
"Yes. In some ways, you could even say it's thanks to you that I was born."
"Ugh… Aaaaargh!"
Berhem cried out, tears of blood streaming down his face.
It was unthinkable. The events set in motion by his and the Delphine family's actions years ago had now come full circle to block his path!
Her child had grown into a formidable force that thwarted the Delphine family and toppled the royal family. Her husband was on his way to the capital to become the new king.
What cruel irony was this? And Berhem, oblivious, had practically bragged about killing Ghislain's mother.
"Aaaah! Even in death, that woman stands in my way!"
Perhaps he should have just left her alone. If he had, he could have lived out his days in peace, and the royal family would still be protected.
…No, he should have made sure she was dead. He should have scoured the entire kingdom to find and kill her.
At the time, Berhem had failed to find Annette's body. Terrified, he bolstered the royal knights and fed the Dragon Heart to the Royal knight commander, Count Palantz.
Only after ten years had passed did he finally believe Annette was dead and allow himself to relax. Of course, after that, Marquis Branford seized power, and his inferiority complex returned to haunt him.
But he should have done more. Instead of merely expanding the knights, he should have sent them out to hunt her down.
Berhem, overwhelmed by regret, despair, and rage, screamed incoherently. The aftereffects of his procedures flared up, causing blood to pour from his eyes, nose, mouth, and ears.
Ghislain addressed Berhem in a cold tone.
"The old dynasty ends today. A new one will rise in its place."
"Shut up! You damn…!"
Shing!
Before Berhem could finish his sentence, Ghislain's blade moved. Berhem's head separated cleanly from his body.
His face remained twisted with indignation and fury.
Ghislain flicked the blood off his sword and muttered.
"Why provoke someone who wasn't bothering you?"
The Delphine family, the king—why couldn't they leave well enough alone and avoid bringing this disaster upon themselves?
Still, there was some satisfaction. While incomplete, he had learned more about the holy relic. The rest could be uncovered once the Salvation Church was eliminated.
And in a way, he had avenged his mother once again, which brought a measure of peace to his heart.
Berhem's severed head was soon displayed prominently outside the castle, visible to all. When the people saw it, they erupted in cheers.
"Waahhhhhh!"
"The mad king is dead!"
"We're free!"
The capital was filled with celebratory energy for days.
Ghislain redistributed food that the nobles had hoarded, ensuring the people could eat their fill and rest peacefully for the first time in a long while.
And when the Perdium army finally arrived in the capital…
Zwalter could only stare in shock at the scene before him.
A vast crowd from the capital knelt before him and cried out in unison.
"Please, become our king!"
[T/L: I am not getting any support from webnovel platform, so please support me and read ahead chapters on my ko-fi page "RevengerScans" : https://ko-fi.com/revengerscans ]