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Gakin!!
The prisoner's sword doesn't pass through the invisible barrier. However, a sensation as if shaken to the core assaults from within.
If this barrier breaks, Mary and Sara are in danger. Should I go out, or should I quietly wait for Sergio's arrival...
"Come out, little girl! I'll kill you!"
Around the enraged prisoner, something like swirling dust is present. Knights attack from all directions, but they only manage to slightly wound him, not enough to halt his movements.
"Sheriel-sama, please step back."
"No, I'm going out."
Some knights are already unable to stand. He seems to be an acquaintance of Sergio, and if he has business with me, why not hear him out?
Silently passing through the barrier, the cold wind pierces my skin.
"What brings you to me?"
"You demon! How can you remain so calm? You've killed people and now you're casually sipping tea!"
Huh? I haven't killed anyone yet.
With a metallic sound that could tear ears, a sudden gust of wind presses in. Licht stops the prisoner's sword right in front of me.
His slender body skillfully repels the man.
"If you come any closer, I'll kill you."
Quietly stating this, Licht exhibits composure not befitting an apprentice. The usual modest fragility is absent. Facing the prisoner with a burning intent, Licht confronts an opponent even regular knights couldn't restrain. It would be tough for Licht alone. The best strategy here is to buy time until Sergio arrives.
"Could there be a mistake? I don't recall anything like that."
"What did you say!? Damn, is he your brother?"
"Probably, but I don't think even he has killed anyone."
Probably... If I've done something behind my back, that could be a problem.
In the midst of the conversation, Licht and the prisoner are engaged in an intense sword fight. It seems the prisoner isn't going all out against Licht, possibly distracted by my presence.
However, something nags at me... Oh right, I was supposed to have killed a priest.
"Don't lie! Making such a young child fight!"
Licht, seemingly annoyed by being treated like a child, kicks the ground hard enough to sink in and aims straight for the neck. The man, realizing a single hand might not be enough, holds the sword with both hands, barely stopping the blade just in time.
"Perhaps you're talking about the priest?"
"That's right! Did you harm others as well?"
"Are you, by any chance, his father?"
In that moment, both frozen in their sword clash, the prisoner mutters while biting his lip.
Ah, I see.
"Everyone step back. Knights and magicians, keep your distance."
"It's dangerous! Sheriel-sama, you should flee!"
Their job is to protect me. In this situation, it's not feasible for them to just step back.
Moreover, although my status is higher, I'm not their direct master. I reluctantly activate soundproof magic on the spot.
"He's alive."
"What?"
Licht likely has already realised. However, without sheathing his sword, he gazes at the prisoner with a bewildered expression.
"The one you're currently clashing swords with is a former priest declared dead. Presumably, he's your son. Would you please lower your sword?"
"Nonsense... That child is alive...!"
Licht remains silent. I don't know what Licht thinks of his father. However, breaking out of the prison and coming this far alone implies that the man has some feelings for Licht. His face is nearly invisible due to his long hair and thick beard.
"We've never met before, right? Even if our faces resemble each other..."
At that moment, the prisoner finally shifted his gaze from me to Licht. Staring intently at his face, the eyes burning with anger transformed into an expression of confusion.
There was no longer a murderous intent. The man lowered his arms in a limp manner.
"Is that true... He really resembles Azura... So, he was alive..."
He collapsed on the spot with a crumble, and the swirling dust in the surroundings vanished.
Thinking about such matters, I persuaded Licht to lower his sword.
"He looks like your father. We might have some time to talk."
Licht addressed his crouching father.
"Why now... and why come all the way here? Because of me, why...!"
"I'm sorry. I just couldn't accept it. When I heard you were killed... I know what kind of treatment you received all this time. I'm truly sorry."
The man, whom I had thought looked like a bear, appeared very small. With tears streaming down, it seemed he couldn't even look at Licht.
Licht, on the other hand, displayed an unusually rough tone. It felt like the first time I had seen him so angry. Unbeknownst to me, I found a sense of relief.
Licht has learned to express his anger properly. Not just endure unjust treatment, but let out his emotions.
"You're not my father."
"...Yeah. But I haven't committed any crimes. I'm innocent. So at least understand that you don't have the blood of a criminal in you."
False charges? Could such a thing be possible? If Didier were here, he could tell if it's a lie or the truth...
Licht glared at his father, his fists trembling.
"More importantly, apologise to Sheriel-sama! I won't forgive any rude behaviour toward the one who saved me!"
The man dropped to one knee, bowing his head. It seemed he was prepared to lose his head at this moment.
"I don't expect forgiveness for this sin. I'll atone for it with my life."
"It seems there isn't much damage. Shall we talk a bit? Please apologise to the gardener later."
The soldiers and knights don't seem to have suffered major injuries. The most affected appears to be the garden, brutally ravaged. I hope he hasn't killed anyone on his way here.
That aside, what should I do with the soldiers and knights who still have their weapons aimed at us in a combat stance...
Suddenly, Sergio, with a rare change in expression, ran towards us at an incredible speed. The knights also showed a relieved expression at his arrival.
Sergio, who entered the soundproof zone immediately, seemed to have grasped the situation in an instant.
"Sigh... I can't believe it was Gardo. It seems I made it in time, that's a relief."
"But didn't you arrive late? Do you know him?"
"Yes, he's a former subordinate."
"He was in the Knights, I see. No wonder he's strong."
Gardo couldn't raise his head, still bowing. Sergio scanned the area, sighing.
"Could it be that all of you couldn't stop Gardo?"
"Licht stopped him. Amazing, isn't it?"
"Oh, is that so? I thought Sheriel was probably killing him as we speak."
I wonder what he thinks of me. There's no way I could defeat an opponent that even knights couldn't stop.
"So, he claims to be wrongly imprisoned. Can we change locations?"
Sergio turned to the soldiers and knights, ordering them to disperse once he stepped out of the soundproof area. Normally, the knights would be the ones to take him to the dungeon, but the strongest here is Sergio. No one objected to Sergio dealing with it.
In a makeshift manner, we tied Gardo's hands, and Licht took charge of leading him.
Entering the interrogation room in the basement of the Knight's Tower, Gardo immediately kneeled.
"You walked all the way here? Your stamina is still as crazy as ever."
"I ran here."
The exchange, which didn't seem like one between a lord and a prisoner, made the chaos from earlier feel like a lie. Sergio casually talked about his relationship with Gardo.
Before Sergio became the commander of the Knights, Gardo was part of Sergio's unit. At that time, Sergio had a story about becoming the queen's guard knight, but due to Gardo's imprisonment, that story never materialised.
"Well, I wasn't interested in being a guard knight anyway, so it's fine."
"Forget about that father. More importantly, this man claims to be innocent."
Licht reacted noticeably. If his father was falsely imprisoned, and he had suffered for years because of it, he must be feeling overwhelming emotions.
"Gardo is probably innocent."
"Huh? Father, did you perhaps know about it and leave it as it is?"
"It's just my intuition, so there's no evidence or anything."
Leaving his direct subordinate falsely accused and captured, especially when it's a matter of being a criminal accomplice, seemed strange. Even Beriards, who didn't like creating family bonds, should have some conscience. He excuses himself by saying he was still young, but even so, he had left it unattended until now, probably because it was troublesome.
"I misjudged. Rather than talking about charity or conscience, you've essentially aided in a crime, right?"
"Sergio-sama is not to blame. All of this is a result of my carelessness. Besides, I have caused great inconvenience to Sergio-sama, so I have no right to ask for help."
The vigour he had when scattering soldiers around seemed to have disappeared. He was subdued, as if relieved from some burden. Although he claimed to have caused inconvenience, Sergio probably saw this situation as a stroke of luck since the story of the guard knight fell through.
Damn battle maniac... I thought sarcastically in my mind, and Sergio, sensing that, scratched his cheek.
"Father, what are your intentions for him? You're not planning to abandon him again, are you?"
"Ugh, this is troublesome. I could pretend he's dead, but his face is too well-known to re-register him as a slave."
"Hmm," Sergio and I exchanged thoughtful looks. Frankly, pretending he's dead is an easy solution. The royal palace seems to prefer it that way. If an escaped prisoner breaks into a noble's castle, attacking the lord's family, the norm would be to be slain on the spot.
However, life afterward posed a problem. He can't hide being a noble; his hair color alone gives it away. Working in the castle would attract too much attention.
Sending him abroad... Oh, wait. Come to think of it,
"How about leaving him in the care of Sensei?"
"That's a good idea."
Smirking at each other, Gardo's mouth hung open in surprise.
"Uh, um... What does that mean?"
"Since it's a false accusation, how about we make it look like he died here and let him work for someone I know? Since he's indebted to me, you might even get to see Licht occasionally."
Casting a glance at Licht, who still seemed bewildered, Gardo alternated between looking at me and him.
Probably, Julius would take him in. Thinking about Owens, who laments the lack of manpower, and Julius, who avoids appearing in public, it seemed like a perfect match.
"Alright, let me call Julius, so enjoy your parent-child reunion for a while. Behave yourself, okay?"
Sergio was completely convinced that Gardo was innocent. Therefore, I also loosened my guard. Although I had prepared a spatial magic array just in case, it seemed unnecessary now.
"Licht, he might be confused, but make sure to talk to him properly, okay?"
"Um, well..."
Untying Gardo's rope and helping him up, Licht faced Gardo.
"Are you really innocent?"
"Yeah, I swear to the gods. I haven't done anything."
"Then, is it true that you're my father?"
Gardo fell silent. It seemed difficult for him to declare that he was his father. However, instead of answering, he began to speak slowly.
"I graduated from the academy and joined the Knights right away. I married Azura, whom I met at the academy, and was assigned to the squad led by Lord Sergio."
Gardo was confident in his physical abilities. He was more suited to being a shield than sword skills. Since Sergio often charged into enemies alone at that time, Gardo was a good match as support. He eventually became the vice-captain of the squad.
Around the time the story of being the queen's guard knight arose, Gardo was suddenly captured by a different unit. The charge was attempted rape against the king's mistress, Lya. Since it was a matter of public image, the crime was never made public, and he was secretly imprisoned.
Of course, there was no trial. The crime was confirmed when the victim herself identified him as the assailant during a face-to-face meeting.
Imprisoned in the tower where aristocratic criminals were held, he learned about his wife's death and his son's entry into the temple from a priest. He diligently trained his body with a blank mind, occasionally receiving visits from a priest who talked about his son.
Such was the cycle of those days.
"When I was told that they had given you a terrible name, I felt like I was going mad."
"It's Licht. My name is Licht."
Gardo, with his furry face, peered through eyes that seemed on the verge of crumbling. Clenching his fist like a rock, he muttered, "Sorry..." As Licht placed his hand on Gardo's wounded fist, he chanted a healing spell. Gardo widened his eyes in astonishment.
The faintly glowing wounds on his fist had completely healed. Licht's actions confirmed that Licht was more than just a pseudonym.
"I can't believe..."
Tears that had once halted now streamed down like a muddy river. In Licht's voice as he spoke about the meaning of his name, there was no longer any resentment or anger.
"I've done such terrible things... How can I atone for my sins?"
He must have remembered the recent violent acts. It was nothing much. An apology to the gardener would be sufficient.
"I was just thinking about how I could thank Sensei. Whether it becomes a thank you or an inconvenience depends on Gardo, so do your best to make it a thank you."
"Sheriel-sama, that's not atonement. It's salvation."
"Hehe, I suppose I am a demon? It will surely become quite a challenging job."
After all, the dependency on Julius in our house is severe. The struggles of the attendants forced to endure this are beyond measure.
As Gardo stumbled over his words, Licht, blushing deeply, spoke up.
"Um, Dad, also. Work hard for Sheriel-sama, okay?"
"You accept me as your father?"
"You haven't done anything bad, right?"
"Licht..."
Gardo, a massive man like a bundle of life force, and Licht, delicate and shadowed to the point of seeming about to break, were visually complete opposites. Yet, in this way, a parent and child reunited.