Treatise Of A Failed Knight-Chapter 286: Hollow Victory

At first, there is silence.

Six pairs of Leviathan eyes watch me with careful precision.

I feel the weight of their stares

The quiet pressure of their existence.

Then, he breaks the silence.

"The man you encountered just now is Lucien Zevalis. He is a rogue Leviathan who defected from our Ouroboros Sect over a year ago."

Alistair Wormwood, this gentleman, stares at me with a certain calmness that makes me feel rather uncomfortable.

His eyes are fierce, yet gentle.

He looks rather young, yet his tone and manner of speech indicate age.

All of these subtle contradictions serve to confuse me, even as I struggle to regain my full senses.

"Lord Dracus Krawford was just one of manu aliases he had. He is fond of creating elaborate backgrounds for each of his identities and also setting up rather complicated plans in order to destroy them. He is very effective at blending in with civilization and exiting it as he pleases, thus he was granted another name... an alias within the Sect—The Shadowstalker."

’Shadowstalker...’ My frown deepens. ’I have heard that name before.’

But of course.

It’s the name that the Dark Guild Supervisor warned me about. He had sent this message through the Snake, and if I remember correctly... it went like this:

"The Shadowstalker will grace the Randalorion Kingdom in the coming days."

Back then, I thought he was referring to some kind of Magivore.

To think it was actually a person.

A Rank 3 Leviathan for that matter—how could I have known?

’Now that I think about it, this Ouroboros Sect was also mentioned.’ I sigh deeply. ’The Leviathan Organization that was mass purchasing Special Resources, making it difficult for me to obtain what I required...’

It’s them!

They belong to that organization.

’So they were pursuing Lord—I mean, Lucien Zevalis. Looking at the timing, he must have disappeared close to the time they purchased so many Special Resources.’

"I know what you’re thinking, but that’s not exactly what happened." Alistair smiles at me, sighing deeply. "The truth is, Lucien used his connection to the Ouroboros Sect to purchase as many Special Resources as he could. He did this without permission and continued to do so for months, only vanishing after his unsanctioned actions were found out."

"W-what...?"

Does this mean all of those resources were taken by a single man?!

These are materials I reasoned would be enough for an entire organization. Lucien’s mass purchase even caused a huge scarcity in the market.

What would a single person want with so many Special Resources?!

A chilly sensation suddenly spreads through my body, and anxiety quickly kicks in.

My eye twitches.

’He’s currently in the Randalorion Kingdom. Could it be—?!’

"You imagine correctly. That man has a nefarious intent that is somehow connected to this Kingdom." Alistair speaks with a grim tone on his stoic face. "We’ve been after him for a long time now, even before the abductions began."

"But I ruined everything for you...?"

"No. Quite the opposite. We needed you to pursue him while we observed the matter from the shadows and conducted our own investigations."

"And?"

"Well, he has escaped... which is bad news. But it’s not like this encounter was completely without merit. At the very least, we’ve finally been able to make your acquaintance."

Alistair stretches out his hand towards me.

It appears like a handshake offer.

’Haaa...’ I deeply sigh, raising my hand to reach his.

Once our palms touch, he clasps his hand on mine and pulls me from my wretched state.

I initially stagger. But after a few seconds, I finally get my bearings and stand upright, staring at the man and our hands, which still remain fixed together.

"We still require your assistance, Javier Aditi. You are the Leviathan representing the Randalorion Kingdom, which makes this your turf. Although we have been conducting investigations in the shadows, you’re sure to have a ton of information we do not yet possess and you can help in ways we cannot yet fathom. As such, we would like to cooperate with you and—"

"JAVIER!"

While he is speaking, I begin to hear voices calling out my name.

They’re very low at first, but they’re growing louder. I can even hear sounds of shuffling footsteps now.

It appears my comrades are looking for me.

"It appears you have other matters to attend to..." Alistair smiles softly, slowly retreating his hand. "Why don’t we leave you to that, at least for now?

I nod slowly, though my expression shows dissatisfaction.

I haven’t gotten nearly enough answers.

I need to know more.

"Where can we—?"

"If you’re wondering how you can contact us, there’s no need for you to be so concerned. We have been watching you and your comrades for some time now, so you don’t have to worry about setting up a time to meet. We will certainly reach out to you once the time is right." He nods slowly, a knowing smile forming on his youthful yet mature features.

"Okay..."

Although their words cause me a little discomfort—after all, they’ve been watching me all this time—I still take it in good stride.

My face is as calm as I can possibly make it.

’I can’t say I completely trust these people, and I am certainly worried about them in many ways, but the fact remains that they are far too strong for me to deal with. They are also enemies of the Adept Leaper. It would be foolish not to cooperate with them...’

"I’m glad you understand the situation. We’ll be taking our leave for now, but I promise we’ll keep in touch."

After this, a few flickers of light erupt before my very eyes, and the Leviathans disappear.

Not even a trace of them remains.

"Haaa..."

Shaky breaths leave my lips yet again.

I stare around me, at the devastation within the room. The rubble that surrounds me make the entire atmosphere feel claustrophobic, and in the absence of the overpowering presence of these Leviathans, the stench of blood has become stronger.

Not my own blood.

No... It belongs to the sole corpse in the room.

’Aunt Leila...’

I withhold the powerful emotions building up in my chest and slowly walk towards her body.

She died in a rather brutal way.

Killed by her dear husband—the one she gave everything to save. The look of shock that she gave at the very end still haunts me.

How betrayed would she have felt?

How confused did she feel?

’At least it wasn’t a prolonged death...’ I sigh deeply and smile.

What am I doing?

What in the world am I trying to rationalize?

Whether it was painlessly short or gruesomely long, the fact remains that my dear aunt is now dead—killed by the same man she professed love to.

The same man I respected so dearly.

Why?

Why couldn’t I protect her?

If I didn’t undo Frontflow and acted on my instincts sooner, I could have saved her!

"I... I could have... done something."

It is as I whisper these words, standing in front of my aunt’s corpse, that my allies find me in the devastated expanse.

"Javier!"

"So you were here! We’ve been looking everywhere for you."

"We heard the noise and felt a massive commotion. Are you okay...?"

At first, their voices are loud and enthusiastic.

Until they find Aunt Leila’s corpse.

Then, all fall silent.

They immediately understand the heavy weight of the atmosphere. I don’t expect them to be able to fully comprehend such a loss, since they aren’t at all related to my aunt and none of them witnessed the death.

So their silence is more than enough for me.

For me to think.

Reflect on my rushing pain.

And also to wipe away my mild tears while staring at the empty space in resolve.

Once again, someone I hold dear has been taken away from me, with the perpetrator being a Leviathan.

But there is a vast difference between this situation and the last time.

Back then, I didn’t have a clue who this Leviathan was, and I didn’t even have Leviathan powers.

I was also largely on my own.

This time, however—

’I am a Leviathan. I have allies, and potentially the support of a Leviathan Organization. Most importantly... I know the bastard who did this!’

That makes this matter rather straightforward.

’Lucien Zevalis... I’ll kill you for sure!’

*******

We’ve all gone our separate ways.

At least... for now.

After the team found out about my Aunt and gave me my moment of silence, they offered me their condolences.

As much as I appreciated it, there really was no point in that.

I didn’t even thank them for their efforts.

I also showed no weakness in their presence, deciding it would be best to mourn her privately and quietly.

They understood this and backed off.

Besides, it’s not like everyone else isn’t busy with their own troubles.

Seth has decided to return to the Church with the Bishop. He intends to watch over the old man, and ask him questions once he recuperates.

I’m not surprised.

Even now, Seth must be burning with questions regarding the true nature of the Church.

I can only pray that he finds an answer that satisfies him.

That, or the truth.

As for Klein, he has returned home with Seraphina. Just as he feared, the additional trauma from this incident has caused a rather terrible development with her.

Seraphina has been unresponsive ever since the rescue. Once the drugs wore off, she collapsed and has remained in a vegetative state.

Before I left, I heard the likely cause was shock or deep-seated cognitive disturbances.

But we still don’t know for sure.

Klein is currently busy seeking all kinds of remedies for his beloved, which I can empathize with.

But, at the very least, he found her.

The Royal Family still hasn’t been able to find the Third/Crown Prince.

He’s the only one who remains missing.

But why?

That’s a mystery I’ll have to get to once I leave this place.

"Haaa..." I deeply sigh, staring at the gravestone before me. "I don’t know if this is what you would have preferred, but burying you in your garden, amongst your flowers seems like the proper thing to do."

As I stand in Aunt Leila’s house compound, the garden specifically, melancholic feelings swirl within my heart.

I feel many aches churning inside my chest.

It’s rather unbearable.

Almost as though I should tear through my flesh and rip out whatever is causing this disturbance in my chest.

But I cannot.

Unable to do anything at all, I simply stand—paralyzed—as I stare at the epitaph.

"An amazing wife, a supportive aunt, and an excellent Alchemist. Here lies the final resting place of Leila Krawford." My lips tremble as I read out the words.

I stand alone in this garden, yet it feels incredibly hard to utter the right words.

It’s so hard...

The guilt eating at me from within is indescribable.

But, I cannot let this stop me.

I must persevere!

"Don’t worry, Aunt..." My voice, now deeper and darker than ever, reverberates in the air.

"I’ll find that man and kill him for sure!"

For a moment, silence.

Only the fragrant smell of the garden responds to my vengeance-filled declaration.

Then—

"I’m glad you feel that way."

—A voice suddenly echoes in the air, and I sense the presence of someone standing a few meters behind me.

I slowly turn and find a much older man standing there.

He has silver-colored eyes, and while his face is covered in mild wrinkles, he has clear white teeth and an upright demeanor.

Most importantly, I recognize him.

"You are..."

"Yes. A Leviathan belonging to Division C-07, and a proud member of the Ouroboros Sect." He smiles softly at me, although my clouded expression remains the same.

Faced with such a gloomy demeanor, he clears his throat awkwardly and points towards my aunt’s mansion.

"The Captain is waiting for you inside."

"I see..."

He did say they would keep in touch.

To think they had enough courtesy to wait until I buried my Aunt before they struck.

I am truly grateful.

"Okay." I respond with a calm nod.

"Lead the way."