The war between the Archipelago of Seven Kingdoms and the Charlemagne Kingdom.
To the Nightwalker Family and the Republic, this war was ultimately someone else’s problem. However, for those who lived as the wealthiest nation on the continent, focusing on finance and trade, it could never truly be just someone else’s business.
A short while after Laila issued a summons to the Highmasters across the continent, they gathered in the office of the Duke’s mansion.
“I… I greet the esteemed Lady Nightwalker…”
“It must have been a difficult journey. I appreciate the effort.”
An unfamiliar man was carefully showing his respect by kissing the back of Laila’s hand. Like most people who came to this mansion, he was no exception. He looked like a frog trapped before the eyes of a snake.
“I—I would like to state once more before the Lady that I have come to this place representing the will of the great King Charles IV! Any harm or intimidation directed at me will be considered an insult to King Charles and the Charlemagne Kingdom—”
“Did you come all this way just to say something so trivial?”
“Eek!”
It was at that moment. A boy’s voice drifted from behind the man, where no one had been just a second before. Startled, the envoy of the kingdom fell from his chair and landed hard on his rear.
“Show some manners in front of our guest, Sien.”
“Please forgive my rudeness, Lady Nightwalker.”
As Laila scolded him with a cold voice, Sien quietly bowed his head.
“Now then, what business brings the representative of the great King Charles to such a humble land?”
“Well, that is…”
The envoy faltered at Laila’s question. But he could not stay silent forever.
“As the Lady is well aware, our kingdom is being threatened by the war sparked by the unilateral and barbaric claims of the Archipelago of Seven Kingdoms…”
“So you’re asking to borrow money?”
“T-That is correct.”
“You borrowed money just a while ago to fight a war, only to squander it elsewhere. What guarantee is there that you won’t do it again?”
“That’s enough, Sien.”
Laila chuckled as she restrained Sien’s bold questioning.
“Of course, our family is willing to prepare funds for the peace and stability of your country.”
“T-Then!”
“However, I cannot help but worry about the great King Charles’s insincere debt repayment, just as my son mentioned.”
War costs money. An immense amount of money.
Even a country with the most fertile and prosperous land on the continent was no exception.
“…His Majesty the King also expresses deep regret over the misunderstanding that has arisen regarding the trust with your family.”
“Hmm, I see. That certainly sounds reliable.”
Laila let out a cold, thin laugh at the envoy’s words.
“So, is that all you have to say?”
Laila asked. A brief silence settled over the room.
“Please accept this.”
At the end of the silence, the envoy of the Charlemagne Kingdom hesitantly held out a document.
“In the name of His Majesty and the Kingdom, this is an official notarized pledge to unconditionally accept the thirty-nine demands of the Nightwalker Family.”
It was a king’s promissory note, filled with bloodless and tearless conditions and contracts.
***
“In the name of the Governor and the National Bank of the Republic of Veneto, I hear a secret deal was just finalized with the Federation of the Seven Kingdoms.”
“War always costs money, after all.”
As Sien delivered the news, Laila, who had been negotiating with the Charlemagne Kingdom until a moment ago, continued as if it were someone else’s business.
“And an immense amount of it, too.”
Armor and weapons were needed to arm penniless serfs, and the army had to be fed to maintain it. If mercenaries were hired, every minute and second they were kept was an expenditure. If there was no money on hand, they had to borrow it. If they lost, they would lose everything, not just a few coins.
In that process, someone profited from the war. No, in this world, some would gladly create a war that didn’t exist just to turn a profit.
The Merchant of Death.
They lent money, weapons, and supplies so that invaders could carry out their war, and they lent the same to those being invaded.
That was the way their family and their country survived.
“Trust is a greater asset than anything else our family has built.”
On this continent, there were many rulers who, after borrowing money with smooth words to put out an immediate fire, would unilaterally declare a moratorium. To put it simply, they would just refuse to pay.
And in their own lands, they were the law. The number of merchants and trading companies that had gone bankrupt and ended up on the streets after lending such massive sums was likely countless. No matter how much military force an individual merchant possessed, they could not fight against a king or noble who owned land.
But the Nightwalker Family was different.
No one dared to escape their blade, the debt they owed to the family, or the interest. Even if the interest they had to pay had snowballed beyond measure.
“It is trust built through the blood of countless family members.”
‘I won’t let it stay that way this time.’
“I hope so as well.”
Laila gave a bitter smile at Sien’s words. It wasn’t the cold expression she had shown earlier, but one that looked very worried.
“It will likely turn out that way.”
Sien couldn’t help but know. In fact, he prided himself on knowing it better than anyone else in the world. Because he knew, things would be different now.
The War of the Last Knights.
The war that signaled the end of the era and spirit of chivalry.
Of course, a war never breaks out overnight, and neither does one end that way. The war breaking out this year was merely the beginning and a prelude. However, through this war, the era of chivalry would surely come to an end.
By the time Sien had become the head of the family, virtually every country had already become a “country of assassins.” At this point, the values held only by the Republic and the Nightwalker Family would eventually become the core assets of every nation.
In that era, the existence of the Nightwalker Family and the Republic was no longer special. At the same time, the ridiculous fact was that the one who drove the final nail into the era of chivalry and announced the “Age of Assassins” was none other than Sien himself.
The one who had put an end to the era of knights and brought about a new age with his own hands would, paradoxically, be the one to meet his end because of that very new age.
***
Just as Roselia Charles desired, the ideals of chivalry were about to be shattered and brought low. The shameful war was about to begin, where the pride and honor they boasted of would fall to the dirt.
“Roselia’s insight is certainly dangerous.”
And whether she wished for it or not, the Sword Saint Roland, worn out and aged by the attrition of time, would fall by Sien’s hand. Because nothing in this world is eternal.
The Queen of the Red Lily, Roselia Charles.
A monster who would remain alive even after Sien and the Republic fell, destroying the Federation of the Seven Kingdoms and contending for supremacy over the Holy Empire and the continent.
“Godfather?”
While his thoughts were tangling together, he heard a voice. Sien looked down. There, beneath the pouring cold moonlight, stood a girl with hair as blue as a lake.
“Tia.”
“Do you have something on your mind?”
“I have too many, and that’s the problem.”
“Hmm, I suppose so.”
Tia laughed softly at Sien’s words. It was a calm and beautiful sound.
“I heard a summons was issued to all the Highmasters of the family.”
“Yes, a great war is about to happen.”
“I’m sad.”
Tia said. Sad? About the war, perhaps? Sien blinked in surprise.
“About what?”
“Because I’m still powerless. I’m nothing but a burden to you.”
She wasn’t sad because strangers would die in a war.
“I hate myself for having no choice but to watch my beloved family fight.”
“I see.”
Sien gave a bitter smile.
‘Beloved family.’ Even though they didn’t share a single drop of blood, the people of the Nightwalker Family bestowed infinite affection upon one another for the sole reason that they were “family.” They never once doubted why they had to give such affection or why they should feel such emotions.
“Tia, don’t forget that you are my everything as well.”
“Yes.”
“And one day, you too will find yourself fighting for the young family members who can only watch you.”
Neither Sien nor Tia were exceptions. And the people of the world called that kind of irrational bond a “family.”
“I’m sorry, Godfather.”
“There’s no need to take it to heart.”
Sien shook his head.
“I mean, there’s no need to blame yourself for being a bit of a burden.”
“I suppose so.”
Tia lowered her head as if embarrassed.
“Because that’s what family is.”
After speaking, Tia blushed shyly. Sien also felt that the conversation was strangely ticklish.
“Our family is strong, so you don’t need to worry.”
Leaving the awkwardness behind, Sien spoke. No, calling them just “strong” was an understatement.
“Especially the Highmasters of the family.”
Highmaster.
The supreme powerhouses who had perfectly mastered two or more of the family’s Sword Styles. That was the definition of a Highmaster that was generally accepted within the family and by the public. But Sien knew better.
The position of Highmaster in the Nightwalker Family was not something that could be obtained by such a simple definition. In the first place, one might ask what the difference was between mastering one Sword Style and mastering two.
However, those who knew even a little bit about the unique personalities and characteristics of the nine Sword Styles of the Nightwalker Family had no choice but to understand the weight of that achievement.
“Both of you are working hard until late in the morning.”
At that moment, a man’s gentle voice rang out, as if a tiger would appear if mentioned.
“Sien, it’s been a long time.”
“It has been a while, Don Johan.”
He was a man dressed entirely in black from head to toe, with a very gentle smile that left a deep impression.
“Ah, you must be the new family member.”
The man called Johan turned his head toward Tia.
“I… I am Tia…”
“That is a lovely name.”
Johan smiled with a soft voice. However, despite his warm and gentle smile, Tia’s expression held a look of wariness, as if she were looking at a complete stranger.
The Laughing Man, Johan.
Johan turned his gaze toward the two of them and then spoke toward the empty air.
“And it’s been a long time, Laila.”
Simultaneously, a cold and beautiful voice rang out.
“You arrived earlier than expected.”
“Well, it was a request from our one and only Head of the Family.”
Laila smiled softly as she looked down at him, as he knelt politely and kissed the back of her hand in accordance with the etiquette of the Republic.
“It has been a long time, Big Brother.”