Dawn of Vengeance — Chapter 44

...IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME.

THE DAGGER OF OHN.

I FIRST LEARNED OF THIS BLADE'S EXISTENCE WHEN I WAS ABOUT SEVEN.

WHOA!

A sword! It's a sword!

TO ANYONE ELSE, IT MIGHT HAVE SEEMED NO DIFFERENT FROM TRASH...

...BUT TO THE DAUGHTER OF A DESERT SLAVE, IT LOOKED LIKE A MAGNIFICENT TREASURE.

Hehe.

No one will know, right?

ABOUT A YEAR MUST HAVE PASSED LIKE THAT.

Huh?

WHAT IS...?

I DISCOVERED ITS TRUE IDENTITY IN THE SCRIPTURES OF THE NAMELESS GOD.

A HOLY RELIC IMBUED WITH DIVINE BLESSING, 'THE DAGGER OF OHN'.

"PIERCE THE HEART, AND YOU SHALL RETURN TO THE MOMENT YOU DESIRE MOST..."

It wants me to kill myself?

With that rusty sword?!

This is ridiculous...

...UNLESS THEY WERE AS DESPERATE AS I WAS,

WHO WOULD EVER USE SUCH A THING?

EVEN IF THIS LIFE FALLS APART,

I WILL NEVER TURN BACK TIME AGAIN.

SEEKING OUT THIS DAGGER WAS MERELY A VOW TO REMIND MYSELF OF THAT.

THERASIUS, THE IMPERIAL CAPITAL OF THE EMPIRE.

A FALCON FLYING AT THIS HOUR. HOW UNUSUAL.

YOUR HIGHNESS, THE WIND IS QUITE COLD.

THEY SAY A PLATINUM FALCON IS A SIGN OF GOOD FORTUNE.

I'VE HAD A LOT ON MY MIND LATELY, WHAT WITH THINGS GETTING SO COMPLICATED.

I WONDER IF THIS MEANS SOME GOOD NEWS IS ON THE WAY.

IT SEEMS THE NEGOTIATIONS WITH PARNASSUS ARE PROVING QUITE DIFFICULT.

HMM.

HER MAJESTY THE QUEEN IS MUCH MORE FORMIDABLE THAN I EXPECTED.

I PROPOSED MARRIAGE, THINKING IT WAS A RATHER GENEROUS OFFER,

BUT SHE SIMPLY SPLASHED CHAMPAGNE IN MY FACE AND SAID SHE REFUSED BECAUSE I WAS UGLY.

Excuse me?

What in the world... how utterly impudent...!

NO NEED TO BE ANGRY.

EVEN THE LOWLIEST CREATURE THRASHES WHEN STEPPED ON.

But, Your Highness...

Such behavior crosses the line...!

I ACTUALLY FOUND IT RATHER CHARMING.

WAS I A LITTLE ANGRY THE MOMENT THE CHAMPAGNE HIT ME?

SHE LOOKS LIKE THE TYPE TO BURST INTO TEARS AT THE SIGHT OF A ROLLING LEAF,

YET SHE GLARED AT ME LIKE HER MORTAL ENEMY FROM THE MOMENT WE MET UNTIL WE PARTED.

THAT WOMAN...

WHY WAS SHE SO FURIOUS WITH ME?

WHY ON EARTH DOES SHE HATE ME?

HER FACE WAS EXACTLY MY TYPE, TOO.

IS THAT WHY SHE KEEPS CROSSING MY MIND?

IT SEEMS THE RUMORS OF THE KING OF PARNASSUS'S BEAUTY ARE TRUE.

...SHE WASN'T BAD TO LOOK AT.

BUT WHO ELSE WAS SAYING SUCH THINGS BESIDES ME?

IT WAS MENTIONED DURING A CONVERSATION WITH THE ENVOY.

GENERAL TULDA ALSO MENTIONED THE SOVEREIGN'S BEAUTY IN PASSING.

TULDA SAID THAT?

Yes, sir.

HEARING SUCH WORDS FROM A MAN AS BLUNT AS A STONE WAS QUITE AMUSING.

WELL, IT'S A RELIEF TO KNOW I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE BEWITCHED BY THAT WITCH.

WHERE IS THIS STONE-LIKE MAN NOW?

HE IS IN THE DUNGEON, INTERROGATING A SPY.

I WAS TOLD THE SPY WE PLANTED IN DOPANE FAILED TO COMPLETE HIS MISSION.

HAA...

IS THAT SO?

YOU'VE ARRIVED, YOUR HIGHNESS.

TULDA.

YOU'VE BEEN WORKING HARD.

I HEAR THE SPY RETURNED EMPTY-HANDED. WHERE IS HE?

Y-Y-YOUR HIGHNESS!

PLEASE SPARE ME!

I-I truly did my best, but...

It couldn't be helped.

No matter how much I tried to persuade him, the Grand Duke was so stubborn...

SHH.

Too loud.

Y-Your Highness!

; S-still, it' wasn't a complete failure!

Instead, I managed to raise our mineral ownership share to sixty percent-

DIDN'T I TELL YOU... TO "SHH"?

ONLY ANSWER WHAT YOU'RE ASKED.

SINCE YOU ACTED AS THE BROKER, YOU SHOULD KNOW WHY I HELPED DOPANE.

SPEAK.

On the condition... that they hand over the cryostone mine in Antebasila...

RIGHT, THE MINE.

I TOLD YOU THE MEANS TO WIPE OUT THOSE LAFI BASTARDS WOULD BE THERE.

THAT WAS THE ONLY THING I WANTED.

I'M QUITE SURE I MADE THAT CLEAR.

Y-Your Highness,

Y-

P-Please forgive...

TSK...

SINCE YOU CAN'T SEEM TO UNDERSTAND NO MATTER HOW MANY TIMES I SAY IT,

I'LL JUST HAVE TO CLEAR OUT THOSE BLOCKED EARS FOR YOU.