After that, Kyrie of Astreios began to intervene actively in the trials held at each settlement.

“Settlements are richer than you’d think. Since they enjoy tax exemption until they’re elevated to a village, the wealth accumulated per capita is considerable.”

He had taken a few law classes back at the academy, so his legal knowledge was serviceable.

“Since the calf was in utero at the time of judgment, it must be treated as one with the mother. From the ruling that demanded half a head of cattle, the number of cattle to be awarded is ten.”

“You brothers let greed blind you and betrayed the natural bond, tormenting one another. It seems that this wealth is the very talon that stole your brotherhood; I will take all of that property into my hands. If you refuse, cease now and forever the practice of dumping filth on each other’s fields.”

“For lusting after another man’s woman, for robbing property, and for falsely branding someone a heretic, I sentence you to death.”

Above all, these village judgments did not require erudite legal reasoning.

They were tiny communities, never more than a thousand souls at most.

There were no truly knotty legal cases that demanded intimate knowledge of the law.

Most problems were plain wrongs that everyone recognized but could not correct because the villain’s local influence or brute force kept things as they were.

In other words, if you subdued the offender by force and drove him out of the village, the case ended on the spot.

Naturally, about half of the confiscated wealth ended up in Kyrie’s hands, just as it had during the Yulia incident.

“Jo. Distribute it to the soldiers.”

He always fed half of those spoils back to the troops.

He even slipped a silver or two to the Evaluator, Gaven.

All of it was for the sake of Sub-Objective 2, the Falling-Star Seat.

[Hero’s Journey — Stage 12]

[Stage 1: Adoption as Heir]

[Enter House Astreios and end the life of a bastard.]

[Failure penalty: Death]

[Success reward: Downstrike]

‣

[Sub-Objective 2: Acquire the Falling-Star Seat, “He Who Cuts the Dark.”]

[The Falling-Star burns as it falls. Obtain the authority to operate across the border in emergencies. Should problems arise from crossing the lunar boundary, the House will repudiate you.]

[Success reward 1: Celestial Lightning Body efficiency +75%]

[Success reward 2: Authority — “Endowment to Projectiles”]

[Failure penalty 1: Celestial Lightning Body efficiency −25%]

I must imprint in their minds that money follows my words.

The Falling-Star Seat was literally a meteor — a star burning as it fell. Diplomatically, it was the first thing to be cut loose when a dispute arose.

Normally, even if a man were disgraced and sent away, he could lie low and be reassigned; Blue Knights were not expendable enough to be casually purged.

To carry out dangerous missions that cross borders without hesitation, the soldiers must be fixated on money.

But Kyrie’s soul depended on that temporary chastening: he had to be adopted as an heir.

So he hunted beasts diligently, judged cases diligently, and collected funds diligently.

Weeks passed.

“…Kyrie of Astreios is truly remarkable, isn’t he?”

“I never expected him to take such pains with these tedious trials. Don’t you agree, Vice-Captain Jo?”

“Hmm. I’ve seen Blue Knights requisition valuables from villages, but I’ve never seen a Blue Knight who held trials at every settlement. His swordsmanship is one thing, but his mindset is genuinely heroic and upright.”

“I cannot deny that. I assumed the trials and hunts would be over in a day or two, but the way he continues them is worthy of praise.”

“……”

Kyrie watched Jo and Gaven trading praise.

Are they staging a demand for more money? They should at least observe proper decorum when offering consolation.

He decided to feign ignorance. Thus he adapted to the work of the Border Patrol Corps.

About two months into his service—

“Kyrie! Kyrie!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Jo hammered on the door.

“What is it?”

“A merchant claims he encountered a mutated beast.”

“A mutated beast?”

“It smells like an attempt to use you to reclaim his goods, but if it’s true, it’s a significant matter. What shall we do?”

“Well…”

A mutated beast was, literally, a monster that had changed into an obviously different form from its usual species. Examples included the “explosive goblin” in the northern Empire, the “scorpion wolf” in the west, and the “venomous troll” in the center.

Mutated beasts are watched closely even by the Church. If you report to the House, you’re likely to earn at least a Falling-Star Seat, if not a Comet Seat.

Because they were far more dangerous than ordinary monsters, they were the top priority for investigation when they appeared.

He ran a rapid thought process.

Even if it didn’t appear near the border, report that it did. Even if it wasn’t truly a mutated beast, report that it appeared to be one.

“…If it’s true, of course we must investigate. And even if it’s a trick, I’m not inclined to blame the man. If his life’s precious, he wouldn’t have asked for help unless something had genuinely happened. Whether mutated or ordinary, if a monster has appeared near the border, we must act.”

He smoothed his hair and left the house.

“My name is Gluttony. I’m a merchant who travels between Rykenta and Astreios. Ah, here’s my transit permit.”

A gaunt man with a slightly bent waist waited in front of the village chief’s house.

“Near the border, I encountered a mutated beast. I somehow managed to escape, but my caravan is stranded beyond. If you retrieve my cargo, I’ll give you three gold coins.”

His manner had the usual merchant shrewdness, but his treatment of Kyrie and the soldiers was extremely deferential.

“My cargo is high-value spices that must be transported quickly. If you recover them, I will give you all the gold I have now.”

The pouch he produced was heavy.

Smart.

If you’re going to do the work anyway, getting paid makes you want to try harder.

“As a Blue Knight, this is simply my duty. Offer your thanks after the hunt is finished.”

Kyrie refused the pouch for the moment.

If he took the money now, he would be obliged to hunt the beast for sure.

No matter how fond of coin he was, his soldiers came first.

And given how Gaven might twist reports, caution was warranted.

“Understood, Kyrie.”

“Tell me about this mutated beast.”

“Yes, yes. It was a two-headed ogre. One head was grotesque, like a parasite embedded in the body. One arm was abnormally large, making the body asymmetrical. Dark red veins ran all over it — it looked truly horrific.”

“……”

Kyrie frowned as he listened to Gluttony.

Parasite-like, asymmetry, dark red veins.

Like the beasts in the nightmare.

Those were the monsters that had burned the world, blotting out the stars and scaling Astrion’s walls.

If the Thundering Star gave me that vision, it would be irrational not to believe it.

If it was true, there was one more reason he had to go investigate.

“Very well. Wait here in this village.”

“Yes. Thank you, Kyrie.”

Gluttony bowed deeply and walked off with the village chief.

Kyrie looked at Jo and the squad leaders and was about to order preparations to depart.

“Jo…”

“You’re not actually planning to leave, are you?”

Gaven pushed his glasses up with a poised hand.

“Is there any reason not to go?”

“There are two major reasons. First, Kyrie is not a Falling-Star Seat. He lacks the qualification to operate beyond the border. As Gluttony said, the caravan was forced to leave its wagons beyond the border and ‘cross’ over. The area where that mutated beast is active belongs to the holdings of House Rykenta.”

“And the second?”

“The matter of the adjutant’s qualifications. Under the code, if an adjutant does not meet the minimum combat standard of a knight, a Blue Knight must not undertake a mutated-beast mission.”

“Such a law exists?”

“Yes, yes. Even if you dismissed Vice-Captain Jo and appointed me adjutant, it would not suffice. This Gaven is nothing but an Esquire.”

Gaven continued in a tone that suggested he was delighted to be of service.

“You—!”

“Not acceptable. Jo, you must speak formally to an Esquire.”

Jo clenched his fists until his knuckles whitened.

“Jo.”

Kyrie took his hand and pulled him back.

“…My apologies.”

Even without personal martial might, Jo was an excellent adjutant.

Jo stepped aside.

Kyrie moved in front of Gaven.

“I do not think you would lie. But even if such a law exists, I am going.”

“Your evaluation score will be ruined.”

“Write it in your report. That Kyrie of Astreios, without the dignity of a Falling-Star Seat, without the rank of knightly adjutant, nevertheless departed for the border to prevent a merchant’s caravan from collapsing under the attack of a mutated beast.”

“Starseat Terminus…”

“If Starseat Terminus had any interest in the affairs of the world, he would know that I disregarded the head of house’s admonition and fixed my gaze during the Seat Oath. He knew that and still enrolled me as valedictorian.”

“……”

He had been top of his class, but he had not known such a law existed.

It was not that he hadn’t studied; it was that the law was effectively moribund.

This was an academy where Nereus, who beat seniors, was second, and where one could ignore the head of the house and survive a single electro-torture reprimand. The customs of House Astreios meant Starseat would not make an issue of this.

Of course Trisan would try to make it an issue, but if Trisan alone raised a fuss, Andromeda could counterbalance him.

“In one hour we depart. Jo. Prepare.”

He marched out immediately.

Two days later, the Seventh Centuria stood on the brink of annihilation in the face of the mutated ogre’s assault.

Chapter 24

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