Hero’s Downfall Report

41 – Devotion Offered by the Sword (16)

Something faint caught his eye.

Cain pondered. ‘What was that? What do you call that?’

It was too far to see clearly. ‘I’ll know if I get closer.’ Cain walked. He opened the fence gate that even a child could easily cross. White apple trees with blooming flowers came into view.

Venetia is an island. It is difficult to find good soil. Perhaps that’s why the trees here are smaller than those in his hometown. But the harvest is abundant.

Even now. Among the white flowers, aren’t yellow bees busy moving and transferring pollen?

Nothing is free. He called a beekeeper. Placing the beehive in the middle of the garden and opening it, the bees pour out like this. They diligently connect the flowers, marry them, and then gather honey before returning home. They are diligent insects worth the cost of calling the beekeeper.

Calling the beekeeper is expensive, but it’s worth the money. Thinking about the fruits that will be formed on each of those flowers, Cain couldn’t help but smile to himself.

“I wish I were a little bigger.”

Beatrix walked out from behind the tree. She was wearing only a thin cloth. It would startle the comrades if they saw her like this, but she was always like that when it was just her and Kairos. Her dark brown curly hair swayed.

“As long as it tastes good, that’s all that matters.”

Kairos leaned against the tree. Beatrix walked over leisurely. As always, she stood tall and confidently, with a small but beautiful chest proudly displayed.

“Even though you touch it diligently every night, it doesn’t grow. Did you not give enough love?”

“If you give too much love, it will kill you.”

“Or.” Beatrix, who had come right up to Kairos, untied the knot on her shoulder. The cloth slid down, silently. “If it bears fruit, won’t it grow bigger? What do you think?”

They kissed slowly. Beatrix lowered her head and kissed Kairos’s chest. Beatrix pulled Kairos’s head closer.

“You sent me to steal classified information from the Republic, and now you’re stealing a woman’s heart, you imperial thief. What do you think?”

Her gentle fingers scratched the back of his head like claws, asserting her dominance.

The symbol of Venetia is a lion. Beatrix is the illegitimate daughter of the Republic’s leader, Doje, and a political ally. An old and dignified father, and a young and attractive lioness daughter. And in between, a thief who has infiltrated.

“Isn’t it funny? Not a thief, but a thief, you say.”

“Then should I call you a murderer?”

The blue sky turned a sickly gray. Beatrix turned into a tree, still standing. Apple trees bled, the buzzing of bees turned into the sound of arrows piercing the trees, and the clashing of swords.

Kairos struggled to break free from the tree. What he held in his hands were apples. They resembled large breasts. But as soon as he held them, they crumbled and turned into water, flowing down to the ground.

From there, rose vines grew. Blood dripped onto the white roses, staining them red. Soon, they intertwined and became a crown of thorns. The vines writhed and screamed.

“Heart thief, give me what’s yours. You spilled blood in someone else’s heart, at least shed tears.”

Kairos tried to run away. He didn’t even flinch as his flesh tore on the thorns. From the darkness, a knight in black armor approached. Wielding a sword in his right hand, raised high.

The knight swung his arm. There was a loud thud. It was Beatrix, who had turned into a tree, taking the blow instead. What flew off were pieces of wood, and what flowed was thick sap. Moss-covered dirt splattered on Kairos’s face like flesh.

– Kairos. Run away.

With an external scream, Cain woke up. His heart raced, and he breathed heavily. The startled sunlight peered into the room beyond the window. Unidentified birds chirped as if urging him to look.

“Ugh.”

Unconsciously leaning his head back, he screamed again. The back of his head throbbed. Perhaps it was due to leaning too forcefully against the wall.

But this wasn’t the floor. It was a bed. Instead of the black clothes prepared for infiltration, he wore only a thin robe. However, that wasn’t all.

“What’s this?”

A strap was tied around his left wrist. Pulling it, it tightened. The opposite side was tied to the edge of the bed. Bringing his right hand closer, it was the same situation.

The strap was relatively long, and there was a small loop pre-made to allow a finger to go through without painfully digging into the flesh. However, the knot was tight. It was the kind of knot that couldn’t be undone without two hands. Just in case, he tried pulling his ankle. Both ankles were the same.

“So, I’m tied to the bed with arms and legs spread open.” It was an absurd situation. Thinking that tearing this apart would somehow solve the problem,

“Oh, are you awake?”

Lily, with a towel wrapped around her head, walked out from the bathroom. She was dressed in a white robe.

“Stay still.” Lily climbed onto the bed. She pulled the blanket over, covering the gap between the open robe.

“I thought you fainted. I heard a thud, and when I looked, you were leaning against the wall, almost collapsing. I tried to wake you up, but…”

“But?”

Instead of an answer, Lily showed her numb arm.

“A wolf trapped in a snare doesn’t resist so fiercely even after starving for a week. You swung your arms and legs wildly, and you even tried to bite off my arm. Don’t you remember anything at all?”

“I did that?”

Lily raised her eyebrows and made a fist.

“Do you know about that? It happened at the monastery too. You screamed all night and tossed and turned. But back then, I could calm you down. However, it didn’t work this morning, or rather, last night. So… I’m sorry, but I had to use my hands.”

“Was it because of that headache?” Cain coughed awkwardly.

“My body was freezing, covered in cold sweat. I don’t know what you did, but you were a mess. First, I took off your clothes and wiped you down with a towel.

After letting you sleep for the night and putting on a gown, you seemed to finally rest a bit, then flailed your arms and legs as if you were drowning. If I hadn’t tied you up, you would have hurt yourself badly.”

Lily turned her head and dry coughed.

“Hmm. Just in case you misunderstand, hmm. Hmm! I’m just talking about the usual duties between agents, absolutely no other intentions…”

“Thanks.”

Lily didn’t seem particularly moved. Round-faced, she stared at Cain for a while, then tilted her head slightly. Her damp blonde hair cascaded down her shoulders.

“…Are you really okay?”

“Uh… huh?”

Cain was surprised. Lily, who had crawled over slowly, touched Cain’s forehead and then the pulse on his neck.

“If it were usual, there would be something like ‘but,’ or ‘however,’ or ‘thank you, but this kind of thing…’ attached, right?”

“Did I say that?”

Cain laughed. He wanted to wipe the sweat off his forehead, but his tied-up arms had limitations. Lily wiped his forehead meticulously with a damp towel.

“I’m glad you’re okay. I thought you were seriously injured. But… me.”

Lily, who seemed somewhat dejected, made Cain feel sorry for her. It was hard to take her thanks at face value.

“It’s okay. What’s wrong?”

“Who is Beatrice?”

Instead of answering, Lily’s face twisted.

Lily seemed to have caught onto something, pursed her lips. After closing her eyes for a moment and exhaling, she spoke.

“She was looking for that person all night. Is Beatrice a code name? Or a crucial figure in the mission…”

“The dead woman.”

Lily paused upon hearing Cain’s response. It was clear that she was trying to say something but swallowed her words.

“She was a dead woman. I mentioned before that I had been to the Eastern… Union, right? I went to Venetruccia. At that time, the Doge was Nicolo Dandolo, and Beatrice was his illegitimate daughter. My mission was to… send Beatrice into exile in the Empire.”

Lily clasped her hands together and nervously fidgeted with her fingers. But she didn’t avert her gaze. She sat on the bed, looking down at Cain.

“It seemed like both Nicolo and Beatrice wanted to change the political system of Venetruccia and the Eastern Union. But they were rivals, even though they were related by blood. An old detective and a young revolutionary… Nicolo was popular among the elderly, while Beatrice had support from the younger reformists.

But in any case, if one of them succeeded, the divided Union would have become one again, posing a significant threat to the Empire. Nicolo was suspicious and inaccessible, but Beatrice was outgoing and enjoyed meeting people, so the Security Bureau instructed me to establish contact with her.

The exact purpose was to find out what that woman was up to. My original mission was clearly that…”

“…It didn’t go well.”

“We ended up engaged.”

Lily closed her eyes tightly. She let out a pained sigh. Although she felt like running away, she didn’t want to be cowardly in front of the woman whose life she had saved. One act of cowardice was enough. Cain calmly continued the story as if he were telling someone else’s tale.

“When we came to our senses, we were already too far apart. Nicolo’s attacks were relentless, and Beatrice gradually lost her influence. There was no one left by her side except me, the closest devotee who had also left.

Beatrice already knew back then that I was an imperial spy… but maybe she didn’t want to believe that her only supporter was a spy. Or perhaps she truly loved me and even covered that up. I didn’t care.

I just wanted to be by her side. The once fierce lioness had become a frail invalid who was even afraid to leave her room.

I told her to go to the Empire. It must have been suffocating, but I said it was a wide and safe place… But we were discovered. I managed to escape, but she died in my place.”

Lily didn’t show any expression. She was indifferent, to the point of being apathetic. She didn’t want to say anything more, but Cain leaned on inertia. He had to draw a conclusion.

“I thought it was over. I thought it was all over. I barely managed to save myself and return to the Security Bureau. I thought I had nothing to say, even if I died or spent the rest of my life in an underground prison without seeing the sunlight. But instead, I received praise. I was promoted to a higher position. Everyone in the Security Bureau wanted to talk to me and exchange greetings…

I couldn’t understand. Why. How? I only found out the answer much later. Nicolo, who lost his illegitimate daughter, went mad and took his own life.

When both giants fell at the same time, Venetruccia couldn’t overcome the shock and fell into a great political turmoil, and the Eastern Union, which had made Venetruccia its leader, also collapsed.

Later, I even received a medal. They called me a hero. I couldn’t openly say that I was a hero, but the Empire would forever remember my contributions, dedication, and loyalty… That’s what was written.

I lived while forgetting. I completely forgot. I did what I had to do, for the Empire. I thought that’s how it should be, for the mission. It may have been a failure, but I thought that’s why the results were good. I thought that’s how I questioned myself…”

In the monastery, the shadow I saw took on her form. And yesterday… no. This morning, I saw it more clearly. Last night, I had a dream about that woman… a very bad dream.”

His throat tightened, and he couldn’t speak any further. Thus, Cain had to helplessly watch as Lily quietly contorted her body. Lily pulled Cain close, buried her face in his chest, and held him tightly with her head between her arms.

“That day. I also saw the shadow.”

Lily’s voice trembled faintly. It was said that the shadow brought forth the most fearsome things hidden in a person’s heart. Distorting, exaggerating, and amplifying them. Lily, too, had seen the shadow, but she endured because it was something “impossible.”

“What did you see?”

“I saw my father.”

Lily’s chest swelled greatly.