Leo William Disfrender,the second-in-command of the Second Squadron.
I heard about this man when i was investigating for clues about Marx.
And it seems that this man has gone to the orphanage quite a lot.
He must have been looking around to find out what was happening at the orphanage.
A young prodigy who became the second-in-command of a squadron of the sacred knights at the age of twenty-five.
It seems that Leo was already second-in-command in the second squad at the time of the previous captain.
« Excuse me. »
Leo walked in and took his hood off.
He wasnât wearing the usual knight attire underneath his cloack, just civilianâs clothes and 2 swords placed at his waist.
« So⊠What do you want this late at night? »
« I will get to the point. »
As i started asking, he followed up.
Turning his piercing gaze toward me while talking in a low voice almost threateningly.
« It was you, right? The thing that happened at the orphanage. »
I kept my poker face without even a twitch.
Elfi too didnât seem to be revealing an ounce of agitation.
« The orphanage? Are you referring to the incident that came to light a few days ago, the one where the child escaped from? »
« Yes, that one. You were the ones who exposed the misdeeds of George Ignus Ervanacht and the others in that case, werenât you? »
« Iâm sorry, but that doesnât ring a bell. »
Leo didnât take his eyes off me.
Narrowing his eyes, Leo whispered in a low voice.
« Speaking of the orphanage, do you want to talk to the kids? »
Then he began to grin.
This bastardâŠ
I took a half-step back and reached for the jade katana at my waist.
Elfi too kept her magical eye pointed on him.
« Wait! »
Realising he was going to be attacked, he raised his arms.
« What do you want? »
« It was a bluff, I havenât done anything to the children. »
« What ..? »
« But from both of your reactions, it seems I was right. »
« Remaining in his defenseless posture, he continued « Iâve been investigating that orphanage for some time now on the order of the former captain. But I never found anything. »
The former Captain.
I guess he is talking about the, now dead, former sacred knight captain that was preceding Marx.
« I investigated the orphanage grounds and there were signs of fights.
The traces of the battle induced that George and the others were definitely fighting someone.
And seeing from the scale, it should have been someone pretty strong at that.
At the very least, itâs not something a civilian or even a knight of this holy city are capable of. »
« How does it make us the culpable? »
« Iâve spent the last few days checking up on the holy cityâs comers and goers. It came up that a group of two mysterious people came to this holy city a few days ago. Thatâs how both of you came to my attention. »
Isnât that just suspicion ?
I guess he wasnât afraid of being wrong.
Even when coming in and out of the holy city, we made sure to erase any trace conducting to us that we might have left behind.
And there is no way our magic could have been detected from the battle ground.
Oh, I suppose he was guessing my thoughts.
« Oh there was nothing particularly fishy about you guys. However, When I saw both of you, I remembered the you were able to fight more than evenly against a wyvern. and I thought that you guys maybe could have done it. »
Leo uttered.
That was just a hunch.
He actually had nothing that could come close to an evidence that it was indeed us who raided the orphanage.
« At first I wanted to wait to be sure of it but It would have taken too long. »
It seems that Leo really didnât have any evidence.
It was to the extent that he actually doubted it was us after seeing our reactions at first.
If itâs like that, we can probably deceive him no matter what he might says.
As I was thinking about that, Leo then looked straight in my eyes.
« I wonât go into details and if it really isnât you then so be it, but if you are the ones who liberated the childs of the orphanage thenâŠÂ »
With a solemn attitude that seemed sincere, Leo said.
« On behalf of the chancel knights, I thank both of you. »
When he said that, Leo turned to us and bowed his head deeply.
He stops bobbing next to her, « Then comes the captain » with a poke so Leo canât see him.
« Originally, it was our, the sacred knightâs, responsibilities to expose the crimes of George and the others and help the children. It was undeserved and Iâm truly sorry that we couldnât resolve that until outsiders stepped in.
« âŠâŠÂ »
Leoâs words never stated that we were the ones who did it.
Iâm quite certain that itâs a trap so that the moment we nod, he will take it as an acknowledgement of our involvement.
Vice captain or not, there is no reason for us to trust him.
After remaining mute for a moment, Leo lifted his head.
« Iâll just tell you one thing. I donât think you should be involved in this anymore. »
As he said so, Leoâs expression turned grim.
« Itâs obviously weird that the matter of the orphanage didnât come to light before now.
Itâs quite possible that the Order of the Chancel Knights or the upper echelons of the Cult of Melts are involved. If you get too involved witht these kind of people, they will get rid of you. »
« âŠâŠÂ »
« I may not be convincing, but I will take responsibility for this matter and get to the truth. So you guys better not get involved anymore and get out of this city as soon as possible. »
« Thatâs it. » he said as he stand up and turned his back to us.
He looked outside to know if there was anyone suspicious outside.
Leo then put on his hood again and as he was getting out.
« How kind of you. They would have to be at least as strong as a wyvern to be a threat anyway. »
(TN: mtl be like -> « You are very kind. After all, heâd been so violent when he was a wing dragon. » :sweat:)
Elfi talked back sarcastically.
Leo turns around and tilts his head being dispirited
« Donât say I havenât warned you »
« ⊠yeah. »
I nodded.
« It is the mission of our second squad to protect the Holy City and the people in the Holy City. Even though youâre not from the Kingdom of Teaching, youâll be under our protection while youâre in the Holy City. You donât want to put the people youâre trying to protect in danger, do you? »
Leaving these unsavory words, Leo left the room.
Then a long silence take place in the room.
I investigated a little to see if some sort of trap had been placed or if we were under surveillance but there was nothing of the sort.
Did he really come here only to thank us ?
» the higher-ups are involved » ITALIQUE
I knew that since long ago.
It was the Sacred Knights who were actively sending children to that orphanage.
The reason the Lily and George were able to do what they wanted without anyone finding out was probably because the knights were helping them.
And it is, in all probability,because of Marx.
The fact that that guyâs name came out of Michelleâs mouth made that possibility even higher.
If Leoâs words are true, it seems that the investigation of the orphanage was ordered by the former captain.
That captain is now dead, and in his seat currently sits Marx.
It may not be obvious but Iâm certain itâs not a coincidence.
Iâm persuaded that Marx and the others killed the former captain, who was trying to find out what was going on in the orphanage, because he was an eyesore.
« The kind knight advised us not to get involved, but what are we going to do Iori? »
Unfortunately, I canât abide to it.
Iâm not backing out now.
Not before I give Marx the end he deserves.
â
<Leo POV (more or less)>
The former captain of the second squadron, Huril Marine Marcellot, was a woman of integrity.
An unshakable trust in her Lord, leading her men with bravour, and above all, serving and protecting the masses.
For Leo, Huril was such an ideal knight.
More than six months have already passed since she disappeared.
Since Marx came in as the new captain, the second squad has changed a lot.
Itâs murky, flaccid, lazy and disgusting.
Many of the men left the squad because they couldnât bear to see their squad fall so low.
Now that Huril is gone, the only person who can support this second squad is me.
Leo believed so, and he still serves as the second-in-command in this second squadron.
« âŠexcuse me. »
The day after he met the pair of black-haired boy and silver-haired girl.
Leo had been summoned to Marxâs private quarters on the top floor of the second squadron quarters.
As he opened the door, the bitter smell of cigars poked his nose from inside.
This smell, mixed with the perfume, made his head hurt.
« So, what are the results of your investigation? »
From the get go, Marx asked about the progress of the investigation on the orphanage case.
« George and Lily, are yet to be found. We are also investigating the person who attacked the orphanage. »
From this report, Marx let out a sigh of discontentment.
He tapped his fingers on the desk with his knuckle and turned his irritated gaze to me.
« Itâs troubling Deputy Commander Disfrender. Thereâs an urgent need to investigate those two. And to think you would let a kill roam freely. Iâm afraid that if we let such a great threat go, it would damage the image of the Second Squadron. »
« Iâm sorry I didnât meet your expectations. »
« Iâm paying fairly well. Thatâs why Iâm leaving the case to you. Do you understand that? »
Tick.. ,Tick.. ,Tick.. , one at a time, continuously.
The sound of Marxâs fingers echoes through the room.
Intimidatingly.
Leo could do nothing but bow his head and apologize to the irritated Marx.
« And I donât want to say too much about it. Iâve heard that you have access to the children of the orphanage. »
« ⊠yes. I go there once every few days to check on them. »
While gathering information about the orphanage under Hurilâs direction, Leo has come into contact with the orphans on several occasions.
Iâm sure the kids have a lot of anxiety because of this.
Leo visited the orphans several times, hoping to alleviate some of their worry.
Marx exhales, « Whew âŠÂ »
« Itâs embarrassing, well, thatâs not a bad thing in itself.ăI heard that there are some subhumans mixed with the orphans. You know what I want to say donât you? »
« ⊠but âŠÂ »
« I donât need an excuse. Heh, you know what? Now that the Second Squadron is united in the position of âanti-subhumanâ, donât you think the unity of the entire second squad is more important than some demi-human kids? Iâm sure you will make the good choice. »
Back when Huril was around, the Second Squadron was free to think how they wanted about subhumans.
However, while on a mission, our own emotions about it didnât matter, we saved people and subhumans equally.
That was Hurilâs way.
The current Second Squadron is steeped in Marxâs ideology of the exclusion of subhumans. More and more knights are blatantly discriminating against subhumans whether they are on a mission or not.
« You, the second-in-command, shouldnât be doing anything that could disrupt the chain of command. Donât you think so, Deputy Commander Disfrender. Hmm? »
« âŠ. »
« You donât say a word when itâs not convenient for you huh⊠Well, good. Youâd better think twice about what youâre doing. »
Marxâ mouth contorts as he points to the captainâs symbol engraved on his armor.
« Youâre aiming to be the captain of the second squad, arenât you?ăI think I will give away the captaincy to you someday. So, donât let me down too much ok? »
« ⊠Yes. If youâll excuse me. »
He looked away, and as I turned to leave the room.
« Oh, and about Kyrie. »
« âŠ.. »
In a somewhat joyful tone, Marx held me back.
« Itâs been decided, we are going to get married. »
Leoâs expressionless face, which didnât move the whole time, collapsed at that one moment.
Marx continues his words with a disgustingly happy tone.
« Iâm sure this will make things even easier for you and your parents. »
« âŠ.. »
« I heard that you have been close for a long time now. Itâs your friendâs wedding, Iâm sure you are delighted right? »
Just barely, Leo clenched his teeth.
Noticing this, Marx grinned broadly.
« Ha ha ha!ăOh,donât worry Iâll invite you to the wedding. Iâll even make arrangements so you can make a speech. »
« âŠIâm honored. »
« Think about the content of your speech. Iâm looking forward to it, Mr. Disfrender. »
« Excuse me. »
Nodding, Leo hurriedly left the room.
The only person left in the private room is Marx, sitting in his chair.
Marx stared at the door of the room for a while, but his body soon began to shake.
« KuhâŠâŠâŠâŠÂ »
A small breath escaped from its mouth.
Eventually, as he couldnât bear it anymore, he burst out laughing.
« Hahahahahahaha!ăWhat a nice face, Disfrender!ăThe despair in your face!ăThatâs what I wanted to see! »
Sheer mockery.
Marx laughing his head off, holding his belly and contorting his face in glee.
« I canât wait to see how he reacts when he see her in her wedding dress! »
A malicious sneer echoed through the private room.
â
<MC POV>
We were peeking out from the attic of his quarters watching Marx smiling and laughing.
« What a disgusting piece of shitâŠÂ »
Elfi muttered dumbfounded.
Yeah.
I almost jumped down to crush his nasty grinning face out of annoyance.
I donât like that.
This man who betrayed and played with people like toys is still smiling like this.
Itâs nauseating just to look at him.
I definitely wonât be satisfied so long he is able to smile.
« There are signs of other people just outside the door. Itâs assuredly not a good idea to rush him here. »
Elfi said so in a calm tone.
Unconsciously, my hand was reaching for the sword on my waist.
I was clenching my hands hard enough for blood to flow down.
« I knowâŠÂ »
Even if the opponent is rotten and deserve the worst death possible, he is still a captain of the Sacred Knights.
He will probably be able to withstand the first strike from us.
There are a also a surprising number of assassination countermeasures in this room.
If we make a commotion right now, it will make it harder for us to go to the Mourning Light Labyrinth afterward, and it would certainly be a wiser choice to gather more information about this guy before taking action.
Just killing him wouldnât be enough. He needs to suffer otherwise it wouldnât thirst of revenge.
I donât care if I have to take detours.
I will do my best to prepare a fitting end for you.
Letâs look investigate a little more closely.
I swear to you, Marx.
I will, without doubt, give you the worst death you could wish for.