I closed my eyes and took slow, deep breaths in order to calm my anger in a room at the academy.
There was a knock, and it seemed Lara opened the door.
“Toma !”
As soon as someone entered, they called my name. It sounded like a panicked voice.
“Grandfather. I’m not injured. I’m fine.”
“I see, I’m relieved to hear that!”
“I’m just glad to see that Toma -sama is safe.”
“Lord Dardale, you’ve come as well. Thank you.”
When I looked at the faces of the two of them, my anger started to subside a little. I had them sit down, and Lara served herbal tea.
“I had a sense that Haten was moving, but I couldn’t figure out their target, and we allowed the attack to happen. I’m sorry, Toma !”
Grandfather bowed his head in deep regret, as if to express his profound remorse.
According to Grandfather, they had simultaneously attacked the royal castle and key government institutions. They had waited for the knights and relevant personnel to head there, then Vishnou attacked the academy.
The main target was me and Reinhardt’s kidnapping, and the rest was just a diversion.
From what I heard before, the Duke of Bayerlein is said to control the dark side of this country.
Because of this, Grandfather had been gathering information for months, but had been unable to pinpoint their goal, which made him truly regretful as he bowed to me.
“Please, raise your head. You don’t need to apologize, Grandfather.”
The one at fault is Vishnou.
However, there is something I need to ask.
“Just now, you mentioned Haten. What exactly is Haten?”
I understand it’s a dangerous organization, but I’m curious about the background of the group.
I’ve gathered some information from Vishnou’s explanation, but I’d like to know more details.
“Well… Yes, Toma should know.”
“I will explain about Haten,” Lord Dardale offered.
Grandfather’s face twisted, but it seemed he left it to Lord Dardale.
“Toma -sama, are you aware that the Nilgnid faith has two main sects, the Ashstent Sect and the Catrius Sect?”
“Yes. I know that the national religion of this country is the Ashstent Sect, while the Catrius Sect is the national religion of the Catrius Holy Kingdom.”
The Catrius Holy Kingdom is the neighboring country to the east.
“In simple terms, the Ashstent Sect is the moderate faction, and the Catrius Sect is the radical faction. The Catrius Sect is the one that summons heroes once every few decades.”
I’ve heard from Lord Deuro that one of my former classmates was summoned when I was seventeen. It’s likely that the Catrius Sect is the one who summoned them.
“The dark side of the Catrius Sect is called Haten.”
So that’s what it is.
Grandfather snorted. It seems he doesn’t like either the Ashstent Sect or the Catrius Sect.
Vishnou’s status listed him as a high-ranking member of the Catrius Sect and the leader of Haten.
The Catrius Sect, or rather, the Catrius Holy Kingdom, has completely marked us as enemies.
“I see… So, the chaos we’re dealing with now is likely being orchestrated behind the scenes by the Catrius Holy Kingdom, then?”
“I believe that’s a reasonable assumption.”
The ones who tried to abduct my mother were the Catrius Holy Kingdom. That country… They took my mother… Ah, once again, anger surged inside me.
“Toma . Are you alright?”
“Hoo… Yes, I’m fine, Grandfather.”
I took deep breaths, calming myself as I looked at Grandfather and Lord Dardale.
“The man we captured is the leader of Haten.”
“What!?”
“Is that so!?”
“His name is Vishnou. He’s a member of the Shadow Race.”
“Shadow Race!?”
The two of them seemed shocked by the mention of the race. The Shadow Race is a type of demon, so perhaps they thought it was unusual for the Catrius Sect to be involved with demons.
“I can’t believe the leader of Haten is from the Shadow Race…”
“It’s not surprising for the Catrius Sect. They could very well be allied with demons. Toma -sama, we are truly relieved that you are safe.”
“He tried to abduct both Reinhardt and me. He knew I was an apostle of Lord Deuro.”
“To target you, Toma -sama, it’s an act beyond disgrace for the same Nilgnid faith. They should be ashamed of themselves!”
Reinhardt was also almost abducted.
“Grandfather.”
“What is it? Are you hurt?”
“Haten was the one who kidnapped my mother.”
“…!?”
Grandfather stood up, and in the process, he spilled the herbal tea.
“Vishnou said it. He kidnapped my mother, but she threw herself into the Riber River.”
Grandfather’s body trembled slightly, and his face turned red.
His eyes opened wide, bloodshot, filled with killing intent, showing no attempt to hide it.
“THOSE DAMNED SCUMMMMMMMMM!!!”
“My mother likely lost her memory at that time. And I’m not sure what happened after, but it seems that the Lightstar took my mother and made her a slave.”
“Those filthy scoundrels of Catrius!”
“Toma -sama, did the leader of Haten say this?”
“Yes. He got careless when he cornered me and started bragging about it.”
“I see…”
Lord Dardale stood up and kneeled on the floor. I tilted my head, wondering what that meant.
“The Catrius Sect has tried to abduct not only the Holy Mother but also the Apostles. This is nothing short of a declaration of war to the Ashstent Sect. Please, give us your command. We will destroy the Catrius Sect.”
“That’s dangerous!”
But emotionally, I do want to do that.
I don’t care about the Catrius Sect or the sects. I want them to pay for the price of taking my mother’s memories and the cost of her life.
“Shut up, old woman! It’s I who will deliver the final blow to those scoundrels!”
“You cannot do that! This is a grave matter for the Ashstent Sect as well. Even if the Duke of Bayerlein is your grandfather, we cannot back down!”
“What!?”
“We cannot back down!”
Even though our goals are the same, it seems like they won’t just work together…
“Grandfather, please sit down. Lord Dardale, please sit on the sofa as well.”
“…”
While glaring at each other, they both sat back down on the sofa.
“The enemy is a country. I don’t expect you and Lord Dardale to be friendly, but our goals are the same. We should respect each other’s strengths and, at the very least, avoid getting in each other’s way.”
“Hmm… If that’s the case…”
“I will follow Toma -sama’s words.”
“Then, I have a request.”
“Anything, just say it.”
“I’m listening.”
This incident would come to be known as the Haten Incident. And I made a request to both of them.
