Hero’s Downfall Report

12 – The Woman with No Eyes for Men (7)

“That was his second daughter. Even if he had married his second wife unwillingly and had an unwanted child, there was no need to treat her so cruelly. After all, she was still his own child…”

“What did he say? Seriously?”

“Unspeakable words. Words that shouldn’t be said… Words that only a parent can say, which makes them even more dreadful. I only heard a little, but wow. Unheard-of professors and students, even subordinates, rushed in and barely managed to separate them. The commander was practically dragged away. But he continued to curse and swear until the end. He cursed even the religious leader…”

“Unbelievable.”

Anna looked at her husband with wide eyes, her hands trembling.

“I… I didn’t know. I just…”

“Honey, honey, hold on.” Nicky quickly stood up. “Even if you’re you, you can’t know everything about someone else’s family situation. It’s not your fault. If I had known, I wouldn’t have sent you.”

“That’s right. Of course… Of course that’s right. Ah, why am I so clueless? I just… I thought I would be happy to see my father after a long time…”

“Honey, if the Imperial Knights were an ordinary noble group, we would have naturally known. But they’re the most closed-off noble group even in the Empire. They’re the kind of people who solve problems with swords, not words.”

“I should have realized when I hesitated.”

“Honey, honey, Anna.”

Nicky wiped the sweat off his forehead.

“Please. Anna. You’re human too, not a god. How can you always make the right choice? There’s no life where you only choose the correct answer. You know that, don’t you? You do too.”

“I’m left with regret.”

“…That’s true.”

Anna bowed her head. Nicky thought he should change the subject. As quickly as possible.

“Well, um, anyway. Is your story finished?”

Anna hesitated before finally answering.

“Yes. I accepted. Thank goodness. If the retirement process had gone as planned, I would have been on a carriage heading to some lakeside by now.”

The Imperial Security Bureau is not an ordinary group. It is a place where one can access information before anyone else in the world. That means, after obtaining information that is convenient for personal gain, one can retire and immediately harm the national interest.

Therefore, retired agents of the Security Bureau, considering the gravity and position of their assigned missions, spend six months to a year in ‘convalescence’ at the heart of the empire. After half a year passes, the knowledge in one’s mind becomes outdated. Moreover, during this period, both letters and visits are under surveillance.

That’s precisely why not submitting a fake retirement with a secret authorization card becomes an excellent identity laundering. Externally known as a retiree, and if you claim to be undergoing imprisonment at the empire’s ‘headquarters,’ that’s enough.

“I looked into the friend you picked. His background seemed a bit strange.”

“Strange?” Niki showed relief, looking at Anna with curiosity. Anna would shift her attention elsewhere, abandoning thoughts about Lilly.

“What’s strange about it? The fact that he’s the first commoner to graduate from the Imperial Academy, or that he was my disciple? If not that, then was it because his admission grades were outstanding, barely avoiding expulsion in the first and second years, but securing the top spot in the third and fourth years?.”

“A good student doesn’t necessarily become a good agent.” Niki scratched the back of her head.

“His performance evaluations were good. The cross-verification reports were not bad either. He’s a Security Bureau agent. Don’t misunderstand. Frankly, I thought handling such discreet matters in the Guard would be not bad. But instead, you even allocated Guard resources to Agent Cain.”

“I did.”

“It’s not just because this guy meets the qualification conditions. There must be a reason for having high expectations for him. Of course, if exaggerated, his skills are good. But it’s not like he’s the only one who’s capable. Why did it have to be him?”

“Let’s start with his career story. What seemed strange?”

“Four years ago, he went to Venezia and returned two years ago. Remember? The scandal of the Dandolo family. The moment the five guilds of Eastern merchants collapsed. That was what this guy did.”

“That’s right.”

“That’s what’s strange.” Niki tilted her head.

“If those five guilds had united again, a war would undoubtedly have broken out. But instead, the East is currently on the brink of civil war. He did something of this magnitude, and yet, why is he still just an agent?”

“It wasn’t perfect. The mission Cain was originally assigned wasn’t that. His mission was to capture and lead the illegitimate daughter of the Doge of Venezia to exile. But he failed. The aftermath led to the scandal with Dandolo. He certainly gained some benefits, but the acquired fortune was a trap.”

Anna was unyielding. Even if he was a beloved disciple, evaluations must be accurate.

“Such fortune inevitably ruins people. Those who gain more than they should, never step on solid ground again. And… Cain himself requested a six-month leave. He learned staff technique during that time.”

“Why did he do that?”

Anna provided the answer. Niki’s mouth fell open.

“Oh my.”

The Imperial Chancellor’s words were the only ones that could be said.

“Well, well. What an extraordinary friend.”

“Yes. Sadly, he is extraordinary. But my reason for choosing him wasn’t just due to loyalty to the Empire. When asked why I didn’t use someone from the Guardia, they are excellent. They work mechanically, flawlessly. However…”

Anna tapped the desk. The desk that held the letter sent by the Pope.

“What we need is not just someone competent. We are facing an entirely new challenge. I don’t know what made the Empire’s warriors so formidable, and I don’t know who is behind this.

Neither the Guardia nor the Security Bureau could handle it, and even the Pope couldn’t deal with it. It’s something the Empire’s power alone can’t accomplish.

But Cain can. If Cain can’t, no one can. As far as I know, that is.”

Like a thorn stuck in her throat, Anna swallowed her words. She understood the significance of what she was saying. The kind of words one cannot say to a cherished disciple, even if the person is absent. Words that are easy to say when it’s someone else’s business, a kind of statement that can be made easily because it’s someone else’s matter.

“Why?”

“Because he is someone who constantly breaks his own limits. He has always been like that. Despite being a commoner, he came to the university. He struggled in the first and second years, but when given appropriate support, he immediately rose to the top. When he couldn’t use a sword, he caught Gots with the stick technique he learned clumsily.”

Nicky nodded as if he finally understood.

“Yes, he is not a perfect and unwavering Guardia soldier. But he is flexible. He bends and bends, but still manages to bite down and rise. Tired, worn out, but the last time. This last time, he will endure.”

Although her lips felt as if they were tearing apart, Anna continued. Her chest hurt more than her lips.

“Nicky, being smart and overcoming hardships are clearly different. If you are wise and clever, you won’t face difficulties often. But, you know, that’s how the world is. Even if I don’t make mistakes, sometimes I unjustly lose my wings. Like the warriors falling, like something unknown wandering through the Empire’s land.

This is difficult. It has never happened before, and no one has easily solved it. The possibility of not solving it is even higher. So, rather than safe failure, I pulled out the riskiest card that has the highest chance of success. I’ll do everything I can. Even if it ends in a spectacular failure, at least… at least I will bring something out. That child is like that. That child is.”

In Nicky’s eyes, Anna felt like she had returned to her younger days. Anna of a time younger and untamed than now. A time when she whispered to herself, forehead against her own, the time when she wanted to become an emperor together.

But it was just for a moment.

The Anna in front of him now, although less confident than back then, had become much wiser. Countless failures had bent her, but instead, she found a different path. Like a plant growing in the shade, she moved towards the light.

Perhaps. The nickname of a woman without a man’s eyes might be a thing of the past now. That phrase was an explanation of the Anna of that time. Ultimately, a husband, Nicky Brienne, who betrayed his wife, tried hard to think so.

Perhaps. Even if Anna’s eyes were not there. Even if things didn’t go as planned, or rather because of that. Everything might burn after all.

Finally, only one precious thing sparkled.

“All right. I’ll see if I can find a way to help. I’m meeting with the Holy Grail Knights again in the afternoon. Is there anything you want me to tell the Pope?”

“There is. A lot. I have many things to say, and so does my brother. Truly.”

Anna clenched her fist. Nikki, however, wasn’t particularly surprised that Anna had communicated with the Emperor in advance.

“But convey this message only. The surgical knife that saves lives may be smaller than the sword that takes lives, but it is more precise and sharper in its ways. You’ve given your most cherished knife, and this is the Emperor’s last patience shown to the Pope.”

Nikki witnessed Anna’s rage. Even the mocking sun dared not lift its head behind the clouds.

Despite their fierce fights in the past, siblings were inevitably siblings. The reason they seemed so different was that they shared many similarities. And these siblings had more than enough reasons to hate the Pope more than anyone else in the world.

An eagle might occasionally fly lower than a chicken, but a chicken could never soar as high as an eagle. Even if the Empire momentarily lowered its posture, anyone who underestimated it would be torn apart in the sky.

‘As the Emperor wills, so shall it be.’

The Imperial Minister asserted once again.

* * * * *

Exiting the building, Cain slammed his staff twice on the ground. It was to loosen up.

There was no need to put on the burdened expression of someone who had taken on the weight of the world just because he had taken on a serious matter. There was no one as easily ridiculed as someone who, despite being formidable, could be made fun of. It was an obvious truth, and if you were a security bureau agent, you had to avoid such attention.

Cain roamed the correctional facility. He was looking for Lily, who had disappeared without a trace. It was unlikely, but if she pretended not to know and left by abandoning her documents bag, it would be awkward in its own way.

It happened to be after lunchtime, and he was hungry. It’s an unchanging principle that you work well when you eat well. He thought Bernice might be waiting, but Cain knew Bernice well. She’s the kind of person who takes care of her own meals.

And the director also disliked the office. Even if he didn’t know, he would probably be sleeping behind the east door, pretending to be a drunk woman with a hat flipped over.

‘Obvious. Anyway, where did she go?’

A group of college students passed by. They looked surprisingly serious for their age. Words familiar to Cain’s ears reached him. ‘A tall and pretty blonde woman running while holding back tears.’

‘She cried?’

Hadn’t she gone to meet her father? Cain was puzzled. Suddenly, he remembered the handkerchief Lily had thrown at Godfrey during the duel application. Fortunately, it was neatly folded and in his pocket. It was a bit dirty, but when he shook it out, it became reasonably clean.

As I walked towards the bamboo grove, old memories came flooding back.

In college, there are always people who don’t fit in with the crowd, those who prefer quiet places. They seem to have received a special invitation meant just for them.

Cain was one of those students, and fortunately, the campus hadn’t changed much. In this case, it was a small park behind the art gallery. Although not very big, it was filled with beautiful columns, making it a popular spot for lovers seeking a discreet moment away from prying eyes.

And it was a suitable hiding place for a woman who cried silently.