That’s right, from the very beginning, Orubet disappeared, which was also the reason why the Royal Capital was completely defenseless when the rebellion broke out.
However, no one thought this had anything to do with him; instead, everyone believed he was dead, because the true culprit behind the rebellion was none other than the Deputy Commander of the Royal Capital’s Garrison Knights.
With the Commander missing, the Deputy Commander became the highest authority in the Knights, and the very shield that was supposed to protect them suddenly turned into a sword aimed at their own hearts. No one could have seen it coming.
In truth, the Deputy Commander had indeed planned to kill Orubet from the start. He deliberately set up a drinking party for Orubet, and took the opportunity to poison him, rendering him unconscious. Then, he had people dress Orubet up to look drunk, and transported him to a secret location, preparing to kill him.
But the Deputy Commander underestimated Orubet’s strength. Before those subordinates could make their move, Orubet recovered from the poison first and turned the tables, killing his enemies. After that, he endured countless hardships and carved out a path to survival through layers of encirclement and pursuit.
However, when he returned to the Royal Capital, what awaited him was the corpse of the Emperor, and the Knights had become a thing of the past. He had lost everything.
At the time, everyone who knew the truth thought Orubet would be disheartened and fade into history along with his Knights, but no one could have predicted what happened next—
In this catastrophe that was bound to bring the fall of the Pasara Empire, a knight known as the “Lone Sword” was about to fight alone with his sword, carving out a new future for the Pasara Empire.
No one knew what kind of journey Orubet’s mind went through amidst the ruins of the Royal Capital.
It was only when he appeared before the rebel army, sword in hand and alone, that the world truly understood what it meant to be the invincible, solitary blade.
Countless enemy soldiers could not even slow his steps; one after another, they turned into a sea of blood behind him. Famed swordsmen, renowned magicians—one by one, they all fell beneath his sharp sword, becoming departed souls.
In the end, he stood before those powerful nobles. Amidst their pleas for mercy, he severed their heads. Then, he found the prince trapped in a deadly predicament and carried him on his back, step by step, away from the rebel stronghold. Only then did the rebels realize what was happening, panicking and fleeing like startled birds and beasts.
Covered in blood, Orubet brought the last bloodline of the royal family to the Loyalist Army. Without saying a word, he left alone.
Three days later, he appeared again, holding something new in his hand—the head of the former Deputy Commander of the Garrison Knights, the very spark that ignited this catastrophe.
The disaster came swiftly and ended just as quickly. So much so, that many ordinary citizens of the Empire never even knew that, at that moment, only one member of the royal family remained from the dynasty that had ruled for a thousand years.
Under Orubet’s formidable might, all nobles with ulterior motives withdrew their ambitions. Those who had participated in the rebellion were without exception purged, and the Empire, through Orubet’s strength alone, managed to cling to life.
After ascending the throne, the prince immediately granted Orubet the hereditary title of Honored Knight—“Protector Knight”—and awarded him a vast fief no less than that of the great nobles of the Empire…
The tale that Father Rezelian recounted about their ancestor did not differ much from what Hureem remembered hearing, nor from what was recorded in various biographies—at most, it included a few minor details not worth including in the official accounts, now brought up by her father.
Even so, Collete was very pleased.
It was only then that Collete revealed why she was so invested in Orubet. It turned out that she had attended the Royal Capital’s Magic Academy, and during a historical research project, she became interested in Orubet and began her investigation.
The final report she submitted received high praise from her history professor, but the professor also told Collete that there were still many unknown gaps regarding Orubet and suggested she visit his former place of residence for further research.
Collete went to Orubet’s old fief, and the results, as expected, were disappointing. This became a lingering regret in Collete’s heart. Even now, years after graduation, she continued her investigations whenever possible and kept in touch with her academy’s history professor.
“So that’s how it is. I never expected Miss Collete to be a scholar researching our ancestor. I truly must apologize for my earlier rudeness! I, Rezelian Heyeral, a descendant of Orubet Heyeral, sincerely thank you and your professors for all you have done for our ancestor.”
Rezelian spoke with heartfelt sincerity.
“Ah, ah? Ah!? Mr. Rezelian, please don’t say that, this is our duty. In fact, we should be ashamed for not being able to uncover anything useful.”
“Miss Collete, there’s no need to feel ashamed. If anything, it’s us…” Rezelian frowned. “As descendants of the Protector Knight, it is we who should be ashamed for knowing little more about our ancestor than outsiders.”
Hearing Rezelian’s words, Collete seemed to sense that something was off.
“Um… Mr. Rezelian, do you mean that the family records about Sir Orubet have all been lost?”
“No, nothing like that has ever been lost.”
Rezelian shook his head, then revealed shocking news.
“Because such a thing never existed in the first place!”
“What?!”
Collete was stunned—not only Collete, but Hureem as well. Her little hand, holding a pastry, froze in mid-air. This was the first time she had heard of such a thing.
How many countries would do this, Hureem didn’t know, but in the Pasara Empire, every generation of nobles would have their experiences recorded by someone, to be handed down along with the family genealogy, making it easier for later generations to understand the hardships their ancestors endured to establish their house.
In fact, it was not only the nobles; many wealthy and powerful families did the same.
By all accounts, Orubet could not possibly have been without such a record. When he became Commander of the Royal Capital’s Garrison Knights, someone should have prepared one for him. Even now, in the declining Heyeral family, Rezelian’s father, grandfather, and Rezelian himself all continued this tradition.
“N-no record? Um, by ‘no record,’ you mean?”
“Just as it sounds. And it’s not because no one kept records, or because our ancestor forgot—it’s because our ancestor never lived on his own fief at all!”
“What?!”
Collete was even more shocked, and of course Hureem was the same. Now, she didn’t even feel like eating. She’d never heard of this before!
So, Father, all this time you’ve only told us about the glorious deeds, but never mentioned something this important?
“Mm, actually, when I first heard it from my father, I was just as shocked as you are. But it’s true. After that catastrophe ended, our ancestor Orubet did not retire to his fief as everyone thought. Instead, he left the Empire and disappeared from the world for a full twenty years!”
The receiving room fell silent.
“F-father, what happened after that?”
Hureem spoke up, breaking the silence. Her curiosity was thoroughly piqued. If Orubet disappeared from the Empire then, how did the Heyeral family continue?
“Hmm… That’s where things get difficult to understand.”
Rezelian looked just as perplexed, and continued:
“At that time, the Emperor—who was the surviving prince—always remembered the debt of gratitude he owed our ancestor. So, even though he knew Orubet had vanished, he still sent officials to manage his fief, just in case our ancestor ever returned.”