Chapter 104
From where Ianes stood, he couldn’t see what Theogrim was looking at. If he had to guess, it would be toward the direction where the most neglected and filthy parts of the castle were gathered. The section where trash was burned, waste was dumped, or slaughter was carried out—all the things people least wanted to see, isolated together.
Realizing that, Ianes let out a quiet sound of recognition.
Their Del Rose was someone who never looked only toward the light.
Even in a moment of heartbreaking farewell with his beautiful fiancée, Del Rose was someone who intentionally turned his gaze toward the places no one else looked.
Ianes recalled a conversation he once had with him. It was a day when even the normally composed Theogrim had looked particularly pitiful, standing before a group of foolish nobles.
“To be told to serve as Del Rose some orphan of unknown origin—how is that acceptable?!”
The nobles, who openly voiced their discontent with Theogrim becoming Ragnar’s successor due to his origins, looked to Ianes like nothing more than filthy lumps of fat.
They had never endured the hardships Theogrim had, nor were they as clever, noble, devout, or beautiful as he was.
Even when looked down upon by them, merely for being related by blood to the high priests of Impellias, Theogrim remained unshaken, like a dignified crane.
“How do you restrain your anger, Del Rose? I cannot.”
“Why are you so angry, Ianes?”
“I’m enraged by their vulgarity, by their foolishness. They aren’t even worthy of facing you. There is no god in them. They only invoke the name of the divine to gain power for themselves…!”
“Even so, they are creations of God, Ianes.”
The eyes of the young Theogrim, as he spoke those words, were as gentle as a lake.
“Do you think there is even a single step along the path before me that is not touched by the will of God?”
“Del Rose.”
“They are merely fulfilling the role bestowed upon them by God. I am simply carrying out mine.”
“But… but isn’t it infuriating? Those insulting words—”
“On days when I’m swept away by emotions, I remind myself of the pain of others.”
“The pain of others…”
“I soon come to realize how twisted, how petty my emotional wavering is. We are all part of a vast God. His pain cannot be separate from mine.”
Though he was two years older than Theogrim, Ianes swore an oath of fealty to him from that day on.
If someone else had said those same words, Ianes would have dismissed them as just another set of lofty clichés tossed about in the world.
But what persuaded him was Theogrim himself.
The calmness of a boy younger than himself, his dignity, his strength in acknowledging his own frailty, the quiet and profound passion that made him constantly strive not to forget the reason for his existence—his eyes, his manner of speaking, and the very presence of that moment. All of it utterly captivated Ianes.
The upright and loyal young man deeply held onto Theogrim’s words. Whenever he saw Theogrim staring for a long time at filthy places like the infirmary or the slaughterhouse, he assumed it must be one of those days when something had shaken his heart.
Ianes, being a deeply romantic person, found it hard to fully grasp just how cruel it was to use the pain of others as nourishment for one’s own peace of mind.
Now, Theogrim must have been steadying his own sorrow—looking over those pitiful souls who lived trapped in death, like the hunchbacks in the slaughterhouse.
If that were the case, then even the brief awkwardness he had sensed from Theogrim made sense. In hindsight, perhaps he had been overly sensitive. Because Del Rose was always so warm and tender, even the slightest detachment would have felt like a vast difference.
“It’s going to be a dangerous road.”
“It’ll be alright. Sir Exion is there. No matter what anyone says, the Third Battalion’s combat prowess is—”
“There will be things that aren’t easy for him either.”
“…Pardon?”
The last remark was spoken so quietly it seemed more like Theogrim was talking to himself. Ianes asked again lightly, but Theogrim simply shook his head, as though it were nothing.
“Let’s go greet the Grand Duchess. It might be good to present her with a gift of the covenant.”
“She’ll be pleased. What did you prepare?”
“The Grand Duchess loves flowers, Ianes.”
Theogrim, walking slowly, added as he spoke.
“She loves vividly bright and beautiful red flowers.”
“Perfectly suited to the lively and splendid Lady Daphne.”
The moment Theogrim mentioned the Grand Duchess, his expression brightened once more.
Could he really be that happy? Ianes looked at Theogrim’s back with a hint of pity.
‘I hope his divine power manifests soon.’
The one thing Theogrim lacked, despite possessing everything else, was awakened divine power. Even the scoundrel Exion had it.
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