Chapter 56: The Secret Revealed (1)

The news that a deputy commander position was being created spread within a day, quickly drawing everyone’s attention.

The deputy commander would essentially be the second-in-command of the escort unit. Unlike Elaine, who also served as a squad leader, the deputy commander would focus solely on their designated duties.

It was an important position.

The candidates had also been announced.

Out of the seven squad leaders and vice leaders—excluding Elaine—four had applied for the role.

The vice leader of Squad 1, Anduril, chose to remain in his current position.

Both the leader and vice leader of Squad 2 applied.

From Squad 3, the leader, Gi, applied, while the vice leader, Rine, opted to stay.

Squad 4 was unique in that the vice leader applied instead of the leader, Weasel.

That meant two squad leaders and two vice leaders were in the running.

Squad 2’s leader, Loron, and Squad 3’s leader, Gi, had both already reached the position of squad leader, making their skills unquestionable.

Squad 2’s vice leader had also proven to be highly capable, having operated under the notoriously strict Loron.

Meanwhile, Squad 4’s vice leader was the most senior of all the vice leaders, a veteran among them.

Originally, he had assisted the newly appointed squad leader, Weasel, but now that Weasel had settled into the role, he was making a bid for the deputy commander position.

With such strong candidates, the entire escort unit was abuzz with speculation over who would be chosen.

But it had nothing to do with me.

Right now, the selection of the deputy commander wasn’t my priority.

“Alright, this part should be done like this…”

As soon as I was assigned as the escort commander’s adjutant, I was transferred from Squad 1 to the commander’s office.

I left behind my juniors, who jokingly lamented my departure with tearful laughter, despite my recent promotion to knight.

Since the adjutant position was newly created, there was no predecessor to train me. I had to learn everything from Elaine.

‘Whenever I visited the office, the workload always seemed intense… but I didn’t realize it was this insane.’

Managing the escort unit’s budget, overseeing training schedules, maintaining barracks and dormitory facilities, planning unit improvements, and organizing security assignments…

There was no end to the responsibilities.

It was astonishing how Elaine had been handling all of this on her own.

The endurance of a Northerner was truly beyond imagination.

“I expected it would take some time for you to adjust, but you’re already handling the paperwork quite well.”

Elaine, who was training me, spoke in admiration.

Just as she said, I adapted to my role as an adjutant quickly and efficiently.

And the reason was simple—

‘I never thought my past life experience would come in handy like this.’

I used to be an office worker who practically lived on overtime.

The only difference now was that I had swapped out a monitor and keyboard for paper and pen. Once I got started, compiling statistics, processing complaints, and drafting reports all felt familiar.

In fact, I even ended up teaching Elaine how to organize data into tables.

When she saw how much easier calculations became, she was so impressed that she showered me with praise.

But even though my soul was that of an overworked office worker, adapting to a new workplace was always challenging.

Right now, I needed to focus on settling into my role as an adjutant.

‘Come to think of it, having a deputy commander would be beneficial for me too.’

If the deputy commander took over some of the duties currently handled by the escort commander, my workload as the adjutant would naturally decrease as well.

With that in mind, my preferred candidates were—

‘Loron would be the best. If not him, then Vice Leader Bendem.’

Gi, as the leader of Squad 3, was certainly competent.

But since Loron had already been handling Elaine’s duties whenever she was absent, wouldn’t he be the most suitable choice?

That experience would surely give him an advantage in the selection process.

I didn’t know much about Squad 2’s vice leader since we weren’t close.

As for Squad 4’s vice leader, Bendem, he was the most senior among them, so he’d likely handle the job well.

There had even been talk of him becoming Squad 4’s leader, but apparently, he had stepped aside, impressed by Weasel’s ambition despite their significant age difference.

Curious about her thoughts, I turned to Elaine and asked,

“Who do you think should be the deputy commander, Captain?”

“You should know that I cannot let my personal opinion influence this matter.”

“It’s just a casual chat between the two of us.”

“Even so, I cannot. The moment I voice a name, I might unconsciously start favoring them.”

Elaine remained as professional as ever, keeping work and personal matters strictly separate.

“But isn’t the workload exhausting? You usually leave only after His Grace retires for the night, which means I have to stay late as well.”

“I manage my time well.”

Since Elaine’s schedule dictated mine, I inevitably returned to the dormitory late every night.

But unlike the overtime in my past life, I didn’t entirely dislike it.

“There’s an unexpected perk that makes it enjoyable.”

“Hoho, is that so? I’m glad to hear it.”

After all, walking back with Elaine after work, chatting leisurely without worrying about anyone else, made all the fatigue of the day disappear.

Of course, it was unfortunate that we were returning to separate dormitories instead of the same home.

Still, on our days off, we got to experience the feeling of living together like a couple, while on workdays, we felt like a corporate couple navigating our busy schedules together.

It was a fresh and amusing dynamic in its own way.

“In that sense, how about having a meal together later?”

Although the escort unit dined in the same cafeteria, due to our differing positions, Elaine and I had rarely sat together for a meal.

But now, I could make such a suggestion without hesitation.

“What kind of strange question is that?”

“?”

Wait, was she rejecting me in this situation?

Just as I was about to be taken aback—

“It is only natural for an adjutant to dine with their direct superior. From now on, you are to eat with me. Keep that in mind.”

Ah, right.

I had just stated something that was completely obvious.

Becoming the escort commander’s adjutant hadn’t just added paperwork to my responsibilities.

The escort commander was the one who remained closest to the Northern Grand Duke at all times, and as the adjutant, I naturally had to stay by the escort commander’s side.

That meant I accompanied the Northern Grand Duke on most of his major engagements.

And as a result, I started overhearing more information.

For example—

“…The mastermind behind the Snowflake Tower terror attack was really that bastard?”

“They managed to extract a confession from him at the Snowflake Tower.”

“F*ck.”

Grace cursed under her breath, her face contorting in anger.

The mage, Gadi, who had attempted a terror attack on the Snowflake Tower and was caught red-handed, had finally spoken under relentless interrogation.

The problem was what he revealed.

The person who had hired Gadi to orchestrate the attack on the Snowflake Tower was someone Grace knew all too well.

The Grand Lord of the West.

The ruler of the fortress city of Agartha.

The leader of the elite legion known as the “Iron Earth.”

Dorgon Wolfair.

And to make matters worse—

He was a former warrior of the Hero’s Party.

The main villain of Brave Road Episode 4, commonly referred to as the Northern Arc, The Land of Ice, Iron, and Blood.

‘So we’ve finally arrived at Dorgon’s name.’

I had already known this information. But facing it in reality, I could feel the heavy pressure radiating from Grace, sending a chill down my spine.

“I had suspected something was amiss when Low showed up in the North, but…”

Grace let out a deep sigh, as if struggling to contain a mix of confusion and rage, before asking again,

“Why would Dorgon use a mage to target my domain? I have no direct conflict with him.”

“He claimed that he was merely hired to attack the Snowflake Tower in exchange for a reward and had no other communication beyond that.”

“A reward?”

“He was promised money and a few artifacts upon completing the attack.”

Even though her bangs partially covered her forehead, I could see the veins bulging in anger.

Grace, unable to suppress her fury, tapped her fingers against the table—

Crack.

Until she punched right through it.

“Have we extracted all the information we can?”

“Yes.”

“He confessed, so we can’t execute him. Inform the Snowflake Tower’s master to do whatever they can to him, short of killing him.”

“Understood.”

Since Gadi’s personal motive hadn’t been revealed in the novel, this was new information even for me.

But it was beyond appalling.

For the sake of his own greed, he had plotted an attack on the Snowflake Tower, putting the North at risk of war.

Even fellow mages like Dariel and Sophia would shake their heads in disgust.

So there was no need to feel any sympathy for the man who would now bear the full brunt of Grace’s and the Snowflake Tower’s wrath.

I wouldn’t be offering my condolences.

I just hoped he wouldn’t die too quickly—so he could suffer for a long, long time.

After calming herself down, Grace spoke again.

“Have we learned anything about Low?”

“Despite our intense interrogation, he continues to mock us with his words.”

“…I’ll go myself. That man is too proud to speak unless he’s forced to.”

Naturally, I followed Grace as we headed to the prison where Low was being held.

Unlike Gadi, who had been imprisoned in the Snowflake Tower, Low was confined in a subterranean facility I had never seen before.

Now that I held the title of knight and served as the escort commander’s adjutant, I was allowed some casual conversation during our movements.

According to Elaine, this was the first time the underground prison had been used since Grace took power.

That alone was enough to indicate just how serious this matter was.

Since the location had never appeared in the novel, I was curious to take a look—

But—

‘Urk…!’

The moment I saw Low’s condition, my stomach churned despite having heard about it beforehand.

Sure, I was the one who had cut off his arm.

But his legs were in even worse shape. His flesh was torn, barely treated, leaving his limbs in tatters, and I could even catch a glimpse of his shinbone.

On top of that, magical suppression shackles bound his body, making it impossible for him to move.

As if that weren’t enough, he was forced to stand—unable to sit or lie down despite the state of his legs.

But the most striking thing was—

The massive icicle embedded in his chest.

It was even larger than I had imagined.

Like a frozen spear impaling him, the thick, jagged icicle emitted a chilling aura that turned his skin blue.

The closer we approached, the more we could feel the cold radiating from it.

Low looked like he was barely clinging to life.

And yet, there was something in his eyes—

A twisted gleam that suggested he still had something left to say.

At this rate, his legs would likely necrotize just from the cold seeping out of that icicle.

It was so cruel that I couldn’t help but wonder if that was the intended outcome.

This place didn’t just feel like a prison for humans—it felt like something designed to hold demons.

“You look healthy.”

Grace’s voice carried not even a grain of kindness.

At her remark, Low, unable to see due to the blindfold covering his eyes, twitched his ears and responded.

“F*ck, you call this healthy?”

He let out a dry laugh, causing blood to drip from his mouth.

With his already grotesque appearance, the sight of fresh blood only made him look even more horrifying.

“Kuhaha… I have to admit, Northerners are something else. Even I have never restrained someone like this before.”

“Neither have I.”

Grace replied indifferently, then took a seat in the chair the guard had brought for her. Looking at Low, she continued.

“There are plenty of things I want to ask you, but I have no desire to waste time chatting. So let’s get to the point. The mage who attempted to attack the Snowflake Tower has already confessed to who was behind him.”

“Tsk… That useless bastard. He should have just killed himself instead.”

“Why did your comrade, Dorgon, target my city?”

Low let out a deep sigh and fell silent.

Seeing that, Grace glanced at the wall, then summoned a skewer with her sword technique and threw it at him.

Thud.

“Ghhhk…!”

Despite his mangled state, he could still feel pain—he groaned as the skewer embedded itself in his stomach.

“My sword technique allows me precise control. I can easily avoid hitting vital organs. Want another one?”

“F*ck… You’re still as ruthless as ever!”

Even in pain, Low let out a weak chuckle.

Just like how she was gentle and caring toward allies like me and Elaine, Grace was also the Grand Duke of the North—the ruler of the land of ice and iron.

And when it came to her enemies, she was mercilessly cruel.

Low, fully aware of that, understood that her threat wasn’t empty words.

“Fine. Yes, Dorgon targeted your city.”

“That’s something I just said myself. I asked why.”

“Keh… Why else would the Grand Lord of the West covet the Northern Grand Duke’s territory?”

At his answer, Grace’s eyebrow twitched slightly.

“Is he trying to start a territorial war? Why now?”

“I don’t know. Maybe he just wants the North for himself.”

Even in this state, he still tried to dodge the question.

But Grace wasn’t the type to let things slide so easily.

“You must know something. The Low I know wouldn’t move just for camaraderie or petty cash. If you were involved in the attack on the Snowflake Tower, then there must have been more than just money exchanged. What was it?”

“I’m going to say the same thing no matter how many times you ask. I don’t know. But I’ve already given you a hint—figure it out yourself.”

“A hint?”

Grace narrowed her eyes and fell into thought for a brief moment.

Then, she asked—

“Then why did you cooperate with him?”

Now, Low let out a genuine laugh. Blood dripped freely from his lips.

“Now that’s a question I can answer.”

He chuckled as he spat out more blood before continuing.

“I moved purely for money. I had nothing to do with Dorgon’s plans. I don’t even know if his goal was just to attack the North or something more.”

“…”

Grace listened to his words and slowly fell into deep thought.

A silence followed—short, yet it felt long.

Then, she finally spoke.

“Are you saying… that Dorgon himself was following someone else’s orders?”

“Who knows?”

“If there’s someone capable of controlling a Grand Lord like Dorgon… Don’t tell me!”

Grace’s eyes widened in shock as if she had suddenly realized something.

For once, her expression faltered, her face twisting as she asked Low—

“Is the person behind this who I think it is?”

“Surprised?”

Of course, she was.

There was only one possible answer when considering someone above Dorgon.

“Why would His Highness the Prince be targeting the North?”