Trakia-Blaskas was Feiyu’s grandfather and, in the past, as head of the Blaskas family, he had also handled diplomacy with the adjacent demi-human nations, as well as the Empire and northern countries.
Before becoming head of the family, Trakia had been dispatched to Felmund on his father’s orders just after reaching the age of just over one hundred, which for an elf corresponded to being a young adult.
That had been a polite way of getting rid of a troublesome person, as he wrote in his own records.
Trakia had been born an elf with the red eyes that were despised among elves, and since it was also an era when discriminatory attitudes remained strong, he was viewed with suspicion and ostracized even by his own blood relatives.
The Eisenhud Duke family welcomed such a Trakia warmly.
Not only the humans of Eisenhud, but demi-humans of other races also accepted Trakia, and he spent his time watching the scene where everyone called each other [comrades] and treated each other without discrimination.
There, for the first time, Trakia was able to know what family and companions meant, he wrote.
When Artesia was born, the [comrades] who were watching over her rejoiced, cried, and sang as if it were their own affair, linking arms and holding a feast.
Different races, different births, different positions—such people all together blessing the birth of a single human girl……such a paradise-like place was the land called Felmund, and Trakia wrote that it was “truly a happy time.”
That’s why Trakia continued to believe until the very end.
When the six great duke families caused the [Racial Hunt] to trap Eisenhud, and Artesia remained silent and didn’t appear to resolve the situation, rather than speaking words of resentment and grudging, he continued sending letters promising to lend his strength as a comrade whenever needed.
But—in his previous life, immediately after hearing news of Artesia’s death, Trakia took his own life.
His beloved granddaughter had been violated and tortured beyond recognition before being killed, and while he had continued to suppress that anger through loyalty, when the one to whom he devoted that loyalty was also gone, he lost his reason for living.
Even so, Trakia remained unchanged until the end.
[If I cannot fulfill my oath in this world, I shall fulfill the “Iron Blood Oath” in the next world]
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Leaving these words of death in his records, Trakia maintained his loyalty until his final moment.
Because Kurtz knew he was such a person devoted to loyalty—
“–Ah, I understand.”
Having finished listening to Kurtz’s explanation, Trakia nods like a soaring hawk.
“That Artesia-sama has fallen victim to a strange disease that robs her of magical power, and is about to be exploited by the schemes of the Six Ducal Houses. That the descendants of the people who received Eisenhud’s guidance have continuously inherited a plan to reclaim their lord, passing it down through generations. To fulfill that will and grand aspiration, I too shall dedicate my old body as a comrade.”
“I’m grateful, Lord Trakia. If there are any suspicious points or inconsistencies in my earlier explanation that concern you, please feel free to take time to examine them thoroughly before making your final judgment.”
“Kakka… that would be underestimating me too much, wouldn’t it? While stories about Eisenhud have been half-buried in darkness, the fact that I, who was once a comrade, found myself convinced proves that Kurtz-boy’s story is true.”
With deep wrinkles etched across his face, Trakia raises the corners of his mouth and continues speaking.
“Besides, you called upon me knowing that I, who knows about those times, could immediately examine detailed information and could be brought in with certainty, didn’t you?”
“Yes. Aside from Lord Trakia, the comrades of the past have all passed away, and among the demihumans, Eisenhud’s name has spread as a taboo. Even if they were descendants of those who once stood as comrades, it would be difficult to bring them into this plan.”
“Ah… now I alone remain of the comrades who knew those times. Even after Artesia-sama disappeared, we comrades believed in her and Eisenhud until the very end, but… that too has vanished with the flow of three hundred years.”
As if recalling the past, Trakia gazes into the distance with his crimson eyes.
That’s why Kurtz quietly declares:
“–The bonds of we Eisenhud are thicker than blood, connected by a will harder than iron. No matter how many years and seasons pass, even in the distant future, they will never decay for eternity.”
The words of the [Iron Blood Oath] established by Eisenhud.
“This represents not only the bonds between comrades, but also the words directed toward the demihumans with whom the first Eisenhud lord made a covenant. Even if the relationship between humans and demihumans should crumble–no matter how many times, those with iron-blooded will shall build relationships and welcome them as [comrades].”
Trakia’s eyes widen greatly at Kurtz’s continued words.
“You, could it be–“
“I intend to save Artesia-sama no matter what. She would never wish for a future where the Six Ducal Houses use her as they did three hundred years ago, and many demihumans become sacrifices through her death. That’s precisely why I took [Achimenes] as my family name.”
Kurtz declares as if showing the will and resolve embedded in his family name.
Understanding the meaning and resolve of those words, Trakia laughs so hard his mouth splits wide.
“I’ve never felt so glad to have lived long as I do today. The regret of being made to flee by my comrades under the pretext of conveying the situation to various places because I was still young, able only to watch the great tide–I’ve encountered an opportunity to clear that regret.”
While speaking thus, Trakia’s body trembles.
This doesn’t come from the powerlessness or despair he felt in the past.
It comes from the joy and excitement of being able to fulfill the oath he’s maintained all this time.
Seeing Trakia with vitality blazing in his crimson eyes, Kurtz also nods with a smile on his lips.
“Yes, Lord Trakia, please wield to your heart’s content the power you’ve cultivated over the years. And I shall conduct myself as a child except when conversing as a [comrade].”
“Understood. Though whether you’re childlike is questionable.”
After returning a gentle smile, Trakia addresses Edel, who sits beside him.
“Now… young lady of Mercator, it seems you too came here after hearing the general story from my granddaughter, but you might still be able to avoid stepping on a tiger’s tail?”
“…Indeed, I too have realized this is a bigger matter than I anticipated.”
While making a sour face, Edel quietly exhales and then nods greatly.
“To be honest, I don’t care about the success or failure of Kurtz and the others’ objective. I don’t know much about [Racial Hunting], nor do I know about Eisenhud, which supposedly fell in the past. So I’ll state clearly that I won’t cooperate based on personal feelings.”
This would be a natural response for Edel.
The northern regions and the southern continent where the empire exists are separated by a vast mountain range, and while there is diplomatic relations and exchange now, detailed information from that time about the empire’s disturbances doesn’t remain.
And unlike Trakia, Edel is human, not a demihuman.
She doesn’t know about Eisenhud’s infamy or about Artesia being called a [Great Sinner], and even though she has interactions with demihumans, most keep their mouths shut like it’s a taboo name and say nothing.
Normally, there would be no reason for the unrelated Edel to risk danger and cooperate.
However–
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