Treatise Of A Failed Knight-Chapter 258: How Did You Know?

A week has passed since the fall of the Freedom Fighters.

The Dark Guild has publicly announced their presence and has already begun taking over the world. I estimate that within this month, I will have a full grasp of the world within this Trial Scenario.

Once that happens, all will be within my control.

But that doesn’t mean I get to pass my Apotheosis and go home just yet.

After all, the Great Bridgeworks is still under construction.

In fact, I am currently in the presence of both Enrydral and Tyrrion, who were spared per my instructions to the Dark Guild. This is because they were never truly Freedom Fighters, but rather were ’covert agents’ of the Dark Guild.

That’s how I made it appear, anyway.

I couldn’t let these two be killed since they are both strongly connected to the Great Bridgeworks, which remains the central theme of this world.

The good news is that it’s almost complete.

"The Southern Kingdom is yet to be connected, but we have made great progress with the other Great Nations. By the end of this month, we’ll be done with the other Great Nations and begin the extension to the Southern Kingdom." Enrydral tells me the details with his usual collected demeanor.

Although it was difficult for them to accept at first, it appears the two of them have come to terms with the fact that I have taken over from Kalakuta as their new leader.

"We were previously worried about a lack of manpower, but to think there were so many professional workers on standby. They are even more specialized than the Freedom Fighters. Their contribution these past few days has truly made a lot of difference."

I smile at Enrydral’s words.

This isn’t very surprising for me. After all, the new workers were provided by the Nine Great Corporations in the Western Alliance.

The western continent has the best technological, commercial, and economic structure, so it’s no surprise that the current workers show far more efficiency compared to the Freedom Fighters, who were largely illiterate and had greater specialties in battle.

"If we can commence the Southern Kingdom’s bridges within a month, it means we’ll be able to finish everything regarding the Great Bridgeworks in three to four months," I mutter to myself, grinning from ear to ear. "The roads and bridges are one thing, but there’s also the sky lanterns that need to be fixed in place."

"Precisely. To reduce time, we can start launching the sky lanterns, but we also need to focus on building for now. Master Tyrrion is very particular about our involvement in the sky lantern launch, but we can’t do both at the same time."

"I see..." I mumble softly. "Why don’t you split up? One side focuses on the sky lanterns, while the other supervises the roads and bridges yet to be completed."

"T-that—!"

"You both take on supervisory roles anyway, and from what I can see, the schematics are already complete. Or is there something I am not understanding?" I frown slightly while staring at Enrydral, who displays clear discomfort at my suggestion.

"Well, this is a delicate task. Each step must be followed carefully, and we should not rush things. If we try to carelessly speed things up, the whole thing could fall apart."

"But what I am suggesting is not careless. It is efficient."

The workers and my Magivores will be doing most of the heavy lifting anyway. I can transport myself between territories and command Magivores to handle large tasks while the workers rest. I can also order the Magivores to rest while the workers are working, allowing for faster coordination in setting up the sky lanterns and building the paths.

Why are the sky lanterns so important, one might ask?

Well, one need not look any further for an answer when you consider the purpose of the Great Bridgeworks.

These connected paths are meant for safe, efficient trade and travel.

This should be achieved by creating roads that are open 24/7, ensuring safe travel is always possible. This means economic activities won’t be held up, and delays in transactions will be reduced to a minimum.

The Sky Lanterns ensure this is possible.

They constantly light up the path of the roads and bridges, providing illumination during nighttime, storms, and any other period where darkness is prevalent.

The absence of darkness in these paths will also drastically discourage crime, thus reducing the number of security officials we might need to dispatch to these places. There are also many other advantages to the Sky Lanterns, which I don’t feel the need to mention.

In conclusion, the Great Bridgeworks wouldn’t be complete without them.

"My suggested method works. I have also been studying the sky lanterns and their correlation with the high-rise roads, and I noticed some issues with your previous report." I keep my focus on Enrydral and continue speaking. "I noticed some discrepancies between your verbal reports and the documented records. Mind explaining them to me?"

"I don’t understand...."

"I should be the one saying that." A sigh leaves my lips.

My gaze remains calm.

However, my body begins to harden as my heart rapidly starts to race.

I feel frigid.

However, certainty gnaws at me.

I’ve come too far to stop now—especially with all the careful deductions I have made over the past few weeks.

Something is wrong... And I can see it now.

"Tyrrion, care to explain? This is what Enrydral told me, and this is what I found in the documented records." I turn to the deformed dwarf, who clearly does not wish to be here.

I am certain he would rather be in his office or out in the field supervising construction.

This is why I normally only meet with Enrydral Lanternmaker.

But this meeting is very important.

I require his participation.

"Hmm..." The dwarf’s deep and hoarse voice echoes in the room for the first time since the meeting began. "What did you just say?"

I repeat my words and explain the problem in greater detail.

"That... makes no sense. This is actually how it should be... I wrote it in the document."

Tyrrion the Visionary, although not as impeccable in speech as Enrydral, gets into the technical details and corrects all the confusion I had with the problem. His revelation reveals many misconceptions that have filled my mind during this period.

Just from this brief conversation, I am enlightened.

How unfortunate.

This man’s poor looks and his lack of eloquence hold him back a great deal.

’I’ve identified the problems. In fact, there really is no problem—at least, when considering the reports alone. But the application based on the verbal submission of Enrydral caused the series of confusion that arose.’

With that in mind, I move on to the next step.

"Who drafted these?" I bring out some reports and hand them over to Tyrrion.

"Hmm... They’re all things I wrote, but this isn’t my handwriting." He glances at Enrydral for a brief moment before returning the documents to me.

"They’re Enrydral’s, right?" I ask, to which he nods. "These were submitted with Enrydral’s name, and I couldn’t find a copy with yours among the records. He submitted this version to me, but when it came to verbal presentation, he fumbled on it and gave the wrong data. What do you think about that?"

Enrydral remains silent, his expression flushed.

However, my attention isn’t fixed on him at the moment.

It’s on Tyrrion.

"That’s Wrongful Attribution. It is a very big problem and a malpractice in my field." Tyrrion turns to Enrydral and sighs deeply. "How many times has he done this?"

"I—"

"Silence!" Tyrrion snaps at Enrydral with evident anger. "You ungrateful kid! I’ll deal with you later, but first we need to determine how severe your actions are."

What a guy!

It appears he still wishes to salvage the situation for his disciple despite his actions.

I never imagined that this man would have such a forgiving nature.

"Several times. He took advantage of my sole meeting with him to make it appear as though he was responsible for most, if not all, of the reports you made. However, it appears he could not completely understand your intent due to your superior technical knowledge, which is where the confusion stemmed from."

There is no longer any doubt in my mind.

I was wrong about the two of them.

Just like what Jeophrey and all the other geniuses have shown me, it appears the eccentric Tyrrion was always the genius while Enrydral is simply a fraud.

However, history remembers things differently, or maybe this situation is merely isolated to this world. Regardless, it appears I gave my respect and recognition to the wrong man. This was due to my bias as someone who had studied history and knew what these two accomplished according to historical records.

But I would be lying if I said that was the only source of my bias.

Tyrrion’s terrible appearance and abrasive personality gave me a negative impression of him, but the opposite was the case for Enrydral.

Not only does he have incredible looks, but his manner of speech is also impeccable.

He has no doubt fooled many with these qualities.

No more!

"I believe I already informed you that he is my disciple. He doesn’t have the expertise required to consult on these matters. You should have sought me out to verbally explain my reports."

I nearly glare at the impudent man.

’With that attitude of yours? How could it be that easy?’

Enrydral was simply the most convenient option due to his availability and closeness to me.

’It turns out his so-called expertise was merely his reliance on sophistry.’

I sigh.

Then, my expression turns darker.

’If this were the only thing I discovered, it wouldn’t be that big of a deal. However—’

"I never told you how the Freedom Fighters died and how Kalakuta fell, did I?" I cast a careful gaze on both of them.

"What does that have to do with—?"

"I killed Kalakuta."

"...."

Tyrrion appears stunned, but only for a moment.

"What does that have to do with me or the current situation? I already told you I don’t care about any of the politics. As long as I can fulfill my dream."

"Oh, I believe you." I shift my gaze to the uncharacteristically silent Enrydral. "What about you? How do you really feel about that? Tell me honestly."

Enrydral says nothing for a few seconds.

But, after noticing the intensity of the gazes on him, he finally speaks.

"I was surprised to hear all of it. I didn’t expect such a thing to happen. But it is as Master Tyrrion says. I don’t particularly care about—"

"Bullshit."

My lips curl up to form a cruel smirk as I point at Enrydral.

"You thought it would be me who would die at Kalakuta’s hands, didn’t you? In fact, you wanted that to happen from the start."

"W-what? Why would I want that? We were all allies, so I didn’t—!"

"No... before then. Before I joined the Freedom Fighters."

"I don’t understand..."

I vanish from my position and appear before Enrydral in a flash.

Before he can react, I grab him by the neck and raise his body with effortless motion.

"W-what are you—?" At this point, even Tyrrion is stunned by my actions and tries to intervene, but I immediately tell him to stop.

"The jig is up." I look into the seemingly frightened Enrydral and chuckle. "Not only do I know that you are a fraud, but I also know that you were Kalakuta’s anonymous spy. From the very start... It wasn’t the Imperial Knight Captain or his relative, or anyone else. It was always you."

"I... I don’t... I..."

"Still planning on denying it?" I snicker aloud.

"What are you talking about?" Tyrrion is exasperated at this point, completely taken aback by my sudden switch in attitude.

He doesn’t understand.

"This is the guy who caused the downfall of the Northern Empire and kick-started this entire thing. Without him, the Freedom Fighters wouldn’t have easily displaced a Great Nation and become such a big threat. We would never have fled the Empire to No Man’s Land. In fact, he never intended for us to get there. He remained a spy during our travels and masterminded many of the events that followed..."

The ambush was waiting for me at the early point of the Trial Scenario.

Kalakuta’s ambush at the shore.

Many other developments... they were caused by none other than Enrydral Lanternmaker.

"Still planning on denying it?" I ask, tightening my grip on his neck.

It is only at this point that the man’s true nature surfaces.

A broad, twisted smile forms on his face.

His eyes thin as his demeanor turns ugly within seconds. A terrifying coldness seeps through his gaze, and his fright quickly transforms into malevolence.

Slowly parting his lips, he lets out a croak.

An ugly voice leaks out.

"How..." Enrydral’s rubbery smile stretches to its limits as he glares at me with deep murderous intent.

"How did you know?!"

[A/N: I wonder how many of you suspected he was behind everything...]