[IYFILWATIP] Chapter 20

"Fate, my arse." 

"Well, this is just my personal opinion, but I think Yuri Eclipse is the most admirable of Theresia’s seven knights! A knight who gave up everything for love and even sacrificed his life for Theresia. It’s so romantic. That’s why I was so happy when you joined our church, Jade." 

"Father." 

"Yes, Brother!" 

Jade sneered at the little priest, who looked up at him with a bright expression. 

"I hate all the saints, and I hate Yuri Eclipse the most." 

Leaving the shocked priest behind, Jade glared at the statue. 

At the feet of the goddess Theresia’s statue was an altar containing the relics of the saints who had sacrificed themselves for her. The owner of the altar varied by region, but the types of saints venerated by mercenary guilds were always the same: one of the seven knights mentioned in scripture and myth who had fought for Theresia. 

As fate would have it, the patron saint of the Beatrice Mercenary Guild, to which Jade belonged, was the founder of the Eclipse family. 

The Knight of Flames, Yuri Eclipse. Jade, like the other mercenaries, had no faith to speak of. But unlike the others, he didn't believe in the old superstition that if you offered a coin, some mystical being would protect you. There was only one reason he occasionally came to this place: to vividly remember that damn Yuri Eclipse and to remind himself, deep in his bones, that he would never, ever... 

...fall in love, no matter what. 

"Why? Why do you hate Yuri Eclipse?" 

"..." 

"Why do you hate Yuri Eclipse?" 

"Don’t you know the founding myth? It’s all there. He was a madman, and that madness runs in our blood. Generations of our family have been ruined by that same insanity, all because of love. My mother was the same. It all piled up until, in the end, the Eclipse family completely collapsed." 

"But..." 

"People say that the Eclipse family pretends to be noble, but madness flows in our veins. When we become obsessed with something, we can’t escape it—especially when it comes to love." 

Jade gritted his teeth as he thought back over the past four years. It had been a difficult, miserable, and terrible time. 

And it had all started with that pretty-faced man his mother met. The more he thought about it, the more angry and incredulous he became. 

"It's true. But I'm different. I won’t live like that." 

Jade grabbed the sword at his waist and shook his head vigorously. In front of him was a mural depicting Yuri Eclipse, the blue-eyed knight who, even as his body was consumed by flames, used his last strength to reach out toward Theresia. 

"I’ll never do something so stupid." 

He tasted blood from the inside of his cheek where he had bitten it. The metallic, salty taste always brought back memories of the last night at Eclipse Castle, where it rained heavily. 

Whenever he was too exhausted to sleep, or when his heart grew weak and he wanted to lean on something, Jade would replay that memory over and over. If that wasn’t enough, he would recite it like a mantra. 

The old family saying: 

"When my guest knocks on the locked door, do not open it but flee. He will become a trap to ensnare you, and you will betray ancient loyalties. You will suffer an unquenchable thirst, and you will be afflicted with an incurable fever. In the end, you will..." 

...be shattered to pieces. 

***

If you travelled southeast from the northern capital city of Orelle by carriage for a full month, you would arrive at the heart of the continent, commonly referred to as the Central Region. 

This area was famous for its concentration of free trade cities, but in reality, quite a bit of the land was also under the control of noble families. There were four large estates—Sermilton, Gardfila, Winterhorse, and Ralland. 

Nestled between Sermilton and Gardfila was the small region of Cheerio, the estate of the Eclipse Count’s family and the birthplace of Jade Eclipse. 

He was a noble boy born with impeccable qualities: a face as handsome as a sculpture, the strong physique of a warrior inherited from both his maternal and paternal lines, and a prestigious family name. 

Of course, in the Central Region, where commerce thrived and wealthy families were plentiful, the Eclipse Count’s family, which adhered to the ancestral tradition of avoiding business, was not particularly wealthy. Moreover, he was the youngest son, with two older brothers ahead of him, not to mention his eldest sister, who was to inherit the family title. It was clear that he wouldn’t bring much of a dowry. 

"Aren’t you the youngest son of the Eclipse family? I’ve heard you have a keen interest in swords, as befits an Eclipse. Did you receive the sword I sent last time? It’s a masterpiece, one of only three made by the Eastern master before he passed away." 

"You're still so young, but you’re already so tall. Here, meet my daughter. She’s just acquired a new maritime trade company." 

But he was still Jade ‘Eclipse’. The family name that appeared even in the founding myth. A traditional noble family that had survived the harsh era of the Great Schism and inscribed its name in the founding document of the empire. Even though their fortunes had declined to a pitiful state compared to their former glory, did that really matter?