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Rohan smiled bitterly. He wasn’t sure whether to be outraged at treating people like tools or to be amazed at the emperor’s ability to discard people so efficiently.
The more he looked at Rafon’s pathetic state, unconscious after being beaten, the stronger these thoughts became. It was a pitiful sight that made it hard to believe he was the captain of the Imperial First Knight Order.
Rohan tied Rafon tightly with the rope Arpel had produced from the shadows and began dragging him like a sack. Naturally, he arrived at the large tree where he had first confronted Rafon.
“…He’s still not awake.”
Rohan sighed lightly after immediately checking on the priest’s condition.
His posture hadn’t changed at all since they left. He quietly bent down and reached out to the priest. Suddenly, a dark light emanating from his palm seeped into the priest’s body. His rough breathing visibly settled, becoming a bit more comfortable.
This should be enough for now. Rohan removed his hand after successfully completing the emergency treatment. At the same time, Arpel, sensing his intention, immediately changed his form. With his newly formed hand, he grabbed the end of the rope that Rohan had been holding until just now.
“Arpel.”
“Yes?”
“Don’t touch that, it’s dirty.”
If he hadn’t been stopped, he probably would have kept holding it. Arpel, who had carelessly taken the rope binding Rafon, blinked his eyes blankly.
“Instead, could you support this person? It looks like he won’t regain consciousness for a while.”
“…But I should handle Rafon.”
“Tch.”
“…Alright.”
The series of events where Arpel received the priest instead of Rafon couldn’t have been more natural.
Arpel, belatedly coming to his senses after the situation passed like flowing water, protested slightly, but Rohan was adamant. His determination to handle the worst offender himself no matter what was evident.
The sound “tch” seemed like soothing a child, which made him feel strange… But guessing that Rohan wouldn’t budge, Arpel had to obediently carry the priest on his back.
He looked anew at Rohan, who was dragging Rafon along, not caring whether he hit rocks or trees. Whenever he did so, such thoughts would suddenly occur to him.
That Rohan had really grown a lot and become that much more reliable. It was the kind of thought that would have made Rohan grin with excitement if he had heard it.
Of course, rather than voicing this, Arpel just moved his feet a bit faster. Aside from safely bringing the two to the temple, he also needed to quickly confirm whether the situation in Itor Village had been resolved safely.
Although there were measures in place, so it should have been resolved safely.
“Ugh…”
It was then that the continuous train of thought was suddenly interrupted. A faint, raw groan immediately drew the attention of Rohan and Arpel.
“…Are you coming to?”
“Ugh… cough. Where is this…?”
The source of the noise was none other than Arpel’s back. More precisely, it was coming from the priest who had been unconscious and carried on his back.
The shaking body seemed to have pulled the submerged consciousness back to the surface. The man, opening his eyes drowsily and squeezing out his voice with difficulty, coughed. Dry coughs poured from his mouth.
Rohan and Arpel looked at each other and slowed their running speed as if by agreement. Perhaps it helped, as after a few deep breaths, the man who had cleared his breathing firmly grasped Arpel’s clothes. The clothes wrinkled unsightly under his weak grip.
“The, the border… is in danger.”
“…The border?”
The words that followed from the man were of a kind that no one dared to anticipate. Arpel’s hands supporting him trembled slightly, and Rohan, seemingly not fully understanding the words, asked back in a dubious voice.
To this, the man replied in a voice that sounded like he might cry at any moment.
“The land of specters is gradually expanding.”
The land teeming with specters. That place, no different from a nightmare, was gradually increasing its power beyond the empire’s borders.
***
Tok, tok. In the quiet office, only the regular noise of something being picked up and put down echoed inside. With dazzling sunlight pouring in from the wide window behind him, Mikhail picked up and moved a black chess piece with his long fingers.
“Indeed, he’s not bad in terms of ability.”
His tone was monotonous, as if talking to himself. However, the hand that picked up and moved a white piece from the opposite side proved that there was someone listening to that voice.
No response came. Yet Mikhail continued the rest of his words, smiling gently as if to show off.
“But he… is too greedy. Moreover, he’s even arrogant. Such things will eventually lead to failure.”
“…”
“So the best method is to use that moderately and then discard it.”
It was a cold statement that didn’t match his gentle appearance. Yet, there was not a hint of guilt on Mikhail’s face. As if what he had just said was an undoubted, natural principle of the world.
“Don’t you think so, Luciel?”
The atmosphere that had continued like a monologue finally broke. At this, Luciel’s hand, sitting opposite Mikhail, trembled ever so slightly.
After a moment of silence, he nodded with difficulty. Since it was a voice seeking agreement, he couldn’t just remain silent. Seemingly satisfied at last, Mikhail deepened his smile even more and continued.
“It’s nothing but a harmful existence for the empire you will lead. You should be careful too. They’re the ones you need to exclude first to create a perfect empire.”
“…I see.”
“Still, it’s quite fortunate, isn’t it? The likes of Rafon are excessively power-hungry. Power, money, love… Those with such transparent desires are especially easy to use. The most dangerous ones are… yes.”
Thud, Mikhail moved a piece again. Luciel’s face immediately hardened at the move that threatened the king from moment to moment.
“Those who are greedy but don’t reveal their true intentions and hide themselves. You should be wary of such things. It would be good to remember this, Luciel.”
After a few more exchanges, the game soon ended. Mikhail’s piece finally captured the king. Haa. Luciel, who let out a quiet breath, spoke a beat late.
“…I lost.”
“You’ve improved since last time.”
A light compliment followed. Luciel, whose fingertips trembled, bowed his head. Some might think it was just lip service, but he knew well.
Mikhail, his father, the emperor of the empire, rarely praised unless something was truly well done. Apart from his inner confusion, a subtle sense of satisfaction flowed out.
Separate from these personal feelings, Luciel diligently stood up. It was to withdraw now that the promised time had ended. It was an implicit agreement between them to visit his office in the late afternoon when the emperor’s work was somewhat wrapped up and play a light game of chess.
However, Luciel had to stop in his tracks shortly after.
“Luciel, wait a moment.”
Due to a stream of voice calling him, as if the business wasn’t finished yet.
As this rarely happened, bewilderment naturally settled on his face. Looking at such a Luciel, Mikhail just smiled calmly. As if the current situation couldn’t be more pleasing. Paradoxically, Luciel felt ominous looking at his father like this.
“There’s something I want to show you.”
“…If there’s something you want to show.”
“The time has come now.”
Although he asked carefully, no answer came. Only a vague self-assured murmur followed. Muttering so, Mikhail rose from his seat and moved first. Luciel belatedly moved towards him, following his slow steps as if being told to follow.
After that, no particular words were exchanged between the two. Mikhail silently moved forward, and Luciel followed the emperor. As if people had been cleared from the surroundings, the wide corridors of the imperial palace looked especially desolate today.
The place Mikhail headed was the audience chamber. As soon as the large door opened, the familiar imperial throne appeared. It was always something that felt larger than anything else to Luciel.
“Your Majesty. This place…”
“We’re almost there.”
Their footsteps headed towards the back of the throne. In a place where naturally nothing should have been, there was a secret gap.
An unexpected space appeared. It was as if he was enchanted by something. Luciel, who had barely swallowed the emotion close to shock, was finally able to see with his own eyes what the emperor wanted to show him.
“This is…”
“Isn’t it beautiful?”
“…Yes.”
It’s beautiful. He barely managed to utter the answer.
From a small box that seemed like it could barely fit an adult man’s hand, a blue-colored sacred sword was emitting a brilliant light. It was like a work of art, meticulously crafted as if to show not even the slightest flaw.
“This is a dagger passed down through generations of the imperial family. Only the emperors throughout history know of its existence. If you safely become the emperor of the empire, this sword will be yours.”
“…Your Majesty, those words…”
“It’s exactly as I said.”
Luciel’s lips quivered.
Saying “if you safely become emperor” was like saying that the next emperor had been completely decided from the moment he revealed the existence of this sacred sword. However, Luciel felt strange. He should clearly be happy, but he couldn’t be entirely joyful.
An unknown emotion that had accumulated deep in his chest kept bubbling up. In the end, he had to barely voice out with a severely cracked voice.
“…Thank you.”
The slight hesitation attached to the front made him appear just like someone overcome with emotion.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
