Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: The Vigil (5)
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「To think you've grown into such a powerful mage.... I am truly pleased.」
The Emperor gazed at Lea with evident satisfaction.
Then, as if sensing something off, he furrowed his brow.
「However, it is strange. Sensing aura is not something one can easily grasp without experiencing it firsthand....」
The Conqueror King instinctively turned his head.
And fixed me with a chilling glare.
「Did someone perhaps teach you?」
Pierced by his gaze, I held my breath.
I could only desperately flick my eyes toward Lea for a signal.
*Are you trying to get me killed!*
「...」
Lea stared intently at my tense expression.
Then, she let out a soft chuckle, lifting the corner of her mouth.
「Hmm—.」
Me, who had always slickly slipped out of any pressure she put on me.
Seeing me cornered now, she looked amused, as if I were endearing.
「Who knows...?」
Lea slyly narrowed her eyes.
And placed a hand on her chin, pretending to ponder.
「Truth be told, after Father collapsed, I put effort into researching his illness.」
The Emperor's brow twitched at Lea's words.
His daughter had studied the disease for his sake.
He tried not to show it, but he seemed moved.
「In that process, I studied Grand Aura for a long time, and that's how it happened, I suppose.」
The princess smiled leisurely, brushing back her hair.
「....」
The Emperor silently watched his eldest daughter's smile.
Gradually, he withdrew his killing intent and praised his daughter.
「You've borne fruit from your efforts. Well done.」
Leonhardt returned to being a gentle father.
And together with his daughter, he cleared the chessboard.
「But you're not trying to just gloss over it like this, are you? You should be embarrassed about what you did just now.」
Lea giggled as she chided her father.
She was one of the few who could scold the master of the Empire.
「I've forgiven you as well, so we're even, aren't we?」
I warmly watched the harmonious father-daughter pair.
Then, tactfully stepped back.
*Phew....*
I quietly headed to the balcony.
And naturally prepared to leave.
However, at that moment.
「...!」
The Empire's First Imperial Princess, Lea, glanced at me while clearing the chessboard.
She quietly placed a finger to her lips.
With a seductive smile.
「This time, you owe me.」
She hadn't said it aloud, but I understood her intent.
*What the hell is she going to blackmail me with next....*
Just thinking about it exhausted me, so I quietly infused mana into my legs.
Just enough not to bother the Emperor.
Afterward, I slipped out of the ballroom as stealthily as a wild animal.
「....」
Leonhardt silently gazed at the balcony.
Realizing I had left, he smirked.
His daughter eyed her father's smile with interest.
Then quietly asked.
「What do you think, Father?」
「What do you mean?」
At Lea's question, the Emperor reverted to his cold, expressionless face.
「About that young man. Isn't he a talent worth embracing in the Empire?」
「His skills are certainly solid. Still incomplete, but impressive considering his age.」
The Emperor coldly assessed the guard knight's abilities.
「Do you have no intention of keeping him by your side?」
Lea asked, crossing her arms alone.
「Skill and loyalty are separate matters. Without something solid to bind that sly fellow, it would be difficult.」
The Conqueror King who had subdued the entire continent.
He valued completely subjugating any nation.
Just as he would release even a small city-state if resistance was too fierce, he was cautious with the man he had just met.
However, the princess was different.
Like her father by nature, but also like her mother, who always obtained what she desired.
「Don't worry.」
Lea, who had inherited her father's talent and her mother's ambition.
She spoke with a mature, smiling gaze.
「I'll make sure he stays in the Empire forever.」
She knew how the sensual Rozanna had captured her father.
By now, the daughter had reached the same age her mother was at marriage.
Hearing those words, the Emperor intended to brush them off.
But instinctively feeling uneasy, his eyes flashed.
「W-what did you say...?」
When her father asked again, the daughter merely smiled brightly.
「Well then, I'm tired, so I'll head in first, Father.」
And she descended the stairs with a sensual gait.
「I'll see you at tomorrow's party.」
The Emperor blankly watched his departing daughter.
Her beauty and femininity so captivating it seemed one touch would make her collapse.
His eyes trembled beneath as he wished to protect such a daughter for life.
￣￣￣￣￣￣.
Having left the ballroom, I moved far from the central palace.
And in a secluded forest, I met a messenger pigeon.
「...」
The message on the pigeon was from Ekina, vice-captain of the Crimson Flame Unit.
*'No orders have come down to me yet. With His Majesty awakened, it seems the Crown Prince is biding his time as well.'*
I had asked her about the Crown Prince's status while inspecting the venue.
Unsure what he might do upon sensing crisis from the Emperor's awakening.
Fortunately, he was quiet.
*'Right, no matter how strong his faction is, rebellion or open assassination would be impossible.'*
He lacked justification to kill the Emperor.
Forcing treason without justification would lose noble support.
*'Still, he's quieter than expected.'*
I burned the note with mana at my fingertips.
And headed to my final patrol point.
The Empire's secret passage.
The secret passage entrance was completely isolated from the Heavenly Palace.
Located beneath a eerie cliff, it could only be opened with specific sorcery.
As I neared the cliff, a foreboding smell began to waft.
Soon, I realized....
That smell was blood.
「....」
I focused mana on my senses.
Then peered intently at the bushes.
*'Four of them.'*
Four mid-level Expert mana signatures.
I dashed straight toward them.
「...!」
I burst through the woods like an arrow.
And as I moved to subdue them with mana in my grip.
「Black Moon...?!」
I encountered the wounded imperial intelligence unit, the Black Moons, resting.
「Who are you!」
The masked knights sitting around tried to raise their daggers in unison.
But some staggered from sharp pain.
「Wait a moment. I am a capital defense knight.」
I pulled out my capital defense badge with the city wall emblem from my pocket.
And showed it to persuade them.
「I caught the scent of blood while patrolling the vigil.」
「Patrolling the party all the way here? You expect us to believe that?」
As expected from intelligence agents, they were highly wary.
But fortunately, there was a familiar face among them.
「Captain Veil Mikhail...?」
A familiar voice.
And silver hair peeking from the mask.
「Dasha. Come out and explain...!」
At the sight of her glad face, I raised both hands.
And signaled to the agents that I meant no harm.
「Everyone, lower your weapons. He is Her Highness's acquaintance.」
When Dasha raised her fist, the agents lowered their swords.
They removed their masks and showed respect.
「Apologies, we are in the midst of an operation....」
「It's fine. More importantly, what happened?」
I lowered my hands and asked.
「Judging by your wounds, you fought someone.... Such irreverence during the vigil?」
I asked naturally, feigning ignorance.
Then Dasha answered in a rough voice.
「We uncovered a group trying to plant gunpowder in the palace underground. We are pursuing them now.」
Gunpowder...?
Were they planning to blow up the palace during the festival?
The Crown Prince's face flashed in my mind.
But....
No.
Even if he was desperate, he wouldn't resort to such crude measures.
Moreover, the method was too simplistic and sloppy.
「What about Irina? How did you end up here?」
「Well... Her Highness went after them with the Verdant Knights.」
*'Irina herself?'*
Participating in the pursuit.
Even with Allen, it was too dangerous.
「Which way did she go?」
「That way....」
Dasha pointed with her swollen hand to a nearby ruined cathedral.
The path there reeked heavily of blood.
「I'll go.」
I calmly infused mana into my legs.
And sped toward the cathedral.
「Hey..., going alone is dangerous!」
The Black Moon agents shouted after me.
But Dasha scolded them that it was fine.
「Fine? What can a defense knight with faint mana even do?」
At their question, Dasha slowly shook her head.
Then asserted with serious eyes.
「No need to worry. Perhaps... he is more trustworthy than us.」
Leaving the agents behind, I reached the ruined cathedral entrance.
Traces of battle were already evident there.
Eastern knights' corpses strewn about the ground.
Surprisingly, not the Crown Prince's men.
*'What happened...?*
If not Lydia's either, high chance it was Hakim or Samad Kingdom.
But Hakim and his close aides were all captured.
Which meant Samad Kingdom was the culprit.
*'Why would an allied nation do this...?*
Hakim and Samad Kingdom.
And the Crown Prince Leon, who controlled Hakim.
I pondered their connections.
And reached two conclusions.
A powerful figure from the Eastern Kingdom aiding the Crown Prince.
And attempting to rescue Hakim as payment for that aid.
*'Using the same lame trick again.'*
Even if assassins were exposed, he could deny involvement.
*'First, grasp the situation.'*
Passing the corpses, I met the uniformed Verdant Knights.
Among them was Allen, who had reached advanced Expert level.
「Allen, is Her Highness safe?」
He replied with a grave gaze at my immediate question about Irina.
「We were handling Eastern assassins who infiltrated the Empire. Her Highness is unharmed.」
The matured Allen politely pointed to Irina standing among the knights.
She wore her uniform jacket over tights.
She met my eyes with a somewhat startled look.
「V-Veil...? How did you get here?」
The princess hastily hid the bow she held behind her back.
But it was too long and stuck out.
「Weren't you inspecting the party venue?」
「I caught the blood scent on my way back.」
I forced a smile while checking Irina's face.
Fortunately, no signs of injury.
*'Irina, how did you know to come capture assassins?'*
「You should have called for backup. Why suppress them alone?」
「No time for that.」
The Second Imperial Princess blushed under my scrutinizing gaze.
「And... it was the moment to announce my knight order's debut.」
Beneath the night sky, the princess's emerald eyes gleamed.
Those eyes were truly those of a sovereign.
「Glad you handled it well.」
I let out a deep sigh of relief.
And praised her instead of scolding.
Irina had grown too.
No longer the frail, discarded princess from my past life.
I looked around.
All Eastern knights cleanly dispatched.
Fortunately, Camilla had trained her knights well.
「It's not over yet.」
However, Irina's eyes remained serious.
「Their leader is hiding inside with a ton of gunpowder.」
The princess pointed to the grand cathedral entrance.
Even as a ruin, it was quite large.
Almost like the 'Princess's Palace' from my past life that had crumbled.
「If we enter, he shouts he'll collapse the cathedral.」
「Then wouldn't it be better to wait for reinforcements slowly?」
At my question, Irina clamped her mouth shut.
She hated yielding credit to others but was holding back for her subordinates.
「Right, that would be best....」
Regretful, but a wise decision.
As expected of the Conqueror's daughter.
I gazed down at her intently.
Tomorrow's grand party for the Emperor's triumphant return.
Receiving commendation for tonight's feats there would greatly elevate her knight order's standing.
The princess alliance's power would strengthen further.
「...」
I untied my leopard-print necktie.
And as I tucked it into my inner pocket, I said.
「I'll go in.」
Daring to enter despite the countless gunpowder inside.
Irina and the nearby Verdant Knights were shocked.
「Veil, what are you saying? What can you do going in alone?」
「Yes, Master. Too dangerous!」
My former students, now proper knights.
They all looked at me with worried eyes.
「It's fine. I have a very simple way to resolve it.」
I reassured them with my signature sly smile.
「No weapon?」
Allen asked cautiously.
He was worrying about me now too.
「Nah, no need.」
Leaving them behind, I flung open the main doors.
And calmly entered the chilly ruined cathedral.
Irina gazed at me earnestly.
Much like how I had stayed alone in the palace to buy time in my past life.
With hands neatly clasped, she seemed regretful at receiving my help again.
「Veil....」
Beneath the collapsed roof pouring in moonlight.
I walked steadily to the center of the cathedral.
￣￣￣.
At the center of the grand hall stood a single man.
An Eastern knight with bronze skin and wounds across his body.
Surrounded by gunpowder scattered everywhere, he glared at me with fierce red eyes.
「Who the hell are you...? I clearly said no one should enter.」
He breathed raggedly.
Seeing I had no weapon, he seemed slightly relieved.
「Not in uniform. Not a knight?」
He furrowed his brow at my mana-concealed form.
But as I strode closer, he raised his dagger.
「Don't come closer! Do you really want to die together!!」
With each shout, black, turbid murderous energy writhed from his chest.
His precarious state resembled a rabid dog facing death.
*'A self-destruct spell to ignite the gunpowder on the floor.'*
The moment he stabs his own heart.
His body explodes, collapsing this place too.
Yet I did not stop.
Instead, I silently approached right up to his nose.
「Stop, I said stop!」
I halted only when I was before the assassin's face.
And then....
「Shh, be quiet.」
I raised a finger and whispered to the Eastern knight.
「His Highness the Crown Prince sent me.」
Crown Prince.
At those words, the man's eyes twitched.
「W-what...?」
He stammered back at me in confusion.
「I received orders to get you out of here.」
I smirked.
And whispered to him with a villainous, sinister smile.