What Was He Thinking When He Brought That Out?
"What? So it wasn't Ariente who was in charge of the road construction?"
"The construction itself was handled by Ariente Construction, but the rights to the project were held by Belmont. It was also Belmont's know-how that allowed them to tunnel through the mountain range..."
"Hoh. I thought Belmont was nothing but a pack of rats hiding behind mountains and plotting shady schemes, but it seems they're capable of pulling off such audacious stunts as well."
In the imperial palace, Emperor Vanessa let out a dry laugh as her attendants helped her dress. Even the maid who had served her for decades felt a chill run down her spine at that eerie smile. It was exceedingly rare for the Emperor to wear such an expression in her lifetime. Those who had caused her to smile like that rarely met a pleasant end.
"Did you clearly convey my intention to visit?"
"Yes. However, Belmont refused to discuss the schedule and simply sent the messenger back."
"It seems they intend to throw me a surprise party. Bring me my holy sword."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Belmont. It had always been a troublesome border region. Even the process of its subjugation had been absurd. After successfully fending off the Empire's punitive expedition for two years, they surrendered at the very moment the imperial forces, exhausted and ready to give up, were about to turn back. Since then, Belmont had enjoyed unprecedented autonomy. But when the suspicions of the Count's black magic research were proven true, everything was turned upside down. The title of Margrave was demoted to a mere Count. After that, Belmont seemed to live as quietly as a mouse. Yet everyone, including Vanessa, openly knew that Belmont continued its research into black magic in secret.
'But suddenly Belmont took the lead in building a road...?'
It didn't add up. Weren't these the same people who had been able to research black magic undisturbed precisely because they were far from the capital? So why on earth were they carving through the mountain range to connect directly to the capital?
'Are they plotting an invasion in reverse?'
Roads had always been the most critical infrastructure for determining an army's mobility. Wasn't this newly completed road actually a path for leading an undead legion to invade the capital? The moment that thought crossed her mind, Vanessa let out a dry laugh.
"The country has been far too peaceful for far too long."
It seemed about time for a crisis to strike. And it looked like Belmont would be the one to fire the first shot. With the jewel-encrusted sword at her waist and dressed in what was practically casual attire, she left the palace. She was heading toward Belmont territory, where unknown schemes and slanders might await, yet not a trace of worry or anxiety could be found in her resolute blue eyes. If anything, they were filled with exhilaration and anticipation.
"Escort unit. Raise the alert level to maximum."
"It's fine. It's just a road opening ceremony."
"But it's Belmont territory..."
"If we make the security too tight, won't they give up on whatever they're planning?"
"..."
The captain of the guard nodded silently in understanding. The alert level remained at its normal state. This confidence stemmed from none other than Emperor Vanessa's own formidable martial prowess. She was the chosen wielder of Tempest, one of only six holy swords in existence. With the holy sword at her waist, her combat strength was in no way inferior to that of the entire escort unit combined. Raising the alert level or donning armor would only look ridiculous. It was a declaration of her confidence that no matter what tricks the other side had prepared, she could break through them all with her bare body alone.
"I'm curious. Young Lord Belmont. Just what wind blew through his head to suddenly act so openly like this?"
Aslan Belmont. The young lord who had been holed up in the library suddenly began to take action. She was so curious about what he was thinking that she wanted to split his head open and take a look inside. Vanessa swiftly mounted her horse, and the grand procession lined up behind her set off toward Belmont territory—not via the old route around the mountain range, but straight through it.
"W-We are deeply honored by Your Majesty's long journey. I am Count Ariente, the chief supervisor of the road construction..."
"Enough. Where is Aslan Belmont?"
They soon arrived at the entrance of the road. Count Ariente and his staff, wearing hard hats, were waiting to greet Vanessa, but she paid them no attention whatsoever, merely glancing around. Where was Belmont? She had no interest in the debt-ridden Ariente—she wanted Belmont! Bring Belmont out immediately!
"Aslan Belmont is..."
So he wasn't showing his face here after all. Was he planning to sit and wait in Belmont territory? Even after seeing his father beheaded for challenging imperial authority, he still acted this arrogantly? Where on earth did that confidence come from? Was this brat really preparing an undead legion...!
"He is currently behind Your Majesty..."
"Greetings, Your Majesty. So you've finally looked this way. I am Aslan Belmont."
"...What are you doing right now?"
"I am showing the utmost respect to Your Imperial Majesty."
"..."
Turning around, Vanessa flinched. A shabby-looking man was prostrated flat on the ground. This man was Aslan Belmont? The man who had carved a road through the mountain range and turned Ariente into a de facto vassal state by saddling them with massive debt?
"What kind of etiquette is this supposed to be?"
"If lowering one's posture is a way of showing respect, then the utmost respect would be getting as close to the ground as possible, wouldn't it? This is called a prostration in the East. There's also a variation called the grand prostration—would you like me to demonstrate it?"
"...No, that's enough. Raise your head. I want to see your face."
An absurd etiquette that made her dizzy just hearing about it. Vanessa pressed a hand to her forehead and immediately refused. A moment later, the pale-skinned man stood up, brushing the dirt from his knees. So this man was Aslan Belmont... Just as the rumors said, he had an incredibly gloomy face. And the woman beside him, blushing with embarrassment, was likely his sister, Irene Belmont.
"It is a tremendous honor to invite Your Majesty to the completion ceremony of this monumental road connecting Belmont territory and the capital. Until now, Belmont territory has been close in a straight line to the capital but faced great difficulty in travel due to the mountain range acting as an obstacle. Feeling regret over this situation, we constructed a direct road to the capital so that Belmont territory's material and human resources could be supplied to the capital, enabling smoother trade..."
"That's enough. I already understand the ripple effects this road will bring, so that part is unnecessary. What I want to hear about now is the man called Aslan Belmont. How could a man who hasn't engaged in any external activities for over twenty years except for a baptism suddenly display such ambitious moves? That's what I'm curious about."
"...!"
Vanessa's fierce gaze pierced straight through Aslan. Unable to withstand that gaze, Aslan quickly averted his eyes. Damn it. He wasn't supposed to draw attention to himself. This wasn't part of the plan. Aslan desperately shot Irene a pleading look, and she let out a sigh before stepping forward.
"It seems the conversation will be quite long, Your Majesty. It doesn't seem appropriate to discuss it on the road while on horseback. I'll arrange a separate time for you to speak leisurely with my brother later, so how about we move for now?"
"Very well. I'll allow your stalling tactic to work just this once."
"..."
The procession finally began moving again, but Aslan's already pale face had turned deathly white, showing no signs of recovering its color. What? She was going to arrange a separate time to talk leisurely later? What the hell was this crazy woman saying? No matter how Aslan glared at her, Irene simply looked relieved.
'I'm screwed. I never expected her to take an interest in me.'
She absolutely hated anything that looked like it was hiding something. That was why he had thrown away all pride and prostrated himself on the ground. Yet the Emperor had somehow become focused on Aslan himself. What was he supposed to say? That for the past twenty years, he hadn't been himself? That he had been acting like a scoundrel until one day he heard God's rebuke in a dream and came to his senses? This was driving him insane. Before he knew it, Aslan's clothes were soaked with cold sweat.
'I have to divert her interest somehow...!'
There was only one way. He had to shift the Emperor's interest away from him. Activate Plan B! Aslan made an incomprehensible hand signal toward the sky. The guards looked up, wondering if something was there, but all they could see was a clear blue sky.
"I heard you sent the messenger back with the rude excuse that you couldn't reveal the schedule."
"Yes..."
"Thanks to you keeping it so tightly under wraps, my expectations have soared without limit. Let's see just how Belmont plans to welcome me."
"Y-You will be satisfied..."
Instead of Aslan, who couldn't ride a horse, it was Irene riding alongside the Emperor whose voice trembled. No matter how she looked at it, it seemed like the fact that they had sent the messenger back because they had no plan at all had been completely exposed! Irene was stiff with tension. Meanwhile, Aslan had dried off all his cold sweat and was brimming with confidence. Just how are you going to satisfy this iron woman...!
"We'll be arriving soon."
"Hmm?"
"Y-Your Majesty! Please fall back! There's something up ahead!"
"...!?"
At the sudden ominous presence, the guards reacted and rushed forward. Rumble. The ground began to shake violently. Overcome with déjà vu, Count Ariente screamed and fled. And what appeared before the group was—
[This ahead is Belmont territory! Welcome! Kyaaak!]
A massive, earth-colored giant. An unknown lifeform that spoke in human language.
"A monster? Ah, no. It looks too insignificant to be a monster."
"A spirit? At that size, a greater spirit?"
"There's no way a greater spirit would look like that..."
"More than anything, there's no way a spirit would be visible to our eyes."
"But what was he thinking when he brought that out?"
Everyone in the group stared in bewilderment. Irene shot Aslan a murderous glare. Damn it, it didn't work! How the hell was she supposed to satisfy the Emperor with something that stupid!
"...Cute."
"Pardon?"
"...Ah."
At that moment, a small voice escaped between the Emperor's lips. It was so quiet that only Irene could hear it. Meeting Irene's eyes, Vanessa covered her mouth with her hand, her face flushing bright red like a tomato.