4. Imperial Capital Lumentium - 14
4. Imperial Capital Lumentium - 14
Deep within the imperial palace, in a location kept strictly secret, were the private chambers of Iris El Debhart, the sole Imperial Princess of the Empire. In the center of a resplendent room that perfectly matched the dignity and presence required of a direct imperial descendant, Iris El Debhart sat in a chair, her eyes closed.
"....."
Though her eyes were closed, she was not asleep. She had something to consider—no, something she must consider. She turned it over in her mind again and again. She had to act with extreme caution. No amount of care would ever be too much.
To perfectly accomplish what she had set her mind to, everything had to be without the slightest flaw. So, in this moment, she was absorbed in thought. The opportunity presented to her was just once. She had to finish things perfectly while her prey was completely unaware and off guard. Failure was not an option.
Ssk—
It was then that the flow of air in the room shifted in an instant. Though there was no knock, nor any sign of another's presence, Iris sensed that a guest had arrived in her chambers. She was not surprised. It was, after all, Iris herself who had commanded this person to enter in secrecy, leaving no trace for anyone to find.
"...Chris, is that you?"
"...Yes, Your Highness the Imperial Princess. As you commanded, I have investigated the whereabouts of Ariel Tiere, Kirie El Denaris, and Bianca del Castana for the past two months."
With that, Chris handed several documents to Iris. Iris took them and murmured, a hint of surprise in her voice.
"Hm. You've returned sooner than I expected. I thought it would take at least a week."
She knew Chris was exceptionally capable, but she had not imagined that Chris could uncover their movements in just three days.
"Those three individuals were already on the Intelligence Department's primary watch list. Thanks to that, the task was merely a matter of collating the accumulated data."
"Oh? They were included among the Empire's primary watch targets?"
Now that she thought about it, she didn't need to look ten years ahead. Even at the present moment, they were women who each possessed extraordinary martial prowess. It was certain that the Intelligence Department, afflicted by a paranoid compulsion to gather every scrap of information in the Empire, had been keeping an eye on them.
"...Your tail?"
"I used a covert route. I set it to the highest priority, so no one will be able to trace it. Unless His Majesty personally inspects it, I can guarantee its security."
"Good. Well done, Chris."
"...You flatter me."
At Iris's praise, Chris merely bowed her head deeper, showing no sign of joy. She was the Imperial Princess's sword. To flawlessly carry out her orders was only natural. She considered the Imperial Princess's praise to be more than she deserved.
"Hmm..."
Iris turned over the first page of the documents. The first sheet recorded the movements of Kirie El Denaris, the Guardian of the World Tree, over the past two months.
"...She hasn't left the vicinity of the World Tree even once in the last two months?"
"Yes. According to the testimonies of merchants permitted to interact with the elves, she has been faithfully performing her role as Guardian. In fact, the Intelligence Department has also confirmed that the watch target has never been seen leaving the elves' domain."
"...What a frustratingly inflexible woman. Though, that is something I find appealing about her."
A bitter smile crept onto Iris's lips as she looked over Kirie's movements. She'd thought she herself was quite inflexible, but Kirie seemed even more so. Perhaps she had lived so long that she could no longer change her way of life. Or perhaps she was simply turning a blind eye to her own condition. If not that—
"...Well, it seems I need not concern myself with that woman for the time being."
Shaking her head, Iris turned the page. The person detailed on the next page possessed such a presence as to instantly darken Iris's mood.
"...Ariel Tiere."
As the woman's face came to mind, Iris scowled before she could stop herself. She truly detested that woman. No, to be exact, she detested all the women who had been in the Winter Expedition, but among them, Ariel Tiere was uniquely detestable.
There was no reason for it. She was always smiling, a harmless woman who never picked fights with others, yet she was displeasing in a way Iris couldn't explain. Perhaps it was that utterly unflappable, relaxed expression. This was purely speculation, but that woman Ariel seemed to look down on the other members of the expedition as if they were beneath her. A truly unpleasant woman. The thought that such a woman was called a 'Saintess' in the world felt like nothing more than a ridiculous farce.
Swallowing her surging displeasure, Iris calmly read through the words written in the document.
"...About two months ago, she suddenly began behaving as if she were a completely different person?"
"Yes. Reportedly, from one day to the next, she began to exhibit signs of being unable to control her own emotions. Then, for about a week, she refused all contact with others and devoted herself solely to prayer, after which she abruptly and strongly expressed a wish to be dispatched to the temple in the capital."
"...Hm."
So, our encounter at the banquet hall was no coincidence. That woman had attended the banquet with a definite purpose in mind. The purpose was so blatant that Iris could only let out a dry laugh.
Yes, this was exactly what would make things a little more interesting. Intense competition raised the value of the prize at stake. Snatching prey away from clueless underlings was a despicable act, no better than a hyena. It was neither elegant nor dignified.
Crushing every obstacle head-on and seizing victory openly—that was the philosophy of the woman called Iris El Debhart.
But at the same time, that was all it was.
'How dull. Truly.'
Ridiculous. After agonizing for days and nights, this was what she had come up with? Showing her face at the banquet hall under the guise of coincidence? It was a ploy that was far too cute to be called a scheme devised by that scheming woman. Or perhaps she should call it arrogance. The way Ariel was already behaving like the victor when the race hadn't even started was truly laughable.
A scoff escaped Iris's lips before she knew it, and she felt her mind ease considerably. One woman hadn't even reached the starting line, and another was beneath her expectations. It seemed a tense, fierce contest was not to be.
With an expression far brighter than before, Iris turned to the next page of the document. And the moment she read what was written there, her face hardened completely.
"...Chris."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Is what's written here truly factual?"
"...To which part are you referring?"
"The fact that Bianca del Castana visited the Black Tower."
The Black Tower.
It was a collective established by the schools of magic that specialized in researching black magic. Hearing the term 'black magic' might make one instinctively think of a forbidden, sinister art, but they actually belonged to a quite normal category of people. It was merely that the mana they handled was a pitch-black color unlike ordinary magic, and so the common folk kept their distance. When you looked at it properly, black magic was nothing more than a branch of the academic discipline of magic.
And Bianca del Castana was herself a mage. One might ask what was so special about a mage visiting a 'Tower' to study magic. Yet Iris could instinctively sense that this was an ominous portent.
Because the field of black magic dealt with the human being itself. For example, life and death, or the mechanics of the soul.
...Or perhaps, human memories.
"....."
What in the world was Bianca del Castana's objective? Had she simply visited the Black Tower out of curiosity about magic? Or had she gone there harboring a different purpose? If not that, had some profound change of heart over the past two months led her to seek out the Black Tower?
She didn't know why, but it felt dangerous. That was Iris's conclusion. The intuition she had honed over the years was sounding the alarm. If left alone, something was clearly going to happen.
"Chris."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Make ready. I shall visit the Black Tower personally. As this will be an unofficial visit, leave no trace."
"...When do you plan to depart?"
To Chris's question, Iris answered in a tone that brooked no argument.
"Right this instant."
****
After the long and eventful banquet at the imperial palace was over, all of House Estel's official business in the capital was finally finished. In other words, the time had finally come to leave this damnable city and go home.
"...At last, we are leaving Lumentium and setting off for home."
I watched as the attendants loaded luggage onto the carriage and couldn't help but let out a sigh of lament. It was finally over. Ever since arriving in the capital, I'd longed only for the day I could go home, yet I'd scarcely dared to hope it would actually come. It felt as if I'd been here for a year.
That was how much I had been through these past few days—'eventful' didn't even begin to cover it. To put it bluntly, I felt like my lifespan had been shortened by about ten years. I'd faced so many shocking things recently that it seemed I'd developed a heart of steel, enough to laugh off most matters. Of course, that wasn't a happy thing at all.
But even this was at an end. Once I left this capital, there'd be nothing left to disturb my peaceful life. I resolved firmly in my heart that this time, I would bury myself in the Estel Duchy and live a life of leisure.
"...The next time I set foot here will be after Father has passed."
When Father passed, I would have to come here to swear the oath of fealty to the Emperor. I had better pray that Father enjoys a long life and good health.
But that was when it happened.
Whack—!
Someone landed a solid blow to the back of my head. Seeing stars flicker before my eyes, I knew it was a strike packed with emotion.
"What a deplorably unfilial wretch you are. Were you just now praying to the heavens for this father of yours to die as soon as possible? Or have you simply desired the title of Duke that badly?"
"...That's not it."
"If not that, then what did you mean? Was there some profound significance to it that I fail to grasp?"
Father let out a dry laugh as he listened to my excuse. My words just now were spoken with the hope that, unlike before my regression, Father would not pass away early, and that I would never have to visit the capital again.
But to explain that, I would have to explain that I was a regressor who had turned back ten years of time, and so it wasn't something I could rashly open my mouth about. So I clamped my mouth shut like a clam.
I let out a sigh from the depths of my heart, and Father looked at me as if I were pathetic, with no idea of how I truly felt.
"...Well, we shall discuss the full extent of your unfilial nature later, at our leisure. Now is not the time for that, it seems."
"Why?"
"A guest has come. They said they are looking for you."
...For me? Who? Not to boast, but I'm not a person with a wide circle of acquaintances, so there aren't many who would come looking for me personally. And among those residing in the capital, there were even fewer.
As I tilted my head in curiosity, Father spoke to me in a tone far more serious than before.
"For the record, I have already consented to the guest's proposal. However, I told them that the final decision is deferred to you. Kain, see for yourself and judge."
With those words, Father gestured to the 'guest' who was hesitating a short distance away. It was a signal to come over. At the same time, Father stepped aside, a consideration for the two of us to speak freely.
"...Kain von Estel, it has been a while."
The 'guest' Father spoke of was a truly unexpected one, far beyond my predictions.
"Lucian? Lucian von Turnizen?"
The identity of the guest was none other than Lucian, the man who had dueled me at the banquet hall just days ago and been defeated.
"...What business do you possibly have with me?"
Hadn't the bad blood between Lucian and me been cleanly resolved through that duel? He didn't seem to be the type to hold a grudge, either. Surely he hadn't come seeking a rematch?
"Kain von Estel. I have come with a request."
"What is it?"
For the word 'request' to come from the mouth of the heir to the Turnizen Ducal House—just how grand a proposition was he about to make, putting me on edge like this?
But the request that came from Lucian's lips was something that far surpassed my imagination.
"I wish to depart for House Estel together with you. Would you permit me to become a knight of House Estel?"