For the Continent (1)

"Haaah..."

Emperor Gustav's deep sigh echoed softly through the imperial palace in the capital. Whether the Trude Kingdom was supporting the rebels remained uncertain, but it had become clear that the Great Forest was actively supplying them with materials and troops. He had been about to demand their "cooperation" to put a stop to it, yet he was struggling to find the right words.

"Ugh..."

With the imperial army still not fully rebuilt after the war with the Trude Kingdom, he had no desire to turn the Great Forest into a complete enemy. However, he could not simply overlook their direct defiance of the Empire's hegemony. How could he apply significant pressure on the Great Forest without uttering the word "war"? That was the dilemma plaguing him when the report arrived.

"Your Majesty, Schluss Heinkel has arrived at the palace."

"..."

Gustav pressed a hand to his throbbing temple. Troubles kept piling up, and now the most difficult man to deal with had shown up at the palace.

"However..."

"What is it?"

"He did not request an audience with Your Majesty."

"Hah."

Coming all the way to the palace only to meet the Crown Prince and leave? Without even the courtesy of requesting an audience? The intent was so transparent that Gustav let out a dry laugh. He could understand why rumors claimed Schluss Heinkel was revealing his true nature—ignoring the aging Emperor who would soon die and currying favor with the Crown Prince, who would soon come of age and seize imperial authority.

"Shall I bring him in?"

"..."

Schluss Heinkel was clearly walking a dangerous tightrope. It had only been recently that he was hailed as a hero for killing the Crow Henderson. Now he was taking steps so reckless they threatened to erase that reputation entirely. The great magic in the Wist Forest. The destruction of the true Crow forces. A man who was neither a court mage sworn to the imperial family nor a knight was wielding mana ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠at a level that could not even be properly measured...

From the perspective of one who oversaw the stability and peace of the continent, this could not be ignored. In the worst case, rivers of blood would flow. According to the imperial research institute, defeating Schluss Heinkel would require sacrificing an entire imperial division. That was far too high a price to pay for capturing a single commoner.

"Bring him. In the Emperor's name."

"Understood."

He had to try everything he could before it came to that. Even if the man—or rather, whoever stood behind him—was certain to refuse.

***

Ah, damn it. I had completely forgotten.

"Schluss Heinkel. You are to have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor. It is an imperial command."

"..."

The palace did not contain only the Crown Prince. If I had not completely abandoned all sense of decorum, I should have at least requested an audience with the Emperor. My mind had been so cluttered that I had not spared a single thought for him. In my mind, the Emperor was already as good as dead.

"Schluss Heinkel. His Highness the Crown Prince summons you."

"Once my meeting with His Highness the Crown Prince concludes, I will proceed to the audience chamber."

"What...!"

My appointment with Aria had already been scheduled. No matter how powerful the Emperor might be, he could not simply rearrange an imminent schedule on a whim. I waved a hand dismissively at the man who appeared to be a retainer and entered the meeting room. Emilia, who had been watching the situation, followed behind me.

"I greet Your Highness the Crown Prince."

"Quite the commotion. It seems His Majesty has summoned you?"

"The one who issues the summons should be the one waiting, should he not?"

"You madman..."

"I shall take that as a compliment."

Aria had a rather coarse tongue at times. I supposed it was simply a more forceful way of saying she had backbone. That aside, her beauty seemed especially striking today. Had she applied heavier makeup? No, it was not quite that. It felt more as though her entire atmosphere had shifted...

"You said you wished to discuss the ring."

"Yes, that is correct."

"This room is soundproof. You may speak your mind freely."

"...?"

Speak my mind? Had she noticed that I was hiding something? But there were far too many things I was hiding. I could not even begin to guess what Aria was talking about.

"I am not certain what you mean..."

"Were you always like this? I do not recall you being the type to speak in circles."

"I have no intention of evading the subject."

"Very well. If you insist on being so uncooperative, then We shall speak plainly. We feel somewhat sorry for you. You are laboring under a rather significant misconception."

"...?"

"There are no factions within the imperial family. We would have you understand that much, at least."

"What do you mean..."

"Haa. We shall put it more simply. His Majesty and We are not in opposition."

"...?"

The one laboring under a misconception was Aria. I wondered how things had become so twisted. It seemed she believed I was bypassing the Emperor to align myself with the Crown Prince. If the Emperor himself had come to the same conclusion, that would be a serious problem.

"You misunderstand, Your Highness."

"A misunderstanding? We are the one who has misunderstood?"

"Yes. While it is true that We anticipate Your Highness's ascension, that does not mean We desire His Majesty the Emperor's passing."

"Huu... Do you even realize what word you just spoke?"

"Yes. Even if factions exist within the imperial family, We have no intention of aligning with any of them. We follow His Majesty the Emperor. Always, no matter who it may be."

If there was a misunderstanding, it needed to be corrected. Without beating around the bush, I laid it out directly. This should prevent anyone from interpreting my actions as an attempt to overthrow the Emperor.

"Hahaha. You truly are mad. No matter what winds you blow Our way, We will never poison Our grandfather."

"We have never even imagined such a thing."

......That had been a joke, right? She had been smiling while she said it. Surely that was the case.

Aria rested her chin on her hand and observed me for a moment before smiling faintly and speaking again.

"We heard you died and came back to life."

"That never happened. It only appeared as though We had died."

"That is the same thing."

"Phrasing it that way would create religious complications."

"Mm. We ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had not considered that. Very well. In any case. You appeared to have died, then awoke. Why did you not contact Us for so long afterward?"

I wondered if that, too, was a joke, but Aria's rather serious expression suggested otherwise.

"We did not feel obligated to do so."

"Obligated? Very well. Then how about We create that obligation?"

"Create... an obligation?"

Suddenly, Aria's face began to flush red. Was she feeling warm? The room felt perfectly cool to me. I glanced back at Emilia, who also showed no sign of discomfort.

"Yes. We were about to make a formal proposal. A... a betrothal..."

"That is correct, Your Highness. That is precisely why We requested this meeting."

"Wh-what?! It really was about a betrothal?"

"Yes. There are rumors circulating that Your Highness and We have entered into a betrothal. Have you heard them?"

"..."

Aria, who had risen in agitation, soon crossed her arms and sat back down. She seemed rather displeased.

"We have not heard them."

"We thought as much. Had you known, you would have taken measures. We only learned of them recently as well."

"Hmph. We cannot even begin to imagine why such absurd rumors would spread. The one who spread them must be captured and severely punished."

"There is something We suspect as the cause. Please uncross your arms."

"We refuse. Are you giving Us an order right now?"

"If you would show Us the ring finger of your left hand, We would be grateful."

"...Tsk."

Aria uncrossed her arms and placed her left hand on the desk. I placed my own left hand beside it. Two plain iron ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rings lay side by side.

Wait, what the hell. These were not similar rings—they were exactly the same ring?

Startled, I immediately activated Inquiry.

Fortunately, there were not two actual Miracle Rings. That had given me quite a fright. I deactivated the skill before the rest of the description could appear.

"Huu. Quite similar rings indeed. How coincidental."

"This is the cause, We believe. If either of us removes this ring, the rumors should subside to some degree."

"Are you telling Us to remove it?"

"If you are unwilling, then We shall remove ours."

"Ah, no. Wait a moment."

Just as I was about to remove the ring, Aria's pale hand seized my index finger. There was a certain urgency in her touch.

"We shall remove it. We will..."

She then proceeded to remove the ring from her own ring finger. This, I had not expected. It was the first time I had seen the stubborn Aria yield on anything. Though whether this even counted as yielding was debatable.

"You may make a public announcement denying the rumors if you wish."

"An announcement? Why?"

"Does it not bother you? Rumors that you are betrothed to a mere commoner. We know you find it deeply uncomfortable."

"Ah... Is that how it appears... No. It does not seem worth causing such a fuss. We shall consider the matter settled by removing the ring."

I had achieved what I wanted. The rumors would not spread any further. It had been strange from the beginning that such an irreverent rumor had been allowed to circulate without being denied. Almost as though the imperial family had deliberately ignored it despite knowing...

But that could not be the case. Aria herself had said she had not known. This confirmed that the imperial family was less aware of noble rumors than I had assumed.

"It was good to see you after so long, Your Highness."

"A-are you leaving already?"

"Yes. Do you have any other business?"

When I rose from my seat, the Crown Prince spoke in a slightly flustered voice. Did she have more to say? I waited a moment, but she avoided my gaze and merely moved her lips without speaking. This was the first time I had seen Aria like this. I had no memory of her behaving this way even in the original novel. It was almost as though...

"No. You may go."

"Yes. We apologize for troubling Your Highness with such trivial matters."

"Yes. Feel even more apologetic."

She looked like nothing more than a shy girl. But that, too, was surely just my imagination. I should not do something foolish like trying to read a woman's mind by scrutinizing her expression. Through Emilia, I had already learned that I understood nothing about women's hearts. One needed to have dated more than two people in a lifetime to grasp such things. In that regard, I was completely hopeless.

I offered Aria a final bow and turned away. Emilia had already hurried ahead and was reaching for the door handle when—

"Schluss Heinkel."

"Yes, Your Highness."

I turned at the sound of that husky, captivating voice. Aria had risen from her seat and was staring straight at me. Her expression was resolute, almost solemn.

"What if. This is purely hypothetical. What if We... were to propose a betrothal to you... What would your answer be?"

"We would refuse."

"What? What?! Think more seriously! We would be the one proposing! Not through His Majesty's arrangement!"

"It was hypothetical, was it not?"

"Yes. Hypothetical. Hypothetical..."

"We would still refuse."

It must have been a joke on Aria's part. She had probably wanted to fluster me, but that attempt had failed.

"May We ask your reason?"

"We do not court children. Propose again after your coming-of-age ceremony. At that time, We would accept without hesitation."

"Get out. We do not wish to see your face."

"Yes, Your Highness."

I had no interest in minors. Leaving behind Aria, whose mood had clearly soured after her joke fell flat, I stepped through the door Emilia had opened. Now it was time to see the Emperor.

...

"That bastard..."

The Crown Prince lay face-down on the desk, her face buried in her arms. The attendants could only exchange uneasy glances, unsure what to do.

"We mustered the courage to speak... That bastard, worse than a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dog..."

She had made the proposal despite the humiliation. But Schluss Heinkel had merely laughed and answered playfully. He would not marry a child...

"Grrr..."

That smirking face kept rising in her mind, and the Crown Prince ground her teeth. She was furious. She had clearly said "what if." It had only been a hypothetical, so why was she so enraged?

"We shall make you beg on your knees, Schluss Heinkel..."

That inexplicable anger had already transformed into a thirst for revenge. She would reverse their positions. Schluss would beg for a betrothal, and she would reject him outright. Then it would no longer be a hypothetical. She intended to inflict upon him a hundred times the humiliation she felt now.

When she turned her head, her gaze fell upon the single ring resting on the desk.

"Huu..."

She had been about to pick it up and throw it away, but—

"Haa..."

She lowered her hand again. The plain silver ring lay in her open palm. It was a ring she could never wear on her finger again.

"We forgot..."

Now that she thought about it, she had completely forgotten to ask. Who Han A-rum was. What that name meant to him. She had forgotten to ask.