Chapter 178: For You (1)
The Crown Prince, who had been scrutinizing the Emperor with a hint of suspicion, spotted the meat at the end of his gaze and nodded as if understanding.
"Come to think of it, I've heard that people who've spent a long time on the battlefield are sensitive to the smell of blood. I'll have to order the meat well-done from now on."
"......."
Well, it wasn't because of that.
The Emperor quietly smiled at the Crown Prince, who was furrowing his brow ever so slightly, asking why he hadn't said something sooner when he must have been so uncomfortable all this time.
As if relieved, the Crown Prince blinked slowly. The Emperor confirmed that even the Princess had finished her meal, then rang a bell at the side of the table.
The dishes on the table were cleared away and dessert was served.
The Crown Prince, who had been watching every single servant finish setting up and exit, waited until the door closed before opening his mouth.
A question he had been holding back until dessert, unable to broach such a heavy subject in front of the Emperor who wasn't eating well anyway, was finally asked.
"I heard the Millere Barony has fallen. And that Margrave Amiable was killed in action."
It was news delivered just today. Soon, the nobles would hear of it as well.
Already picturing the exhausting situation that would ensue, the Emperor nodded with a slight frown.
"That it was."
"The Demon King's army must still be advancing toward the capital."
"That is also correct."
"Then why did you do it?"
"What is it?"
The Crown Prince's face contorted with frustration.
"I am asking why you withdrew all the troops when we don't have enough to spare even by sending more to block them."
Did he know what the Emperor had done while Margrave Amiable was buying time at Millere?
He had evacuated all citizens of the Empire from the direct route between Millere and the capital to other locations.
If that was all, he could understand, but his subsequent action of withdrawing the nobles and soldiers stationed along that route left the Crown Prince clutching his chest in dismay.
If they had identified the army's route, they should have concentrated their forces on the expected path. What kind of nonsensical action was this? It was literally the same as clearing the way to the capital.
"For now... let's just say it was for the relocation of the capital."
"......You mean to say you're moving the capital? In this situation?"
"Most of the preparations are already complete."
"But it's not something that can be resolved in a day or two, so just when on earth...."
"Who knows."
The Emperor crookedly propped his chin up, the corner of his lips subtly lifting. The eyes of the Crown Prince and Princess narrowed, noticing he had no intention of answering, but he paid them no mind.
If asked when he began preparing, it would be most accurate to say it was from the moment Deon Hart came to him, poured out his resentment, and left.
'Of course, I had been covertly preparing even before that, but the full-scale effort began from then.'
As an apology and a gesture of respect toward Cruel, the Emperor had redirected Deon Hart's hatred onto himself. It was easily predictable that Deon Hart, bearing a grudge against the Emperor, would completely side with the demon realm. And indeed, he had.
The one who sows the seeds ought to reap them.
"Do not worry, for I have selected the most suitable location considering the current state of affairs. Naturally, there is already a detached palace there appropriate for use as the main palace. Later, when the situation stabilizes, we can gradually expand it."
"That's not why I'm...!"
"It may not match Esperanes, but it is a considerably sturdy fortress. Supplies have already been moved there, and it's structured to allow farming inside, so even in the worst case, we could hold out if surrounded on all sides."
Sensing something ominous, the Princess turned her head to look at the Emperor.
He felt the sharp gaze, but knowing all too well how keen her intuition was, the Emperor stubbornly fixed his eyes on the Crown Prince instead of meeting hers.
The Crown Prince, who had been listening with his eyes cast down as if lost in thought, asked in a low voice without lifting his head.
"When are you moving it?"
"Soon."
"The current capital will serve as bait to buy time, then."
"By the time they arrive, it will be empty."
"Even so, it would be wise to station some forces midway to stall them in case their advance speed is faster than expected."
"Some stubborn individuals refused to retreat and have dug in along the route. That will suffice; I do not wish to increase unnecessary sacrifices beyond that. And above all, is this not a situation where we must conserve our forces?"
"But those can hardly be called forces, can they? What will you do if they really do come storming in before we've completely relocated?"
So full of worries.
The Emperor smiled faintly.
"Naturally, a contingency plan for such a scenario is also in place. There is nothing for you to worry about."
* * *
Tender Amiable fell, and the Demon King's army began advancing like mad. Worrying that the losses from his final desperate struggle were not insignificant and would need to be replenished proved pointless; the Demon King's army advanced smoothly without a single proper battle.
Because whenever they arrived, the castles were, for the most part, completely empty, without a single person. The gates were locked, but that was no problem, as they simply had to climb the walls with ladders and open them.
Except.
'It's unsettling.'
Utterly, incomparably unsettling.
They were heading toward the capital, so resistance should have been fierce. What on earth was the scheme here?
Deon frowned. Occasionally, there were places where people remained, but even then, it was more in the sense that they were 'left behind' rather than 'prepared,' so breaking through wasn't so difficult.
'A feint? A trap? Or did they just give up because Tender Amiable fell?'
He picked up the communication stone, but all he could learn was that the path ahead was completely empty. Even Dvelania said she was still investigating the reason, so there was no way to know.
[And more importantly, Deon-nim, you still haven't met him?]
[Met who?]
[Ah... still haven't, I see....... Some lunatic insisted on going to you and fled, you know.]
[.......]
The latter part of the conversation nagged at him slightly, but he ignored it and pressed on for a long while, carrying the unpleasant feeling in his gut.
"Deon-nim, a castle is in sight."
"......Ah, already."
Before he knew it, they had arrived at the territory where the current head of House Hart was supposedly staying. Deon gazed up at the familiar castle wall blankly.
He had never visited in person because his weak body couldn't handle long-distance travel, but he remembered seeing it in a picture. A child who had seen nothing but the main family mansion he lived in had been captivated by the beautifully detailed depiction of the villa.
Deon, who had been fiddling with the corner of his mouth, slowly spoke.
"......The head of House Hart is staying here?"
"Yes, it is said he remains in the villa here without fleeing."
"Well, that's unexpected."
What was the name of this territory again? Turning over meaningless thoughts, he slowly began to move his steps.
The gazes of those startled by Deon's sudden advance alone clung to him. Dan, raising a hand to the sword at his waist as if on guard, hurriedly drew close.
"Master, if you recklessly advance alone...."
"......I've been thinking for a while, but it seems items pre-inscribed with magic can be used even within the area of a magic suppression array."
Ed, his adjutant and vice corps commander, was in charge of processing documents at the Demon Castle and relaying major news from within the demon realm.
Feeling anew the absence of his formerly all-capable adjutant, Deon looked back toward an unnamed commander of the demon realm who had accompanied him instead.
"Isn't there something like an item inscribed with teleportation magic?"
"My apologies. There is a limit to the magic an object can accept. Magic stones are said to be the best at receiving magic, so they are primarily used, but even those have limits. That is why only minor magics for everyday convenience can be inscribed. Teleportation is a high-level magic far beyond that scope."
"I see."
Well, he hadn't expected much anyway, so Deon nodded calmly and resumed his halted steps.
"For a place where the head of the house is staying, there's no one visible on the castle wall......."
"Master, it could be a trap, so please fall back...."
"Who knows. I'd bet on the meager forces guarding the villa where the head is located rather than a trap."
"Then we can just climb the wall with ladders and open the gate like before. But where are you going?"
"I thought I'd open the gate myself this time."
"......Pardon?"
Instead of answering the question that came back as if he couldn't believe his ears, Deon issued a command for the demons to stand by and continued onward. Dan tried to follow, but Deon only glanced back at him, not stopping him.
Before long, he placed his hand on the bricks next to the sturdy castle gate.
'Second row from the bottom, right side, based on the gate.'
In the orthodox Hart family, with its long history, the secret passages of all territories and mansions belonging to House Hart were taught generation after generation to the successor.
Only to the 'successor,' not even the 'direct line.'
It must have been to safeguard the succession against struggles over the headship. Since those who covet the position of family head would usually be brothers or relatives of a similar degree.
Even so, his father and brother hadn't chased away the young second son who lingered around the place of instruction. Instead, pretending he wasn't a bother, they had simply brought out one more chair and indifferently continued the lesson.
'Back then, I thought they just left me alone because I was a weak brat not even worth keeping out....'
His breath caught sharply as if a boulder had been placed on his chest. Without showing it, Deon counted the bricks of the second row and moved along the wall.
A throbbing pain in his chest continued, as if a piece of that boulder had crumbled and lodged itself in his heart.
'They trusted me.'
They had trusted me. No, beyond trust, they had wanted to protect me.
That was why they broke the rule and taught the secret passages even to the second son, not the successor. A child who had once prided himself that he had learned and mastered it by his own strength, not because anyone taught him, had now become an adult and looked back on the past with a broader perspective, and had realized.
My learning had only been possible because of their tacit permission.
'.......'
He quietly grit his teeth.
Suppressing emotions had become familiar by now. Deon forcibly suppressed the killing intent surging toward himself and pulled out the 98th brick. It was heavier than expected, requiring Dan's help, but that was no issue.
As the brick was removed and the hidden device was revealed, Dan's eyes widened slightly.
'Come to think of it, Master was of the direct line of House Hart.'
Still, such things were usually taught only to the successor, so it was surprising that he knew of this.
Swallowing the admiration that nearly burst out proved pointless, as when Deon pulled the lever of the device, Dan couldn't help but let out a gasp.
"Wow......."
As if proving it was a secret passage prepared for emergencies, the floor opened without a sound. There wasn't a single common tremor. Silently, stairs appeared before their eyes, and a pitch-black passage revealed itself below.
Passing by Dan, who was mesmerized as if fascinated, Deon felt along the wall of the stairway passage and tossed out a remark.
"Fit the brick back into place."
"Ah, yes."
Dan hurriedly pushed the brick back into its place and entered the passage. Around then, Deon, who had been feeling along the wall, pressed something hard as if he had found it.
Just as when it opened, the passage entrance closed without a sound. In the darkness where not a single point of light entered, he groped toward where Dan was likely standing, soon caught the other's sleeve, and spoke.
"Let's go."
Dan silently looked down at his sleeve being pulled forward.
A light voice broke through the heavy tension.
"Had I known this, I would have brought a torch."
"I know the way. Do we really need one?"
"It's better than walking through complete darkness where I can't see anything at all. ......More importantly, this kind of secret passage won't be limited to just this territory. How do you manage to even memorize the geography?"
"Well, because I memorized the secret passages of all territories and mansions belonging to House Hart. The first thing successors do when they formally begin their succession training is memorize the secret passages."
"But Master, you weren't the successor...."
Sharply catching onto Deon's mood, Dan shut his mouth.