Chapter 31: To the Empire (2)
Chapter 31: To the Empire (2)
A soft breeze brushed against his cheeks. The flowers lining the roadside shook their leaves as if welcoming the wind, and the sunlight sent down warm rays as though bestowing a blessing.
Yes, it was spring.
A late spring, nearly summer.
A gatekeeper standing guard in front of a massive mansion yawned lazily, drowsiness washing over him, then quirked one eyebrow as if spotting something.
Far off in the distance, someone wearing a traveler's robe was walking straight toward him.
"......Hey."
"Huh?"
"Doesn't that person look suspicious?"
"What's suspicious about...... Ah, you're right."
It might not look it, but this was a job he took a certain pride in. His comrade, instantly radiating a blade-sharp aura, adjusted his grip on his spear.
The gatekeeper also tightened his hold on his weapon and directed unconcealed wariness toward the stranger approaching them.
And the moment the stranger came right up to him, he thrust out his spear as a stop signal and spoke.
"This is the residence of Count Hart. His Lordship is currently away, and outsiders may not enter without permission. If you have urgent business, please leave a message."
A speech he had recited countless times to visitors.
Usually, since there was nothing to gain from making an enemy of Count Hart, most simply turned back. But this particular guest seemed different.
As if he hadn't heard a word of it, he stood firmly in place without the slightest retreat.
No, he even doubled down.
"Open the door."
"......Ha?"
Open the door? How utterly shameless.
Just as the gatekeeper was about to retort in sheer disbelief, the stranger pulled back his robe's hood.
And at the sight of the exposed white hair, the gatekeeper went blank for an instant. Then, meeting the red eyes that followed, he flinched in terror and put away his spear.
"Saying I can't enter my own estate is absurd, isn't it?"
"C-Count!"
Deon Hart, Honorary Count.
The man who had left his estate for the purpose of monster subjugation had returned after a full six months.
***
"Deon Hart has returned?"
The man leaning back in his chair straightened his torso. His violet eyes glinted with interest.
Violet eyes and violet hair. Just as gold was the symbol of the imperial family, violet was the symbol of a particular house within the Empire.
House Illustar, the ducal house.
Stave Illustar — the Empire's sole duke and the head of the Noble Faction, who stood in direct opposition to the Emperor — let the corners of his mouth curl ever so slightly at the freshly arrived news.
Who was Deon Hart, after all? Was he not plainly the Emperor's dog? From the perspective of the Noble Faction's leader, he was precisely that 'hero' who needed to be eliminated.
He had vanished abruptly and returned just as abruptly, but there was nothing particularly surprising about it. Come to think of it, the timing for his return was roughly due.
"Well, then."
He shifted his gaze to the person who had been standing beside him the entire time.
Green eyes that betrayed not a hint of agitation, and an expressionless face that concealed all inner thoughts.
A strange flicker seemed to pass through Stave's eyes as he looked at Cruel Hart, who had declared himself his subordinate, before curving into a smile as if to mask it.
Then an excessively gentle voice flowed out.
"What shall we do?"
Your younger brother has returned, after all.
The news likely hadn't spread widely yet. It was just that the intelligence network the ducal house had built was particularly dense.
At best, the only other person who knew besides himself would be the Emperor.
In such a situation, the words for Cruel, as a subordinate of the Noble Faction's leader, were already decided.
"I'll put in a murder request."
"Wrong. There ought to be a more cost-effective card to play."
As if teaching a child, the Duke wagged his finger and shifted his gaze.
As if in response, a woman who had been holding documents in a corner, almost imperceptibly present and awaiting her turn to report, raised her head and met his eyes.
"Saelin, you answer. What should be done?"
"......A-Are you referring to the Revolutionary Army, perhaps?"
"Correct."
Those who were seething to eliminate the Emperor would have no reason to refuse a request to kill the Emperor's dog.
They would participate in this task with even more fervor than those who killed for money.
Thus, the Duke smiled faintly and gave Cruel an order.
"Contact the Revolutionary Army."
***
Scuttle scuttle. Scurry scurry.
I had no idea what was going on, but everyone looked extremely busy.
Was it as if I'd become some colossal unwelcome guest? It seemed I'd been away from my position for far too long.
But it couldn't be helped, thanks to the Demon King.
As I stood there pointlessly scratching my head out of self-consciousness, an older man with graying hair eventually strode out from among the bustling servants with a gait that was neither fast nor slow.
"You have arrived, Count."
"Ah, yes. It's been a while, Rememver."
Rememver — the butler who had been with me ever since I received this estate — greeted me with a benevolent smile.
Seeing his unwavering calm demeanor, it truly sank in that I had returned. I was just about to take another step forward when he continued a greeting I'd thought was already over.
"I trust you completed the monster subjugation without incident."
"......Pardon?"
Monster subjugation?
......Right. Officially, I'd vacated my post on the Emperor's orders to subjugate monsters.
"Ah, ahh, yes."
I nodded vaguely. A profound smile spread across Rememver's face as he took a step to the side.
At the gesture, which practically said 'Please, come inside,' I naturally entered and spoke to him as he followed behind me.
"I'm going to have an audience with His Majesty. Please make preparations."
"You must be weary from the long journey. It might be best to rest a little before......."
"No. I'll wash up, change, and go immediately."
Did he think I didn't want to rest? It was just that incurring the Emperor's disfavor was a bigger problem, so I had no choice.
The current Emperor, Eduardo Desert, was the Emperor of Blood who had ascended to the sovereign's seat by the sword.
He had been the 9th Prince. The scene of him slaughtering all his older brothers and sisters, then crossing the palace dragging his blade and picking up the crown with blood-soaked hands to place it on his own head — even now, ten years later, it remained a scene so terrifying that it was recounted time and time again among the retainers.
What would happen if I were to incur that man's disfavor?
Of course, he wasn't such a tyrant that he'd kill someone just for not reporting back immediately. But still, the safest course was to entirely avoid doing anything that might draw his disfavor in the first place.......
'......But what's with the atmosphere?'
The servants, who would have moved instantly in the past, weren't budging at all.
As I stared at the fidgeting servants who only kept their heads bowed with a bewildered expression, Rememver stepped in naturally and spoke.
"I will have things ready right away."
And the actions that followed were so swift and rapid they reminded me of Ed.
Some of the servants prepared the bathwater. A few others stood by holding towels.
And I, half-dragged along by yet another handful of servants, snapped back to my senses to find myself already submerged in a warm bathtub.
It was disorienting since it had been so long, but it wasn't my first time, so I wasn't terribly flustered.
Just as I quickly grew accustomed to it and let my languid body go limp, the door opened. Attendants entered, cleaned my body thoroughly, dressed me even into a gown, and then guided me somewhere.
'W-Wait...... wait a moment.'
Now this really was disorienting. It wasn't just because it had been a long time — it was genuinely disorienting.
You guys didn't used to go this far. Just what on earth happened while I was away?
As if they couldn't even see my expression, the maids sat me on the sofa, pulled out uniform jackets in a row, and began chattering amongst themselves.
"If he's going to the imperial palace, wouldn't this uniform jacket be nice? It has just enough ornamentation to accentuate the Count's beauty."
"No way, the trend is an ascetic vibe! In that sense, don't you think this uniform jacket with only embroidery and no extraneous ornaments would look good?"
"Considering the Count's publicly known image, wouldn't this one be better? It has an elegant feel. I think this might soften the Count's image a little....... How about we go for the delicate young nobleman concept while we're at it?"
I had no idea why they were agonizing over a white uniform jacket, and a white uniform jacket, and a white uniform jacket.
They were all uniform jackets, and all white. Hell, the rest of the uniform jackets hanging on the other racks were all white too.
What on earth were they trying to accomplish?
"What do you think, Count?"
"......."
They all looked the same in my eyes.
Damn. Somehow, my symbol had ended up being the white uniform.
I sighed and buried my back into the sofa. After half-closing my eyes, I pointed vaguely at any one of them. I heard two clicks of the tongue and one small shriek of delight.
'I can hear the tongue clicks, you know. Girls.......'
The absurdity made my eyes open again. As I discreetly lifted my gaze both to check what I'd chosen, the maid who had been advocating the 'delicate young nobleman' stood before me holding the uniform jacket.
'Uh...... delicate?'
It seemed I'd picked the wrong thing.
No, the intention of softening my image seemed fine enough, but seeing that maid huffing excitedly made me deeply uneasy.
Should I take it back now?
Just as I was thinking that and straightening my torso, the maid handed the uniform jacket to an attendant waiting beside her and quickly stepped back.
'No, I mean......!'
I was just going to pick a different.......
Click. The door closed.
"......."
"......."
"......Um...... Count....... Your gown......."
"Ah."
There was one thing I'd learned while living in the Demon Castle. Something very useful for moments like this.
Resignation.
Sure, whatever. It wasn't like wearing it would kill me. And the uniform jacket didn't look that strange, so it probably wouldn't be a problem.
Though the look in that maid's eyes did nag at me a little.......
'Let's ignore it.'
I meekly removed the gown and held it out to the attendant.
From my wrist to my fingertips, I wrapped bandages and put on white gloves. Once the uniform jacket was properly donned, the rest was quick.
The maids who had left came swarming back in, re-adjusting my already fine-looking attire and combing back my disheveled hair.
'Though it'll just get disheveled again as time passes anyway.'
I made a point of not voicing that thought aloud.
They were concentrating fiercely, even with bloodshot eyes. If I carelessly threw cold water on things, I couldn't even imagine what kind of abuse I'd get.
I put on the white cloak that had been specially issued during the war. Finally, when I put on the white face covering to block out the sunlight, the maids let out exclamations that sounded almost regretful, yet they were high-fiving each other amongst themselves.
What kind of behavior was that? Ah, seeing that one of them was covering her mouth while looking at me, it didn't seem to be a good sign.
Covering your mouth meant you felt nauseous, didn't it!
Did I really look that bad? Nausea-inducingly bad?
"Perhaps I should change after all......."
"No!"
"Absolutely not!"
"How could you say such a thing!"
Good lord! It was just a mutter to myself; what were they being so touchy about......?
......Don't tell me, were these girls in cahoots trying to mess with me?
As I scrutinized the seething maids with suspicious eyes, I heard a knock, followed by Rememver's voice.
"The carriage is waiting. You may depart as soon as preparations are complete."
Seeing as there seemed to be nothing left to prepare, I grabbed roughly one portable dagger and opened the door.
As if he had been standing right in front of it, my eyes met Rememver's, who was dressed in a neat tailcoat.
From his perspective, the door must have opened suddenly, yet without a hint of fluster, Rememver stepped aside and bowed his head.
He must have seen my attire, but judging by his silence, there didn't seem to be any particular problem with it.......
"Ah, just a moment before we depart......."
I turned my steps, which had been heading to the first floor, back toward my room.
Leaving Rememver to wait outside, I looked around the room and spotted the belongings I'd brought with me, sitting on the desk where I'd left them.
'Thankfully, they're still here.'
Before I'd been dragged off — no, before I'd gone in to wash up — I'd barely managed to leave word that I'd organize things myself and not to touch them, and it seemed they had somehow listened.
As if they hadn't been touched at all, they lay exactly as I'd first placed them. I picked up the food pouch from among them.
'Magic is the exclusive domain of the demon-race, after all.'
I couldn't just leave this lying around.
People with deep knowledge of magic might be rare, but the moment anyone opened it even once, even a fool would instantly realize it was an enchanted pouch.
So I had to burn it.
Since it was late spring, the fireplace was off. I lit a candle instead and burned the pouch.
The provisions inside would burn along with it, but I had no lingering attachment. I'd be able to eat delicious food freely from now on, after all.
I waved my hand roughly through the air to scatter the ashes, then picked up another pouch.
'If I just burn this one, it'll be a disaster.'
The pouch stuffed with gold coins.
I rummaged through the room, pulled out several ordinary leather pouches, and transferred the contents. Only then could I burn it without hesitation.
After neatly arranging the gold coin pouches, I picked up two of them and opened the door.
"Here. Money I earned on this trip. Use it to supplement the county finances."
Though, honestly, the county was already overflowing with money, so there was no real need to supplement it.
Rememver accepted the pouches, checked the contents, then raised his head.
His uniquely pale blue-silver eyes held me in their gaze, tinged with an indiscernible light.
"It seems monsters these days spit out gold coins when you catch them."
"......Ah."
Right. I'd gone out for monster subjugation.
I'd been so disoriented that I'd briefly forgotten.
* * *
I nodded.
Thinking of how to handle this calmly, I opened my mouth.
'Let's see. How do I connect monster subjugation and gold coins...?'
After hesitating briefly, I fudged it suitably.
"There was some incidental income during the monster subjugation process. I'll report the details later."
Without any further pressing, Rememver bowed his head.
"Understood, Count. The carriage is ready."
I swallowed a sigh of relief and headed toward the front entrance.
Now, I had to go see His Majesty the Emperor.
And just thinking about what kind of chaos would unfold next was already giving me a headache.
But first, there was something I needed to take care of.
"Oh, right. And this."
As I handed the remaining gold coin pouches to Rememver, I spoke as nonchalantly as I could.
"It's nothing serious, but... if something happens to me, if I collapse or... well, something like that. Please handle things appropriately with these funds."
For just a fleeting moment, Rememver's eyes wavered.
"...Count, suddenly saying something like that..."
"No. I'm just saying this to be prepared, just in case."
I waved my hand dismissively.
There was no particular reason I was doing this. It had simply become a habit. Always preparing for the worst-case scenario.
'I didn't even die at the hands of the Demon King, so I probably won't die from having an audience with the Emperor.'
Still, "just in case" existed everywhere.
Rememver didn't ask further. He merely let out a faint sigh, accepted the pouches, and replied curtly, "I shall keep it in mind," before guiding me to the carriage.
The carriage was more comfortable than I'd expected. The leather seats were plush, and the interior was suitably dim. As the carriage jolted and began to move, I stared out the window. The familiar street scenery slid past.
I was back. I had really returned.
But why was it? Back when I was in the Demon Castle, I'd desperately wanted to return, but now that I was actually back, it didn't feel purely joyful. Because another kind of battlefield was probably waiting for me here.
Before I could even sigh, the carriage soon arrived at the imperial palace. The palace was still immense and splendid, while simultaneously exuding an inexplicable pressure. I steadied my breathing for a moment and then stepped out of the carriage.
Waiting for me was the Emperor of Blood, Eduardo Desert.
***
"I have come to have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor. It is Deon Hart."
A court usher guided me to the Emperor's audience chamber. The chamber was vast, and all its decorations gleamed in gold and crimson. It was a space where the weight of history and power seemed to saturate the very air.
And at the end of it, the Emperor was seated.
Eduardo Desert.
Short, neat blond hair, and red eyes that looked as if stained with blood. Unlike my own red eyes, his gleamed far more greedily and sharply. A fearsome radiance — one that only a man who had massacred his own flesh and blood could possess — was coiled within them.
The Emperor greeted me with a faint smile. That smile had something about it that sent chills down the spine of whoever saw it.
"It has been a while, Deon Hart."
I knelt and bowed my head.
"It has been a while, Your Majesty."
I heard the Emperor laugh, 'Heh.' It was a sound like a beast baring its fangs.
"Thanks to you, I heard some rather interesting news. There were those asking if you'd grown some sort of peculiar 'bug' in your midst."
Oh, for god's sake. Already?
Did that 'bug' mean the Demon King, or did it mean my rank as a demon corps commander? Either way, both were equally dangerous.
I answered as calmly as possible.
"It has truly been an honor to bask in the glory of seeing Your Majesty after so long. Trivial rumors that spring up in a day or two are not worth Your Majesty's concern."
"Trivial rumors... Indeed, I think so too. The problem, however, is that if you disappear again, someone will use that as a pretext to attack me."
The Emperor tapped the armrest of the throne with his finger. That rhythmic sound grated on my nerves like a torture device.
"You are my hero, and my dog. I cannot tolerate my dog going off somewhere without its master knowing. So, explain to me where you've been this time."
Finally, it came. A direct question.
My heart sank, but outwardly, I maintained a blank expression. I had lines I'd rehearsed countless times for this very moment.
"I set out on a monster subjugation, but my old injury flared up along the way. So I hid away in a quiet place and recuperated. In the meantime, I earned some money, and as I mentioned, I left a portion of it with my butler to be added to the county's finances."
"Oho... Your injury flared up, you say?"
The Emperor's eyes glinted. As expected, he didn't believe me. In truth, no one in this world would believe that story.
But I had to make him believe it. It didn't have to be the truth. A plausible lie that he could accept would be enough.
"You're not the sort of man to go to ground for six months just because of a single injury. Don't tell me, were it the aftereffects acting up again?"
The aftereffects again.
Considering the state of my body, it wasn't a joke — it was a genuinely plausible scenario, which made it all the more terrifying.
"No, it's not that. I simply... wanted to catch my breath. As Your Majesty well knows, immediately after the war, I was thrown into the Revolutionary Army suppression. Physically and mentally... I was exhausted."
I spoke honestly, mixing in a sliver of truth. Blending truth into a lie was the most effective form of deception. It was a technique I had learned from — no, a skill I had picked up in order to survive because of — the Demon King.
A brief silence lingered.
The Emperor's tapping finger stopped.
"...Very well. Your excuse has a point. It was I who worked a war hero without giving him any rest, after all. However, I hear that while your nest sat empty, it was teeming with rats. So, I bestowed upon your territory a new master."
What? I raised my head.
"Count Hart. Not you, but the 'real' Count Hart, that is."
I remembered. I had heard rumors that while I was away, a new count had been installed from a collateral branch of the Hart family.
There was no way the Emperor would have simply left my territory alone. I was merely an 'honorary' count, after all, not the true direct heir of the Hart family. I was the Emperor's sword, nothing more, nothing less.
A territory was a luxury for a dog. The Emperor had used my absence as an opportunity to hand the lands over to the true successor. In a way, he had neatly resolved the troublesome matter of territory management that I had needed taken care of.
'Is this... a good thing?'
I had to survive, in any case. If it could end with just having my territory taken away, that was a genuinely cheap price to pay.
I bowed my head once more.
"I shall follow Your Majesty's will."
This time, the Emperor seemed slightly taken aback. After a brief pause, he chuckled.
"Not even a flicker of change in your expression despite being stripped of territory. Are you truly even human?"
Instead of answering, I merely kept my head bowed.
"Enough. I have seen your loyalty."
The Emperor waved his hand. It was a signal to withdraw.
"I shall grant you quarters to stay in within the palace. For the time being, rest there and devote yourself to recovery. Soon, you will be needed."
I swallowed a sigh of relief and rose. I turned to leave the audience chamber, but from behind me, the Emperor's voice rang out again.
"Ah, and Deon."
I stopped walking and turned back.
"Have you heard the news that you now have a younger brother? The Empire's fourth Hero, Cruel Hart."
The Emperor's lips curled up to his ears. It was the smile of someone experiencing pure amusement.
"Your younger brother, I said. Isn't it truly... fascinating?"
Without answering, I bowed once more politely and then exited the audience chamber.
The Emperor's low laughter echoing from behind me didn't leave my ears for a long while.
***
The moment I was guided into my quarters, I collapsed onto the bed. My body felt heavy as lead. My head was a tangled mess of complicated thoughts.
Cruel Hart.
A new Hero bearing my surname. That man, said to be under Duke Illustar's command.
'My younger brother, he says...'
Now everything made sense. In my absence, the Emperor hadn't merely tidied up my territory. He had prepared a new card to use in my stead. If I ever betrayed him, that card would be used to strike me down.
My position as Honorary Count, the title of Hero — everything was as unstable as a sandcastle. Everything only moved within the palm of the Emperor's hand.
I closed my eyes.
'Still, I survived for today.'
I had to be content with having gotten through today. Tomorrow in my life had always been an uncertain thing.
Rattle.
At that sound, I pushed myself up from the bed. Someone was knocking on the door of my quarters. Grumbling, I got up and opened the door.
The person standing in front of the door was, surprisingly, Rememver.
"Rememver? How are you here...?"
"I had a foreboding feeling ever since you handed me those gold coins, Count. So, I came and waited at the imperial palace to prepare for any unforeseen events."
Rememver continued speaking with his characteristically expressionless face. In his hands, he held a small bundle of documents and something resembling my medical bag.
"And, your newly assigned personal physician has arrived."
As Rememver took half a step back, the man standing behind him revealed himself.
"Greetings, Count. My name is Ben, and from today onward, I am honored to serve as your dedicated personal physician."
A familiar face. A familiar voice. A familiar name.
Ben.
It was that very doctor who had tormented me in the Demon Castle. And now, he stood before me, disguised in human form.
I stared at him blankly.
Ben smiled brightly and spoke in a whisper.
"I look forward to working with you in the Empire as well, 'Demon Arut'-nim."
Ah. I was screwed.
Completely screwed.