Chapter 445: Return (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 445: Return (1)
Alon had expected there might be an issue crossing the eastern border.
He knew that the only reason he had been able to enter the East without trouble before was due to a misunderstanding by the nobility.
They had been under the impression that Alon had visited the Eastern Empire specifically to give Serdea his answer.
However, the moment he left for the ruined West without meeting her, that illusion was effectively shattered.
He was certain that, one way or another, something would happen when he tried to cross back over the border.
He had expected it, but...
"Are you quite surprised, my dear? To find me here, of all places."
"..."
...He truly hadn't imagined that Serdea, the Imperial Princess of the Eastern Empire, would be at the border in person.
He couldn't just stand there in silence forever.
Alon finally spoke.
"...Honestly, I am."
"Hmph. It’s not as if I came here solely to wait for you. I simply happened to be in the area for other matters. Yes, other matters."
Serdea added this with an air of leisure.
However, unlike her, the nobleman standing beside her looked remarkably uneasy for some reason.
"But since I’ve happened upon you while I was in the area, I would like to hear your answer."
"How many times is she going to say 'while in the area'..." Penia muttered quietly from behind.
Alon broke into a slight cold sweat, wondering if Serdea had heard her, and began to deliberate.
Naturally, Alon had no intention of marrying Serdea.
It was true that marrying her would result in a massive leap in social status. She was the princess leading one of the four factions of the fractured Eastern Empire, and the Eastern Empire alone occupied nearly half the territory held by the United Kingdoms.
Furthermore, the power of the Empire was different from that of the United Kingdoms.
While the kings of the United Kingdoms held absolute power in principle, they couldn't completely ignore the nobility. In the Empire, however, all power was concentrated in the Emperor.
In other words, marrying her was tantamount to gaining absolute authority.
Even with a clear understanding of this, Alon’s mind remained unchanged.
First of all, Alon wasn't particularly obsessed with power. His very first goal upon entering Psychedelia had been to go to Roadmill—a place where no one would target him—and live a normal life.
Secondly, Alon held the firm belief that if he were to marry, he wanted it to be for love.
Of course, it was a mindset ill-suited for a nobleman in a medieval fantasy setting, but that was how he felt.
Thus, Alon agonized over how to navigate this situation smoothly and pass through the Eastern Empire's border.
It was then.
"Princess?"
A voice came from behind Alon.
"And you are? Ah—the one from back then. From Rosario—"
"I am Cardinal Yutia."
Yutia’s polite voice cut in.
Alon glanced back to see Yutia smiling, and Penia standing beside her with her fists clenched, looking as if she were about to shout, "Launch the attack!"
"Hmph. I didn't realize you were still traveling with him."
"The Professor and I always move as one."
"...Is that so?"
"Yes."
"Then it would be best if you started keeping your distance. It is enough for my future husband to have eyes only for me."
"You speak as if the Professor has already accepted."
"As I said before, how could he possibly refuse? Not when it comes to me."
Serdea puffed out her chest with absolute confidence.
However, Yutia looked at the princess and let out a cryptic smile.
"Hmm—I suppose it's natural for the Princess to have such confidence."
"Of course. It is I, after all."
Serdea nodded proudly at Yutia's words.
"The Princess is noble, and the dignity radiating from your petite frame is surely enough to captivate many men."
"?"
Serdea looked puzzled at the sudden, somewhat excessive praise.
"However—the Professor prefers women."
"...??"
Serdea went blank for a moment at the final sentence. It was as if she couldn't comprehend what Yutia meant.
But a moment later.
"Ha."
Serdea let out a hollow laugh as the meaning sank in. Her expression began to contort, but she quickly forced a smile.
"Haha... Yes, quite a funny joke."
Serdea was an Imperial Princess. She could have ordered the immediate execution of this insolent woman right then and there. This was the Eastern Empire, and she was its master.
The reason she didn't was her pride.
If the woman had insulted the Empire, it would be one thing, but to order an execution over this? Even if the Emperor's power was overwhelming, it was dangerous to execute someone just because her feelings were hurt, especially when the Empire was split into four.
...But more than anything.
She didn't want to look like she had been triggered by a single comment.
"Oh my, I wasn't lying, though."
As Yutia feigned innocence with a teasing tone, Serdea’s lips trembled.
Managing to suppress her rage, she maintained her forced smile.
"Then I don't see you as his type either."
"Oh, me?"
"Yes. You don't seem much taller than I am."
It was true. While Serdea was certainly short, Yutia was only slightly taller; their heights were similar.
"Hmm—my height is certainly like that. My height."
Despite the Princess's counterattack, Yutia replied without losing her smile.
Serdea looked confused once more, but then—
"!"
She suddenly realized something and stared at the center of Yutia’s holy shroud.
There was a distinct presence of "confidence" protruding from the shroud that should have looked flat.
"..."
In contrast, Serdea looked down at her own girlish frame.
"GET OUT!"
In the end, she issued an order of expulsion.
* * *
"...We ended up getting kicked out."
"Indeed."
Following Serdea’s furious order to leave, Alon’s party retreated from the Eastern Empire's border gate.
As Alon sighed, Evan caught his breath and looked ahead.
"But those two seem awfully happy for people who just got kicked out."
Alon followed his gaze to see Yutia and Penia getting along famously.
"Mhm, mhm—as expected of an Imperial, her heart is as narrow as her stature."
"I agree, Miss Penia."
"Right? The Cardinal was only stating facts. This is why short Imperials are just—"
The two were gleefully venting their shared dislike for the Empire.
"...Did they get scammed by an Imperial in the past or something?"
Evan muttered, unable to understand them, before turning to Alon.
"So, what now? It looks like we won't be able to set foot on the eastern border anymore."
"Well, it can't be helped. Even if Yutia hadn't done that, things would have ended up like this anyway."
Naturally, Alon had intended to refuse Serdea’s proposal regardless.
Since the result would have been the same even without Yutia’s intervention, he was contemplating how to resolve this when...
"...Hm?"
He noticed someone approaching from a distance.
Before long, the identity of the group became clear.
"...Contanias?"
The Prince of the Northern Empire, Contanias.
Alon muttered the name as he recognized the face and the flag fluttering above the group.
He quietly slipped his hand into his pocket.
He couldn't understand why the prince was here, but since he and Contanias weren't on good terms, Alon began forming a seal inside his pocket.
He didn't think he would lose even if he fought Contanias and his subordinates, but he wanted to be prepared for any eventuality.
As the group drew closer and Alon’s guard reached its peak—
"!"
The moment Contanias spotted Alon, he immediately leaped off his horse.
"What brings—"
Before Alon could even ask.
"I greet the Great Dragon!"
Contanias, who had been approaching as if to pick a fight, suddenly doubled over in a deep, frantic bow.
As Alon stood there bewildered by the sudden turn of events...
"...Lord Alon, were you a dragon?"
Evan whispered into his ear with a dry tone, as if he had already expected something like this.
"...Don't ask if you already know the answer."
Alon let out a heavy sigh.
* * *
"Eeeeeeek!"
Serdea let out a series of frustrated shrieks, her face contorted with lingering rage.
No matter how much she thought about it, Alon’s party was infuriating.
After her small frame finished trembling with anger, she took a deep breath and regained her composure.
She knew.
She knew that in the end, she would be the winner.
'They have to pass through here to return to the United Kingdoms anyway.'
Naturally, there was virtually no way to cross from the West to the United Kingdoms without passing through a border. They had to go through either the North or the South.
But of course, no one else would let Alon’s party through.
The idiot in the North hated Alon, and the Princess in the South wouldn't like an uncontrollable entity running wild on her land.
In other words, the only place Alon could knock on to return to the United Kingdoms was the Eastern Empire.
And that meant he would eventually have to bow his head to her.
Serdea intended to open the path to the United Kingdoms as long as Alon showed her proper deference. She was merciful, after all.
Of course, she found the Cardinal traveling with him utterly loathsome, but even that was fine. Once she had Alon for herself, that woman would naturally be defeated.
'He is merely the king of a single nation. I wonder if it is necessary for the Princess to go to such lengths to claim him.'
As Serdea cooled her heated head, she recalled something a subordinate had said.
In truth, she had thought so as well.
His status was low compared to hers, and the rumors about him were just that—rumors she chose to believe, though nothing had been confirmed.
But today, the moment she realized he didn't want her...
She wanted him even more.
It wasn't a romantic or emotional feeling like love.
It was interest.
Interest in a man who 'dared' to reject her—something no one else could or would ever do.
In the world she knew, such a thing had never happened.
That made her all the more curious.
And it made her want to possess him all the more.
She wanted to bring the man who rejected her under her thumb.
As she briefly recalled his face from earlier—
"Princess—"
She smiled at the voice calling her. She had ordered her men to report anything regarding Alon’s party immediately.
"What is it? Have they returned?"
She asked playfully.
However, a moment later.
"It's..."
"It's?"
"...It appears Contanias has come to escort them to the Northern Empire."
The border guard captain said with a hesitant, wary expression.
"...Eh?"
A dazed sound escaped Serdea’s lips.