Chapter 455: Why Are You Doing This…? (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 455: Why Are You Doing This…? (3)
Alon remembered the first time he met Irenena Polantisia at the Tower of Seekers very clearly.
It hadn't been that long ago, and the words he had heard from Serdea at the time had been quite shocking.
Furthermore, as far as Alon could recall, the emotions Irenena harbored toward him were close to indifference.
Indifference.
It literally meant she had no special feelings toward him, and Alon hadn't found that particularly strange.
In fact, Alon thought Irenena Polantisia’s reaction was, in a sense, the most rational.
At the very least, she didn't pick a fight with a stranger to a suspicious degree, nor did she act suspiciously kind, and even if she had—
She certainly hadn't proposed marriage out of the blue.
Yes, that was definitely how it had been—
“….”
Alon looked ahead.
Irenena was sitting there.
Her face was completely stiff, and for some reason, her body was trembling uncontrollably.
“…Sigh.”
“Hieek!”
Irenena reacted hypersensitively to the sigh he let out because of his headache.
“??”
Serdea tilted her head and looked at her as if she were being bizarre.
Observing this, Alon recalled the situation from a moment ago.
…She didn't seem to be reacting like that until right before she saw me.
To be more precise, when Alon first heard that the two princesses had arrived and came to the audience chamber, Irenena’s expression had been one of tension rather than the terrified complexion she wore now.
Her face had changed shortly after Alon entered, and as he thought about that, a new question suddenly filled his mind.
Come to think of it, why are the two of them together?
As far as Alon knew, the Empire had been split into four, and the four divided princesses and princes were at each other's throats to claim legitimacy and become the Emperor.
“…However, might I ask how the two of you came to be here together?”
In other words, it was strange for two princesses to be present at such an unofficial gathering.
When Alon pointed this out, Serdea, who was sitting next to her, glanced at Irenena and shrugged.
“Hmm—I was originally coming alone, but when I arrived near your territory, she was already there.”
So they just came in together?
…No, even so, they’re in a situation where they’re pointing swords at each other. They’re staying together this amicably?
Alon still didn't understand, but unfortunately, he didn't have time to dwell on it.
“Are you not curious as to why I have come to find you?”
This was because of Serdea’s subsequent remark.
Serdea, who had been looking at Irenena with an unreadable expression until a moment ago, asked triumphantly.
“…For what matter have you come?”
When Alon asked back, she cleared her throat with a hem-hem and opened her—
“I have come specifically to forgive the rudeness you committed at the border—Gah!”
—mouth, but could not finish.
The reason was simple.
“I’m sorry. Serdea is still quite immature—”
It was because the frozen Irenena had suddenly grabbed Serdea’s head and slammed it down!
“Wh-What are you doing—! Ack!”
Serdea protested with an incredulous expression, but Irenena gave Alon an awkward smile and continued to wordlessly press down on her head.
“Kgh—Gah—Wait—! Why so suddenly—!”
Serdea was being forced further under the desk while Irenena desperately held the princess’s head down.
Alon’s face went blank at the sight.
“Let go—”
“….”
“I said let go!!”
Despite Serdea’s screams, Irenena forced her trembling lips into an upward curve.
No, well… was that allowed?
Weren't they supposed to be in a murderous rivalry…?
Countless thoughts swirled in Alon’s head.
He shifted his gaze slightly to the side.
Evan’s reaction was the same.
His eyes were narrowed as if he were looking at a madwoman.
After checking Evan, Alon let out a short sigh.
Of course, Alon didn't fully grasp the exact circumstances.
However, one thing he could tell was that the two princesses—no, more accurately, Irenena Polantisia—was misunderstanding something.
Unless it was a misunderstanding or a delusion, such a drastic change in attitude made no sense.
…Just what kind of delusion is she under?
The answer to that question wasn't hard to find.
Is it the dragon…
The Dragon Father.
Because of Arculainisis, he had unintentionally been mistaken for the Dragon Father by Contanias as well.
It was likely because of that.
However, he soon tilted his head.
Looking at it from various angles, the pieces didn't quite fit perfectly.
Still, Alon decided to lightly mention the dragon first.
As far as he could judge, there was nothing else Irenena could be mistaken about.
“…Princess.”
“Ye-Yes! Please, speak!”
Irenena smiled while still holding down the head of Serdea, who was shouting, ‘Let go of me already!!’
Alon felt another surge of doubt.
Even if they were family, they were the highest authorities leading their respective nations and competitors with swords at each other's throats. Was this really okay?
But he soon shrugged it off.
“I am telling you this because I believe you may be under a misunderstanding, but I am not a dragon.”
“…Huh?”
The first one to react to Alon’s statement was Serdea.
Her eyes held a look that said, ‘Oh? You weren't?’ along with a hint of suspicion.
It was exactly the face Alon had expected.
However.
“Yes, I know.”
“?”
“?”
At Irenena’s subsequent answer, Alon now wore the same expression as Serdea.
“Pardon…?”
“I am aware…!”
She was trembling so overtly that it was clear she didn't even have the composure to hide it.
“No, I mean. I really am not a dragon.”
“Yes, I am well aware.”
“….”
Then why are you trembling like that… the thought popped into his head.
Alon felt a strange sense of déjà vu, as if he had experienced this situation somewhere before.
Just then.
“W-We should probably be going now!”
“What—? Wait—I don't intend to leave yet—”
Irenena suddenly bolted upright, grabbed Serdea, gave a quick bow, and rushed out.
“…Evan.”
“Yes.”
“What do you think they came here for?”
“Even with my supposed hundred-level intuition, I have no idea.”
“….”
“….”
“….”
“…Ah.”
“What is it?”
“No, it’s just… it feels a bit awkward since I’m not being scolded….”
Looking at Evan scratching his head, Alon tilted his head once more.
“…For now, look into the two princesses a bit more.”
“Understood.”
He gave the order.
…What on earth was that?
* * *
Outside the capital of Palantia.
More precisely, inside Serdea Polantisia’s massive carriage.
“What in the world was that!”
Serdea was scowling deeply, glaring at Irenena.
Her voice was laced with blatant irritation.
However, despite the heated reaction, Irenena remained silent for a long time.
“Are you ignoring me…?”
Serdea’s brow furrowed even further.
“Even if we have formed a temporary ‘Covenant,’ this is a clear violation!”
A Covenant.
The other siblings might not know, but Serdea and Irenena were actually in an alliance under the name of a secret covenant.
Of course, strictly speaking, it was more of a business partnership where they would travel together until a certain point rather than a true alliance.
Ultimately, the only reason the two of them could sit together was because of the covenant, so it was natural for Serdea to be indignant.
“I’m sorry, but that’s not it.”
Irenena, who had been lost in thought until now, finally spoke.
“…What do you mean by that?”
“You might not know, but I actually saved you from a threat.”
“…What kind of nonsense is that?”
Serdea continued to growl, still unable to understand.
Irenena let out a sigh.
“As you know, just as you obtained the ‘Mouth,’ I obtained the ‘Eye.’ We’ve already shared this information, so you know, right?”
At Irenena’s words, Serdea nodded slightly.
She realized what Irenena was trying to say.
“…Was there something there?”
Serdea asked back with her momentum slightly dampened, but Irenena didn't bother to answer.
She was simply remembering.
“….”
That moment. That scene.
“Whew….”
Irenena let out a deep breath.
After first meeting Alon, the emotion Irenena harbored was mostly curiosity.
Curiosity about whether Alon was truly a dragon hiding his identity, and how on earth Alon had come to have a dragon that emitted such brilliant golden light as a slave.
And the next thing she harbored was a plan.
If Alon really was a dragon.
If he really was her father, as the Guardian Dragon had said—
From then on, her relationship with him would become incredibly important.
Especially for Irenena, whose combat abilities were significantly lower compared to her other siblings who could hold their own against those with Divine Blood.
That was why she had no choice but to stay in Palantia to confirm Alon’s identity, and she had devised many plans during that time.
But in the end, not a single one of her preparations mattered.
To be more precise, they became meaningless the moment she met Alon.
“…Haa.”
Clenching her trembling hands without realizing it, Irenena recalled the scene.
The moment Alon entered, she had activated her eyes as if waiting, and what entered her vision was—a black flame, dark as pitch.
Irenena had seen that black flame before.
Not from a human—
“….”
—but from one with Divine Blood.
“….”
Of course, Irenena was extremely shocked that the identity of the King of Palantia was one with Divine Blood.
However, while that fact made her tense, it didn't make her tremble with terror.
Even if the opponent had Divine Blood, the fact that he took a human form meant that as long as she didn't make it obvious, she wouldn't be attacked right then and there.
Nevertheless, there was a separate reason why she was consumed by fear.
First, it was because there wasn't just one flame inside Alon’s body.
As far as Irenena knew, all living beings, including those with Divine Blood, were supposed to possess only a single flame.
At least, that was how she ‘understood’ the knowledge she gained when she obtained the Eye.
However, the King of Palantia was different.
There were definitely… four.
The King of Palantia possessed four flames.
He held four of the black flames that those with Divine Blood possessed.
That wasn't all.
She saw it.
No, strictly speaking, it was more accurate to say she was pulled into it.
In a Red Temple, where a Red Moon hung in the sky.
Irenena had no choice but to see.
The girl who smiled at her and placed an index finger to her lips—
[I’m sorry, but please stay away.]
A girl with red eyes and white hair that shone brilliantly, possessing a black flame so massive it could burn the entire world.
And she heard it.
[There are too many flies buzzing around.]
The chilling voice she had casually tossed out.
That was why.
Tremble—
Irenena felt her hands beginning to shake once again.
Just what is the identity of the King of Palantia…?
While harboring that single question that rose even amidst her terror.