Settling Accounts
‘I have to kill him.’
The moment Tiny heard the emperor’s absurd ambition, the Sword Emperor’s plea vanished cleanly from his mind. Did the emperor sense that shift in his aura?
“……You there?”
The emperor’s expression hardened slightly, but at that instant, a saving voice rang out.
“Your Majesty! Are you alright!?”
A familiar voice from somewhere. It halted Tiny’s hand just as he was about to swing his hammer.
Damn it!
Cursing inwardly, he turned to see a face he recognized.
“Oh, it’s you…… Aren’t you the crown prince’s guard knight?”
The emperor not remembering a Challenger-grade knight’s name was no longer surprising.
Why now, of all times……
“I’m sorry for being late, Your Majesty.”
Ikshillan appeared with a dozen knights, bowing his head. The sight irked Tiny for no good reason.
“Sir Ikshillan……”
“Well done, Sir Tiny. We’ll take it from here.”
A Challenger-grade knight like Ikshillan couldn’t have missed the killing intent Tiny had just unleashed. He was stepping in to prevent Tiny from turning a momentary impulse into a disaster. But the man in question wasn’t pleased with his arrival at all.
“Since you’re already late, couldn’t you have been a little later……”
The unguarded killing intent leaked out as a grumbled mutter, sharpening the glares from the knights behind Ikshillan. It could have sounded like snide mockery toward the late arrivals.
But then.
“……You’ve got a point.”
Ikshillan chuckled softly in response, and Tiny felt an odd sense of unease.
……What?
Before he could analyze it.
“Sir Tiny, we’ll handle His Majesty’s protection from here. You’ve done enough—return to the Valentia mansion. Lady Cloi is waiting for you there as well.”
Ikshillan’s words pushed him away. And perhaps the mention of Valentia grated again.
“Yes, indeed. You may go now. Don’t forget my words.”
The emperor waved him off without further ado. At that point, staying in the throne room felt awkward, so Tiny had no choice but to leave Ikshillan and the imperial knights behind.
But something nagged at him.
Just in case.
- Woof!
As he passed the throne room entrance, a small silver puppy slinked out from the debris of the shattered door, perking up its tiny ears.
“Is the crown prince safe?”
“Yes, thanks to Your Majesty’s concern.”
Ikshillan smiled with feigned sincerity, matching the emperor’s hypocritical tone. But his true thoughts were far different.
I still have to kill him.
One thing bothered him. A group powerful enough to pressure even an Aura User like Duke Valentia—yet they hadn’t touched the princes. It was a stretch to call them demon worshippers outright. And with the emperor’s known grudge against Duke Valentia, their identity was most likely……
The imperial shadow assassins.
The rumored group really existed.
“Heh heh, it must be the blessings of Aslan’s spirits. With the emperor and crown prince safe, the empire can now tread a new path.”
That was why he hesitated to deal with this emperor, his eyes gleaming with greed.
First, I’ll take that……
Masking his intentions, Ikshillan bowed again.
“Of course. The empire will emerge stronger after quelling this rebellion.”
……Under the new emperor.
The emperor, oblivious to the implication, slapped his knee and grinned.
“As expected, you understand. Is everything else settled?”
“Yes, His Highness the Crown Prince is personally leading the cleanup of the monsters. The palace should be back to normal in a few hours at most.”
“……And the ringleaders?”
“Second Empress Kartia and Imperial Knight Commander Grirwell von Rider are prime suspects. They’re being apprehended now—it won’t take long.”
“……So the crown prince knew as well.”
The crown prince as well? Ikshillan flinched at the emperor’s words, head still bowed.
The emperor knew and let it happen? But he nearly died himself?
Then, a familiar face caught his eye not far away.
“……Duke Ludwig!?”
The exclamation escaped unbidden. But the emperor’s reaction was unexpected.
“Duke? Don’t honor a traitor like that!!”
Traitor?
“……Pardon? Ah, yes. My apologies, Your Majesty.”
He bowed again, but his mind reeled.
Why would Duke Ludwig rebel? Does that mean Sir Tiny killed the warlock? No, that doesn’t make sense. Then……?
His thoughts shifted to the superhuman from the alliance who had aided the Sword Emperor.
“That bastard betrayed me, forcing me to rely on the alliance’s dog. How can I forget this humiliation!? Damn him.”
The emperor’s furious glare at his dead brother confirmed it. Why Ludwig rebelled remained a mystery, but there was no time to dwell.
“Ahem. Your Majesty, His Highness the Crown Prince asked me to relay a request.”
“……What?”
The emperor’s face soured again for some reason.
Ikshillan stared steadily and continued.
“He needs authority to deploy the imperial ‘Shadows.’ That shadowy group from the rumors.”
No time for beating around the bush—he went straight to the point.
“……Absurd! Who do you think you are!?”
As expected.
If you won’t hand it over willingly……
Ikshillan’s cold smile signaled his subordinates. The knights drew their swords in unison.
Shing!
“……W-what are you doing?”
Their chilling killing intent prickled the emperor’s skin, freezing his face.
“Call the Shadows if you can, Your Majesty. Or hand over the token of authority.”
The emperor glared as if scolding them, but when Ikshillan smiled murderously, his eyes flicked involuntarily to Ludwig’s corpse.
Realizing his slip, he roared at Ikshillan instead.
“Insolent fools! Do you dare defy the emperor of the empire!? Is this the crown prince’s will!? You’ll face heaven’s wrath!!”
Ikshillan pressed on, undeterred, noting every twitch.
“……Come to think of it, the guardian artifacts are missing. The emperor’s crown too. Haha, looks like ‘that traitor’ took them.”
“The emperor’s artifacts can only be used by the emperor! Greedily coveting what’s beyond your station—your master should know bett—.”
Slice.
The emperor’s words cut off as his eyes bulged, throat slashed.
Spurt.
Bathed in spurting blood, Ikshillan grinned eerily, glancing between the emperor’s corpse and the ceiling.
The throne room ceiling, cracked and crumbling, shedding stone debris—as if announcing what had transpired.
He spoke calmly.
“His Majesty met an unfortunate end, crushed by falling rocks after his guardian artifacts were stolen…… Get the picture?”
Crush the body under rubble.
“Yes, Captain. We’ll handle the rest.”
“Good. I’ll take the emperor’s artifacts to His Highness…… no, His Majesty. Clean it up properly.”
“Yes, sir!”
Wiping blood from his face, Ikshillan carefully rummaged through Ludwig’s corpse.
Watching from the entrance rubble, the silver puppy’s heavy gaze faded as it vanished.
* * *
“It…… worked out, right?”
Tiny muttered to himself, frowning as he trudged through the chaotic palace.
Not killing the emperor himself avoided leaving evidence—a good call. But the realizations from this left his mind in turmoil.
Above all, Ikshillan killing the emperor. He wouldn’t have acted on his own—it had to be the crown prince’s will.
That nice young man had a ruthless side.
The crown prince, praised even by the prickly Sword Emperor.
The late emperor was a pest humanity could ill afford—Tiny himself had nearly lost control and smashed him.
But still, his own father……
Regardless of reputation, the crown prince had left a good impression on Tiny since the slapping incident.
Now, he’d have to revise that assessment.
And a new worry arose.
Should I tell the Sword Emperor?
A bigger reason for his turmoil was the Sword Emperor himself.
In both lives, his wisdom surpassed Tiny’s—no doubt there. Without him, Carun and perhaps the palace incident would have gone awry.
But separately.
He’s too rigid now. Telling him to protect that emperor……
No matter how he thought about it, leaving the emperor to die was right.
It had worked out, but pure luck—coincidences upon coincidences.
He hadn’t even decisively cut down the imperial knights blocking his path at the explosion—that alone differed from the Sword Emperor Tiny knew.
Definitely not the Sword Emperor from my past life.
The one who planned efficiently, ruthlessly eliminating obstacles—cold and bold enough to make onlookers shake their heads.
The past Sword Emperor probably.
Changed completely after the imperial disaster. But now……
Tiny had prevented that catalyst disaster. It stopped Aslan’s civil war, but left him uneasy about his once-stalwart ally’s immaturity.
So, ultimately.
“……I need to tell him who killed the emperor.”
It might shock him into shedding his shell.
Even if not, forewarning the Demon King Army’s descent would prevent imperial unrest.
The Sword Emperor holding the crown prince’s weakness isn’t bad either.
Resolved, Tiny quickened his pace.
By sunset, he reached the Valentia mansion. The gates opened, and pale-faced Cloi greeted him.
“Tiny, was that really you……! Who…… are you?”
Their eyes met, and her face twitched.
Vivian, following her, gaped in shock. Only then did Tiny realize how much taller he’d grown.
Ah……
Less than a year since leaving the duke’s estate, he’d shot up nearly 50cm.
Tall for a woman, Cloi now looked up at him slightly.
Insane growth rate—unfathomable for a normal person.
“Long time no see, Lady Clo…… sis. I’ve grown a lot, huh?”
Trying to ease the awkwardness with an clumsy title.
“Who…… are you? Why call yourself our Tiny……? Our kid is small and cute like…… this?”
Staring blankly, Cloi traced an invisible shape in the air, then collapsed as if her legs gave out, shaking her head.
“Milady! I told you to rest more! Why come out……!”
“No…… way. No……”
Even supported by Vivian, she muttered endlessly, rejecting reality.
Opposite her, Tiny—chilled by “cute”—groaned lowly, scratching his arms.
“Urgh.”
Regaining composure first, Tiny played his trump card.
Please.
- Grrr.
The reluctant wolf spirit finally.
“Woof! Woof!”
Shrunk to a tiny puppy, wagging its tail cutely before Cloi.
Life returned to her instantly. She scooped up Wolrang, then pointed a trembling finger at Tiny.
“Wol……? Then it’s really……”
“Yes, it’s me, Tiny.”
He sighed with a grin.
“Why!!!!!?”
Cloi’s scream, refusing reality, echoed loudly before the Valentia mansion in the capital.