Valentino
“The heirloom is gone!?”
“……Yes.”
“I mean, isn't it usually with Father?”
“……That's exactly the problem. He said he woke up this morning and it was gone. The family has been on high alert ever since.”
“That can't be right!? An aura user—the Duke of Valentia, no less—had it stolen right inside the ducal residence?!”
“My lady, your voice…… a bit quieter, please.”
Cloi and Garen's conversation delved into matters beyond Tiny's knowledge, but his expression had hardened gravely as well. The heirloom of House Valentia was undoubtedly some extraordinary artifact. And it had vanished……? From the Duke himself, no less?
What the hell is this……?
No matter how he racked his brain, he had never heard such rumors in his previous life. Of course, it would be stranger if slum rat like him caught wind of it, but from the black mage organization onward, the discrepancies between his past life and this one left him with a nagging unease.
Well, whatever.
“We need to head back fast. What the hell keeps happening…….”
At least Cloi had decided to hasten her return because of it.
“As you command.”
And with the escort knights swelling from twelve to over a hundred, there was little chance of any mishaps on the way to meet the Sword Emperor.
The group departed Tiben and arrived at their destination in a single day. Cloi had ditched the carriage to ride horseback, insisting on speed.
The only hiccup was Wolrang's sudden appearance for the gallop, startling the knights' horses a bit.
And rightly so—the silver wolf spirit, summoned in his full true form after so long, boasted speed and agility that stunned everyone.
“Woof! Woof!”
Wolrang circled the charging knights like a shepherd herding sheep. But every time he drew near, the horses shied away, earning Tiny a few fierce glares from some knights.
Most, though, were too fascinated by the novel spirit to make an issue of it.
“Haha, sorry about that!”
Wolrang wasn't the only one thrilled by the long-awaited sprint. Freed from the two women's burdensome affections, the wolf and his rider savored their freedom all day.
“Valentino!”
Valentino. The seat of House Valentia and, aside from the imperial capital, one of the empire's grandest cities. Its scale was so immense that even from afar, along the highway, the group could already glimpse the walls.
“Finally……!”
“Home!”
The knights who had escorted Cloi's pilgrimage procession for months away from the castle cried out in emotion, while those who had left just yesterday felt little stir.
Naturally.
“……Valentino.”
The black-haired boy, who had no business here, gazed at the imperial metropolis with a face laden with all sorts of regrets.
A soft voice reached his ear.
“Ever been to Valentino before?”
He turned to see Cloi, who had abandoned the carriage for speed, smiling for the first time that day.
“……Not in this life.”
“This life……?”
“Yes.”
A baffling reply, but Cloi just nodded.
“You'll be amazed inside. Bigger than Lucentia, but way cleaner. And hardly any smell!”
She leaned in like sharing a secret, whispering the last part with a grin. Returning home had eased her too, filling her with a playfulness Tiny had never seen in his past life.
She's still just a kid, after all.
Cloi boasted it would shock him, but Tiny just smiled back as if to say what was there to be surprised about.
He had seen Valentino twenty years from now, far more advanced.
But beyond those majestic walls, at the bustling gates thronged with people, even he couldn't help but be startled.
“Make way!”
As the lead knights cleaved through the crowd at the gates.
The tightly packed onlookers on either side watched the knights with shining eyes. Becoming a knight was one of the rare paths for commoners to change their station in this world.
To most young commoners, knights were idols.
And with the exotic addition, it was all the more captivating.
“……Huh? A dog?”
“Dog? Or wolf?”
“Kid's riding it.”
“Weird……”
Tiny paid it no mind at first.
“……Wait!? It's a girl!?”
But the moment someone shouted that.
“Whoa?! For real!?”
“Wooow! Lady Cloi!”
“It's the young lady!”
“Lady Cloi's back!”
Cheers erupted from the crowd, and Cloi waved sheepishly at them with an awkward smile.
Then.
“Kyaaah!”
Screams of delight burst from everywhere.
“Wooow! Lady Cloi waved at me!”
“No, she looked at me!”
“Shut up!”
Their joy bordered on excessive, but it didn't feel forced.
“Whoa……”
Tiny had heard in his past life that Cloi was hugely popular back home, but seeing it firsthand left him dumbfounded.
As he stared blankly, Vivian chuckled beside him.
“Surprised? Our lady's especially beloved here at the main castle.”
“Even for a noble lady, do the commoners like her this much?”
“Well…… 'cause she's pretty!”
“……”
Just pretty enough to go this wild……?
……Yeah, I guess? Cloi at that level…… yeah, it tracks.
When Tiny clammed up at her joking remark, Vivian coughed awkwardly and continued.
“……Ahem. She often donates food and medicine to the slums. And during inspections, she resolves commoners' grievances fairly.”
“Ah……”
“There was this one time……”
As Vivian ranted about how Cloi earned her moniker Valentia's Angel.
Tiny half-listened, scanning the cheering domain folk.
Definitely happier expressions.
Unlike the grim vibe of Philes or Lucentia's poor impressions due to the stench, this place felt different. The well-maintained sewers had nearly eliminated odors, and people's complexions were far brighter than Lucentia's.
A domain good for commoners to live in, not just nobles……
The Sword Emperor's unusual noble mindset resurfaced in his thoughts.
“Like it?”
The now-familiar voice tickled his ear again.
“……I like the people's faces.”
“Yeah? Father'll be pleased.”
“When might I meet His Grace the Duke?”
“Hm?”
“You promised.”
“Oh, right. Father would gladly see talent like you…… under normal circumstances.”
“Normal?”
“……You heard. With the heirloom gone, he's declared emergency status in the inner castle. Might be tough to meet for a while.”
He had half-expected it, but it meant no audience until resolved.
That's a problem.
And Tiny had one nagging concern.
“……About that missing heirloom—is it an artifact, as expected?”
“Probably? ……I guess.”
“Guess?”
“It's a family secret passed only to the head. No one else knows, not even me, his daughter. We just assume it's some insane artifact since it's our heirloom.”
“……As I thought.”
“Huh?”
His vague suspicion was solidifying into certainty.
It started nagging him when he vaguely recalled what Tempus meant.
Tiny knew few ancient words, so it was pure coincidence.
As far as he knew, Tempus meant…….
Time, or opportunity.
And it vanished about a month and a half ago.
He'd confirm the exact date later, but probably…….
The day I regressed.
If so, why Tempus vanished was…….
……Used to send me to the past. So it's gone for good.
Even if Tempus wasn't Valentia's but the imperial treasure, believing it could send someone back in time was a stretch—but as the one who lived the impossible, he had no choice.
Finally, Tiny spoke with resolute determination.
“……I think I know.”
“What?”
“Why the heirloom vanished.”
“What nonsense……”
“And the heirloom vanishing from an aura user like His Grace makes sense?”
Cloi fell silent.
Stealing it from a sleeping Duke meant the thief could have slain a superhuman effortlessly—in his own bedroom.
An Aura Exceeder or 8th-circle grand mage snuck into the ducal residence for just one item.
Knowing how absurd that was bolstered Tiny's conviction.
“Let me see His Grace. I'll explain everything.”
Cloi stared at him with rare confusion, but Tiny met her gaze calmly.
“I'll put in a word. Not sure it'll get you an audience……”
She trailed off, shaking her head—but their exchange became moot the instant they reached the inner castle.
“Cloi!! My daughter!! Are you safe!?”
Thud thud thud, BAM.
A burly middle-aged man burst through the inner gates like he might shatter them, charging at the young lady.
Whoosh.
But Cloi sidestepped briskly, freezing the Duke mid-hug like ice.
Screeech.
“……Daughter, why……?”
The Duke turned awkwardly, like a statue, gazing pitifully at his daughter.
“People are watching! Think of your dignity, Father!”
“But a father worrying for his daughter—what's wrong with……”
He hung his head, on the verge of tears, but Cloi shook her head coldly.
“Won't work. Before the gossip starts, apologize to the knights who suffered for nothing.”
“Ahem.”
Only then did he notice the surrounding stares, coughing awkwardly.
“Everyone, well done! Cloi's safe return is thanks to you all.”
As if the embarrassment never happened, the Duke surveyed sternly with his golden blond hair—unlike Cloi's shade—and matching sky-blue eyes commanding the scene.
“As master of Valentia, and more importantly a father, I offer boundless thanks. A feast awaits—drink and revel today!”
“Yes, sir!”
Vivian and the original twelve escorts knelt reverently; the other hundred-odd, whose “work” was basically a joyride, followed awkwardly.
The lone black-haired boy standing aside locked eyes with his old comrade across the years, offering an awkward smile.
……He still doesn't recognize me.
“……Who's the kid?”
“I reported him. The one testifying about the black mages……”
“R-right? I've been stressed with other issues lately……”
“I heard. We'll talk inside, Father.”
Cloi stepped forward to block, but.
“I have information on the whereabouts of the treasure called Tempus.”
The boy's small but clear voice pierced the golden superhuman's ear first.