Hidden Intentions
"......You've grown too fast, my son. It's too much, far too much."
In the grand audience hall after the crown prince and his wife had withdrawn, the Emperor muttered to himself with a sigh of lament.
The young crown prince couldn't comprehend his father's desire to delay having children until he had the empire fully in his grasp.
"At this rate, the imperial family will only weaken further. And Valentia will only grow stronger."
His self-mocking words echoed through the hollow space, now empty even of his guards.
But then.
—Is there a particular reason Your Majesty said such things to the crown princess?
A voice emerged from the empty air, as if echoing from afar. Yet the Emperor showed no surprise, merely replying with a bitter expression.
"......I got a bit carried away. It's just the folly of old age, heh."
—Does the blood of Valentia truly trouble you so?
The Emperor let out a wry chuckle at the voice's retort.
"......It's been about forty years now. A little kid from the ducal house came to pay respects, claiming to be a descendant, and beat me. Me, who had stepped up to teach him swordsmanship—a boy barely over ten. I was so mortified......"
Recalling that distant past, the Emperor clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"That's when I gave up the path of the knight. I consoled myself that Aslan was a lineage of magic anyway, conveniently ignoring that I had no real talent for it either."
The ruler of the empire continued his confession from those shameful days.
"But it's not just personal feelings. No matter how long the era of peace lasts, can we allow a mere noble's name to stand before the imperial house? It's an affront to the fundamental order of this nation—tantamount to treason!"
His voice, laced with profound fury, rang out in the empty hall. Words that could spark massive trouble if overheard by nobles and spread. But the Emperor harbored no such worries.
He knew the Shadow Leader, guardian of the unseen, was thoroughly blocking his voice.
"That boy doesn't realize it, sharp as he is......"
The crown prince might have protested that it was personal, but the Emperor clearly didn't see it that way.
"And yet, because of those damn laws and customs, I can't punish him...... That's why our empire, with all its accumulated might, can't fully dominate the continent. The imperial house bound by law, unable to act rashly; nobles growing ever stronger; power scattered, unable to centralize......"
The Emperor clenched his fist in the empty air. His golden eyes pierced not the fist itself, but beyond—to the empire in its entirety.
"Only by placing all this nation's forces in the Emperor's hands can we unify the continent. Isn't that right?"
—Indeed.
At the response, the Emperor's eyes gleamed with cold menace.
"Exactly. That's why we need a pretext. Something like that foolish woman or those devil-possessed scum......"
Words that would chill anyone who overheard them slipped from his lips. Yet the voice replied calmly, unperturbed.
—But they alone cannot take down Duke Valentia. The limitations of demon worshippers are obvious.
"True enough. That's why we need you."
—We have completed all preparations.
The confident voice filled the hall, as if it had been waiting for this moment.
"And that secret weapon of yours—is it finished?"
—......We regret to say he is not yet...
"Didn't you call him an extraordinary talent?"
—If he grows as he is, Your Majesty will have the empire's first Aura User from an assassin's lineage within ten years. But he still needs time.
"......A pity."
—However, with our forces combined with the imperial magic tower's, we have more than enough strength.
"Good. It had better be."
—Have faith. We are confident.
"Very well...... But the crown prince must have heard about those scum by now. What's his reaction?"
—No concrete moves yet, but surely Your Majesty won't let them snatch the glory when they act? Given his temperament...
"Yes, quite. But that mustn't happen. You know that, right?"
—Of course. His Highness the Crown Prince will receive the crucial information at the most critical moment—far too late.
"Excellent."
The Emperor nodded calmly at the reply.
"......A disturbance in the imperial house by demon worshippers, and the death of Duke Valentia—a great noble, a superhuman, and the Emperor's son-in-law...... This scenario is ideal."
—Yes.
"Even just the disturbance gives us grounds to claim that scattered power is rotting the empire from within. That's the fallback, but......"
—We will ensure the ideal scenario.
"Good. Do your utmost for the empire's glory."
—For the empire's glory! Long live Emperor Majesty! Long live! Long live! Ever long live!
Hearing the unseen shadow's voice, the Emperor smiled faintly for the first time.
* * *
"The barriers around the Aslan imperial palace are renowned worldwide. Even if that one is unharmed, tampering with the holy relic inside might be too much, no?"
In the round table of a pitch-black chamber, a voice from the low seat in the corner made the shadow at the head stir—as if stifling laughter. The surrounding shadows began to quiver in kind.
"Well, Emperors and royals are arrogant to a fault. They probably think riffraff like us could be dealt with if we dared."
"I hope they keep misunderstanding."
"They will. We even tossed out bait."
"That woman had better play her part."
"She will. She doesn't even know she's the bait."
Low, stifled chuckles spread through the room, making the corner shadow flinch.
"......Then what's Plan B?"
"You don't need to know yet."
"Curious?"
"If you tell me......"
"Why? To inform that Morse scum?"
Killing intent filled the chamber at those words, and the corner shadow leaped back.
"What do you mean!? N-not me! H-how dare I!!"
The head shadow chuckled softly.
"Of course. How could you? A soul pledged to the Great One, heart infused with the power of a new era."
"Y-yes!"
The corner shadow nodded vigorously at the defense, but the head shadow smirked venomously.
"......And yet, here you are. That mad bastard."
"Pardon?"
"It's baffling, really. How do Aslan dogs forge loyalty that defies even soul contracts?"
"W-what do you......"
The corner shadow looked baffled.
"Fine acting. Dragon's Eye, head of black magic detection...... Riley."
The shadow froze, then frantically shook its head as realization dawned.
"W-what? Dragon's Eye?"
"......Too late."
Slash.
A quiet word, and a blade swung from somewhere. The corner shadow crumpled with a thud, and the stench of blood filled the air.
But the remaining shadows merely shrugged and laughed.
"Kuhuhu."
"Utterly ridiculous."
"Spy weeded out."
"Hard to believe one existed. How, after pledging his soul to the Great One?"
"No idea."
"Aslan dogs are vicious."
"So, that Morse bastard gave us a hint?"
"If he's tied to Dragon's Eye, his movements were too straightforward."
"Hmm, true......"
"Overthinking can be poison. He just underestimated us."
"No, the imperial house did."
"True, they always do."
The scattered voices quickly converged on a conclusion.
"Good. Internal cleanup done. Contacted Blue Fox?"
"Glad only I knew that one."
"He's reliable?"
"Absolutely. The Aslan Empire will plunge into chaos—inevitably!"
"Perfect...... But how's His wound?"
"Couldn't heal it. Kraken's power was too toxic...... Not mere physical damage, so He decided on that method."
"Ugh......"
"Think positive. It was inevitable for the great cause. Just came sooner."
"Indeed......"
"He is our light and darkness."
"The true apostle of the Great One."
"We follow."
"Failure ends it all."
"Of course!"
"The day He awakens again...... I await it."
"Uhahaha!"
As the shadows stomped in unison, thick black aura filled the chamber.
"For the new world!"
"For the new world!"
"And for the empire's ruin!"
"Kuhahaha, yes! For the empire's ruin!"
Mad laughter echoed through the blood-scented darkness.
* * *
"......His Majesty views me as an enemy? Ha, fine. I heard the rumors, but he even threatened Cloi?"
"What will you do? This might turn into the worst-case scenario you imagined."
Tiny tossed out the words bluntly, watching the duke mutter in dazed lament.
It was intel gained by shrinking Wolrang beyond limits and suppressing his presence, enduring the soul-compressing agony. Wolrang had suffered far worse, of course—leaving Tiny to deal with the severe side effect(?) of the wolf sulking hard.
His black eyes burned with clear intent to make full use of it.
Of course.
"Kill the Emperor? Ha, haha...... No, that won't work. I know better. Ah, haha...... Don't glare! It was a joke! Ha, haha...... I mean it, really!"
His resolve was a tad overzealous.
"Shut it."
Normally, the Sword Emperor would have made him pay for such lunacy, but now he couldn't even focus, squeezing his eyes shut.
'Your Majesty......'
How had things come to this?
He'd prided himself on atoning for that reckless boyhood mistake at their first meeting. Thus, Valentia became the empire's top pro-imperial noble house. Thanks to that, the empire had enjoyed thirty years of solid peace.
And yet.
"Why did it end up like this......"
Was the overblown title of Sword Emperor the issue? Or...
"Tch, what pointless brooding......"
As melancholy thoughts deepened, the impudent voice interrupted again.
"Do you even grasp how serious—!"
He nearly shouted in fury.
"Bigger than the Demon King Army?"
The muttered words left him momentarily stunned.
"......No...... not that."
"Then why brood?"
That jeering face, those gleaming black eyes—insolent, almost ominous—held one unyielding conviction.
A belief so pure it could be mistaken for folly... no, obsession.
"When the Demon King Army descends, everyone bands together, like it or not. Trust me, I've been through it."
Those mad-seeming eyes jolted him awake this time.
"......Right. That's not what matters."
"We just preserve humanity's strength, whatever happens."
"Yes. Sigh......"
Simple, really.
'Whether His Majesty shuns me or not—what does it matter? That's not the point.'
His mind cleared.
Just keep the imperial schemes in mind. Prepare accordingly.
No need for needless sentiment.
"......Plus, we need to raise a powerhouse for unexpected monsters."
"R-right? Ah, haha...... Why stare at me like that? So scary......?"
Glancing at the feigning fool, a smile returned naturally.
"You've healed fast. I can push harder now. That Mana Body secret art is impressive."
"Ah...... S-Sir Garen's potion...!"
"Condition's good. Training intensity up from today."
"Listen to me!"
"When you're stronger than me!"
"Argh, seriously! Ow! Ears! Hurt! F-fine! I'm going, going!"
About two months before the crown prince's wedding.
Valentia mansion in the capital once more rang with roars and screams.
Thus, two months passed swiftly.