Secret (1)

Out of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠all those orphans, how had the Emperor 'found' such capable individuals and gathered them?

He didn't have hundreds or thousands of children, and he wouldn't have dispatched knights to search for them either.

The players did have a theory. In any case, the Emperor must have gathered those talented children through 'some method,' and that 'method' was probably connected to Claire's bloodline, or that of the other imperial children. Though I ended up entering the game world before I could see that truth.

But I'd had no idea that 'some method' meant 'sowing his own blood.'

If that was the case, the Emperor was an unbelievably self-confident man. No, self-confidence was too generous a term. It was arrogance. He must have taken it for granted that his children would resemble him and inherit his 'superior abilities.'

He spread his bloodline as widely as possible... mixing his blood with nobles could become politically troublesome, so he scattered his seed where no one paid attention, and then collected only the 'capable' offspring for use.

Ha.

Having thought that far, I let out a hollow laugh.

The 'Emperor's children' weren't a new idea invented by the current Emperor with no prior precedent. Among past emperors, some had kept such children, and even the emperors who were 'known not to' had still possessed such elite personal guards.

Which meant this bloodline arrogance belonged not just to the Emperor, but to the imperial family as a whole.

But, if that was the case...

I, who hadn't existed in that role in the original story, probably wasn't one of the 'own children' the Emperor had originally targeted. The person who should have been in the position I occupied was Claire.

If the Emperor had merely intended to sow his seed, he wouldn't have paid much attention to the partner. He would only have dispatched a trustworthy agent to monitor where that woman's child ended up. Whether the mother's hair was blue or black... that wouldn't have mattered to the Emperor.

"Wow..."

Seated in a chair, staring blankly at the ceiling and lost in thought, I expressed my admiration alone after reaching that conclusion.

If some entity had planted me in this world, then that entity had truly placed me in the perfect spot. Of all things, to tie me into a secret-of-birth plotline.

And the ability I'd been given was the same. Rather than swordsmanship or some uncertain talent that might take a lifetime to develop, I'd been granted an infinite number of chances to fix things whenever I made a mistake.

And... even though he knew my way of fighting relied on that ability, the Emperor still considered me his daughter.

Exactly. The Emperor had mistaken me for Claire.

And the sole reason was that Lucas had brought me instead of Claire.

...I had to find Lucas.

*

Lucas probably didn't know that he might be the Emperor's biological son. He didn't bear much resemblance, honestly. And judging by the circumstances, it was highly likely that Lucas's orphan days had been just as miserable as Claire's.

He wouldn't have 'naturally' thought he carried imperial blood. Who in the world would have imagined that the child of an emperor, however illegitimate, would be left to struggle in a place like that?

So I had to go to Lucas and learn why he had chosen me, and what his past had been. That was the only way I could be certain about the situation.

And the damn Emperor had simply thrown that bombshell at me and then smiled as if saying, 'Figure the rest out yourself.'

The problem was, I didn't have the faintest idea where Lucas was.

Bella and the other one were already deployed on missions. Both were among the Emperor's children whose faces weren't widely known, so they were highly versatile assets and always busy. In Bella's case, if she hadn't received a separate assignment, we probably wouldn't have had occasion to see each other anyway.

So I went to find the only 'sibling' I could meet right away.

And that person was—

"Lucas?"

The moment he heard the name Lucas, Jaden's brow furrowed sharply.

"How would I know where Lucas is?"

Fortunately, Jaden's tone suggested he wasn't exactly angry at me. The irritation was directed at Lucas. Leaving his post without even informing the Emperor was, in the eyes of the Empire's strongest knight, Jaden, an act of disloyalty.

I quietly looked up at Jaden's golden hair, neatly parted in an unmistakable two-to-eight ratio.

Viewed like this, the color looked quite similar to that of the Emperor or Alice. Of course, it would be hard to use that as evidence. The Empire had no shortage of blonds, after all.

But... after hearing that story, I couldn't help but think differently when I saw that blond hair.

Though Jaden had been thoroughly trained in the imperial swordsmanship style, Jaden too must have carried a dark past like Claire or Bella.

Perhaps even that obsessive fixation on elegance stemmed from there.

"Is that so."

"Why, is there some problem? Did he do something to you?"

"No."

At my answer, Jaden gave a small shrug and resumed packing his luggage. The items fit into the large trunk as if they were puzzle pieces, precisely angled in ways that made me wonder how on earth they could be arranged like that.

Inwardly impressed, I asked,

"Are you being dispatched somewhere?"

"That's right."

Jaden nodded as he kept packing.

"Heading north for a deployment. Thanks to your efforts—"

While speaking, Jaden glanced back at me. His expression openly radiated pride. For a moment, I nearly broke out in goosebumps, but I held it in.

"—we managed to annihilate one warlord, but plenty of warlords of similar scale are still running rampant. We can't pour in the army since we're not going to war with the Autonomous State, but a single Irregular capable of providing reliable support would be an enormous help in combat."

As he said this, Jaden shut the open trunk with a decisive click.

"The north..."

I was starting to feel a little bleak at the thought that I would soon be the only one of the Emperor's children left in the imperial palace, when a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.

"By any chance, what means of transportation are you taking?"

"They told me to arrive as fast as possible, so I assume I'll be riding the supply line."

'Supply line' here didn't mean an ordinary ship. It might have meant that if there were a sea or a large lake nearby, but a supply line moving from land to land meant an 'airship.'

The speed of a transport ship wasn't comparable to the Aerial Battleship Dreadnought. A hundred kilometers per ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠hour at best.

But since it was a flying vessel, it would naturally fly in a straight line toward its destination. Without stopping midway. So the actual arrival time was faster than a train's.

"Could I possibly ride along on that transport?"

Only about two weeks remained until the break ended, so every single day was urgent.

"Hm? Still, it is a military supply vessel... I'm not saying I suspect you, but there are procedural issues with boarding something like that. I finished attaching my affiliation about a week ago, but as for you..."

Seeing him refuse to bulldoze ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠through the regulations with his authority highlighted Jaden's 'model gentleman' side especially clearly. That was probably why the Emperor used Jaden in 'overtly mobile' roles.

"I have... an urgent matter."

"An urgent matter, is it."

Jaden's expression ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠grew somewhat serious as he asked,

"Is it, perhaps, related to His Majesty's orders?"

Well...

No.

I could make up some other excuse and talk my way around it, but as befitting his status as an imperial knight, Jaden had a fussy side in these matters. If I lied and said yes, he would certainly go and verify it with the Emperor. Not out of suspicion toward me, but to understand the situation more clearly and resolve the orders more precisely.

"......."

"Sylvia?"

Faced with my sudden silence, Jaden tilted his head.

... Fine.

In that case.

Exploiting Jaden's blind spot was the better move.

I took a deep breath. And after calming my heart as much as possible, I clasped my hands together in front of my chest.

Then I looked up at Jaden. Up to this point, it wasn't particularly difficult. Jaden was taller than me.

But the real problem was what came next.

"E..."

"E?"

When I started to speak and stopped midway, Jaden repeated the sound.

"El...der brother."

Unable to bring myself to call him “big bro,” I used an extremely formal address that suited my established character instead.

Yes, this was just part of my character image, not something I'd said of my own volition.

I told myself that, anyway.

Facing Jaden, who had frozen as though turned to ice, I drew another deep breath and said,

"Elder Brother... it is a favor...?"

"......."

Jaden stared at me blankly with his mouth slightly open for a long moment, then raised one hand and pressed it to his forehead.

Just as I thought I'd failed.

Jaden swept that hand down over his face, then pressed his forehead again.

A hint of laughter lingered at the corners of his mouth. His eyes... held an expression that said, 'What a little scamp.'

"Well, well."

I immediately regretted what I'd said and seriously considered rewinding time.

"If my little sister puts it that way... I suppose there is no helping it. Do not worry, Sylvia. This elder brother of yours will handle it somehow."

...I was seriously, genuinely considering it.