The Vanished Protagonists (1)
If you asked any noble who wielded absolute power which family stood as the empire’s greatest, nine out of ten would name House Hohenberg without hesitation.
A lineage of founding heroes. The foremost lords of the eastern lands. The very symbol of loyal vassals who had earned the imperial family’s trust for generations. And—above all else—House Hohenberg had produced the hero Maximilian.
After he accomplished countless feats and finally slew the Demon King, the family’s renown eclipsed even that of the Valtaria imperial house. Their name had spread so far that northern barbarians and southern desert tribes spoke it with equal parts respect and envy.
“What the hell? A twenty-five-year-old man running away from home? Did puberty finally catch up with him?”
An empty office. A perfectly pressed suit. And a single note left abandoned on the desk.
The moment I stepped inside to greet that perpetually icy, expressionless face, I learned that the eldest son of House Hohenberg had vanished without a word. He had eloped with Saintess Beatrice—his longtime comrade from the hero’s party and even longer-time lover.
Well, if someone overheard, they might think the family had opposed the match. Which, to be fair, we eventually did. After all, my oh-so-accomplished older brother had been promised in a political marriage to the Third Princess Elizabetta.
When news spread that the young master—famous for his prematurely mature, almost elderly demeanor—had gone missing, the entire household flipped upside down. The fact that this was an act of delinquency from a model student who had always prized duty and responsibility only made the uproar that much worse.
“Young Master Max ran away…?”
“I naturally assumed it was Young Master Edan.”
The excellent eldest son. The walking disaster of a second son. And yet, against all expectations, the eldest had caused the storm. As the saying went, it’s always the quiet cat that jumps on the stove first.
The servants who received the shocking news kept stealing glances at me and murmuring among themselves. It felt incredibly unpleasant, but since I was painfully aware of why, I kept my mouth shut.
“Edan! What in the world is going on?!”
“The eldest son of House Hohenberg lost his mind over a woman and ran off with her.”
He had fallen head over heels for the woman I could only describe as the heroine—and more accurately, the harem manager—Saintess Beatrice, and pulled off a lovers’ elopement. At the moment, that was the only explanation that made sense.
The heroine of a romance-fantasy novel. She truly possessed the captivating charm of a total conqueror. To think she could drive a man as cold as permafrost into such blind devotion.
I let out a sigh as I watched my father come running in a panic. He had been so frantic he’d forgotten his wig; his barren, onion-like scalp was on full display.
“Father, this isn’t the time to worry about that emotionless blockhead’s disappearance. If the imperial family learns that my damn brother ran away with the Saintess, we’re finished.”
“You’re right…!”
Perhaps this storm had been inevitable. The hero and the Saintess, deeply in love. Yet the hero was bound by a promised marriage to a princess, and the Saintess carried the heavy yoke of her faith.
I should have realized earlier that two people who had spent so long torn between conflict and hesitation might eventually take drastic action. After all, love was a paralyzing poison that devoured reason.
The imperial family will definitely send a messenger to verify the truth…
From the imperial house’s perspective—having publicly declared they would hold the wedding the moment Hero Maximilian returned from his journey—they would naturally want to crush House Hohenberg. An unforgivable insult had been dealt to the daughter they cherished like a precious jewel.
“I’ll handle this somehow. Father, take the knights and leave the territory under the pretext of tracking down the missing fool. We must show the Valtaria imperial family that House Hohenberg has nothing to do with this incident.”
“Your words make sense, but… how do you intend to deal with the imperial family?”
“They wouldn’t discard a prestigious family that produced a hero overnight. Don’t worry.”
“I’m sorry, son.”
Father bowed his head with a grave expression. Sluuurp. As if reflecting his tangled emotions, the few thin strands of hair standing upright drooped pathetically.
He must have felt a betrayal as piercing as the expectations he had placed on his eldest son who had become a hero. I could only worry that the stress from this incident would accelerate his hair loss until even those last strands abandoned him.
And now—
I lifted my head, cutting off the thoughts that had been coiling inside my skull. Across the table sat Ludmilla Draig Valtaria, the female knight who had inherited the protection of the red dragon.
This is insane… Sending the Red Dragon without any prior notice.
It was only natural to be stunned speechless. The strongest being in the entire world had appeared without warning, as if declaring war on a hostile nation.
The moment my eyes met her cold, crimson gaze, a chill ran down my spine. What was her purpose? Did she intend to erase House Hohenberg entirely?
No… the odds of the worst-case scenario were slim. Even so, knowing that didn’t ease the tension. The power of life and death rested in the hands of the red dragon wearing the mask of a beautiful woman.
“There is no need to be so tense. I have no intention of holding you accountable when you are not the one directly involved.”
“…Understood.”
The red dragon with her flowing golden hair waved a hand dismissively. The hatred that had been blazing like sulfur flames subsided.
She must have reined in her emotions after seeing my stunned expression. Still, the feeling of sitting on a bed of thorns remained unchanged. The fate of my entire family hung in the balance. No matter how strong one’s nerves, this was enough to make anyone anxious.
What exactly would the Valtaria imperial family demand from our house? They would undoubtedly hold us responsible and demand reparations for the way Hero Maximilian had arrogantly declared the engagement broken.
“The Count is nowhere to be seen.”
“Correct. He is currently leading his subordinates in a search of the surrounding area.”
Perhaps she had no intention of openly reprimanding the Count who represented the east. Ludmilla nodded in acknowledgment.
“It’s, um, black tea… Your Highness the Princess.”
“My thanks.”
The reception room door opened and a maid entered, setting down black tea that had surely been brewed from the finest leaves. The Second Princess had come to visit the estate. The butler, maids, and every member of the staff must have gone straight into emergency mode.
The Hohenberg family, already thrown into chaos when the eldest son—who had slain the Demon King and returned home in glory—ran away, had been flipped upside down once again by the princess’s arrival. For a family that prized quiet peace, such disturbances were exceedingly rare.
“News that the hero and the princess, who had been engaged for so long, have broken their engagement will spread across the entire continent. When that happens, our Valtaria imperial family will not escape humiliating mockery.”
“……”
This must be how a low-ranking employee felt standing before the company CEO. The longer Ludmilla spoke, the more cold sweat poured down my back. My pupils lost focus. My face stiffened like hardened leather. Even my stomach throbbed with sharp pain every time I drew breath.
I tried my best to appear calm, but I looked precarious enough to collapse at any moment.
“Sir.”
“Yes, please speak.”
Was judgment finally being delivered? I swallowed dryly and waited for the red dragon’s verdict.
But Ludmilla shattered my expectations by holding out a document envelope she had placed beside her.
“While I was away from the imperial capital, urgent intelligence arrived from the spy division. It states that not only Hero Maximilian and Saintess Beatrice, but every member of the Saintess party has vanished. Do you know anything about this?”
“…Pardon?”
The missing persons were not limited to the main characters. Even the sub male leads who had loved the heroine Beatrice had disappeared. The Sword Saint of the Fugh Kingdom. The Mercenary King of the Laterano Union and the Sage of the Gisterd Kingdom.
The urgent report that the very forces who had defeated the Demon King’s army and led humanity’s revival had vanished like a mirage was enough to shake the foundations of the entire continent. The great powers involved were apparently scrambling to cover it up and prevent leaks, but the truth would not stay hidden for long.
“The hero and the Saintess… and even the Sword Saint, the Mercenary King, and the Sage.”
While scanning the documents Ludmilla had handed me, one page made me freeze. Ludmilla noticed and nodded.
“Young Master Maximilian was the last to disappear.”
“Yes… that’s correct.”
My damn brother had vanished ten days ago. Ten days—a period that felt both long and short.
After reading that the Mercenary King of the Laterano Union had gone missing a full month earlier, I had sensed something strange. The timeframes for each member of the Saintess party’s disappearance were all different. There had to be a reason. It might serve as a valuable clue in tracking their whereabouts.
“Did the hero leave any message for you?”
“He did not.”
From the moment Maximilian had shouldered the fate of the hero, he had refused close relationships with anyone. Meeting the Saintess had been the sole exception, yet his blunt nature had never changed. He guarded his thoughts and emotions with the vigilance of a patient suffering from extreme mysophobia.
That was why I—his own younger brother—knew no more than anyone else.
“I have a request for you.”
“I will obey any command. Please give your orders.”
What right did House Hohenberg have to refuse after committing such an unprecedented act of disrespect? Even if the mission was dangerous, I could only comply. The lives of everyone I knew rested in the hands of the woman before me.
“Search for the Saintess party together with me.”
“……?”
The golden-haired princess extended her hand. My eyes widened in open bewilderment.