The Vanished Protagonists (2)
I was terrified of tomorrow morning.
If the tabloids that chased exclusives with blind fervor caught wind of the Saintess Party’s scandal, they would undoubtedly unleash a storm of sensational coverage. After all, the party that had slain the Demon King stood at the absolute peak of fame. Damn it all. How had things come to this?
I scratched the back of my head and let out a heavy sigh.
Don’t tell me the moment the epilogue ended, part two began immediately? The author definitely posted a notice saying they would start serializing part two. And the second I saw that notice, I was dropped straight into this romance-fantasy world.
Normally several months, or even years, passed between part one and part two. But not every story followed that rule. The pace of a narrative was entirely up to the author’s whim. There would be nothing strange about part two starting the instant part one concluded.
Had I been nothing more than a reader, I would have accepted it without complaint. Unfortunately I had transmigrated into an extra whose life and death were dictated by the plot. Of course I was pissed off.
“You look deeply troubled.”
“Your Highness.”
A woman with flowing golden hair approached, wearing a faint smile. I bowed respectfully.
“I was… reflecting on the aftermath of the incident.”
“I have been concerned about the same thing.”
How far the void left by the Saintess Party would reach was impossible to predict. They were the pride and hope of humanity, the strongest subjugation force that had accomplished countless legendary feats. The brilliant reputation they had built would now return as a devastating backlash. Anticipating a whirlwind of unprecedented chaos, Ludmilla must have come all the way to Hohenberg County to request my assistance.
“Has there been any word from the Holy Kingdom?”
“They remain completely silent. Still, they will surely dispatch an envoy before long. After all, the Second Saintess has vanished inside imperial territory.”
A sharp edge laced Ludmilla’s voice. It was only natural. To her, Beatrice was the stray cat who had stolen her younger sister’s fiancé. Deep down she might even be hoping the woman would disappear forever.
“I am grateful you accepted my request so willingly.”
“It was the only logical choice. The Empire’s dignity and our family’s honor are both at stake.”
Thanks to his youngest daughter’s broken engagement, the Emperor’s rage meter was undoubtedly maxed out. He would view us as wretches not even worth grinding into medicine. If I responded half-heartedly to Ludmilla’s request on top of that, a suspicious “package” would arrive from the Valtaria imperial court. Call it a decision for survival. Right now, absolute obedience was the only path to staying alive.
That was why I stared at Ludmilla with a visibly shaken expression.
“I told you I have no intention of venting my anger on you.”
“Ah. My apologies.”
“I simply loathe the bastards who carved the pain of heartbreak into my one and only precious little sister as if they were mortal enemies. I want to send them straight to the gallows. Toward everyone else, I hold no malice.”
“……”
The “bastard” she spoke of was none other than my older brother. Well… once we struck him from the family register he would cease to be my brother anyway.
“I shall take my leave now. Once I reach the capital I will send a letter to the county.”
“Understood.”
With elegant, dignified steps, Ludmilla turned away.
A letter. She probably meant to summon me to the capital. From now on we would be cooperating toward a shared goal.
By accepting Ludmilla’s proposal I had averted the immediate crisis. Yet because the fate of the entire family ultimately rested on the Emperor’s mood, I could not relax completely.
I had extinguished the most urgent flame. Letting out a breath of relief, I clenched my left hand. Picturing the Red Dragon of Valtaria—the princess who carried both profound dignity and graceful authority—I exhaled another heavy sigh.
What am I supposed to do when the world’s strongest character suddenly shows up…? This story really doesn’t pull its punches.
Ludmilla Draig Valtaria was the character whose name appeared indirectly the moment the doomed princess Elizabetta clashed with Beatrice over her fiancé Maximilian.
“You think my sister will just sit still?!”
“The Red Dragon of Valtaria will burn you and all your kin.”
“No matter if you’re a saintess… you cannot possibly defeat our sister, the protector of the Empire!”
At first listen it sounded like childish boasting, yet Ludmilla—who had inherited the protection of the red dragon—was one of the Seven Strongest of the Warring States, the pinnacle of martial power on the continent. She was a monster even Maximilian, the male lead with the highest combat strength in the story, could not confidently claim victory against. That was why Elizabetta had brandished her older sister’s might as a threat against the stray cat flirting with her beloved fiancé.
“But she’s twenty-seven this year…? Why is she still single?”
Twenty-seven. A completely hopeless unmarried woman. She was a full-fledged spinster, teetering right on the edge of “auntie” territory. Remembering Ludmilla’s peerless beauty paired with her solemn dignity, I found myself wondering why such a woman had ended up alone. There had to be a story behind it. Otherwise how could an emperor’s daughter remain unmarried past twenty-seven?
“If I called her ‘auntie’ to her face, would I get beaten to death?”
The odds were high. Either beaten to death, or killed in the most agonizing way possible. Spinster… auntie… those words were absolute taboos that must never be uttered in front of Her Highness, who had turned twenty-seven this year. Speak them carelessly and even ten lives would not be enough to save you.
“Edan!”
“Father.”
While I was replaying my meeting with Ludmilla and cracking silly jokes, my father—who had been out of the castle—returned. His face was etched with clear bewilderment. It looked as if he had already heard about the princess’s surprise visit to Hohenberg County.
“The butler told me! That Her Highness Princess Ludmilla came here…!”
“Yes, she just left a moment ago.”
My father’s complexion turned deathly pale. He swallowed a gasp like a man who had stared death in the eye and barely escaped with his life. The majesty of the Red Dragon of Valtaria, guardian of the Empire, was enough to rattle even the administrator who ruled the eastern lands.
“Did the princess not take issue with the administrator’s absence? If so, I will chase after her at once to offer my apology.”
“She did not seem bothered. She had business with me, after all.”
“With you…?”
“She ordered me to assist in tracking down the missing Saintess Party.”
Where should I even begin? This was going to be a long, complicated explanation. Looking at my father’s utterly confused face, I took a moment to organize my tangled thoughts.
The next day.
Was it heavenly luck, or the intelligence department working overtime to suppress the truth? The newspaper delivered at dawn was packed with such trivial articles that the subscription fee felt like a complete waste.
— Elf Forest declares, “The prosperity of our race depends solely on pillage marriages.”
— World Unification series… serialization delayed due to poor popularity.
— Roe deer at Nobel Farm digs up crops, causing damages worth a fortune.
Nothing had happened. Today was quiet, just like any other day. The sky was clear, the sunlight warm. It was the kind of mild weather perfectly suited to the east.
Today I should just enjoy a peaceful nap. Once news of the Saintess Party’s disappearance spreads, I’ll be swept into a whirlwind of scandals anyway.
I would leave future worries to future me. Recalling the family motto handed down through the Hohenberg line, I deliberately ignored the coming storm.
“Young Master! Young Master!”
“What is it?”
Three urgent knocks rang out in succession before the office door flew open. It was the knight Elliot. His young, sturdy face was filled with panic. I remained calm even as he rushed in looking half out of his mind. Elliot had always loved exaggerating everything; he was famous for being a braggart. So I assumed this was another tall tale.
“A little kid with a weird way of talking… suddenly showed up demanding to see you, Young Master.”
“Me?”
Had I been a noble with a messy private life, I might have immediately started recalling past affairs and wondering if it was an illegitimate child. But I was an intellectual who lived a perfectly wholesome life. It wasn’t me… so perhaps Father? Unlike the gentle uncle he was now, Mother had once told me that in his youth he had been quite the ladies’ man. That was why I immediately suspected him. A hidden illegitimate child suddenly appearing wouldn’t be strange at all.
“Are you perhaps Edan?”
“……”
I followed Elliot to the entrance hall. Just as he had reported, a girl with light-green hair stood there, eyes sparkling. She must have traveled a long way; a large travel bag was clutched in her small hands. The sight made her look like a runaway who had been driven out of an unhappy home. The servants of Hohenberg County began to murmur among themselves at the sight of the girl leaning wearily on her luggage.
“Edan…? Yes, my name is Edanant von Hohenberg.”
“Ahem! Lue arrived exactly as Max ordered! Lue is very smart!”
After many twists and turns, she had finally made it. Pure joy and relief shone on the girl’s face.
“This is Lue! Lue Luinong!”
“…Oh my god, it’s the mascot.”
The fairy who guarded the journey. Maximilian the hero’s helper character. With her unique speech patterns and adorable looks, she had tied with the female lead for the top spot in popularity polls. She was unmistakably the little mood-maker and symbol of the Saintess Party.
Still, why had she come here? The phrase “as Max ordered” meant my brother had sent her. A storm of emotions swirled inside me at the sudden situation.
“Who is that child?”
“I don’t know… maybe she’s Young Master Edan’s secret daughter.”
“He’s stayed single all this time… I was sure he preferred that other path.”
The bold little girl’s friendly attitude only deepened the servants’ misunderstandings.