1. Omen (1)
1. Omen (1)
"Come on, move quickly~, my dears?"
"Kyeek!"
"Uooooh!"
"Grrruk, grrruk!"
At the beautiful woman's melodious voice, the demon beasts busily moved about as if following her.
Of course, even with her beautiful and sensual appearance, one absolutely couldn't view her favorably.
And for good reason, she was...
"Oh my, I didn't expect a little rat to have come all the way in here?"
'Huh?!'
—one of the Demon Army Executives reigning over the demon beasts.
Moreover, she wasn't human.
Even with her smooth and soft skin, she was unmistakably a Succubus Queen with bat wings on her back and sharp claws.
Tap, tap, tap.
The sound of heels echoed through the cave interior.
And that sound of heels grew closer.
'...Damn it, damn it!'
The man frantically fumbled with the crystal orb in his pocket.
Since he'd been caught by that woman anyway, his life was already forfeit.
So he had no choice but to die while giving whatever advantage he could to the Empire.
Crunch!
"So you were hiding here?"
"Gghuk, khup?! Keuk!"
The Succubus Queen had personally found the man.
And she grabbed his neck and choked him.
The Succubus Queen scanned the man up and down.
"Hmm~, doesn't look very tasty."
The Succubus Queen gestured toward the man, but
—Snap.
The man's neck snapped limply.
"Tch, how boring."
As if having lost interest, she carelessly picked up and threw the man's corpse aside.
The Succubus Queen hadn't killed him.
He had bitten down on the poison in his molar and committed suicide to avoid divulging his information.
A soldier who committed suicide offered no enjoyment from torture, let alone extracting information.
Besides, when they die by biting poison, it just feels icky to absorb their essence.
"Well, it didn't matter from the start anyway."
The Succubus Queen paid no particular attention to the man's corpse.
In other words, she left that crystal orb rolling to the side.
Even if they figured it out, the outcome was already predetermined.
####
"Your Majesty, I have a report to deliver."
"Hmm."
That morning.
In the emperor's bedchamber where normally no one should be present to avoid disturbing the emperor's deep slumber, someone was kneeling.
While an outsider entering the emperor's bedchamber without permission was nearly a capital offense, this time was a special circumstance, so the emperor indifferently rose from his bed.
After rising and quickly refreshing himself with a dry wash, the emperor spoke in a quiet voice.
"...Proceed."
"Yes."
The Night Knights of the Imperial Family.
Also known as the shadows of the royal family.
They were the emperor's direct combat unit, largely unknown to the world.
Their external activities were completely nonexistent.
Everything was done in secrecy, a knight order that followed no one's commands but the emperor's alone.
While it might be considered cruel, they consisted solely of members prepared to sacrifice their lives for the emperor more than anyone else.
And early this morning.
The soldier who was discovered by the Succubus Queen and committed suicide was also a member of the Night Knights.
Thanks to his noble sacrifice sending information through the crystal orb, they had obtained intelligence.
The Night Knights Captain reported this information to the emperor without omission.
"—...That is all."
"............"
Perhaps the emperor was still half-asleep.
Even after the report ended, the emperor remained silent.
But the Night Knights Captain waited patiently in the same posture.
He knew full well that His Majesty the Emperor wouldn't miss a report over something like sleep.
"...The Hero still hasn't appeared."
"...Yes, my apologies. We cannot determine whether the manifestation hasn't occurred yet, or if we're simply incompetent and unable to find them."
"How could that be your fault."
Succubus Queen, Lilith.
From the report given by the Night Knights Captain, it seemed she was plotting the resurrection of the Demon King.
Certainly, not just the Succubus Queen but other Demon Army Executives were likely scheming for the Demon King's resurrection as well.
The emperor didn't care for words like "perhaps" or "maybe."
Incompetent ministers would be too busy filling their own pockets,
making excuses like accurate observations couldn't be made among themselves, or that the Hero hasn't even manifested yet so how could it be the Demon King, even using the pretext that it was a bluff to cause chaos in the Empire.
But even such ministers were useful in their respective positions.
How unfortunate.
If even slightly competent people emerged, he would personally behead them.
"...Hmm. Must we ultimately give up on this generation's Hero..."
The emperor was convinced of the Demon King's resurrection.
He had long abandoned the thought that the Hero hadn't appeared because the Demon King hadn't resurrected, like some believed.
Certainly, whenever the Demon King resurrected, the gods had always provided a Hero.
He wasn't worried about the Hero not appearing.
Rather, he was worried about the present situation where the Hero hadn't appeared.
In the past, historical documents that only imperial family members could access, written by ancestors.
There, the Demon King's resurrection was naturally recorded several times.
And each time, the timing of the Hero's manifestation varied.
Perhaps this generation's Hero, like in the past, would manifest somewhat later than expected.
Of course, even if the Hero's appearance was delayed, it wasn't a problem.
The Hero would inevitably seal the Demon King once again.
But that was a concern for humanity.
Concern for humanity and concern for the Empire were distinctly different.
In the past, similar to now, the Demon King's resurrection had occurred and the Hero had appeared.
The sealing of the Demon King was certainly successful.
But the problem was that until the Hero appeared, the Empire had to somehow withstand the demon beasts' offensive.
Even if it took several months, or several years.
Thus, in the past, exactly once when the Hero's appearance was delayed, the Empire had nearly reached the brink of destruction.
The emperor still remembered the phrase written there when he read the historical documents as a child.
-If any descendant experiences such circumstances as I have, I dare advise future generations as an ancestor. Use 'whatever means necessary' to protect the Empire until the Hero appears. Even if it means being remembered historically as a tyrant.
"Is there no other way..."
The emperor agonized.
It wasn't that he didn't understand the words of his ancestor, the past emperor.
But he truly had to make a choice.
No, in fact, he had already made the choice.
Simultaneously, he had already planned everything from beginning to end in his mind.
Only, he wasn't confident he could bear his resentment.
It was utterly heartbreaking.
The emperor was a sage ruler.
And he was destined to become a sage ruler.
In the theories of kingship the emperor studied to become a sage ruler, there was a principle that one must maintain composure in all matters.
-Even if it meant sacrificing family with one's own hands.
"Summon the Second Prince. Without anyone noticing."
"By your command!"
####
"What business at this early hour? And with the Night Knights Captain no less."
"My apologies. Please forgive this subject's discourtesy, it is an imperial decree."
It was indeed early.
It was just about time for the maids and butlers to be waking up.
Yet he entered the prince's bedchamber without even bringing the attending maid.
While discourteous, if it was the imperial decree of Imperial Father, there was no choice.
"An imperial decree? What matter is it?"
The Night Knights Captain gave me a brief explanation.
His Majesty himself commanded that I be brought to Imperial Father's bedchamber without anyone noticing.
It must be a matter that even Imperial Father's head maid shouldn't discover.
I understood the seriousness of the situation.
After all, Imperial Father usually always kept the quick-witted head maid by his side.
"...Lead the way."
"Yes."
And so I headed toward Imperial Father's bedchamber through a completely one-sided method and path.
As expected of the Night Knights Captain.
We moved through secret passages I had never once seen while living in the imperial palace all this time.
"This way."
"............"
There were even secret passages leading to Imperial Father's bedchamber.
This seemed somewhat dangerous, but...
"It's fine. This passage isn't the only one."
"...I, I see."
The Night Knights Captain immediately answered, having read my expression.
That was somewhat shocking.
That tiny bedchamber had not just one or two secret passages.
No, rather, as the emperor, he should have many secret passages.
From the soldiers' perspective, he was someone who must be saved at all costs, even if the Empire falls.
As I opened a small wooden door and stepped out, the familiar interior came into view.
"Your Majesty, I hope you spent the night peacefully."
"Hmm, come in."
It was a familiar space.
But conversely, it was a space I missed.
Had I visited Imperial Father's bedchamber recently?
Probably the only time was when I came to play out of curiosity as a child.
"Sit here."
I sat in the chair Imperial Father indicated.
The heavy atmosphere made it difficult for me to speak first.
What in the world could this be about?
Moving in such secrecy meant it was likely a matter of extreme confidentiality.
"...Jerod."
"...Yes?"
Imperial Father called my name.
Naturally, I couldn't help but be surprised.
After all, Imperial Father had almost never called me by name.
Seven years..., no. Was it eight years?
My name had always been the Second Prince.
To Imperial Father, to my late mother, and to everyone around me.
"...My son, Jerod."
".........Yes, Father."
I couldn't bring myself to say "Imperial Father."
Father.
The word I hadn't spoken in so long had a rather nice ring to it.
"...Will you grant this foolish father's request?"
Early morning.
The 'father's' request I was suddenly summoned to hear from Imperial Father was an utterly absurd story that absolutely must not be known to society.
"............Will you become the princess for me?"
"....................Yes?"