“Still not coming out?”
He turned his head to look at a tree that was unusually heavy with snow. A moment of silence passed, then a man stepped out from behind the tree.
His platinum hair, now fading to white, and his crimson irises, as if eroded by the Emperor’s brand. It was none other than Luke von Schopenhaim, the Emperor’s Sword and former Second Prince, whom I had contracted after the auction.
“How’s the erosion?”
“55%. Barely managing to hold off the interference with my memories.”
55%, huh. It had progressed by 5% in such a short time. Though, it was impressive he had held on this long.
There were ways to suppress the erosion through magic, but that was a last resort.
Unlike the Emperor’s Eyes, the brand of the Emperor’s Sword was personally inscribed by the Emperor. If anyone were to tamper with it, he would surely sense my presence immediately.
“According to the contract, Lord Leif has been dealt with. His actions were truly atrocious.”
Luke said this with a hollow laugh.
Of course, to someone who had lived as the Second Prince, the things this man had done would seem utterly disgusting.
Lord Leif.
To all appearances, he was a nouveau riche who had purchased his noble title with newfound wealth, but the truth was different. He was the man who oversaw the empire’s entire slave market and was deeply entangled in various noble corruption schemes—essentially, the biggest player in the back alleys.
I had intended to eliminate him at once—not to eradicate crime out of some naive purpose, but to acquire his transaction ledger.
With this ledger in hand, I could practically control most of the nobility.
After all, most of the auctions handled by Lord Leif were illegal. Given that the nobility abhorred anything that tarnished their names, the value of this transaction ledger was undeniable.
“Where’s the ledger?”
“I’ve entrusted it to the Information Guild.”
He then seemed to notice something and questioned me.
“Lord Leif was within your reach to deal with. Why did you involve me?”
“I just don’t want to attract the attention of the Emperor’s Eyes.”
To begin with, the reason Lord Leif was able to thrive in the seedy world was because he had the Emperor’s implicit approval. The reach of the royal family was far wider than most people imagined, and the Emperor’s Sword was close at hand.
This was also mentioned in the original story. After Adelle was sold into slavery under the charge of royal treason, she quickly ended up under Lord Leif’s control.
In essence, Lord Leif served a role similar to the royal family’s undertaker.
Of course, it didn’t take long before the sub-lede male lead, Luke, cut his head off. That is the actual reason why I entrusted the assassination of Lord Leif to him—it was important to adhere to the original storyline for my planned future to unfold correctly.
“I’ve taken care of all the individuals we needed to handle, as you requested.”
Luke said this while glaring at me, likely expecting something in return. After all, our relationship was purely contractual.
“I’ve found the location of Lucan von Ashrich.”
“…What?! Is that true?!”
The way Luke rushed to ask made me frown.
“In the heart of the Tower of Confinement.”
The Tower of Confinement.
An underwater prison meant to house only the worst criminals, where various death-row inmates wait for their fates. It holds not only the fallen royalty of destroyed kingdoms but also key rebels who were politically driven to overthrow the emperor.
The fact that his mother, who is innocent, is imprisoned there clearly infuriated him.
“Damn it.”
“Only the Emperor has access to the Tower of Confinement. You understand what that means, right?”
“…Did you expect me to secretly find out where my mother was all along?”
Only the Emperor can enter, and the fates of the prisoners are decided by his whim. Some noble families are punished by being sold into slavery through royal auctions, and key rebels face immediate execution without trial.
It was more of a playground for the Emperor than an actual prison.
“You must feel like a puppet dancing on his strings.”
“It’s exactly that.”
Fizz…
The brand on Luke’s neck flashed red. Recognizing it as a call from the Emperor, Luke clicked his tongue.
“I’d better head out. If there’s any more work for me, leave it at the Information Guild.”
“Luke von Schopenhaim.”
Upon being called by his full name, Luke turned his head with a look of discomfort. Of course, he had probably never been called by his full name by anyone other than the Emperor.
“Don’t overstep your bounds. The Emperor is not someone to be trifled with.”
Fizz…
At my advice, Luke appeared to begin speaking, but the pain from the brand forced him to grimace. The gag function included in the Emperor’s brand must be the cause.
So he was trying to discuss the Emperor’s secrets, huh? It seems he knew at least something about them.
“…More than anyone else, I know. He’s the enemy of my parents.”
With that, Luke left the scene.
‘I should focus on the Hunting Festival first.’
I already had a plan in mind, and it was interesting to imagine Adelle’s reaction upon seeing what I had prepared.
§
The day after the Hunting Festival.
People began returning, carrying the monsters they had hunted. There were creatures ranging from giant rabbits the size of a man to massive reindeer the size of carriages, even lions that seemed to have eaten several people.
Some were bloodied from their hunts, while others whistled leisurely on their way back.
The Hunting Festival offered participants the chance to demonstrate their abilities by presenting their kills to the noble young ladies they admired.
The young noblewomen, in turn, judged the size and rarity of the offerings to estimate their own value, smiling all the while.
Adelle quietly sat inside her carriage amidst all of this.
“Which prey will the Duke catch?”
Lily looked at me with an excited tone.
“Well, as long as it’s not too attention-grabbing, that would be good.”
In truth, I had already drawn quite a bit of attention by simply combating the monsters. Further attention was unnecessary for someone inclined towards introversion.
“Hm, you seem different from what I thought.”
“Which is why I’m worried.”
I swallowed the rest of my sentence. Adelle was already grateful for my having saved her from the monsters. Receiving any more would only be burdensome.
“…Are you alright, Evan?”
“No, I’m fine, my lady.”
As always, Evan responded with his cheerful smile. Though he could be a little boisterous, there was no doubt that he was an exceptionally capable knight. Witnessing him single-handedly push back a castle-sized monster was proof enough.
“I haven’t seen the Duke this upset in a long time. My legs are trembling.”
“Has this happened before?”
“It was quite a while ago…”
Evan hesitated for a moment, then sighed and continued.
“It happened once when the children the Duke had taken under his care were injured.”
“…I see.”
“Children he gathered,” hmm. Abel, whose character unfolded with every detail, left Adelle perplexed. Was the title “Ironblood Duke” and his status as the mastermind of the original story truly appropriate? She hadn’t read the original work herself, only hearing a few details from her friend.
“Of course, I was one of those children.”
“That explains your lack of dialect. Don’t you use it?”
“Ah, actually… it only comes out unconsciously when I’m tense or trying to pump myself up.”
He scratched his face as he replied.
“Ah…”
The conversation concluded, leaving an awkward silence. Not long after, a commotion arose outside.
Peering out the window, she saw a man floating in the sky, holding a massive beast resembling an elephant with one hand.
Silver hair, crimson eyes, a sharp gaze that could cut through steel, and an unruly demeanor—it was Lev, the High Mage and one of the male leads.
Though he lacked a surname due to his humble origins, in terms of sheer power, he was undoubtedly one of the top two.
In no time, Lev had landed in front of Estelle, smiling faintly as he placed his trophy by her side.
“As promised, the largest one I could find, my lady.”
“Thank you, Lev.”
“Nah, just keeping my word.”
“Excuse me, but discussing promises without mentioning me is disrespectful.”
The Crown Prince arrived with an equally impressive monster. Their competitive presence made Estelle rub her face awkwardly as she laughed.
Seeing this, Lily marveled in her innocence.
“Wow… High Mage Lev and the Crown Prince are on a different level, aren’t they?”
“Seems so.”
As the festival neared its conclusion, she exited her carriage. As Evan handed her the token, her eyes caught the sight of the High Mage and the Crown Prince, who both stood with their recently hunted monsters, subtly challenging each other.
“Why, are you envious?”
“H-huh?!”
A shiver ran down Adelle’s spine at the sound of Abel suddenly speaking near her ear. Turning around, she saw him smiling in stark contrast to the serious expression she had seen earlier.
“Hmm. I must have tapped your shoulder several times, but you didn’t notice.”
“I did?”
Had I really missed his shoulder taps? Abel paused for a moment, then chuckled softly as he flicked his finger.
A large, bright-white magic circle appeared in the air, and a monster dropped down from it.
The body of a lion with the head and wings of an eagle—a griffin. As I examined it closer, my hands began to tremble.
“Could it be… a griffin?”
“Since you seemed to desire one, I brought it directly.”
The words took a moment to sink in. Then I remembered the handkerchief I had given to Abel, adorned with a majestic eagle I had embroidered on a whim.
Absurdity brought a hollow laugh, but Abel continued tauntingly.
“How does it feel? Is it better than you expected?”
Undeniably, his words rang true.
In every sense, it exceeded my expectations.
