While the entire Empire was in an uproar over the Emperor's hiring of a sorcerer for his people, the neighboring territories, including the Duchy of Leopold, were abuzz with different news.
“Did you hear that story? His Highness the Second Prince was attacked last week!”
It was news of an attack on Chernosser.
“Oh, I heard. Fortunately, he’s still alive, but I heard he’s in a coma because of his serious injuries.”
“That’s right. I heard that it wouldn’t be strange if he returned at any time.”
When people of all ages heard this news, they started talking, and the rumor spread quickly.
“What kind of crazy bastard would attack the royal family? If he’s caught, three generations of the clan will be wiped out.”
“I heard that he was a knight guarding His Highness the Prince.”
“What? Really?”
“Yeah. Look at this.”
One of the men sitting crowded around a bar table, drinking, handed me a yellow piece of paper.
It was a wanted poster.
There was no sketch of the perpetrator, but there was a rough outline of his appearance, personal details, and the crimes he had committed written in large letters.
“That’s right, that’s right. His Highness the Second Prince’s escort knights indeed attacked!”
“Oh my God. The knight who is supposed to protect his lord is wielding a sword instead. This is the end of the world, the end of the world.”
People focused their criticism on the fact that the 'knight' attacked his lord rather than the fact that the culprit attacked the second Prince.
The situation was similar at other tables.
While most of them were having a heated discussion about the Chernosser attack incident, a man, with his hood pulled up over his head, quietly left the bar.
The place he headed to was an alley where there was little traffic.
After carefully checking that no one was around, he took out a ring with a red puri from his bosom.
When he touched the Pura, it sparkled softly.
[Yeah. What's going on, Quaid?]
Soon the voice of Emperor Daimon flowed out from the ring.
The man, Quaid looked around once more and spoke in a small voice.
“I think we have a problem, Your Majesty.”
[Problem?]
“Yes. His Highness the Second Prince...”
Quaid reported to Daimon exactly what he had seen and heard in Martina's estate.
[...Chernosser is alive.]
After hearing all the reports, Daimon muttered as if talking to himself.
“It’s most likely a false rumor. His Highness the Second Prince has definitely gone there.”
That's not all. Chernosser also locked the door tightly to prevent him from coming back if he sensed something strange.
But Chernosser came back alive?
That can't be true.
[There are exceptions to everything. That's why Chernosser was able to bring 'that' out.]
That's right. Quaid thought to himself and put his ringless hand in his pocket.
Inside the pocket was a small glass bottle and an envelope.
The glass bottle was the item obtained by sacrificing Chernosser's life.
Quaid's eyes darkened slightly as he suddenly recalled Chernosser's last appearance.
“I will definitely bring it and have it acknowledged by His Majesty the Emperor, so wait here.”
The image of him smiling proudly and entering the basement, unaware of his own future where he would die, was etched in his mind and will never be erased.
After Quaid joined the Anatome Guard, he had the blood of countless people on his hands.
Among those he killed was a newborn baby less than a year old.
But he didn't feel any guilt.
To be exact, they were considered to be impure beings who dared to go against the Emperor's will, so they were thought to have no need to have them.
But Chernosser was not an impure person.
Rather, he wanted to be recognized by Daimon more than anyone else.
But he felt uneasy about pushing him into a corner.
Is this really the right thing to do?
Quaid began to question things for the first time after becoming a member of Anatome's guard.
So, Chernosser did not throw away the letter he had written to his mother, the Empress, but brought it with him.
Although the envelope was sealed with sealing wax and he could not see its contents, Quaid had a feeling that it would contain information about this business.
If that's the case, he should throw away the letter because it might harm Daimon, but why can't he throw it away?
Quaid's expression darkened even further.
[...I guess you have to check if he's really alive.]
Daimon's voice lowered a level, and flowed out from the ring.
[Quaid, you go to Duke Leopold's residence yourself to find out the truth.]
Quaid cleared his mind of the floating thoughts and focused on his master's words.
[If Chernosser is alive, kill him so that there are no more troubles.]
No matter how much Chernosser was a bundle of troubles and an idiot, Daimon had no hesitation in telling him to kill his own son.
Could it be that Chernosser is not his biological son?
[If it's a false rumor, then kill Perdes.]
Quaid, who had suddenly become suspicious, realized with certainty that his expectations were wrong from the words he added and that Daimon was so cold-blooded that he would even use his own son as a chess piece.
What if Daimon was cold-blooded?
The important thing was that he was the lord to whom he had sworn loyalty.
The lord's orders are absolute.
"All right."
Quaid took that sentence to heart and answered honestly.
Although it was difficult for me to go to Martina's estate in person, it was very simple and easy to convey the message.
Just speak through the magic communication port.
When I asked for help searching for the culprit who murdered the second Prince, who seemed to be hiding in the Martina estate, the Martina estate manager quickly agreed.
It was a natural decision, as refusing could have resulted in being accused of being an accomplice.
In addition to Martina's estate, we also asked for help from other nearby estates and created a wanted poster.
Thanks to this, they were able to spread a false rumor in the nearby territory that Chernosser had been attacked by escort knights before the train service resumed.
'It's not a blatant lie.'
Before I entered, the basement door was firmly locked from the outside.
It was clear that the escort knight had pushed Chernosser into the room and locked it there on purpose.
That means the escort knight knew that Chernosser would not return.
Although he didn't kill Chernosser by directly stabbing him with his sword, it was safe to say that the escort knight killed Chernosser just by pushing him into his limbs.
To be exact, it would be Daimon.
I knew that Daimon was a cold-blooded man without any feelings or emotions, but I didn't think it would be this bad.
I looked at Perdes, who was sitting across from me, worried that he might try to kill me for being so annoying.
The first thing that caught my eye was his dazzling blonde hair.
It was dyed to pretend to be Chernosser.
But since the face cannot be changed, Perdes has been locked in the guest bedroom since the day he put his plan into action and has not taken a single step out.
Thanks to this, the rumor gained credibility and spread like wildfire.
I would get bored if I stayed in my room alone all day, so I stayed with him unless something special came up.
...But that wasn’t the only reason.
By the way, no matter how many times I see that blonde, I never get used to it.
“I guess there was no need to dye your hair blonde since you weren’t going to meet people anyway.”
Perdes, who was reading a book, raised his head and looked at me.
“Why? You don’t like my hair color, do you?”
"Hmm."
“Judging by your expression, you’re on the mark.”
Perdes picked it up, smiled, and closed the book.
On the cover of the book it said, "31 practical magic circles you can use in real life."
“I don’t like my hair color either, but I should change it in advance in case that bastard comes barging in.”
If it's that bastard, it must be the second Prince's bodyguard.
“As expected of an assassin, you’re going to come and kill me secretly at night while everyone is asleep?”
Perdes spoke calmly as if nothing had happened, but I was not. It sent shivers down my spine.
It was even more horrifying because I had personally experienced how they came to kill people.
I still vividly remember the moments when I struggled to survive somehow.
“Young Lady.”
“...!”
I was caught up in the cruel past, but I was startled when a hand shook my shoulder and I raised my head.
Then, Perdes, who had come closer before I knew it, looked down at me with worried eyes.
"What's the matter?"
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s nothing. You just don’t look well.”
Perdes touched my forehead.
It's warm.
“Your forehead is hot.”
I thought his hands were warm, but it was my forehead that was hot.
“I think you have a cold. Go to your doctor right away, get some medicine, and get some rest.”
"It's okay."
“It’s okay. Go and rest quickly.”
I shook my head.
As Perdes had said, I couldn't leave my post because I didn't know when the escort knight would come to kill him.
I need to be there.
I have to protect him.
I can't lose someone precious to me like I did in my last life.
Definitely, definitely...
“I will protect you.”
When I held his hand tightly and spoke, Perdes' eyes widened in surprise.
For a moment, he frowned slightly and grabbed my hand in return.
“Who are you going to protect in this condition?”
“I can protect you.”
“I don’t believe you. So go and rest quickly.”
I stood up against my will because Perdes pulled me.
“What if that escort comes while I’m away?”
“There’s no way that kid who was hiding in Martina’s estate would have come here already.”
That's true, but I'm still worried...
“Then I’ll just get the medicine and come back. I can sleep here.”
Perdes' expression hardened subtly.
“...Here?”
“Yes. Do you not like it?”
“No, rather than saying I don’t like it...”
Perdes mumbled, trailing off, then let out a long sigh.
“I often think about it, but the Young Lady seems oblivious in strange places.”
"Yes?"
“No, nothing.”
Perdes sighed deeply again and pushed me back.
“It doesn’t matter whether you sleep here or in Young Lady’s bedroom. Just go quickly.”
The earlobe, briefly visible through the swaying hair, was for some reason dyed red like an apple.
“Did you hear that story? His Highness the Second Prince was attacked last week!”
It was news of an attack on Chernosser.
“Oh, I heard. Fortunately, he’s still alive, but I heard he’s in a coma because of his serious injuries.”
“That’s right. I heard that it wouldn’t be strange if he returned at any time.”
When people of all ages heard this news, they started talking, and the rumor spread quickly.
“What kind of crazy bastard would attack the royal family? If he’s caught, three generations of the clan will be wiped out.”
“I heard that he was a knight guarding His Highness the Prince.”
“What? Really?”
“Yeah. Look at this.”
One of the men sitting crowded around a bar table, drinking, handed me a yellow piece of paper.
It was a wanted poster.
There was no sketch of the perpetrator, but there was a rough outline of his appearance, personal details, and the crimes he had committed written in large letters.
“That’s right, that’s right. His Highness the Second Prince’s escort knights indeed attacked!”
“Oh my God. The knight who is supposed to protect his lord is wielding a sword instead. This is the end of the world, the end of the world.”
People focused their criticism on the fact that the 'knight' attacked his lord rather than the fact that the culprit attacked the second Prince.
The situation was similar at other tables.
While most of them were having a heated discussion about the Chernosser attack incident, a man, with his hood pulled up over his head, quietly left the bar.
The place he headed to was an alley where there was little traffic.
After carefully checking that no one was around, he took out a ring with a red puri from his bosom.
When he touched the Pura, it sparkled softly.
[Yeah. What's going on, Quaid?]
Soon the voice of Emperor Daimon flowed out from the ring.
The man, Quaid looked around once more and spoke in a small voice.
“I think we have a problem, Your Majesty.”
[Problem?]
“Yes. His Highness the Second Prince...”
Quaid reported to Daimon exactly what he had seen and heard in Martina's estate.
[...Chernosser is alive.]
After hearing all the reports, Daimon muttered as if talking to himself.
“It’s most likely a false rumor. His Highness the Second Prince has definitely gone there.”
That's not all. Chernosser also locked the door tightly to prevent him from coming back if he sensed something strange.
But Chernosser came back alive?
That can't be true.
[There are exceptions to everything. That's why Chernosser was able to bring 'that' out.]
That's right. Quaid thought to himself and put his ringless hand in his pocket.
Inside the pocket was a small glass bottle and an envelope.
The glass bottle was the item obtained by sacrificing Chernosser's life.
Quaid's eyes darkened slightly as he suddenly recalled Chernosser's last appearance.
“I will definitely bring it and have it acknowledged by His Majesty the Emperor, so wait here.”
The image of him smiling proudly and entering the basement, unaware of his own future where he would die, was etched in his mind and will never be erased.
After Quaid joined the Anatome Guard, he had the blood of countless people on his hands.
Among those he killed was a newborn baby less than a year old.
But he didn't feel any guilt.
To be exact, they were considered to be impure beings who dared to go against the Emperor's will, so they were thought to have no need to have them.
But Chernosser was not an impure person.
Rather, he wanted to be recognized by Daimon more than anyone else.
But he felt uneasy about pushing him into a corner.
Is this really the right thing to do?
Quaid began to question things for the first time after becoming a member of Anatome's guard.
So, Chernosser did not throw away the letter he had written to his mother, the Empress, but brought it with him.
Although the envelope was sealed with sealing wax and he could not see its contents, Quaid had a feeling that it would contain information about this business.
If that's the case, he should throw away the letter because it might harm Daimon, but why can't he throw it away?
Quaid's expression darkened even further.
[...I guess you have to check if he's really alive.]
Daimon's voice lowered a level, and flowed out from the ring.
[Quaid, you go to Duke Leopold's residence yourself to find out the truth.]
Quaid cleared his mind of the floating thoughts and focused on his master's words.
[If Chernosser is alive, kill him so that there are no more troubles.]
No matter how much Chernosser was a bundle of troubles and an idiot, Daimon had no hesitation in telling him to kill his own son.
Could it be that Chernosser is not his biological son?
[If it's a false rumor, then kill Perdes.]
Quaid, who had suddenly become suspicious, realized with certainty that his expectations were wrong from the words he added and that Daimon was so cold-blooded that he would even use his own son as a chess piece.
What if Daimon was cold-blooded?
The important thing was that he was the lord to whom he had sworn loyalty.
The lord's orders are absolute.
"All right."
Quaid took that sentence to heart and answered honestly.
***
Although it was difficult for me to go to Martina's estate in person, it was very simple and easy to convey the message.
Just speak through the magic communication port.
When I asked for help searching for the culprit who murdered the second Prince, who seemed to be hiding in the Martina estate, the Martina estate manager quickly agreed.
It was a natural decision, as refusing could have resulted in being accused of being an accomplice.
In addition to Martina's estate, we also asked for help from other nearby estates and created a wanted poster.
Thanks to this, they were able to spread a false rumor in the nearby territory that Chernosser had been attacked by escort knights before the train service resumed.
'It's not a blatant lie.'
Before I entered, the basement door was firmly locked from the outside.
It was clear that the escort knight had pushed Chernosser into the room and locked it there on purpose.
That means the escort knight knew that Chernosser would not return.
Although he didn't kill Chernosser by directly stabbing him with his sword, it was safe to say that the escort knight killed Chernosser just by pushing him into his limbs.
To be exact, it would be Daimon.
I knew that Daimon was a cold-blooded man without any feelings or emotions, but I didn't think it would be this bad.
I looked at Perdes, who was sitting across from me, worried that he might try to kill me for being so annoying.
The first thing that caught my eye was his dazzling blonde hair.
It was dyed to pretend to be Chernosser.
But since the face cannot be changed, Perdes has been locked in the guest bedroom since the day he put his plan into action and has not taken a single step out.
Thanks to this, the rumor gained credibility and spread like wildfire.
I would get bored if I stayed in my room alone all day, so I stayed with him unless something special came up.
...But that wasn’t the only reason.
By the way, no matter how many times I see that blonde, I never get used to it.
“I guess there was no need to dye your hair blonde since you weren’t going to meet people anyway.”
Perdes, who was reading a book, raised his head and looked at me.
“Why? You don’t like my hair color, do you?”
"Hmm."
“Judging by your expression, you’re on the mark.”
Perdes picked it up, smiled, and closed the book.
On the cover of the book it said, "31 practical magic circles you can use in real life."
“I don’t like my hair color either, but I should change it in advance in case that bastard comes barging in.”
If it's that bastard, it must be the second Prince's bodyguard.
“As expected of an assassin, you’re going to come and kill me secretly at night while everyone is asleep?”
Perdes spoke calmly as if nothing had happened, but I was not. It sent shivers down my spine.
It was even more horrifying because I had personally experienced how they came to kill people.
I still vividly remember the moments when I struggled to survive somehow.
“Young Lady.”
“...!”
I was caught up in the cruel past, but I was startled when a hand shook my shoulder and I raised my head.
Then, Perdes, who had come closer before I knew it, looked down at me with worried eyes.
"What's the matter?"
“It’s nothing.”
“It’s nothing. You just don’t look well.”
Perdes touched my forehead.
It's warm.
“Your forehead is hot.”
I thought his hands were warm, but it was my forehead that was hot.
“I think you have a cold. Go to your doctor right away, get some medicine, and get some rest.”
"It's okay."
“It’s okay. Go and rest quickly.”
I shook my head.
As Perdes had said, I couldn't leave my post because I didn't know when the escort knight would come to kill him.
I need to be there.
I have to protect him.
I can't lose someone precious to me like I did in my last life.
Definitely, definitely...
“I will protect you.”
When I held his hand tightly and spoke, Perdes' eyes widened in surprise.
For a moment, he frowned slightly and grabbed my hand in return.
“Who are you going to protect in this condition?”
“I can protect you.”
“I don’t believe you. So go and rest quickly.”
I stood up against my will because Perdes pulled me.
“What if that escort comes while I’m away?”
“There’s no way that kid who was hiding in Martina’s estate would have come here already.”
That's true, but I'm still worried...
“Then I’ll just get the medicine and come back. I can sleep here.”
Perdes' expression hardened subtly.
“...Here?”
“Yes. Do you not like it?”
“No, rather than saying I don’t like it...”
Perdes mumbled, trailing off, then let out a long sigh.
“I often think about it, but the Young Lady seems oblivious in strange places.”
"Yes?"
“No, nothing.”
Perdes sighed deeply again and pushed me back.
“It doesn’t matter whether you sleep here or in Young Lady’s bedroom. Just go quickly.”
The earlobe, briefly visible through the swaying hair, was for some reason dyed red like an apple.
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