episode_0058

At some point, Lycia began to feel the gaze following her from Heine.

“…Again today.”

She knew very well who her owner was.

She was the princess of the Remus Empire, named Heine.

To be honest, she didn’t know much about her.

People talked about the emperor or the crown prince, but the second princess, Heine, didn’t attract much attention.

Judging by her height, she seemed slightly older than Lycia, and judging from her manners, one could infer that she was well-educated.

But Lycia wasn’t interested in such trivial matters.

What was most important was the fact that she had a keen interest in Heine, no matter in what form.

When she first saw Heine at Mount Seolsan, her gaze was clearly fixed on the Radiant Sword.

Could it be that she desires that?

“It’s a gift I gave her.”

Strictly speaking, the sword itself was given by Lycia’s master, but… wasn’t it her who completed it in its current form?

If there was a share in it, she would have at least 80% of it.

Of course, it wasn’t a good habit to suspect people without solid evidence, so she kept her suspicions to herself until then.

And when Heine’s attendants started asking around about Lycia, her suspicions turned into certainty.

She had to take action about this. She couldn’t just leave Heine alone.

Even though it was clearly a matter between others, it was only natural that she had to intervene. Well…

The girl who was silently contemplating soon found herself nodding.

“…Is there a reason?”

Upon careful consideration, it seemed that there was no reason.

What qualifications did she have other than being Lycia’s ward?

But she was anxious about leaving Heine alone, not knowing what schemes she might be planning.

And such worries were something a guardian would have for their ward, not the other way around.

“No, he’s not just a ward.”

To be honest, she didn’t think she could be considered a perfect guardian. Wasn’t she protecting him on the battlefield? Therefore, it could be said that it was a mutually complementary relationship.

And above all, it was Lycia who made her anxious first, so, um.

So, what should she do about Heine now?

She couldn’t use magic that would be easily discovered later, or directly harm her.

Above all, it wasn’t easy for her to approach Heine first.

As she sat in the place where Lycia had left, swinging her legs and pondering what to do, a bright blonde head appeared when she raised her head. There was only one person around here with that kind of hair.

It was none other than the princess herself, Heine.

Lycia could finally tell that Heine’s interest had turned towards her instead of Lycia.

She immediately understood what the intention was. She wanted to get to know her through those around her.

“You look bored. Want to chat with me for a bit?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

But if she approached her like this, it was perfect. It worked out well.

And judging by what she said next, she didn’t see her as a completely innocent child.

This carelessness could be taken advantage of.

Lycia smirked inwardly.

And within a few days, the princess began to adopt Lycia’s manner of speaking.

After all, the princess was also a child who lacked friends and interests.

*****

I tried my best to convince the emperor that it was not something heretical or magical, but something similar to a simple exclamation of admiration.

He didn’t completely dispel his suspicions, but he seemed to understand in front of me.

Afterwards, a conversation about when to depart and which path to take continued in a mundane manner.

Having already decided on a good path in consultation with the special envoy of Count Kanosa and the village administrator, there were no major issues.

It seemed that was all the Emperor wanted to know, as he inquired, “Is this all? Then, I entrust you until your arrival.”

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

Stepping back from the Emperor, I could see Princess and Lycia chatting in front of the house.

It hadn’t been long, but they seemed quite friendly.

Come to think of it, Lycia often followed my words. Perhaps children are naturally like that.

And it seemed the girl had noticed me, as she quickly finished her conversation and approached me.

“Have you arrived?”

“Yes. We will be departing soon, so you can start getting ready.”

“Okay!”

The girl simply smiled brightly.

Well, that’s how children of this age are, innocent by nature.

And two days later in the morning.

“Please take care of the village while I’m away.”

“All the thieves have been dealt with, so there shouldn’t be any issues. Leave it to me.”

Leaving the village administrator behind, I headed south. It was nearing the end of the first month of the new year.

As promised, Lycia was also with me on the mountain path. Still unable to ride alone, Dulsinea was used as a packhorse for supplies and money.

Although the Huang family had brought a carriage from nearby, most of the party eventually had to walk, slowing down the travel speed.

Naturally, we had to stop at cities or towns along the way when night fell.

While the Count had arranged for safe passage in passing cities, there were no crowds welcoming the Emperor.

Some commoners who had heard the news quietly gathered on the streets to watch us pass by.

Perhaps the Emperor confirmed his precarious position during this process, as he remained stern-faced throughout.

And so, for several days, we crossed a valley following a straight ridge.

At the end, there was a rugged mountain made of rocks. Following the sunken path between them led to our destination.

I finally stood in front of the castle where the Pope was staying.

Known as the Kanosa family castle, it was simply called Kanosa Castle. Just like the naming conventions of this era were not very interesting, as was the case with the Alpen village.

The castle was perched on the top of the rocky mountain. Surrounded by sheer cliffs on all sides.

Thinking back to the case of Filah, who was on a slightly higher hill, it would have taken several times more soldiers to capture this place by force.

Of course, we had not planned to attack the castle with only fifty people, let alone that wasn’t even the goal.

So the Emperor simply waited quietly in front of the castle gate.

At that moment, I and the Emperor’s attendants stepped forward.

“We will go to the Pope first for negotiations.”

“Very well, I entrust you.”

They were the negotiators. I slipped into the castle through the door next to them.

The guards checked our identities and soon left to inform the Count.

Before long, Count Kanosa himself came to meet me.

“Ah, you’re here. You must have had a hard journey coming all this way.”

“Thank you for your kind words. Thanks to the messages left by your lordship along the way, there were no inconveniences.”

“You have done a great service. So, how is the situation?”

I recalled the Emperor’s unwavering determination in front of the castle gate.

“It seems the Emperor will not back down.”

“The negotiators should be getting along well with His Majesty…. First of all, you must be feeling exhausted. Take a rest.”

The Marquis provided me with a nice room.

I stayed there with Lycia for a while. It was a place in front of the castle gate where the Emperor’s figure could be seen clearly.

And not long after, a scream erupted from upstairs.

It was said to be where the Pope resided.

“The Emperor is outside that window!”

“Your Majesty, please listen to me for a moment!”

“Go back to the empire you came from, you wretched soul!”

And even after a long time had passed since the Emperor’s arrival, the door remained firmly closed.

There was no need to see more, it was practically an imperial summons.

The sun, hovering high above, had almost reached the point of leaping over the mountains.

Seeing the sky starting to darken ominously from the other side, the Emperor looked at his companions and said,

“The others can go to the inn in the village. I will stay here alone.”

He took off his warm coat. It may have looked simple, but it had kept him warm in the harsh weather of the Alpen Mountains.

He neatly placed his shoes beside him. In the faintly falling snow, the Emperor stood barefoot.

It seemed like he would rather freeze to death than not receive any response.

Lycia, who was watching him beside me, asked,

“There really is no place for either of them to retreat, right?”

“That’s right. A great resolve.”

“This is… a game of chicken, isn’t it?”

“Hmm…?”

To put it in easy terms to understand, this was a game of chicken that the Emperor had initiated with the Pope.

If the Pope called the Emperor back to the castle before he died, it would be a victory.

And if the Emperor gave in to the cold and returned to the empire first, it would be his defeat.

He didn’t actually think it would happen, but if the Emperor really froze to death, it would be a draw.

If there was no clear winner in the showdown, what else could it be called besides a draw?

Just like when he climbed the Alpen Mountains, he once again weighed his own life.