A Father’s Heart (2)

<Side : Patient Forbidden>

『Martyr’s Moon – 12th Day (Morning)』

【Imperial Invasion – Day 2】

I barely suppressed the sudden fever that pierced through my body and headed to the infirmary…

“Hoo…”

The suspicious heat hadn’t completely disappeared, and a faint warmth lingered inside me.

“This feels awful…”

With a sigh that seemed to sink the earth, I gradually traced back the origin of this situation.

“Samson, Francis. Those two, or rather, those beings I’m not even sure I can call people, caused this… Their target must be the empire itself.”

Those two, flaunting their voluptuous figures, must have infiltrated the empire at some point, trying to corrupt it from within.

However, their method wasn’t some cheap trick based on their outstanding figures and beautiful appearances.

It was a more sordid and sensual method… I could only guess that it was a way to contaminate even the mind through sexual intercourse or excessive physical contact.

I was a victim of it myself, and I could feel my mind being gnawed away in real time.

“Time is running out… I have to end this quickly.”

However, more urgent than checking my current condition was getting out of this empire where those two were lurking as soon as possible.

It didn’t seem like Arc had been touched by them yet, but since they were infiltrating as guards, it was only a matter of time before they met Arc.

I was relieved that I was away from the two who would be in charge of guard duty today for the Sexual perversion work…

“I hope the story with the former Prince can end without too much noise.”

I stood in front of the infirmary door again, organized my uneasy feelings for the time being, turned the doorknob, and opened the door.

–Creak…

But there…

“Arc?”

My precious daughter had a surprised expression on her face.

“Didn’t you say you were going to the Sexual perversion work early this morning?”

“W-Well, that’s…”

Arc stuttered as if she was hiding something. She couldn’t make proper eye contact, and her voice was trembling.

Seeing that expression, an ominous assumption came to my mind.

The fact that she came all the way here, felt uneasy seeing me instead of Prince Barkle, whom she liked, and wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Could it be… Arc had also realized their true identities.

I didn’t want to show my most precious daughter such outrageous things… but she ended up seeing them after all. Judging by the time, it must have been last night or early this morning.

Arc’s hesitation must have stemmed from the thought that her words might harm me. The dark circles under her eyes and her weakened voice might also be due to sleepless nights worrying about this.

“W-Well, I wanted to see Father’s face once before going to work…”

If so, all a Father can do for his anxious child is to reassure her.

I reached out my rough hand to Arc, who was still avoiding the topic and barely managing to speak.

“Okay. Thank you for coming. Arc. Thanks to you, I feel like today will be a happy day too.”

“F-Father…”

I stroked Arc’s head to reassure her as much as possible, and I told her that I was feeling better too.

It was just a small word, but I could see Arc’s expression relax a little.

“W-Well, then I’ll go to work now! Take care, Father! B-Barkle too!”

As if satisfied with this, Arc quickly ran out of the infirmary, slightly tearful.

“Haa…”

How much worry must that little child have been carrying in her heart? As a Father, I couldn’t even solve that and only tried to reassure her with words.

“I’m a failure as a Father…”

So I need to escape the empire even faster. I can’t trap my daughter in a vortex of anxiety, let alone save her from it.

To do that, I have to resolve this matter.

“Prince Barkle.”

Barkle was also tense, probably realizing something was wrong after hearing the conversation between me and Arc just now.

I called Barkle in a gentle tone to ease the heavy atmosphere.

“Sorry to keep you waiting. Let’s talk now.”

Barkle looked at me and nodded. His eyes were mixed with some anxiety and curiosity.

“What’s going on… that you’ve arranged this kind of meeting and called me here?”

“What I’m about to tell you is a serious matter that could determine the fate of you and your last remaining blood relative. More precisely, it’s a way to save you from this hellish fate.”

I sat down on the chair, regulated the heat in my body, and took a breath.

Hearing my words, Barkle’s eyes widened and his voice rose.

“Princess Materi…? No, more than that, is it okay to talk about that? T-There are eyes…”

“You don’t have to worry about that. This space is entirely my own. The Sultan’s eyes and ears can’t dare to approach it.”

After firmly imprinting the safety of this room on him, I continued what I was saying.

“You probably know very well what kind of situation the empire is in now. The Sultan who assassinated the previous emperor and seized the Throne. About the tyranny and extravagance he’s committing.”

From harsh surveillance and punishment to extravagance, buying various works of art and treasures.

A tyrant who only committed actions that disqualified him as a proper leader. That was the current head of the empire, the Sultan.

And it’s a self-evident fact that an organization with such a wrong leader is bound to collapse, as shown in numerous history books, and the time the empire can endure is probably… not much.

“That’s right…”

Barkle nodded with a stiff face. After falling from grace as a Prince, Barkle would have heard news from all over the empire while working as a guard.

Above all, he must have had indescribable feelings about the empire his Father had built collapsing in an instant.

“S-So… why did you call me? Doctor. Saving me and my sister from a hellish fate… What kind of method do you have…”

I gave Barkle, who was speaking in a confused tone, an immediate answer.

“The most common and simple method. Escaping the empire. The empire is already like a sinking ship. You won’t be able to save your lives if you stay here any longer.”

“Yes…?”

Barkle momentarily lost his words. He looked at me with an expression filled with surprise and doubt.

“Leave…? Are you saying we should abandon the empire and run away? But this place is… where my sister and I were born…”

“Calm down. Prince Barkle. Your sister has already agreed to this matter.”

I raised my hand to calm the flustered Barkle. I had expected this reaction. Unlike his sister, who had compromised with reality, I knew that he, with his still untainted purity, would react like this.

That’s why I had won over his sister before Barkle.

“Princess Materi?”

“Princess Materi also hesitated at first. But she had already accepted reality, and she accepted the proposal in a few minutes. She realized that there was no future in the empire anymore and agreed to my plan.”

Barkle still had a flustered expression and showed an attitude that he couldn’t easily believe my words.

“The thought that we had to leave this place to survive was, coincidentally, a common thought between me and her. She has already finished preparing. Even if you don’t agree, the plan will proceed. Nevertheless, the reason I made this proposal to you is…”

I mixed some lies and truths and threw a bait to Barkle, who was still wavering.

“It’s because your Father, the emperor, asked me to.”

“F-Father…?”

“When I first came to this empire, I had a conversation with him and shared many stories. He was a person who cared about the empire more than anyone else, and he had a desire to operate the empire with human power alone, away from the Divine Revelation of the Divine Beast someday. And… he was someone who cherished his children more than anyone else.”

When I came to the empire for Arc and had a private meeting with the emperor, there was one thing he asked me.

If he were to be killed or imprisoned by the Divine Beast, he wanted me to save at least one more of his children if possible.

It was a perfect fit for the current situation, but unfortunately, to me, who was more desperate to escape the empire than anyone else, this proposal was nothing more than bait to lure Barkle.

If… even this doesn’t work, I will have no choice but to use force to subdue Barkle in order to keep my promise with the Spirit of Smoke.

I waited for Barkle’s answer, hoping that we could resolve this smoothly through conversation without such a thing happening.

The decision to leave the empire would not be easy for him, who was lost in thought with his eyes downcast. Even though he had fallen and was no longer a member of the imperial family, the empire was a place where his family’s history was rooted.

However, the fact that his sister had already agreed and the story of his dead Father were enough to shake his heart, which could be confirmed with the naked eye.

“Specifically… what is the plan?”

Breaking the silence for a moment, Barkle said to me in a low voice.

Good, I’ve won over all the remaining imperial blood.

Not missing this opportunity, I explained the escape plan in detail.

“We will use the Spirit of Smoke. While she is causing a commotion in the empire, we will escape from the empire. We will seek asylum in the kingdom and live a new life.”

“The Spirit of Smoke? How, how did you…”

“There’s a way. However, I’ll skip that because it seems like the story won’t end if I tell you even that. I’ve seen an external passage that we can safely move through before, and that part is something I’ll ask Arc to reconfirm.”

Only one thing. I didn’t mention the fact that one of the conditions set by the Spirit of Smoke was to forever extinguish the bloodline of the imperial family, causing even herself to disappear, as it was unnecessary.

“If I refuse…”

“If you refuse, I will leave you here and leave. Also, to prepare for being questioned about this plan, I will manipulate your memories. And… your sister will be very heartbroken. She wants to go with you.”

Hearing those words, Barkle lowered his head and let out a deep sigh.

Based on this, he had a belief that made him hesitate to leave the empire, but he must have realized that he had to break his belief in order to be with his last remaining blood relative.

“I understand.”

Barkle finally nodded. There was still hesitation in his voice, but there was a hint of determination.

“For my sister… I will follow the plan. Doctor.”

“That’s a wise choice. We will leave this place and face a new beginning. I’m sure it’s a choice you won’t regret.”

–

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<Side : Materi Ar Sirenniid>

The narrow hallway was filled with the hurried footsteps of people.

I hadn’t slept a wink after hearing the proposal Patient Forbidden had made just yesterday.

That my help was needed to escape the empire, and even that it was related to the Spirit of Smoke.

“Haa… What on earth does Patient Forbidden mean by…”

I, who was disillusioned with the empire, had accepted the proposal, but I was anxious because I hadn’t heard more details.

My life as a dancer, spending day after day, was oppressive. The task given to me was simple. To dance, to laugh, and to be their eye candy.

It was nothing more than a declaration of intent to not kill me, who was once a Princess, but to make me live a humiliating life forever.

But at that moment, the figure of a foreigner passing through the hallway caught my eye.

“Huh… that hair color…”

Fluttering blonde hair, healthy tanned brown skin, and kind green eyes.

It was familiar. So familiar that I thought my heart would stop.

“Elaine…?”

I couldn’t pass that person by and inadvertently reached out and grabbed her wrist.

“Wait…”

She turned around, and I was breathless.

Her physique was not the same as I knew it. Her trained muscles were more prominent, and her entire body, including her hips and breasts, was much larger than before.

And above all, that expression.

Narrow, slit eyes, sharply sneering lips. It wasn’t the Elaine I knew.

[Please let go of my hand.]

She was using polite language, but her voice was filled with cold mockery and contempt. She shook off my hand that was holding her wrist and added a word.

[How dare you grab me with your dirty hands…]

In an instant, my hand froze as if it had been frozen. Her words seemed to regard my entire existence as dirty. As she shook off my hand and turned to leave the hallway, I couldn’t help but call out to her back.

“Your name… is Elaine… right?”

She didn’t stop walking. She said without looking back even once.

[It’s Samson. You can forget my name♥]

I stood there blankly.

It’s not her. It can’t be. But…

My heart was racing and my mind was confused. The familiar appearance, all the unfamiliar things were weighing me down.

“Elaine…”

That name escaped from my mouth. She who protected me, she who followed me, she who fought with me. There was no way she could be like that.

Then what was it that I just saw?

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