Ch.12039. Shadow of Dawn. Or Shade. (3)

“Start acknowledging it, Rueld. Even if Kariel returns, there’s no place for him in the Empire anymore. You should know that better than anyone.”

The two sat facing each other across a fire lit in a forest cave.

A small girl with radiant silver hair and the narrow green eyes characteristic of fairies and elves, with long ears. Despite her outward appearance, her true nature was that of a being who had endured for centuries, also known as a great mage.

Geornia Dei Adelweiss.

The Grand Sage who was the teacher of the Magic Empress and who had generously provided assistance and advice to the Nine Heroes.

The fact that there was no elf among the heroes who saved the world was something that the inherently arrogant elves found deeply embarrassing. What allowed them to save face was that Melineos, known as the Magic Empress, had been Geornia’s favorite disciple.

Before that happened, Geornia had been known as an eccentric for taking on human disciples, and Melineos had been thoroughly ostracized. But as fate would have it, she became an unrivaled great mage and magic practitioner across the continent, and moreover, the Empress of the Empire.

…Then the elves, shamelessly, began to praise Geornia the eccentric and lauded her foresight.

…For Geornia herself, it was enough to make her feel sick, but when had her kind not been shameless?

If one were to name the two races most committed to mental gymnastics and self-justification on the continent, it would be the shorties and the elves.

Dwarves and shorties are distinctly different.

Similarly, when referring to elves here, it didn’t mean the entire elven race.

“……”

And the man staring blankly at Geornia with an expressionless face was the hero among heroes, the head of the Nine Heroes, praised as the Knight of Radiance.

Snow-white hair and those vivid golden eyes that looked as if molten gold had been poured into them.

Though approaching his 40s, his appearance could easily pass for someone in his 20s.

No, since his physical abilities far exceeded those of ordinary young people, he might actually be considered more formidable.

Though dressed for mobility and night operations without a trace of iron or steel, none of the seemingly ordinary leather and fur he wore was common.

The black clothing was formed by melting the black scales of a giant snake beast, drawing them into fine threads, and weaving them together meticulously.

Though created for practicality with minimal decoration, it appeared terrifyingly sophisticated.

Though he had taken it off now, even the windbreaker that covered his entire body during travel had a similar color, but was made of a different material.

Well, there’s no end to discussing it.

It would be fair to consider him a walking treasure trove.

But could all of those combined compare to that?

That which he held in his hand, still in its scabbard.

That holy sword was proof of his status as a hero, and the sacred object that had pierced even the Demon King’s heart, neutralizing it.

As befitting a holy sword that chooses its master, if anyone else were to hold it, it would immediately turn to sand and pour onto the ground.

Then, as if to prove a point, it would return to its original form.

“That’s not a reason to give up,” Rueld replied calmly.

At Rueld’s calm response, Geornia clicked her tongue.

“How many times do I have to tell you? Who said anything about giving up? I’m just saying that returning to the Empire is impossible given the circumstances.”

“Who decides what’s impossible?”

“Then what do you plan to do? Go back right now, get engaged to that Elhermina, and even marry her, and you think everything will be neatly resolved?”

“She will be ready.”

This was something they had firmly promised.

Rueld knew well how Elhermina felt about Kariel.

…Rather, it was now difficult to determine how Kariel would feel.

“If that boy returns to the Empire of his own accord, it would be for revenge or some other purpose. It certainly wouldn’t be to gain your approval or reunite with his family. I guarantee it.”

“That’s…”

His gaze grew hazy.

“He didn’t leave suddenly. You saw the letter he left, didn’t you? He was just waiting for Ermina’s delivery time. If Ermina hadn’t been pregnant? Perhaps he would have run away even sooner.”

The point is, it wasn’t that he was tempted by the Demon King’s encouragement to run away.

Kariel had the intention and even a plan in place for a long time.

…As far as Rueld knew, only Elhermina, that child, had noticed this and remained vigilant.

That’s why she was able to accurately determine the day he would leave and get ahead of him.

“As you know, the royal family of our neighboring country has fallen, hasn’t it?”

“……”

“We’re thinking of arranging a match with one of our branch family members who has royal bloodline from that side, and then handing over the title of prince.”

“To whom? To Kariel?”

“He’s more than qualified. No one can deny the fact that he saved the World Tree.”

“…You’re not trying to get your hands on Kariel this way to check us or make us anxious, are you?”

“…Sigh.”

Geornia pressed her forehead.

“I won’t say our old folks don’t have such intentions, but as long as I have my eyes open, that won’t happen. Rather… they might get their backbones sucked dry by Kariel afterward, but they will never be used by him.”

“……”

“And what we’re offering isn’t just one thing.”

And just then.

“I’ve returned.”

A golden-haired elf with mature beauty that contrasted with Geornia’s childlike appearance and stature entered the cave, carrying a wild boar over her shoulder.

“And there’s her too.”

“…Why me all of a sudden?”

Hamern Ruslef Eiha.

The person Geornia had brought along as an attendant when she decided to go to the Empire.

While partly for protection, Hamern was also a proper disciple of Geornia.

“The Ruslef region’s incorporation into the Empire still feels somewhat awkward, doesn’t it? So what about making Kariel the king of the Eastern Kingdom and granting him the title of the Ruslef region, giving him dual nationality as a royal noble to strengthen the Empire, while also providing Kariel himself with authority and discretion? Don’t you think that would be good?”

“…But Kariel wouldn’t be able to live within the Empire. Moreover…”

What would happen to his engagement or relationship with Elhermina?

From the beginning, this meant giving him a new name and status, abandoning the name Kariel.

In other words, while being Kariel, he couldn’t be called Kariel.

And at the same time, Rueld himself and Ermina would not be able to purely call their son their son.

Of course, unofficially, their family relationship would be clear…

But in history, he would be considered a complete stranger.

Unless someone thoroughly investigated that secret.

“Or we could make the Ruslef region a separate imperial duchy or kingdom and make him a dual monarch, but… this could easily lead to territorial or interest disputes as time passes, so I wouldn’t recommend going that far.”

“That’s not the end of it, is it?”

Rueld cast a sharp gaze.

“Your intuition has improved a lot.”

Has he also become a political person in the end?

It’s extremely difficult to pursue justice and goodness while being political.

“I’m thinking of reforming the closed nature of the elves, or more precisely, the forest clans.”

“…And you need Kariel for that?”

“Being acknowledged by the World Tree and saving it was something even elves couldn’t do. If there’s a human before whom elves voluntarily bow their heads or kneel… it’s only that child.”

“It sounds like you’re saying you’ll treat him like a king.”

“More precisely, we’re thinking of having the child between Kariel and our Queen succeed in the future. Ah, this is a secret, so don’t go blabbing about it. Only a few in our country know about this.”

…He had just heard something outrageous.

Above all, why would she casually reveal this to Rueld, who is politically seasoned?

…It must be to burden him and sow conflict.

In some ways, this would be an even more momentous event than becoming the consort of Empress Elhermina through their engagement.

“With this much, even if his name is hidden from history… you could accept it, right? It’s not like he stops being your child. Rather, he would become an unprecedented existence.”

“…You’re making the same mistake I did.”

Rueld sighed softly.

“Do you think Kariel would accept that?”

“After maximizing the conditions, whether through persuasion or negotiation… anyway, we want to say that we are willing and able to repay our debt in this way. If he doesn’t like this condition, we can of course offer something else. At a level that won’t burden that child.”

“So you’re aware it could be a burden.”

“Of course.”

After adding firewood and letting the flames grow stronger, Hamern threw the whole wild boar onto it.

Until the firewood was added, it hadn’t drawn much attention, but once the whole boar was thrown onto the roaring flames, it certainly caught their focus.

Having drawn their attention, Hamern looked at the two in turn and said:

“The conditions aren’t what’s important. Did Kariel run away on his own because his situation was dire or because he lacked rights? That’s not it.”

“……”

“……”

“If, as Master suspects, he’s been taken over by the Golden Beast, then this whole discussion is completely useless. There’s no point in such escapism.”

“You…”

Geornia was about to throw a harsh retort but eventually closed her mouth.

“……”

If there were such signs.

Given Melineos’s prophetic dreams, Rueld had somewhat steeled his heart.

Of course, he didn’t intend to kill him.

But perhaps if that really was the case, it might be better for him to be there than in the Empire.

If he returned to the Empire, he might be handed over to the Papal Office, or even if things went well and Kariel was actually fine…

It would take a long time to shed the suspicion.

…What Geornia was saying was that even if things turned out well, it would still be troublesome, so it might be better for Kariel to set aside his identity and live with a new one.

And to ensure he had no regrets, they would treat him thoroughly well…

‘But that’s strange in its own way, isn’t it?’

They’d treat him this well?

In the end, Rueld himself and the Empire are involved here too.

There would be considerations about him and the Empire, and conversely, it meant they highly valued the worth that would come from being bound by blood beyond just an alliance.

As for Kariel’s value, coldly speaking, it wasn’t yet clear exactly how much he was worth.

But upon hearing that they would allow a child between the Queen and Kariel, this felt like something that absolutely shouldn’t be overlooked.

‘Is it simply because he saved the World Tree?’

No. Yes. That might be enough reason…

“Lord Rueld. There’s no need to think too hard about this.”

At this point, Hamern awakened Rueld from his slight confusion with clear eyes.

“Just consider it as another option. Despite Master’s appearance, her tone is quite overbearing, which can sometimes lead to misunderstandings, but she’s trying to comfort you in her own way.”

“You little bastard? Look at how you’re talking!”

“Lord Rueld can’t always spend time searching, which has caused significant delays… but should we waste the time we can now concentrate on searching with needless worries?”

“…That’s true.”

Rueld quickly changed his thinking direction.

Watching Rueld and Hamern, Geornia clicked her tongue repeatedly, clearly displeased.

“That cunning girl. Already trying to score points with her future father-in-law.”

Hamern immediately protested:

“…Why do you always interpret things so perversely? Did I say something wrong?”

“Who said anything? I just find it vexing.”

“If you’re feeling so lonely, why not find a companion or partner? With such a beautiful appearance, what’s stopping you from staying single?”

“Hey! Why is the conversation going in that direction? I said I don’t want to, what more do you need?”

“As long as they’re not elves, you wouldn’t mind, right? Since we’re on the topic, why not pick out a few candidates and if you like one, when we go back…”

“Those old folks would never let that slide. If I want to raise my voice there, I need to maintain my purity, you know?”

“Pure blood and chastity… that place is truly disgusting.”

“And I’m one of those disgusting ones, you know? I’m trying to overturn that because it annoys me… but this guy isn’t cooperating.”

Suddenly, the arrow was pointed at Rueld.

“Wait, how is that my fault?”

“…Sigh. Forget it. Let’s drop the subject.”

What was making her so irritated?

“……”

Still.

The fact that he maintained his sanity despite such a situation showed that Rueld was indeed a hero.

Geornia, as his teacher, often evaluated the Nine Heroes like this:

[Without that bastard Rueld, those self-important bastards would have either gone their separate ways or died without accomplishing anything. Even my disciple joined because that guy was so meddlesome. And that’s not all.]

When everyone was in despair, only that man did not despair, she had said.

When everyone feared failure and defeat.

He focused only on defeating the Demon King.

His way of thinking was different.

His way of facing the world was different.

So he seemed to be called stupid at times.

[He was stupid, so he didn’t look around. Therefore, he had no reason to fear obstacles. In his eyes, he only ever saw that one goal.]

And.

The people around him were inspired by that courage, or rather, that recklessness, and somehow followed him despite knowing better.

It wasn’t for nothing that he was called the head of the heroes.

“……”

But.

Even his patience or whatever it was couldn’t be infinite.

Yet he knew better than anyone that he couldn’t afford to break down.

Just considering Ermina, Kariel’s mother…