Ch.202201. What is that?

# 201. What Is That?

She must be living her life somehow.

And now wasn’t the time to be thinking about such things.

‘Perhaps it’s better to say I can’t…’

I stared blankly at his face, which seemed both pleased and not at the same time.

Then a cold voice that matched that ambiguous expression perfectly reached my ears.

“So what brings you here?”

“Dad, you don’t need to speak so coldly.”

Dad…

It seemed that among family, they used the familiar term “Dad” rather than the formal “Father.”

When she gave him that look, her mother also agreed with her opinion.

“That’s right! It’s been so long since we’ve seen each other, hasn’t it?”

“Ah… yes.”

Though she resembled her daughter endlessly, their energy levels were as different as heaven and earth.

Perhaps that’s why it felt so refreshingly different.

“Instead of getting engaged, why not just get married right away? Within about three months. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

“It certainly wouldn’t be ba—”

“That’s not possible.”

He cut off her words, wearing a face like a student solving a test problem.

“What?! But honey, you were the one who said it first last time.”

“Said what?”

“Yes, you said having both an engagement ceremony and a wedding would be too troublesome.”

“That’s not it. I’m saying it can’t be done within three months.”

I could understand his point.

Even I thought that three months was far too soon.

And in the current situation, a wedding for the crown prince… it was too premature.

“I agree with that opinion. Now isn’t the right time. Unless we were to do something small, just between us… but that wouldn’t work either, right?”

“Of course not. This is the crown prince’s wedding. It will be even grander than mine was.”

Though I wasn’t part of that situation, considering his personality, his wedding must have been quite grand.

And to think this one would be even grander…

I couldn’t help but look forward to it.

“That’s good news.”

“Don’t misunderstand. I’m not doing this for your benefit. More importantly, you must have taken the second test today. How was it?”

The Emperor raised one corner of his mouth as he brought up the subject.

That expression was incredibly annoying.

I spoke up, stopping her as she was about to say something.

“It was quite enjoyable, thanks to you. I originally thought it would end rather blandly.”

“How did you know that?”

“Because that was the only possibility from the beginning.”

Hearing my answer, he smiled meaningfully.

A bright, vibrant smile—but it didn’t last long.

For some reason, he brought up a rather heavy topic.

“What do you think about our current plan to strike the enemy first within this year?”

“That’s quite sudden… And is it alright to share such information with someone like me?”

“You already know anyway, don’t you?”

“Well, that’s true.”

He seemed to have considerable expectations of me.

I shared my thoughts with him as he looked at me with an expression of interest.

“Honestly, I think it’s premature, but I believe we have no choice. Unlike our opponents, we can’t send monsters to keep them in check regularly, nor can we fill our ranks with monsters.”

“No choice, you say… So do you view this plan positively?”

“To some extent, yes.”

Of course, since it’s a high-risk, high-return plan, the outcome is what matters most.

That’s why we absolutely must win that battle.

Absolutely.

“And this is just my personal wish… please don’t die. Absolutely not.”

“Heh-heh! Hahaha!!”

The Emperor burst into laughter, holding his stomach, after hearing those words.

I expressed my bewilderment at his reaction.

“Why are you laughing?”

“Now, now! Are you worried about me?”

“Ah…”

“What a pointless concern. You’re the one who shouldn’t die. If you die, Ally will be sad.”

Hearing those words, she nodded, her violet eyes trembling faintly.

Looking at her, I said:

“You don’t need to worry about that. It won’t happen.”

“The same goes for me.”

“You certainly have excessive confidence.”

“I think that’s my line…”

“So what’s the battle plan? Surely it’s not just ‘we’ll attack at this time and place,’ right?”

Obviously, since this isn’t child’s play, it wouldn’t be such a half-baked plan.

And as I expected, his answer confirmed my thoughts.

“For now, all that’s been decided is the standard strategy—the main force, including myself, will engage the enemy’s main force, while a special unit of assassins will strike their rear lines.”

“But isn’t that sufficient?”

“I suppose it is.”

There’s a reason why that strategy is standard.

It’s the easiest, best, and most reliable approach. Though predictable, there’s no better alternative.

“And your group will move from the Orion Kingdom.”

“If we annihilate our opponents first, can we join your side?”

“That won’t happen.”

“You don’t know that.”

He was now looking at me with eyes full of interest.

And I was probably returning a similar gaze.

“I know your skills are exceptional, but don’t be too arrogant.”

“Of course, I’ll always keep that in mind.”

“Though Ally will be by your side…”

He seemed somewhat displeased by that fact.

Despite being the leader of a nation, at home, he appeared to be a father who thought only of his daughter.

I wanted to ask if he was jealous, but I refrained, not knowing what might happen if I did.

“That’s why I’m like this now. Otherwise, I couldn’t have done it.”

“Honestly, I’m a bit envious…”

“Envious? But Dad, you have other great people by your side.”

“Are they the same as you?”

They’re definitely different.

If I were in his position, I would have said the same thing.

“No, they’re not…”

“They are different, in many ways.”

“How about I assign them to your side? In terms of skill, they’re still superior to Ally, aren’t they?”

What nonsense my father-in-law was spouting.

I flatly rejected his proposal.

“Don’t say such absurd things.”

“That’s right…!”

“It was just a joke, a joke…”

While she might be somewhat lacking in ability, considering our synergy, she was undoubtedly the best choice.

And the same was true for me.

After a while of silence, her mother suddenly spoke up.

I listened attentively.

“But that means we can only do it after the war ends?”

“It can’t be helped. We can’t give them an opportunity by holding such a major event.”

They might not know it, but it was best to be as safe as possible.

And as he said, if it were to be a grand affair, word would somehow reach their ears, no matter how well we tried to hide it.

“That’s disappointing… I was hoping to see our eldest daughter get married sooner…”

Originally, she was destined to pass away without even seeing her graduation.

Though I had prevented that, she still seemed anxious because of those past events.

‘Like in her previous life, she’s afraid she might not live to see her daughter’s wedding…’

The sight was truly pitiful.

Her husband and daughter went to work every day in places where death could come at any moment, and she herself could be assassinated at any time.

Even with Andres always nearby, she must still feel uneasy.

Looking at the Empress expressing her disappointment, I said:

“Don’t worry too much. Everything will end well.”

Of course, saying this now was premature.

We hadn’t yet gained the upper hand in the war, and a huge mountain still awaited us.

But despite knowing this, I spoke those words.

More precisely, I had no choice but to say them.

“As expected, only my son-in-law understands my feelings.”

Fortunately, she seemed to feel better after hearing those words.

Yet somehow, seeing her like that didn’t make me feel any better.

And at some point, I began to see something strange.

‘What is that…? Was it always there?’

A pitch-black darkness behind the Empress.

That darkness seemed angry, as if it would engulf the Empress at any moment.

Yet neither the Emperor, nor she, nor I was stopping that darkness.

‘What… could that be?’

There was clearly nothing different from before.

At most, I had been making eye contact with the Empress continuously.

Just in case, I quickly turned my head.

Then I stared intently at her.

“Um… what’s wrong?”

I continued to stare at her, regardless of whether she lowered her head or blushed.

However, I couldn’t see the darkness I had seen around the Empress earlier.

“What is it…?”

“Th-that’s what I want to know…?”

“Ah… I just needed to check something. That’s all it was.”

And the Emperor would likely be no different from her.

There had been no issue when I looked at him earlier.

With an ominous feeling, I turned my head toward the Empress again.

The Empress tilted her head in confusion, and behind her, the same darkness from before was deeply cast.

Seeing that appearance, reminiscent of an abyss, was unbearable.

-Woong!!-

I drew my sword.

And filled it with the deep abyss.

-Gooo!!-