Ch.21. Born in the Wrong Era (2)

-Ding! Ding! Diiiing!

“……”

I pluck the lute.

The heart of the Empire, sunk in darkness as the sun falls, was incredibly quiet.

Dense population.

Residential areas built in compact formations to prove it.

Within such places, even the smallest cry would quickly spread to the other side.

So carelessly plucking instrument strings like this…

It’s clear as day that I’d soon attract either a complaint from somewhere or the attention of random passersby.

Still, there are resting places and parks even within the city center.

Finding a spot inside a park, using trees as barriers to conceal myself.

It wasn’t that difficult.

“Is this volume okay?”

When I ask the empty air, an appropriate answer returns.

It’s a voice—or rather, a signal—that normally can’t be heard.

But I vaguely understand.

“Hoo.”

A deep breath.

Maintaining composure is important.

If I don’t steady my mind, my solar plexus quickly tightens and my breath gets caught.

My body soon becomes drenched in fatigue, and my mind immediately grows clouded.

Simply losing focus and having a complicated state of mind isn’t even the real problem.

The most serious issue is consciousness plummeting into an abyss of despair.

Negative thoughts, once they arise and take hold, spread endlessly without limit.

“Hoo!”

I pluck the strings.

I don’t particularly intend to play anything.

Not yet.

Just repeatedly plucking a single string with consistent force, again and again…

Until even the thought of being immersed in something fades away, and I begin to forget myself.

Only then do I play a familiar tune.

The sound doesn’t spread.

I’ve taken measures to prevent the music from traveling.

It’s not magic.

I have no talent in that area.

“……”

As I continue playing with an empty mind,

The pitch-black sky gradually begins to brighten.

The clusters of stars that were thickly embroidered across the sky disappear.

Even the brilliant full moon slowly fades away.

“…Looks like I won’t be sleeping.”

Though I know I’ll regret it, sleep won’t come.

No, I can’t sleep.

Because then tomorrow would arrive.

The fear of tomorrow approaching.

The start of a new day.

All of it binds my body like a curse, like a noose.

Moreover, tomorrow is the day of the celebration party at the Imperial Palace.

As the child of the Hero and the Saint, it’s not a place I could easily skip even if I wanted to.

Not without a plausible reason.

‘A justification, that is.’

A life bound by politics since childhood.

In that sense, I consider my life politically ruined.

An existence like a dead insect, pressed and preserved between golden book covers.

Or a burned page where neither text nor images can be seen, charred by flames.

That’s my past and present.

“……”

My fingers are numb.

But more devastating than this pain is the reality that awaits tomorrow… no, today.

“Why do I live like this?”

The absurdity makes me laugh hollowly.

Even that I can’t let out properly, muffling it…

Like… a little rat hiding in a mouse hole.

“That’s enough now. Thank you.”

As the blank space where not even insect sounds could be heard dissolves,

Various ambient noises begin to pierce my eardrums.

Leaving the park while suppressing my presence,

Crossing from rooftop to rooftop,

I quietly return to my residence.

“Young master.”

“……”

Just as I climb over the wall to enter,

A man holding a torch approaches as if he’d been waiting.

“Please keep your night outings moderate. You know, don’t you? It’s not good for your reputation.”

“…I’ll be careful.”

After responding halfheartedly, I climb up the wall and enter my room through the window.

In this familiar yet suffocating space, my solar plexus already tightens and my heart stings.

‘Prison.’

A prison for what purpose?

And so I await the dawn with sleepless eyes.

Once again, a hellish day begins.

====

“The Throne of the Nine Heroes! The Ultimate Hero! Imperial First Knight Order, Golden Dragon Knight Commander! Golden Sword Saint, Rueld Brendiar! Following, the Pillar of the Nine Heroes! The Foremost Saint! The Ceremony of Radiance! Mother of Salvation! Ermina Brendiar enters!”

It’s dazzling beyond compare.

Black and white.

Attire closer to ceremonial robes that cover the entire body rather than a dress.

The white base adorned with gold thread appears modest at first glance, but in reality, it’s a ceremonial garment that combines astronomical budget and sensibility, literally practical elegance.

And in contrast, her pitch-black hair.

Her beauty, with her hair braided up, is remarkable even to me, her child.

Even with her belly noticeably swollen from pregnancy,

Her appearance seems almost noble.

In the splendid ballroom,

Even amidst the wide party hall where shadows have no place,

Her beauty particularly shines.

Moreover, each of her movements is dignified and even sublime.

Truly a presence befitting one called a Saint and Holy Mother.

On the other hand,

The man escorting her beside her.

Fine features despite having weathered many hardships.

A youthful appearance that still looks like early twenties despite being well over 30.

He too wears ceremonial attire, but the two are extreme opposites in every way.

A man with snow-white hair and a beauty with pitch-black hair. That contrast.

However, the colors of their attire are the opposite.

His insistence on wearing knight’s ceremonial attire even here is likely not his own choice.

My stuffy mother probably lectured him at length about lacking dignity due to his usually casual and friendly demeanor, insisting on formality and propriety.

Still, when well-dressed and restraining his usual chatter, with his expression appropriately controlled, his appearance was quite impressive.

…Looking from a distance like this, they seem like people from another world.

“What a picturesque couple.”

“Every time I see them, they seem to grow younger by the day.”

“Indeed. I’m utterly envious.”

“Well, but their child-rearing…”

“Ahem! There are many listening ears…”

“Oh my! What a vulgar mistake!”

This is what happens.

Since they can’t directly criticize those two, they show their claws to me instead.

My father and mother have probably heard much worse than this.

They have the fortitude for it.

But they don’t concern themselves with it.

If they started responding to every slight, they’d have to sweep away half the nobility.

Responding to such low-grade slander one by one?

That would be utterly beneath them.

…It would be inconsistent with the dignity and prestige of great heroes.

“Still, we might hear blessed news soon, mightn’t we?”

“A legitimate heir to the two of them might be born.”

“Surely the child to be born this time will be noble, befitting the reputation and dignity of the two?”

Strangely, these kinds of comments always manage to lodge themselves firmly in my ears.

“……”

From my corner, trying to stay out of their sight, I slip toward the terrace.

My plan is to put in an appropriate amount of time, make my presence known, and leave.

If I just left without warning, I might be scorned as a fool who couldn’t even properly greet others.

Had I not come at all, that would be one thing, but having set foot here, I must observe the basics.

“So you were here after all.”

After all?

As I slightly turn my head, a girl with striking red hair appears.

A radiant appearance adorned with a red dress and elaborate ornaments.

The time when a woman, a girl, shines most vibrantly.

But.

…To me, that brilliant redness symbolized yet another curse.

“……”

Pushing back a sigh that was about to escape, I offer a proper greeting.

“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”

“I recall meeting you at the academy just yesterday. ‘It’s been a while’ seems somewhat inaccurate.”

“……”

We did cross paths once near the grade posting board.

She didn’t acknowledge me then, so why point it out now?

Her blue eyes dispassionately pierce through me.

Yet they feel as fierce as a hawk spotting its prey.

No, she harbors no hostility or malice.

She simply exudes an overwhelming presence by her very existence.

Being swayed by that, feeling inferior,

Eventually reaching a point where I can’t even feel jealousy anymore, I just ruminate on my own powerlessness.

“Ranking tenth in the entire school shows improvement on your part.”

“…You flatter me.”

“But it will tarnish the reputation of Hero Rueld and Saint Ermina. After all, you are their only child.”

“……”

Are.

Soon I won’t be.

I’m desperately waiting for that moment.

“If not the top, I’d hope you could at least achieve second place. You’re certainly capable of it. Why don’t you display your talents?”

This… insane woman?

Curses erupted in dozens of ways inside me, but this is nothing new.

Inwardly chewing on the squeaking metal friction sound coming from who knows where, I responded calmly.

“Are you saying it doesn’t matter as long as I’m below you?”

“……”

The human before me is a genius who has monopolized all the world’s blessings.

She is truly a peerless existence.

Showing outstanding talent in every field, she proclaimed to the world that she was indeed the descendant of the Hero Emperor.

And she too,

…Like Kariel, was a descendant of two heroes.

“I don’t mind if you surpass me. As long as your ability warrants it.”

An incredibly arrogant declaration.

“…Isn’t that something you should tell those who follow behind you, not me?”

And.

Besides her and me.

There were quite many descendants of heroes.

I was the inferior one among them.

If only she had been my only point of comparison.

…I wouldn’t have been treated like such vermin.

That one cannot be defeated.

There was a time when I briefly thought I wanted to be like that.

But our origins are different.

Our status, our innate qualities.

The expectations that surround us.

Even the slightest attention.

“…Haa.”

I almost mistook it as coming from my own mouth.

A small sigh.

A casual attitude she would never normally display.

Only then did I examine her face more carefully.

“Kariel, you look quite tired.”

“……”

“I’ve heard rumors, passed along, about your impure nighttime wanderings.”

How did this reach her ears?

Does that mean most people already know?

“Keep your body pure. Being male doesn’t mean you should let your body run wild.”

“……”

What nonsense is this now?

Ah, so that’s how they’re interpreting it?

So.

They think I’m indulging in nightlife like common rakes, is that it?

“What does that have to do with you, Your Highness?”

“Kariel. You will one day become a pillar of our empire. Though you seem to be wandering now, time will resolve that as well.”

…

Who decides that?

How is time supposed to resolve anything?

“The rashness of youth is ultimately fleeting. Like flower petals carried away by flowing river water, it’s merely wistful.”

“……”

“Cultivating beautiful memories is also a noble gift that a young person can give to their future self, isn’t it?”

“…Anyone listening would think there’s about a ten-year age gap between us.”

This person is the same age as me, this person is also a child of heroes and champions like me.

Is she so different because she’s of imperial blood?

Or is it simply that I inherited inferior seed and blood?

“Kariel. You truly…”

At that moment, the ballroom interior began to grow noisy.

“…Ha. Our conversation ends here.”

Conversation, she calls it.

To call this a conversation, it’s enough to drive one mad.

“Follow me. I completely understand your desire to leave this place, but shouldn’t you at least greet His Majesty?”

“…How could I refuse?”

If she’s going to help me exit faster, why would I decline?

I calmly followed behind her.

And.

I was driven into the gazes of people I didn’t want to meet.

‘Could my luck possibly be any worse?’

I wanted to tear apart this naive brain that thought I could exit quickly.

There they were.

Like the Imperial Princess.

The descendants of heroes like myself.

The descendants of great heroes and champions who proclaimed their outstanding talents to the world.

“There you are, Kariel. Come here quickly. It’s been quite some time since I’ve seen your face!”

Also.

Beauty that overshadows even the splendid golden attire.

A man with smooth, sculpture-like features and red hair and blue eyes, and beside him, a woman with blue hair and black eyes.

“Really, I told you to visit more often.”

The Hero Emperor and the Arcane Empress.

The man who went from hero to emperor.

The woman who became empress as an archmage.

Besides them, including my parents, the other Nine Heroes affiliated with the Empire.

‘I’m caught.’

My stomach churns.

In my head, a squeaking, grating sound!

The unpleasant metal friction noise scratches my mind particularly loudly.