Ch.342113. To Them, I Show Respect (2)

“Her Majesty?”

Of all times, why now?

It had been less than two days since Günter’s suspected plot and Iriel’s absence. And just when Iriel had managed to contain the situation and was finally feeling relieved… she’s returning now?

“That’s fortunate.”

Iriel thought about it from a different angle.

No, this could actually be a good thing.

It would prove that she hadn’t abandoned state affairs but had been watching over them all along.

Though Iriel claimed to have no interest in politics or strategies, he instinctively understood such matters.

“Are preparations for her reception ready?”

“They have been arranged.”

“Good.”

As Iriel left Günter’s office, Viscount Purt and Eileen followed with quick steps.

“I have so many questions for her.”

About this situation.

Whether all of this had been unfolding in the palm of her hand.

Or if Günter had brought matters to this point through his own will and stubbornness.

As someone who had completed all his tasks, Iriel felt entitled to ask these questions.

Watching from a distance as she arrived at the palace with some royal knights, Iriel bit his lip and hardened his expression.

“Hey. Relax. She’s your mother, isn’t she? Even if you’re not exactly thrilled to see her.”

Only when Eileen nudged his arm with her elbow did Iriel’s rigid expression soften.

‘You’re right.’

What am I so anxious and afraid of…?

Eventually, she dismounted from her white horse, handed it to a guard, and walked toward Iriel with dignified steps.

Even from a distance, her presence made his spine stiffen as if she were right in front of him.

Despite only her face being visible beneath the blue veil, her beauty shone as brilliantly as ever.

Along with the intelligence emanating from her eyes…

And that ancient, detached smile that seemed almost inhumanly indifferent.

Aseratt, Iriel’s mother, approached him with her familiar form and dignity, wearing a smile as ethereal as mist, bearing down on him like the relentless sun on a scorching day.

“I heard about the situation on my way here. You’ve worked hard, Iriel.”

“…I am humbled by your praise.”

“I’m not scolding you, yet you say you’re humbled. In such cases, ‘I am deeply grateful’ would be more appropriate. Anyway.”

Aseratt spoke with a mischievous smile.

Then, her gaze shifted to Eileen, who stood behind Iriel’s right side.

“…Hmm.”

“……”

What’s this? Why is she staring at me like that…?

Just as Eileen was beginning to feel uncomfortable:

“Yes. It’s you.”

“Pardon?”

Eileen’s unexpected response caused the ministers, knights, and even soldiers watching to stir with varying degrees of outrage.

‘How, how outrageous!’

‘Has that woman lost her mind?!’

‘How dare she respond so improperly!’

Venus was absent attending to other matters, and Iriel’s travel companions were not present either.

Had they been there, they probably wouldn’t have minded Eileen’s casual attitude…

But regardless, Eileen merely tilted her head in confusion.

“Iriel. Follow me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“And you too.”

“…?”

When Aseratt directly pointed at Eileen, the surroundings stirred again.

“Yes.”

Eileen nodded without much thought and began following the queen’s retreating figure.

Like waves, the crowd parted to make way for the queen’s movement.

Her pace was so quick that Eileen found herself almost running to keep up.

‘Ah, so that’s why.’

Iriel always walked so briskly, almost running. Perhaps it was a habit he’d developed from following her.

After following the queen and Iriel for some time, they entered the inner palace.

Once even the royal knights were dismissed, Aseratt removed her veil and handed it to a maid. After giving some instructions to the elderly head maid, even the maids disappeared without a trace.

It was an unprecedented situation.

Several minutes of silence followed in that stillness.

Queen Aseratt was the first to speak.

“How unexpected. I had heard through the grapevine that my son was accompanied by a woman he fancied, but to think it would be you of all people.”

“…Do you know me?”

Eileen reflexively asked what Iriel wanted to ask.

“Your younger brother was my companion during my journey to the royal capital until a few days ago.”

“My brother?”

“Yes. Red hair and amber eyes. Those two eyes that sparkle like the golden moon in the night sky—he resembles him greatly.”

“Ah, that must be him.”

But still, what a coincidence this is.

While Eileen was inwardly lamenting this twist of fate, Iriel spoke up to change the atmosphere.

“I had no idea her brother was acquainted with Your Majesty.”

“More than acquainted, I should say.”

Aseratt had already noticed.

Could it be that these two…

“You two don’t know your relationship to each other, do you?”

“Pardon?”

“…?”

Aseratt asked Eileen again.

“You wanted to come to Lutania to see your siblings, didn’t you?”

“Ah, yes. I hadn’t managed to find them yet, but Kael, my brother, knows who’s who.”

“…So you came all this way without even knowing that?”

Aseratt seemed a bit incredulous.

“Yes. Finding people is his specialty. We got separated unintentionally, which has been quite troublesome.”

“Hmph.”

How incredible.

Though she had heard the general situation from Kael, this was truly a remarkable coincidence.

“And, Iriel. I heard that an Imperial envoy has been making advances toward her recently?”

“…Yes.”

Why bring that up now… Could she already know everything?

“Don’t worry. It’s not what you’re thinking.”

Iriel felt momentary relief at those words.

“But the fact that you two have journeyed together without knowing about each other—that’s truly fate and destiny.”

“No, that’s going too far…”

What is she trying to imply with such words?

Iriel was extremely tense due to Aseratt’s completely different attitude and reactions from usual.

However, what followed was on an entirely different level from what Iriel had been prepared for.

“Iriel. This girl is your half-sister.”

“…?”

“Mother?”

What? Did I hear that correctly?

“I heard from Kael. Eileen, did your mothers tell you and your siblings nothing about your father?”

“Yes… that’s right.”

“I already told Kael, but since the opportunity has arisen, I’ll tell you too.”

And Iriel, you should hear this as well.

“Who your father was, what he accomplished. *Sigh* Yes. If not now, I don’t know when such an opportunity will come again.”

After pausing briefly, Aseratt said:

“But first, let’s have dinner. We’ll talk afterward.”

Having completely stunned Iriel and Eileen and raised their expectations to the extreme, Aseratt abruptly ended the conversation.

When she announced she would wash up and dismissed them, the two were ushered out of the room with bewildered expressions.

“……”

“……”

And so they stood there, staring at each other for a long time.

Unable to utter a single word, they gazed into each other’s eyes and eventually, unconsciously, tightly grasped each other’s hands.

****

“I had my suspicions.”

“…Venus.”

When Venus returned to the palace as dusk fell, Eileen confronted him on his way to see the queen, and he responded as if he had known all along.

“But I wasn’t certain, so I kept quiet. There was no need to encourage unnecessary misunderstandings.”

“Sigh.”

“What? Are you so displeased about being Iriel’s sibling?”

“No, it’s not that… but it was surprising. So sudden and out of nowhere.”

“How pathetic.”

The two headed toward the banquet hall where the queen had invited them, Venus smirking.

“The Empire won’t give you up easily. But… don’t fall into the trap of unnecessary ambition.”

“…I have ears and eyes, you know? Even if I went to the Empire and became related to the imperial family, I wouldn’t dream of anything beyond that, and I don’t want to anyway.”

“The Kariel I knew—no, his brother Elimion—was a born hero. Perhaps even greater than his father.”

“Have you seen him?”

“We crossed paths once.”

As a demon hunter, I encountered him while being summoned here and there, and the matter was resolved with remarkable ease.

“That person is my father’s brother? So he’s my uncle? Father? What would that make him to me?”

“…I suppose so.”

The Kariel that Venus remembered was like brilliant gold in pitch-black darkness.

There was simply no other way to describe him…

“What does that mean?”

“I don’t know either.”

How could I know him?

Besides, it’s been ages since I last saw him.

I heard he had already become a completely different being by then.

…I could have seen him if I wanted to, but there was no particular reason to do so.

And.

The banquet hall was filled with quite a number of invited guests.

The queen honored and comforted many ministers and vassals over dinner, and when the time was ripe, she summoned Iriel’s group separately.

“I’ve heard the story. That you all accompanied Iriel…”

And that day, a select few learned the truth about Eileen and Iriel’s relationship.

Iriel broke into a cold sweat because of this.

‘This is… a test.’

Specifically, a test of whether these people could be Iriel’s confidants, comrades, and friends.

If this information leaked somewhere, the source would undoubtedly be one of these people.

The queen, while pretending to show trust and faith, was testing their true intentions and character.

And this would continue steadily beyond this moment, into the future.

Even if years or decades passed, this secret must never be leaked, but if it were…

Only those who had learned all these facts in this place would be suspects.

Moreover.

Even that was wrapped in extremely favorable terms.

“And Iriel. Have you heard news about Günter?”

“……”

Iriel still hadn’t heard anything, but Aseratt, seemingly having grasped the entire situation, narrowed her eyes slightly and said:

“It seems Günter is gathering traitors and preparing for a final stand.”

“…My brother, you say?”

“Yes. So you shall lead the army yourself as soon as the troops are ready.”

She was telling him, not herself, to do this.

“……”

Here, Iriel wisely refrained from asking why she wouldn’t lead the campaign herself.

She was essentially saying:

If you wish to succeed me.

If you harbor such ambition.

Do not overlook that resolving this matter is your calling and mission.

Do not refuse or be complacent.

Do not think that Günter’s expulsion will automatically grant you that position.

You are not being placed in that seat.

You must seize it yourself.

…How strange.

That just a few words, a few sentences, could stir up such thoughts in his mind.

Iriel smiled self-deprecatingly but did not allow that attitude to show outwardly.

“I understand. I shall obey your command.”

“The formal order will be bestowed tomorrow in front of everyone. Yes, bestowed.”

With those final words, the queen lightened the increasingly tense atmosphere.

Iriel, of course, maintained his composure and continued with a calm demeanor.

“……”

Eileen shuddered inwardly at the scene.

‘There are more words spoken with eyes than with mouths.’

How fortunate that our mothers weren’t like this.

Eileen suddenly understood why Iriel’s usual demeanor and temperament were so gloomy.

****

Gentia Plains.

A broad expanse of hills and ridges alongside the Genya River.

With traces of ancient Vera Empire roads still visible, this strategic location—flanked by forests and rivers—led directly to the royal capital.

And there, thousands upon thousands of troops had suddenly gathered.

Though their numbers seemed relatively small, the issue was the qualitative density of those numbers.

The rebel forces not only had numbers but also included non-human entities among them.

Additionally, there was a spirit army composed of vengeful spirits and elementals from marginalized and persecuted indigenous faiths.

Their numbers were far from insignificant.

On the other hand, the Lutanian regular army included two knightly orders accompanied by dozens of elite mages.

The rest consisted of adequately armed infantry and archers, plus some scouts and light cavalry.

They had also secured air superiority with about ten giant eagles carrying airborne troops.

At first glance, the regular army seemed overwhelmingly advantageous.

…The problem was that the rebels had no other options.

“Crown Prince Günter! This doesn’t make sense! You said the queen’s illness was serious! Yet how has she returned to the capital and responded so quickly?!”

“……”

Few wore proper armor in the military council.

From natives wearing scraps of hide and vegetation, showing their dark faces and baring vicious teeth while growling…

To apparent sorcerers and demon worshippers with distorted facial features.

Others looked normal on the outside but were rotten within.

All the ringleaders of these traitors, seduced by demons and consumed by desire, had gathered here.

“Wavering only benefits our enemies.”

At Günter’s quiet words, everyone was displeased but forced themselves to remain silent.

These were people who could never truly be unified.

It was his strength that had somehow managed to hold them together.

‘The contrast is clear, isn’t it?’

The younger brother who opposes demons, and the foolish elder brother who joins hands with them.

History will find this interesting, discuss it, and spread this fact far and wide.

This is an age without myths.

On that continent, there’s the Demon King and the Hero, the Golden Bloodline and the newly emerged Holy Radiance Bloodline.

Each region has its own myths and histories, things that bind people together as members of a nation or race.

But for us, that remains a distant dream.

‘…But now it will be different.’

It will be very, very different.

“Didn’t you all come here to survive? Didn’t you come here to go beyond mere survival, to reach for something more?”

As Günter spoke quietly, the restless crowd was consumed by fervor.

Stimulate desire, claim an invisible distant future.

Use illusions, delusions, and excessive ambition.

Draw a curtain over the immediate crisis and danger.

“Do not worry.”

After all, we have…

“The resurrected ancient Demon King watching our backs.”

Don’t we possess a sword that they don’t have?

“Lutania will be reorganized.”

Though his words caused a different kind of stir within the military camp…

“……”

Günter snorted softly, inwardly mocking their vain delusions.

‘Yes. It will be reorganized.’

But in my—our—Lutania.

I have never permitted a place for you.

‘No matter how much you struggle in the arena, your final destination will inevitably be the slaughterhouse.’

Come, let’s roll the dice.

Iriel, let’s see how you respond.

When you were young, you always lost one-sidedly.

But this time must be different.

At least this time.