Ch.42Inauguration Ceremony (2)

# The Crown Prince

As soon as I heard that name, I frowned, but then thought that perhaps I could make good use of this opportunity.

At this point, before the female protagonist had appeared, if I could persuade the Crown Prince and make him favorable toward Aileen, then no matter how much the female protagonist might charm him in the future, I could prevent harm from coming to Aileen.

Of course, I was somewhat reluctant to be friendly with him, knowing that he would later become hostile toward Aileen and eventually even behead her. But what choice did I have? I needed to use whatever I could and at least try everything possible.

After all, wasn’t the imperial family an entity that even House Yuris couldn’t oppose? I couldn’t make them my enemy. If that was the case, it would be better to make them favorable toward us. However, Aileen’s expression wasn’t very pleasant. Something seemed to be bothering her, and the slight frown on her face as she stared at me clearly showed her dissatisfaction.

Had her relationship with the Crown Prince already soured? Or was there something wrong with the Crown Prince himself? Various thoughts crossed my mind, but when Aileen finally spoke, I understood what she was worried about.

“…The Crown Prince has been showing interest in you. You’ve single-handedly resolved two incidents related to black magic. The black mage you captured has already been transferred to the imperial palace, and the court mages have determined that black magic was involved with the troll as well.”

After staring at me intently for a moment, Aileen continued.

“From the imperial perspective, you might be seen as a hero. A knight who can defeat a black mage single-handedly is quite rare in this world.”

“You flatter me.”

Hero? That was nonsense. From the beginning, I never had such a grand purpose as saving the world… I just wanted to protect Aileen. But feeling too embarrassed to say that to her directly, I simply shrugged my shoulders. Aileen shook her head and spoke again.

“It’s not flattery. Black mages are public enemies of the empire, and your knighting ceremony is being held on such a grand scale because of your achievements. Many people are watching you. Perhaps… some even predict that the balance of the Five Great Houses might collapse.”

“That can’t be. The name of the Five Great Houses isn’t so easily shaken.”

“…If House Roman is connected to black mages, then it might be possible.”

Aileen’s expression darkened as she mentioned black mages. House Roman being connected to black mages? Honestly, right now it was just a possibility, wasn’t it? But even the possibility was a significant blow to House Roman. Of course, if they were truly connected to black mages… I think they would have avoided something like this incident.

The truth was that it was difficult to make a hasty judgment right now. With Adel still unconscious, a full investigation of House Roman would only be possible after he woke up. But she still seemed unable to shake her suspicions about House Roman, and as she murmured the name, a subtle disgust rose in her face.

“Do you suspect Roman?”

“To be precise, I suspect all of the Five Great Houses except Yuris.”

She seemed to take after her father in this regard. But what puzzled me was why both the Duke and she suspected all the other Great Houses. To be honest, apart from House Roman, there hadn’t been any notable movements from the other houses in the current situation.

Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind, and I let out a hollow laugh. They weren’t moving. Perhaps that was the blind spot.

“Could it be because they’re not showing any movement?”

“…That’s right. It’s strange, isn’t it? Clearly, a black mage, a public enemy of the empire, appeared so brazenly at an event hosted by the Five Great Houses. Even though a black mage appeared within Yuris territory. Yet neither Kilrog, Mediv, Roman, nor Hatan has shown any significant response.”

“Indeed, apart from the imperial knights being dispatched, it’s been quite quiet.”

My eyes narrowed.

As various thoughts floated through my complicated mind, they eventually settled on the term “Five Great Houses.” I couldn’t be certain about Hatan’s movements. The Shadow of the Empire—no one except the head of House Hatan would know exactly what that house, which had reached the pinnacle of information gathering and espionage in the empire, was doing.

But Roman, Mediv, and Kilrog were different, weren’t they? Especially Kilrog should have moved long ago. The Eyes of the Empire, the house that should detect and respond to all threats approaching the empire first. Why hadn’t they moved yet?

Noticing my thoughts, Aileen, who had been staring at me, slowly spoke.

“I’ve heard that Kilrog will move soon, but even considering that, this situation is strange. And in this situation, the one who needs to be most careful is…”

When her delicate finger pointed at me, I looked at her and smiled faintly.

“Me, I suppose.”

“…Yes, you should be the most careful in this situation. If the Five Great Houses are connected to black mages, they might try to deal with you directly, as you would be the most troublesome to them.”

“……”

Troublesome, huh? Perhaps that’s how they would see me. If I were a black mage, honestly, I wouldn’t view someone like me favorably. But it was clear they wouldn’t target me right away. Rather than targeting me, they would probably choose to persuade me.

I expected that apart from meeting to fight like last time, there would come a day when we would meet once more. If that time came, my position would be clearly determined.

I looked at Aileen. Her white hair hung long, and her blue eyes sparkled in her languid face. When I first saw her, she seemed to be wearing a mask, but now emotions lived and breathed on her snow-white face. She smiled, sometimes cried, and sometimes got angry. I wasn’t sure if she had changed after meeting me, but I wanted to watch her a bit more.

Right now, it was just a selfish desire.

But would it remain just a selfish desire later? There was a limit to suppressing the growing feelings within me. If affection, sympathy, and such emotions turned into love… I smiled bitterly. For now, I could only hide it. I smoothed my twitching lips into the gentle smile I always wore.

“I’ll be fine.”

It was enough that someone was worried about me. I had long since become indifferent and erased concerns about myself. It was okay if I got hurt. It was okay if I perished. Even if I became so broken that I couldn’t even make a sound and had to crawl around, I only wished for the people I cared about to be safe.

So I worried. The only one reflected in my green eyes was Aileen. The fact that black mages valued me meant that it would eventually affect Aileen as well. If I rejected their persuasion, and if they targeted Aileen as a result…

A cold wind blew around us. Mixed in the damp wind was unmistakably snow, and I frowned in the wind created by that lonely season. Noticing my concern, Aileen looked at me and quietly spoke.

“I’ll be fine too.”

“…But I won’t be.”

Black mages were beings that even the Crown Prince, who was a Master, couldn’t easily confront. Hadn’t even the Imperial Knight Commander, who was also a Master, died? I was merely an Expert. It was amusing that the word “merely” was attached to the level of Expert, but that was the reality.

I closed my eyes tightly for a moment, then opened them and let out a heavy sigh. Regret. That word always tormented me. Suddenly, my hand stung. The hand I had self-harmed when I lost someone. It was fine now, but the burn scar from that time flickered before my eyes.

It will be okay. This time will be different.

I tried to calm myself by murmuring inwardly, but nothing changed. My vision blurred. In the hazy view, all I could see was a blue light. The light I always unconsciously followed with my eyes. A voice flowed into my ears, and I looked ahead with a dazed gaze.

“Evan.”

Yes, my lady. I answered inwardly. Somehow, no voice escaped from my slightly parted lips. With my breath rising to my chin, I tightly closed my mouth and searched for Aileen in my slightly clearer vision. As always, there was warmth in her eyes as she looked at me.

“I believe in you.”

“……”

“Because you are my knight.”

I bowed my head. And I smiled.

A laugh escaped without me realizing, and I smiled while looking at the ground with my head bowed. The saying that a person’s heart cannot be definitively judged came to mind. Just until a moment ago, I had felt so stifled, but it was amusing how a single word could relieve it all.

I believe in you.

Those words tickled me so much. When I raised my head again, Aileen was no longer looking at me. She was just looking out the window with her head turned. However, the tips of her ears were slightly red, which made me smile again.

“You seem quite shy.”

“…What do you mean?”

“Nothing, just a passing comment.”

Breathing was no longer laborious, and my vision was no longer blurry. The wind was no longer cold, and the snow falling from the sky no longer looked dull. It was clear. White light descended from the cloudless, clear sky and sparkled as it hit the snow. After watching that scene for a moment, I spoke.

“Spring will probably come soon.”

“…Yes.”

“And then summer, autumn, winter. It will snow again. And spring will come again.”

Aileen, who had been looking out the window, turned her gaze to me. But I continued to look out the window and spoke.

“I will protect you. Until the time passes and you no longer favor me and dismiss me. So that you can continue to see this snow as the seasons return.”

Come to think of it, Aileen was always there during my first experiences. Being congratulated on my birthday, having someone worry about me. And having someone believe in me, someone who smiled at me. The moment when I viewed the first snow more uniquely than ever before. Even this moment.

They say you should repay those who believe in you. Someday I would return to my world. I might eventually forget her when I returned to the world I originally lived in. But at least for now.

“Because I am your knight.”

Aileen’s eyes wavered at those words. Was she surprised, or was my sudden statement unexpected? Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but then she tightly closed them and her blue eyes turned to me.

No more wavering. No more worrying. Even if my hands holding the sword trembled, my heart would not waver. There was no more anxiety in my smiling face. I could do it, couldn’t I? The black mage hadn’t come to meet me yet, and there was still plenty of time before Extinction properly appeared.

My heart felt much lighter. Now, perhaps, I might no longer hesitate in the future. So I smiled. Faintly, so faint that one wouldn’t notice unless they looked closely. The slightly raised corners of my mouth no longer trembled.

#

After that, most of the conversation with Aileen was about the knighting ceremony. The most important part was the fact that the Crown Prince was coming, so I listened to the basic rituals, how the procedure would unfold, and what I needed to do. Before I knew it, time had flown by, and the scenery outside the window was gradually turning red.

“I think I’ve told you enough about the knighting ceremony. Surely you won’t make any mistakes.”

“Of course not.”

Hadn’t I heard it countless times? I’d be a fool if I made a mistake. Still, maybe I should practice once. After all, making a mistake in front of so many people would not only burden me but others as well. As I pushed away thoughts of the ceremony, the other thought that came to mind was, of course, Adel Roman.

“By the way, is Lord Roman alright?”

Her expression darkened again at the mention of Adel, but she soon clicked her tongue once and nodded.

“He’ll wake up soon. Probably by the time your knighting ceremony is over. After that, an investigation of House Roman is planned, so it’s going to be quite busy.”

Aileen sighed as she mentioned getting busy, then smiled bitterly and sipped her tea. This situation must be just uncomfortable for her. Not only did she have to deal with House Roman, one of the Five Great Houses, but it was also connected to black mages. If there was even a slight mistake, it could become a major problem.

Will she stay up all night again? Looking at the shadows gradually forming under Aileen’s eyes, I spoke.

“Then you should rest early today. You’ll be busy soon. I don’t want to see you collapse like last time.”

“…I think so too. It’s good to rest in advance while I have the leisure. You should also go back early. Your expression didn’t look good earlier, so don’t come out at dawn to train again.”

Feeling guilty at her words, I shrugged my shoulders once and stood up.

“Then I’ll be going now.”

Perhaps due to thinking too much, I felt a bit more tired than usual. Maybe I could sleep well tonight. Having somewhat relieved my worries, I felt my body becoming languid at the thought of the bed feeling soft. As I slightly bowed my head toward Aileen, she looked at me and quietly spoke.

“Sleep well.”

I paused for a moment at those words, then smiled faintly and replied.

“…You too, my lady. Sweet dreams.”

And the door closed. In the ensuing silence, I leaned against the door for a moment, then sighed as I moved my steps. After the knighting ceremony, it would probably get quite busy. It seemed good to rest a bit today.

#

Darkness fell. House Roman, known to begin with a sword and for all members of the family to die holding swords. Shadows began to rise from the vines that jutted up like blades. Purple, that darkness reminiscent of death, knocked on the window, and the window began to open as if by magic.

“…You’ve come.”

As a voice was heard from the pitch-black darkness, the darkness that had entered through the window gradually began to take shape. Sharp nails, corpse-like pale white skin. Purple flames flickered from the smashed nose and empty eyes. At a glance, it looked like a person, but in reality, it was the furthest thing from a human.

As its mouth opened, the shadows spread around began to vibrate slowly.

“Gikallisa du ainiho rehu abeom.”

“Extinction falls upon darkness, and darkness protects us.”

“Dubesa ni ainiho def kalbenta.”

“At the beginning of the end, darkness shall punish them.”

As the corpse-like figure opened its mouth, the young man standing in front responded, and the pale figure nodded in satisfaction. The vibrating shadows became quiet. The night shadows touched the darkness but were soon devoured by the deeper darkness, and the moonlight slowly began to fade.

Purple light sparkled.

Not the flames emitted by the pale figure, but the eyes of the young man standing straight in the darkness were purple. That name, the legitimate heir of House Roman and the successor of the sword.

Adel Roman, whom everyone thought would be too broken to move, was moving more lightly than ever. The only thing reflected in his empty eyes was the deepest purple. The undulating purple eyes eventually looked down. He bent his knee. The tip of the sword touched the ground, and the posture Adel took looked like that of a knight being knighted.

And when he bowed his head.

Whoosh—

Purple flames burning in the void flowed from the pale figure’s hand and began to burrow into Adel’s head. His body split, and purple light flowed from his body, which was cracking like burning wood.

Eventually, ecstasy filled his empty eyes. The purple eyes rising from the darkness undulated alone. Satisfaction with power, now his loyalty was no longer to the Emperor. The glory he would offer would not go to Evangelium.

Only the darkness lurking around was making him comfortable.

Adel Roman quietly bowed his head. The power rising in his heart made his body twitch involuntarily. But he restrained himself. He had to restrain himself now. At least until the moon turned red, he had to keep his head lowered.

When the image of a knight catching the troll flashed through his mind, Adel twisted the corner of his mouth. If there was someone who would be the most dangerous, wouldn’t it be him?

Soon, his blade would be directed at him.

No.

Perhaps all of House Roman’s blades would be directed at him. Adel crawled into bed and quietly closed his eyes. Now was the time to act like a sickly patient. There wasn’t much time left until the name Extinction spread throughout the world, so there was no need to move first.

When only Adel was left alone in the empty room, the moon that had been hidden by darkness began to shine brightly around. But why did the shadow of the reeds swaying in the wind look so ominous? In the cold winter, the dry wind, no longer bringing snow, was swirling more ominously than ever.