Ch.65Lovers, Yet Not Lovers (3)

“Does it suit me?”

“It suits you very well. But honestly, isn’t this kind of question meaningless?”

When I casually asked about the clothes I was wearing, Rofena shrugged and replied.

Well, at this point, I suppose anything would look good on me.

My appearance hadn’t changed much since becoming Evan Fried, but my physique was quite decent, probably from all that sword swinging. Not overly muscular, but not too thin either—just the right build, I’d say.

…It’s no wonder letters keep piling up.

I was well aware of this and tried to be careful, but what could I do? I couldn’t completely block the attention directed at me.

Seeing Airine’s reactions to all this was rather enjoyable, so I occasionally took advantage of it.

“But are you sure you’re ready to leave right away? You just returned at dawn. Wouldn’t it be better to rest and recover first?”

“It’s fine. I won’t need to exert myself much once we get there.”

As I tucked the handkerchief Airine had given me into my chest pocket, Rofena pouted and stared at me disapprovingly. She clearly wasn’t happy about me heading to the Imperial Palace so soon after we’d finally met again after three days.

I could guess why she was acting this way, so I spoke to comfort her.

“Don’t feel too bad. I’ll spend time with you when I get back, okay?”

“I’m not a child. Do you think sweet-talking me will make me feel better right away?”

Despite my gentle words as I patted her head, she turned away sharply, still sulking, which made me laugh.

How can she be so predictable? After watching her for a moment, I called her name and quietly raised my finger.

“Rofena.”

“What is it now?”

*Poke*

As Rofena turned her head, my finger met her cheek, making it dimple like pudding. After staring blankly at her cheek for a moment, she looked at me and let out a small laugh.

“What was that for?”

“Who knows.”

I shrugged, then gently stroked her cheek with a faint smile.

“I’m fine. So don’t worry too much.”

“…I wasn’t worried. I just saw you were hurt yesterday, so I’m a little concerned.”

“That’s what worrying means.”

Her mood seemed to have improved a bit, as she just pressed her lips together and sighed, unlike before.

I should probably return soon for Rofena’s sake. At this rate, she might try to stop me whenever I say I’m going somewhere.

But I was genuinely pleased by her concern, so I could only smile at Rofena as she quietly watched me.

My physical condition had improved considerably, so visiting the Imperial Palace shouldn’t be a problem. Though I’d prefer not to be treated too formally, I wasn’t sure if the Crown Prince would be mindful of that. If this was meant as a warning to the black mages, I suspected they’d welcome me quite grandly… but I’d have to see for myself.

As I smoothed out the creases of the white cape attached below the epaulettes of my uniform—a white uniform over a dark green shirt—I slowly headed toward the door. Rize, who was standing by the door, smiled brightly and spoke.

“It suits you well, doesn’t it?”

“Does it?”

Her shy smile made me uncomfortable, so I could only awkwardly smile back while avoiding her gaze. Having to manage my expressions even at the mansion was inconvenient, but unavoidable.

Perhaps it was karma for my past inability to control my expressions. As I slowly walked down the corridor, my steps lightened when I sensed a familiar presence in the distance.

Though I understood her intention in coming along, I was genuinely happy about it. In fact, I would have been quite disappointed if she had sent me to the Imperial Palace alone. I must have been looking forward to it, as the corners of my mouth twitched involuntarily when I imagined what clothes Airine might be wearing.

*Click-clack*

The sound of shoes on the marble corridor made my heart race again. Excitement, fluttering—my lips curved into a smile at that pleasant sensation filled with positive emotions. After a few more steps down the corridor, my lips parted slightly at the sight before me.

“…Ah.”

Unlike usual, she seemed to have put in extra effort, and her distinctly different appearance drew an involuntary exclamation from me. I had never thought her looks were inferior to anyone else’s, but Airine’s appearance today was truly beyond compare.

Her glossy white hair flowed gracefully. The frills in the middle of her navy blue dress—which might otherwise have looked cold—softened her appearance, perfectly capturing the image of a proud noble lady. And around her neck was the sapphire necklace I had given her before.

As Airine gazed at me intently, seemingly asking if she looked good, I deliberately wiped the smile from my face. When my expression cooled, Airine hesitated for a moment before carefully speaking.

“…Why aren’t you saying anything?”

“What should I say?”

Pretending not to understand, I watched as Airine narrowed her eyes and then briskly walked past me. Perhaps she was disappointed that she didn’t get the response she expected.

I found her reaction amusing, but decided to hold back a little longer as I followed behind her. What could I say to instantly improve her mood? Though she appeared quite cold on the outside, reactions like this showed she was every bit a young lady her age, and I rather enjoyed teasing her this way.

The maids following her were all glancing at me nervously. As the atmosphere grew increasingly chilly—quite unsuited to spring—I carefully dismissed the maids around her and stood beside Airine.

“Why are you so upset?”

“……”

“You look beautiful.”

I noticed Airine’s ears perk up slightly, which made me smile. I didn’t intend to stop with just saying she looked good, so I opened my mouth to add a few more words.

“You’re the most beautiful I’ve ever seen you today.”

“…Is that so.”

Airine finally spoke, a faint blush rising to her cheeks. I shrugged once and looked at the maids around us. This should be enough to improve Airine’s mood.

Now all that remained was heading to the Imperial Palace. With that, we began moving toward the teleport circle connected to the palace.

#

*BWOOOOOM*

The moment we teleported, we were greeted by a trumpet blast so loud it made my heart jump. Startled, I instinctively shielded Airine and looked around to find soldiers with trumpets surrounding the teleport circle, all watching us.

A line of people, flower petals floating in the air—clearly a ceremony for someone. As I stood there dazed, a voice from the center of the procession broke through my thoughts.

“You’ve arrived earlier than expected. In the name of the Crown Prince, I welcome you to Evangelium.”

A man with black hair swept back and the crimson eyes unique to the imperial family—the Crown Prince. With his appearance, I immediately understood who this celebration was for.

I quickly knelt down, and the Crown Prince approached us and addressed Airine.

“There’s no need for such formalities. I’ve called you here to honor your achievements for the empire. Stand up—you’ve earned that right.”

Then, bowing his head to us, he added:

“We’ll talk in detail once we’re inside the palace. There are too many people here.”

“…Understood.”

I was surprised by how many people had been gathered. The scale was far greater than I had anticipated. As I stared at them in bewilderment, the Crown Prince patted my shoulder and said:

“We’ve dealt with all the black mages and the dragon in northern Yuris. It was a bit rushed, but we successfully announced it to the capital. Do you know why I acted so quickly?”

“To send a warning, I presume. To the black mages still present in the empire.”

“That’s right. To the ones the minor lord of Yuris suspects, and to the ‘others’ I suspect as well.”

Others? As I was about to ask about that, the Crown Prince shook his head and continued with a slight smile:

“Didn’t I say we’d talk inside? There are… too many people here right now.”

Perhaps he was worried about information leaking out. I nodded quietly, and the Crown Prince began walking forward, waving to those around him.

As he said, there were thousands of people in the vicinity. Some looked at me with admiration, and I could only respond to their cheers with awkward gestures.

I had received applause from many people before, but never such pure admiration. Some even called me a hero, which made me feel embarrassed enough to lower my head.

“Are you shy?”

“A little… and it’s also burdensome.”

Seeing me like this, Airine smiled faintly and gently touched my hand, whispering:

“You can hold it if you’re too nervous.”

It was amusing to see how Airine, who used to blush at the slightest touch, now casually offered her hand. Not wanting to refuse, I carefully took her hand while looking ahead, holding it lightly as if merely escorting her, though our fingers gripped each other tightly.

The Crown Prince observed us for a moment, then turned his head and spoke:

“You two seem very close. Is that why you came alone? No maids, no other knights.”

“There was no need to bring maids.”

That wasn’t entirely true. Airine had simply refused to let any other maids come along. As for the reason… I didn’t particularly want to know. It was too obvious.

And the reason for not bringing other knights was simple: there was no need. As someone on the threshold of becoming a Master, the only knight officially stronger than me in this empire was Sir Theorad.

Mediocre Expert-level knights would be meaningless before me, even if dozens attacked at once. So one person—me—was sufficient for protection.

After hearing this, the Crown Prince looked at us with a somewhat disgruntled expression before smiling faintly and heading into the palace.

When all the knights and maids following us had disappeared, the Crown Prince, having reached his chambers, turned around and slowly began to speak. Unlike his slightly playful expression earlier, he now wore a serious face and spoke in a more solemn voice:

“The situation is quite serious. We might be facing another extinction event like the one in the past.”

“…Did you summon me to inform me of this?”

I had thought his handling of matters was surprisingly quick, but when I asked this, the Crown Prince nodded and continued:

“I know you’re watching Roman. I’ve been suspicious of the Five Great Houses for some time—not that I’m suspicious of you. As long as Sir Evan is present, I unofficially place the most trust in Yuris among the Five Great Houses.”

“…Then why are you telling us this?”

When Airine asked, the Crown Prince gave a bitter smile and quietly continued:

“Besides Roman, whom you suspect, it seems there’s another house collaborating with the black mages.”

With those words, the room was enveloped in a cold silence.

Not just Roman, but another of the Five Great Houses was collaborating with black mages. This was too heavy a fact to dismiss as a joke. The power of the Five Great Houses was not something even the Imperial Family could ignore.

Among the most famous knight orders protecting the empire were the Imperial Knights, Yuris, and Roman. The mere suspicion that one of them might be connected to black mages was alarming enough, but to hear there was another collaborating house…

Frowning at this, Airine hesitated before carefully asking the Crown Prince:

“Could it be… Hatan?”

“I see you’ve had your suspicions as well. That’s correct. Hatan… seems to be connected to them.”

The Crown Prince then took out a seal from his pocket—a black wolf, the emblem of Hatan. As he handled it, he sighed faintly and turned his gaze to me.

“One of the black mages you dealt with was carrying this. Of course, possession alone isn’t definitive proof, but it’s enough to raise suspicion. Perhaps this explains why Hatan has been unusually quiet lately.”

After saying this, the Crown Prince patted my shoulder and bowed his head apologetically.

“The Imperial Knights alone cannot handle both Hatan and Roman. Especially since the heads of Roman and Hatan are opponents whose individual strength is difficult to gauge. So I ask for your help. I believe I’ll need your assistance going forward.”

“…That’s not for me to answer.”

Though I was speaking with the Crown Prince, my eyes were on Airine.

She was looking at me, biting her lip, her gaze unsteady.

She looked anxious. How could she not be?

It was just yesterday that I had returned alive from the brink of death, and only at dawn that I had promised not to leave her side.

Understanding her concern, my worry was purely for her. It was dangerous work, with the constant risk of losing my life.

Something even stronger than Maloric could appear at any time. I knew that helping the Crown Prince would ultimately benefit Airine, as the organization called Extinction needed to be erased from this world. But right now, Airine’s expression concerned me more.

So I hesitantly addressed the Crown Prince:

“I need some time to think about this. Would you understand?”

“…I’m not rushing you. Take all the time you need.”

Despite the Crown Prince’s accommodating response, Airine’s expression remained deeply troubled. With a somewhat pale face, she stared at me intently before turning around and walking out the door.

I couldn’t just watch her leave. Filled with the thought that I needed to stop her, I quickly bowed to the Crown Prince and spoke urgently:

“Please excuse me for a moment.”

It might have been rude, but at that moment, Airine was all I could see. Knowing what worried her, I moved solely with the intention of reassuring her. But how could I do that?

Despite my resolve, I couldn’t think of a good approach, making my steps toward her feel quite heavy.