“Are you coming out slowly or what?”
I turned my head to look at the tree, heavily laden with snow. A moment of silence passed, and then a man emerged from behind the tree.
His platinum hair, now white, and his red eyes, likely dulled by the Emperor’s mark, were unmistakable. It was Luke von Shpenheim, the man I had made a contract with after leaving the auction house, and once the Second Prince.
“How’s the erosion rate?”
“Fifty-five percent. I’m barely managing to fend off the interference with my memories.”
Fifty-five percent. Did that mean it progressed by five percent in such a short time? Well, holding off for this long is impressive too. There are ways to suppress the erosion with magic, but that’s a last resort.
Unlike the Emperor’s Eye, the mark of the Emperor’s Sword was engraved by the Emperor himself. So, if anyone touches it, they will instantly recognize my existence.
“As per the contract, Lef dispatched the Baron. What he’s done is quite a sight to behold.”
Luke said that with a bitter chuckle. For him, who lived as the Second Prince, what that guy did must feel disgustingly absurd.
Lef, the Baron.
From the outside, he looked like a newly rich noble who suddenly made a fortune. But the truth was different.
He managed the Empire’s slave market and was entangled in the corruption of all sorts of nobles—a player in the underworld, to put it plainly.
That’s why he intended to take me down all at once. Not for some naive purpose of eradicating crime, but for the trade ledger he held.
If he had that ledger, it was as if he had the nooses of most nobles in his hands.
After all, most auctions that passed through Lef, the Baron, were illegal.
Given the nobles’ aversion to tarnishing their names, that ledger was a highly valuable item.
“What about the trade ledger?”
“I entrusted it to the Information Guild.”
After saying that, Luke seemed to question it, “You could have easily dealt with Lef, the Baron, on your own. Why did you rely on me?”
“I just didn’t want to catch the Emperor’s eye.”
What allowed Lef, the Baron, to grow so notorious in the underworld?
Naturally, because the Emperor turned a blind eye. The royal family’s influence spread far beyond what people thought, and the Emperor’s Sword was close by.
There was mention of this in the original work. Right after Adele was enslaved under the charge of royal treason, she ended up in the hands of Lef, the Baron.
In a way, Lef served as the royal family’s clean-up man.
Of course, it didn’t take long for him to be slain by the sub-male lead, Luke. The reason Lef asked him for the assassination was mainly due to that.
Because following the original story’s developments as closely as possible is essential for me to guide the future I designed.
“I dealt with every single one of them as per your words.”
Luke said that while glaring at me. Did he expect the appropriate price for that? Well, our relationship was merely a contractual one.
“I found the whereabouts of Luka von Asrikh.”
“…What? Is that true?!”
I frown at Luke, who asked with a tone as if he might leap at me.
“He’s in the deepest part of the Tower of Seclusion, right at its center.”
The Tower of Seclusion.
A prison submerged under the sea, meant solely for the most heinous criminals. In its deepest depths, various death row inmates awaited their fates.
It housed fallen royalty from a collapsed kingdom and even leaders of rebel factions who attempted to overthrow the Emperor.
Was he mad that his innocent mother was locked up in such a place? He gritted his teeth.
“Dammit.”
“Only the Emperor can enter the Tower of Seclusion. Do you understand what that means?”
“…Did you expect from the beginning that I would secretly find out my mother’s whereabouts?”
Only the Emperor has access, and he is the one who decides the fates of the prisoners as he pleases.
Nobles are punished by being sold into slavery and sent to the Royal Auction House, while leaders of the rebellion face execution on the spot.
You could almost say the place is more like the Emperor’s playground than a prison.
“It’s like playing in his palm.”
“That’s actually the case.”
Crack…
The mark on Luke’s nape glimmered red. Recognizing the Emperor’s summon, he clicked his tongue.
“I’m off now. If you have more requests, leave them at the Information Guild.”
“Luke von Shpenheim.”
When I called him by his full name, Luke turned away, looking displeased. It’s only natural; he probably hasn’t been called by his full name by anyone, except the Emperor.
“Don’t overstep your bounds. The Emperor isn’t someone to be trifled with.”
Crackle.
He seemed ready to say something in response to my advice, but he grimaced in pain due to the mark. It must have been due to the silencing feature embedded within the Emperor’s mark.
That means Luke was about to say something regarding the Emperor’s secrets. It seems he knows quite a lot about the royal family’s secrets.
“…I know better than anyone. They are my parents’ murderers.”
With that, Luke left immediately.
‘I guess I should finish off the Hunt Festival first.’
I already had a plan ready. I was looking forward to the expression Adele would have when she saw what I brought back.
§
The day after the Hunt Festival.
People began returning one by one, monsters in tow. From a rabbit the size of a person to a car-sized reindeer, and even lions that looked like they ate a few people.
Among them were people drenched in blood from their hunts, while others sauntered back, whistling leisurely.
The hunt festival was a place to prove one’s worth by presenting slain monsters to the lady they had their eyes on.
Noble ladies also smiled as they evaluated their value based on the size or rarity of the hunting spoils they received.
Amidst them, Adele quietly sat inside a carriage.
“What will the Duke bring back?”
Lily asked, her voice slightly excited as she looked at me.
“Well, as long as it’s not too conspicuous.”
In fact, I ended up attracting a lot of attention while taking down the monsters.
But I didn’t want to draw any more attention than this. An introverted person doesn’t really enjoy being in the spotlight.
“Hey, it seems like you think differently, Duke?”
‘That’s why I’m worried.’
I swallowed those words. Just being saved from the monsters was more than enough for me. Receiving any more would only add pressure.
“…Evan, are you alright?”
“Ah, I’m fine, my lady.”
Evan replied with a bright smile, as always. He might have a goofy side, but he was undeniably a strong knight.
Judging by how he could push away a monster the size of a fortress, it was evident.
“I haven’t seen you this mad in a long time, Duke. Haha, it’s making my legs shake.”
“Has it happened before?”
“It was quite a while ago, but…”
Evan hesitated a bit before letting out a sigh and continued.
“There was that time when the children you took in got hurt. You showed that kind of emotion then.”
“…I see.”
Taking in the children? The more I dig, the more confused I became about Abel’s various facets.
Could it be that the title of the Iron-Blooded Duke and his position as a villain in the original story were truly fitting?
After all, I had only heard bits and pieces of the story from a friend and had never read the original myself.
“Well, I was also among them. Even though it’s a long time ago, I still remember it.”
“Now that you mention it, Evan, you don’t use dialect at all?”
“Oh, that’s because… it just pops out when I’m nervous or pushing myself.”
Evan scratched his face while answering.
“Ahh…”
With that conversation ended, an awkward silence fell. Not long after, a commotion could be heard from outside.
When I opened the window, I saw a man floating in the air, effortlessly holding a massive creature like an elephant in one hand.
Silver-haired with red eyes, his gaze was sharp enough to slice through, making him look like a slacker—it was Rev, the Tower Master and one of the male leads.
Being a commoner, he doesn’t have a surname, but when it comes to sheer force, he’s one of the top two.
As I pondered, Rev had already stopped in front of Estelle.
With a slight smile, he placed the monster he hunted beside her.
“I brought the biggest one, as promised, my lady.”
“Thank you, Rev.”
“What, I just kept my promise?”
“Hah, talking about promises without including yours truly.”
The Crown Prince brought a beast that was no small feat. The two seemed to spark competition, prompting Estelle to scratch her face while awkwardly smiling.
Watching from afar, Lily was innocently amazed.
“Wow… The Tower Master and the Crown Prince really are different.”
“Seems that way.”
As the Hunt Festival neared its conclusion, I stepped out of the carriage.
As I received Evan’s mascot, I noticed the Tower Master and Crown Prince engaged in a silent showdown regarding their hunted monsters.
“Are you jealous?”
“Hiiik?!”
Feeling a voice suddenly behind me made me shiver. I quickly turned and saw Abel, whose serious expression had transformed into a bright smile.
“…If you come, at least let me know.”
“Hmm. I tapped your shoulder a few times, but it seems you didn’t catch on.”
“Did you now?”
Was that true? There was no way I’d miss being tapped on my shoulder. Abel fell into thought for a moment before chuckling and snapping his fingers.
A large, white magic circle appeared in the air, and a monster fell from it.
It was a creature with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle… As I slowly observed its appearance, I could feel my hand trembling.
“This… Is it a griffon?”
“I thought you wanted a griffon, so I caught one myself.”
I was momentarily puzzled by his sudden proclamation. Soon enough, I recalled the valiant eagle embroidered on the handkerchief I had given to Abel.
I had just thought it looked cool without any deep thought. As I let out a bewildered chuckle, Abel continued teasingly.
“What do you think? Isn’t it what you hoped for and more?”
Indeed, he wasn’t wrong about that.
In every sense, it was beyond my expectations.
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