Sleep well my baby, my cute baby
May the goddess in your dreams protect you this evening
Sleep well my baby, all night long
Dream of paradise as you sleep
*
“Finally, I’ve been appointed as the official physician of the Imperial Palace!”
Goodbye to the days of persecution.
Aslan’s steps felt light today.
The previous physician, Isaac Peterbich, had suddenly retired and left for a health retreat in the countryside, leading Aslan to take over as his replacement.
The term of the imperial physician was originally short, so Aslan didn’t mind the sudden change much.
The important fact was that his former classmates, who had looked down on him, would no longer dare to say a word.
In the eyes of the world, an imperial physician had to carry out his solemn duties, and if anything went wrong with the royal family, he would likely be executed for it. However, the reality was different.
As long as the physician had no fault, the punishment was only formal, and one could take a leave of absence and return when it was time.
Above all, being an imperial physician was the biggest perk, as it granted one a legitimate nobility title.
Aslan already couldn’t help but smile widely at the thought.
To top it off, he was said to be in charge of the Kaizen Empire’s hidden Fourth Princess.
Since she was far removed from the line of succession, this fact pleased Aslan even more.
After all, it meant he wouldn’t have to get caught up in unnecessary political fights.
Just living a long and smooth life was Aslan’s motto.
“Princess Estasha, may I have a moment?”
“…”
“I am Aslan Yebadov, the physician in charge of your treatment this month. I look forward to working with you.”
“…”
“May I… remove the bandages?”
Even with the young man’s gentle inquiry, the young princess remained silent.
Without the patient’s consent, Aslan couldn’t proceed with the treatment.
Touching the imperial body’s sacred frame was considered blasphemous in itself; thus, there were always knights or equivalent guards accompanying during the treatment.
Given that he was approaching his fifth year in this field, this atmosphere of severity no longer made Aslan nervous.
But this situation was slightly different.
Dark Fortress… why are they here…?
Keep your mouth shut. Focus on what you must do.
The elite special forces “Black Star” directly under the Emperor.
And not just one or two, but a dozen army members surrounded him.
Even for a noble of Kaizen, this secretive group was something one might see only once in a lifetime, and they were not something you’d encounter in the sunlight.
“I’ve heard there’s a tumor. I must see it to treat; please, allow me to touch your head.”
“…”
The princess’s silence forced Aslan to glance back.
One of the Dark Fortress members nodded.
Taking that as permission, Aslan slowly began to unwrap the bandages that covered the princess’s head.
He must have wrapped it around at least twenty times.
To think such a young child already had a tumor.
If it were just a sebaceous cyst, he’d be relieved, but things get complicated with basal cell carcinoma.
He only hoped it wasn’t growing around the brain, judging by the size.
As the outer layer began to reveal itself, Aslan held back a groan.
‘This isn’t a tumor…’
Before he could even register his disbelief, a masked man handed Aslan a menacingly large saw.
“Make sure the remaining height does not exceed the length of a finger; please remove both tumors.”
“This… this is a horn…!”
“It’s a tumor, Aslan.”
“Ah… yes!”
The dented but glaringly sharp saw was real.
Comparing it to the size of the princess’s head, the size of an adult man’s elbow made it all the more horrifying.
Aslan felt dizzy.
Am I dreaming right now?
Honestly, he’d prefer it to be a nightmare.
“Hurry up.”
“Haah… Haah… Yes…”
As the members of the Dark Fortress urged him on, Aslan reluctantly placed the saw against the horn.
The princess showed no sign of flinching.
A small horn, no bigger than a pinky finger, rose from her head.
Aslan pulled his arm back, and the saw’s teeth scraped along its surface, making an unpleasant noise.
Scratch.
He only managed to leave a small scratch.
The hardness of the horn was considerable, but the saw was no ordinary tool either.
Scratch.
He closed his eyes tightly and extended his hand forward, and the blade rubbed against the cracks, producing an unpleasant sound.
Scratch.
Scratch.
Scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch.
“Haah haah haah haah…”
Hanging in suspense.
Just as he was about to take one last saw stroke, Aslan suddenly halted his arms.
But the masked young man, seeing this pause, decisively yanked on the princess’s horn and nonchalantly yanked it off.
“Now for the other side, please.”
The cross-section of the horn vividly etched itself in Aslan’s eyes.
At the same moment, he was met with a dizzying smell of blood.
But the fluid seeping from the cross-section wasn’t a sickening red; it was perfectly black.
The viscous liquid slowly ran down the princess’s head, brushing against her eyes.
At the same time, the princess blinked unnaturally.
It looked as if she were shedding tears.
Seeing the scene of that black liquid flowing down as if it was a product of original sin nearly drove Aslan mad.
“Hurry up.”
Yes, this must be a dream.
“Hurry up.”
Aslan gripped the saw once more.
Even if the fluid spewing from the princess’s head stained his face,
He continued to saw away.
Scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch.
*
The Demon King broke the truce, and the people of the Empire once again faced the encroaching black clouds, but fortunately, the Demon King chose not to cross the border and called back his troops, bringing the situation to an end.
Nobles who didn’t want further chaos pressed the Imperial Palace and military, demanding answers, but the outcomes were sparse.
“It’s merely a temporary measure. The hostage situation… is not a viable solution.”
Sparing the life of Princess Estasha had unbeknownst to Kaizen bought them unexpected time.
Of course, as Varus said, it was merely a stopgap to suppress the Demon King’s wrath, like a dam that could burst at any moment.
Airogen wasn’t oblivious to this fact either.
“The demons fundamentally lack familial love. There must be something regarding Tenebraia. We simply don’t know what that ‘something’ refers to.”
“I just commissioned the Dark Fortress to investigate.”
Airogen fiddled with his horn with interest.
“The surface isn’t smooth.”
“Demon’s horn is quite hard; it’s a type of cranial protrusion. Significant nerves and blood vessels are present, making it tough to cut away.”
Airogen mumbled that it must have hurt quite a bit.
“Fifteen years… fifteen years, that must be the limit of his patience.”
“Do you think he’ll wait that long?”
“What else can he do? The loss is ours.”
Airogen scoffed.
Tenebraia, and Estasha.
What on earth are you two?
The Emperor recalled a woman who had visited the palace three years ago.
She had come to him alone, heavily pregnant, asking to meet him.
Believing only in the single mark the Emperor had left her, the woman had made her way to the capital without a cart, settling in the most remote corner of the palace.
The child she bore had golden hair, leading the Emperor to be convinced that Tenebraia was indeed that woman she had desperately sought at that time.
And someday,
Someday, he planned to embrace them as upstanding members of the royal family.
But the sorrowful lullaby Tenebraia sang in the night reached the ears of the Dark Fortress, and the Emperor could no longer delay investigating the mother and daughter.
Nothin’ in this world is easy.
The woman who saved him from the flames of war turned out to be the Demon King’s daughter, and the one who had been his father’s loyal guardian in childhood now served him.
Nothin’ in this world remains unchanged.
If it didn’t change, it meant it had been eliminated.
Making it a question of life or death.
Being forgotten.
The Emperor still found his position burdensome.
But it was a task only he could accomplish.
Airogen gripped the horn tightly until his knuckles turned white.
For the time being, he hoped the Demon King would play with his granddaughter’s horn.
“Varus.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Send a letter.”
“Yes, what kind of letter? Where to…?”
“To the Kingdom of Alpenheim. Attached should be a message that the Empire actively supports the twenty-year plan to overthrow the Demon King.”
*
Sleep well my baby, my cute baby.
“Mother.”
May the goddess in your dreams protect you this evening.
“I had a bad dream today.”
Sleep well my baby, all night long.
“It was a dream where everyone in the world hated me.”
Dream of paradise as you sleep.
“Mother won’t abandon me, right?”
……
“Even if I can’t walk, even if I can’t see, please don’t leave me.”
