Chapter 31
Confession
“What should we do? All the gauntlets stored in the Grand Training Grounds armory have been buried!”
“Our damage is even more severe! All the new lances we ordered for the mounted games were there…!”
Leon passed through the chaotic first floor of the royal guard building and headed up to the second floor, where the Black Knights and royal guard offices were located.
Just when he thought it might finally be quiet,
“It’s, it’s a disaster! Commander Leon, the experimental Magic Tools that were in the resting area… because the Grand Training Grounds collapsed!”
As soon as he opened the door, the vice-commander of the royal guard, covered in dust from the destroyed Grand Training Grounds, was waiting for Leon.
“Enough, Vice-Commander Ellie. Our magic division doesn’t even use that place. Why were the Magic Tools in the Grand Training Grounds?”
“Ah. Th-that’s because…”
Clearly, in the relaxed atmosphere after the war, they must have been left there while mingling with other royal guard for fun.
However, his rebuke didn’t seem to be solely because of that, as he soon softened his expression and sighed.
“I apologize for raising my voice. Place the order. The situation isn’t different from other places, so it will be resolved appropriately.”
“Yes, I’m sorry, Commander Leon…”
As soon as he heard her flustered reply, Leon entered his own office, not the administrative office where he usually worked.
Then, he gazed with a strangely affectionate look at one of the Imperial Palace buildings visible far outside the window.
It was where the military tribunal was, where Lucia had just entered surrounded by the Imperial Guard.
‘How much more will she be hurt…?’
Of course, this thought occurred when Lucia said, ‘I quit.’
Just then,
-Click.
As he gazed out the window with a wistful look, someone entered behind him without knocking.
“It’s been a while.”
Leon’s face turned cold as he identified the person.
As he said, it had been a while since he had seen the old man with long silver hair and wrinkled, dark skin. It was his familiar yet unfamiliar father, Chancellor Federin Luwins.
“What brings you here?”
“Don’t be so hostile. Do I need a reason to visit my son?”
“……”
Federin Luwins.
In his mid-60s, he was one of the great figures who had displayed outstanding strategic skills in establishing the empire, to the extent that his textbooks were used in various countries.
But Leon had known since he was young.
That his father was the beginning of the founding of the first empire on this continent.
It was a fact he had learned by overhearing a conversation between Commander Helbert and his father when he was a child.
That was why he had hardly seen his busy father during his childhood, and the same was true for his mother, who was despised among the direct family members because his father was not the head of the family at the time.
But that cold-hearted man, who only knew about such things, had recently sent a secret order.
And Leon had naturally refused the mission.
Before he knew it, Chancellor Federin was sitting in Leon’s chair, closing his eyes and speaking.
“I heard you went to the kindergarten entrance ceremony a few days ago? Did you see your mother?”
“…I didn’t exactly go to see my mother.”
That being said, he still couldn’t see his mother this time either.
‘I wonder if she sensed it as always…’
“She’s still the same, I see.”
“I hope you’re not blaming me.”
Although his father had become the head of the Marquess family, making things somewhat better, his wounded mother still didn’t live with his father.
It had been so long since the Marquess couple had pretended to be a show window couple that Leon despised him for speaking so nonchalantly.
But why did he come?
Could it be because he refused the mission?
“That’s not it. Hmm, but about that thing you said you wouldn’t do a while ago…”
As expected.
He abandoned his family for work, and now he shamelessly showed his face because of that work.
Leon couldn’t bear to listen to him any longer.
“I’m not interested in what you do, Father. Would you please leave? Or should I leave first?”
At his self-deprecating words, Chancellor Federin smiled instead.
“So you entrusted it to Commander Lucia. Of course, Crown Prince Airen is going along as an observer under the guise of disciplinary action.”
“……!!!”
In an instant, Leon’s entire body stiffened.
Judging from the deadline of the order he had read back then, it was a trip of no less than three days.
“Well, since you’re not interested…”
“I’ll go.”
Before he could finish speaking, Leon hurriedly burst out of the door.
“I knew it, another woman. At least my child wouldn’t be like that.”
He laughed cheerfully, quietly closed the door that his son had opened haphazardly, and headed back to the Emperor’s office.
*
Crown Prince Airen and Lucia walked together in the deserted outer garden.
They stopped at a fountain with a statue of Goddess Asir.
The Crown Prince seemed to be enjoying the sound of the flowing water, closing his eyes slowly as if leisurely music was playing in the scenery.
At that moment, the shining, fantastical sunset was caught on the tips of his pink hair.
He was already known for his beautiful appearance, but the small fallen leaves swirling around him in the breeze made the atmosphere even more mystical.
“Look at this, Commander Lucia. The sky is so pretty…”
“More importantly, what’s going on?”
As she cut him off, was it an illusion that the sound of the fountain water felt as dry as if a drought had come, even though it could be heard?
Lucia glanced at the clock tower, not even paying attention to Airen, who had stiffened for a moment.
Looking at her, the Crown Prince turned his head with a dark and desolate face, as if all kinds of misfortunes had piled up.
And he mumbled loudly, as if for someone to hear.
“Ah, this is too much. Too much. It’s the first time in my life I’ve run so hard, can’t I at least catch up on some stories I’ve missed…”
“……”
Even with his head turned, he glanced at her, but Lucia still had a bored look on her face with empty eyes.
Trembling like that, he finally pointed at his face with his finger.
“Commander! Are you really going to be like this?! In this weather, at this time, with this handsome face! At least that annoyed attitude is really too much! Besides, I, uh? I saved you from there!”
Listening to him, it seemed there was a reason he had dragged Lucia all the way to this corner.
Too flashy of a bait would arouse suspicion for Lucia, who didn’t give anyone time.
So, the scenery of this comfortable garden, even the fantastic time of the setting sun.
It was his small plan to ease the atmosphere with small talk before going on the business trip together.
But Lucia, the 90-year-old monk, had broken that flow in an instant.
To her, this fantastic scenery only felt like a warning bell announcing the end of school.
“Anyway, you don’t have any gaps. Here.”
In the end, he handed over something indifferently, holding up both hands. It was uniquely a scroll tied with a ribbon sealed with magic.
When she, the executor, untied the ribbon, the paper unfolded and letters appeared.
‘Extinguish the Monsters around Hengken Village, the border of the Iris Count family’s territory in the southern region…’
And below the text were written her identity, the designated inn, and the password.
However, Lucia’s expression was not good after reading the contents to the end.
This mission also meant that she would have to leave her accommodation for a week due to the distance.
Then, Crown Prince Airen, who had been watching her reaction, hurriedly took out a scroll from his inner pocket.
“Commander. If the distance is a problem, there’s a solution. I can reduce it to within 3 days!”
“……Hmm.”
It was annoying to have to teleport several times over a short distance with a scroll, but 3 days wasn’t bad.
Just as Lucia was about to accept, someone suddenly appeared next to her as space warped.
Then, as he was about to activate the teleportation again busily, he let out a sigh as if all the strength had drained from his body when he met Lucia’s eyes.
“Haa, I was going crazy trying to find you… Ah, no. You two were here.”
“Commander Leon?”
Airen tilted his head at his appearance, then frowned as if the puzzle had been solved in his clever mind.
“No way? It’s my job!”
“No. How could Your Royal Highness go such a long way? I’ll go.”
The wary Crown Prince and the nonchalant Leon.
Lucia, standing between the two, rolled her eyes blankly as she felt an unusual energy flowing from them.
“See, you shouldn’t have refused! It’s already too late. I also received a mission from the Chancellor. Besides, it’s better for someone as young and handsome as me to go together, no matter who looks at it. Right? Commander Lucia?”
Airen pointed to his name engraved on the sealed ribbon, smiling as if flower petals were fluttering.
It was a captivating smile that made one wonder what it was usually used for.
‘If he says he’ll go, you’ll have to step down, Your Highness.’
Airen remembered the Chancellor’s words, but as always, he had no intention of listening to anyone.
The reason he came here in the first place was to relax with Lucia, who didn’t show her face at any events, and moreover, going on a business trip with her for 3 days was almost a miracle.
But Leon, who had a similar opinion, didn’t want to miss this opportunity.
He rolled his eyes for a moment, then looked straight at Lucia and said.
“We’ll use Stonehenge. If so, this mission can be done in one night. What do you think?”
“……!”
‘It’s better to spend time with another man even if the time is reduced.’
In fact, it would be difficult for Leon, the magic commander, to get permission to use Stonehenge, a magical stone mound that was used to transport troops during wartime.
But if you divide it into possible and impossible things, it’s also an easy task.
In the end, Leon, who had used his wits, threw a bait that Lucia couldn’t refuse.
And the Crown Prince was flustered by the unexpected move.
Now that the choice seemed to have returned to the companion’s share, the eyes of the two were focused on Lucia.
“Commander Lucia. You know I’m sick, right? Then this mission might be my first and last…”
“If you’re sick, you can lie down on that bench over there, Your Highness.”
“……”
He shed tears like a patient in The Last Leaf, but he snarled and bared his teeth more healthily than anyone else at Leon’s complete blockade.
However, funnily enough, Lucia, who knew that he had really died young, hesitated and looked at Leon this time.
A sincere look without any tricks or agitation, unlike Airen’s eyes.
And something smoldering hidden within it.
This was the second time she had seen his eyes like this.
‘If I find out, I’ll definitely kill you.’
An absurd threat.
Yes, what other reason is he interfering in this matter for?
‘Ah, is that it? This mission is a special mission from the Emperor and the Chancellor. Even if he’s an observer, if he accomplishes this together, he’ll get a much higher score than external achievements.’
Lucia remembered him working hard to become the commander-in-chief before her regression.
Certainly, they would be selecting candidates in a few years, so it wouldn’t be too early to prepare from now on.
‘Is the Chancellor already using his hand for his son? How amazing. Even if he doesn’t try so hard, he’ll quit before he even becomes the commander-in-chief in this life.’
So, one is a whiner, and the other is a nuisance.
She hesitated a little at the Crown Prince’s request, who didn’t have many opportunities to go out, but now that she was a mother of one, her choice was made.
Lucia quickly signed with her pen and handed it to Leon along with the pen.
It was a sign to sign.
And just then,
-Ding-dong.
The bell rang, announcing the end of school at 5 o’clock sharp.
Lucia bowed to the Crown Prince and quickly walked away.
Then, Airen, who was looking at her retreating figure in dismay, mumbled.
“It’s a shame. We could have been together for 3 days and nights…”
It was a small mumble, but Leon’s fist clenched, unable to miss those words.
“……Your Highness. I’m warning you. Don’t say such things where other people are.”
There was a bone in his words.
The Crown Prince, who had recently broken off his engagement, was a man with frequent scandals, as much as his confident attitude in front of women.
Therefore, if he lingered around Lucia, who had a story, it was obvious that he would only create nonsense rumors that she had many men, like last time.
Leon had been bothered by his actions since then.
The two glared at each other again.
“A warning? To me? Who is the one who acted like a great Saint and snatched it away like a sly fox? I hope that your shady inside will be exposed someday!”
“Well. Think about what Your Highness just said. I wonder who has such an inside.”
“Haha, what are you imagining? I’m still younger than you. It’s a very pure motive? So I’m thinking of starting as friends. Unlike you, slowly, comfortably, and cozily like my own home!”
Their foreheads, which had been growling, were now almost touching.
But for a moment, Leon, who had come to his senses at his last words, sighed briefly and stepped away.
‘……Friends? No way.’
Was that really possible in front of a woman who had no room for anything like that?
Rather, Leon was losing his will at his lighthearted thoughts.
“I don’t make friends. Because I like Lucia as a woman. Then… hmm?”
At that moment, something slipped out of his hand as he was suddenly turning around.
It was Lucia’s pen.
“Because it’s mine. Then.”
“……”
Time stopped here at the sudden appearance of the pen’s owner.
“I, I like you too!”
What immediately broke the silence was the Crown Prince’s cry, who didn’t want to lose.
“I don’t like you.”
“Why!? Why!?”
The Crown Prince followed after her quickly disappearing figure.
Leon, who was left alone in this place, was in a state where it would not be an exaggeration to say that his soul had just flown powerfully out of the universe and been sucked into a black hole.
