Chapter 52
Titania had said it time and time again. That she had changed ever since she almost died.
She had also told her not to worry about her, as Bibi had things that were precious to her now.
「I hope you find something precious too, unnie.」
Bibi thought she was lucky to be living again.
She was now able to repay both favors and grudges. For the first time in her life, she was able to be loved within the fence called family.
That was why she couldn’t ignore the precarious Titania, who looked as if she might close her pale eyelids at any moment, relieved as if saving Bibi was enough. Even this person deserves at least one chance like that. That was how it felt.
“Then, I’ll ask just one thing.”
The woman, who had been lost in thought, looked up.
“Who exactly is this ‘enemy’ who is targeting both the famous treasure of the Duchy of Castline and us at the same time?”
As if she had been waiting for that very question, the girl smiled brightly.
“A mad Great Mage.”
Unlike her large, radiant smile that bloomed like a sunflower in the sunlight, her voice carried a trace of deep-seated resentment.
“The former-before-last Tower Master, who is known to be dead. A man who would do anything for immortality…. The self-proclaimed immortal Koschei!”
—O Great Master, I humbly report with trepidation that the tower is empty.
A skull clattered its jaw in the air.
It was a skull that looked as if it had been dug up from a grave just moments ago. However, a red orb at its chest pulsed like a beating heart. A strange red light shone within the empty eye sockets as if replacing eyes.
The skull, draped in a pitch-black robe, peered around before sinking to the floor with a mournful voice.
It was inside an empty tower. No, it wasn’t even certain if it could be called a ‘tower’ anymore. It was merely a ruin.
All that remained were broken stone fragments and shards of walls and pillars that left no trace of their original form. There weren’t even rats, flying insects, or spiders that should be found anywhere.
—The wicked Power of Light you mentioned shows no trace.
A moment of silence followed.
[Foolish thing.]
It was a heavy voice that felt as if it were speaking directly inside the head. An ominous energy naturally flowed from it, as if fashioned from cold, darkness, dust, and ash.
[Does the trace of Belobog not remain right there?]
The skull hurriedly turned its head. There was a sickening crack of bone turning.
A white floor, carved as if from white marble, came into view. There, a few very thin strands of hair were visible.
They were a very pale gold.
Bony fingers touched the hair. A tiny spark of static electricity crackled. It was a reaction of rejection.
[I have made a mistake.]
—G-G-Great One….
[I made a mistake, thinking my servants would soon be liberated from the underworld.]
—C-Could it be that, that one imprisoned Imperial girl truly…? Was she really chosen by Belobog? A mere girl, knowing the weight of her choice…?
[Did I not say that there is not a single member of the current Imperial Family worthy of being chosen by Belobog?]
—M-Master.
[It was you who whispered that since the Duchy of Castline stepped forward saying there was no need to kill her, there was no need to worry about such a mere rat right now. You said we shouldn’t draw suspicion before the great event.]
—F-F-Forgive me!
The skull prostrated itself, slamming its cranium against the floor. Clang, clang, the sound echoed.
—This lowly, lowly Koschei has made a mistake! Master! Because the Duchy of Castline stormed into my workshop and burned my body, I became frightened and—!
[I did not expect another human to emerge who would make a choice similar to that insignificant girl, Gloriana.]
—But, Master.
The skull slowly raised its head, gauging the reaction.
—Gloriana is, to put it bluntly, though humans hardly remember her properly now… she was still a Saintess in name, wasn’t she? That is why even now, when Belobog is so weakened he faces the risk of extinction, the barrier between the underworld and the surface is maintained….
[Indeed, how much power could one stupid Imperial girl possibly exert? However, seeing as she has already made the contract, she will become a great threat to me if she successfully reaches the rubedo stage.]
The voice declared.
[I must move up the schedule for the war.]
The apocalypse that would burn everything to the ground.
About a week had passed since the demon beast attack on the Imperial Palace.
For the time being, Imperial Consort Cleo and Prince Brian were left high and dry following this incident.
The Emperor seemed deeply offended by the turn of events; he ignored the awakened Prince Brian, who was crying and begging for him.
Upon hearing the Emperor’s words—‘Even if that pathetic boy looks for me for a while, do not inform me and tell him to reflect on his actions’—Brian went on a hunger strike.
As for the perpetrators behind the ‘Imperial Palace Demon Beast Attack,’ secret heretical cults in the Empire that worshiped the power of darkness were pointed out.
However, no definitive mastermind was concluded upon. The Duchy of Castline investigated the party who had handed the ‘evidence’ in question to the Imperial Consort in their own way, but they hit a dead end.
They managed to find out that the Imperial Consort had contacted her home, the Marquis Rand family, but her tracks vanished completely after that. Furthermore, since the Imperial Consort was laying low along with Brian for the time being, it was difficult to find out anything more.
I quietly returned the <Insignia of Gloriana> and brought my cooperation with the Duchy of Castline to an end by declaring that one of my two debts had been successfully cleared.
High Priest Illian checked my health one last time. Then, with a good-natured face, he laughed heartily, saying, “This whole thing was quite fun,” shook my hand, and left.
He told me to contact him whenever I needed anything. He was a surprisingly pleasant man.
Since I had officially awakened, it was time for the retainers of the Duchy of Castline, who had been staying in the Empress’s Palace, to leave as well.
I returned all the luxurious items exactly as they were. The reaction was that the Duchy of Castline had its pride, so how could they take back something they had gifted to their savior?
My answer was simple.
‘My stay at the Empress’s Palace is officially over, and the Rose Palace is a wreck under construction, so where am I supposed to put these?’
Even the great Duchy of Castline seemed to have nothing to say to that and took them back obediently. No, actually, they didn’t take them back that obediently.
It was because Bibi smiled brightly and made a crazy suggestion.
‘Oh, then unnie! I can just gift unnie a house to put those things in! Papa told me to be generous if I’m going to gift anything!’
‘No! I’m an Imperial family member! I have to live in the palace! I’m just going to wait for the Rose Palace repairs!’
…Well, at any rate, the Rose Palace, having gone through all sorts of things, literally required a massive overhaul.
This was because rumors had spread throughout the entire palace that the state of the Rose Palace was like something out of a haunted house.
This incident was so significant that rumors leaked even outside the Imperial Palace. To begin with, the fact that demon beasts had attacked inside the Imperial Palace was enough to make the rumors explode.
Since the rumors about the palace where an Imperial Princess lived—not even a Prince—were so poor, the Emperor went as far as to order, “Perform the repairs properly to quell the rumors.”
So, I volunteered to leave early for the Dedication Festival. The Emperor agreed without a second thought.
“He is likely bothered by the rumors circulating among the people that your appearance, wielding a sword emitting sacred light, was much like a Saintess,” the Empress said cynically.
Prince Adrian chimed in while chewing on a scone.
“Exactly. His Majesty is quite the petty man, isn’t he?”
“And even if she is supposedly under reflection, it’s not ideal to stay while the Imperial Consort is gnashing her teeth. The Rose Palace needs repairs. Staying longer at the Empress’s Palace is also a bit awkward.”
“Even so….”
The Empress trailed off for a moment.
“…Shall I assign Constance to you? It is a journey to the southern tip of the Empire in this heat. It is by no means an easy task.”
Countess Constance was a maid the Empress trusted deeply. She was doing this because she knew I didn’t have a single useful person by my side. I remained silent.
The staff of the Rose Palace had been completely replaced. To be precise, everyone left except for Head Maid Natalie, who couldn’t be dismissed due to the Imperial Consort’s influence.
To be even more precise, I didn’t even know where they went.
Imperial Consort Cleo, who had tried to mess with me using the maids, was instead furious after her failure, and the probability that she would leave her spies in the Rose Palace intact was low.
Therefore, I currently had neither maids nor ladies-in-waiting.
Since I hadn’t even had a proper debutante and didn’t have any same-aged friends from suitable noble families, the lack of ladies-in-waiting was one thing, but not having a single maid was a somewhat serious problem.
Under normal circumstances, the person who could assign me maids and ladies-in-waiting without causing any gossip would be Imperial Consort Elaine. It would be troublesome if something happened while taking the Empress’s confidante to a far-off place.
“Fine. I shall also assign a few skilled maids.”
“Or, should I just go with you?”
Adrian said, looking truly worried.
“Prince Adrian. If you do that, I feel like I’ll truly be harassed by assassins sent by Imperial Consort Cleo from far away, so please don’t. The Duchy of Castline has already agreed to send a useful knight and maid anyway.”
“Ah, is that so?”
Adrian’s eyes widened. The Empress spoke in a slightly softened voice.
“I suppose…. Since they are quite sensitive about your safety, that is something they would do.”
“But….”
“But?”
I paused for a moment.