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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: When Words Fail
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Just from the sound of his voice, Jusielia could tell Ritain was absolutely furious, and she felt incredibly wronged.
It wasn't me, Dad!
“Kraaaang!” (I'm innocent!)
“This is all for Jusielia's sake!”
Facing Ritain, Ijeten tucked Jusielia firmly under his arm and assumed a battle stance, shouting.
Jusielia was so dumbfounded she felt like biting off all of her damn brother's hair.
Why is he causing all this trouble without explaining anything to me, the person at the center of it all!
‘We don't even have the baldness gene in our family. Maybe I really should just rip it out?’
As Jusielia seriously eyed Ijeten's thick blond hair, Ritain sighed and drew the sword he had planted in the ground.
“Son.”
She could feel the tense Ijeten flinch.
“You've been out there yourself, confirming things.”
“…They were insignificant. There were just a lot of them.”
“Those were only the ones you found in a week. You haven't even seen the real threat.”
At Ritain's grave words, Ijeten bit his lower lip.
Jusielia looked back and forth between Ijeten and Ritain.
Did this mean he'd been busy searching for something over the past week?
Before Jusielia could even begin to deduce, Ritain raised his voice.
“This is the way to protect Jusielia. As emperor and as a father, I will not tolerate any reversal of my decision.”
Ritain's golden eyes began to glow in the pitch-black night, and his greatsword burst into flames.
Ritain's supernatural ability—flames.
Seeing the golden flames for the first time, Jusielia's jaw dropped.
Then, Ritain spoke.
“Emperor of Rilberg, stay out of this. This is a family matter.”
“…Yes.”
Ekiel, who had caught up to them, stepped back at Ritain's warning.
Ijeten turned to glare silently at Ekiel before once again venting his indignation at Ritain.
“Your Majesty! No, Father!”
With a resolute expression, Ijeten took a step forward. How could one who couldn't even protect his own sister be the Crown Prince of the empire?
“Are you serious? Can you live without Jusielia? How can you be so heartless? I can't!”
“Khwaaaang!” (Aaaah! I'm gonna die!)
Jusielia, terrified by the fierce supernatural flames Ijeten suddenly summoned, squeezed her eyes shut.
She could easily guess that something dangerous was happening in the Penterin Empire, and while they were trying to send her far away for her safety, Ijeten was opposing it.
‘Hey, you should have at least asked for my opinion!’
Jusielia stared, mouth agape, at the terrifying pillar of red fire that soared sky-high.
Dad, brother—they're both idiots!
They were both being unreasonable.
Ijeten recklessly tried to kidnap her and run away, and Ritain drew his sword to subdue his son.
‘The father and son are both a problem.’
Jusielia struggled, thinking she had to get out of this sacred artifact.
But no matter how hard she thrashed and struggled, she couldn't break free due to the artifact's paralyzing effect.
Instead, the situation was spiraling toward the worst-case scenario.
Ijeten's massive, swirling pillar of fire suddenly writhed like a dragon and charged toward Ritain!
“Khraaaang!!!” (You crazy bastard! That's our dad!)
Jusielia barked curses, her face pale, but Ijeten's expression didn't change as he dashed sideways to escape the imperial palace.
The swirling pillar of fire moved ferociously like a dragon, lunging at Ritain.
“Khang!” (Dad!)
It looked as if Ritain would be swallowed whole by Ijeten's pillar of fire.
Jusielia was so shocked her heart sank.
‘Dad!’
Tears welled up in Jusielia's eyes.
Ijeten's dragon of fire reached the space right before Ritain's nose.
But Ritain didn't dodge. He stood his ground and stared down the blazing pillar of fire.
And he raised his sword.
Unable to watch any longer, Jusielia squeezed her eyes shut.
*Craaaaash—!*
Just then, a tremendous roar echoed as a flash of light swept through the imperial palace.
Jusielia blinked and looked back.
Ritain, who had cleaved Ijeten's red dragon of fire in two with a single strike of his golden-flamed sword, was completely unharmed.
A faint smile on his lips, Ritain easily caught up to Ijeten, who wore a horrified expression as he tried to flee again.
“In our world.”
“Ugh!”
“When words don't work.”
“Keuk!”
Ritain flipped his sword and struck the back of Ijeten's neck several times with the hilt.
“You must suppress them with violence and fear.”
“Keuk!”
“Isn't that right, you little tiger cub?”
“Ugh…”
Finally, Ijeten collapsed to the ground, unconscious.
“Kyang!” (Dad!)
“Yes, Jusielia. Are you all right?”
Ritain ignored the fallen Ijeten and quickly took Jusielia into his arms.
His gentle strokes were full of concern.
Ripping off the paralyzing sacred artifact and tossing it aside, Ritain checked Jusielia all over.
He meticulously inspected her, parting her neatly groomed fur to see if she had even the smallest scratch.
“You're not hurt anywhere?”
“Kyang.”
Jusielia nodded and then looked back at the collapsed Ijeten.
Even if her brother was a reckless fool, having just witnessed their father strike him down right in front of her, Jusielia was genuinely worried.
“Kyaaaang!” (What about my brother!)
Jusielia's large eyes grew teary as she tapped Ritain's shoulder and pointed at the fallen Ijeten.
Ritain let out a dry laugh.
“I didn't realize you two were so close. Don't worry. I'm sure he's not dead.”
“Grrrr!” (Dad, honestly!)
Jusielia grew angry at Ritain's indifferent tone.
Just then, Ekiel quietly approached, checked on Ijeten's condition, and cast a healing spell on him.
“He's just unconscious. There's no need to worry.”
The bright light of the healing magic spread across Ijeten's body.
Only then did Jusielia relax, and Ritain shrugged.
“I had no choice. Your brother is no ordinary beast, is he? He's so strong I had to strike him several times.”
“Kyang.” (That's true.)
Jusielia nodded blankly, then suddenly remembered the cause of this whole mess and slapped Ritain's shoulder with her paw, an angry look on her face.
“Kyahahaang!” (Explain yourself!)
“Hmm.”
Ritain sighed, then looked around while still holding Jusielia.
It was deep in the night, well past midnight.
Once the commotion died down, the imperial palace guards who had been waiting in the corners all emerged, and even the mages from Rilberg had gathered.
The emperor ordered the captain of the guard and the knight commander to clear the area as quickly as possible, then spoke gently as he entered the emperor's palace with Jusielia in his arms.
“Daughter.”
Jusielia looked up.
“Shall we sleep together tonight?”
“Kyang?”
“I want to explain everything at a leisurely pace, Jusielia.”
Jusielia looked up at the strangely lonely-looking Ritain and nodded.
As Jusielia glanced back at the sight of Ijeten being carried away on the back of Count Talon, who had been called in late at night with a pale face, her eyes met Ekiel's, who was talking with the archmages off to the side.
Come to think of it, he had been the first to realize Ijeten was trying to take her and had come to stop him.
‘Can archmages know things like this?’
Or perhaps Ekiel was deeply involved as well.
Jusielia kept staring at the expressionless Ekiel, whose thoughts were impossible to read, but she lost sight of him when Ritain turned a corner.
Hmph, what a shame.
***
“Kyahng.”
Having arrived at the emperor's palace late at night, Jusielia tired herself out running around the spacious imperial bedroom alone and lay down on the bed.
Ritain had stepped out for a moment to receive a situation report.
She had spent about two days in Ritain's bedroom when she was sick before, so it wasn't unfamiliar, but it was too vast to be in alone.
‘When is Dad coming back?’
Of course, maids and royal guards were on standby inside the bedroom, but she wanted Ritain to hurry back and explain what was going on.
However, Ritain had left, saying he needed to take care of things due to the incident that had occurred in the middle of the night.
Moreover, a decision had to be made immediately regarding the punishment for the Crown Prince, who had used a sacred artifact and confronted the emperor.
It was a situation where Ijeten's actions could easily be seen as treason, so Ritain's testimony was crucial.
Jusielia was worried about Ijeten.
Surely, being the Crown Prince, he wouldn't be thrown in jail or tortured, right?
