Chapter 28
“Ruby, shall we go for a walk to the village?”
“Kkyuuung—! Walk! I love it!!”
Ruby replied enthusiastically, her face lighting up with excitement.
After signaling to Luan, I climbed onto Ruby’s back, who was trembling with joy at the thought of going out.
But then, Ruby’s grin froze. Her face stiffened, and she bared her fangs as she turned her head.
“Zoe! Why is this human coming with us? I don’t like this human!! Grrr!”
Hmm. Seems it’s time for another round of “training.”
There’s a particular spell that always works on our precious Ruby—our darling Ru-ru.
“Ruby, when we get to the village, I’ll buy you some meat. The kind you love.”
“M-Meat…? Kyuu! You promise, Zoe? Yummy meaty meat!!”
At the mere mention of the word “meat,” Ruby’s red eyes sparkled, all traces of hostility gone.
Yes, yes. I’ve been feeding her too many vegetables lately, haven’t I?
Even though she’s technically omnivorous, a magical beast like Ruby is, by nature, a carnivore.
But given where we live, we’ve had to rely on whatever we can grow in the garden—so getting meat hasn’t been possible.
I don’t mind since my body doesn’t handle meat well anyway, but for Ruby, it must have been tough.
Feeling sorry for my poor, forcibly vegetarian Ruby, I patted her head with my hoof.
“Heehee—Zoe—your feet are so hard!”
“…That’s not a foot. It’s a hand.”
“Kh.”
Behind me, I heard Luan chuckling quietly.
Hmph… I will never forget this humiliation…
Anyway, if we fly at Ruby’s speed, we should reach the village gates by dawn.
We can spend the night at an inn with the travel money Sompara gave us, and first thing in the morning, I’ll register as a merchant—and buy Ruby all the meat she can eat.
“Lady Zoe, please take these as well. The leftover snacks and some refined herbal tonics for fatigue.”
“Thank you, Mr. Golem. We’ll be back soon. And Sompara—don’t eat too many sweets! You remember what I asked you to do, right?”
“Of course! I’ll have it ready before you return, Lady Zoe. Please travel safely!”
After leaving the dungeon, I’d given Sompara a personal request, and it seemed he’d handled it well.
I waved to Golem and Sompara, then tried to pack what they’d given me into the vintage satchel Sompara had made—but with these hands, even picking things up was difficult.
“Zoe, allow me.”
“…Okay. Hiiing.”
Luan took the satchel from me, placed the snacks and tonics inside, and slung it over his shoulder.
As expected… this body is way too inconvenient.
I’d better conserve my strength as much as possible during this trip.
“All right, let’s go, Ruby!”
With all preparations made for our trip to the village, I stretched my hoof high into the air with excitement.
* * *
Inside the Imperial Conference Hall of the Valterga Empire.
“Glory to the Little Sun of the Empire.”
“Welcome.”
“Then, let us begin the Imperial Council. The main topic today concerns the rebellion in Bellan.”
When the Emperor’s aide announced that a minor vassal kingdom that had once sworn loyalty to Valterga had rebelled, a heavy silence filled the grand hall.
Then, Crown Prince Mikael, his silver-gray hair gleaming under the chandelier, raised his head. His crimson eyes swept coldly over the gathered vassals before he spoke.
“The report of Bellan’s rebellion arrived two days ago. The rebel commander is said to be Count Krait.”
Count Krait—the man who had pulled the strings behind Bellan’s puppet king.
Mikael clicked his tongue. I should have cut off that rat’s head when I had the chance. His very face offended me.
“How could such blasphemy occur! His Highness mercifully agreed to shelter their refugees!”
“Indeed! For such a petty kingdom to dare this much…! Your Highness, perhaps we should erase Bellan entirely from the map of the Berhaim Continent!”
As the vassals shouted, faces flushed with anger, Mikael’s lips curled into a faint smile.
“Apparently they thought we wouldn’t act hastily because of the peace accord. How amusing—to see a rat act as if it were a lion.”
Though Valterga had granted Bellan autonomy in exchange for becoming a tributary state, they still failed to understand their place. Once groveling at his feet for mercy, now they struck from behind the moment he showed them compassion.
A derisive chuckle escaped Mikael as he recalled Count Krait’s humiliated face.
“Your Highness, what shall we do? His Majesty the Emperor is still gravely ill.”
Once the strongest man in the empire, Emperor Kylo Ortenzia Valterga had begun to wither soon after Mikael awakened the power of the Chimera. Naturally, Mikael—now Crown Prince—had been granted the authority to act as regent.
“Calm yourself, my lord. This was well within expectations. Our inaction doesn’t mean we’re idle observers. Hmm… by now, their supply lines should already be cut, and the city walls collapsing from within thanks to our spies.”
Mikael’s thin smile was chilling.
Unlike the emperors before him, who relied solely on brute force and destruction, he understood early on that Valterga’s prosperity could not rest on power alone.
His unorthodox approach caused a quiet stir among the vassals.
Then one of them carefully asked,
“Your Highness… did you foresee this rebellion?”
Mikael narrowed his eyes and smiled.
“I do have a good eye for people, don’t I? The moment I met that count, my neck started to itch.”
He rubbed the back of his head playfully, but his gaze was sharp as a blade.
“As expected, Your Highness’s insight is remarkable! In that case, wouldn’t it be best to execute the refugees who’ve already entered the Empire? We should show them Valterga’s might!”
“No. Give them the shelters and the 300 coins of compensation I promised.”
At that, several nobles exchanged uneasy whispers. One of them eventually rose to his feet. Though he bowed respectfully, his face was full of disapproval.
“Your Highness, while I do not question your compassion, offering both housing and three months’ wages worth of coin to common refugees seems excessive.”
Others nodded in agreement. Another noble added,
“Indeed! The empire has already drained immense resources for the war. If we extend such generosity to them, it will severely strain our finances!”
Mikael’s expression hardened.
They hoard gold and jewels for themselves and dare to lecture me about the treasury? How hypocritical.
He shot them a cold look.
“There’s a simple solution. You can all open your vaults. If you’re willing to pay more taxes, the empire’s burden will lighten, won’t it? Then it’s settled. This meeting is adjourned.”
As the nobles fell silent one by one, Mikael turned on his heel and walked toward the door without a backward glance.
Creak—
Just then, Alex, the knight who served as Mikael’s aide, approached and whispered beside him.
“Your Highness, we’ve received a report—Grand Duke Fenrister’s heir was sighted in Belnuar.”
“Belnuar? What’s he doing in that backwater?”
“I’m not sure. Perhaps he’s hiding somewhere with few witnesses.”
Lucian Fenrister.
The son of Grand Duke Fenrister—brother to the Emperor—and Mikael’s cousin.
On the night of Mikael’s coronation as Crown Prince, Lucian had suddenly transformed into a monster.
Mikael remembered that power well—it was unmistakably similar to the Chimera’s might, known as both the curse and blessing of the royal bloodline.
But among the few nobles who had witnessed the transformation, rumors quickly spread that Lucian had made a contract with demons.
It wasn’t an unreasonable suspicion. After all, Mikael had already awakened the Chimera’s power as heir apparent—a privilege passed down only to those of royal blood.
To awaken the Chimera meant one thing: the qualification to become Emperor.
As Mikael recalled the sight of Lucian’s monstrous form, his eyes darkened with deep thought.
