Chapter 57
Hazel was not taking lightly the meeting between Marquess Randet and Grand Duke Derachi.
One was a key figure among the noble faction, and the other wielded enormous influence in Zendal.
They had even created the plausible pretext of sponsoring a business venture—
‘What kind of scheme are they plotting behind the scenes?’
In any case, this side planned to move first, before they fired the opening shot.
The Emperor’s hunt was not far off.
‘Once the hunt begins, the Saintess’s existence will be the greatest variable.’
On one side, there was the Emperor; on the other, the evidence Hazel had been gathering of Grand Duke Derachi’s treason.
But even if they gathered irrefutable evidence, the mere existence of the Saintess could overturn everything.
If the Derachi faction managed to win the Saintess over and bring her to their side, there would be nothing this side could do.
‘There are countless cases of someone defecting to the enemy and betraying their own side.’
The Emperor’s opinion was that they could win easily even without the Saintess, so they should not inform her about Derachi.
Hazel thought otherwise.
Without information, one was bound to be manipulated as the opponent pleased.
For the sake of that one-in-ten-thousand possibility, it was necessary to inform the Saintess of the situation and ensure she would not be swayed by the Derachi faction.
And if that situation could solidify the Saintess’s heart toward their side—
All the more reason not to hesitate in telling her.
For example, just as he was about to show her part of the Emperor’s sorrowful past contained in the wooden box, to stir her sympathy.
“Would you like to open it?”
Though he appeared to be giving the choice to the Saintess, Hazel was certain she would open the wooden box.
That composed Saintess—yet whenever she was with the Emperor, her face would flush in a peculiar way.
Wasn’t the very reason she was sitting here, claiming she wished to see his collection, because she had feelings for the Emperor?
In truth, Hazel’s reason for acting had more to do with the latter than the former.
‘I can’t help it—my desire to watch is bubbling over.’
The Saintess’s eyes resembled the night sky over the battlefield that Hazel used to gaze upon.
A sky that flowed on with aloof dignity, as if ignorant of the devastation on the ground.
And when dawn broke, meeting the sun, it would dye itself in each other’s colors like passionate lovers.
Hazel had loved that time.
The moment he would leap back into battle, filled with a strange exhilaration after staring at the sky.
Just imagining the Emperor and the Saintess as a pair brought back nostalgia for those days.
And so Hazel anticipated how the Saintess would react to the Emperor’s sorrowful past.
“……”
Hazel watched the Saintess’s trembling lips.
But what came from them was nothing like what he had expected.
“No.”
Her tone was firm, leaving no room for even a needle to slip through.
Hazel hastily added,
“But aren’t you curious? Inside are poems His Majesty wrote in his childhood, portraits recording his growth, and—”
Surely what was inside was exactly what the Saintess wanted.
Yet the more he spoke, the more dissatisfied her expression became.
‘What is the problem?’
Unaware of Hazel’s bewilderment, Ari wailed inwardly.
‘Ugh. It’s a total treasure chest…! I want to see it…! But he said His Majesty wants to hide it! He said it’s a scar! Hey, Shin Ari. Get a grip. I can’t dig into His Majesty’s painful past just because I’m curious. I can’t. But still…!’
The situation was unbearably cruel.
Why was it that the one ability she could boast of—her eyesight—didn’t include something like x-ray vision?
Then she could at least sneak a look at the portraits and quickly get out.
“Isn’t this what you came all the way here to see?”
“It was……”
‘Until you mentioned His Majesty’s scars, Director.’
Ari stared at the wooden box with eyes dripping with lingering attachment.
“Just… please put it on hold…….”
“By ‘on hold,’ you mean?”
“I’ll ask His Majesty…… and if he says it’s okay to see it, then…….”
At those words, Hazel foresaw the tragic fate of his collection.
They were things he had secretly gathered without the Emperor knowing.
If the Emperor learned of their existence…
‘They would disappear from this world, never to be seen again. I should make copies beforehand.’
He intended to present the copies to the Emperor.
In any case.
Since the Saintess had expressed her refusal, there was no point in dragging the situation out further.
He, too, feared the God Seikan, so he could not force the Saintess to do this or that.
“Then this is useless for now.”
Hazel lifted the wooden box and rose to his feet.
It was when he stepped into the inner space of the director’s office and moved out of Henkel’s line of sight.
“Director, I have something to ask.”
Hazel turned his head.
The Saintess sat upright, looking straight ahead.
Just as she had covered her lips earlier, she seemed conscious of Henkel behind her.
The unusual atmosphere the Saintess created piqued Hazel’s curiosity.
“I will answer anything. Please, go ahead.”
From between her neat lips came a sharp question.
“You said the time would come when I need to know what His Majesty is hiding, correct?”
“That is correct.”
“Does that mean a major incident will occur? Something that would reveal what His Majesty is hiding?”
“……Yes.”
Hazel nodded slowly.
In his mind, he quickly anticipated several possible directions the conversation might take from this question.
A pleasant tension tingled across his palm.
Hazel studied the Saintess’s profile.
“For example, a war?”
“……We are making efforts to prevent that from happening, but I cannot guarantee it.”
“I see.”
The Saintess replied calmly.
But both her fists, clenched tightly atop her knees, trembled faintly.
Had the word “war” frightened her?
That would be understandable.
Though sent by God, the Saintess was still only a twenty-year-old girl.
Bidding a reluctant farewell to his cooling anticipation, Hazel lifted the wooden box again.
“Then His Majesty’s enemy is…….”
‘It seems the Saintess’s uniqueness is limited to her appearance and divine power…….’
“Is it someone called Derachi?”
The wooden box Hazel treasured slipped from his hands, fell to the floor, and rolled.
Allend often dreamed.
Most were different dreams, but one thing was always the same.
[Brother Arthur.]
Six-year-old Allend called to the owner of the hand he was holding.
It was Arthur, the thirteen-year-old eldest at the orphanage.
[What is it?]
[……Your hand feels strange.]
Arthur’s figure was reflected in Allend’s clear blue eyes.
Cheerful and mature, Arthur distorted as he blended into the surrounding scenery.
It wasn’t just Arthur.
Everything except Allend lost its shape and swirled like a vortex.
[Brother? Brother Arthur!]
Allend ran through the twisted landscape searching for Arthur.
As he did, he grew a little taller.
The scenery found a new form and trapped eight-year-old Allend within it.
Before the now-still Allend unfolded a scene of brutal massacre.
The once peaceful orphanage burned, and the lord’s mercenaries caught and cut down the fleeing children.
Hannah, Diarid, Nox, Arthur, Daila…….
They were all Allend’s family.
[A, ah…….]
The young child froze in terror too great to bear.
An overwhelming panic engulfed Allend.
Just as his vision began to darken, a desperate cry pierced through his fading consciousness.
[Allend!!]
It was Emilia, the director of the orphanage.
Though she lay collapsed on the dirt, disheveled and broken, her eyes remained unwaveringly fixed on Allend.
[‘No. You promised.’]
[D-Director…….]
The faint black aura that had spread shallowly at Allend’s feet dispersed.
Regaining his senses, Allend tried to run to Emilia.
She unleashed divine power and shouted at him.
[Allend, run!]
Thud.
The sword of Derachi, the lord, pierced through Emilia’s heart.
Her final divine power pushed against Allend’s back.
Against his will, Allend ran, leaving the orphanage behind.
As Allend sobbed loudly while running, the scenery twisted once more around him.
The voices of the orphanage children echoed, condemning the running Allend.
[The lord targeted you and killed us.]
[If you hadn’t been a child with strong divine power.]
[Because you were strong, we died.]
[We died because of you.]
Other voices joined in as if waiting for their chance.
[Allend killed us.]
[We wanted to live too.]
[We died because of you.]
The gathered voices sang in chorus.
[Because of you.]
[Because of you.]
Covering his ears was useless.
Eventually, the voices left only a single man’s voice behind.
[Allend, are you going to kill me?]
“……!”
Allend awoke from his sleep, breathing roughly.
He checked the window; it was still dark night.
But there was no hope of sleeping again.
Without hesitation, he rose and left the bed.
[Looks like you had a nightmare for the first time in a while?]
Allend turned around.
His familiar had climbed onto the bed at some point and was licking its front paw.
“Lu. You can still speak?”
[The darkness I ate yesterday. It was quite large.]
Lu stretched.
It had been a long time since a meal from the black earth had been this satisfying.
[It must have mostly fed on humans. I like the divine power I absorbed.]
When going outside for the sake of his contractor, Allend, Lu usually sealed most of his power inside.
So ordinarily, he could not even translate his words into human language.
Only when something like this happened—absorbing divine power from an external source—could he exert even a fraction of his ability.
The uncultured ones recklessly draw on power regardless of whether their contractor’s body breaks or not.
But I, a higher being, am on a different level from such lowly creatures.
[The Saintess hasn’t been coming at dawn lately.]
At the touch of Allend’s hand stroking his chin, Lu purred.
“That’s because they assigned her a guard knight.”
[Why would they assign one?]
Lu tilted his head, as if unable to understand.
Wasn’t a guard something the weak needed?
[She smells more delicious than you.]
Lu licked his lips.
“Don’t touch the Saintess.”
At those words, Lu lightly jumped off the bed and landed on the floor.
“Meow.”
He let out a single cry toward Allend, then slipped out through the window.
