CHAPTER 39
“What is the prisoner we captured from Moria doing?”
About a week after arriving in Levila, Asilia couldn’t contain her curiosity and asked.
“Prisoner? Ah! You mean Adrian de Monic? He’s currently being tortured.”
“Tortured?”
“Yes. I don’t know the reason exactly… but they said he’ll reveal what’s inside if they do.”
It was unclear who gave that order, but it was very typical of Levila’s way.
“Are you worried?”
“Worried? About whom? Adrian de Monic?”
“Yes. Even if he’s an enemy, you must have been quite close to him in Moria.”
At that question, Asilia shrugged her shoulders.
“If I were to bring personal feelings into it, yes. But for Levila’s sake, I am not worried.”
“Does Lord Restantis have personal feelings?”
“What do you take me for? I am human, too.”
Asilia lightly shrugged and rested her chin on her hand.
She wasn’t completely free of worry, but if it were truly dangerous, Cretes would intervene.
Still, there was something she couldn’t understand.
“Even though I told him beforehand that if he came in, he would be tortured… why did he insist on coming?”
Did he have an ally hidden somewhere in Levila?
If so, there was no need to hide it from Asilia or Cretes.
Maybe there was something secret that needed to be done inside Levila, or perhaps he simply came along out of goodwill.
Thanks to Adrian, Asilia was able to return to Levila and blend in without suspicion. In fact, his contribution was quite significant.
While deep in thought, there was a soft knock, and the emperor’s attendant appeared.
“Lord Restantis, the Emperor summons you.”
Her hand, which was processing documents, trembled slightly.
It had come.
Tensely, Asilia took a deep breath.
The Emperor of Levila, Jande.
The man who might be behind all this was a lifesaver to Asilia.
Though it was said, “Once the knights of Levila break free from the brainwashing, it would be difficult for them to regain loyalty,” Asilia herself was different.
Even knowing they were brainwashed, she couldn’t easily relax. All because of Emperor Jande.
Because despite knowing it, she alone was truly acting for the real emperor.
That was why she wanted to find the truth even more, believing the emperor wouldn’t do such things.
“Go now.”
Taking a deep breath, Asilia stood up and headed to the audience chamber.
“Your Majesty, Lady Asilia Restantis has arrived.”
No answer came from inside, but the door opened gently as if the emperor welcomed her.
Asilia slowly entered.
“It’s been a while, Asilia.”
The emperor showed a genuinely glad expression, though he hadn’t risen from his throne, seeming weak.
Though Oswald was three times larger in stature, he had aged a lot.
When Asilia was young, it was said he lost one eye on the battlefield.
The other eye had become clouded with age.
Besides that, his frailty affected his health in many ways.
“I have returned after completing the mission. The task you ordered… failed.”
Asilia bowed deeply.
Like a child being scolded by their parent.
“Hahaha, yes. Failure can happen. Tashion, my advisor, said the mission was planned with failure in mind. What was important was whether you returned to Levila or not.”
Asilia bowed even lower.
Tashion, the advisor.
He had already been in his post since Asilia first entered the palace.
Emperor Jande trusted advisor Envi Tashion more than anyone else.
“I’m relieved that my actions were within expectations. I’ve heard the advisor has had many headaches caused by my sudden acts.”
At Asilia’s words, the emperor chuckled softly.
Watching him like that, he seemed less like a world-shaking general and more like a kindly old man next door in a rural village.
But that was only Asilia’s perspective.
Some said that Emperor Jande still looked very much like an active ruler.
He remained a figure of fear, merciless and tearless.
“Asilia, my daughter, come a little closer. Let me look at your face carefully.”
Despite the rumors, to Asilia, Jande was kinder than anyone else.
The reason was simple.
She resembled his daughter who died when she was very young.
Not only in appearance but also in personality, manner of speech, and even voice.
Asilia had no way of knowing about the deceased princess, so she just accepted it as it was.
Thanks to that, someone with an unclear background like her could even become a knight.
From Asilia’s perspective, it was a welcome thing.
“Yes, Your Majesty. I am here.”
Asilia approached Jande. He smiled kindly and gently touched her face.
“I heard you suffered greatly in Moria.”
“…It wasn’t that bad.”
“I heard the Emperor of Moria forced you into marriage. Did he touch you?”
Jande’s eyes, usually tightly shut, were now sharply open.
If he heard that Cretes had forcibly taken Asilia, he would have seemed ready to start a war immediately.
“I was treated with honor.”
“Honored?”
“…Yes.”
Without a hint of a lie, Asilia said, and Jande nodded with satisfaction.
“I’m glad the mission wasn’t all suffering. Bringing new information and capturing the dog from Moria as well. Well done.”
Jande laughed heartily and patted her shoulder in praise.
“If there is any punishment for failure, I will accept it willingly.”
“Punishment? You came back safely from that barren land; how could there be any punishment? If Tashion tries to punish you, I’ll intervene.”
At Jande’s words, Asilia smiled faintly and nodded. Jande couldn’t hide how fond he was of her, stroking her repeatedly.
Even though she was a full-grown adult, he still treated her like a child. He really thought of Asilia as his own daughter.
“Have I… disappointed you?”
“Disappointed? Hahaha, no. I’m just glad you returned safely.”
It was a warm phrase rarely heard in Levila. Perhaps that was why Asilia grew to like Jande more.
“By the way, now that things have come this far… Tashion will assign you a new task.”
“A new… task?”
Asilia showed a distressed expression.
Adrian and Cretes were already in Levila.
If the next mission was to go outside Levila, it would be troublesome, very troublesome.
“Why, do you dislike it?”
Jande asked, and Asilia parted her lips.
She had never once said no to Jande’s orders, but it was hard to refuse now.
“I haven’t been back to Levila for long… and I want to rest for a while.”
“Yes, you’ve been running nonstop since becoming a knight. I understand wanting a break. But Asilia, my daughter, you know how others look at you after returning from a foreign land.”
“…”
“Do just one mission and then rest, okay?”
At Jande’s words, Asilia slowly nodded.
“Then, do you know what this mission is?”
At her question, Jande smiled contentedly.
He promised she could rest well after this mission and explained it.
“It’s about the knight from Moria you brought.”
“The knight from Moria… You mean Adrian de Monic?”
“Yes, that one. If possible, we want to accept him as one of Levila’s own…”
Jande groaned as if troubled. At that, Asilia asked with curiosity.
“I heard he still talks as if he wants asylum in Levila. Is there a problem with his asylum?”
“Yes, that’s right. But since he was in Moria for so long, they say he can’t be trusted.”
“Who… said that?”
“Who else, I said it myself.”
The answer did not come from Jande’s mouth.
When Asilia turned around in surprise,
a man with a stooped back and narrow eyes was standing there.
