Chapter 57
“So, you’re all saying you don’t mind if I tell my father about this?”
Displeasure flashed across the faces of the men.
But rank was absolute.
Even if he was far removed from the throne, Saren was still an imperial prince.
Right now, the Leven Count’s household had to tread carefully to avoid being expelled from the fortress and thus couldn’t afford to offend the Emperor.
To refuse the prince’s request for protection? That would only give the Emperor a reason to find fault with them.
In the end, Elta let out a sigh.
“Understood.”
“But…”
As the subordinates began to protest, Elta soothed them in a gentle tone.
“If we take turns one day at a time, it won’t be that hard. We can’t just leave a prince’s safety to any random knight, can we?”
“Well then, I have something to attend to, so I’ll be going first. I’ll leave it to you all.”
Waving his hand lazily, Saren walked out.
The moment he was gone, complaints erupted among the men who had been forced to shoulder this unwanted task.
“Ugh, as if we weren’t busy enough already. Now we’ve got extra work.”
“Even if he’s a prince, still… He’s just staying inside the fortress. Do we really need to guard him?”
Ariel quietly observed the men grumbling amongst themselves.
Then she slipped into the conversation.
“I suppose it’s understandable to be concerned. After all, they say the blood of the imperial family is blessed by the gods.”
“Well, yes, but still…”
“I heard from my father that using imperial blood helps suppress dark magic. It can even help close already opened Gates of Darkness.”
Sorry, Father.
Ariel silently apologized as she invoked the name of Duke Clasta.
Duke Clasta was the empire’s most powerful noble and a foremost expert on demonic creatures.
If Ariel said it herself, it might sound like nonsense, but if the duke supposedly said it, that would get their attention.
As planned, Swell, standing beside her, chided Ariel in a low voice.
“My lady, I told you not to speak of such matters so carelessly in public.”
“Ah—right. I’m sorry. Please, everyone, just forget I said that.”
Ariel hastily covered her mouth with her hand.
Swell was the captain of the duke’s knights, famed as the duke’s most loyal retainer.
For even Swell to react that way…
It sparked certainty in the hearts of those listening.
So there really is something special about the prince’s blood…
If it suppresses dark magic, that would be a huge help in hunting demons. Is that why they’ve kept it secret? Afraid people would demand imperial blood for themselves?
Ariel calmly scanned the crowd.
To an ordinary person, this would have sounded like an idle rumor.
But to the culprit, it would hit very differently.
They tried to hide the fact that demons appeared.
That meant the creature escaping from the Gate of Darkness wasn’t what the culprit intended.
It also meant the culprit had lost control over the gate.
If the culprit could fully control the gate, the monster would never have broken free on its own.
The culprit must be desperate right now, scrambling to figure out how to regain control of the gate.
But finding information about dark magic wouldn’t be easy.
Ever since the rampage of the Evil Dragon, all knowledge related to dark magic had been strictly banned.
And now, the story Ariel dropped could be an excellent lead.
The culprit will definitely target Saren.
The bait had been cast.
Who would bite?
Masking her thoughts, Ariel spoke casually.
“Well then, shall we decide who will guard His Highness first?”
Saren ended up being guarded by six of the prime suspects.
That meant Ariel got even busier.
When a suspect was on guard duty, she shadowed Saren in secret; when not, she snatched what little sleep she could.
Saren, as Ariel asked, spent time alone with each guard, but days passed with no clues turning up.
Late one night, Saren suddenly sat up in bed, eyes glinting.
The spacious room appeared empty.
“My lady.”
No answer.
“My lady, I have something to say. You’re there, aren’t you?”
After he repeated himself several times, a small figure suddenly dropped from the ceiling.
“What is it?”
Ariel responded with an impassive face.
“Ah, you really were there. You’ve been following me all this time?”
“I told you I would. Even if you dislike it, please bear with me a little longer.”
“No, I don’t dislike it. I actually like it. It means your eyes are on me alone. Who wouldn’t like being chased so passionately by someone they like?”
Saren spoke, cupping his flushed cheeks.
Ariel gave up trying to understand why that would make him happy.
“If you’re just going to spout nonsense, I’ll go back.”
As Ariel prepared to vanish, Saren quickly caught her wrist.
“No, wait. I need to ask you something.”
“What?”
“I was thinking… I’m doing you a favor, right? So shouldn’t I get something in return?”
“…What do you want?”
Ariel eyed him warily.
She couldn’t imagine what insane request he might make.
“I like you. Go out with me.”
“No.”
She cut him off without hesitation.
Saren’s eyes drooped mournfully.
Even at night, the boy’s beauty gleamed so brightly that most people would have wanted to hug him at that sight.
But that wasn’t Ariel’s problem.
Is he about to ask me to assassinate someone? That would be difficult…
With all the playful preamble, she couldn’t guess what huge favor he was leading up to.
As Saren fell silent, sulking, Ariel said,
“If you don’t have anything, then later—”
“Then call me by my name.”
“What?”
“I’ll call you Ariel. You call me Saren. Easy, right?”
Ariel narrowed her eyes at him.
She had no idea what this lunatic was plotting now.
Seeing her reluctance, Saren looked at her like a puppy abandoned in the rain.
“You don’t want that either…? I’m risking my life for you…”
“That’s not it…”
“I don’t even know what’s going on, but I said I’d trust you…”
“Well…”
“But you can’t even say my name…”
Ariel knew how much Saren had done for her.
She hadn’t told him the full truth because if he discovered her knowledge of dark magic, things would get complicated.
And yet he had trusted only her and agreed to help with the mission.
Her conscience pricked painfully.
“…Fine, enough. Your Highness.”
“Saren.”
“Yes, Saren.”
At the sound of his name, Saren’s face lit up.
Then he softly spoke her name in return.
“…Ariel.”
“Yes.”
“Your name is so beautiful. Ariel.”
Is it really that great?
It was just saying each other’s names, and he looked so happy.
Maybe she should have done it earlier.
Does he actually like me?
Ariel pondered briefly but quickly shook her head.
No way. I haven’t done anything.
Her only experience with affection was her relationship with Regan.
She knew she wasn’t the kind of person others would easily fall for.
And it’s not like she had done anything amazing for Saren.
She hadn’t saved his life or made him emperor.
So there was no reason for him to like her.
He probably just wants a connection to Duke Clasta.
Even so, she found his carefree demeanor strange.
“Are you really not afraid? You could die.”
Following her around like this could easily cost him his life.
“I trust you.”
He clasped her hand as he said it.
“Even if something happens to me, I won’t blame you. It’s my choice.”
The complete trust shining in his eyes made Ariel’s neck prickle.
Unsure what to say, she stiffened—then her sharp senses caught something.
“Shh.”
She covered Saren’s mouth.
Who’s on guard right now? The vice-captain?
A faint commotion stirred outside, then someone entered Saren’s room.
Saren nodded calmly, signaling her not to worry, while Ariel melted into the shadows.
Creak.
The door opened, and the stench of blood seeped in.
Under the moonlight, a blade gleamed as thick drops of blood fell from it.
A masked figure lunged at the bed where Saren lay pretending to sleep and pinned him down.
“Mm!”
Saren flailed in resistance, but the intruder pressed him harder.
Ariel, hidden in darkness, stared at them intently.
“!”
Saren’s pale hand trembled helplessly.
She wanted to help him right away—but she needed to learn where the Gate was.
Soon Saren went limp.
He’d been knocked unconscious.
The intruder slung the unconscious prince over his back and left the room.
Ariel trailed silently behind.
As she slipped out, she saw the vice-captain lying dead with his throat slit.
The man’s stride was steady, without hesitation.
Not once did they encounter a single patrolling knight.
Just as Ariel suspected, the culprit knew the fortress well.
There was no way to avoid every patrol without knowing their exact routes.
The intruder headed for the dungeons beneath the fortress.
At the farthest cell, he pressed a series of bricks in order, and with a grinding noise, the wall began to rotate open.
Ariel barely slipped through behind him when he suddenly spun around and shouted,
“Who’s there?!”
Damn.
He’d sensed her presence from closing the distance too much, and his blade slashed toward her.
