Chapter 80
─ Master, I’m nervous.
A tiny finger busily scribbled letters across my palm.
I wanted nothing more than to scoop that small head into my arms and cuddle him tight, but I settled for admiring the sight of the adorable baby in a miniature tuxedo.
“Nothing to be nervous about.”
At that moment, I heard the chamberlain loudly announce my name and title. Holding Ruias’s hand, I stepped into the banquet hall.
This was the welcoming banquet for the delegation of the Holy Kingdom.
Here, I would finally be meeting those two troublesome cardinals face-to-face.
Ugh, I’m terrified of what might happen next…
The fact that Lucy hadn’t shown even a glimpse of himself today was yet another thing bothering me.
That brat… doesn’t he always seem to vanish right before some huge disaster happens?
For the time being, neither the Emperor nor the cardinals were in sight.
Ignoring the nobles who were hesitating, clearly debating whether they should approach me, I decided to look for the food tables—if only to fill Ruias’s stomach.
“Duke Ariel.”
If it hadn’t been for that gloomy voice calling me, I would have.
Turning my head, I saw three elegantly dressed women curtsying.
The Emperor’s Guides.
Personally, I didn’t hold a very favorable impression of them.
They really tormented our sunshine heroine, didn’t they?
Especially that voluptuous woman—she could be called the true villainess of the original novel Tyrant Emperor.
Didn’t she eventually end up addicted to a berserk potion and turn into a total wreck?
I hoped she hadn’t gone that far yet. Maintaining the arrogance befitting a duke, I gave them a curt nod.
But then the three of them surrounded me.
What’s this supposed to be?
Sensing the strange mood, Ruias clung nervously to my robes, peeking his little head out.
I stroked his small head, frowning.
“Is this your idea of proper manners?”
The pink-haired one, Anayel, looked visibly uneasy.
Well, she was the decent one—in the end, she even helped the sunshine heroine.
The other two, however, were different.
Their eyes carried that same icy contempt Guides and Awakeners often directed at sorcerers.
Don’t tell me they’re trying to pick a fight with me?
In the original story, they bullied a powerless B-grade Guide without hesitation. But me? I was different.
They were the type who bullied the weak but grovelled before the strong.
“I won’t say it again. Move.”
“……Duke.”
The one who stepped forward with a cold expression was Izolett.
The woman who was, without doubt, the villainess of the story.
“We have the right to know.”
“What do you mean?”
I raised an eyebrow, my tone icy.
Izolett flinched for a moment, but didn’t back down. She even stepped closer.
“You can’t claim ignorance. It’s said His Majesty has suddenly grown unusually fond of you, Duke.”
Of course that kind of rumor had spread.
Kaisis, you damned man. Look at this mess your actions have caused! Even the Holy Kingdom’s people aren’t the ones suspicious—it’s your own Guides!
“And why exactly does that matter?”
Judging from her trembling lips, Hilarya’s charisma must have shaken her badly.
“Duke… are you hiding His Majesty’s Guide?”
“…What?”
Well. I could see how they might jump to that conclusion.
I didn’t bother answering, just stared back at Izolett with a frigid gaze.
Usually, if you stayed silent and just stared, most people twisted it into whatever meaning they wanted. Sorcerers did. And so did these women.
“If that’s the case…”
Izolett caught her breath like she’d reached some great realization, eyes narrowing as she boldly continued.
“We’d like to make a deal.”
…What the hell?
I hadn’t expected this turn at all.
I let out a sharp laugh.
“A deal?”
“You wouldn’t come out of it at a loss. Tell us where she is, and in return—anything you want, we’ll repay you at the family level.”
“Anything?”
“Yes.”
My initial plan of simply scaring them off was instantly doused in cold water.
She had to be insane.
And not just because I was the one they were searching for.
How could people who’d seen all of Kaisis’s suffering up close even think of such a thing?
To an Awakener, the existence of a perfectly matched Guide was sunlight cast before the shadow of death, a last hope.
Even if you hated the Awakener himself, that much at least had to be acknowledged. That was how precious Guides were.
And yet here they were—Guides themselves—trying to barter that bond away.
If they really found her, there was no way they’d deliver her to Kaisis.
So selfish it was suffocating.
For the first time in a while, I felt truly angry.
It makes me sick.
I thought of Kaisis, who so often demeaned himself as a “monster,” and felt a surge of furious pity.
How can you—of all people—not know better?
Izolett’s expectant, flushed face was disgusting.
“You said… a deal?”
“Tempted?”
I leaned in close, watching her try to step forward in tandem, and smirked.
“No.”
Her eyes flew wide.
I didn’t bother hiding the scorn rising from deep inside me as I whispered to her—not to the Emperor’s Guide, but to a woman utterly unworthy of the title:
“Cowardly. Filthy.”
Her eyes shook, teeth grinding.
In the original novel, the sunshine heroine had said something similar—but gentler, kinder. And Izolett had slapped her for it.
“What? Thinking of hitting me too?”
I sneered, slowly running my eyes up and down her. But her trembling fists never rose.
Typical. Always strong against the weak, weak against the strong.
“If you’ve nothing more to say, move aside. I won’t let a child witness such ugliness.”
Her face flushed bright red, and all I felt was bitterness.
Taking Ruias’s hand, I moved on.
Anayel opened her mouth as if to say something, but at that moment, I couldn’t bear to hear a word.
“His Imperial Majesty, the Sun of the Empire, and the delegation of the Holy Kingdom enter!”
The protagonist had arrived—leaving no time for further conversation.
I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the foul mood. Yet as Kaisis strode into the hall, I felt his gaze fixed directly on me.
And in that same instant, his steps halted.
What the—
It wasn’t my imagination.
Kaisis’s blue eyes were locked onto me.
And behind him, the eyes of two men—clearly the cardinals—were also staring straight in my direction.
A cold sweat ran down my back.
─ Ding!
No, not now, please… anything but now.
[ Pre-condition for Multi-Imprint Quest met.
Hidden Awakener (3) detected! ]
…What? What did that say?
[ Hidden Awakener (4)
also detected! ]
What the hell is going on?!
As I stood stunned, the system gleefully continued to flash messages like it was mocking me.
[ Pre-conditions fulfilled! ]
…Unbelievable.
How can my luck be this rotten?!
The only ones who’d met my eyes were the two cardinals. Were they both hidden Awakeners?
If so, then…
[ Congratulations! ]
Which of the two was the real mastermind?
[ Pre-condition complete. Main Quest initiated.
All candidate Awakeners have been discovered.
List:
Emperor, Kaisis
Sorcerer, Ardiel
Awakener, Dicardo
Cardinal, Serwin
Cardinal, Hanuel ]
My heart plummeted.
At last, the words appeared:
[ Multi-Imprint Quest Generated! ]
Oh, merciful gods…
[ You are an S-rank Guide capable of partially imprinting with multiple Awakeners.
Until a full imprint is established, you may bind with several Awakeners simultaneously.
They will swear profound affection and loyalty to you.
Attempt and succeed in partial imprints with all five Awakeners.
Current imprint progress:
Emperor Kaisis (40%)
Remaining distribution: 60%
Quest Success: Advance to the next stage of the Main Quest.
Quest Failure: Death of your soul. ]
“……”
Holy sh*t. I really might faint.
