CHAPTER 59……………………………………………..
Facing Reality
“…….”
Can I really say I didn’t know? Leon asked himself. Was that really true? Had he truly never questioned anything that had been given to him even once?
The palace room handed to him the moment he returned from the battlefield, the almost-weekly audiences with the emperor, the voices praising him as a hero of the war… Had he accepted all of it with a clear conscience?
“Well, however you feel about it, I don’t think His Majesty’s plan for Lord Aurora is a bad one. His magic is indeed immense, but it’s still an unpolished gem.”
Hawor let out a long sigh and spoke as Leon’s gaze began to blur.
“Potential is there, but the way to wield it is clumsy at best. So, even to properly circulate the magic within his body, it would be best for him to learn magic management from the knights.”
“…Learn it?”
“Yes. Whatever the purpose, this will help your wife.”
With that, Hawor brushed past Leon and climbed into the carriage.
“…….”
Leon remained standing, eyes fixed on the floor, unable to move.
It was probably because the sensation that the truth he had been avoiding might flood over him like a wave if he moved even slightly was overwhelming him.
“Lowell just woke up briefly and then fell asleep again.”
Aria said this upon seeing a figure walking from the opposite side down the corridor.
“Ah… thank you.”
Still, Leon’s hollow eyes lingered on Aria’s face for only a moment before dropping back to the floor.
“Hey!”
Because of that, Aria had to shout after Leon’s retreating figure to try and engage him in conversation.
“I wanted to ask about what His Majesty did today.”
Aria hurriedly brought up the topic, watching Leon turn his back without a trace of emotion.
“I’m not part of the knights, so I don’t know much, but if he conferred the title of knight and made him show his power in front of everyone, does that mean His Majesty intends to use Lowell as a knight?”
“…….”
“And that epithet, ‘Knight of Dawn.’ To me, it sounds like he intends to keep Lowell involved in future wars using that name. Could it be…?”
When their eyes met, Aria rapidly blurted out her thoughts without pause. In her anxious gaze was the silent hope that she was wrong.
“There’s nothing certain yet.”
Leon cut her off. His empty tone had become resolute, and his tired eyes stared sharply at her.
“…Ah, of course.”
“Sigh… I’m sorry. I let my nerves get the better of me and was rude.”
Aria flinched slightly at the words. Leon rubbed the corner of his eye and let out a low sigh.
“…No. Go ahead inside.”
Aria didn’t press the matter further because the emotion in Leon’s eyes reminded her of something she had seen on the battlefield long ago.
Thud.
“Ah!”
As she was about to leave after ending the conversation, Aria heard a sudden grunt and a dull thud from behind a door.
“What was that?”
She turned, and her eyes fell on Leon standing by the door.
“…Nothing.”
For a moment, Aria tilted her head in confusion, but she quickly dismissed her doubts when she noticed the knight’s gown visible beyond the door.
‘He’s awake, Lowell.’
Thinking this, Aria left Leon facing the now-awake Lowell and moved on.
“Um… I thought I was feeling a bit better, so I wanted to step out for a walk… but when I got to the door, I could hear you talking. So I didn’t want to leave right away…”
Lowell’s eyes darted around, unable to focus, as he nervously rambled in front of Leon’s expressionless gaze.
“…….”
Since Leon gave no reaction, Lowell had to gesture and continue explaining his harmless intentions. The embarrassment of bumping his forehead against the door outweighed everything else.
“It seems like this always happens. Haha.”
After rambling about things that didn’t help at all, Lowell finally dropped his head and spoke. Unintentionally, he was aware that recently he had been eavesdropping.
“…I shouldn’t have been so stubborn. If I had left when Leon told me to earlier, things wouldn’t have gotten so tangled.”
Lowell, having regained his calm breathing, rested his cheek against Leon’s hand.
“No, judging by what the emperor did today, he wouldn’t have just let you leave. He’d probably have forced you to stand up with a recovery potion.”
Leon spoke matter-of-factly, reading the light in Lowell’s eyes. The honorific for ‘Emperor’ had disappeared from his tone, but no one really cared.
“What is His Majesty trying to prove through me?”
Lowell mumbled, leaning more deeply into Leon’s hand and closing his eyes.
“Well.”
Leon answered shortly, leaving the real truth buried.
The one who had silenced even the invasion of demons near the capital to avoid unrest now gathered the nobles to declare that there was power to resist them.
‘He thinks there’s no need to hide it — that this child’s power is the one that can bring him victory. That’s why he revealed it in front of everyone.’
But Leon didn’t voice this thought. The warmth touching his skin created a sense of guilt he couldn’t shake.
He didn’t want Lowell, innocent, to fully face the consequences of his own avoidance. He couldn’t make Lowell suffer more by revealing what he truly thought. He had no right to.
“…….”
And above all, every breath reminded him of what it meant when he could immediately think of answers to Lowell’s questions.
Whoosh.
In that moment, Leon pulled Lowell’s arm and drew him into his embrace.
“Leon…”
A startled sound escaped Lowell’s lips as his body froze under the sudden motion.
“…….”
But soon, the startled sound turned into a quiet exhale. Leon’s head rested on his shoulder. The faint warmth of his body was felt by Lowell, hinting at Leon’s feelings.
‘What will happen from now on?’
Feeling Leon’s hand on his waist pulling him closer, Lowell slowly closed his eyes.
“Could you inform His Majesty that I’ve arrived?”
The next day, as ordered by the emperor, Lowell went to the emperor’s office at dawn. Since it wasn’t the usual audience room, Leon had tried hard to follow but had to be left behind.
“Lord Aurora is here!”
A knight shouted loudly outside the office. Lowell flinched at the unfamiliar name, but soon realized it had been given to her yesterday and adjusted her posture.
“Aurora!”
The door opened, and the first thing Lowell saw was the emperor’s intensely shining eyes. Papers on the desk shifted slightly from his restless movements.
“…I greet Your Majesty.”
Lowell almost took a step back, but forced herself to stay. The gaze, far more relentless than before the banquet, brought an odd sense of fear.
“Yes! Come, sit here.”
The emperor gestured at the sofa before him, a faint smile lingering on his lips.
“I heard you fainted suddenly yesterday.”
“My apologies.”
“No matter. Since no one saw it, it won’t affect the power you hold.”
The emperor lifted his teacup as if it were nothing.
“…Thank you for understanding.”
“Still, to properly act in the future, you need to build your stamina first.”
Lowell quietly listened as the emperor spoke about the knights, power, and demons. Occasionally questions were asked, but they were more about instilling his greatness than seeking answers, so there was no need to focus deeply.
“Your Majesty, about giving me this title yesterday — should I understand it as an intent to induct me into the knights?”
Once the emperor’s words ended, Lowell removed her eyes from the desk and asked.
“Hm. No.”
“……?”
A response contradicting his earlier statements. Lowell’s eyes immediately flew to the emperor’s face.
“I cannot bind someone with your abilities to the knights. You will act independently. One who will lead the vanguard in war cannot belong anywhere.”
“…….”
“Of course, the captains say your abilities are not yet ready for direct deployment. So, you will first learn a bit in the knights. When the time comes, you can use your power properly for me.”
Lowell studied the emperor’s face, trying to read his intentions. Unlike before, he could not look more indifferent. Her blood ran cold.
“Moreover, I appointed two more as war heroes, didn’t I?”
The emperor added with a faintly sharp smile — clearly referring to Leon and Aria.
Lowell felt the fear that the emperor held her associates hostage, and the anger that he had carried out everything without saying a word to her. Unconsciously, she clenched her fists under the table.
“…….”
But as her fists trembled more and more, she realized: this was anger beyond fear.
“I wish I had been given a warning at least.”
There was a plan surrounding her and those around her — a plan that excluded her.
“If that had been the case, you wouldn’t have sat quietly here. If you or your people caused any unnecessary commotion, it wouldn’t have been a trivial matter. Moreover…”
At that moment, the emperor’s gaze landed on Lowell, and she saw the cruelty shining in his eyes.
“His Majesty doesn’t have the leisure to explain each and every detail to you.”
