Chapter 95
After Charon returned to his place, it really seemed as if nothing had happened.
Although April had struck the much larger dark magician a few times with her scabbard while subduing him…
“Ugh! You fools bound by a dark magician! You don’t even realize what a stupid fight you’re in…! You will spend your whole lives fighting monsters that never stop appearing!”
Even as he was dragged away, cursing endlessly, April had picked up a rock from the ground and applied… let’s just say, rather adult-level violence. Thank goodness it wasn’t me who got hit.
Thud! Thud!
In the distance, the new emperor on a white horse marched forward majestically.
Countless soldiers surrounded him, walking in perfect unison, and with each step, the ground trembled.
‘They must have worked really hard to synchronize their steps…’
Although they weren’t Arcons but citizens of the Adolb Empire, I somehow felt a twinge of sympathy for them.
That damn emperor, so full of ambition for no reason. Everyone would be much better off if he just stayed inside the palace.
About four years had passed since I last saw the crown prince, and the emperor’s face was now far more mature.
Back then, he had been a spirited boy, still somewhat youthful, but now the emperor had a calm, authoritative face of a grown man.
‘Time really has passed.’
He even looked down on people with an almost arrogant expression.
Annoying.
The crown prince, who I always expected to say “Ha! Are you ignoring me?!” had grown into someone so different it felt strange. It was hard to believe the boy I knew had become this emperor.
Well, it had been enough time for all the trainees back then to have become senior soldiers.
But seriously, why does this damn border guard serve for eight years? Are you kidding me?
Seeing the emperor, Winter subtly raised a hand to brush the back of his neck before quickly returning to proper posture.
‘…So his body still remembers that paralysis needle from back then.’
I quietly shifted my eyes, glancing between Winter and the emperor.
When Winter had faced the crown prince, he had the vigor of a young adult, and now he exuded a more mature and composed aura.
It contrasted sharply with the arrogant aura radiating from the blonde emperor.
‘When they sparred with swords, the atmosphere was terrifying….’
Seeing them now, they almost looked like the main and secondary male leads of a novel.
But that would never happen… competing with the emperor over a woman? Nope. Not happening, Winter.
Although typically the original male lead wins by status, given this clash of black hair and blonde hair, Winter might come out ahead.
Ah, that’s not the important thing right now.
I quickly returned my gaze and met Aquila’s eyes, who seemed to have been watching me the whole time.
Aquila was about the same age as the emperor. When the emperor had come as crown prince, Aquila still had a boyish look, but now he looked distinctly like a man.
His orange eyes, which had made me think of him as a haughty cat, now radiated a mature and intriguing aura.
‘He’s grown remarkably.’
I felt a small sense of pride at my companion’s positive development. I wanted to boast that he was my colleague.
Meanwhile, the emperor continued riding along, his pure white horse as infuriating as ever. My gaze was fixed downward, watching the horse’s white legs pass in front of me.
Thud.
The horse stopped shortly after, and I couldn’t bring myself to raise my head, staring nervously at the ground.
‘What now? Is he planning some nonsense again?’
If that damn emperor so much as moves, we all know by now that even a single word from him could mean life or death.
As everyone nervously kept their gaze on the ground, the emperor finally spoke the words we had been waiting for:
“Familiar faces.”
“Yes, y-yes! Your Majesty…!”
I glanced, and the emperor was speaking to the company commander, who looked as if he might fall backward at any moment.
“This must be the unit I visited long ago.”
“Yes! It’s an honor that you remember us!”
‘His tone has changed.’
The formerly delicate tone was gone. The emperor now spoke with the weight of his position…
‘Like a lead in a romance fantasy.’
His tone was rigid and blunt, with no trace of social niceties.
Of course, no one could challenge the emperor, so it didn’t matter if he spoke without tact—but still, it was infuriating.
Could it be that he’s like a romance fantasy male lead?
Back then, he had been a somewhat immature tsundere who was playful yet secretly caring, unable to hide his emotions. But now he had killed his father, ascended the throne, and was the obsessive male lead? Hopefully not.
Fortunately, the emperor didn’t appear to be a patricidal villain. He spoke in a slightly softened voice:
“How’s everyone doing compared to back then?”
The company commander hesitated, unsure how to answer, so Winter, the highest-ranking sergeant, spoke up:
“Yes, everyone is fulfilling their duties.”
“Now that I see you…”
The emperor’s eyes narrowed when he looked at Winter.
“You sparred with me back then, didn’t you?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
I swallowed hard. Please, not a repeat of the Winter vs. Emperor scenario.
Thankfully, the emperor soon lost interest in Winter and turned his gaze elsewhere.
Now his eyes were fixed on Dallin.
He was definitely looking at Dallin with interest.
‘What the hell?’
Please, I hoped the emperor wouldn’t speak to Dallin at all. I didn’t want him to know she was an interrogator.
Could it be that he was enchanted by the heroine’s buff and now obsessed with Dallin? No, the original story shouldn’t be twisted that way.
“Are you a trainee?”
“Y-yes…”
Dallin hesitated at the emperor’s question. I glared at her, and she straightened her back and braced herself.
“Do you think there are improvements needed in your military service?”
“E-excuse me?”
…Damn it!
It seemed more like the emperor was surveying morale, like he had with us before, rather than genuinely interested.
A morale addict… seriously, just stay calm, you’re no help.
We had handled this lightly with laughter before, but Dallin was unpredictable.
She would answer honestly and directly, no matter what.
Everyone realized the seriousness of the situation, and the atmosphere turned tense. All eyes were on Dallin.
Yet she maintained her usual innocent expression.
“Um… I…”
When Dallin finally spoke, hearts started pounding:
“I hope the service period can be shortened!”
‘Damn…!’
Everyone was shocked, yet Dallin continued calmly:
“And also, I’m not sure about being assigned outside? I think we should hear the opinions of other soldiers too!”
“…Is that a complaint?”
The emperor’s voice was displeased, but Dallin smiled:
“When did I ever say it was a complaint~”
“…But it sounded like a complaint.”
“I’m often told I’m too honest, so people misunderstand me a lot. Complaint? I don’t have one.”
Watching the emperor’s face turn sour in real-time, contrasting with Dallin’s bright expression, I realized:
She’s strong-willed…
But since he had asked for her honest opinion, the emperor couldn’t retort. Plus, he was on the parade, so he couldn’t linger.
Dallin’s honest yet non-complaining reply left the emperor slightly uncomfortable, but he just said:
“I’ll take it into consideration,” and continued marching.
Only after the last person in the emperor’s procession passed did the company commander collapse in relief.
“W-who was that reckless soldier?”
But there was no need for him to scold Dallin; other senior soldiers who had nearly lost their lives because of her were already swarming her.
“Th-that madwoman’s gonna die!”
“Sense! Where’d you sell your sense!”
An 85th-class delinquent scowled and approached Dallin, and I felt my blood pressure rise, letting her tension rise as well.
“Ugh…”
As the situation calmed down, someone we had forgotten appeared.
“Salvia, long time no see.”
“E-e-April?”
When our eyes met, my pupils trembled uncontrollably.
