Chapter 19
Leto began to tell a story.
“When I was young, I studied with them at the Imperial Academy. My father allowed young mages to attend imperial classes as well. We were all about the same age, so we took the same lessons.”
This wasn’t something mentioned in the original story. I listened closely.
“Honestly, I got sick of them.”
He shook his head.
“The Matrion twins, and Luminos—who’s the current Guild Master now. Those three were always running around, making noise, and inventing ridiculous magic at every opportunity. They were such troublemakers that even my father would click his tongue in disbelief. Can you imagine?”
I could. Sean was obvious, and Louis hadn’t been any better when he was young. Naturally, their friend Luminos wouldn’t have been any different.
“At first, I tried everything to avoid getting mixed up with them. Ignoring them was a given. I even asked to take separate classes—only to get scolded by my father. But at some point, I started to feel wronged.”
“Wronged? Why?”
“Well, think about it. Some people are born and immediately gain lifelong friends. Others, simply because they’re the Crown Prince, are surrounded only by servants who tremble in fear.”
In that moment, an image formed in my mind.
A young Leto standing alone in the academy.
Not far away, the three of them laughing and playing together.
Leto’s blue eyes watching them quietly from a distance.
So that’s what it was.
He was jealous—of their shining childhood, of the freedom he would never be allowed to have.
A blade of grass brushed softly against Leto’s fingertips as he spoke calmly.
“But now I know. A Crown Prince shouldn’t create people who are precious to him. In the end, that preciousness becomes a weakness.”
“……”
“And an Emperor even more so.”
I faltered and looked at Leto’s back as he walked ahead.
No. You have Merrill by your side.
So don’t say something so lonely.
Without realizing it, I reached out and grabbed his arm. He turned around, wearing a gentle smile.
“What is it?”
“It’s okay to have someone precious to you.”
“……”
“As long as you protect them properly.”
I had wanted to tell him that he would meet a good woman someday—just like I had in The Empress’s Garden.
But strangely… the words wouldn’t come out.
What is this resistance? Why does it feel like I shouldn’t say that?
Instead, I said this.
“Trust me. I won’t ever leave you lonely.”
His eyes widened slightly.
Silence fell between us. He carefully brushed his fingers against my cheek. A fresh, grassy scent drifted through the air.
His Adam’s apple bobbed once. His expression was tense—strangely so.
“You have no idea how careful I’m being.”
“…What?”
“And how anxious I am.”
That was when it happened.
As if he had sensed something, Leto spun around and stepped in front of me protectively.
“…Your Majesty?”
Leto scanned the surroundings and barked out in a low voice.
“Who’s there?”
Only then did I hear it—a nauseatingly sticky breathing sound, and footsteps so heavy they seemed to shake the entire forest.
Something unbelievable was happening. From the horizon, monsters were charging toward us.
Thud— thud— thud— thud—
They looked as though lumps of mud had been molded together. Their skin was coated in slime, and their tongues hung so long they nearly scraped the ground.
There were three of them.
“…Ah.”
My legs gave out and I collapsed. Leto knelt on one knee and met my gaze.
“Livia. Take this.”
What he held out was the mana stone Sean had given him—the one said to repel monsters.
“N-no, I can’t. That’s yours.”
“Take it. Now.”
“I have one too. I’ll be fine.”
Leto forced the mana stone into my hand and looked straight into my eyes.
“That’s a lie. You’re not fine. You’re shaking.”
“……”
“You said you trusted me, didn’t you?”
I nodded.
“Then stay behind me and don’t move.”
He rose calmly to his feet. In a fluid motion, he drew his longsword. Veins stood out on the back of his hand.
Thud— thud— thud— thud—
The monsters’ charge made the ground—no, the world itself—tremble. Leto raised his sword.
Flash.
The blade reflected sunlight, shining cold and sharp. The monsters grew even more frenzied at the sight.
“Kyaaaaaaah!!”
With a shriek, they lunged—one from the left, one from the right, and one straight ahead.
I thought I was going to faint. I squeezed my eyes shut and covered my ears.
But it was useless.
Sounds I had never heard before in my life crashed over me.
The clean whistle of a blade cutting through air.
The tearing of thick flesh.
The snap of something breaking.
And the monsters’ agonized screams.
It was pure pandemonium. If hell existed, this had to be it.
I didn’t know how much time passed.
“Livia. Livia.”
I opened my eyes at the touch on my shoulder. Leto’s worried face filled my vision. And around me—
“……!”
Fragments of monster corpses were scattered everywhere. The stench of blood rose from the shredded flesh. I clamped a hand over my mouth as nausea surged.
“…Ugh.”
“I see. That must have been terrifying.”
“I’m— hhh… I’m fine.”
I barely managed to suppress my gagging. Taking deep breaths, I slowly regained my composure.
Leto… is strong.
I could tell just by his steady eyes—by how accustomed he was to situations like this.
“Let’s move somewhere else for now. Lean on me and stand up.”
I grabbed onto him and pushed myself upright. But at that moment, an intense tightness seized me, as if my chest had been crushed.
“Ugh!”
I collapsed again.
“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”
“I—I can’t breathe properly……”
“What?!”
It was because I’d moved too suddenly while panicking. On top of that, my corset was tightly compressing my chest.
It hurt. It felt like I might die if this continued. I clutched Leto’s arm desperately.
“Please… take my dress off.”
“…What?”
His face went pale. He looked more shocked than when we’d encountered the monsters. But there was no time to explain.
“The buttons—on my back—undo them—so you can loosen the corset—”
Understanding dawned on him, and he moved behind me. But his rough hands weren’t up to the task. The buttons refused to budge. Leto muttered in frustration.
“Damn it. Why are women’s clothes made like this—!”
Just as my vision began to darken—
Rip.
With a dull tearing sound, a chill ran down my back. The dress and corset had been ripped apart in one go.
“Hah—!”
I could finally breathe. Slowly, deeply, I regulated my breathing.
“Haa— haa—”
“Can you breathe now?”
“Haa— yes… You saved my life.”
Leto quickly shrugged off his coat and draped it over my shoulders. He spoke a little awkwardly.
“I had no choice about the dress. Those tiny buttons were beyond my abilities. How is it? Can you stand?”
“Phew— yes. I’ll try.”
He supported me as I stood. My legs trembled, but I could walk.
I looked around. As if nothing had happened, the forest was quiet and peaceful once more.
“There shouldn’t be any more monsters, right?”
“For now, it seems those three were all of them.”
“That’s strange. I heard the Guild Master checks for monsters regularly. Did he miss them?”
Leto shook his head.
“Luminos wouldn’t make that kind of mistake. Monsters can appear and disappear in an instant. We may simply have been unlucky.”
I see. I steadied myself. We still had something to do here.
“In any case, it looks like the immediate danger has passed. Then let’s get back to gathering herbs—”
That was when it happened.
Tap. Tap-tap.
As if on cue, rain began to fall. We stared at each other, speechless.
“…Talk about bad timing.”
“How absurd. I thought once I became Emperor, I’d be done with adventures like this.”
The raindrops quickly grew heavier. It didn’t look like it would stop anytime soon.
“You should take your coat back. My dress isn’t that badly torn.”
I tried to return it, but Leto grabbed both lapels, stopping me.
His shirt was steadily soaking through in the rain.
“…Your shirt is getting wet.”
“That’s better than your back getting soaked.”
Ah. There it was again.
That feeling—as if he were treating me as someone special.
“Keep it on.”
I clutched the coat tightly. A faint scent of monster blood lingered, but perhaps because someone’s warmth still remained, it felt warm.
“Looks like it’s going to pour.”
He said, looking up at the sky. I felt uneasy. What if he suggested turning back?
Opportunities this important don’t come twice. At least, they never had in my life. The Mage Guild wouldn’t grant us access to the forest again.
I asked him carefully.
“Are we going back?”
“If you don’t mind getting a little wet, I’d like to search a bit more.”
“…….”
“You can scold me for not suggesting we return to the carriage. Call me a rude man with no manners, letting a lady get soaked.”
He brushed back his rain-soaked hair, then looked straight at me.
“The medicine you’re trying to make is something the Empire truly needs. So I was hoping you’d help me a little longer.”
“…….”
“This isn’t an order. It’s not a proposal either. It’s a request.”
In that moment, Leto truly seemed like an Emperor.
He knew what needed to be done for the Empire. And he was willing to lower his pride for it.
I understood, then, why Merrill came to love him so deeply—what she found so compelling about him.
The rain showed no sign of stopping. The grasslands stretched endlessly before us.
But let’s try.
I can’t turn back just because of a little rain.
I pulled Leto’s coat more firmly around myself.
“I have no intention of returning to the carriage either—not until I’ve examined all the herbs here.”
I smiled at him.
“Shall we start again, then?”
Elisana sat atop a thick tree trunk. With her robe and the leaves around her, she looked like a living shadow.
She was the one who had created the monsters. Even one would have overwhelmed an ordinary knight. Three were more than enough to tear two people apart.
And yet that man slaughtered them in an instant. Impressive, isn’t he?
He hadn’t allowed even a single attack through. He showed no fear, no hesitation. He wasn’t someone who’d only recently stepped onto a battlefield.
I’ve never seen a human that strong. Sending more monsters would be pointless.
It seemed she would have to give up the ten gold coins. Even so, Elisana felt no regret.
She had taken an interest in the two of them.
What exactly are they looking for? They’ve been searching for hours in this rain.
As time passed, the rain only grew heavier. Still, Elisana could see it clearly—the way the man looked at the woman.
Affection and desire. A gaze that was both careful and blindly drawn in. Everything tangled together.
The woman seemed unaware of it. Or perhaps she was pretending not to notice.
For a long while, Elisana stole glances at that gaze, as if she were being drawn into it herself.
Then—
Flash.
Lightning tore across the sky, followed by a thunderclap that split the air. The woman flinched in surprise.
“Heh.”
Elisana let out a quiet laugh.
How long will that woman last, I wonder?
