Chapter 6
Baron continued giving orders for a short while.
Ignis Fatuus floated in the air slightly below Baron’s eye level, moving up and down as if nodding at his words.
After finishing his instructions, Baron called out again.
“Dullahan.”
The moment he spoke, a black shadow shot up from the ground.
A huge armored knight appeared before him, holding his own head in his left hand.
Kneeling on one knee, the Dullahan spoke in a majestic voice from the head he was holding.
— I pledge eternal loyalty to the everlasting ruler, Bloden Ilfane. Your Majesty, grant your command.
Baron—no, Bloden, Emperor of the Ilfane Empire—looked down at the Dullahan and asked,
“How is the situation at the Gate? Are there any beast invasions?”
— There is no beast that can withstand the Sword of Destruction personally wielded by Your Majesty. They will not dare approach for some time.
That was the truth.
Hayley had no idea, but “Baron” was only a false identity used by Bloden.
Bloden thought of the northern mountain range.
It was a cold and dangerous place, where a Gate poured out demonic beasts.
Normally, they would simply defeat the beasts that came out of the Gate. But after endless battles, Bloden had recently changed his approach.
He withdrew the knights from the imperial palace and the various territories.
Then he summoned a massive undead legion and personally led them into the Gate, launching a full extermination campaign.
No normal army could have carried out such a mission. But an undead army that could simply be resummoned after death achieved a great victory.
The price was that Bloden’s curse activated, causing him to grow much younger.
The beasts, having suffered greatly, fled far beyond his sight. Some escaped outside the Gate, but they hid so well that tracking them became difficult.
Temporary peace had arrived.
Of course, it was clear that in time the beasts would crawl out again and threaten the empire. But by then, Bloden would have recovered from the curse and regained his proper age and appearance.
“How long do you estimate before it becomes a problem again?”
— We estimate about three years.
Bloden nodded.
That was worth becoming this much younger.
“Guard the army and the battlefield until further orders. Cut down any beasts you see. If their numbers increase, report immediately.”
At his command, the Dullahan tilted his left hand, and naturally his head tilted as well.
— However, if I and the army remain in the mortal realm, Your Majesty’s body will recover more slowly. Are you certain this is acceptable?
Bloden narrowed his eyes. Realizing he had overstepped, the Dullahan quickly bowed his head.
— I obey.
As soon as he finished speaking, he disappeared.
“Black Livia.”
At the call, a black shadow flew over. A translucent ghostly raven landed before Bloden, spreading its smoky wings wide and bowing with its beak touching the ground.
“Go to Raven and deliver this.”
Bloden gave detailed instructions.
— Black Livia. To Raven. Go. Deliver His Majesty’s command.
After receiving the order, Black Livia turned back into a shadow and vanished into the darkness.
The ghost raven, able to cross space itself, would deliver the message to Raven at the imperial palace nearly 1,000 kilometers away in less than five minutes.
After dismissing Ignis Fatuus with a wave of his hand, Bloden returned to Hayley’s cottage.
The fire in the hearth had grown weak with the deep night, casting a faint glow over Hayley’s face. Bloden stood beside the bed and quietly watched her sleeping form.
His eyes had turned purple again. Bloden had become Baron. His expression softened, no longer cold but like that of a child.
‘Hmm.’
Baron let out a quiet cough and lightly bit his lip.
For the time being, the demonic beasts would stay quiet. During that time, he had planned to solve the long-troubling case of kidnapping orphaned children.
To find the criminals’ base, it would be easier if they approached him first. Since he had grown younger anyway, he came to this city planning to become bait and lure the kidnappers.
He had encountered them as planned and pretended to be frightened.
But… he had received unexpected interference.
When he was patted on the bottom for the first time in his life, he had been extremely shocked.
He was the emperor. Even when he was truly a child, he had never been treated in such a way.
But he was in the form of a child, and he could not reveal his operation, so he endured it.
Yet Hayley had spoken kindly to young Baron, sincerely worried about him, carried him on her back because the road was long, and held his hand tightly.
It was outrageous when she tried to flick his forehead—but strangely, he did not dislike her actions.
In fact, he liked them very much.
He had even pretended a thorn was stuck in him when there was none.
When she sucked his finger to remove the “thorn,” and when she hugged him to help him sleep, his heart had pounded uncontrollably.
He had not intended to sleep, but her warmth made him doze off for a moment.
When he was Emperor Bloden, everyone treated him with strict respect. Even the regent who wanted to send him to the battlefield and seize power still treated him properly as emperor on the surface.
When he was Baron in a child’s body, people either treated him carelessly or tried to manipulate him with hidden intentions.
In other words, whether he was Bloden or Baron, not a single person had ever sincerely worried about him.
Except Hayley.
The more it became clear that Baron’s situation was poor, the more she tried to give him.
To him, Hayley was a commoner close to being a beggar.
It was already harsh enough for her to live alone. One extra mouth to feed would be a heavy burden.
In this world, some parents even sold or abandoned their newborns to reduce one mouth to feed.
Yet though Baron shared not a single drop of blood with her, Hayley brought into her home a child who had lost his parents and been abandoned by his nurse, as if willing to endure hardship for him.
To some, it might be a small warmth.
But to Baron, it meant a great deal.
He no longer wanted to lose the unconditional warmth he had unexpectedly received in this city.
After finishing his thoughts, Baron came to a conclusion.
‘Then I’ll change the plan.’
Whether as Baron or Bloden, he would continue investigating the child kidnapping case—but he would change the method.
Until now, he had chosen the simplest way by planning to be kidnapped himself. But as emperor, he did not need to personally involve himself in everything.
He could send capable subordinates, observe the results, and move at the best moment.
‘And I think I need a bit of a vacation.’
Thus, Baron decided to spend an indefinite long vacation at Hayley’s house.
Someday, if Hayley found out that Baron was actually Bloden, the emperor, she might faint from shock. She might feel burdened.
But Baron did not mind.
‘As long as I don’t get caught.’
If he stayed only in his child form and avoided mistakes, she would never know.
Even if she did find out, what could she do?
He could reward her for caring for him and take her to the imperial palace.
A commoner could not refuse the emperor’s command. Not only that, she would rise beyond simple status protection and enter high society. It would be good for her too.
Convincing himself of this, Baron quietly climbed into the bed and lay beside Hayley.
Though he had a child’s body, the old bed creaked.
“Mmm…”
Sensing movement, Hayley shifted in her sleep and pulled Baron into her arms.
Baron closed his eyes and quietly breathed in.
‘She didn’t use perfume.’
Strangely, Hayley smelled sweet.
The complicated thoughts in his mind—battles with demonic beasts, and the political struggles that would erupt once the regency ended in two years—cleared at once.
Held in Hayley’s arms, Baron finalized his new plan.
For now, he would hide his identity and let himself be raised well by Hayley.
