Chapter 46
The Meeting with Ernant
Upon hearing the report that all the monsters had been used up, Ernant’s expression twisted.
If it were death row inmates, they were easy enough to obtain—and even if not, one could always create more. But monsters were different.
To procure monsters, he needed the help of knights.
Specifically, the aid of the Silver Order, who regularly attacked the front lines of the rift and thus had easier access to capturing monsters than anyone else.
“…”
He fell into silence, recalling Yulia.
At the start of his research, he had assumed he wouldn’t need her help. But things had changed.
Unlike before, Martin had begun to covet Ernant’s creations.
So he had accelerated his research, and the experimental monsters had been used up at an equally rapid pace.
The handful of monsters captured by the knight he had dealings with weren’t nearly enough anymore.
That meant he had to contact Yulia again—try to persuade her somehow.
Ernant, deciding there was no other option, summoned the aide waiting outside the lab.
“Send a letter to the Silver Order. Tell them I’ll be visiting soon.”
Thanks to the lizard the commander and I had captured together, we’d had a hearty meal and a good night’s sleep the day before.
After resting well and waking up early, our team immediately searched for and destroyed the mana stone.
With that, another rift was safely sealed.
“Let’s hurry back.”
At the commander’s words, everyone responded with a cheerful, “Yes, sir!”
A rift of that scale would take about two weeks to completely close.
We had to get out before then, so just as he said, we had to move quickly.
Fortunately, since we had already traveled this path once, the return journey wasn’t difficult. Before long, we arrived back at the Silver Order’s garrison.
What did we do after that?
We rested.
And rested again.
The commander ordered us to fully recover from the hardships of the mission.
After about three days of rest, the commander summoned me to his tent.
He seemed quite pleased.
But the words that came out of his mouth were anything but pleasing to me.
“Karoline’s crimes have been fully revealed. Just as you said, she was secretly collecting monster remains from the rift and distributing them on the market. Multiple large merchant groups were involved. But it’s all been taken care of now—no need to worry.”
He smiled, but I couldn’t return the gesture.
That wasn’t the news I had hoped for.
Clinging to my last bit of hope, I asked:
“Excuse me… Is that all?”
“Hm?”
“You said large merchant groups were involved? Were they the only ones behind Karoline?”
“Yes. The merchant lords commissioned her to supply monster fluids and remains, and Karoline lined her pockets in return. That’s all there is to it, isn’t it?”
The word I desperately wanted to hear—“imperial”—never left the commander’s mouth.
Unable to hide my disappointment, I rubbed my temples.
What was going on?
Was it not Ernant who had commissioned Karoline?
Was she unrelated to him?
Then who had been delivering monsters to Ernant?
“…Sigh.”
I let out a long sigh and swept back the stray strands of hair sticking to my forehead.
I had been happy, thinking I’d finally found the one supplying monsters to Ernant.
But if it wasn’t Karoline, the real culprit was still out there.
I had to find them.
Start over from the beginning.
“Why do you look so down? Aren’t you glad the case is resolved?”
The commander asked, and I shook my head, forcing a calm expression.
“No, I am glad. Truly.”
“Good. Because I have some bad news to tell you.”
“Bad news…?”
As if the earlier news hadn’t been bad enough, he had more?
My head throbbed, but I braced myself to stay composed.
Unfortunately, the bad news he delivered was the kind that no amount of mental preparation could withstand.
“Ernant has sent a letter saying he’ll visit here. To see you.”
“…”
“I thought about sending you out on another mission just in case, but… Ernant seems to have anticipated that. He emphasized in his letter multiple times that he won’t return to the palace until he sees you.”
In other words, even if I avoided him temporarily, he would continue waiting for me.
There was no escaping this.
The best I could do was face him briefly, deal with him, and send him on his way.
But what on earth did he want from me?
I frowned slightly as the question rose in my mind.
I could already guess.
He was going to ask me to supply him with monsters.
He’d subtly shown me his lab last time—it had likely been a setup for that.
But what worried me was this: he wasn’t the kind of man to simply ask for a favor.
He might very well try to find my weakness and use it to blackmail me.
“Shall I stay by your side?”
The commander asked suddenly, breaking my train of thought.
I blinked at him, confused, and he elaborated:
“We can’t exactly stop the Emperor from visiting without a good reason. And since he declared he won’t leave until he sees you, you’ll have to meet him—even if only briefly. But I can prevent you from being alone with him.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Technically, as the Emperor, Ernant should have gone through me—the commander—if he wished to speak with the vice-captain. Until now, I’ve let him meet with you freely, but if I wanted to stop him, I could use my authority to do so.”
I paused, hesitating.
“But wouldn’t that put you in a difficult position? His Majesty won’t just let it go. I’d hate to cause trouble for you…”
“It’s not just for your sake.”
The commander stood from his chair and approached me.
He leaned casually against the edge of the desk, facing me.
“I don’t like it either. You being alone with Ernant.”
At those blunt words, my heart fluttered unexpectedly.
Almost as if he could see right through me, the commander offered a playful smile.
“Even if you’re okay with being alone with him, I’m not.”
“…”
“The woman I’m interested in is meeting with a man like that one-on-one. Of course I wouldn’t be fine with it.”
The woman I’m interested in…
The woman I’m interested in…
The woman I’m interested in…!
I repeated his words in my mind a dozen times.
We had already kissed in that cave, but hearing such a direct confession left me dizzy.
“So? Should I stay with you?”
He asked again.
I couldn’t respond right away. I just fanned my blushing cheeks to cool them.
Eventually, once I’d calmed down a little, I managed to answer:
“Thank you for your kind offer… but I’ll meet His Majesty alone. It’s something I have to face myself.”
“Will you be alright?”
“Yes. I won’t run. I’ll face him head-on. And I’ll make it absolutely clear.”
I straightened my expression and said firmly:
“Though I’ll continue to serve loyally as a knight of the Empire, I will no longer harbor any personal feelings for him. I’ll make my intentions crystal clear.”
Yes—when I was alone with Ernant, I would finally say it.
I’m not your puppet anymore.
So don’t expect me to take part in the horrors you’re committing beneath the palace.
If the commander were with me, it might bring me comfort—but I wouldn’t be able to talk about the chimeras.
That’s why it had to be just the two of us.
After hearing my answer, the commander nodded quietly.
“You’re as brave as ever. I’m sure you can stand up to Ernant without needing me to protect you.”
I nodded in return, asking for his trust.
And the very next day, Ernant’s imperial carriage arrived at the garrison.
Ernant had visited the Silver Order before.
Each time, the official reason had been the same.
To encourage the knights—as an emperor should.
But this time was a little different.
“I’ve prepared a small personal gift for Yulia, who was my partner on Foundation Day.”
Visiting the commander’s tent, Ernant cast a brief glance at me as he spoke.
I stood like a statue, avoiding his gaze.
He soon turned back to the commander.
“The only issue is… it’s a bit difficult to bring the gift here. She’ll have to come see it herself. May I borrow Yulia for a short while, Duke?”
