[As instructed.] Soon, Aiden's reply arrived. It was obvious who the 'target' was, even without saying it. A few days later, the news that Rayvid Penant had gone missing spread beyond the social circles and into the royal city. Rumors even quietly spread that it wasn't a disappearance but a flight. Larima, who had been dating Rayvid, fell into deep sorrow. I kept trying to cheer her up by suggesting things she liked.
“Larima, do you want to play hide and seek with me? I'll be the seeker!”
“No, it's okay...”
“Then, let's have a picnic in the garden? I'll ask the chef to bake your favorite scones, and we can eat them together!”
“I'm not really hungry... I'm sorry, Your Majesty.”
No matter how much I suggested doing things she liked, she still seemed listless.
‘Ugh.’
To me, he was really just a nobody, but it seemed she had quite liked him. However, I had no regrets about my actions in dealing with Rayvid.
‘Rayvid was secretly in debt from gambling, and the Penant family was about to go bankrupt. I couldn't send our Larima to such a family.’
In my opinion, the steady and reliable Xavier would be much better.
“Wherever he is, he's probably doing fine. Just forget about a guy who doesn't even bother to contact you, Larima.”
“But maybe there's a reason?”
“If there was a reason, he would have told you beforehand.”
“I guess so. Your Majesty is right. I must have been so insignificant to him that he didn't even think about telling me.”
Larima started to dig into the ground again. At this rate, she might end up meeting the moles underground. When she looked up, Xavier was staring at her with a look of frustration.
I sincerely advised Larima.
“Larima, your destiny isn't far away. Look at the person next to you!”
“The person next to me?”
“Yeah!”
Larima turned her head. Xavier was there, as expected. Their gazes met for a long time. Larima stared at Xavier's face, then—
“Sigh!”
She buried her face in her arms again. And I saw it. Xavier's ears turned red. Whether he was trying to pretend otherwise, he hurriedly left, but I had seen it.
‘Xavier, you...?’
*** With a tremendous roar, the ground shook.
“Aaaah!”
“Get out of the way!”
The soldiers of the Devlin Empire ran in the opposite direction with terrified faces. At the border between Ermanno and Devlin. The long-maintained tension was suddenly broken by an unexpected presence.
“D, Devlin’s...!”
“Devlin is you guys.”
“Devlin’s demon...!”
“No, it’s not.”
Years ago, they had been intoxicated with victory by riding on the back of Devlin’s demon, but now their positions were reversed, and they were fleeing in panic. The boy who had once lost his mind and slaughtered indiscriminately, friend and foe alike, had returned with a clear mind and an unstoppable presence, his blade sharpened for revenge.
“Spare me!”
“Aaaah!”
The power of his targeted slaughter was overwhelming. In no time, half of the border troops were swept away. The Ermanno soldiers, who had witnessed this sudden attack on the enemy, were equally stunned. Initially, when Aiden appeared out of nowhere and launched an attack, the entire army braced for action, but nothing happened. Only the Devlin soldiers were being slaughtered. One of the soldiers asked the border commander.
“C, Commander, have we received any orders from the capital?”
“...No, we haven’t.”
“Then what’s going on all of a sudden?”
The commander, Count Viktor, also wanted to shake someone and ask what was happening. Who would have thought that the presence that had once instilled fear at the border would return and attack only Devlin?
‘What is he thinking?’
Since he wasn't attacking Ermanno soldiers, they weren't the enemy. So, the commander, who had been merely observing, made a decision.
“Form ranks! Join the attack on Devlin’s border!”
“Hooray!”
Following Aiden, Ermanno’s soldiers joined the battle. As a result, the already beleaguered Devlin soldiers began to fall helplessly. With the number of enemies to be eliminated clearly reduced, Aiden stopped his attack.
‘...What is this?’
Turning around, he saw that the Ermanno soldiers, who had been standing still, were now attacking Devlin together. Aiden frowned. Then he immediately grabbed one of the Ermanno soldiers.
“The commander.”
“Yes, yes?”
“Where is the commander?”
“That’s him!”
The commander, Count Viktor, tensed involuntarily at the sight of Aiden standing before him. Despite being just a young boy, the aura he exuded was far from ordinary.
“What is it?”
“Are you the commander?”
“Yes, I am.”
Aiden thought there would be some kind of reward for joining the attack on Devlin. But his next words were unexpected.
“It’s mine. Don’t interfere.”
“What?”
“I will take care of all of them.”
“...What?”
“I mean, don’t steal my thunder.”
Leaving those words, Aiden returned to his position to continue the slaughter. The commander, who had suddenly become a thief of glory, dismissed the Ermanno soldiers with a dazed look. The one-sided massacre resumed and soon ended. Among the annihilated Devlin soldiers, Aiden closed and opened his eyes indifferently. A warm breeze blew, ruffling his hair. The strong smell of blood permeated the battlefield. Despite achieving the revenge he had long dreamed of, he wasn't as happy as he thought he would be. Instead, he felt a different sentiment.
‘Now I can stand proudly beside Mabel.’
He was more pleased with this point than with the idea of taking the first step in his revenge. Stepping over the bodies of his former comrades, Aiden smiled. *** The atmosphere of the regular meeting was as peaceful as usual. I sipped the orange juice that one of the ministers had brought for me, watching the meeting.
‘Delicious!’
But it was important not to show how delicious it was. Once, I had enthusiastically eaten all the chocolate that another minister had brought, and the next day, I received over a hundred boxes of chocolate as gifts.
‘Gifts are scary...’
Since everyone went overboard, my gift phobia only worsened over time.
“The next agenda item is about the Fire Lily.”
“It’s said that the price of rare varieties has skyrocketed.”
This was an agenda item that had been discussed before, but the issue of the rising price of Fire Lilies remained unresolved. In fact, it had worsened. A single well-cultivated Fire Lily could be traded for the value of an entire castle, leading many to abandon their businesses and jump into the Fire Lily cultivation business. Of course, most of them failed.
“A specific merchant guild has reportedly signed a contract to exclusively trade the highest quality Fire Lilies.”
“Which specific guild?”
“Notably, the Xavier Guild.”
Hearing the name of a family I hadn't heard much about recently, I cupped my chin and chewed on a cookie.
‘Hmm. Fire Lilies.’
I had never taken action to appear as a reckless emperor, but if the Xavier family was the main beneficiary, things would be different. Knowing this, I was determined to make it so that no one could ignore Aiden.
‘No one should be able to ignore Aiden.’
I had once heard someone mock Aiden behind his back because he had no title. Of course, I had noted the family and taken revenge later, but that wasn't enough. I needed to solidify Aiden's position so much that no one would dare to speak ill of him.
“This is just the beginning.”
Aiden would become an indispensable presence in the empire. *** Aiden untied the note attached to the raven's leg. A reply to his last message had arrived. [Can't I just enter quietly?] In response to Aiden's earnest request— [No, you have to enter as loudly as possible!!] Mabel firmly refused. Aiden sighed. Since he couldn't refuse Mabel's request, he had no choice but to make a grand return to the capital. Moreover, he had to enter as loudly as possible. After hesitating for a few days, Aiden finally entered Ermanno.
“Flower... powder...?”
Thanks to the elaborate effects prepared by Casey, who had been hiding in advance, the cheers of the citizens welcoming the war hero filled his ears. Aiden, who had achieved great deeds, had returned.
***
“Did you see Sir Aiden? When he entered, flower powder suddenly flew everywhere!”
“Flower powder? I saw a dazzling light from behind.”
“A dazzling light?! What are you talking about? The horn sounded.”
“Wasn't there a thick fog?”
Due to the influence of Casey's elaborate magic, opinions varied among those who had witnessed Aiden's entry. In fact, all of their descriptions were correct. Flower powder, dazzling light, the sound of the horn, and a thick fog—all were part of Casey's production. The maids, who had been excitedly discussing Aiden, immediately fell silent and bowed deeply as a presence brushed past them.
“Noisy.”
He didn't forget to give them a passing remark. Esteban was in a foul mood. He had been trying to find a way to separate Mabel from Aiden, and he had been pleased that Aiden was absent under the pretext of a vacation. But to think he had secretly attacked Devlin and recovered the territory.
‘He got the better of me.’
If he tried to drive Aiden away, he would surely face the wrath of the citizens and those who idolized him.
“It’s strange how public opinion is so one-sided.”
But as far as Esteban knew, Aiden had no backing force. How could he orchestrate a public relations campaign?
Feeling a nagging suspicion, Esteban entered the grand hall of the royal palace. The hall, usually open for state events, was now specially opened to honor the hero. After stroking Mabel's head, who had arrived earlier, and taking his seat, the hall's door soon opened. The hero, who had achieved great deeds, stepped in, parting the sunlight streaming in from outside.
“I greet Your Majesty.”
Aiden's habit of treating Esteban as if he didn't exist remained unchanged.
“Aiden.”
Aiden, who had been looking only at Mabel, finally turned his gaze when Esteban called his name. The temperature in the hall seemed to drop to freezing as their eyes met.
‘Is it already winter?!’
The atmosphere was so cold that people shivered, even in the summer.