By Zephyria 
“What on earth are you trying to say, looking so anxious?”
As I sat waiting blankly, Shayden dragged a chair over and plopped down. Unlike the tent that had been full of others just moments before, his demeanor was relaxed and comfortable, but his expression looked three to four times more troubled than before.
“I told you… that Valentia and Yeldidus are in opposition.”
“Mm.”
“If the Yeldidus side wants support for the Second Prince, they demanded that the Second Prince be offered as a husband for Lady Yeldidus.”
“What?”
What kind of crazy talk was that?
To try and marry off their daughter to Wesley, then to Richard, and now to Rubel. It was no wonder that daughter was so disgusted and horrified. It was utterly outrageous.
Arbitrarily deciding a child’s marriage was something done only in the Central Plains. It was a method utterly unfitting for the Sierran Empire, which championed love. Even if the proposed match had been someone else, I would have felt uneasy, but the thought of them setting their sights on Ruben made my insides churn.
“Ruben refused, right?”
“….”
“…No?”
“First, the Second Prince hasn’t changed his mind or anything. I want to make that clear. It’s just that the situation is a bit difficult. That disgusting bastard… no, your fiancé dreams of your return like a dream.”
“…So?”
Shayden didn’t look me in the eye. I was intensely curious about what expression he was hiding behind his hands, but I waited patiently, afraid he might stop speaking.
“Grimsvein has already fallen, and Withrow is busy fighting monsters. Kiadris is extremely agitated, constantly wary of Floyd. So, only Yeldidus and Valentia remain, and the Yeldidus side is threatening to drag Richard into it and even wage war if their daughter doesn’t become Empress.”
“…Mm. So?”
“But you… you already told your parents that you were betrothed to the Second Prince.”
Me?
I didn’t think I had… gone that far. But I had heard it.
“They’re making a huge fuss, asking how it’s possible for your fiancé to be snatched away while you were temporarily away protecting the Empire. Since the emotional conflict seemed likely to escalate into a localized war, the Second Prince declared that he would give all answers after Mikael returned. And everyone knows you’ve become a Grand Sword Master.”
“No, how?”
“They say you defeated the God of Records in Biban.”
What I defeated was a statue imbued with divine energy and a dragon illusion conjured by a god. It was unbelievable that the knights who were there at the time had exaggerated the rumors.
“…Uh… so?”
“They probably don’t think they can stand up to you if you return and get angry. Duke Yeldidus and his retainers are acting as if they’ve already become part of the imperial family. Ever since the Emperor died, they’ve been scrambling to seize benefits all over the capital…”
“Ruben is just letting that happen?”
“The throne hasn’t been confirmed yet, so it seems difficult for him to stop them. He’s concerned about public opinion.”
If that was the case, it didn’t seem like a threat to me. If I returned… and got angry? Then I would get angry. As I lightly made up my mind, I grew curious about the others.
“Lady Kiadris?”
“She’s desperately hoping for the First Prince’s return. Lady Yeldidus doesn’t care whether it’s the First Prince or the Second Prince, but Lady Kiadris has no prospects other than the First Prince.”
“Then Edwin?”
“That senior has locked Lady Kiadris up… Edwin was promised the Duke’s title by the Second Prince. If the First Prince returns, he’ll aim to restore Wesley first, so he wouldn’t want that.”
“And the current Duke Kiadris?”
“He says he has no great interest in who inherits his lineage. Whether the First Prince or the Second Prince takes the throne, one of his children will succeed him, so his own life won’t change. He’s the most carefree person.”
I fell silent after hearing all that. The more I was curious, the more I was afraid, and the more I was afraid, the more I wanted to know. Shayden still hadn’t lifted his head at all… I cautiously leaned forward. Lowering my voice, I asked,
“Then, my family. How are they all doing now?”
“…That’s… the main reason I specifically called you here.”
“Hm?”
“…Asdel is sick. Very… very sick.”
Was Asdel eight or nine years old the last time I saw him? The first thing that came to mind was his innocent face, smiling brightly as he spread out paper to draw with his tiny hands, making random scribbles. Then, I remembered his neat handwriting, which, despite being this heartless child, always wrote letters to his older brother, thanking him and filling them with affectionate words, and my chest tightened.
I heard he was excited about learning magic just two years ago. How could he suddenly fall ill and be on the brink of death? I couldn’t quite recall what I had written back to my relatives. What had I replied to his carefully written words, “I miss my brother”…
Shayden continued in a somewhat pained voice.
“The doctors don’t know the cause either. They say it’s not an illness caused by mana. His internal organs aren’t twisted, but he shivers and gets a fever, talking nonsense, whenever the weather gets slightly cold or hot. They don’t even know if this is a terminal illness, so they’ve apparently taken him to a place with good air for recuperation.”
“…Where?”
“He needs a wizard’s help, so they couldn’t go too far. I heard they’re at a villa near Demon Port now. We do exchange letters occasionally, but… as you know, it takes two months round trip for letters to travel from the capital.”
Even with two mouths, I had nothing to say. I was simply stunned. Shayden, without lifting his head once, tried to maintain a calm voice. But how could his monotonous tone reassure me?
As I held my breath, the following words reached me dully.
“Ernhardt’s entire family is at that villa now. If the situation weren’t like this, I would have told you to visit, but… for now, I can give you paper if you want to write a letter.”
Shayden’s guilt was obvious. He knew how much I cherished my family. However, as a member of the Second Prince’s faction, he didn’t want me absent. Also, as the head of the royal guard, he couldn’t offer Ranunculus. The child, as intelligent as he was, always needed to be prepared for any eventuality…
“…I’ll handle it myself for now.”
Knowing this well, I placed my hand on his shoulder and patted him. Shayden remained still for a moment, then said he would think of other ways and left. My heart felt heavy.
❖ ❖ ❖
Sierren’s healing artifacts could mend injuries, but they couldn’t save the sick. Whatever the case, I had to see the child’s face before it was too late.
So, at breakfast, I sat next to Spiritus. After hearing the various circumstances, Spiritus naturally scoffed and refused my request. The creature with a dignified appearance spoke in a voice annoyingly high-pitched, unfitting for his appearance.
“Now, now. Little one. I don’t carry humans on my back or fly with them. Do you perhaps not know what a god is?”
“…Mm.”
“I know you’ve met many of my children, but you shouldn’t take me lightly. Shall I call a Wyvern instead? If you want a sky stroll, that should be sufficient, shouldn’t it?”
It seemed gods often used Wyverns as mounts.
However, Wyverns were large monsters. They could only sustain their massive bodies in places with high mana concentration. Wasn’t it the same reason why Biban, Felix, and Owen’s mana concentration had become strangely high last time, allowing the God of Records to summon a Wyvern and travel to the Magic Territory?
The Sierran Empire’s mana concentration was currently maintained at an appropriate level by divine objects, so traveling by Wyvern was not possible. Especially now, as the Duchy of Valentia was operating under a quasi-war footing, all my relatives, including Asdel, were recuperating at a villa near Demon Port, the southernmost point of the Duchy of Valentia, farthest from the war’s impact.
Of course, I could have flown off alone without bothering a dragon or a Wyvern.
But Asdel was ill, wasn’t he? If the child was sick, the Duke Valentia Family and the first and fourth Magic Towers would have been in an uproar. Yet, they couldn’t find the cause, which was highly suspicious. I wanted to bring this one along, thinking perhaps the gods could see something.
Also, the Ninth God traversed between spaces through black holes. If I were left alone, separated from my companions, and had to face a Martial artist of Hwagyeong in my uncle’s land, who would I ask for help?
Gano Paquin had already been sealed by the Ninth God. But this god before me was different.
And most importantly, there was another crucial issue.
“I am uneasy leaving you outside my sight.”
“What?”
“You said this world isn’t of much use to you. You have such a massive and powerful body, you can use Breath, and what else… It’s too risky to leave you in the Empire and travel far away, as I have many things I cherish in this land.”
“Gano is by your side.”
“Can that fellow defeat you?”
At those words, the dragon fell silent. The requests and refusals that had continued since breakfast had caused everyone to put down their cutlery long ago. Spiritus’s clear golden eyes looked at me with a steady gaze. His mouth stretched wide open to both sides. It was a long, grotesque laugh, as if it could split his cheeks.
“Ah.”
Scales rose on the dragon’s cheeks. His snout elongated, and fierce fangs and a long tongue protruded from his mouth, flicking out. Even while seated, no one left their seats as the woman before them transformed into something that was either a dragon or a snake, with only her head changing.
“Why didn’t you just say so from the start, little one. Do you want to fight me?”
As expected.
The moment this dragon opened its eyes, it scanned me up and down, assessing my strength. Its Polymorphed form was that of a seasoned mercenary. It wore a longsword at its waist, similar in length to mine.
In front of the four hundred or so knights, she acted like a mercenary, but when only those who knew her true identity were present, she didn’t hide her aura at all. Her disposition was far more belligerent than what was written in books.
While relieved that I received the expected reaction, I deliberately pretended to ponder, drawing out the time. The dragon, which had been staring intently at me, grinned again. The long snout slowly shortened.
As the vertically slit pupils turned human, his face also fully returned to human form. Looking at his fiercely grinning face, I opened my mouth.
“…Do you want to make a bet?”
“On what.”
“If I win, you’ll carry me and my companions wherever I wish.”
“And if I win?”
“If you win…”
I know these kinds of eyes very well.
“I will fight you every time you desire a battle. For the rest of my life.”