By Zephyria 
“The Emperor, died, the Divine object, the Macbeth Guild, the Emperor…!”
The Knights left behind at the villa looked at Ranunculus with dumbfounded faces, then looked at us.
The radiance surrounding the God of Records possessed a unique nature, evident to anyone who saw it. As Rubel, standing perfectly straight before the noble, soft light that seemed to drip with every step, smiled coldly. His dignified demeanor, even without a halo, was comparable to a god through his own majesty alone.
The god asked.
“Knowing the state of the Sierran Empire, you would save Biban first?”
“I know you are testing me. However, the deed is already done, and at this moment, it is only proper to resolve the contamination closest to us.”
“Continue.”
“The Sierran imperial succession ceremony takes at least three months, and at most six. If Lucilla has run off with the necessary Divine object, it will be even more difficult. Even if I rush to the capital immediately, I have three months of leeway as long as the Divine object is not in its rightful place.”
“And.”
“‘A general does not march out with an enemy at his back.’ I read that in Gano Paquin’s
“Why should I?”
Rubel smiled as if he might melt away.
Warmth returned to his pale face. It was as if red flowers bloomed behind the child’s smile. While I stared blankly, Rubel grabbed my wrist and quickly pulled me to his side.
I was still looking at the child’s profile.
“Because Michael is my person. If you intend to entrust him with any task, you must also grant me a portion of it, must you not?”
“For example.”
“Biban’s Divine object.”
Rubel’s tongue melted with sweetness. A melodious sound emerged.
“I would like it placed in my hands in a form I can handle.”
“Ha. …Haha! Ahahaha!”
The god laughed heartily. Rubel was still holding my wrist. I could feel the slight tremor in the child’s fingertips. I… could only stand there, my heart pounding.
I could not possibly fathom what feelings or thoughts Rubel had as he spoke these words.
Rubel had once said he respected and revered his father. At least, how many sons would stand here so calmly after hearing of their father’s death? My heart ached with deep concern.
The god, after laughing for a long time, pretended to wipe nonexistent tears from his eyes and replied.
“You truly resemble that child so much.”
“….”
“Yes, you are right. It is better to tidy up my domain together and eliminate the immediate threat. Looking now, you have already uprooted the source of Yulan’s trouble. How commendable.”
“….”
“I must investigate what those spirited fellows did while they confined me here. In the meantime, you all….”
I saw Knights rushing in through the gate that had opened behind us.
The god smiled kindly and shrugged his shoulders.
“Please tidy up my temple for me. They have utterly destroyed it.”
“….”
A flicker of displeasure marred Rubel’s expression.
Seeing this, the god burst into loud laughter once more. It was a hearty, prolonged laugh, so loud that even a stray dog passing by would know of the god’s presence, a laugh that seemed capable of tearing the world in half.
❖ ❖ ❖
Rubel ordered five Knights and ten laborers to tidy the God of Records’ temple, and the god promised to return in three days before departing. It was frustrating that gods were not omniscient, but I let it be, as Rubel quietly agreed.
Marianne gently coaxed the repeatedly chattering Ranunculuses into cages. She said she would sort through the urgent messages conveyed by their close associates through their feather colors and speech, as well as the news from the Second Prince Faction indicating their willingness to participate.
Boulder, realizing anew that the dragon we caught was not real but a phantom created by the god, locked himself in his room with a Goblin. Since there was no room to spare for anyone else, we decided to leave him to his sorrow.
Then, I entered Rubel’s room and sat the child on my lap.
I knew that Rubel’s response had pleased the god immensely.
However, how could he not be troubled when his father’s funeral might not even be properly held? I was just glad that the child had been able to stand proudly before the god and declare Michael was his person.
Wanting to break the silence, I opened my mouth.
“At this time… are you not regretful about expending some of the Knights?”
“…The temple is… a rather precious space to a god. When there are still things to ask of them, it is best to show minimal courtesy. That way, you will not be blamed for trivial matters when you accompany him.”
Rubel’s voice held not the slightest trace of authority.
Unlike before, a hollow laugh followed the weary tone. Yes, he had said that. The god would help Rubel because I had to help the god. Rubel had to head to the capital as soon as he resolved matters in Biban, and I…
Unconsciously, I placed my lips on the child’s temples.
Peck, peck. After two kisses, Rubel lifted his head and looked at me.
Rubel’s pale face was devoid of any expression, making me deeply anxious and restless. Not knowing what to say, I held my breath, and the child bumped his forehead against mine. Even his mischievous gesture failed to elicit a smile.
“Why are you looking at me like that?”
“…It’s just.”
When I couldn’t answer immediately, the child spoke in a forlorn voice.
“Father was… a good Emperor. He wasn’t a good father.”
“….”
“Normally, we could only see Father one day out of three. Usually, I would have him in the morning, Richard during lunch, and Lucilla in the evening. Occasionally, messengers would arrive with urgent news, but we could still spend three hours together.”
“….”
“Three hours in three months. Can you believe it? Even an Academy elective professor would be seen more often. Mother could barely see Father except on official occasions.”
I watched silently, holding my breath. Rubel’s eyes slowly contorted.
“…And yet, I… quite enjoyed the time I spent with him.”
“….”
“Was it admiration for a powerful being? Was it because of the grand title of Emperor? Or was it simply the bond of blood? Perhaps it was because everything I had – the rare food I ate, the fine clothes I wore – came from him… contemplating such things, at times…”
“….”
“I thought… that I resembled Father greatly.”
“…In what way?”
“Well… I don’t easily trust people, nor do I easily like them.”
Rubel let out a hollow laugh.
Rubel had close friends with whom he playfully bantered, and seniors he could ask for favors. He had a younger brother who always argued with him, and professors who were particularly fond of him. Yet, Rubel’s voice sounded nothing but profoundly lonely.
I pulled Rubel’s broad shoulders closer and embraced him again. The child laughed, his composure crumbling.
“You heard about the Ranunculuses Father sent before, right? How he confined Richard and suspected me.”
“…Yes.”
“It’s understandable. Father became Emperor after killing his two younger brothers.”
I couldn’t even breathe.
Beneto Loki Sheeran was the legitimate son of the previous Emperor.
He lived his entire life as the head of a mighty empire. Beneto Loki Sheeran became Emperor at eighteen. He married Princess Floyd III at nineteen. After bearing one child, he was widowed and took a second wife, with whom he had two more children.
That was all I learned at the Academy.
I had never once considered that Beneto might have siblings. I only knew that the support from the Floyd Kingdom, the birthplace of his first wife, and the strong backing of the Roklem Marquessate, his maternal family, played a significant role in his ascension.
“Father… thought the three of us would be the same. And he was obsessed with elevating his own majesty. He worked hard to ensure Richard and I would obey him. I generally obeyed, but in my heart… I thought he was a bit… foolish.”
“….”
“He couldn’t truly connect with any of us, and just keeping us alive wouldn’t satisfy any of us, so he should have chosen one early on. Since one of us was going to die anyway, he was doing pointless work…”
“….”
Not knowing what to ask, I closed my mouth.
Rubel rubbed his forehead against my chin. The child’s voice became damp. The distance was so close I couldn’t look at Rubel’s face. Was he crying? Or was it just his breath that was slightly moist?
What did it matter? Rubel was grieving.
I wrapped my arms around Rubel’s shoulders. Rubel wrapped his arms around my waist and burrowed in, murmuring continuously, as if he were organizing his thoughts rather than trying to tell me something.
“…Before, I mentioned that the Sierran Emperor’s throne is protected by divine magic. That the Sierran Emperor cannot be killed by assassination.”
“…Yes.”
“Yet, there was an Emperor who took his own life at twenty-three.”
“…Yes.”
He was speaking of the time of the Shiaren Great Reform. I blinked slowly.
“I think… what killed Father wasn’t a sword or poison, but a certain situation. How, and why, did that arrogant man choose death himself? Was Richard worth it? What did Richard say to Father?”
“….”
Rubel lifted his head.
The child’s eyes were not wet at all.
“Or is this, too, because of love?”