By Zephyria 
The Emperor, plunged into shock, fell ill and passed away some time later.
As soon as Beneto Loki Sheeran ascended the throne at the relatively young age of eighteen, Floyd sent their Third Princess, Melatia Floyd. At that time, Floyd had only one reason to readily assist Beneto: Floyd wanted to exert influence over the Sierran Empire through Beneto.
Floyd paid a hefty price to the Marquisate of Roklem. And at that time, Beneto lacked the power to avoid the influence of the Marquis of Roklem. He eventually married Melatia Floyd, a princess from another country without a middle name, not long after becoming Emperor.
At the time, Beneto had no intention of maintaining a proper marital relationship from the start. Plagued by paranoia, he decided to break off the engagement early and find a new Empress himself.
Little did he know he would fall in love with Melatia Floyd.
“…Ah.”
“Melatia, who gave her heart to a devoted bodyguard, couldn’t trust Beneto’s sudden kindness at all, as he had treated her coldly. She knew Beneto had murdered her half-siblings with poison. Melatia, raised to be docile her entire life to obey King Floyd, feared Beneto.”
“…So, keeping her alive was also…”
“He probably intended to kill her at first. But he couldn’t bring himself to do it in the end… That became the poison. I told you I heard this from Beneto’s personal physician.”
“Yes.”
“He said that Melatia still doesn’t know.”
“Know what?”
“That Beneto seduced her with money for her poor love, making her leave.”
“Ha…”
“Beneto… it seems he didn’t like another man being next to the woman he liked. He remarried immediately based on profit and loss, in a cowardly and sinister way. Although Melatia’s misfortune may have started in Floyd, it’s as if Beneto created it.”
Now I understood what Richard must have used to blackmail Beneto. He must have found out about this somehow and blabbed about telling his mother directly.
Unable to punish the legitimate son of Melatia, and unwilling to face Melatia’s resentment now, the weak Beneto chose to escape this life. And Ruben came to resent his father…
“…That’s why he must have tried so hard not to show favoritism to Richard and me. Richard, who lacked the power of his maternal relatives and whose mother left the palace due to an affair, was inferior to me in many ways, so he must have worried I would look down on my brother and kill him early. I didn’t know that…”
“That’s not it.”
“…Not it?”
“Beneto was also cared for by his stepsister when he was young. He might have genuinely wished for Ruben and Richard to look after each other and become loving brothers. If he favored one of them, wouldn’t he have doted on Ruben more than Richard?”
“…What? What do you mean?”
“If she’s this beautiful in my eyes, how much more so in a father’s eyes?”
“…”
After blinking a couple of times, Ruben relaxed his body and leaned against me as if collapsing.
I gently stroked the back of the child clinging to my neck from top to bottom. The child kept sobbing with laughter. My cheeks tickled from Ruben’s laughter. It wasn’t just laughter. Light kisses, like a bird pecking, touched and left my cheeks several times.
Ruben asked again, in a tone that suggested he didn’t believe it at all, but with a voice full of laughter.
“Is that so?”
“Yes.”
“Am I pretty?”
“…Yes.”
“You’re the only one in the world who says that to me, Mika.”
“Aren’t I more honest than others?”
“…I don’t know about that.”
Ruben pushed my shoulder and stood up.
“I know you like me a lot.”
“Yes.”
“…Now go do what you have to do. I’ll be reading over there.”
Still, I was relieved that the child seemed to have cheered up a bit.
I dipped the quill pen thoroughly in ink. The first line on the blank white paper held the thoughts I had cherished for a long time. A will lasts a long time, they say. I don’t want to be remembered as Ruben’s scandal. If I truly cannot return…
“To the one I yearn for.”
Isn’t it enough if only Ruben can understand?
“Please wait for me as long as you wish to wait.
If you grow tired, you may meet someone else at any time.
My affection is entirely yours, from beginning to end,
So please treat it as you please.”
I wrote down what Ruben had told me to say and what I wanted to say together.
Ruben’s behavior, sitting deeply on the couch over there but constantly looking this way, was amusing. When I looked up and met his gaze, he deliberately scowled, putting on a sorrowful expression. A pang of ache shot through my chest.
It’s truly surprising.
Even though I’ve become this strong, I can still be hurt by such small gestures.
And it was also surprisingly delightful. I added another line with a smiling face.
“I love you. Your Michael Ernhardt.”
I had been anxious all this time, unable to write these words. Now, my heart felt a little at ease.
I kept the length moderate, thinking my blood relatives and friends from the previous pages might feel sad.
After waiting for the ink to dry, I blew on it and placed it in a new envelope. With Ruben lending me his seal, it was stamped with the Second Prince’s official seal, making it impossible to tell if it was my will or Ruben’s.
Ruben, who had been standing beside me since I started melting the sealing wax, glared at the envelope.
“Can you see inside by looking at it like that?”
“…You keep smiling suspiciously. What on earth did you write…”
“I just wrote honestly. …Do you have something like this too, Ruben?”
“I do.”
“Does it have my name on it?”
“It does.”
I laughed again. I didn’t press him to reveal its contents.
I just wished that I could clear away anything that would block this child’s path and throw it far away, so that Ruben could live long and happily, always receiving affection and being cherished. I wished for it so earnestly.
❖ ❖ ❖
After finishing lunch, we arrived at the fourth detached palace on the eastern side of the Imperial Palace.
The building, painted a bright white, was six stories high. It resembled an academy dormitory, and with the rather large martial arts training grounds attached to the front and back, it seemed to be a building originally designated for the royal guard to stay in during emergencies. Instead of winding walking paths, a smooth race track that could be run around the building caught my eye. The trees surrounding it were all short.
And a large number of people were gathered in the martial arts training ground in front of the building, murmuring.
Mac Weaber, Samantha Andrei, and Bailey Barton were weaving through the crowd, calling people and pairing them up. As I approached, some of them offered a nod of respect, and I returned it with a slight nod.
“What are you doing?”
“Lord Ernhardt, you’ve arrived.”
Mac Weaber greeted me with a crisp salute.
“Following the Second Prince’s advice, we’ve formed ten groups of ten, with ten mages and seventy knights, each knight assigned to one mage, forming groups of eight. We will complete the group assignments today based on friendships, interests, and combat positions, and begin joint training tomorrow.”
“Hmm.”
“Lord Ernhardt will be in charge of entry and overall command of all personnel, so you will be moving with my group, Group 1. We will escort you with the utmost convenience.”
“…Thank you.”
Is this level of politeness necessary?
The attitude of treating me with such deference felt a little burdensome. I moved to the front seat, guided by Mac Weaber, with a slightly reluctant feeling. Seeing the faces of those present, all familiar, eased my discomfort somewhat.
Mage Boulder, standing with a staff, hugging it with a beaming face, was the first to catch my eye. He kept his mouth shut, but it was obvious he was trying not to get kicked out by not doing anything conspicuous.
Do I seem that cold-hearted? I felt a bit wronged, as I thought I had been quite lenient with Mage Boulder.
Hugh Benson and Elvin Brooks were also here. Hugh Benson, standing somewhat askew, kept his gaze distant, looking around at the people moving and talking, deliberately not looking this way.
Andy Spooner, whom I last saw in the Duchy of Grimesbane, and Leon, a mercenary with whom I had already sparred, were also here.
“You said we’d meet again, and here we are so soon.”
“Since Lord Ernhardt requested my help, I intend to contribute as much as I can.”
“Even though it’s dangerous.”
“I came prepared.”
After a brief greeting and handshake with Andy Spooner,
“When did you become a knight?”
“They said there might be a need for eyes from above, so I volunteered quickly. I was a bit faster than John.”
“Your affiliation?”
“I was dispatched under the name of the Marquisate of Antines.”
Leon also acknowledged me and took care of things.
Were the empty seats for Mac Weaber, Samantha Andrei, and Bailey Barton, who were currently moving among the people and adjusting personnel? Counting them one by one, I asked,
“Is Group 1 the only one with nine people?”
“Lady Bailey Barton is in Group 2. We need coordination with other groups, and since she communicates well with Lady Andrei, she can maintain contact even at a distance from Group 1.”
“Ah.”
“Normally, Mr. Weaber, Ms. Andrei, and Ms. Barton will relay Lord Ernhardt’s orders. I will also do my best to assist.”
Andy Spooner’s voice greatly relieved me.
Aside from my own lack of confidence in memorizing and managing the names and characteristics of so many people in a short period, our mission was different from theirs, so their help was essential.
How effective would a human Combined Formation be against a god?
The knights here would defend against the zombies or Monster Variants that would pour down while I fought Wesley, and would help the mages safely release the seal. Picturing the imminent event, I calmly surveyed the knights, just like Hugh Benson.
Sensing my gaze, the knights one by one offered respectful salutes, following Mac Weaber. Even those who had previously nodded in greeting now acknowledged me whenever our eyes met, which was quite burdensome, but I smiled as kindly as possible each time.
Then, with a nudge, Hugh Benson poked my side.
“…What is it?”
“Nothing.”
“…Yes?”
I looked at Hugh Benson with his indifferent expression, then shifted my gaze back to the knights. It would be good to memorize their appearances, just in case there were spies among them. After all, they were the people I would lead. I focused my Eye Force.