By Zephyria 
“Because of the territory?”
As expected, you understood immediately. I nodded obediently.
I was already acquainted with Vivian Grimbswein, the legitimate daughter of Grimsvein. I didn’t want to simply take away land that belonged to someone else, using Ruben’s love as an excuse.
If I were to ask Ruben about this matter, the child would naturally explain in detail, but I needed to know the truth before being persuaded by Ruben.
While I was serious, Wilton Roberts chuckled.
“You should do as the Emperor commands.”
“I know very well that Ruben is smarter than I am. However, if the child were to do something wicked for my sake, I would try to reason with him. At least he would pretend to listen to me…”
“Hmm.”
“What do you know?”
“You know that the Duchy of Grimesbane is still suffering from the Monster Infestation, don’t you?”
Was he simply trying to use my strength as an excuse? I had thought of that too.
“Yes. But now that I’ve returned, and the number of Knights is sufficient, reclaiming the territory won’t be difficult. The Duchy of Withrow has been experiencing vibrant days even after facing multiple Monster Rushes. Grimsvein can surely regain peace in the same way.”
“In theory, yes.”
“…In theory, you say?”
“It would be best to hear this directly from Vivian Grimbswein. She is currently not free to go out, so I will ask if she is willing to meet you and let you know. Shall I send Ranunculus to the Imperial Palace? I can help you keep your meeting with Grimsvein a secret from the Emperor if you wish.”
She couldn’t go out freely.
What on earth could have happened? Worry surged within me. However, there was no need to create secrets with my child. Without much thought, I shook my head.
“No. It’s fine if Ruben knows, so please convey my regards to the Imperial Palace.”
“Yes, I will. …So, how was your battle with the god?”
The old saying goes, “You shouldn’t even step on your teacher’s shadow.” How could I show off my skills in front of my teacher?
I rambled on about how the Ninth God I faced kept escaping using portal magic instead of stealth, how I initially used proper swordsmanship, how it was based on Imperial Swordsmanship but I was clumsy with footwork, how he used my attacks against me by reflecting them, and how I was badly caught in a cowardly trap but managed to win somehow.
Wilton, knowing I wasn’t good with words, didn’t blame me for my insufficient explanation.
Instead, he asked about something else.
“Did you have no memories at all as Wesley Kiadris?”
“…That.”
I was speechless.
Roberts sat there again with a calm expression, just like at the beginning.
After all, this had already been revealed at the Imperial Council meeting in the past. For Professor Roberts, who was close to Ruben, reading a few reports would have been easy. Yet, he wanted to confirm it with me directly.
I didn’t know what kind of feelings Wilton Roberts had for Wesley Kiadris. I hesitated, unsure of how to answer.
Roberts clicked his tongue and murmured in a lower voice.
“I thought something was strange.”
“What was… strange?”
“Before ascending the Yuil Mountains, Wesley Kiadris disliked me intensely. But when I met him again after he became an adult, he greeted me quite warmly. I just thought he had become more sophisticated as he grew up… I never imagined I was greeting a revenant.”
“Ah.”
He didn’t seem particularly upset, though.
I had heard a few times that Wesley Kiadris was a diligent and decent fellow during his time at the Academy. I felt a renewed sense of pity for his life.
Wilton Roberts spoke calmly, as if he had simply witnessed something curious, but would Maelo Sanson and the other professors be the same?
In the end, instead of answering, I asked a question first.
“How many people know Wesley Kiadris’s true identity?”
“For now, about the top 30% of the Imperial Nobility Yearbook organization know. The rest believe that Wesley Kiadris was a minion of the Ninth God who seduced Richard.”
“…Um, Professor Sanson, did you…”
“Maelo Sanson? He’s far from the Nobility Yearbook department. He’d know the latter.”
Ignorance is bliss. Maelo Sanson would surely ask about the battle with the god too, and I resolved firmly not to mention Wesley Kiadris then.
Once that name came up, more questions followed one after another.
“…Um. Um, perhaps…”
“Perhaps what?”
“Did Wesley Kiadris have a friendship with the First Prince before ascending the Yuil Mountains?”
“No.”
The Ninth God had said something like Richard and Wesley’s friendship was what bound the First Prince to him. Was Richard lying to the god then? But it was none of my business what happened between them.
Thinking of how he coveted Ruben made my stomach churn again. I stopped my pointless thoughts and gulped down the tea in front of me. Wilton Roberts treated me very kindly.
“It’s all over now, so it’s best not to worry about them anymore. If you need to contact me when I’m not at the Academy, send a telegram to this address. I can usually check it within 30 minutes.”
“…Yes. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. These things are rather amusing.”
I took the slip of paper he handed me. Number 35, address 11. Could I meet him by going there directly, rather than sending someone? It was hard to say. Wilton Roberts, who always acted discreetly, wouldn’t have easily revealed his home address.
After asking about other matters for a while longer, I stood up. It had been a very informative time.
❖ ❖ ❖
On my way back to the Imperial Palace, I found a child.
It was getting dark. The child, who had been crouching deep in an alley, undiscovered by passersby, burst into tears when I picked him up.
Listening carefully to his story, he had seen a stray cat outside the window and, wanting to play with it, had chased after it and gotten lost. The reason for getting lost was endearingly trivial, but the child had wandered farther from home than I expected, so it took quite some time to find his parents.
I had said I’d be back soon, but it was already past eight in the evening.
If I had known, I should have left some kind of message. The Imperial Knights greeted me with their usual smiles, but I was impatient. As I entered the Crystal Palace, a Maidservant informed me that Ruben was still in the dining hall.
At least he was eating. I thought with relief and opened the door, only to freeze.
The food, untouched, had grown cold. Ruben, who was sitting in front of it, looked up with a smile, but my keen Eye Force didn’t miss the emptiness in the child’s expression right after the door opened. My heart ached, and I didn’t know what to do.
I opened my mouth, wanting to offer an excuse, then closed it again.
It was agonizing to look at Ruben’s smiling face, which seemed painted on, so I walked towards him with long strides.
And before the child could say anything, I pulled him into my arms and held him close.
Ruben, who had flailed his hands in surprise for a moment, then grabbed my waist and stopped. In an instant, Ruben’s beautiful eyes met my chest, and it became damp.
“…Why…”
“…”
“Why aren’t you even saying you’re upset?”
“…”
Ruben didn’t answer. He didn’t make a sound of sobbing.
Seeing the child quietly shedding tears without a single disturbance in his breathing made me dizzy, my chest felt like it would burst. I wished he had complained or thrown a tantrum, saying he didn’t like it. Then it wouldn’t have been this terrifying.
What had Ruben been through in my absence? Recalling the fleeting emptiness in Ruben’s eyes, I felt like crying too.
I’ve seen Ruben cry so much since we reunited. I worried greatly and gently stroked his trembling shoulders. I couldn’t imagine how much his insides must have been corroded by all the holding back.
After a long while, Ruben carefully pushed me away, and I took half a step back.
His pale face was flushed red. His eyes, cheeks, and the tip of his nose were all the same.
Hic. I swallowed, trying to regulate my breathing, and watched him. I was so eager to do something that I wrung my hands.
Ruben’s gaze briefly fell on my fingertips before returning to my face.
The child was still smiling awkwardly.
“…You’re back?”
“Yes. I, uh, I’m a bit late. On the way…”
“Mm.”
“On the way, I met a lost child. I thought his parents might be nearby and wandered around for a bit. That’s why I…”
“Yes, I know. If it’s something necessary, you have to do it. I know, Mika. It’s just that right now… because you’re holding me, I felt relieved, so I was just complaining. It’s okay.”
“Ruben.”
“…It’s true. It’s just, ha… I’m not trying to make excuses.”
Ruben wiped his face with his pale hand and smoothed his disheveled hair. His sigh, more than the cool touch of his fingertips, made my shoulders stiffen. The child looked directly at me and smiled brightly once more.
Hiding all his anxiety,
Naturally and cheerfully, in a way I wouldn’t have noticed before.
“I’m really okay, Mika.”
“…”
“I didn’t even realize how much time had passed because I was just thinking for a moment. Should I ask them to reheat the food? It must be tiring if you haven’t eaten dinner and were wandering around. Let’s eat together… and maybe go for a walk. It rained today, so let’s see the greenhouse. And…”
“…Yes. Let’s do that.”
What should I do?
Ruben is acting strange.