Interlude, in the Empire
The knight was sharpening his sword.
His expression was one of unparalleled gloom.
Was it because the target he must cut down with that keenly honed blade was a friend? Or was it simply that he had grown weary of swinging the sword itself?
Whatever his dilemma, it changed nothing.
The knight only sharpens the blade.
Because that is all he can do.
He may be relegated to sharpening his sword now, but there was a time when he was a man of prominence.
He served as a guard to the Emperor of the Empire, or more precisely, as an overseer of the Emperor’s daughter. But that was all the same to him. It was an easy enough task to earn money and honor steadily.
Who would dare to touch the Empire’s princess?
Would anyone threaten the future leader of the mightiest nation?
In a way, it was an incredibly easy assignment.
Of course, there were forces that sought to assassinate the future leader. Yet, there was no one whose strength surpassed that of the man. The mediocre abilities of the riffraff could not penetrate his defenses.
Except for one person.
He was a friend to the man.
He was a friend to the princess.
He was a friend to the princess’s fiancé.
And so, the man let his guard down.
And the princess suffered a grievous wound.
The source of the wound was the princess herself, but the Emperor didn’t care about that.
After all, it was the man who had failed to protect her.
As a result, the man was dismissed from his role as the princess’s guard. To be precise, he was reassigned to a special mission and had to step down, but given the nature of the position, it was a humiliating order nonetheless.
Now all that remained for him was the mission to bring back the head of his runaway younger sibling and his friend. Honor and money had long since been put aside.
To maintain whatever loyalty was left, for the sake of his family, he must sharpen his sword.
There was no room for questioning.
He must save whatever can be saved, by any means necessary.
Despite the heavy atmosphere, the immediate mission was surprisingly simple.
Stay in the capital and wait. Then, when the target appears, sortie and intercept.
But the chances of him, who was wanted nationwide, reappearing in the capital were slim to none; he might never see him again.
“Flan… where the hell are you, what are you doing…”
Yet, he couldn’t shake the ominous feeling.
The man had always done things beyond conventional reasoning.
Perhaps it was that thought that caused even his hardened expression to leak a sense of unease.
After all, he had said a grand farewell.
He had sent him off with expensive gifts.
So why?
“…Sigh.”
There were concerns, but no torment.
In the room, only the sound of the sword being sharpened resonated deeply.
Thud, thud.
In the midst of this, suddenly, the door burst open.
The one who appeared, opening the door, was the runaway younger sibling.
Living like a complete delinquent, then having manners drilled into her by someone and her behavior corrected, that was my younger sister. She left home declaring she’d become a knight, and her whereabouts became unknown. Recently, she crawled back home, claiming some incomprehensible job had gone under.
It was Nico.
Though she had returned home, we hadn’t spoken much recently. She used to be talkative, but for some reason, she had become silent. Moreover, it was rare even to see her face. If I tried to strike up a conversation, she’d quickly leave the room, and she often came back late at night.
The reason she was avoiding me… it was probably because of Flan. He’s the popular topic of the day.
But not in a good way.
Anyway, what could Nico possibly want now?
Did she get into a fight?
In the past, she often got into trouble for beating people up. Now that she’s back, little by little, her old habits are showing… Could it be that she couldn’t hold back anymore?
“What, did you cause some trouble? You hardly ever talk, and now you have something to say?”
“…A message.”
Nico replied curtly and pulled out an item. What my sister brought was a paper wrapped elegantly. It looked like something sent from the royal palace. Then, she tossed it onto the floor and left, disappearing into the darkness beyond without even closing the door.
I stared blankly at the space she had occupied, then regained my composure. I placed the sword I had been sharpening on the nearby desk and bent down to pick up the paper.
Indeed, it was from the royal palace.
The content was also something the palace would send.
Head to the Dragon Kingdom.
The message was brief.
There was no indication of what to do, not even a deadline. Most of it was blank, filled with white space. As if to say, just camp out in the Dragon Kingdom until the time comes, and if you happen to meet the target, Flan, handle it well. It seemed to imply that.
Dragon Kingdom.
A nation located in the northwest of the continent.
The number of humans who enter the Dragon Kingdom is limited. It’s unlikely Flan could enter there, so why send me?
More importantly, the Emperor has been headed to The Great Forest for some time now. Even if he changed his course and turned back, it would take weeks more to arrive, so how could the imperial command have reached me so soon?
The Emperor had said he would camp and wait in The Great Forest. Diplomatically, it’s difficult to enter the forest, and there’s a high chance of losing him inside, so he was supposed to stay near the exit for a while.
As I pondered these questions and examined the paper, an unexpected answer was found.
The person who sent the imperial command wasn’t the Emperor, but the Prime Minister, Louis. A loyal servant who had managed the empire since ancient times, and still a living dragon of the empire.
If Louis vouches for my identity, then I can enter the Dragon Kingdom.
She is a dragon, after all.
Although she stands with humans, as a dragon, there’s no problem.
If Louis is involved, all questions are answered.
Why I must enter the Dragon Kingdom is still unclear, though.
Given the dragon’s long lifespan, it must have its own thoughts on the matter. Well, if there’s a chance to meet Flan there, then so be it.
Nicola seemed to want to meet Troka on his own terms.
The world should be at peace with the Demon King dead, yet it’s more chaotic than ever.
The next emperor is receiving treatment for mental instability, barbarians are stirring in the north, and one of the Tower of Magic’s key figures has gone missing. Moreover, the saintess has been abducted by a vile criminal, and her death wouldn’t be surprising at this point.
Because of this, signs of rebellion are emerging everywhere.
For the empire, which must manage a vast territory, it’s a headache. There are even kingdoms within it that are taking advantage of the chaos to demand independence, naturally causing a great deal of stress.
To make matters worse, rumors have spread from the eastern part of the continent that the hero was a lackey for the Demon King’s army.
Nicola, who had faced the hero directly, naturally didn’t believe it, but those hearing the information for the first time might find it credible.
Moreover, the hero was summoned by the empire and the Holy Imperial Court.
The chaos accelerates.
At first, I thought maybe the Demon King’s forces had spread the rumor. Instead of announcing the hero’s death, they tarnish his reputation. By doing so, they erode the trust humanity had in the hero, who was on their side… that sort of thing.
Since the eastern part of the continent is close to the Demon Continent, it seemed plausible enough.
Anyway, such chaotic times must be brought to an end as soon as possible, for the sake of the world, for the sake of the nation.
And to do that… I might need the head of a friend.
It doesn’t have to be his head specifically; securing his person would suffice, but considering his recent actions, he doesn’t seem likely to be captured easily. So, some level of resolve is necessary.
Sigh…
Why on earth would he do such a thing?
I don’t know much about Flan’s background, but he must have had his reasons for doing what he did.
I can’t fathom why he would do such a thing.
After all, our relationship has become such that there’s no turning back.
I don the helmet that’s been stuck in the corner of the desk. Then I suit up in the dusty heavy armor in advance. Normally, I would have opted for light armor, but since I’m going to rent a carriage, the weight doesn’t matter.
That’s it for the departure preparations.
I immediately leave the house.
“I’m off.”
Even though there’s no one to hear, I say it anyway.
When I left the house, I surprisingly felt no emotion. No fear of having to kill a friend, no terror of possibly dying myself. It would be more accurate to say I couldn’t feel anything.
Flan is weak.
At least, the Flan I knew up to now was weak.
That doesn’t mean I’m without fear. Still, he was active in the hero’s party and survived until the Demon King was killed. The hero might be dead, but Flan is alive. The one who’s alive is the strong one.
But why don’t I feel any emotion?
It’s as if someone is forcibly infusing me with courage.
It’s a feeling, like I won’t lose to anyone.
It’s better not to have such arrogance. In battle, this kind of thing only leads to mistakes. It’s the typical trait of those who get careless at crucial moments and end up dead.
Well, it doesn’t matter.
If it’s that damned Flan I’m up against, it’s okay to have some of those feelings.
If I get careless and let him slip away.
Well.
That’s that.
There’s one thing I personally regret. If it weren’t for my slip of the tongue, the emperor would have tried to protect Flan.
He would have been found out eventually, though.
Why did I have to come here first?
Damn Flan.
Please, let’s not run into each other this time.
The empire’s sky I look up at after a long time is ashen. It’s not the difficult-to-look-at darkness of night, nor is it the day filled with happiness and joy. Just a featureless ash. It was merely a gray sky.
The sky signaling my departure was that color.
Time to go.
With a bitter smile I force down.
Along with a sharp sword.
Nicola heads towards the Dragon Kingdom.
