Chapter 114
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Chapter 114
At that moment, in the Crown Prince's Palace.
"So... Hildegard is working at the Guard Post, and there was contact with those people today?"
"We happened to run into each other at the Medicine Shop today, but it seems they were quite close even when she was at the Guard Post."
Allen's pupils gleamed with a peculiar light as he received his subordinate's report.
"Well, well. An unexpected big catch."
After the New Year Ceremony, he had placed a tail on Lahedis.
Anything would do—he just needed to find something to tarnish House of Edelwein and his honor.
But...
'That bastard quickly noticed the surveillance and shook them off.'
As if he had experienced such situations many times before.
Eventually, Allen changed his target.
To someone weaker than Lahedis—his Achilles' heel, Vivian.
Of course, to avoid repeating the same mistake as with Lahedis, he exercised greater caution with Vivian's surveillance.
And today.
Finally, something worth calling a lead came in.
'So that girl Hildegard was working at the Guard Post.'
Allen had never particularly liked Hildegard, his younger sister born the same year.
From childhood, she had been a constant point of comparison, and she was always offering unsolicited advice about his actions.
'Just a woman, and yet.'
It was laughable how she worried about the people as if she were the Crown Prince herself.
No matter how hard the Imperial Princess tried, the throne would ultimately be his as the firstborn son.
'I thought she would keep her head down after Father scolded her during the flood, but she was quietly building her influence behind the scenes.'
What was he to do about this?
Allen tapped the wine glass in his hand and raised one corner of his mouth.
His subordinate, gauging his mood, carefully opened his mouth.
"Would it not be better to inform His Majesty and have the Imperial Princess withdraw from her Guard Post duties as soon as possible?"
Allen, who had been lost in thought while moistening his throat with harsh whiskey, soon set down his glass as if he had reached a decision.
"No. Leave it for now."
"Then...?"
"If you keep casting a fishing line with a minnow on the hook..."
He set down his empty glass and added:
"...an even bigger catch might bite, don't you think?"
The sound of ice melting in the wine glass echoed quietly through the oppressive darkness, much like his laughter.
* * *
With one clean movement, Dain brought down the massive demonic beast.
The Adjutant watching the scene unconsciously swallowed hard.
'Is this what a hero truly is...'
They had been camping in this forest where blood and slaughter ran rampant for days now.
While everyone grew exhausted, Dain showed no signs of fatigue or wavering.
It was the overwhelming power befitting a man once called a hero—no, still called a hero even now.
But that force which had once inspired only awe now inspired something closer to dread.
"Dain."
The Adjutant, who had been staring blankly at Dain standing like the grim reaper himself amidst the corpses of demons and beasts, snapped back to attention at the Servant's voice.
He accepted the towel the Servant offered and asked a question.
"Any word from the Imperial Palace?"
At that question, the Servant's eyes dimmed with sorrow. The answer seemed clear without needing to be spoken.
Dain regarded the Adjutant and Servant, both silent except for the occasional sigh, before turning his gaze deeper into the forest.
Beyond this dense woodland lay a passage connecting to the Demon Realm.
For now, a barrier still blocked it.
But that barrier would not hold much longer.
'Soon the Emperor will succeed in completely dismantling the barrier.'
The Adjutant, the Servant, and all of the 2nd Knight Order stationed in this forest waited desperately for the Imperial Palace to find a way to restore the barrier.
But it was a hope that would never be fulfilled.
Because the one dismantling this barrier was Emperor Orfen himself.
Dain was holding back the demons and beasts that emerged as the barrier crumbled completely.
As the barrier weakened, demonic air seeped through and demons and beasts spawned with increasing frequency.
I had told Orfen that if demonic beasts appeared frequently in the area, it might raise suspicion, so I would handle it myself, but the real reason was....
'I cannot create innocent victims.'
It was to prevent people from being harmed by demons and beasts.
Yet this endless slaughter brought me no satisfaction.
Even if they are enemies that must be cut down, even if they are beasts beyond reason, when one continues this endless killing....
Everything around me fades away, and only questions remain.
'Who is the enemy and who is the monster?'
For what purpose do I take these lives? By what right?
They too cling desperately to their existence.
"...."
As I gazed with hollow eyes upon that hellish landscape, littered with the corpses of demons and beasts.
"Dad!"
A voice utterly at odds with the scene before me cut through the silence.
I turned instinctively, and there was the answer to that question.
"...Vivian."
Ah, yes. I was....
Enduring all of this for you.
* * *
Vivian distributed the bread she had made among the knights.
Color quickly returned to the faces of the knights who had been in a slump.
"Wow, you really made all of this yourself, Miss? That's amazing!"
"Hehe, it used to be my livelihood, you know. Please eat plenty and have more!"
It was then that Lahedis observed the cheerful knights and Vivian with a cold gaze.
When Vivian's eyes met his, she flashed a radiant smile that reached her eyes.
Lahedis, who had been watching her for a moment, finally let out a soft laugh as if admitting defeat.
'I'm just as bad.'
Vivian was problematic for smiling so defenseless in front of other men, but I was equally afflicted—melting away at a single eye smile like that.
Watching Vivian's shoulders rise with satisfaction, Lahedis picked up one of the breads beside him. It was what remained after distributing them to the knights.
But the moment he was about to take a bite.
"Lahedis, wait! Don't eat that!"
Vivian, who had rushed over urgently upon seeing this, snatched the bread from his hands and placed it back in the basket.
When he looked at her with confusion, Vivian glanced around quickly and retrieved something from the carriage.
"Come over here, Lahedis."
Then she grasped his hand firmly and headed deeper into the forest.
What Vivian held in her hand was a picnic basket.
It was something she had been carrying since he picked her up from the Marquis Estate this morning.
Since all the baked goods had been brought from the Duke's Residence, he had asked what that basket was for, and....
[Oh? This, this is.... Ah! Juice. It's juice.]
It was obvious she was trying to hide something, but he hadn't pressed further.
It seemed she was finally about to reveal what was inside that basket.
Once Vivian reached a secluded spot, she finally presented the entire basket to Lahedis.
"This one is yours."
Lahedis, caught off guard by the unexpected gift, slowly checked inside the basket with a delayed reaction.
What was inside the basket was....
"...Bread?"
And not just any bread—it was heart-shaped bread.
A different shape from what she had given to Dain and the other knights.
Large, plump strawberries decorated the top of the bread beautifully.
It was bread he had never seen when they baked together last night.
"Did you make this separately at home?"
"Yeah. You're my boyfriend, so I wanted to give you something different from everyone else...."
Seeing Vivian mumble without meeting his eyes, embarrassed, a quiet laugh escaped him.
'I could have just let it pass.'
It seemed his complaint yesterday had weighed on her mind after all.
Her feelings toward me were laid bare in that appetizing heart-shaped bread.
Still clumsy and inexperienced, but honest in a way she couldn't hide—that sincerity was endearing.
I could no longer suppress that emotion.
Lahedis pulled the defenseless Vivian into his embrace, restraining the surging feelings within.
Then he buried his face in her small, frozen shoulders from the sudden embrace.
"...What do I do, Vivian."
"Lahedis?"
"I think I'm dying from how much I love you."
Vivian was taken aback.
'All of this over just one piece of bread?!'
I had sensed it yesterday too, but it seemed I had been quite inattentive all this time.
Caught between apology and a tender ache in my heart, I hesitated for a moment before drawing him into an embrace.
Through our connected bodies, I could hear the rapid beating of his heart.
'Lahedis's heart is pounding so intensely....'
Nestled in his large, warm embrace and feeling the rhythm reverberate through every fiber of my being, my chest felt as though it were filled with soft feathers.
But that tranquility was fleeting.
Smack.
Startled by the unexpected softness of his lips brushing against my nape, I turned to face Lahedis.
"What are you―"
In that same instant, our eyes met, and I faltered.
In those eyes fixed upon me, desire rippled like it might overflow at any moment.
"I told you—I'll keep tempting you."
As Lahedis whispered to me, I held my breath.
Somehow, the distance between us had become impossibly close.
Close enough that our lips might brush.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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