--------------- ‌‌‌‌
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------

Chapter 17 ‌‌
Crown Prince Kiaros finished reading the letter and twisted his lips into a wry smile.
"Ha. The Scroll Management Department, is it? That secretary doesn't even know his own department's name correctly."
"The Tower Master wouldn't concern himself with such details either, so expecting the secretary to know is unreasonable."
"And the Tower Master—what's this about an indefinite leave of absence? How can the head of an organization be so irresponsible?"
"I understand your frustration, Your Highness." ‌‌‌
The Aide spoke gently.
"It seems he's been under considerable ‌‌‌strain due to his daughter's situation. The Tower Master has always been difficult, but he was never quite this bad before."
The Aide glanced cautiously at Crown Prince Kiaros before continuing.
"There are so ‌‌many pressing matters demanding your attention right ‌‌now—perhaps it wouldn't hurt to postpone the Scroll Management ‌‌Department issue for the time being?"
"Hmm."
"I understand your suspicions regarding the Scroll Management Department, but the Empress, Your Majesty, has—"
The moment the Aide mentioned the Empress, Crown Prince Kiaros cut him off decisively.
"We'll discuss the Empress later. I don't yet have sufficient evidence."
"However, it is true that many people are suspicious at present."
"I'm aware. See that rumors ‌‌don't ‌‌‌‌spread carelessly—manage this with particular care." ‌‌
With that, Crown Prince Kiaros ended the conversation and slowly walked to his desk, where he sat down.
The desk was ‌already ‌‌piled high with documents—every record related to the Scroll Management Department from the past decade, summoned by his authority.
With the Emperor ‌‌‌‌away in the Western Region for recuperation, his workload was truly staggering.
"First, send a letter to the Magic Tower confirming that the 172 scrolls were indeed written correctly."
Crown Prince Kiaros spoke slowly. The Tower Master's letter had irritated him from the start.
It was an official Imperial communication, yet that arrogant attitude of confidently asserting an error had struck him ‌‌as presumptuous.
Still, the Magic Tower was the only place ‌‌‌he could consult on this matter.
"Include the fact that ‌‌Namia Loapi produced 166 scrolls in a single night."
Previously, he ‌‌hadn't been ‌‌certain enough to add this detail, but now that he'd confirmed it directly, it was information that needed to be included.
After giving his instructions, he slowly reached toward the Scroll Management Department files.
Yet from the very first page, his thoughts drifted elsewhere.
'She was crying so ‌‌‌miserably, though.'
That kind woman who had shown compassion even to an Intern who quit after just one day of work...
"But."
Crown Prince Kiaros paused for a moment before opening his mouth to the Aide.
"Something does ‌seem odd."
"...Yes? The Empress, Your Majesty?"
"No. Namia Loapi."
The Aide's expression showed slight confusion. ‌‌
He tilted his head and replied.
"No, Your Highness? She's a true talent of this age and ‌‌an exemplary civil servant who has helped the Crown Prince twice over."
Crown Prince Kiaros furrowed his brow and ‌‌crossed his arms.
"She seems clever, yet the fact that she's in that department is suspicious."
"Well, perhaps she's the type who struggles with exams. ‌‌‌There are quite a few people like that, actually. It's rather endearing, in ‌‌‌‌a way."
"Her eyes keep shifting rapidly—can a person even do that? It's highly suspicious."
"My eyes change at quitting time too. Isn't ‌‌that normal? A true office worker uses their soul efficiently."
"And her family background isn't ordinary either. Extremely suspicious."
"It's common for someone to become an adopted daughter in a relative's household. She grew up well despite difficult circumstances."
"Moreover, can a person cry so pitifully? It's nothing but suspicious."
"Everyone's ‌‌‌‌tears are sorrowful. She's a mature adult who ‌‌knows how to express her emotions healthily."
"...."
My Aide was capable, but he had one drawback—he lacked a certain perceptiveness.
I stared at my Aide intently.
"...O-of course!"
Fortunately, my Aide had another advantage: given a moment, he could catch on.
"That's my assessment, but Your Highness's wisdom may differ. If you sense something suspicious about Miss Namia Loapi, naturally you should investigate more thoroughly."
Only then did I nod with satisfaction.
"Right. Then find out what happened to that missing Baron—the presumed biological father of Namia Loapi's brother. Locate him by any means necessary."
"Yes, understood."
"This is purely because it's ‌‌‌so suspicious."
"Yes, sir."
"It's not because something keeps bothering me or weighing on my mind."
"Of course not."
"This is absolutely an official investigation, not personal interest."
"Naturally, Your Highness."
My Aide nodded continuously at my words. ‌‌
And with genuine loyalty, he spoke with eager enthusiasm.
"I shall inform the Southern Ravens, who are already busy searching for a certain girl for fifteen years, and have ‌‌‌them immediately investigate the disappearance of her biological father."
The Southern Ravens.
I wasn't comfortable ‌‌‌‌assigning them additional work while they were occupied with other duties.
But Namia Loapi was far too suspicious—I had no choice but to investigate further.
'Wait, hold on.'
As ‌‌‌I was about to return my attention to the documents, I furrowed my brow.
'That girl would be around Namia Loapi's age by now, wouldn't she?'
I began urgently recalling the past.
It was when I was ten years old, during my first Dark Period.
2. Crown Prince Kiaros Polariud's Circumstances
The summer when Crown ‌‌‌Prince Kiaros turned ten.
I departed on a Southern ‌inspection with the ‌‌Emperor. ‌‌
At that time, the Emperor was still in excellent health.
He would even manifest directly as a dragon and annihilate the swarms of monsters raging in the Southern Region all at once.
"I wish I could become twenty-five years old soon, Your Majesty."
Young Kiaros spoke with anticipation upon seeing such an ‌‌Emperor. The Emperor gently smiled and stroked his head affectionately.
"You must first overcome your Dark Period, Kiaros. One day, you too will face a Dark Period."
"Still, if you can just endure that much, it should ‌be fine."
Crown Prince Kiaros, who had been superior to others since birth, did not take the Dark Period seriously.
In his eyes, humans were absurdly weak.
Since Kiaros carried particularly strong dragon-kin blood even among the Royal Family, ‌‌‌he felt this even more acutely.
"I don't know when the Dark Period will come, but ‌‌‌I hope it passes quickly. They say you can't even use aura ‌‌‌‌then and your body becomes very weak. It's literally just wasted time."
"Well, Kiaros. You're still arrogant and immature, so you don't understand, but that's not merely wasted time."
The Emperor ‌‌‌spoke gently to his son, who still knew ‌‌nothing of humility or deprivation.
"You'll learn things as you go through the Dark Period. Experiencing weakness is an experience in itself. In fact, a cocky brat ‌‌‌‌like you might grow significantly ‌more. However, even so..."
Even as he said this, he did not forget to add in a lower voice.
"Kiaros, you must endure the Dark Period well. ‌‌And you must never let the outside world know that you've become ‌‌‌‌far weaker than you think. If you collapse, the Empire collapses."
"Yes, I will keep that in mind."
Kiaros answered lightly. He had heard since childhood that he was the future of the Empire—so often the words had become calluses on his ears.
"But Your Majesty, there's supposedly an enormous library nearby. Would it be alright if I went there tomorrow? I'd like to see some Southern Region swordsmanship texts."
The Emperor had been invited to the Lord's Castle in the Southern Region. Kiaros preferred reading the fascinating collections of the South to making an appearance at this tediously dull place.
"Very well. Since ‌‌‌we don't know when the Dark Period will arrive, go with your guards."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
He had heard the same story for years now, but the Dark Period showed no signs of arriving, and his vigilance had long since faded.
'It's just a library anyway. I hate moving around encumbered like this.'
He wore modest clothes and covered his blonde hair with a hood to conceal his identity as Crown Prince.
He did not consider using his special ability ‌‌‌to alter his appearance, which he kept hidden even from his ‌‌‌family.
After reading several swordsmanship books in the library, his body began to itch for movement again.
'Let me loosen up a bit.'
As he returned the swordsmanship ‌‌‌book to its place, his gaze drifted absently toward ‌‌‌a young girl sitting by the window.
'What is she drawing so intently? She looks quite young too.'
A wide-brimmed hat was pulled down so far that half her face was hidden.
Her hair was carefully pinned up, so her ‌‌‌hair color could not be determined.
She wore only a long skirt that reached her ankles and worn shoes with ribbons.
From this, he could infer that she was a girl.
'She hasn't moved an inch since earlier.'
The girl was intently drawing something on scrap paper from ‌‌‌the library with a cheap quill pen. Squinting, he could see stacks of books related to scrolls beside her.
'Is she interested in magic?'
Kiaros, being dragon-kin, had no interest in scrolls or magic.
He merely thought the child had remarkable concentration.
'Her hands and feet are so small, like a cotton doll. It's curious watching her fidget and write something like ‌‌‌‌that.'
After giving her only that much attention, he headed to the Library Courtyard.
He was just about to swing his sword in the new Southern Region style he had confirmed in the library.
'Huh?'

---------------
Brought to you by Valir Scans! ‌‌‌‌To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
---------------