REFDL 108

He didn’t look completely unlike the boy, but if one asked who the child resembled more, it was definitely the Second Prince. The emperor wanted to scream.

He was already doing so inside. He cursed and blamed himself for coming down here. His agitation showed on his face.  And Odan, who had been staring in a trance since the emperor stood before his cell, quickly noticed the change.

Even the subtle colors of that change.

“Your Majesty. Do you hate me?”

“What?”

“My identity isn’t known yet. Do you already hate me?”

“…Why do wouldn’t it be known? You’re the traitor’s son.”

“That… we don’t know that yet. What if I’m Your Majesty’s son? How can you say such things?”

At that moment, Tortan felt a rage so intense that his vision dizzied.

He felt a murderous intent so strong he wanted to open the bars and strangle the boy.

Odan turned pale and stepped back hesitantly.

Tortan closed his eyes.

He gasped for breath, somehow regaining his composure.

A deathly silence followed.

A sound like the squeak of an insect rang out from somewhere, piercing the silence that seemed to have weight.

It was very small, but it was still clear.

“Ugh.”

Odan’s reaction was violent.

The child immediately covered his ears with both hands and sank to his seat. Tortan raised his eyebrows.

The child, who had been like that for a moment, slowly removed his hand from the piercing gaze and sat up again.

“Your Majesty… you heard, right? Down here in the basement. It seems like a, a monster lives there.”

“…Ha.”

Tortan lost his energy.

As he watched the terrified remains of the Second Prince, ​visit our site​the whole thing felt like a waste of time.

“You heard it just now!”

“What, should I hold your hand while you sleep?”

Odan’s face suddenly turned red.

“No, it’s not that! There’s a monster under the imperial palace’s basement…!”

“Did you think I’d move you to a better cell if you said that?”

“…No. That’s not it! I just think something’s here!”

“It’s probably just a ghost’s lingering grudge. You’ll become one soon, so you don’t need to be afraid.”

Tortan was arguing with a ten-year-old child.

On the other hand, Odan shut his mouth. A coldness that didn’t belong to a child covered his pale face, as if he had never been flustered.

“…Your Majesty is different from the Duke.”

“Why mention Kaelus all of a sudden? Ah, right. He looked after you. I should’ve punished him for deceiving the emperor. I’ll thank you. You reminded me of something I completely forgot.”

“.….”

“I can guess what ideas he put in your head. Abandon your useless expectations. It’ll be better for you.”

Odan pondered for a moment and nodded.

“Your Majesty’s words are correct.”

It was unexpected. Tortan thought the boy would resist. He wondered what the kid was scheming.

Odan remained calm. The boy’s blue eyes didn’t shake anymore.

“To be honest, yes. I was hoping. I prayed fervently, like a moth drawn to a flame, even though I knew the odds were slim. Since being trapped here, I’ve been even more fervent. As you can see, there’s nothing worth doing here.”

“…..”

But I met Your Majesty in person… I certainly don’t need to do that anymore. It was a waste of time.”

“…What?”

“I don’t want a father like you either.”

Tortan gasped. He staggered backwards as if he’d been stabbed in the spleen by a spear. And then, belatedly, his stomach churned.

“You cheeky brat. You should know your life depends on my mercy. Do you want [visit our site]me to drag you out and behead you right now?”

The boy’s face turned pale. He only pretended to be confident. In truth, Odan had been trembling like an aspen tree since the moment the word ‘grudge’ came out of Tortan’s mouth.

“…What if I… what if I’m really Your Majesty’s son?”

Tortan paused. He’d been so good at rambling up until now. Hearing that question again left him speechless and breathless.

The answer, which was forced out, fell down in front of Odan.

“That can’t be.”

The boy had fully anticipated the answer.

He laughed, his voice cracking. Tears welled up in his blue eyes, untainted by the darkness. Odan sobbed quietly. At the same time, he glared at Tortan.

Tortan felt an inexplicable sense of distance. He felt like a traveler who realized he took the wrong path only after he reached his destination.

…And there was only one reason for such a feeling. The emperor’s heart dropped in his stomach, and he hesitated for the first time.

“You…”

Odan didn’t want to hear more. He turned and ran to the old bed in the corner. He dived in and pulled the dirty sheet over his head. The small mound of blankets shook.

Soon, sobbing sounds began to be heard.

Tortan felt so lost in the mud that his stomach began to ache. His anger wasn’t directed at the boy, but at himself.

‘…What am I doing here?’

Why did he come down here in the first place? He was so sure the child was the Second Prince’s son. What was he looking for?

Tortan, who had been biting his lip and glaring at the mound, suddenly turned around. But after only a few steps, he turned around, stopped at the end of the passage, and hesitated for a long moment before the stairs leading up.

It took him forever to reach his office.

The messy desk was clean now. He grabbed his quill as if nothing happened. But he couldn’t focus on work.

“…Ha.”

He cursed and called for a mage.

A magical messenger bird flew through the window, sucking up enough mana to make the mage stagger.

He knew it was a waste of time, but he couldn’t help it, he couldn’t resist the urge.

The emperor ordered the dragon and knight, who were already crossing the sky by the shortest route, to return as quickly as possible.

***

The capital’s atmosphere was like thin ice after the Founding Festival. People talked about war whenever they met. Most expressed concern, and some cursed Denos.

Thanks to the forest, the soldiers on the border, who had been somewhat lax, were now more disciplined.

The soldiers watched the forest in shifts, and had some nightmares of Denos’s army suddenly rushing through the forest.

Yuram and Kaelus arrived at the capital around this time. Yuram returned a full day earlier than when he had set out for the islands.

It was one day out of three.

Even the Kremlis was exhausted. He stumbled down to the duke’s mansion, snapping two garden trees. His tail brushed against the head of a gargoyle statue, ripping it off. The mansion’s maintenance employee screamed, but it received little attention.

The mage Odan came running, and Donon, crying, went to find the dragon healer first.

The commotion caused almost everyone in the mansion to pretend not to hear anything and wander around the backyard.

While they were happy to see the return of the owner of the mansion and the Kremlis, they were also worried about the condition of the precious dragon.

Meanwhile, one of the servants quietly turned around in front of the wall.

He appeared calm on the outside, but inside he was burning. The information he’d heard was different. …Which meant the information he’d directly relayed to the outside world was wrong.

The servant quietly left the mansion.

Kyaa!

The Kremlis’s whining could be heard from afar. Just hearing it was irritating, but it was still a relief.

The dragon’s dramatics drew the whole mansion’s attention.

The servant took out his clothes, hidden in an old box in an alley a short distance from the mansion, and changed into them. He went outside and caught a carriage.

The destination was a wealthy neighborhood in the capital where wealthy merchants mainly resided.

***

Although it was not comparable to the mansions of the nobles, the streets of the wealthy district were neat and the mansions lined up were grand, as befitting the wealthy.

The servant pushed open the side door of a mansion, which seemed particularly quiet. The door was open.

As soon as he entered, a blade was thrust down his neck. The servant swallowed dryly, but he had become accustomed to it, and didn’t collapse and wet himself like he had the first time.

The knight, having confirmed the face, took back his sword and nodded.

The servant swallowed dryly and headed into the mansion across the half-jungle garden.

The interior, like the unkempt exterior, was shabby. However, several spaces were clean and well-maintained, offering a sense of life.

There were bedrooms, an indoor training room attached to an annex, and an office.

Squeak.

However, there were some minor wear and tears that couldn’t be helped, and the hinges on the office door made an uncomfortable sound every time it was opened.

The temporary owner of the mansion left it alone on purpose. He liked the sound it made, like a broken violin, which was both pitiful and eerie. … … In any case, he couldn’t understand the mindset of those in power.

“Is it so important that you have to come here without any notice?”

“……that.”

He thought it was important.

When he actually had the man in front of him, he couldn’t answer ‘yes’ to his question.

The servant shut his mouth, swear running down his spine. The man didn’t press for an answer.

He leaned against the windowsill and turned the round glass door back and forth under the sunlight.

He concentrated on the paperweight as if he was doing something very important.

The scattered light stained the worn floor, the outdated ivory stolen content statue, and the green vine-patterned wallpaper white.

What was in the paperweight was a tooth.

A canine.

The species was unknown, but it was a dragon hatchling’s milk tooth.

Thump!

The man’s left leg suddenly jerked up, as if protesting something it didn’t like. The man, the owner of the leg, staggered while glaring at his own leg.