Chapter 178: For You

The Crown Prince studied the Emperor with a hint of suspicion, then followed his gaze to the meat. Understanding dawned on his face, and he nodded slowly.

“True, I’ve heard those who spend long years on the battlefield are sensitive to the smell of blood. We should have the meat well-done from now on,”

…….

Well, that’s not exactly why.

The Crown Prince frowned slightly, asking why he hadn’t mentioned his discomfort sooner. The Emperor simply smiled in response.

The Crown Prince blinked slowly, seemingly relieved. Once the Emperor confirmed that the Princess had finished eating as well, he rang the bell on the table.

Servants cleared the dishes and brought out dessert.

The Crown Prince watched the servants leave the room after setting down the desserts. Once the door clicked shut, he finally spoke.

Knowing the Emperor’s poor appetite, the Crown Prince had waited until dessert to broach a serious topic. Now, he finally posed his question.

“I heard Miller Barony has fallen. And Margrave Amiable was killed in action,”

The news arrived today. Soon, the nobles would hear as well.

The Emperor nodded, a slight frown creasing his brow as he anticipated the tiresome situation to come.

“That’s right,”

“The Demon King’s army is still advancing towards the capital, isn’t it?”

“That’s also right,”

“But… why?”

“Why what?”

Frustration twisted the Crown Prince’s features.

“We should be sending more troops, not pulling them back! Why did you order a full retreat?”

Did he even realize what the Emperor had done while Margrave Amiable bought them time at Miller?

He’d evacuated all Imperial citizens along the direct route from Miller to the capital.

If that was all, he might have understood, but then the Emperor ordered the nobles and soldiers stationed along that path to withdraw as well. The Crown Prince was beyond exasperated.

Knowing their path, we should have concentrated our forces there! What kind of insane decision is this? It’s practically paving the way to the capital!

“Let’s just say… it’s for relocating the capital,”

“Relocating the capital? Now?”

“Most of the preparations are already complete,”

“No, this isn’t something you can do overnight! When did you even…?”

“Who knows?”

The Emperor smirked, propping his chin up with a hand, clearly unwilling to elaborate. The Crown Prince and Princess narrowed their eyes, realizing he wouldn’t answer, but he remained unbothered.

If they asked when he started preparing, the answer would be the moment Deon Hart stormed in, vented his resentment, and stormed out.

‘Of course, he’d been subtly preparing even before then, but things really kicked into gear after that incident.’

As both an apology and a show of respect for Cruel, the Emperor had drawn Deon Hart’s hatred onto himself. It was easy to predict that Deon Hart, fueled by hatred for the Emperor, would fully align himself with the Demon Realm. Which, of course, he did.

It’s only right that those who sow the seeds should reap the harvest.

“I’ve chosen the most suitable location considering the current situation, so there’s no need to worry. Naturally, there’s a villa there suitable to serve as a temporary palace. Once things stabilize, we can gradually expand it,”

“That’s not what I’m upset about!”

“It might not be as grand as Esperance, but it’s a formidable fortress. We’ve stockpiled food, and it’s even designed for farming within its walls. We can withstand a siege if it comes to that,”

A sense of unease flickered across the Princess’s face, and she turned to the Emperor.

He felt her sharp gaze, but the Emperor knew better than to meet her eyes, aware of just how keen her intuition was. He kept his attention firmly fixed on the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince listened, his eyes downcast in thought. Without looking up, he asked quietly,

“When are we moving?”

“Soon,”

“So, the current capital is just bait to buy us time,”

“It’ll be empty by the time they arrive,”

“Even so, shouldn’t we leave some troops behind to slow them down, just in case they advance faster than we anticipate?”

“There are some stubborn holdouts who refused to evacuate. That should be enough of a delay. I don’t want any more pointless sacrifices. Besides, we need to conserve our forces, don’t we?”

“Those few stubborn souls hardly count as troops! What if they break through before we’re fully relocated?”

“You worry too much,”

The Emperor smiled faintly.

“Of course, we’re prepared for that eventuality as well. You have nothing to worry about,”

***

With Tender Amiable fallen, the Demon King’s army advanced like a storm. Despite some losses from his desperate last stand, losses they’d briefly considered replenishing, the Demon King’s army moved forward unopposed.

Each city they reached was deserted, not a soul in sight. The city gates were locked, but that was a minor obstacle. Ladders made short work of the walls.

However,

‘Something’s off.’

Something felt very wrong.

They were heading for the capital; resistance should have been fierce. What was their game?

Deon frowned. Occasionally, they found a few people lingering, but they were merely ‘present,’ not ‘prepared.’ They offered little resistance.

‘A decoy? A trap? Or had they simply given up after Tender Amiable fell?’

He consulted the communication stone, but all he learned was that the path ahead remained deserted. Even Develania was still investigating the reason. He was at a loss.

[By the way, Sir Deon, haven’t you met him yet?]

[Met whom?]

[Ah… guess not yet… Some lunatic deserted, insisting on going to see you, Sir Deon.]

[…….]

The cryptic message lingered in his mind, but he pushed it aside. An unsettling feeling gnawed at him as they continued onward.

“Sir Deon, a city up ahead,”

“……Ah, already?”

They had arrived at the territory where the current Hart family head was said to reside. Deon gazed up at the familiar city walls.

He’d never visited in person, his frail health preventing long journeys, but he remembered seeing it in paintings. As a child, confined to the main Hart mansion, he’d been captivated by the detailed depictions of this beautiful villa.

Deon touched his lips thoughtfully before speaking slowly.

“…The Hart family head is staying here?”

“Yes, they say he’s holed up in the villa, hasn’t fled,”

“That’s… unexpected,”

What was the name of this territory again? He pondered absently, then slowly started walking.

Deon’s sudden move forward startled his men. All eyes followed him. Dan, hand instinctively going to the sword at his hip, hurried to his side.

“Master, it’s too dangerous to go alone…”

“…I’ve been wondering, pre-enchanted items seem to work even within Chen’s territory,”

His adjutant and deputy legion commander, Ed, was usually tasked with paperwork and relaying important news within the Demon Realm back at the Demon King’s castle.

Deon acutely felt Ed’s absence; the man had been so versatile. He turned to the nameless demon general who’d accompanied him instead.

“Any chance you have an item enchanted with teleportation magic?”

“My apologies, Master. There’s a limit to the magic objects can contain. Mana stones are the best conductors, but even they have their limits. That’s why we can only enchant items with minor spells for everyday convenience. Teleportation magic is far beyond that scope,”

“I see,”

Well, he’d figured as much. Not that he’d truly expected anything different. Deon nodded nonchalantly and resumed his walk.

“For a place where the family head is supposed to be, there’s no one on the walls…”

“Master, it could be a trap. We should fall back…”

“Hmm, I’d bet it’s not a trap. More likely they’ve concentrated their meager forces around the villa itself,”

“So, we just scale the walls with ladders and open the gate as usual? But where are you going?”

“I thought I’d open the gate myself this time,”

“……Huh?”

Instead of answering the bewildered question, Deon ordered his demons to hold back and continued forward. Dan hurried after him, but Deon only glanced back, not telling him to stop.

He reached the sturdy city gate and placed his hand on the bricks beside it.

‘Second row from the bottom on the right side of the gate.’

In the long and storied Hart family, secret passages in all Hart territories and mansions were passed down through generations, taught only to the heir.

‘Not even to direct descendants,’ only to the ‘heir.’

Presumably to protect the heir during succession disputes. Those vying for the position were usually brothers or close relatives.

Yet, his father and brother hadn’t turned away the young second son who’d always been lurking around during lessons. Instead, pretending not to notice, they’d brought out an extra chair and continued the lesson as if nothing was amiss.

‘Back then, he’d assumed they’d ignored him because he was weak and insignificant…’

His breath hitched in his chest, as if a stone had settled there. Deon kept his face impassive as he moved along the wall, counting the bricks in the second row.

A sharp throb echoed in his chest, as if shards of that stone had crumbled and pierced his heart.

‘They trusted me.’

They hadn’t just trusted him. They’d wanted to protect him.

That’s why they’d broken tradition and taught the secret passages to the second son, not just the heir. The boy who’d once proudly believed he’d mastered these secrets through his own efforts, not instruction, was now an adult, viewing the past with clearer eyes. He understood.

His learning had only been possible because of their tacit approval.

‘…’

He clenched his jaw, a muscle ticking.

Suppressing his emotions was second nature now. Deon wrestled down the surge of self-directed rage and pried out the 98th brick. It was heavier than expected, and he needed Dan’s help, but it wasn’t a problem.

As the brick slid free, revealing a hidden mechanism, Dan’s eyes widened slightly.

‘Come to think of it, Master is a direct descendant of the Hart family.’

Still, these things were usually only taught to the heir. Who knew he’d know about this?

He’d bitten back his exclamation of surprise, but when Deon pulled the lever on the mechanism, he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Wow…”

As if to prove it was a secret passage for emergencies, the floor slid open silently. Not even a tremor. Stairs silently materialized before them, leading down into a pitch-black tunnel.

Deon brushed past Dan, who was gaping in awe, and felt along the wall of the stairwell as he tossed back a comment.

“Put the brick back in place,”

“Ah, yes,”

Dan quickly shoved the brick back into place and entered the passage. Deon, still feeling along the wall, pressed firmly on something as if he’d found a catch.

The passage entrance closed silently, just as it had opened. In the pitch darkness, not a single ray of light penetrating, he fumbled for Dan’s sleeve and grabbed it.

“Let’s go,”

Silently, Dan glanced down at his sleeve, which was being tugged forward.

A light voice cut through the heavy tension.

“Wish I’d thought to bring a torch,”

“I know the way. Why bother?”

“Just saying, it’s better than stumbling around in complete darkness. …Besides, these secret passages aren’t just in this territory, are they? How do you even memorize the layouts?”

“Because I’ve memorized the secret passages for every Hart territory and mansion. Memorizing them is the first thing heirs do when they begin their formal training,”

“But… Master wasn’t the heir…”

Dan, sensing the shift in Deon’s mood, fell silent.