Chapter 69: The Turning Wheel

1: Emperor, war, continental conquest, Demon Realm, surveillance, goddamn it…!

Back at the Count’s mansion, I slammed my face onto the desk in my office, muttering curses under my breath.

To think I have to go back to that place crawling with lunatics!

I couldn’t defy the Emperor’s order, but my resolve wasn’t strong enough to spend my life fleeing from both the Emperor and the Demon King. So, with hollow eyes, I finally raised my head.

‘Guess I should pack my bags.’

The thought of having those walking time bombs around me again already made my stomach churn, but what could I do? My opponents were the Emperor and the Demon King, after all. Hahaha. Hahahaha.

……Shit.

“Ugh…”

“Excuse me, Master?”

……?

“I heard you returned and came to see you… Are you unwell?”

A man with features uncommon in this region peeked through the doorway, cautiously observing me.

Black hair and black eyes. He looked more like someone from the south than the north.

If I remember correctly… his name was Dan? He followed me from the sorcerer’s village to learn swordsmanship… But why? Is something wrong?

“No, I’m fine. What is it?”

I immediately straightened up, acting as if nothing was wrong. My reaction seemed to surprise him, as he hesitated for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.

His lips parted hesitantly, words filled with reservation.

“Um…”

“Count!”

Oh, dear. He seemed to have steeled himself to speak.

I clicked my tongue inwardly at the interruption, turning my gaze towards the abruptly intruding servant.

I didn’t scold him. His pale face tugged at my sympathy. If I reprimanded him on top of everything else, he might just die of a heart attack.

Besides, the staff at my mansion always tried their best to maintain proper etiquette around me.

So, for him to forget his manners, something truly significant must have happened.

……Damn it.

“Y-Your, Your, Your Highness…”

“Your, what?”

“His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!”

Oh, the Crown Prince? See, I told you it was something big.

Wait a minute.

……The Crown Prince?!

“What does he want now?!”

“Eek!”

Why did he come without any notice again!

I slammed my hands on the desk and shot to my feet. Throwing on a coat to maintain some semblance of decorum, I glanced at the servant beside me, who was panicking and muttering ‘I’m sorry’ like a mantra.

“Where is His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“I’m sorry! Ah? No, uh, he’s in the reception room. The butler is attending t-to him…”

No wonder Rememver wasn’t the one reporting. The visitor was the Crown Prince, after all.

Without hearing the servant out, I quickly strode away.

The existence of Dan, who was still behind me, eyes darting around as he observed the situation, completely slipped my mind.

***

“Deon Hart greets the future of the Empire.”

“My apologies for the sudden visit.”

“Not at all.”

Crown Prince Elpidius offered a faint smile as he observed Deon Hart, the honorary Count, who remained composed despite the unexpected arrival.

He, too, was more collected than usual today.

Understandably so, considering the sensitive nature of the topic he was about to broach.

“I hear you’re heading to the Demon Realm?”

……

Deon’s eyes flicked around the room for a split second.

Confirming their privacy, his gaze returned to the Crown Prince. Crimson eyes met golden ones.

He studied the guarded red eyes for a moment before his own golden eyes softened with a smile.

“There’s no need to look so concerned. Did you think I wouldn’t know your secret?”

……

“I am the future Emperor. Given my age, it’s more likely I’ll inherit the throne due to an unforeseen event concerning His Majesty, rather than through the standard succession. Therefore, it’s only natural that I thoroughly prepare myself to lead the Empire seamlessly, whenever that day comes.”

In other words, the Emperor was sharing all critical information with him.

“……My apologies.”

“Nonsense. It would be strange if you weren’t wary.”

Anyway—

He leaned back against the chair, crossing his legs.

“The reason I’m here is partly to convey a message from His Majesty, and partly to see your face.”

……

“A face I won’t be seeing for a while, so I might as well get my fill now.”

It sounded like the opposite of the truth, but it wasn’t.

Honorary Count Hart would have handled things perfectly well without this message.

Elpidius, aware of his exceptional intellect, felt even more confident in his assessment and spoke leisurely.

“As you likely know, His Majesty ordered you to return immediately if the Demon King decides on war.”

“Understood.”

“No matter what.”

……

“He emphasized your absolute return.”

Deon stared intently at the Crown Prince.

His red eyes, impossible to decipher, held an unnerving stillness as they focused on Elpidius.

This time, Elpidius didn’t avert his gaze. His golden eyes, sharp like a predator’s, met the intense stare head-on.

After a moment of silence, Deon was the first to yield.

“……I will keep that in mind.”

Despite the obedient answer, his eyes gleamed strangely.

The Crown Prince silently watched as the intensity in his eyes was lowered and concealed before rising from his seat.

“We are forever grateful for your efforts.”

***

Elpidius was intensely interested in Honorary Count Deon Hart.

This interest held both positive and negative connotations.

Who was Deon Hart, after all?

The man simultaneously burdened with unfavorable titles and praised as a ‘hero’, the one who stood against the Demon King and recovered the Hero’s body.

‘Moreover,’

He was a commander in the Demon King’s army.

Yes, the Empire’s hero and a commander in the Demon King’s forces.

Therefore, as the future Emperor, Elpidius needed to understand him thoroughly.

Swinging a sword without knowing it well could lead to self-inflicted injury.

‘I’d prefer a friendly relationship over a forceful one.’

Bonds of loyalty were a stronger shackle than any chains.

He didn’t know the Emperor’s thoughts, but Elpidius always considered the possibility of Deon Hart’s betrayal.

Given that most of his foundation lay here, the chance was slim, but if the other side offered benefits and an environment that surpassed the ‘Human Realm’…

“Brother! Did your meeting with Count Hart go well?”

……Aletea.

“And you left me out.”

I wanted to see the Count too—.

His thoughts broke off there. Elpidius, wearing a warm smile, quickly approached his sister.

“It was important business, so it couldn’t be helped. Maybe you should have become the Crown Princess.”

“That sounds like too much trouble. It suits you better, Brother.”

He instructed the following servant to prepare a tea table in the garden and walked towards it with Aletea, matching her pace.

Guiding her naturally, he made sure no one else was around before lowering his voice.

“Aletea, after Father and me, it’s your turn.”

“I know. That’s why I’m learning everything I need to. Why are you so anxious, Brother?”

……

Was I being anxious?

Elpidius fell silent, feeling as though she had hit a nerve.

Thinking about it, he had been feeling increasingly anxious recently.

The Revolutionary Army, guided by Honorary Count Hart, had been wiped out without revealing their base, yielding no significant results. And now, with the Revolutionary Army still intact, Father had declared war.

Moreover…

His silence seemed to have stretched on, as they had already arrived at the garden.

Elpidius sat at the prepared tea table, making sure everything was in order before slowly parting his tightly pressed lips.

The biggest issue fueling his anxiety.

“Father is experiencing hallucinations.”

The Emperor’s condition was worse than he had anticipated.

He had known the Emperor was suffering from nightmares. He had tried to call the royal physician, but his uncle’s firm refusal left him with no choice but to observe.

But he hadn’t expected it to escalate to hallucinations.

Then again, perhaps it was inevitable, given the length of time the nightmares had persisted.

The Emperor’s nightmares had begun when he ascended to the throne. They had worsened dramatically during the eight-year war.

‘So it has come to this…’

When exactly did it start?

No, ‘when’ wasn’t the important question. What mattered was his own ‘action’ of not calling the physician, despite knowing.

Guilt washed over him. But he still couldn’t bring himself to call the physician.

“What? No, since when… No, before that, the physician, did you call the physician?!”

“Uncle refused.”

“That doesn’t mean we can just let it be!!”

“How can I go against Uncle’s stubbornness?”

What were mere dead people compared to his living uncle, who was infinitely more precious to him? He had visited him again during the day, attempting to persuade him once more. He had tried.

But his uncle was resolute.

“I can’t do anything about Uncle’s obsessive sense of responsibility.”

“You should call it what it is. It’s not responsibility, it’s guilt.”

“Yes, guilt.”

More accurately, it was a maddening combination of guilt and responsibility.

Elpidius sighed quietly, remembering his uncle’s desire to bear responsibility even for the dead, and looked at Aletea, whose expression was unusually stern.

“You understand, Aletea? We don’t have time.”

Delaying action would create larger problems, but there was no harm in being proactive.

From the day he realized the hallucination problem, the Crown Prince had finalized nearly all the handover procedures with the Emperor. This was to ensure a seamless transition and continued governance should any issue arise.

—At least so the Emperor could throw himself into the war without other worries.

Now, only the matter of Deon Hart remained.

Initially, knowing nothing, he had approached him simply as someone trusted by his uncle. Building a friendly relationship as the Crown Prince couldn’t hurt.

However, having been privy to all the information, his perspective had to change.

‘After all, he’s a commander. A double agent.’

Of course, he had continued to approach him casually, as if nothing had changed…

But today, having his perspective shifted and scrutinizing him more closely, something subtly bothered him.

‘More accurately, I’ve found something.’

There was an unsettling aspect to him, something he couldn’t quite define, an odd sense of incongruity. Thinking about this undefined feeling, Elpidius concluded his thoughts.

“……So, Aletea, focus on what you’re learning. I’ll do my part.”

“Given the situation, we should at least try to stop the war…”

“Has our persuasion ever worked before?”

……

Indeed.

As she said, they had tried numerous times to dissuade and stop the Emperor’s self-destructive actions.

If they had succeeded then, things wouldn’t have reached this point.

Aletea’s shoulders slumped.

“……I’ll try…”

If she couldn’t directly help her uncle, she would assist indirectly.

For Aletea and Elpidius, Eudoardo Deserte was a family member they would stand by even if it meant turning the world against them.

[I’m sorry.]

He lifted his head, the memory of his uncle’s voice still vivid in his ears.

Unlike that day, the sky was exceptionally clear and bright.

[It’s my fault. I’ll take responsibility for everything.]

‘No, you don’t have to.’

What difference did it make to answer him in his thoughts now?

Elpidius calmly picked up his cold teacup, responding inwardly to his uncle’s voice, a voice that apologized for things he didn’t need to apologize for and tried to take responsibility for things he didn’t need to be responsible for.

Much time had passed since then, and their uncle, in trying to shoulder unnecessary burdens, had ultimately taken on an even greater one.

Back then, they were all young. But in the Imperial Palace, being young was a sin.

──The tea is bitter.