☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Meanwhile, Erich was surveying the area around the hotel, preemptively eliminating any threats.
‘I came here after sensing something suspicious, and it turns out it was just a pickpocket.’
The security in the territory was still excellent, compared to the countryside.
The absence of a thief guild and the presence of only petty criminals made that clear.
However, the reality was that it was subtly rotting from within.
‘Since the city guards are oppressing the merchants… it’s natural for there to be a lot of discontent.’
After dealing with all the minor threats, Erich was about to return to the hotel when he overheard a conversation among several passersby.
“Did you hear? The Princess is in the capital.”
“What? I thought the princess was dead?”
“I’m not sure, but I heard that Marquis Arzen is besieging outside the castle gates. They say the princess faked her death and has been living under a different identity all this time.”
“What? Who is she supposed to be?”
“It’s not clear, but supposedly some countess or something. Plus, they said the emperor granted her a territory, and she’s been living in luxury.”
“No way, so the emperor and the princess colluded to bring down the Duke of Blant’s family? The family of the national hero?”
“Ugh, right? Honestly, I don’t care if Marquis Arzen’s daughter gets punished or not, but the Duke of Blant saved the country…”
“That’s not all. When the Princess disappeared, they even canceled the festivals. The whole street felt like a funeral home, and businesses were struggling. Everyone was having such a difficult time!”
“Oh, right. And how much money did Crown Prince Fritz take under the pretense of mourning his sister’s death?”
As Erich listened to the increasingly ominous conversation, his eyes darkened deeply.
‘How did Marquis Arzen find out her identity?’
There was only one possibility.
Someone had been monitoring Cornelia and had placed spies around her, then informed the Marquis of Arzen for some unknown purpose.
‘That means… it must be the work of Archduke Tarrant.’
Just by looking at how he had hidden Xenon as his attendant for 10 years, it was clear what kind of tactics he used.
And given his sinister personality, it was clear he was watching Cornelia closely, waiting for the right moment.
Although he wanted to head straight to where Cornelia was, there were still things to consider, including the spy.
Erich turned his steps toward the hotel.
“Daddy!”
Upon returning to his hotel room, a small figure, resembling a chick, ran up to him.
‘Even though I told him not to call me that…’
Erich instinctively reached to pick up Demian but then withdrew his hand and said, “Sardin, Janet, could you step out for a moment? I need to speak with the child alone.”
Janet nodded obediently, but Sardin frowned and asked, “What is it about?”
“It’s important.”
“Master is still young. I don’t know what the conversation is about, but I should be present…”
Just then Demian spoke up.
“Sadie, it’s okay! I want to talk to Daddy!”
Sardin was taken aback by Demian’s determined gaze and then let out a sigh.
“It would be best if you didn’t try anything foolish. Even if you are a duke, I’m willing to risk my life…”
“It’ll be fine.”
The Duke spoke with such seriousness that there was no trace of mockery on his face.
Sardin clenched his fists in frustration.
‘Just wait; I will definitely surpass you. Even without you, I will protect the master and the young lord.’
Erich Lennon Blant was indeed a genius, but Sardin considered himself to be a prodigy beyond even the level of genius.
So he would surely gain enlightenment, break through the barriers, and become a sword master.
Sardin replied coldly.
“Yes, that’s only temporary.”
As Sardin was about to leave the room, Erich said in passing,
“Don’t distribute your aura throughout the sword; concentrate it at the tip. That will greatly improve your aura control.”
At that advice, Sardin widened his eyes and then gritted his teeth as he replied,
“I’ll handle my training myself, so you can talk as you wish.”
With that, Sardin left the room, leaving Erich alone with Demian. The child, who resembled a small chick, looked up at him with sparkling eyes—Cornelia’s son born from an affair.
“Demian.”
“Yes, Daddy! What do you want to talk about?”
Erich opened his mouth toward the child, who looked at him with curiosity.
“Be honest with me. Are you really a magician?”
At those words, Demian raised the corners of his mouth and replied,
“Why are you asking me that now?”
Then, Demian looked Erich up and down with his violet eyes and said,
“Surely you knew that I could use magic, Dad. You must have noticed my mana surging when I collapsed.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
As soon as Erich confirmed this, Demian asked with a blank expression,
“Then why are you asking?”
When asked that question, Erich opened his mouth.
“Because…”
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
As I traveled in the carriage, I gazed out at the scenery passing by.
‘I didn’t notice it earlier, but it definitely seems that the standard of living has declined compared to before.’
It seemed that the Emperor’s illness had a significant impact on the people’s livelihoods.
‘Moreover, after my disappearance, Fritz is said to have ruled with an iron fist… it’s no surprise that resentment against the royal family has reached its peak.’
And I thought that perhaps that anger would be directed at me, the one who had performed a play for the citizens.
“Well, that’s something I need to deal with, but it’s definitely a troubling issue.”
The only relief was that Marquis Arzen couldn’t enter the capital.
‘With no current evidence, there wouldn’t be any reckless person trying to expose my identity based solely on his claims. It would just lead to rampant speculation.’
Just as I was thinking that, the carriage came to a stop.
“We’ve arrived.”
Stepping out of the carriage, I entered the workshop.
There, Nancy, Parakel’s assistant, greeted me warmly.
“Oh, madam! It’s been a while! I hope you’ve been well…”
I also felt happy to see her and wanted to return the greeting, but there was something urgent that needed my attention.
“I have an urgent matter; can you call Parakel for me?”
Could it be that he had been struggling with firearms development?
Parakel came running to me with his arms wide open.
“My liege, you’ve finally arrived…”
I quickly handed him the candle and said urgently,
“Can you analyze the components of this?”
Parakel took the candle and held it up, slowly examining it through his monocle.
“Where did this come from?”
“The Imperial Palace.”
At my response, Parakel’s eyes widened in surprise, and he swallowed hard.
“There are alchemists in the imperial family. Why would you come to me…”
He seemed hesitant for some reason, and I understood why. No matter how much he had redeemed himself by supplying firearms to the imperial guard, the oppression he had faced in the past was not something that could be easily forgotten.
But I needed to know if this candle was poisoned.
‘I need to find out who the traitor is, after all.’
I said to Parakel,
“I know you wouldn’t want to be involved in something like this. But I hope you’ll still help me. You’re the only alchemist I trust.”
Then Parakel opened his mouth.
“I think I didn’t hear that right. Could you say that again?”
“About you getting involved in this…”
“No, not that. The part after that!”
Parakel’s red eyes glistened as he articulated his words clearly.
“The part where you said I’m the only alchemist you trust!”
I frowned.
‘What’s this? He heard me just fine.’
I sighed and said,
“Parakel, we don’t have much time. Please answer quickly.”
“Oh, of course, I’ll do that! But since it’s been a while since we’ve met, surely you can offer some praise?”
Looking at his puppy-like demeanor, I thought,
‘I guess he must be feeling a sense of reward for me, the first member of the royal family to acknowledge him.’
I wondered if his calling me “liege” was based on that psychology.
‘Honestly, I don’t get it.’
I thought that it would be useless to hear praise from a mere princess like me, who is neither the emperor nor the crown prince.
However, considering his hard work, I could certainly offer him some praise.
“Thank you. You really are dependable.”
At that, Parakel blushed deeply and muttered what I had said.
“Dependable…”
It seemed he was pleased to finally meet someone who acknowledged him after a long time.
‘But once the imperial family falls, that thought will change, right?’
At that moment, Parakel said, “My liege, the analysis will take about one to two days! I need to observe the reagent reactions!”
Since I had already warned the emperor about the candle, I nodded in agreement.
“Alright, I can wait that long.”
“Understood. I will contact you at the hotel once the analysis is complete.”
As I got into the carriage with Parakel seeing me off, I said to the coachman,
“Let’s head to the hotel now.”
“Yes, understood.”
Just as we set off onto the street in the carriage, it happened.
Hee-haw!
After hearing the sound of the horse whinnying, the carriage suddenly stopped.
It was fortunate we were moving slowly in the city; otherwise, it could have been a serious problem.
“What’s going on?”
As soon as I heard the coachman’s frustrated voice, I immediately looked out the window and became frozen.
‘That’s…’
It was the lord of the Lacne region, who had ties with Marquis Arzen, who had blocked our carriage. After he had obstructed our carriage with his own, I could see Count Lacne approaching.
