Meals with Hugo were naturally accompanied by casual conversations.
“Did you visit the library again today?”
“Yes.”
“You’ve been spending all your time at the library lately. Don’t you feel stifled?”
What Hugo worried about was the Crown Prince’s attitude.
The Crown Prince disliked Serdin’s involvement in anything. He wanted Serdin to remain unnoticed and locked away in his room.
“No, I’m fine. It’s actually comfortable not being disturbed.”
He meant it. It truly wasn’t bad.
Serdin planned to learn about the legitimacy of the Ilnord imperial lineage on his own.
To do so, he needed to start with the history of Ilnord.
As it turned out, the Crown Prince unintentionally helped Serdin by limiting his activities.
“Since I’ve been away for so long, I realized I missed Ilnord. That’s why I want to properly study its history again.”
“That’s an admirable thought.”
“Yes, there’s a time for studying. You’ve been through a lot, so I don’t want to burden you. Dedicate yourself to studying as much as you wish.”
Thanks to this, Serdin was able to freely browse the books in the library without suspicion.
“I occasionally see illustrations of dragons.”
During the time when the empire was founded, there were many things that no longer exist now.
Among those, black magic was the first to disappear.
Next, divine power vanished.
After the death of the last saintess, even the priests lost their powers and now barely maintained a facade.
Ancient beings that still existed in the world.
Dragons.
Though they occasionally appeared in illustrations, there was no detailed explanation about them.
It seemed that the important books were not accessible in the sections he could reach.
Even so, he decided to continue.
If he kept reading through the countless books, perhaps the small pieces of information would eventually come together to complete the bigger picture.
Late at night.
Serdin, who had been reading until late, eventually fell asleep.
A dark silhouette appeared over the sleeping Serdin.
The figure confirmed that Serdin was in a deep sleep.
Then, without hesitation, they revealed their intent to kill, thrusting a dagger directly at Serdin’s heart.
“…….…!”
The tip of the blade definitely touched his chest.
However, it couldn’t pierce his heart.
Just as the blade was about to penetrate flesh and bone—
The decorative lamp by Serdin’s bedside emitted a radiant light, repelling the dagger.
“Gah…!”
The dark silhouette clutched their chest in agony.
When their blade was deflected, it had rebounded and struck their own chest.
Although it narrowly missed a vital point, the pain was unbearable.
“?!”
Startled by the groan, Serdin blinked awake.
“What’s that noise?”
He rubbed his eyes, still groggy from sleep, and then—
“What, what’s going on? Who are you?!”
He quickly assessed the situation and grew wary of the figure in front of him. His hand reached for a hidden blade.
“Gah… ugh!”
Luckily, the assailant, who had been injured by some force, staggered backward in pain, giving Serdin time to prepare a defense.
“Who sent you to kill me?”
As Serdin slowly approached the man, holding the tip of his blade toward him, he asked.
The man, still writhing in pain, glanced at Serdin and clenched his teeth.
“Damn it…!”
Suddenly, the man twisted his body and swiftly pulled a dagger from within his clothes.
Clang! Thud!
“Ugh…!”
The man’s strike forced Serdin backward.
Taking advantage of the opening, the man lunged toward Serdin, aiming for his heart once more!
As he reached out toward Serdin—
“Urgh!”
A radiant light burst forth from the decorative lamp, directly targeting the man’s blade.
“Gah…!”
Before the blade could touch Serdin, the man clutched his chest again.
“I… I surrender… Just what is that thing? Please, stop it…!”
“………?!”
The masked assailant twisted his body in agony and fled.
Serdin wanted to stop him but decided against it.
He already knew who had sent the man.
‘Even if I captured him and confronted him, it wouldn’t leave a scratch on the Crown Prince.’
Instead, Serdin recalled the light that had surrounded him moments ago and turned his gaze toward it.
‘The gift from Ollia.’
It was clear that the decorative lamp had attacked the assassin who had tried to kill him.
The cold air chilled Serdin’s head.
It was hard to believe that he had just narrowly escaped death.
‘This thing… it protected me.’
If the protective artifact hadn’t activated, Serdin wouldn’t have even realized what was happening to him.
‘I would already be dead.’
A chill ran down his spine.
Serdin reached out with trembling hands and grabbed the decorative lamp.
He didn’t know why, but he understood that Ollia had deep knowledge of magical artifacts.
However, he hadn’t known that the decorative lamp she gave him was one.
‘I thought she gave it to me just so I could sleep peacefully.’
This wasn’t an ordinary object.
‘Could she have anticipated this?’
Is that why she insisted he keep it by his bedside?
Or was it simply a thoughtful gift that happened to prove its worth in this situation?
Serdin slumped to the floor, his strength drained from his body.
‘No… that can’t be.’
Ollia was clever and seemed to know everything.
She must have known that once he returned to his homeland, there would come a moment when his life would be in danger.
***
Serdin was on his way to meet the Emperor after being summoned when he encountered the Crown Prince in the corridor.
The Crown Prince had been deliberately waiting for him.
As the Crown Prince looked at Serdin, he recalled the news he had heard that morning.
“What? You’re failed? You’re telling me you couldn’t handle that little brat?”
“There was a protective artifact guarding the prince. It suddenly activated the moment I attacked.”
“You didn’t leave any evidence, did you?”
“You don’t need to worry about that.”
“Still, I’ll need to check for myself.”
That was why the Crown Prince had come to see Serdin’s condition in person.
Not because he was worried that Serdin might know anything.
The Crown Prince, with an air of arrogance, taunted Serdin.
“You look tired. Did you not sleep well last night?”
“That’s not possible. I slept soundly last night,”
Serdin replied with a bright smile.
He was telling the truth.
With the decorative lamp from Ollia, he could sleep peacefully without any worries.
“Is that so? How carefree of you.”
“Crown Prince.”
Serdin spoke calmly, addressing him directly.
“I am your younger brother.”
“Hah, you have the audacity to spout such nonsense.”
“I know you don’t see me as your brother. In that case, please think of me as your subject.”
The Crown Prince gazed at Serdin with a curious expression.
This kid…
“So, you’ve matured a bit, huh? At least you know your place.”
“It’s the only way to gain recognition.”
In other words, he was asking the Crown Prince to stop targeting him.
The Crown Prince’s eyes narrowed.
The corners of his mouth twisted into a sly grin as he looked down at Serdin and said.
“Let’s call it charity. After all, when I become Emperor, I must be able to embrace anyone, right?”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Serdin bowed respectfully, ensuring the Crown Prince would be satisfied.
When Serdin raised his head again, the Crown Prince’s smug expression came into view.
What particularly caught Serdin’s attention were his faded, light-orange eyes.
‘If red eyes are a symbol of legitimacy, then is that color a sign of diluted legitimacy?’
As he stared quietly at those eyes, Serdin found himself deep in thought.
Back when he struggled to survive as a hostage, everything felt sorrowful and unjust.
Yet even after returning to Ilnord, Serdin had to fight to survive.
Oddly enough, he didn’t feel resentful.
Instead, he felt a surge of determination.
Whether it took a year, five years, or even ten, he believed he could endure it all.
***
Time is both slow and fleeting, passing in an instant when you look back.
However, for me, the past ten years felt incomparably slower than the two centuries that preceded them.
But still!
The day has finally come!
“Sniff. Sob.”
I was so overwhelmed with emotion that I was on the verge of tears.
I had gone through so much during this time.
I had overcome countless challenges.
From crawling to flipping over, all the way to where I am now.
The time was as arduous as the training I had undergone as a mage.
Violyana at sixteen.
And Sherina at sixteen.
It was the same age when I, in the past, began making a name for myself in war.
This also meant my abilities as a mage had reached a comparable level.
In Sherina’s hands at sixteen, there had been a combat magic stone and a sword.
And now.
I, too, at sixteen, stood here.
With Blueny on my left and Delight on my right, my arms looped through theirs.
We were enjoying a walk together as always.
“Violyana has grown so much. You’re already an adult. Time really flies,”
Delight said, barely suppressing his emotions as he gazed at me.
“…Dad? What are you thinking?”
Surely he wasn’t so moved that he was about to cry?
I knew better, thanks to years of experience, but I couldn’t help being a little wary.
“Now that I think about it, the Foundation Day is approaching.”
Huh? Suddenly?
Well, not really suddenly.
Winter had passed, and it was spring.
Three things signaled the arrival of spring.
Cherry blossoms blooming in full.
Spring banquets.
And lastly, the annual Foundation Day that arrived every spring.
Indeed, as he said, the Foundation Day wasn’t far off.
“Are we going to spend it the same way as other years?”
Until now, we had passed it without much celebration, so it felt abrupt.
Delight seemed to ponder for a while before speaking slowly.
“We’ve been too indifferent about the Foundation Day.”
He looked at the cherry trees beginning to assert their presence along the path.
For now, the bare branches were still more noticeable, but soon the cherry blossoms would be in full bloom.
Around that time, Promian’s Foundation Day would arrive.
“This year, I plan to celebrate it on a grand scale. We’ll invite envoys from other nations too.”
“Huh? A grand celebration?”
It was such a sudden declaration that it felt like a whim.
I wondered if he was serious, so I asked again.
“Yes. We’ll even send an invitation to Ilnord,”
He said, solidifying his decision.
