~Chapter 40~
There were monsters in Codran Forest. All I had to do was spread the word that Cedric and the knights wouldn’t be able to hunt the monsters for a while.
People were afraid of monsters, so just spreading the rumor would be enough to keep them away.
After hearing my plan, Cedric looked troubled. It seemed he wasn’t comfortable with the idea of stopping the hunts, as the safety of the people in the territory was at stake.
“We’ll just spread the rumor. We’re not actually going to stop the hunts. It’s just a story to keep people away.”
“People are more rebellious than you think. They may not believe that we’re stopping something we’ve always done.”
“That’s possible. That’s why I plan to get some help from my friends.”
Instead of real monsters, we could just use something to imitate them and scare people away.
“Leave that part to me! We need to keep Isabel out of the forest too, and this is the only way.”
Even with her powers, fighting monsters would be difficult for her. She had never trained with a sword, after all.
“Alright then, let’s get started.”
I threw open the window and called out to the birds flying in the sky.
The show was about to begin.
“Your Majesty, the snow has stopped,” Velado said as he placed the documents on the table. He was eager to know what deal Claire had made to make things so calm.
He glanced at the emperor’s expression and took a few steps back, folding his hands together.
The emperor, who had been reviewing documents, looked up and stared out the window. Time kept passing, but nothing was progressing as he wanted.
Nothing pleased him. By now, Isabel should’ve been kneeling before him.
“…The snowstorm stopped in less than a week.”
The fact that the snow had gradually stopped meant that Isabel must have learned about the collapse of her marriage.
‘But how? How did the news reach her?’
Claire had promised to handle it, but the emperor still couldn’t understand how it had happened.
If Claire knew where Isabel was, that would be one thing. But how could she have sent the message without me knowing?
The emperor tapped his fingers on the armrest, frowning.
“You’ve found the engineers?”
“We’re searching as thoroughly as possible, but they’re struggling due to the unfamiliar technology.”
Although they had obtained the ship’s plans, actually building it was proving difficult.
“Tell the engineers that we’ll double their original payment.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. We’ve already begun building the framework, but there is one issue.”
The emperor tilted his head slightly and looked at Velado.
“It’s not a major problem. It’s just that we’ll need more magic stones than we initially thought. We have a sufficient supply for now, but… The recent supply has become difficult to maintain.”
“Pay double for the magic stones if necessary. Just buy them.”
“I’ll relay the message.”
Even with the empire’s treasury full of money, the emperor was willing to pay twice as much for the expensive magic stones.
Velado couldn’t figure out what the emperor was thinking, but he quickly stopped trying to understand.
The emperor’s golden eyes, which seemed to see through everything, chilled him, and he quickly cleared his thoughts.
“Keep an eye on Narkas’s movements as well. That old man won’t let this go easily.”
Velado nodded. The emperor finished reviewing the documents related to the ship and handed them back to Velado.
“Cut the completion time in half. Make it six months.”
“We’ll do our best.”
“Haven’t I told you before? Doing your best doesn’t matter. Bring me results.”
The emperor clicked his tongue and gave Velado a sharp look. Velado lowered his head and calmed his emotions.
“When will you bring Isabel to me? Summon Commander Deperon.”
Velado quickly left the office. The emperor frowned as he watched how quickly Velado moved when it came to matters like this.
‘Nothing lately has been going the way I want.’
Focusing on Isabel and the divine beast had caused things to become lenient within the palace. The emperor turned his head toward Clarila, who was sitting on the sofa, and spoke to her.
“Your daughter seems to have grown quite a bit.”
“…That has nothing to do with me. Whatever you say, you won’t get anything from me.”
“You treat the child you gave birth to with such disdain.”
Clarila bit her lip and glared at the emperor.
Clink.
The moment she stood from the sofa, as if to lunge at the emperor, the chains attached to her ankle made a loud noise.
“I told you to behave. If you keep moving, the chains will dig into your skin. You need to stay healthy so I have something to show when you meet Claire.”
The emperor needed her in good condition to use as leverage.
“I don’t want to hurt you.”
“…Do you expect me to play the role of a mother to the daughter I don’t even consider mine?”
“Yes, play the role all you want. If you’re obedient, I’ll let you leave the capital.”
Though, whether she could actually survive outside was another matter. The emperor sneered as he added that thought.
Clarila’s face hardened at his sneer.
“Your Majesty, Commander Deperon has arrived at your summons.”
“Let him in.”
The emperor stood up and pushed Clarila back into the sofa. She slumped down, turning her head away and lowering her gaze.
“You still haven’t found Isabel.”
“My apologies, Your Majesty. We’re searching diligently, but we haven’t found any trace of her. We’re also investigating outside the empire.”
“Hah!”
The emperor laughed. Isabel, who had never left the empire, had suddenly left and gone to another country?
“Ridiculous.”
If she wasn’t in the capital, then the outskirts needed to be searched. Or, perhaps, Claire and Isabel were working together to deceive him.
“Deperon. What are the chances that Isabel is in the North?”
“…Considering how poorly things went between them last time, I doubt she’d go there.”
“Search the North anyway. No exceptions.”
“But, Your Majesty, the Duke won’t stand idly by.”
Just the mention of Cedric’s name caused the knights to lose their nerve. They not only hesitated but also trembled in fear.
It was pathetic.
“Three days. You have three days to bring her here, even if you have to search the entire empire.”
“…Understood, Your Majesty!”
Deperon tried to hide his anxiety.
“Regardless of what the king of Narkas says, we won’t listen. Strengthen the forces along the border.”
“Shall we release the divine beast?”
“If the knights can’t even defend the border, then they’re useless to me.”
“There will be no problems, Your Majesty!”
Deperon, his face tense, nodded sharply.
Zeno and I were deep in thought together.
“We need to retrieve the sacred tree from the forest first.”
“Even the emperor can’t just barge into the duke’s territory, can he?”
“My father is the type of person who would do exactly that.”
“This country is hopeless,” Zeno sighed, shaking his head.
“The knights are supposed to be hunting monsters at night, so the only thing left is for us to work together.”
“I could probably find it faster on my own.”
“The more people we have, the faster we’ll find it, don’t you think?”
I didn’t agree with Zeno. I wanted to find it quickly and hide it as soon as possible, so I could be at ease.
“Not people—animals.”
“Well, same difference.”
“Master, I think I made a mistake when I chose to make a contract with you.”
From the look on Zeno’s face, it seemed like he was regretting the decision to form a contract with me.
“We haven’t fully completed the contract yet. If you want to take it back, go ahead.”
“You see? Always ready to toss me aside.”
He slumped his shoulders. When he was a wolf, I could only guess his expressions, but now that he was in human form, his emotions were clear.
“Even with that face, it won’t work on me.”
“You’re so heartless, Master.”
We pressed our foreheads together, glaring at each other. He had been cute as a wolf, but as a human, Zeno wasn’t cute at all.
“Hey! I told you not to make that face!”
“Oh? Seems like you’re weak to this look, huh? Ouch!”
Our foreheads were suddenly separated by a large hand. When both Zeno and I looked up, we were met with blue eyes.
“We need to fix this habit of animals teasing people.”
“Your Grace,” I said as Cedric sat down next to me, glaring at Zeno. The fierce energy he exuded made the hairs on my arms stand on end.
“My wife is so busy that I had to come to you myself.”
“I just came out for a break. Zeno and I were just trying to work together…”
“Work together?”
I swallowed nervously. His arms were crossed, and the way he was staring at me didn’t feel normal.
“I haven’t heard from the friend I sent to the capital, but I’m starting to get worried about how quiet my father’s been.”
“You think the emperor is going to make a move?”
“I’m certain of it. The snow has stopped. My father is definitely going to send people to the North.”
If, as Isabel said, my father had something he could use to control me, there was no way he’d sit back and do nothing.
“Your Grace, are you mad?”
“…I’m not angry.”
Hmm. Anyone could see he was angry. Since he was pinning Zeno to the ground, it was obvious.
“You’re mad! You’re mad! Why are you only taking it out on me?!”
Zeno shouted at Cedric before suddenly transforming back into his wolf form.
“Worl!” (That crazy guy! One of these days, I’ll leave scratch marks on him!)
‘Hold it in, or you’ll be kicked out of the manor.’
“Woorl!” (It’s hard being a homeless wolf!)
‘That’s just how being homeless is.’
Zeno and I continued our conversation silently, with our eyes. If we spoke out loud, his snout would get grabbed by Cedric’s large hand again.
His drooping ears and tail made me feel bad. Feeling a bit sorry for him, I slowly nodded.
Suddenly, the world went dark as a low voice whispered in my ear.
