Rutus interrupted the knight commander and asked again. The knight commander, glancing around to make sure no one was listening, replied once more.
“The cemetery caretaker just reported finding continuous signs of digging at the Lady’s grave.”
“…….”
“They are repairing it, but haven’t identified the cause yet. Given the seriousness, I thought I should inform you immediately, but…”
Before the knight commander could finish speaking, Rutus, who was about to dismount his horse, stopped when he heard a voice trying to dissuade him.
“Your Grace.”
“……”
“I’ll go with the knight commander to verify the situation. Please proceed to the palace first.”
“Right now, in this situation…”
Even after hearing those words, he was expected to go to the palace. Rutus spat out his words, almost biting them off.
“…Are you out of your mind?”
“In usual circumstances, dawn refers to when the sky begins to brighten, but in this case, it means before the sun rises. The palace staff start moving at 5 a.m., so to avoid being noticed, you need to return before then.”
“……”
“It’s already past 3 a.m., so if you don’t leave now, you’ll be late.”
The knight commander, who finally understood the situation after the firm words of the aide, bowed his head and chime in.
“My apologies. I was at the training grounds all day for knight training, so I received the news of your palace entry late.”
Rutus quietly looked down at the knight commander’s head, filled with dense, dark green hair.
He understood that the aide and the knight commander were trying to ensure he didn’t disobey the imperial command. However…
The Duchess, who died young after losing her magic, and the dug-up grave.
If this fact were to leak out, those who love gossip would have even more to talk about.
‘I’ve barely managed to stop her name from appearing in the tabloids…’
Even if he wanted to impose restrictions,
It was difficult due to the media’s policy of maintaining investor anonymity and banning investments above a certain amount. While he could exert pressure through covert investigations, this also took time, and there had been no significant results yet.
Rutus was displeased with Ellie’s situation—unable to rest in peace even in death, becoming fodder for gossip.
Why do people seem so eager to torment those who have already passed away?
“Your Excellency.”
“Your Grace.”
“……”
As he hesitated for a long time, their urging voices followed.
Finally, Rutus, who had been holding the reins loosely, tightened his grip and spoke as if chewing his words.
“…I’ll hear the rest when I return. Both of you, go to the cemetery caretaker, get detailed information on the situation, and monitor the grave to ensure no one approaches it until I get back.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Understood.”
“Move discreetly.”
Rutus gritted his teeth and pulled the reins.
It was the darkest hour of the night.
* * *
“Your Majesty, the Duke of Ratcliffe has arrived.”
Rutus, who had discreetly visited the Emperor’s palace under a deeply pulled hood, adjusted his attire. Even as he left the duchy and entered the imperial palace, he seemed to be struggling to control his trembling body and anger.
Soon, a response came.
“His Majesty will see you inside.”
Rutus walked directly into the drawing room and knelt on one knee.
“I greet the brightest sun of the Empire.”
“Raise your head, Duke.”
At the sound of the voice from above, Rutus looked up.
With white silver hair and blue eyes, symbols of the imperial family, the young man seated on the couch in the drawing room smiled faintly as he spoke.
“I summoned you while your leave hasn’t ended yet; no need for such formality.”
“…….”
“Please, take a seat.”
You seem quite worn out; are you feeling alright? Rutus responded in a monotonous tone, masking any hint of emotion.
“…I am fine. However, dawn is approaching, so I would prefer to conclude our conversation quickly.”
If there are many people when I leave, the chances of being noticed will increase, Rutus said.
Though it was an implausible concern for a Swordmaster, neither the Emperor nor Rutus bothered to correct the inconsistency.
‘How aggravating it must be to see him smile.’
Rutus clicked his tongue inwardly as he moved to the seat the Emperor had indicated.
Being in the same space as the Emperor was nothing short of torture for Rutus, making him eager to return quickly.
The primary reason, of course, was the report he had received just before entering the palace. But it also stemmed from his inability to view the Emperor favorably.
…Who could ever face someone with a smile when they had shown interest in their spouse?
TL/N: YUP, SEEMS THE EMPEROR HAD A CRUSH ON ELLIE!!!
“Haha, well then. Would you like a cup of tea first? It’s still chilly outside, and you’ve had a rough morning.”
He thought to himself, whose fault do you think that is? But, outwardly, Rutus simply nodded briefly and picked up the teacup in front of him to wet his lips.
Of course, he did not actually drink.
“You all may leave for now. We have important matters to discuss, so wait outside until I call you back.”
“But, Your Majesty, dismissing all the guards might be—”
“With the Empire’s strongest knight right here, what is there to worry about?”
The Emperor lifted an arm draped over the couch and ordered all the servants and guards to leave. Someone began to protest but was immediately cut off.
With no grounds to argue, the servants exited first, and a voice was heard announcing their departure.
“…We will be waiting outside.”
“Very well, I’ll call when our conversation is over.”
The guards exchanged glances for a moment before saluting and turning to leave.
Once the spacious drawing room was reduced to just the Emperor and Rutus.
Wiing— The Emperor tapped the ring-shaped artifact on his hand, activating a soundproofing spell, and spoke.
“I apologize. I anticipated that you might still be struggling, but the situation left me no choice.”
“…….”
Simultaneously, the Emperor pulled out a charred piece of paper from his bosom pocket and placed it on the drawing room table.
At the gesture to take a look, Rutus reached out and picked up the paper.
“This is….”
Rutus’s eyes widened as he read the characters on the paper.
“It’s a common language used among different races. Humans do not know it.”
It took quite some time to decode it because there was no one who could understand it. The Emperor leaned back against the couch, looking tired.
As he said, the language of non-humans was not widely known, and even Rutus could only vaguely recognize the shapes of the characters.
If most people saw it by chance, they would rarely realize that it was even writing.
Of course, because…
“Non-humans rarely reveal themselves, do they?”
They naturally didn’t like to get involved with humans.
Not only was it hard to converse and understand their lifestyle, but in most encounters, they would either flee or drive people away before a word could be exchanged.
Given this situation, it was not strange that there were few who truly understood the language they used.
Rutus looked up at the Emperor. The Emperor then handed him another clean sheet of paper and spoke.
“This is the content we interpreted. It’s not entirely certain, but we believe it to be mostly accurate.”
“……”
Ice. Warrior. Win. Life. Proposal. Heavy snowfall. Long darkness. Sunlight.
Below the first line listing these words, there was a sentence written.
<If you help the ice to win the fight, the forest will be handed over. Before dawn on the longest night before the snowfall.>
The Emperor said.
“For reference, this paper was found near the southern border.”
“Then… it must be Rotenia.”
“That’s what I’m thinking too.”
At those words, silence fell in the drawing room.
Rutus alternated looking at the papers in his hands for a while, then sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. Assuming the interpretation was correct, there were many clues to speculate about the interests between the non-humans and Rotenia.
Notably, the animosity between the Kingdom of Rotenia and the Magnar Empire had persisted for generations.
For over 500 years, they experienced small invasions and wars before signing an agreement less than a century ago.
‘The resentment is still so deep that people from both countries are eager to see each other suffer.’
The Emperor was likely speaking based on such a situation.
The Emperor drank the tea from his cup in one gulp and then spoke.
“Rotenia seems to be planning an attack on the border. It looks like they’ve agreed to give the eastern forest to the non-humans in exchange for their assistance.”
“…Proposing such a deal to the non-humans is akin to forming a non-aggression pact, isn’t it?”
“Indeed.”
“The border is mostly wasteland except for a few estates. Is there any reason to go to such lengths—”
“It’s not just wasteland anymore.”
The Emperor cut Rutus off, tapping the armrest of the couch with his index finger and closing his eyes.
After a few seconds passed.
“…Mithril fragments were discovered in the lower reaches of the river in the estate near the border. Upon further investigation, there was a mine near the upper reaches of the river.”
Hearing this from the Emperor, Rutus frowned and rubbed his chin.
“……”
“As you know, Rotenia is a country with advanced magical engineering. Their overall standard of living is high, but their military power is weak, making them vulnerable to invasion.”
“……”
“So I suspect they proposed these conditions…”
“…Even if they hand over the eastern forest, they judged it more profitable to control the mithril mine.”
“Exactly.”
And as I mentioned before, it took quite a bit of time to decode the content. Rutus, feeling uneasy at the passing remark, started calculating the dates.
If it was the longest night of winter, it was at the end of the year.
And there were less than two weeks left from now.
“We haven’t determined exactly when Rotenia discovered the mithril mine in the border area, but according to our planted agents, Rotenia recently sent spies to the Empire.”
The obvious destinations were, of course, the imperial family and the major noble families of the Empire.
“The Ratcliffe house also hired additional servants about six months ago.”
“…Yes.”
Rutus, who didn’t particularly like having many people around, had announced a hiring notice because Ellie’s health had deteriorated and more servants were needed.
It was confirmed that a few additional staff were also hired by the imperial family and some key noble houses.
Given the possibility of leaks if communicated by letter, meeting directly to discuss was the best option.
The Emperor said this as he straightened himself from leaning against the couch.
“If that content is true, we must strike before they fully join forces. If the non-humans are determined to invade, we cannot predict how things will turn out.”
“……”
“I’m sorry to say this, but I’d like you to return to the knighthood starting tomorrow.”
The Emperor said he had summoned Rutus to give this order, instructing him to quietly assemble elite troops within ten days.
“…You might have to go to war soon.”
It was a statement akin to a death sentence.
* * * *
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Thank you for the translation, can’t wait to see how things will continue… <3