Chapter 81: Assault (9)

“Damian! Don’t tell me what you’re holding in your hand is a rice cake made by clumping coffee bean powder?!!”

“It’s chocolate...”

“Lies!!”

Noel, whose eyes suddenly snapped open, looked at me with disbelief, as if she had experienced something unimaginable in her dream. Like now, when I took out a piece of chocolate from my pocket, she had mistaken it for a coffee rice cake.

For some reason, she seemed to relate all of my actions to coffee.

“You liar!! You deceived me!!!”

“Actually, it’s natural for chocolate to be bitter.”

It was not that bitter to make a face like that.

Our chef made a special chocolate for me, who didn’t eat sweet things well. Compared to other chocolates, it had a higher cocoa content. While its sweetness was reduced due to the high cocoa, it still had a slightly bitter but sweet taste when melted slowly.

“Why do you even carry something like this around?!”

“It helps clear my head when I’m tired.”

“Come to think of it, it’s somewhat... No, that’s not it! You said it was chocolate, so I assumed it would be sweet. Hmm... It’s not totally inedible. But still, yuck! So bitter...”

The caffeine in cocoa acts as a stimulant for the brain. It was a bit different, but in my previous life, energy drinks served this purpose. Now, this does the job.

I kept it as a snack for myself, but it seemed Noel didn’t have a taste for it.

Soon after, Orcus, whose clothes were all messed up as if he’d rolled around in the forest, appeared before us.

Despite his exhaustion, he hadn’t stopped running, and his breathing was so ragged it seemed he might collapse at any moment.

When I first encountered Orcus among the bushes, his face seemed filled with rage and despair over Noel’s death. However, as soon as he spotted the unharmed Noel, the tension in Orcus’ face dissolved, and he collapsed on the spot.

“What a relief...”

“Hyung?!”

Noel rushed to catch the falling Orcus.

I quietly approached Orcus and channeled my energy to him, just as I had done for Noel before.

Orcus hadn’t fainted; his legs had simply given out from under him. It didn’t take him long to get back on his feet, especially since the siblings already had rapid recovery thanks to their overflowing divine power. Accelerating their healing with my energy made them stand even faster.

We discussed the recent events, and as soon as Orcus was able to move, we headed straight for the castle.

Considering the monsters’ movements in the forest, their final destination must have been the castle. Perhaps a war with the monsters was currently underway there. Nevertheless, heading to the castle was undoubtedly safer than staying put in the forest.

Unlike the deserted area we were in, the castle was fortified with the Southern Army, and above all, my father was there. I had no doubt that the castle and its inhabitants would remain unharmed, no matter how many monsters attacked.

“Damian! Can’t you slow down a bit? Why are you in such a rush?”

“...”

Yet, as I hurried towards the castle, my steps weren’t those of someone believing they were heading to safety.

Right now, the safety of Elena and Alphonse was paramount to me.

No matter how safe a place might be, knowing that they were in the castle and that it was the monsters’ target made me anxious. Even though logic told me everything should be fine, this anxiety wouldn’t fade.

I needed to see them both with my own eyes.

Upon reaching the edge of the forest and seeing the intact castle and camp, I was reassured that my concerns were unfounded.

The monsters were being driven back, turning to dust. The pristine grass surrounding the camp indicated how well they had been repelled.

If the campsite was this clean, surely those inside the castle, including Elena and Alphonse, were safe. My tension eased momentarily. But then I noticed familiar traces etched into the ground beneath my feet.

“Is this... magic?”

The subtle marks on the ground reminded me of the magic Duke Joachim used to save me from the landslide. Looking around, I realized there were more than just one or two of these magical traces.

Fire and ice danced around the battlefield, leaving their marks everywhere. From what I knew, there was only one person capable of such magic.

As I tried to make sense of this, I spotted Elena rushing towards us.

“Elena!!”

I shouted her name, intending to ask what had happened, but before I could get a word in, she reached us and pulled both Noel and me into a tight embrace. Caught off guard by Elena’s unexpectedly strong grip, we were helpless in her arms.

I wasn’t the only one who was taken aback by Elena’s sudden behavior. Noel, who was right beside me and embraced by Elena, was utterly flustered, her face beet-red, struggling to find the right words.

‘Ah.’

Only when I once again took in the surroundings of the battlefield did I realize why she acted this way. She, like I had in the forest, must’ve felt the same way. I realized this a moment too late.

Before I knew it, I was gently resting my head against hers as we both gazed at a blue bird perched on one of the castle’s spires. Seeing this, Noel did the same, pressing her head against Elena’s. Like that, we held each other until our hearts settled.

“Wow... did everyone forget about me?”

Everyone except one.

***

The incident in the Legion came to an end with the heretics, who had planned the assassination of Noel and Orcus, all dead and the monsters that attacked the castle dealt with.

Given the magnitude of the incident, there were suspicions that there might still be a third party involved. A subsequent search of the forest and interrogations were conducted, but no significant evidence was found. Hence, the two earlier deceased were declared as the main culprits.

Their identity was revealed to be the archbishops of a group called <True Night>, worshippers of a foreign god deemed evil.

Considering the Holy War against the <True Night> had not long passed and now this incident involving the royal heirs happened, the imperial family responded massively.

Unsurprisingly, Noel and Orcus had to immediately head to the imperial castle. Not long after, the imperial troops dispatched from the capital started to scour the whole imperial capital, with the intention of eradicating the heretic seeds.

Given that this incident targeted the royal heirs, even the territories known for their strong autonomy had to accept the intervention of the imperial army.

Of course, it wasn’t possible to uproot a group that had been at odds with the empire for centuries with just one search. However, during the massive search, a few who were believed to have been annihilated during the Holy War were caught.

One way or another, their influence was significantly diminished.

With such a major incident unfolding, the hunting tournament inevitably had to be halted. My plan to rise to fame through winning the tournament was dashed.

Still, if there was a silver lining, it was that key figures, who would have been pivotal in an invasion of the South in a few years, were eliminated in advance.

I decided not to dwell too much on the fact that there were other ways to achieve this goal. What mattered was that I had been able to prevent the incident that could have reached the royal family. Although it veered slightly from my initial plan, it wasn’t as if my name remained entirely unknown.

The invasion of Legion Castle was halted by my father’s hands, while I ended the lives of those who attacked the prince and princess.

The search in the south was spearheaded by Kraus for this very reason.

As it happened, all those known to be of Archbishop rank died at the hands of the Kraus family. While this bolstered our family name in a slightly different manner than I anticipated, I noticed a shift in how others perceived me.

Previously considered merely the successor of a decent family, perhaps now I was being recognized for the prestige of my family name?

While it was true that the divine power of the sun opposed foreign god’s divinity, the fact that three sixteen-year-olds defeated a powerhouse was still astonishing. Although the praise might not have been as extensive as I’d hoped, a reevaluation was certainly in order.

‘Although, most opinions agree that I merely dealt the finishing blow to an almost dead guy.’

But that was indeed the truth.

When I confronted him, he was already on the brink of death. The only contribution I made, as people claim, was ensuring his last breath as he coughed up blood.

As a result, I gained more fame for saving the princess than the name I originally wanted to establish. Most believed it was more luck than skill or loyalty.

The distance between Orcus’ group and me was significant. Finding them in a dense forest where magic was suppressed would seem odd to anyone. Even my father, known as the greatest genius of the Kraus family, wouldn’t have managed such a feat.

Most would easily chalk it up to sheer luck.

If I hadn’t had the tool from Elena, this task would have been impossible. Instead of making a big deal out of it, I chose to wrap it up modestly.

While I could’ve proven my abilities by retrieving the monsters and prey I’d left in the forest, the hunting competition had been halted. There would be other opportunities, so I didn’t want to be too persistent.

“Well, considering what she showed, even if I brought a truckload of those, they would be buried in no time...”

Regardless of how many monsters I caught in the forest, it wouldn’t be enough to gain everyone’s attention. People tended to focus on what they saw with their own eyes rather than what they didn’t.

I picked up my drink, lost in thoughts of her, who wasn’t present.

It wasn’t just Noel and Orcus who had to leave Sarham. Elena, one of the main figures of this incident, was also absent.

It wasn’t a big deal. After the incident, out of concern for his daughter, Duke Joachim had her stay at the Edelweiss household until things settled down. Perhaps he wanted to further verify the magic Elena displayed in Legion.

Externally, Elena was known as a prodigy who reached the 5th rank of magician at a young age. But what she demonstrated in Legion was way beyond that level. It was no wonder Duke Joachim was curious; she could very well be a genius unprecedented in the magic world. If I hadn’t known about her talents through the novel in advance, I might have made an even bigger fuss about it.

“Lately, I can’t sleep. My eyes look so intense...as if they could pierce right through someone.”

I tilted my cup of apple wine and saw my reflection. Gently rubbing my eyes, I tried to relax my facial muscles.

Even without it, people often commented on the sharpness of my face. But the reflection I saw in the mirror today was like a sharpened blade, transforming into a face that looked ready to pick a fight at any moment. No wonder people didn’t approach me today; with a face like this, who would dare?

The main events had passed, yet why did my face still look so tired?

Because Elena wasn’t by my side?

I couldn’t deny that entirely, but the main reason lay in the fact that during the final stages of the incident, the Imperial family uniquely entrusted the southern investigation and its aftermath solely to Kraus.

Was it a role similar to a legitimate inquisitor, bestowed by the emperor in our centralized society?

All the families within the empire were intervened by the imperial family in this investigation, except for the South. The imperial family did initially send some people, but that was a mere formality. Not long after, they handed over all the investigation rights of the south to Kraus.

Neither the imperial family nor other families could interfere with Kraus’ actions. Simply put, if my father and I decided to, we could wipe out any family in the South using this incident as a pretext.

Anyway, this trust displayed by the imperial family towards the Kraus family was quite honorable. But who am I?

I am the young lord of Kraus.

Honor or not, being unable to collaborate with other families meant we had to conduct the investigation with only our internal resources. Our family wasn’t lacking in power, but as the young lord, my workload inevitably increased, leading to my current worn-out appearance.

Perhaps the imperial family intended to repay us in some way by granting this authority, but all I felt was that I was left with the short end of the stick.

But, with no external interference, considerable freedom was ensured for me as the young lord. Knowing a bit about the future, I could easily conduct the investigation according to my wishes and preemptively remove future threats. However, the cost was my sleep. Well, now that everything was done, I hoped I could sleep soundly...

I mumbled softly, ensuring no one else could hear.

“I don’t know why nobles like banquets so much.”

Ironically, a banquet was scheduled for the evening the incident was resolved.

Hosting a banquet to commemorate the end of what could have been a catastrophe with minimal damage was understandable.

“Why couldn’t they have hosted it tomorrow or the day after?”

Surprisingly, my father was the one organizing this banquet.

It wasn’t like him to enjoy hosting events, but perhaps this was necessary to show that the incident had been resolved. I suppose he wanted to wrap it up quickly, but I wish he’d considered the stamina of those around him.

The knights involved in the investigation could choose whether or not to attend the banquet. But as one of the main figures alongside my father, I couldn’t just leave. Hence, in this place, I couldn’t find familiar faces like Sir Gwen or other knights who had been with me throughout the investigation.

Perhaps, they had all gone to rest. These traitors.

Even if today’s sullen mood deterred people from approaching me, I didn’t yearn for solitude. Rather, I wished to retreat to my room. Despite being at the party, I made no attempt to revel in the silence around me.

No matter how quiet things were compared to usual, dozing off at a banquet was unthinkable.

After sipping some apple wine a few times and glancing at my watch, I realized that an hour had almost passed without me doing much.

By now, I had probably stayed long enough to satisfy appearances. There shouldn’t be anyone to judge if I left.

But just as I decided on this, the hall suddenly erupted in noise.

“Look, over there… It’s her!”

“Ah. Is that the young lady who played a major role in the recent incident?”

“Major role or not! I saw it with my own eyes, monsters rushing towards the castle were all wiped out by her magic.”

“She doesn’t seem the type… So, those rumors weren’t false?”

“Exactly why one shouldn’t be easily swayed by her looks. And don’t forget, she’s the fiancée of Damian Kraus. Messing with her could lead to unforeseen consequences.”

While they tried to keep their voices down, their murmurs were clear to me. The whispers gave away who had just arrived.

Following a familiar scent of flowers, I turned away from my original path. As I moved, people parted before me. This seemed to be happening from the opposite side too, as they split apart.

Only when the last person standing before me stepped aside, could I finally see her. As they conversed in hushed tones, they kept their distance from her.

I approached her slowly and began, “I thought you would rest a bit longer before returning. Elena.”

“Saying what you don’t mean... So, what’s your real intention?”

“I’ve been eagerly awaiting your return.”

At my response, Elena let out a soft laugh.

Seeing her like that oddly seemed to alleviate some of my exhaustion.

--- END OF CHAPTER ---

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