Chapter sponsored by Sebastian Rath. Thank you for your support.
The next morning a visitor came to Rudger's room.
He opened the door to reveal a handsome knight with blonde hair and a good-natured expression, Passius.
"The First Princess is expecting you."
"……I think I need to rest a little longer."
"The First Princess is expecting you."
"I'm afraid I'm still not feeling well."
"The First Princess is expecting you."
"……."
No matter what he said, Passius just smirks and repeats the same answer.
It's unfortunate for him, but Passius is giving off the vibe that he can't give in either, so Rudger has no choice but to reluctantly agree.
When they arrived at the hospital's entrance, a black steam car was already waiting for them. The car was reserved for the imperial family, so it was difficult to see the interior through the glass windows.
Perhaps this was a courtesy of Princess Eileen.
'I didn't ask for this.'
The thought of Eileen's generosity should have overwhelmed him, but Rudger didn't think so.
Eileen gave as much as she received, but she took more than she gave.
All of these little perks and considerations she was giving now would add up to a leash on him later. Rudger knew it, but he had no reason to refuse at the moment.
It was Eileen who would cover up as much as possible for what he had done, and Rudger was in a position where he needed help.
Once they were in the car, Passius took the wheel.
"Do you drive?"
"Sometimes I drive when the Princess is on a secret inspection, which is why I had to get a license."
"Does the Royal Guard do that?"
"I'm an unusual case."
Even as he muttered that, there was already a hint of resignation in his voice.
Rudger felt a twinge of pity for his successor, but at the same time, he was glad he wasn't in that position.
'Using a Master who can coat his bare hands with aura as a mere chauffeur. I don't know whether to call it a waste of manpower or working him to the bone.'
As Rudger was thinking that, the vehicle pulled away as Passius turned the wheel skillfully.
The roads were deserted, as the repair work from the terrorist attack hadn't yet been completed.
"So, how are you feeling?"
"Good enough thanks to the treatment I received."
"As per the Princess' consideration, I've hired tight-lipped healers, so you don't have to worry."
"I see."
"Oh, by the way, there are other people waiting in the Imperial Castle right now. First of all, those who entered the underground tunnels that day will be awarded medals."
"You mean a decoration ceremony?"
"I don't mean to sound snooty, but you should be a little proud of yourself. You're just jealous because the others don't know about what you did, right?"
Passius smirked behind the wheel.
"To be honest, I'd rather give Mr. Rudger all my medals."
"You mean me?"
"I know what happened that day in the underground tunnels. When I woke up, I was in a different place, and I couldn't help but feel that I owed it to Mr. Rudger."
"Did the others think so too?"
"No. I was the first one to wake up, and I talked a good game, so no one really suspected anything."
As a shadow of the First Princess he had a very neat way of handling things and Rudger was glad to hear that.
To reveal that he stayed behind and fought Louispold alone would be to reveal that he'd been hiding his power.
"Not that anyone hasn't noticed, of course. Do you happen to know who it is?"
"Casey Selmore."
The answer came right out of Rudger's mouth.
"I see. You and the detective already know everything there is to know about each other."
"Not exactly."
"Well, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't bother you, but detective Casey agreed with me that Mr. Rudger saved our asses. In fact, she even managed to convince the one person who was most suspicious of you, Trina Ryanhowl."
"…… Is that so?"
After all, Casey seemed intent on keeping his identity a secret, even now. She hadn't even told her best friend, Trina.
Now I find that rather suspicious.
What does Casey Selmore want from me?
'Even then, she insisted on fighting with me no matter what. Why? Does she feel a sense of competition?'
Aside from Rudger, Casey was the only one who resisted the demon's power. It wasn't perfect, of course, and she was in a pretty bad state, but it was something to wake up in that situation.
It was something Rudger hadn't expected at all.
"By any chance, is Casey Selmore in the imperial castle?"
"Oh, that's……."
Passius hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Detective Casey left for Leathervelk shortly afterward."
"You mean she left?"
"Yes. The Princess personally called for her, but she left, saying she was tired and busy."
Passius's words were not empty, but more like heartfelt praise. As far as he was concerned, Casey's cool refusal of the First Princess's subtly pressuring invitation was very admirable.
Perhaps even more so because he knew he would never be able to do the same.
"I did see her condition before she left, though, and she didn't look too good."
"What condition was it exactly?"
"Oh. You're finally admitting that there's something between you, and you're worried, right?"
"Yeah………Let's just call it that."
"Just kidding, just kidding, she had a dark look on her face and she looked really tired."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah."
Passius had drawn the line at the end of the story as far as he knew.
Rudger remembered the pitying look Casey had sent his way at the end.
Glancing out the window, Rudger scratched his temple with his hand.
Maybe he should go see for himself at least once.
"We've arrived."
By now, the vehicle had arrived at the entrance to the Imperial Castle of Devalk.
The guards had been warned at the entrance, and they opened the gates right away, frightened at the sight of the vehicle.
The castle was still majestic, untouched by the terrorist uproar.
Looking at the countless white spires, Rudger headed inside, half excited, half worried.
* * *
Rudger stood in the ante-room, where the Emperor stays for a short time before being announced, casting a subtle glance at Chris Benimore, who was nervously hovering on one leg.
"Mr. Chris."
"……."
"Mr. Chris Benimore."
"……what?"
Rudger said his name a little stronger, and Chris responded. His voice, which normally would have been booming, was somehow weak and full of melancholy.
Rudger knew what was wrong with him.
"Are you still thinking about that elf lady?"
"Not that elf lady, Lady Belaruna."
"……Yes. Are you still thinking of Lady Belaruna?"
"Don't you dare use her name……!"
"……."
What the hell.
Rudger shook his head in disbelief.
During the underground fight, Rudger had gotten everyone to safety but in Belaruna's case, he had Hans take her away before the others could come to their senses.
The problem was that Belaruna's disappearance shocked Chris as if the sky had fallen.
'You're a very unlucky man.'
Chris Benimore was now searching for Belaruna as anxiously as a man with a broken heart. If it weren't for today's ceremony, he'd be wandering the capital like a ghost.
"I'm sure she's out there somewhere……."
"No! You don't know how frail and delicate a woman Lady Belaruna is, to have disappeared so suddenly, so suddenly!"
'……Feeble and frail?'
For a moment, Rudger had to reconsider his understanding of the meaning of the word frail.
To his astonishment, Chris had been convinced that Belaruna was a young elven maiden.
"Belaruna, the infamous witch doctor of the……underworld?'
If you dropped her in a crime zone right now, she'd probably eat them up.
Just look at her work in the underground waterways.
In the midst of all that fighting, Belaruna had even managed to sneak a chimera and some flesh tissue from the subjects inside her personal pouch.
Rudger was horrified to see it when he went to retrieve the specialty chemicals.
'I mean, she didn't even get in trouble for trying to……get into the World Tree, so what's the big deal?'
Rudger shook his head.
'But I can't just leave Chris alone, he's getting on my nerves as we share the same space.'
"In that case, I'll ask the First Princess."
"……What did you say?"
"I will have a chance to speak with Princess Eileen privately, and I will ask her where Ms. Belaruna is."
So just be quiet for now.
Rudger swallowed the last part, but Chris seemed to recognize the implication and immediately stopped shaking uneasily.
"……Yes. Please."
Rudger was relieved to see Chris calm down. Now that he'd said this much, he should ask Belaruna for her opinion.
'It's her choice to meet him or not.'
However, given the way she had reacted to Chris, it was unlikely that she would say no.
'I'm sure she'll want to meet him, so I'll let her.'
Rudger had a sudden thought.
'I'm not going to get a wedding invitation out of the blue, am I?'
He wondered what his face would look like then but he couldn't quite picture it.
"Are you ready? You must depart now."
An imperial servant said, opening the door.
Rudger and Chris rose from their seats and followed the servant's lead into a large hall.
The Hall of White Mirrors, as it was called, was a pure white space that could hold hundreds of people and still have room to spare.
Light streamed in from all sides, creating natural lighting that was not at all dazzling and the floor was made of smooth marble.
True to its name, it was like a white mirror, and everything was clearly reflected on the floor.
Rudger glanced up. Beyond the sparkling, jewel-like chandeliers, hyper-realist masterpieces were painted on the ceiling, a space of both aesthetic beauty and awe.
It was here that Rudger came face to face with the Emperor.
Of course, he wasn't alone.
Rudger was flanked by Chris Benimore and other members of the infiltration team, including Passius and Trina Ryanhowl. Only Belaruna and Casey Selmore were absent.
Rudger looked at Rotheron, who still wore the iron helmet over his face.
It was almost disrespectful to hide one's face in the presence of the Emperor. However, Rotheron's refusal to show his face was so well known that special permission had been granted.
'A Suin.'
Rudger remembered Iona O'Valley, one of the students in his class.
Suins are a fairly discriminated race in modern society.
In the elitist world of magic, they were naturally ostracized even more.
Nowadays, it's much less prevalent, but there are still vestiges of discrimination.
For a Suin to rise to such a position in such a place.
'It must have been hard work.'
Not to mention, Rotheron was also hiding [Unusual] magic. That means he got there with his own strength, something that could not be done without a great deal of determination.
It was then that Rotheron glanced at Rudger from behind his mask.
Rudger could feel the stare. It wasn't because he was staring at him but because Rotheron was secretly aware of Rudger.
Just then, a powerful trumpet sounded, signaling the start of the ceremony.
Both men's gazes turned toward the front at the same time. Out of the corner of their eye, they saw the Imperial family but there was also a face they hadn't seen in the square. It was the empress sitting next to the emperor.
'I can see right away who First Princess Eileen looks like.'
The Empress was so young and beautiful that she didn't look like someone who had three children. She could have even been mistaken for Eileen's sister.
The only difference was that she had a more mature and cozy look, unlike Eileen, who was darker inside.
Next to the Empress stood the First Princess Eileen, and beside her were the Second Prince and Third Princesses.
'The entire imperial family has gathered here, and it looks like it's quite a ceremony.'
In particular, the three siblings with their completely different personalities stood out.
Of the three, it was the second prince who caught Rudger's eye the most.
Unlike Eileen and Erendir, whom he had seen many times, this was the first time he had met the second prince.
He rarely shows his face in public, so this was a rare opportunity.
The Second Prince was, in a sense, the most unusual of the three. He was the one who rarely generated rumors.
If you were of imperial blood, you were bound to generate rumors of some sort.
Their bloodline brought the blue with them wherever they went and even Erendir had made a name for herself among the nobility but the Second Prince was even less recognized than Erendir.
That was partly because he kept a low profile but Rudger suspected there was something else.
'Second Prince Ivelon von Exilion.'
The frail-looking figure resembled his father, but the look in his eyes was very different.
'He said he gave up the succession, the power, all of it, because he was pushed out by First Princess Eileen. But the look in his eyes……says otherwise.'
It was then that the second prince Ivelon gaze met Rudger's.
Their gazes intertwined in the air. At the same time, Rudger sensed something about the second prince.
'That man. He is deliberately concealing himself.'