Chapter 57
The rumor that Caron had defeated Luke in a sparring match spread through the entire Imperial Palace in mere hours.
By late afternoon, half a day after the spar, Caron and his group went to Sixth Prince Revelio's place for a dinner they'd been invited to.
"Damn, that potion worked like a charm! I heard you took down Sir Luke? That potion was worth every coin, huh?" Revelio remarked with a grin.
"It wasn't the potion, I'm just that strong. You have to say it properly, Prince," Caron corrected him.
"Ahem, but you should show some respect to the benefactor who gave you a potion you can't even buy with a fortune," Revelio teased back.
"Prince?" Caron began.
"Yes?" Revelio responded.
"Just eat your food," Caron said.
He was having dinner together with Leo and Revelio. He sliced into a perfectly cooked lamb chop, took a bite, and then set his knife down. Then, he lowered his voice and asked, "Prince, can I ask one more favor?"
"What is it now?" Revelio asked back.
"Can you bring some liquor out?" Caron requested.
"Do I look like some kind of liquor stash? Sir Mason took all of it, saying patients shouldn't drink. Speaking of, I heard you got your side pierced during the spar earlier?" Revelio replied.
Revelio was confined to his quarters under house arrest. He had been cleared of charges related to summoning demons with the help of Halo. But there had been an imperial command that ordered him to remain within his quarters until the matter was fully resolved.
This place was the safest one for Revelio in the Imperial Palace, as he was being protected by the Oceanwolf Knight Order, stationed around his residence.
"It's fine. I've already healed. You know how fast kids recover, right? And I already finished off a potion," Caron said with a casual shrug.
"Who in their right mind wants to down liquor after getting pierced by a sword?" Revelio shot back.
"That would be me, right here. Seriously, you don't have a single bottle stashed away? Now that's disappointing—" Caron began.
Thud.
Revelio pulled out a bottle that didn't even have a label.
"What's that?" Caron asked, intrigued.
"This? It's an apple wine brewed by the elves themselves. How about this instead of whiskey? Today's a special day, so I'll share it with you," Revelio said.
"You've been hiding this precious thing all this time?" Caron asked in a surprised voice.
Elven apple wine was an extraordinary delicacy. While not as rare as the dew of the World Tree, it was still an exquisite treat, difficult to find anywhere on the continent.
Revelio grinned as he poured the apple wine into glasses and handed them to Caron and Leo. He said, "I stole it from my sister's office during a visit."
Caron chuckled and said, "You've got some sticky fingers for a prince. I like that."
When Leo heard that, he shook his head and replied, "...You two really are alike in the strangest ways."
Considering how often Caron had been caught sneaking Zerath's liquor, it wasn't surprising that he and Revelio got along so well. They both seemed to enjoy bending the rules in their own ways.
With the wine glasses filled, Revelio lifted up his glass to raise a toast. He exclaimed cheerfully, "Let's drink to a good day!"
Clang!
After the toast, Caron immediately took a sip. The sweetness of the apple wine, laced with carbonation, spread across his palate.
The alcohol content was just right. It wasn't too light, but not overpowering either. Though fermented, the drink lacked the usual pungency of alcohol, instead flooding his mouth with the crisp aroma of apples. Everything blended together perfectly, leaving a pleasant aftertaste.
"This is a good liquor," Caron remarked as he smacked his lips and looked at the bottle appreciatively. He had always heard that elven apple wine was a delicacy, and now he understood why.
"But, Prince, what's so great about today? Are you really that happy about being confined?" he asked, popping a piece of asparagus into his mouth.
Revelio grinned brightly as he replied, "It's the first time in my life that I've had some shade in this blasted palace!"
"...Shade?" Caron asked.
"Yeah, I finally get to escape that searing sunlight. At least now I don't have to worry about dying in the palace. And it's all thanks to you, Caron. So yeah, today's a damn good day!" Revelio explained. Though his voice was lighthearted, the meaning behind his words wasn't.
Caron quietly observed Revelio's face. He could see the traces of boyishness slowly fading away. It wasn't hard to imagine how the prince had fought alone here, without a single ally to lean on. An unwelcome presence in his own home.
Perhaps that was why Caron felt a twinge of connection to him.
Gurgle.
Caron reached for the bottle and poured more apple wine into Revelio's empty glass. Then, he said in a low voice, "When I return to Azureocean Castle, I'll be under probation for four years."
"Tsk tsk, you should've listened to the adults," Revelio said.
"Says the prince who hangs out with underworld organizations. At least I'm not mingling with backstreet thugs," Caron shot back.
"And yet, you bribe the mayor?" Revelio countered.
"Whoa, whoa. What do you mean, bribe? I was just paying my respects to an old friend of my grandfather. Plus, Leo pitched in too," Caron replied.
"Hey, don't drag me into this," Leo chimed in.
The three exchanged light banter, then downed another round of drinks. Caron let out a deep breath and smiled at Revelio.
"Next time I see you, it'll be four years from now. Think you'll survive that long?" Caron asked with a playful grin.
Revelio nodded slowly and asked, "You know my goal, right?"
"Your goal?" Caron asked.
"I've got a long way to go before I'm a proper bastard. Can't die before I've completely wrecked the family, can I? A real bastard would leave everything in shambles, don't you think?" Revelio answered.
"Prince," Caron called out.
"Yes?" Revelio responded.
"I guarantee it, Prince. You'll become the biggest bastard in the entire imperial palace," Caron said with a sly grin.
Although it sounded like an insult, Revelio only laughed and shot back, "I don't think you're much different."
"But I love my parents," Caron replied with a smirk.
"Hmm, I guess that means you're not a bastard. Let's just call you a Mad Dog then," Revelio suggested.
"That works," Caron nodded.
"Leo can be the slightly less Mad Dog," Revelio added with a teasing grin.
"Fine by me," Caron agreed without hesitation.
Leo, however, groaned in protest. "Can you both stop including me in this? I'm not mad!"
Revelio laughed and gave Leo a hearty pat on the back before turning his attention back to Caron. He then said, "By the time we meet again after four years, you'll probably be even more of a monster. Honestly, meeting you guys back in Thebe was the luckiest thing that ever happened to me in my whole life."
"Isn't that the kind of thing people would say when they're confessing their love?" Caron asked.
"Hm, Maybe I should switch sexes while I'm at it. If I learned polymorph magic, I could—" Revelio began.
"I'll kill you. I swear, I will kill you," Caron interrupted with a threat, his voice full of menace.
"Relax, it's just a joke! No need to get that worked up. Anyway..." Revelio trailed off, his fingers absently tracing the rim of his wine glass. His voice grew softer as he continued, "You'll still be able to hear news from outside while you're stuck in Azureocean Castle, right? Watch closely from there and see how I turn into the biggest bastard this empire has ever seen."
Caron shook his head with a quiet chuckle. Revelio was still as unpredictable as ever, his thoughts impossible to read.
Raising his glass slightly, he said, "Let's toast."
"I'm all for it," Revelio replied. "Oh, I just thought of a great toast. How about, 'To the Bastard and the Mad Dogs'? What do you think?"
"Not bad," Caron admitted.
Leo, however, sighed and muttered, "...Could you leave me out of it... Please?"
Ignoring Leo's grumbling, Revelio shouted boldly, "To the Bastard and the Mad Dogs!"
The so-called bastard shouted vigorously and the so-called mad dogs laughed as they clinked their glasses together.
At the same time, chaos had erupted throughout the palace, but it didn't particularly matter to them. Their time in the palace was slowly coming to an end, and that moment was all that counted.
***
It was late at night inside the main palace of the imperial palace.
"According to the Imperial Magic Tower's investigation, the mask worn by the succubus had the ability to conceal Dark Mana. This seems to be why the detection spells failed to pick up on it," Halo said, holding up the mask that was now half-shattered.
Standing before him were two men. One was the Crown Prince, and the other was Marquis Kieran Diaz, the head of the prestigious Diaz family.
"Why is Duke Salmon not present?" Halo asked, his tone calm but sharp.
The crown prince had a troubled look crossing his face before he replied, "Duke Salmon is currently occupied with suppressing the unrest in the southern regions of the empire. The situation there has worsened due to the influx of refugees from the southern kingdoms' wars."
"The deserters who illegally occupied the Belrus Barony's territory were also soldiers from the southern kingdoms, were they not? It's an odd situation, don't you think, Your Highness?" Halo replied.
The crown prince nodded and said, "We are investigating through the Imperial Guards. I ask for a bit more time—"
But before he could finish, Halo raised his hand, cutting him off mid-sentence. Interrupting a royal was a grave offense, but Halo was one of the few with the authority to do so. The crown prince knew this all too well, especially after the severe warning he'd received from his father before attending this meeting.
"Never upset Duke Halo, my son. You must not make an enemy of him. Do not forget my words."
Until today, the crown prince hadn't fully understood why his father feared Duke Halo so much. To him, the events that had occurred fifty years ago were just ancient history. But now, as the crown prince stood before the old man, he began to understand. Now he too was afraid.
Just facing the old man made it hard to breathe, and his head felt dizzy. It was as if he couldn't even think straight. All he could do was avoid the man's overwhelming gaze.
Halo let out a small sigh as he looked at the visibly cowed crown prince, then shifted his gaze toward Kieran. He said, "Even if the Dark Mana was concealed, entry into the palace requires one's identity to be verified. Isn't that right, Kieran?"
"...Duke Halo, this is the imperial palace, and I am the head of House Diaz. Could you at least show me the courtesy of using my title?" Kieran responded, trying to maintain his composure.
"Does it bother you?" Halo asked, unfazed.
"Not particularly, but..." Kieran trailed off.
"It's just been a while since I've seen you, so I was more inclined to familiarity. Very well then, Marquis Kieran Diaz. According to our investigation, the identity the succubus assumed was that of Lady Tillesman from the Viscount Tillesman family. We've just received the word that her body was found two hours ago on the outskirts of the capital," said Halo.
Kieran's expression darkened at the news. House Tillesman was a noble family that counted as one of the factions under his influence. Kieran wondered if there was a possibility that they were connected somehow.
"...It's a tragic situation, but Duke Halo, I must insist that House Diaz has no involvement in this matter," Kieran said.
"Of course," Halo replied. "I don't suspect you would have done anything so foolish. But I ask for your cooperation. A demon has infiltrated the imperial palace, and more importantly..."
Crack.
Halo clenched his fist and his face twisted with barely contained fury. The intensity of his anger was palpable.
"My grandsons nearly died twice during this trip to the capital. I cannot stand idly by. Have you heard the rumor that Luke, an imperial guard, was defeated by Caron?" Halo continued with a calm voice that carried a dangerous edge.
Kieran nodded and replied, "Yes, I've heard."
"Caron is the future of the Leston Duchy, and Leo is the one who will care for Caron better than anyone else. Do you understand what that means?" Halo asked.
As he spoke, mana began to radiate from him, pressing down on Kieran like an invisible weight.
"It means that we nearly lost our future here because of some treacherous rat hiding in the imperial palace!" Halo continued.
"D-Duke, please..." Kieran stuttered as he struggled under the weight of Halo's power.
While Kieran tried to remain composed, the crown prince turned pale. The Imperial Guards who usually protected him weren't here. A sense of helplessness that was impossible to fully describe with words swept over his entire body. The crown prince was in a situation where he couldn't even breathe.
In a low voice, Halo said to the crown prince, "I've already discussed everything with His Majesty, Your Highness."
"What did you...?" the Crown Prince asked.
"From today onward, four divisions of the Oceanwolf Knight Order will be stationed in the imperial palace," Halo declared. "One division will be assigned to monitor Prince Revelio's quarters, given that he violated the agreement, while the other three will establish a special investigation unit to pursue this matter."
The Crown Prince understood what that meant. Halo was reasserting the power of the Oceanwolf Knight Order within the palace. It was something that hadn't happened in fifty years. It also meant that the so-called giant, who was long asleep, was going to stir once more. But no one present dared to challenge Halo's authority.
"Additionally, I will send my sons to the imperial palace periodically to ensure the investigation is proceeding properly. Your Highness, this investigation will be thorough and long-lasting," Halo said with his eyes gleaming as he looked down at the Crown Prince and Kieran.
Fifty years of peace were now over. From this moment, things were going to change.
"No one will be exempt from this investigation," Halo concluded, his voice cold. "Not even those of royal blood."
Indeed, everything was going to change.