Chapter 28
※ This episode is a side story.
"Things have gotten complicated. You know that too, don't you?"
"I... I have no excuse..."
"What about Hiasen and Josephine?"
"They are both lying in the infirmary."
It was fortunate that they had relentlessly pursued the demon Tennebreia day and night and killed her before she could cross the border.
Since it was one of the most difficult missions in the history of the Empire, it was only natural to celebrate.
But the news that her daughter, 'Estasha,' had been exposed to the outside world made Emperor Irogen's heart sink.
And of all people, it had been Hiasen and Josephine who witnessed it.
Hiasen was still young, so perhaps he could be persuaded somehow,
but his father knew better than anyone that a gag order would be useless against the loose-lipped Josephine.
"We'll follow the principle."
"Pardon...? Y-You mean, follow the principle?"
"Have Tennebreia's burning last a week rather than three days. Hang her corpse on a cross and burn it at the stake in Acropolis Square."
"Then her daughter will be treated the same..."
"What are you talking about?"
Irogen's eyes flashed coldly.
He casually placed a hand on the terrified Head Butler Vargo's shoulder.
"Have Tennebreia's burning last a week, not three days. A mere demon dared lay hands on a noble Kaizen imperial princess, so she must receive a fitting punishment, don't you agree?"
"Yes... I'll carry out your orders."
"And I am deeply concerned about Princess Estasha's health. Make every effort to ensure she recovers as soon as possible."
"Then may I ask the Fourth Imperial Princess's name?"
"Her name. Yes, her name."
Emperor Irogen paused before answering.
"Estasha Latias (Lax'tias) Kaizen."
If Tennebreia had been shadow, then let there be light for her.
* * *
All those referred to as the rightful successors to the Kaizen imperial throne were Emperor Irogen's biological children.
The most prominent among them were Crown Prince Jade and Second Imperial Princess Josephine, the empress's children.
Nor could First Imperial Princess Angelina and Second Imperial Prince Pheiran be ignored, backed as they were by the powerful House of Duke Zakario.
In contrast, Third Imperial Prince Hiasen and Third Imperial Princess Niobe were young, and their mother came from the relatively low-status House of Count Aria, so they were almost excluded from the line of succession.
Thus, it was difficult to view their siblings' easygoing treatment of Hiasen and Niobe as unrelated to political circumstances.
But no one anywhere knew that the current Emperor Irogen had another biological child.
"She had the same blond hair as us."
Josephine's voice was still trembling.
In Kaizen, being blond did not simply mean being a member of the imperial family.
It referred only to the emperor's biological children, the biological children of former emperors, and the current rightful successors.
In the first place, all the emperor's authority came from the "Imperial Seal," so even if a child was the emperor's biological son, he could not inherit the right of succession if he had been born before the emperor took the throne.
Yet the child on the cross whom Josephine and Hiasen had witnessed undeniably possessed beautiful blond hair and golden eyes, bearing an uncanny resemblance to them.
Hiasen still had not recovered from the shock.
It was like seeing a living corpse.
Whatever they might have imagined, it must have been a sight impossible for a young child to process.
"Will we end up like that too?"
"What do you mean, 'we'?"
Angelina asked in return.
"Until now, I thought it was only natural for Big Brother Jade to become emperor. But even after he becomes emperor, will he protect us?"
If he perhaps failed to become emperor,
would we end up like that, too?
Anxiety swept over them.
"What are you so worried about? Jade is at least your real brother. If anyone should be worried, it would be Hiasen."
Of course, Jade wasn't the kind of person to be so cruel and ruthless, either.
If anything, he was closer to a model student.
"Verstappen, are you outside?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
"Has Father still not said anything?"
"He has made no mention of anything to me."
The emperor was holding his tongue, and the atmosphere was uneasy.
Under normal circumstances, the Darkstars adhered to the Dormant Volcano Principle, but now that they were roaming the heart of the imperial palace, every noble had their guard up.
Was another large-scale purge about to begin?
Or had an even greater problem arrived?
Everyone was waiting for the emperor to say something.
Some time later, Verstappen, the emperor's guard knight, arrived with a message.
"Tomorrow at noon. There will be a burning at the stake in Acropolis Square."
""A burning at the stake?""
"Yes. It seems the Darkstars captured a high-ranking demon. I don't know the details, but they've ordered us to bring the citizens to the square tomorrow, since they intend to lay bare all the demon's vile deeds."
"What are you talking about? There are demons here?"
"Hiasen!"
Hiasen clutched his head and rose to his feet.
Then did that tragedy at Yvonne Palace mean the work of a demon?
The sight made him nauseous even to recall, but he was more worried about her safety.
"Then is she all right? She isn't dead?"
"I'm not sure about that much..."
When he saw her, she was already standing at death's door.
Her shoulders must have been dislocated long ago, and she had been struggling even to breathe.
Above all, the sight of flesh healing over the large nails was horrifying even to remember.
Even so, Hiasen demanded that they take him to her.
"Take me to her. If you don't know where she is, ask the head butler."
* * *
In fact, Hiasen had a pretty good idea where the girl would be.
The fact that Josephine and he had awakened in this infirmary also showed that the larger infirmary's beds were already full.
And as soon as Verstappen obtained permission from the head butler, Hiasen ran to the infirmary where she was.
The lobby was already bustling with more doctors and clergy than he could count.
They seemed to be working in shifts even now to heal her.
It was the first time Hiasen had ever seen someone dying so horribly.
Hiasen could do nothing but sit quietly in the waiting room and pray that the Empire's most skilled people would somehow save her.
For several minutes,
for several hours.
"Hiasen, so you were here."
As this was happening, the voice of Crown Prince Jade brushed Hiasen's ears.
"Big Brother?"
"I heard what happened. His Majesty the Emperor will be coming here soon, too."
"The demon and the princess... I still don't really understand what happened."
"You'll learn in time. There's no need to rush."
"Is Big Brother Pheiran not coming with you?"
"He was in the south, so he must be on his way up as soon as he heard the news. It will take some time."
Just as the crown prince had said, the sounds announcing the emperor's arrival could be heard from far away.
Hiasen had a mountain of questions he wanted to ask.
Who exactly was the girl?
Why had there been a demon in the imperial palace?
Yet even though the main gate of Zenith Palace, where the central infirmary was located, had been thrown wide open, the emperor did not enter for quite some time.
Instead, he seemed to be conferring with several ministers outside.
Then Emperor Irogen abruptly left, something even Jade had not expected.
"Head Butler Vargo!"
Hiasen called out to Vargo, clinging to the last straw.
His voice almost went unheard, but fortunately Jade called out to him, allowing him to speak with the head butler alone.
"Are you feeling a little better?"
"That girl... What's her name?"
Hiasen asked directly.
"You wanted to know the patient's name. She is Estasha."
"Is that all?"
"Estasha Latias de Kaizen, Her Highness the Fourth Imperial Princess of the Kaizen Empire. I have urgent business, so if you'll excuse me."
Vargo turned away coldly.
As he left the palace, he thought to himself:
The emperor's illegitimate child was the emperor's own disgrace.
Even to Vargo, Emperor Irogen's decision this time was somewhat puzzling, for he was also known as the Flawless Emperor.
But every decision had a proper reason.
That was simply Emperor Irogen's stubborn nature.
Irogen had severed the connection between the illegitimate child and the demons, even at the cost of acknowledging his own disgrace.
Why had he spared her when he could have killed her?
Vargo could only pity the fate that awaited her, as she was forced to live on as the emperor's illegitimate child.
He was also someone who could understand that pain better than anyone.
* * *
"What...? What did you say happened?"
"I... um..."
"I told you to stop trembling and speak clearly!!!"
"Te... Te... Tennebreia... We lost contact with Lady Tennebreia! She was probably captured just before the border... Aaargh!"
The plaster statue that had been standing motionless beside him exploded in an instant.
The demon could not even draw a proper breath.
If he so much as offended the man before him, his neck would be severed more easily than a pig's at a slaughterhouse.
'How did things end up like this...'
Tennebreia had been the man's most cherished youngest daughter.
The man's rage had risen so high that he instead appeared unnervingly calm.
The demon instinctively knew that this was the man's most dangerous state.
"I'll dispatch a special unit and bring her back without fail...!"
"Enough. You did your best, I'm sure."
"No! Please, just give me one chance! Please!"
The Demon King's finger twitched.
The one-horned demon rolled his eyes downward.
A thin line was being etched around his neck.
The line was red.
The world tilted a moment later, and his grotesque body toppled over without even managing a dying scream.
"I'll go myself."