So He Really Was a Bad Person After All

After Aurora's fierce warning had run its course.

Count Habelt and Count Warwick fled as though escaping.

The atmosphere was as tense as thin ice.

The other nobles who had tried to approach Leon merely hesitated, unable to bring themselves to go near him.

‘Who knew this big sister could get angry?’

Even Leon was inwardly flustered at seeing Aurora like this for the first time.

To him, Aurora had seemed more like an immature older sister who bragged about being a few years older.

She had none of the distinctive charisma characteristic of imperial royalty.

But when she drove off the nobles just now, an overwhelming presence had poured from her.

‘Is she like a senile old man who gets angry when someone touches his things?’

Still, thanks to her, he had been able to shake off the nobles safely, so he was simply grateful.

As expected, the only person a slave could trust was his master.

‘But it feels like something like this happened at the last banquet too.’

Leon vaguely remembered Renua getting angry at him then.

He couldn't recall exactly what it had been about, though.

“So. What was that about marriage?”

Having driven off the eyesores, Aurora turned to Leon.

The look in her eyes was just as fierce as when she had chased away the nobles moments ago.

She did not withdraw her icy gaze, as though he too were responsible for the commotion.

From Leon's perspective, having merely stood there and gotten dragged into it, the treatment was rather unfair.

“I don't know either. They all came rushing over together and started saying strange things among themselves.”

“You really don't know?”

“I told you, I don't. To begin with, how did those people even find out that His Majesty was going to emancipate me?”

“…….”

An ominous premonition crossed Aurora's mind.

It seemed that matters concerning Leon were being discussed somewhere without her, his master, knowing.

It was probably the work of nobles who wanted to draw Leon into their own faction.

‘I don't like it.’

She didn't know where they had heard that the Emperor was going to emancipate Leon.

But Aurora was extremely displeased to see them swarming around Leon like hyenas and eyeing him greedily.

‘What? Marry their daughter?’

The more she thought about it, the more absurd it seemed.

Leon was hers.

Even if he were freed, he would remain by her side.

How dare some mere noble, without knowing his place, covet an Imperial Princess's property?

Aurora looked around.

She could feel countless gazes directed at Leon, especially from the noble ladies.

They peeked at him while hiding their faces behind fans, blushed, and whispered among themselves.

She had never paid them much attention before, but now every one of their trivial gestures grated on her.

Of course, Aurora herself had been little different from them at the last banquet, but she had long since forgotten that.

“Let's go, Leon.”

Aurora grabbed Leon's arm.

“Where are we going?”

“Anywhere. It's stuffy here, and I don't want to stay.”

***

A corner of the lavishly decorated banquet hall.

The sparsely populated terrace was the perfect place to avoid people's eyes.

“Haa…….”

Shabel, leaning against the railing, let out a sigh steeped in fatigue.

Since it was a banquet celebrating the subjugation of a calamity, the Hero Shabel was practically one of its main attractions.

The reason she was here was simple.

She didn't want to stand out.

It was obvious that people would gossip that, despite being the Hero, she had done nothing—that she was even worse than a slave.

She was already under immense mental pressure, and she felt she wouldn't be able to endure hearing anything unpleasant on top of that.

“Haa.”

If only her companions were beside her, they could at least have kept her company.

Simon had gone to the cathedral.

Esca had gone to meet an acquaintance.

Ash had left to go have fun with a man.

Morian…… she wasn't sure.

Even though she had known him for quite some time, she had no idea what he was thinking or how he lived.

As a result, Shabel was the only member of the Hero Party attending the banquet.

“When will this end…….”

Shabel could only wait for the banquet to end as soon as possible.

Then, she caught sight of the silhouettes of two people strolling through the garden below the terrace.

“Leon, listen carefully. Women are much scarier creatures than you think.”

“Why are you suddenly saying that?”

“It's not sudden. Didn't you see the eyes of the young ladies in the banquet hall? They smiled demurely and pretended to be innocent on the outside, but inside, they were thinking incredibly sinister thoughts. Like snakes with their venom ready to strike.”

It was Leon and Aurora.

Having avoided the crowd and moved elsewhere, the two of them were taking a walk to get some air.

Aurora was putting on a deliberately serious expression as she gave Leon all sorts of advice.

Leon was answering her appropriately while suppressing a yawn.

“I'm really worried about you. I'm afraid our Leon will be freed and follow some strange woman.”

“Would it be okay if she were pretty and rich?”

“What?”

“Just kidding.”

Shabel's eyes sank deeply when she spotted Leon.

‘Slave Leon…….’

The man who had subjugated a calamity single-handedly.

With the help of those around her, Shabel had investigated exactly who he was.

A slave belonging to Aurora, the First Imperial Princess.

He assisted her with writing her novels and served as a member of the Second Knight Order.

Apparently, he had subjugated a calamity, made a considerable contribution during the large-scale magical-beast invasion, and prevented various incidents during the Founding Festival as well.

Taken this far, his record was so splendid that he seemed more like a hero than a slave.

But before that.

Before becoming a slave of the Imperial Family, Leon had apparently been a knight of House Edelheid.

House Edelheid was publicly said to have been destroyed for practicing black magic, but in reality, it had been destroyed by a witch.

Leon had fought the Imperial Knights to help that witch escape, only to be captured in the end.

‘So he really was a bad person after all.’

She had wondered whether he had actually committed no crime and was merely being exploited by the Empire against his will.

Or perhaps he had been born a slave and had no choice but to live in submission.

But that was not the case.

Once she learned the truth, he was nothing more than a traitor who had helped a witch wreak harm upon the world.

After learning about Leon's ugly past, even the last vestige of sympathy in Shabel's heart vanished completely.

‘How can someone who turned his sword against the Empire for a witch, the enemy of humanity, go around pretending to be a hero?’

Did he not even know to be ashamed because he was a slave?

He really was shameless.

“Huh?”

Realizing that the sound of the conversation below had abruptly cut off, Shabel suddenly came to her senses.

The two people had stopped beneath the terrace and were looking up at Shabel.

“Shabel?”

“Sister…….”

It seemed she had been distracted, swept away by her emotions despite herself.

She hadn't noticed them until they had come right beneath her.

“What are you doing up there alone?”

“It was stuffy, so I came out for some air……. Just a moment. I'll come down there.”

Shabel placed a hand on the railing and lightly vaulted over it.

Despite the considerable height, she showed no hesitation whatsoever.

Like a dandelion riding the wind.

With the hem of her pure-white dress fluttering, she landed softly on the ground.

Shabel casually brushed off the slightly wrinkled skirt with her hand, then looked at Aurora and Leon.

“Why are you here, Sister? Shouldn't you be in the banquet hall?”

“It was stuffy, so I came out for a walk.”

“I see.”

If even these two felt stifled, who on earth was enjoying the banquet?

Maybe everyone was actually tired.

As Shabel tilted her head in puzzlement, she suddenly met Leon's eyes.

She reflexively knitted her brows.

She already had many questions, and with no one else around, this was a good opportunity.

“Sister.”

“Yes?”

“I heard this man is a heinous criminal who helped a witch. Why is he your slave?”

It was one of the things about Leon that she couldn't understand.

“Umm. For personal reasons?”

“No matter how capable he is, is there really any reason for an Imperial Princess to make a criminal her slave? You could just keep him as an Imperial slave and put him to work.”

“Th-that is true, I suppose……?”

“Then what exactly is the reason?”

Shabel questioned her as though interrogating her.

Aurora couldn't bring herself to answer. The reason she had entered into a slave contract with Leon was her desire to keep him exclusively for herself.

“And I heard that this man calls you Sister. Is that true?”

“Uh, yes. I told him to call me that.”

“I don't know what you're thinking, Sister, but I don't think it's appropriate to have a slave call you Sister. It will only damage the Imperial Princess's dignity.”

“Th-that is true…….”

Aurora had no idea why she was suddenly being lectured by Shabel.

But every word struck directly at the heart of the matter, and she couldn't refute any of it.

“You.”

This time, Shabel's eyes fixed on Leon.

“I don't think you're foolish enough to misunderstand something so obvious, but I'll tell you just in case.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“Don't get the wrong idea just because Sister Aurora treats you affectionately. There are stars in this world that one can never reach.”

“Shabel……?”

“You are a slave, and Sister is an Imperial Princess. I'm telling you not to harbor foolish fantasies by looking toward a position you could never hope to reach.”

“Sha-Shabel?”

The gist of what Shabel wanted to say was clear.

It was a warning not to forget the wall of social status and harbor romantic feelings for someone beyond his reach.

Flustered, Aurora furtively gauged Leon's reaction.

Leon’s expression was calm.

He lightly brushed aside Aurora's anxious gaze.

“You don't need to worry. I know my own circumstances better than anyone.”

Leon knew that loving someone could end up hurting them.

All the more so when he himself was a slave.

“It's a relief that you know that.”

“And although I'm a slave for now, I'm scheduled to become a free citizen soon.”

“What do you mean?”

“His Majesty the Emperor promised to emancipate me as a reward for subjugating this calamity.”

“What?”

Shabel frowned as though she had heard something she shouldn't have.

Leon was a heinous criminal who had helped an evil witch escape.

Even if he had accomplished a great feat, how could they release someone so dangerous?

What guarantee was there that someone who had committed a crime once wouldn't commit another?

What kind of trouble might he cause next?

‘I can't let that happen.’

As a Hero, she could never stand by and let it happen.