Absurd Misunderstanding

The Arken Empire was the largest power on the Cerdese Continent.

Such a vast territory had been built up through ceaseless conquest and exploration.

But even that had its limits.

As a territory kept expanding across the continent, sooner or later it inevitably reached someone else’s domain.

The Empire continued expanding without pause, steadily annexing the lands of others.

That ambition only stopped when the Dragon-Demon War broke out.

When demons were running rampant, it moved even more actively under the pretext of offering protection.

And after the Dragon-Demon War truly erupted, everything came to a halt.

That was because the Grand Council had been established.

Once all the sentient beings of the continent began gathering to deliberate, the massive Arken Empire could no longer move easily.

There were too many eyes watching for it to act on a flimsy pretext, and the Empire itself had grown too large.

But put another way, that meant it could move at any time as long as it had a justification.

And the Arken Empire possessed an important key that could serve as that justification.

“That’s Duke Yurei.”

Olivia explained.

“Before long, they’ll find a pretext to brand him a demon. They intend to blow it out of proportion and incite the citizens’ anger.”

“It seems they’re planning quite a spectacle.”

“Of course. They plan to execute him in the Empire’s square, deliver a blood-soaked speech, and declare war on the Heinkel Kingdom.”

“Whose plan is it?”

“Ureas and Valdemar both have no reason to oppose it, do they?”

Ureas, parched with a thirst for conquest, would be genuinely delighted to have an excuse to start a war.

For Valdemar, it was an ideal situation as well, since he could redirect dissatisfaction with his reputation and domestic politics outward. Naturally, the two would join forces.

“Duke Yurei……”

It was a deeply complicated name for Ferda.

The man who had made a fool of Ferda was Duke Yurei’s son, Marcus Yurei.

The man who had rushed at Ferda seeking revenge after that son’s death was Ferry Yurei.

“I know it isn’t a name you favor. He was the one who tried to ruin you, Regent Ferda.”

“I have no particular feelings about him.”

Ferda did not care what Duke Yurei had done.

He already knew that Duke Yurei would misunderstand the situation.

Ferda had deliberately encouraged that misunderstanding in order to uncover the demon.

Above all, the sorrow and anger Duke Yurei felt meant nothing to Ferda.

“Where is Duke Yurei now?”

“In the torture chamber beneath the Imperial Palace. He is receiving exceptionally attentive treatment there.”

“The security must be extremely tight.”

“Of course.”

They must also know very well that he was the decisive key to determining the course of the war.

So they would be keeping him under close guard to avoid creating any unnecessary variables.

“How could I possibly do anything in a place that heavily guarded?”

“You may not be able to, Mr. Ferda, but you do have one capable subordinate, don’t you?”

“You mean Zed.”

Zed Swallow.

The great thief who had thrown the Empire into chaos.

These days, that reputation was little more than a story told by a bard full of hot air.

The Zed of the present was regarded merely as a parachuted-in womanizer who constantly hit on women.

However, Olivia had once had the chance to witness Zed’s infiltration skills.

When he handed Dvelung over to Olivia, the person who entered her bedroom had been none other than Zed.

“With his abilities, extracting him should be no task at all. What do you think, Regent?”

“He’ll do it.”

“He must be an incredibly capable agent. You didn’t hesitate at all.”

He was already outstanding, but he would become the great thief even the Empire could not handle.

“If you manage to get Duke Yurei out, he’ll return and give a speech. He’ll turn the entire continent upside down, claiming that the Arken Empire denied a noble the treatment due him and tortured him. What do you think will happen then?”

“I don’t know.”

“An emergency council will be convened. At the White House.”

The White House was the residence of the White Dragon, Blankaros, as well as the center of the Grand Council.

“Do you mean Blankaros will intervene?”

Ferda had thought Blankaros would simply tell them to resolve a human matter among themselves, since it concerned humans.

“More precisely, he would merely be acting according to the laws he established. If half the humans on the continent rebelled and the word demon were thrown around so carelessly that its meaning was undermined, causing confusion, that would be an act threatening the peace of the continent, wouldn’t it?”

However, after hearing Olivia’s interpretation, Ferda found it reasonable.

“So this is extremely important……”

“Yes.”

“Are you certain that Duke Yurei isn’t on the Doppler list?”

Was Duke Yurei truly a demon sympathizer?

Neither the Empire nor the Heinkel Kingdom knew whether Duke Yurei was a Doppler.

They merely pointed out what sort of person he was for political purposes.

In that sense, the list of Dopplers recorded in the journal was decisive evidence.

And Ferda was someone who had read that list.

“The only Yurei listed in the journal is his son, Marcus Yurei.”

“Then it would be better to get him out before he loses the strength to speak.”

Olivia explained the scenario she had devised.

“If things go as calculated, the Arken Empire will be judged to have distorted the truth and ordered to pay compensation to the Heinkel Kingdom and Duke Yurei. No, judging by Blankaros’s personality, he might be even harsher and make an example of them. He might demand that they surrender territory, for instance.”

To lose territory without being able to expand.

For the Arken Empire, that would be tantamount to humiliation.

After losing territory, they would blame one another for it.

The dissatisfaction they had tried to vent outward would boil up again, like a pot with its lid clamped shut.

“If the tension within the Empire cannot be relieved through war, it will only grow.”

“Since they won’t be able to redirect it outward, division will follow……”

“They’ll yearn for a superhuman on a white horse to lead them.”

Ferda understood who that white horse-riding superhuman was.

“The Alteshin faith will rise to prominence.”

“Exactly.”

Olivia smiled faintly with delight.

“An apprentice saint who also carries the blood of the Arken family. By placing her at the forefront, they’ll shake the existing power structure to its foundations.”

“Is the archbishop someone we can trust?”

“These are arrangements we’ve already made. If the current emperor loses the people’s support, we’ll change the system to theocracy and seize control of the Empire.”

Theocracy meant that the religious establishment would take over politics as well.

In the Alteshin faith, the highest office would be held by a pope rather than an archbishop.

And that position……

“You’ll inherit it.”

Olivia was the perfect candidate.

A woman who carried the Empire’s blood and had been chosen by Alte.

She was the person most suited to become pope.

“No. I won’t.”

Olivia said,

“My goal is nothing more than to sever the false golden bloodline. If I were to ascend the throne, how would that be any different from the Arken Kingdom continuing to exist?”

“Unlike the emperor, couldn’t you make a wise choice?”

“I can’t.”

She showed him the back of her hand and answered firmly.

“Once I have achieved my revenge, I’ll destroy everything. The emperor, the Empire…… and I will be no exception.”

“If you destroy yourself…… are you saying you’ll give up your position?”

“Of course. That is the oath of revenge I made with Alte.”

“The Alteshin faith won’t remain idle if it learns of this plan……”

“Until then, I’ll have to keep acting. I can’t allow anyone to preserve the Empire as it is—not even those who call themselves agents of Alte.”

An image of the capital burning rose before Ferda’s eyes.

How many people had died back then—and how many had screamed?

She could perpetuate that tragedy.

Ruin always came with misery.

“Living as a commoner won’t be easy.”

“Of course a commoner’s life won’t be easy. You’ll have to wear clothes made of rough fabric and live on food whose preparation is questionable. But if I were going to whine over something so trivial, I would never have started this. Or else……”

Olivia smiled with her eyes and tossed out a suggestive question.

“Why don’t you take me in, Regent Ferda?”

Ferda answered.

“I will.”

“……What?”

She dropped the teacup in her hand.

The black tea inside spilled over her hand.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine. It’s only about as hot as bathwater.”

“That’s a relief.”

Ferda found it quite novel to see Olivia flustered.

She kept starting to speak like a fool, then stopping.

“Uh, I mean…… I should wipe my hand first—no, before that, we need to talk…….”

Her babbling made her look almost like Malcolm.

Ferda had no choice but to tell her what she should do first.

He handed her his handkerchief.

“Here.”

“……Yes.”

Olivia took Ferda’s handkerchief with stiff movements.

Without any of the little touches she had been letting brush against him, she snatched the handkerchief and wiped her hand.

“When you said you would take me in…… you meant that you would become my guardian, correct?”

Ferda nodded as though it were obvious.

“Being reduced from an imperial princess’s life to that of a commoner is painful.”

Ferda had experienced the fate of a dispossessed noble.

The altered sense of money and degraded quality of life always brought misery to those who had once been nobles.

An imperial princess would be no different.

“I cannot give you everything you once enjoyed, but at least it is my duty to support you so that you do not have to live in misery.”

To match Olivia’s resolve, Ferda showed her an equal measure of trust.

“If you are prepared to abandon everything once this is over, I will gladly help you.”

Olivia could not find the words to answer.

At that moment, Ferda felt it clearly.

Her Circle was stirring at that very instant.

* * *

Olivia thought.

Could there be some relic in this castle that made people foolish?

She had lost count of how many absurd misunderstandings she had suffered since entering this castle.

She kept finding meaning in things and misunderstanding them one after another.

This time was no different.

-Would you take me in?

-I will.

Given Ferda’s personality, she should certainly have understood it as his offer to become her guardian.

But what she instinctively understood was different.

His eyes had glittered brightly for an instant, and his lips had grown sweet and moist, as if honey were dripping from them.

Because of that, it sounded as though Ferda had declared that he would take her as his own.

‘That shouldn’t have happened.’

Ferda already had Valdrova.

He was a man capable of pure love.

How could she interpret words spoken by such a man in such an impure way?

The most ironic part was that Olivia felt a strange emotion as she imagined such a situation.

Deep down, she became excited, as though she had been waiting for that moment to arrive.

Even if that was his intention, she would be no different from the men she hated, yet she found herself hoping for it.

I think I’m going mad.

There seemed to be a metronome in Olivia’s mind.

It moved to a beat, but instead of ticking, it made a different sound.

It was Ferda.

The name Ferda swayed through her mind in a steady rhythm.

Ferda.

Ferda.

It was such a wonderful name.

His name was Ferda.

His surname was Valdrova.

Yet Olivia only thought of him as Ferda, not Ferda Valdrova.

For some reason, she felt that name did not suit him.

Ferda was lovely.

Ferda Valdrova was not.

The two words were as incompatible as oil and water.

And in truth, that was exactly how things were.

Olivia had met both Ferda and Valdrova, so she understood for certain.

‘Valdrova.’

She was a truly pure woman.

She was not merely pure; she also possessed warmth, so Olivia could tell what she meant to Ferda.

Valdrova was Ferda’s irreplaceable cradle of the heart and his haven.

‘But it can’t last forever.’

Olivia knew Ferda as well.

Ferda could do anything for Valdrova.

Some of those things, if Valdrova learned of them, could wound her deeply.

Though Ferda ruthlessly smashed through anything that blocked Valdrova’s path, he was plagued by anxiety all the same.

He wondered whether the blood on his hands might sully her purity.

The things he did for her, and the secrets he could never dare tell her, weighed heavily on Ferda.

Olivia knew how heavy the burden of those secrets was.

‘Could Valdrova…… handle such a Ferda?’

You could never know another person’s innermost thoughts, so Olivia could not predict Valdrova.

That foolish dragon who had called him over just to become friends might hate and recoil from Ferda for killing her own kind.

Perhaps she might even call him a monster and leave him with an irreparable wound.

Valdrova might ultimately fail to understand Ferda and part ways with him.

‘If I were in that woman’s place……’

Whenever Ferda stood at a crossroads, Olivia would advise him and help him make the best choice.

If he were struggling and grew discouraged, she would embrace him from behind and whisper that everything was all right.

Olivia and Ferda understood one another.

So they could grow closer and perhaps become a virtuous king and queen.

Those thoughts swelled beyond her control.

Silly questions kept circling around on the tip of her tongue.

-Aren’t the two of us a good match?

Then Ferda would say:

-I already belong to someone.

If she allowed herself a little more hope, he would probably answer:

-There’s no partner like you.

That was the most hopeful possibility, but she would not be happy.

Because if he said that, she would surely reply:

I want more than that.