Chapter 91
“Open it alone, in secret.”
Aquila wore a briefly bewildered expression.
He had never imagined he would receive anything from Rancliff, as they had no point of contact whatsoever.
‘In secret? Why?’
It was surprising enough that he had sent a note at all, but to add such a message along with it was still strange.
Aquila’s mind plunged into a vast sea of questions.
Moreover, judging from the earlier conversation and atmosphere between Tirgan and Rancliff, it seemed that Tirgan had not said a word to his blood relatives about when or where he would meet Aquila.
It was hard to believe that the Fourth Prince knew nothing of affairs within the imperial household, yet the situation remained subtly complicated.
To begin with, Rancliff had very few allies.
At this time, the struggle for the throne was essentially a standoff between the Second Prince and the Third Prince, and there were not many who would attach themselves to a Fourth Prince who offered no tangible gain.
Which noble would side with the Fourth Prince?
He was the very embodiment of a common fantasy trope, all condensed into that brunette youth.
For instance, the sort of figure whose backstory goes, “The Emperor coveted a beautiful woman and spent a single night with her, and from that mistake—ta-da!—a son was born.”
No matter that he was the Emperor’s son, nobles were a breed deeply sensitive to matters of lineage and birth.
In any case, that was why Rancliff occupied a rather delicate position even within the imperial household, and after his frail mother passed away, he had been almost entirely alone.
How, then, had such a Rancliff known precisely when and where Aquila would appear? And even if he had known, how had he found the time to prepare this note in advance?
“Quil. I will come back later tonight.”
While Aquila stood frozen, clutching the note in his hand, Astia, who had been scanning their surroundings, suddenly spoke.
She stared intently in one direction before nodding to Kahena and Shen.
Then, without another word, she turned and began retracing her steps the way they had come.
“Please board the carriage for now, young master.”
“Yes, that is right. Let us head back!”
The two of them urged Aquila on and quickly pushed him into the carriage.
It was evident that they had no desire to remain in the Imperial Palace any longer and were eager to leave at once.
‘It seems Ludovica is nearby.’
Observing their transparent reactions, Aquila allowed himself to be guided into the carriage.
Under normal circumstances, he would have lingered to see what Ludovica had to say, but now was not the time for that.
With the note clenched more tightly in his palm, Aquila leaned back against the cushion of the seat.
Without delay, the carriage began to move.
They swiftly traversed the Delvion Imperial Palace.
The road was so smooth that there was scarcely any jostling. At last, on that comfortable path, Aquila unfolded his hand.
Whether Shen was in front of him or not, he opened the note.
Inside, it read:
[3:20 a.m. Do not lock the window latch before you sleep.]
“Ha……”
“Why, young master? What does it say?”
As Aquila let out an involuntary breath of disbelief, Shen carefully observed his expression.
When he had read Merien’s letter before, Shen would have boldly taken a look. But this time, since the Prince had explicitly instructed that it be read alone, he seemed unable to peek.
However, Shen’s question barely registered with Aquila.
‘……What is he planning?’
He stared at the paper as though he might bore a hole through it.
If his mind had not completely unraveled, then the handwriting was unmistakably familiar.
Especially the way the ends of the numbers curved when written.
“Young master……?”
When Shen asked again, Aquila finally lifted his eyes.
Lowering the sharply raised edge of his brow, he folded the paper into his palm, concealing it.
“It says he looks forward to meeting again someday. Something like that.”
“Truly?”
“Something along those lines.”
When Aquila did not elaborate, Shen looked at him with concern before lowering his head, dejected.
“There is nothing strange written there, is there? The Prince is not threatening you or anything……?”
“Does he look like the sort?”
“No…… I mean, it was my first time seeing him in person, but he did not seem like someone who would do that! That is what I meant!”
Stammering, Shen added, “I thought it was only rumors, but his first impression was quite similar to what I had heard.”
Anyone who looked into those eyes filled with unwavering resolve would likely feel the same as Shen.
Aquila nodded.
As the carriage left the roads of the Imperial Palace and headed toward the center, it began to rattle.
Inside, silence quickly settled.
After Aquila ceased speaking, Shen hesitated, glancing at him repeatedly, but ultimately did not press further.
Aquila clenched the paper in his hand as though he might crumple it.
***
Upon returning to their lodging, Aquila briefly recounted what had occurred at the Imperial Palace to Yuzelia, who had been waiting.
“The Fourth Prince……”
He had not particularly wished to share it, yet Heinen, who had been listening from the side, muttered to himself after hearing everything, and Yuzelia nodded.
“If the imperial household moves as well, that would be a good thing, would it not? There will be many personnel dispatched for investigation.”
“So long as they do not mention going to the Labyrinth City, it will be of help.”
Whether they would share information or not remained to be seen, but if even a few more people across this vast land of Delvion were on guard, that alone would suffice.
If darkness descended upon them without preparation, the end would be nothing but death.
“We suggested postponing the meeting with the Friadel Family by two days, but if we have received a party invitation, we will need to delay it further or move it forward.”
After a moment of contemplation, Heinen lifted his head and spoke in his usual stiff tone.
It seemed that while Aquila had been at the Imperial Palace, they had already concluded a meeting with Ianpel.
“I have no objection to meeting them tomorrow.”
Aquila could roughly guess what the head of the Friadel Family wished to hear from him in person.
It was better to settle such conversations swiftly.
Above all, the matter of coordinating a schedule for when they would depart for the Labyrinth City was likely to arise, and with Rexenbert now showing interest in exploring the Frost Forest, fixing an exact date was of utmost importance.
After all, the moment had finally come when Fenrir—who lay hidden deep within the Frost Forest, feeding on corrupted divinity and nearing the power of a corrupted god—could be defeated before it fully ascended.
Originally, Leshenhart had fallen into complete disarray, preventing Rexenbert from paying attention to that front.
Now Aquila’s foremost objectives had split in two.
To send Rexenbert to the Frost Forest so that he would slay Fenrir, and to go east himself.
‘I could entrust the Dark Guild to Friadel, but the current Friadel has lost much of its strength. Rexenbert will undoubtedly seek revenge and insist on participating in the subjugation of the Dark Guild…… Perhaps sending Astia to the Labyrinth and dividing into three groups is the best choice.’
In a situation where the main scenario could erupt at any time, in any place, and in any manner, Aquila’s thoughts whirled at full speed.
“Very well. I shall inform Lord Ianpel accordingly. Or, you may accompany us, if you wish.”
“Let us do so. I will have the evening free, in any case.”
At Heinen’s suggestion, Aquila nodded.
Friadel would surely prefer to meet him quickly and would not refuse.
And, of course, Ianpel likely thought the same.
Aquila rose from his seat.
“Go on ahead, young master. I will remain here.”
“Huh? Lady Yuzelia will not be coming as well? We will likely be having dinner together while we are at it……”
“Yes. I have, well…… something to think about. Chelsea unni said she would come by later.”
Yuzelia tugged at the corners of her lips in a smile.
Yet her eyes were sunken, and her expression, burdened with thought, did not appear bright.
Shen seemed puzzled, but nodded when he heard that Chelsea would not leave her alone.
Leaving Yuzelia behind, they stepped out to head toward the lodging where Ianpel was staying.
After a brief pause, Heinen glanced back and spoke in a quiet voice.
“Former Bishop Martio has been brought to trial, and I have learned what end he met while you were at the Imperial Palace.”
“Ah……”
News of Martio’s execution.
It had been one of the reasons they had gone to Saint Roia.
Shen turned back with a worried expression.
“She will be all right, will she not? Lady Yuzelia……?”
Aquila simply nodded without replying.
Her face had seemed troubled and complicated, but not especially grief-stricken.
Of course, she would need time alone to think and reflect.
“In my opinion, Lady Yuzelia is sturdier than Sir Shen.”
“I think so as well.”
“Whaaat……? Well, I cannot exactly deny that…….”
***
After finishing his discussion with Ianpel—
After enduring what had, all things considered, been a manageable dinner—
Aquila returned to his room and lay down early.
He told them that he was exhausted from visiting the imperial household and that there was no need to wake him until morning, nor to come in, and though they were concerned, they all withdrew.
Aquila did not stir until the surroundings had fallen completely silent and the early hours of dawn approached.
Then, when he judged the time to be just right, he abruptly opened his eyes and rose without a sound.
‘……Could it be a trap?’
Aquila retrieved the paper from his pocket and checked it once more.
Though the Fourth Prince still appeared youthful and somewhat careless, he had survived within the Delvion Imperial Palace; he was not as simple as he seemed.
He was both ill-suited to being a member of the imperial family and yet more fitting than anyone else.
After staring at the crumpled note, Aquila ignited a flame at his fingertips.
In an instant, the small paper flared up and vanished without leaving even ashes behind.
He immediately approached the window, drew back the curtain, and unlatched it.
A night in May.
Still cool, yet carrying a certain warmth, a gentle breeze slipped softly into the room.
Though he could not be seen from outside, from where he stood he could observe the blind spot beyond the window.
Holding his breath, Aquila waited.
At some point, a branch of the Spirit Tree had appeared in his hand.
Leaning against the corner of the wall, he waited for a long while.
Tap…….
A sound so faint that one would not hear it without careful attention.
At most, it was the sort of noise a single bird might make alighting upon the windowsill.
Aquila opened his half-lidded eyes and looked toward the window.
Amid the quiet flutter of the curtain, he saw a shadow flicker.
Though the room was quite high above the ground, someone had climbed up to the window without making a sound.
“Tch……”
Aquila clicked his tongue and muttered under his breath.
At once, golden sigils shimmered faintly at his fingertips, and a thin membrane spread around him.
It was a sound-dampening spell.
Though its range was not wide, thanks to the branch of the Spirit Tree in his hand, he could deploy it steadily, and the fluctuations of mana would not be detected by anyone.
Perhaps sensing this as well, the figure pushed aside the curtain with an audible swish and entered the room.
Unkempt black hair.
Strands falling over his forehead.
And between them, vividly shining blue eyes.
The most familiar and intimate face in this world—
And at the same time, the one he least wished to see right now—turned toward him.
“Ark.”
It was none other than the protagonist of this world and the traitor of the previous cycle, Ark Bachel.
That utterly familiar face met Aquila’s gaze.
“Claude.”
Still calling him by the name he had used in the previous cycle.