Chapter 92

Chapter 91

"Hehe, I'm just not that talented with archery."

"Tsk tsk... If you keep this up, one day your brothers will take your place."

"Hehe, only if they have the guts to take it from me."

The man in his forties smiled wryly at Emperor Deort's words.

"Well, how is the Crown Princess doing?"

"Yes, she is doing well thanks to Your Majesty's broad-mindedness."

"Tsk... A true man must be able to take care of his family before he can spread his wings for the world."

"I will keep that in mind."

"But those foolish ones only care about honor and position, neglecting those they should protect."

Emperor Deort, sighing wearily, drew his bowstring.

Swoosh...

Bang!!!

At the same time, a tremendous amount of mana condensed and seeped into the arrow, which then flew through the air, shattering the thick target and embedding itself in the ground.

"Indeed, you are remarkable, Your Majesty."

"Tsk. Do you think the title of Master is won by gambling?"

"Even ordinary Masters find it difficult to leave an Aura Blade on a projectile so easily."

As the Crown Prince, and the eldest son who had seen him up close, he knew well that Emperor Deort Al Lindis, who ruled the Lindis Empire, was one of the strongest Swordmasters.

"Well, I didn't come here just to talk about trivial matters. Is there something you want to say?"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The Crown Prince, who had approached quietly, raised his bow as Deort, still not taking his eyes off the shattered target, asked calmly.

Then, after fitting an arrow to the bowstring, he spoke quietly.

"A member of the Echo Guild brought in some information."

"Is there any progress?"

"There's good news and ambiguous news. Which would you like to hear first?"

"Heh, you know how to tease your father."

"At least it's not bad news, so that's fortunate."

The Crown Prince smiled brightly at his words.

"Well, tell me the ambiguous news first."

"Lord Linton and Lord Colio have died. They were executed on the spot for being caught in flagrante delicto with inhumane acts."

"Tsk..."

Lord Linton was part of the Central Disease Control Unit, and Lord Colio, who had a physical disability, was a subordinate placed there by Emperor Deort.

"They deliberately spread disease in the Ordem territory of the Round Kingdom and conducted unverified human experiments under the guise of treatment."

In this world, the lives of commoners do not hold much weight for nobles and royalty.

If a nobleman felt a commoner was in his way, he could behead him without anyone batting an eye.

But this was different.

"Greedy and mad, they are the same everywhere. Well, who killed them?"

"The First Prince of the Round Kingdom."

"Ah, that young upstart who is making a name for himself these days."

"Hehe."

Of course, Emperor Deort was not so naive as to be unaware of the danger Lord Linton posed.

He knew the danger and still supported him.

"Perhaps you don't need to feel guilty about this..."

"Heh, if I were the type to be scared by such things, I wouldn't be an emperor."

Both of them knew this fact.

"Well, what is the good news?"

"According to the report from Lord Gorneo, who was researching the Devil's Blood with Lord Linton, the First Prince of the Round Kingdom has developed a cure for the Devil's Blood... the disease."

"..."

The Crown Prince's words made Emperor Deort's eyes twitch for a moment.

"That's not just any good news."

"That's right."

At his words, Emperor Deort swallowed briefly.

"Is the cure genuine?"

"The verification is complete, and the citizens of Ordem are gradually recovering."

"The First Prince of the Round Kingdom... very interesting. There will likely be someone trying to take advantage of this situation to target the young prince."

"What should we do?"

"We can't ignore someone who brings such good news. Take care of those who try to cause trouble."

"Should we formally invite him to the Lindis Imperial Family?"

"Hmm... that's not a bad idea. If he has achieved such a feat, it wouldn't be bad to arrange a marriage with a member of the royal family."

The Crown Prince bowed his head quietly at his question.

At that moment, a few maids and knights were seen moving with a small girl in the quiet garden.

The girl had long, shimmering teal hair and was unusually bundled up.

Her face was covered by a mask, and she wore gloves, hiding all exposed skin.

She cautiously looked around as if being chased, and upon seeing Deort and the Crown Prince, she approached carefully.

Then, with a trembling voice, she spoke.

"To the... Imperial Twin Dragons..."

"That's enough. Stop."

At Deort's interruption, the girl's shoulders trembled.

A suffocating silence fell.

If someone had seen, they would have thought Emperor Deort was despising her to an extreme.

In fact, such rumors had spread.

The Lindis Empire still harbors a prejudice against hybrids.

So, the youngest princess being a hybrid was a sensitive issue.

While she received less disdain as a royal, the glares she endured were still significant.

Of course, that was what was known to the public, but the truth was a bit different.

"Why don't you call me Father?"

"T... That is..."

The fact was that Emperor Lindis loved his youngest daughter so much that he didn't want to show her to others.

However, this became a problem.

Rumors even spread that Emperor Lindis despised Aria.

She cautiously stepped back.

"Considering the surrounding gazes... if someone sees me, a lowly hybrid, being close to you..."

"What? Lowly?"

Deort's expression turned stern as he interrupted her.

"T... That is..."

"Albus."

"Shall I handle it?"

Albus, discarding his previous calm and cultured demeanor, smiled sinisterly.

"Find them thoroughly."

"Yes."

"You can crush them so thoroughly that they can never recover. How dare they try to sow discord in the royal family."

"A... Abama!"

A startled Aria fumbled, instinctively calling him Father and grabbing Deort's collar.

"Because of me... you shouldn't do that..."

As the two turned their gaze to her, Aria desperately shook her head and stammered.

Her ears, which had appeared on her head, twitched wildly in her panic.

"You are my beloved daughter. Anyone who dares to speak of you in such a way deserves to be eradicated."

"It's... It's fine. If you act because of me, it will damage Abama and Oni's prestige..."

Her short sigh betrayed her inability to hide her confusion.

"So, please pretend you didn't see me. Promise... will you promise?"

"Hmm... Fine. I promise. Albus."

"I will handle it quietly."

"A... Abama!"

She screamed in panic, but Emperor Deort's expression was resolute.

"Aria, you are the daughter of the Emperor of Lindis, me, Deort Al Lindis. Who dares to call you lowly!"

"B... But..."

"If you're worried about me, stop it. Your time in the Holy Kingdom has only made you more anxious. I will not forgive anyone who belittles you."

Seeing her brother, who was much older, she realized he had no intention of supporting her.

"Haa..."

In the end, she had to give up. In fact, she had more pressing matters to attend to.

As Aria quietly stepped back, Deort looked at her curiously.

"Do you have something you want to say?"

"I... Actually..."

She hesitated, as if pondering something.

Her tone suggested she wanted to ask for something, and the two men's expressions softened slightly.

But when she spoke, they froze like statues.

"If my illness is cured... will you honor the promise to let me be with the person I love... is it still... valid?"

Though they couldn't see her face, they knew her situation well from years of observing her.

Albus was the first to recover.

"A... Aria? Surely you don't mean..."

"He saved me on the way back to the empire. I don't even know his name yet..."

Deort, seeing her attitude, made a bold decision.

"Albus, what is the most important virtue of a Lindis royal?"

"Someone who cannot protect their own cannot achieve anything... that's right."

"It seems a bug has landed on a flower."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I will thoroughly investigate and bring them in."

"A... No!!"

She screamed in protest.

Of course, neither of them knew that the man Aria Al Lindis was talking about was the same person who had developed the cure.

* * *

About a week.

Thanks to the efforts to eradicate the Fusion Acceleration Virus in Ordem, most of the patients were able to get up and move around.

Some did not survive the disease, but the relatively small number of casualties was fortunate.

As a result, I am now being praised as a saint in Ordem.

Portable Mana Gate.

Unlike a regular Mana Gate, it sends a limited number of people to a confined space but has a self-recharging function and is portable, making it one of the continent's top escape tools.

The downside is that it needs to recharge for over a week after each use, but the ability to instantly travel to a place that would take days to reach on foot is a significant advantage.

"Hehe... I'm sorry, it's not fully charged yet."

"What's the problem with taking a leisurely walk and enjoying the scenery? Especially since Ordem is known for its beautiful surroundings."

It wasn't bad.

I didn't want to live a busy life, which is why I didn't start a huge business and achieve success from the beginning.

I aimed for a leisurely life, and being chased around for work was not what I wanted.