Chapter 25

Eleanor's face was filled with joy.

"…Does His Majesty know about Ham-chan?"

Alexei blinked.

"…Did Ham-chan tell you about me, that is, about Pie?"

Eleanor was certain that Alexei was close to Ham-chan.

"…Could I please meet Ham-chan?"

She clasped her hands together in front of her and pleaded with Alexei.

(Emperor, I want to see Ham-chan! Ham-chan! My dear Ham-chan!)

The surroundings were still noisy with the sound of bells and angry voices. Amidst this, the three griffins, the beautiful Eleanor, and the cold, cruel Emperor Alexei seemed to inhabit a world filled with joy and confusion.

A lone intruder appeared in that space.

"Your Majesty! Are you all right! I want to protect you as a person, not as a chancellor! Mmm, yes, monsters, eat me!"

Sergei, who was supposed to have evacuated from the rooftop, returned and jumped in front of the griffins, shouting while trembling. Alexei called out to Sergei, who had his eyes closed and his arms spread wide.

"What are you doing, Sergei?"

Although Alexei was exasperated, he did not think poorly of Sergei's determination to risk his life to save him.

"Your Majesty, I will protect you here!"

Without turning around, Sergei answered, and Alexei explained.

"You're mistaken. The griffins won't eat you. In fact, they don't eat people. If anything, it would be the three-eyed red bear. That bear is omnivorous."

(The Emperor knows about the three-eyed red bear too! That bear ate my Ham-chan. When I heard the story, I thought about tearing that bear apart and putting it in a pot.)

"Your Majesty, is that true? Are these monsters safe?"

"They are safe."

"Why can you say that so confidently?!"

Eleanor, who had been listening to their conversation, spoke to Sergei.

"…Chancellor. Guri-chan wouldn't do such a savage thing."

"Guri-chan?"

Eleanor nodded slowly.

"…This is Guri-chan, the griffin—"

(Guri-chan says he came to see me. But Chancellor probably won't believe Guri-chan's words. I can understand what the monsters say, but ordinary people can't.)

"Do you know this monster?"

(Even as Eleanor, Guri-chan came to see me. Even though his appearance has changed, Guri-chan coming to see me is amazing!)

Before Eleanor could affirm Sergei's question, Alexei answered.

"She seems to have the ability to control monsters. It apparently bloomed suddenly. Despite being born after the extermination of the monsters, she only knows about them from books. What a truly wonderful ability! Far better than the holy light of a saint!"

(Why is the Emperor lying like that?)

Eleanor understood in the next moment.

(…! I see, if I'm close to the monsters, it would be bad. They might think I led the attack on the capital with the griffins. I'm such an idiot!)

Eleanor bowed her head in acknowledgment of Alexei's intention.

"Eleanor. Can I entrust the griffins to you?"

She nodded vigorously.

"Sergei. Since that's the case, gather the ministers and knights currently in the castle and explain the situation to them. Tell them to gather in the square. First, inform them that the monsters will not cause any trouble. Then, tell them that I don't need any subordinates who don't trust my words."

Following Alexei's orders, the sound of the bells stopped, and the surroundings finally returned to calm. The knights, who had been pinned against the wall, lined up and knelt before Alexei, bowing their heads.

"Did you not believe my words? Remember well that I fear no monsters."

After saying this, Alexei dismissed the knights from the rooftop and ordered the other attendants to leave as well, leaving him alone with Eleanor.

Then, Alexei faced Eleanor again. After a moment of silence, Eleanor spoke.

"…Your Majesty, thank you for earlier."

Alexei squinted his eyes at her words.

"No, I can't make you a capital attacker."

(These gentle eyes are just like Ham-chan's! He might be Ham-chan's sibling!)

"…Your Majesty, you know Ham-chan, don't you? Where is Ham-chan? I would like to see him, even from a distance."

Alexei's eyes widened. He was first stunned that Eleanor hadn't realized he and Ham-chan were the same person. But the next moment, the fear of her discovering that her dear Ham-chan was the blood-soaked Emperor hit him.

"Eleanor. I haven't seen that man Ham-chan since a long time ago. He told me he was taken care of by a woman named Pie in the Demon Forest."

Eleanor's shoulders drooped, having thought she could see Ham-chan immediately. While wanting to touch her slender shoulders, Alexei retracted his hand and continued.

"Well, from today on, you will act as the only person who can control the monsters. Can you do it?"

She nodded seriously in response to his question.