Bloden answered in a playful tone, but Raven inhaled sharply in shock.
Questions flooded through his mind all at once.
The name sounds feminine—what is her status, and where did Your Majesty meet her? What exactly happened between the two of you? Does she know who you really are? Could she possibly be a scam artist? Your Majesty, are you even in your right mind right now?
But Raven carefully selected only one question to ask.
“Your Majesty, forgive me for saying this, but maintaining the Dullahan and the rest of the army already consumes an enormous amount of magical power, does it not?”
Ignis Fatuus—the being Bloden casually shortened to “Ignis”—was a high-ranking spirit.
Because of the nature of the curse Bloden was born with, unlike his predecessors, his life itself was not in danger, but still…
“If you additionally keep an Ignis Fatuus summoned here, it will greatly slow your return to your original form.”
From Raven’s perspective, it was only natural to say this.
Depending on Bloden’s answer, he would immediately understand just how important this woman named Hayley was to his emperor.
Bloden replied comfortably,
“That’s the plan.”
‘Ah. We’re doomed.’
That answer meant Hayley was already far from an ordinary person in his eyes.
Suppressing an internal sigh, Raven respectfully continued.
“Then wouldn’t it be better to escort her comfortably to the Imperial Palace?”
“No. Right now she thinks I’m an orphan and is raising me.”
“…Pardon? Raising Your Majesty?”
“So just tell the palace I’m staying in the North or something. You move nearby and assist me while pretending to be a neighbor. Oh, and Hayley knows my name as Baron, so don’t make a mistake.”
Raven seriously doubted his hearing.
Unable to understand Bloden’s intentions, he could only ask,
“In two years, Your Majesty will turn twenty. Once that happens, you must step forward and rule the Empire directly. If you remain here…”
“I cleared out the Gate already, so I’m thinking of enjoying a vacation here until then.”
“……”
Raven was speechless.
The Empire believed Raven, the emperor’s aide, was human.
In truth, he was a Death Knight contracted to the former emperor Lienda. Because that contract had passed down to her son Bloden, Raven continued serving loyally across generations.
Highly skilled in both close combat and advanced magic, Raven operated an extensive information network within the Imperial Palace. Through his agents, he listened in on nobles’ conversations while acting publicly as the emperor’s aide.
Among the countless pieces of intelligence he gathered, one misunderstanding about Bloden appeared more often than any other.
The nobles all perceived Bloden differently.
Some believed he looked around ten years old. Others thought he appeared closer to fifteen.
As a result, the aristocracy mistakenly assumed that the more Bloden used his power, the more the curse regressed both his mental and physical age.
Since they rarely met Bloden personally—and because Duchess Veldenbur subtly spread misleading information—it wasn’t surprising.
Bloden himself was fully aware of noble society’s opinions.
For now, he simply tolerated it because the regent was governing the Empire reasonably well without ruining it.
“If Your Majesty wishes to secure imperial authority comfortably, it would be wiser to remain in the Imperial Palace whenever the Gate situation allows and frequently display the dignity of a strong adult ruler. If Your Majesty continues appearing as a child, people will inevitably underestimate you.”
At Raven’s sincere advice, Bloden replied calmly.
“I know that too. But if I stay like this a little longer, eventually someone will show signs of rebellion. Then I’ll use that excuse to wring a few necks as examples. Isn’t that the perfect justification for cleaning out stagnant filth?”
“…That is also true.”
Raven nodded.
Assuming overwhelming military strength backed it up, it really was easier to wipe everyone out at once.
And Bloden could command more subordinates than any emperor in history, so there was little for Raven to worry about.
“Right. So how are things in the palace now?”
“Everyone is busy calculating their positions in preparation for Your Majesty’s direct rule. Lady Veldenbur says she intends to find a suitable empress candidate worthy of supporting Your Majesty’s reign.”
“Anna Veldenbur? Choosing my empress?”
Bloden laughed softly.
“So the woman who never even taught me imperial studies because she wanted a puppet emperor is busy scheming again.”
Reading the displeasure in Bloden’s tone, Raven immediately shut his mouth.
“Leave her be. She’s diligently taking care of what she believes belongs to her, so I’ll let her work for now before disposing of her appropriately. Ah, she’s coming back.”
Seeing the bright light approaching from far away, Bloden gave Raven one final order.
“Make excuses to the palace and move here quickly. I’m more comfortable when you’re around.”
“I obey.”
After bowing his head, Raven disappeared.
Just as Bloden said, Regent Anna Veldenbur was extremely busy weaving various schemes.
After all, less than two years remained before the emperor reached adulthood at twenty and could rule directly.
Of course, until recently, Anna herself hadn’t been particularly concerned.
As long as magical beasts continued pouring out from the Gate in the Northern Mountains, Bloden would remain trapped there.
Which meant that regardless of whether he became an adult, the true power in the Imperial Palace would naturally remain Anna.
Under the excuse of assisting the emperor, she could continue ruling the Empire indefinitely.
But then an unexpected variable appeared.
Bloden sent back news of an unprecedented victory—he had stormed the interior of the Gate itself, the source of the magical beasts, and completely wiped it out.
It was a completely different approach from previous emperors, who only dealt with the monsters emerging outside the Gate.
Even worse, the report claimed there would likely be no problems for the next three years.
To Bloden, it was a declaration that he intended to end the regency era and rise as the true emperor ruling the Empire directly.
To Anna, it was a disaster.
‘That absolutely cannot happen. Not after all the power I worked to seize.’
Over the last ten years as regent, Anna had fully realized how intoxicating power was.
Originally, she had been the daughter of Duke Roan.
She possessed both beauty and noble status, yet could never live life freely.
Anna was merely a political marriage tool meant to elevate her family.
She understood that perfectly well herself and had long since abandoned dreams of happiness.
Still, she expected to marry some unmarried noble of similar standing—not become the second wife of Duke Veldenbur.
And Duke Veldenbur already had a child from his relationship with the previous emperor.
Anna hated children.
When Anna stood there too stunned to even respond, Duke Roan ordered her:
‘That child is our emperor. Since His Majesty is still young, manipulating him should be easy. Make him cling to you. Make him depend on you. If you succeed, House Roan will prosper even further.’
Following her father’s command, Anna tried her best to coax the child.
But Bloden never behaved the way they wanted.
He was impossible to read.
Most of the time he wore an indifferent expression, and no matter how gently Anna tried to flatter or manipulate him, he only answered in a flat tone without showing the slightest emotional reaction.
Anna already disliked children to begin with, so she never grew attached to Bloden.
Then an unexpected situation occurred.
Duke Veldenbur suddenly died, and according to imperial law, Anna became regent.
Shocked by the sudden position thrust upon her, Anna received immediate instructions from Duke Roan.
‘From now on, you will do exactly as I command.’
Duke Roan behaved as though he himself had become emperor.
If Anna failed to obey him properly, he even beat her.
At first, Anna obediently followed her father’s orders while trembling in fear.
But eventually, doubts arose in her mind.
‘Everyone bows to me. The fate of the Empire changes with a single word from me. I’m incredible. Then why should someone as incredible as me endure being hit and ordered around by Father?’
Everyone in the Empire except Bloden bowed before Anna.
Even Duke Roan himself had to show her respect when others were watching.
‘Shouldn’t Father be the one obeying me instead? Then why does he dare slap me?’
The more she thought about it, the more resentful she became.
Completely unaware of her thoughts, Duke Roan continued ordering her around.
After much deliberation, Anna arranged Duke Roan’s assassination, and naturally, her younger brother inherited the ducal title.
Afterward, Anna began pouring massive amounts of imperial funds into donations to the temple.
She wanted the priests, who had developed a taste for money, firmly on her side.
The priests already disliked the emperor for commanding demons and spirits as servants, so they quickly began supporting Anna.
From then on, political affairs flowed exactly the way she wanted.
Of course, countless powerless commoners died under noble oppression in the process, but Anna didn’t care.
To her, the lives of powerless people—especially those without even proper identities—were worth less than livestock.
Soon, Anna developed even greater ambitions.
No matter how she thought about it, she had governed the Empire well.
Considering she had never properly studied statecraft, she felt as though she possessed natural talent as a ruler.
‘If people with supernatural abilities can simply eliminate magical beasts, then why does the imperial throne need to remain in one bloodline forever?’
