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Chapter 3
Kaiser watched Milena storm away and let out a sigh.
He was frustrated by the situation too.
With trembling eyes, Kaiser stared coldly at the word list in his hand.
Kaiser was a knight of the Luikaron Empire. Not just any knight, but one appointed to an important position in Luikaron. He had been a vanguard leading the war, and the sword favored by the Luikaron Emperor.
He could be captured as a prisoner at any time, and he could die at any time.
That was why the knights with access to the secret intelligence of the Luikaron Empire were bound by one restriction.
A restriction on language.
Beneath Kaiser’s tongue was a mark made by the mages.
Without the Luikaron Emperor’s permission, he could not learn the language of another country. Without the Luikaron Emperor’s permission, he could not reveal this fact to anyone.
Still, with the Emperor’s permission and the results of early education, Kaiser had learned the languages of the surrounding countries.
Except for Siern.
In Luikaron, he had never imagined this would become a problem. He had never imagined he would end up here at all.
“Haah.”
Kaiser looked at the words that hovered around his mouth and scattered away, words he could not properly grasp with his eyes, and sighed.
It was such an unfair situation, but there was nothing he could do.
At least he could imitate a few simple words, but that was all. Even that was only because Milena had drilled the pronunciation into him. And even then, it had been adapted into the Luikaron way.
“Damn it.”
He was called the greatest knight of the Luikaron Empire. A man so brilliant that no one second to him would complain.
As the head of the Lorencia family, which ran a massive defense industry, and as the Emperor’s sword, he had never once neglected his own training.
And yet this was what he had become.
He had never felt so powerless before. Truly, never.
Kaiser tucked the crumpled word list into his pocket.
He had never thought memorizing just five words would be this difficult. He had also never felt this stupid in his entire life.
“Ha.”
What hurt even more was that he could not even make excuses to Milena. It was the first time he had ever resented his homeland. And that chain stuck beneath his tongue. Kaiser started walking.
His face looked drained.
Luikaron Imperial Palace.
A smile curled at the wrinkles around the Crown Prince Stout’s eyes.
Crown Prince Stout was a man who never revealed what was in his heart. Even though he was still young, he was also the person most feared by the nobles. Since childhood, he had possessed a remarkable talent for inspiring fear in others.
The head chamberlain bowed before the Crown Prince. It felt as if his mind had gone completely blank.
“What are you saying?”
At the Crown Prince’s gentle tone, the chamberlain’s shoulders trembled.
The chamberlain shut his eyes tightly. He was afraid of the Crown Prince’s parted lips. With his head slightly lowered, the Crown Prince placed a hand on the chamberlain’s shoulder.
Even though he was someone who did not train, his grip was strong enough to make a groan slip out. The chamberlain clenched his teeth and barely swallowed the sound.
“That man survived even after all that chaos?”
“…Yes, Your Highness. I am sorry.”
The chamberlain quickly bowed his head.
Even though the man’s survival was not his fault, that was all he could say.
“Ha ha. So the gods are truly watching over him, are they? He always slips away from death. He is more beloved by the gods than even I am. Is that not so?”
“How could that be, Your Highness! There is surely no one closer to the gods than the great sun of the Luikaron Empire.”
The Luikaron Empire was a nation where divine authority and imperial authority moved together. The bishops served the Emperor, and through that, the Emperor inherited the rights of the gods. That was why the Luikaron Emperor was sometimes regarded as the same as a god.
So Crown Prince Stout was like the child of a god.
The Crown Prince gave a chilling smile.
He disliked the fact that the man had survived crossing the Sea of Death, and that he had lived through that disaster. But the magic circle planted beneath the man’s tongue was still sending back signs that he was alive. He did not know where he was, what he was doing, or what condition he was in.
And yet the fact that he was still alive irritated Crown Prince Stout.
‘So this still isn’t enough, is it?’
The man had been praised since childhood as a genius bestowed by the gods. And every time, he had overcome death and returned proudly to Luikaron. As if he truly received divine protection. The people of Luikaron all loved him and looked up to him.
As though he were truly no different from a god.
Crown Prince Stout wanted to correct this distorted situation. There was no need for two gods in this world. The Luikaron Empire belonged to him.
“When that man returns, you will die.”
The chamberlain’s shoulders jumped.
“Your brother, the one who claimed he was absolutely certain this time, will also die.”
The chamberlain clenched his teeth.
“I will destroy your family and wipe out your descendants. Do you understand what I mean?”
There was still a smile in Crown Prince Stout’s tone.
The chamberlain quickly bowed deeply.
“Yes, Your Highness. I will surely fulfill Your Highness’s will.”
A faint, bloodthirsty smile touched Crown Prince Stout’s red lips.
After the giant cruise ship Blue Pigeon sank, the empire had been swept into a wave of mourning, but the Crown Prince’s palace remained cold.
It embraced all kinds of schemes and plots.
Something felt strange.
The person who had confidently declared that he would memorise six words had not returned even by late night.
Could it be that he was unable to come back because he had not memorised the words?
Were three wyverns really too much?
No.
Duke Kaiser was one of the top knights in the Luikaron Empire. Taking down monsters like that alone should have been nothing to him.
In the original story, he had even won against seventeen opponents by himself.
Wait. In the original story, there was no plot where the male lead got stranded with the villain, was there?
I did not know what might have happened. I paced around the kitchen. This was not Luikaron. That meant this was not the male lead’s ground.
I bit my lip anxiously.
As time passed, my uneasiness only deepened.
Why was he not back? Why?
For someone who could not even communicate, why?
And then, finally, morning came.
I had stayed up all night without sleeping even once. At this point, something had definitely happened. He was not the kind of person who would stay out without a word.
Duke Kaiser was more responsible than I had expected. He understood our situation exactly, and he was definitely not someone who would worry me for no reason. Since the moment it had become just the two of us on this vast continent, Duke Kaiser had always put this little home and me first.
Just as I relied on him, he relied on me too.
“Something definitely happened.”
I sprang to my feet.
I was planning to go to the guild. Before that, I should probably tell the bakery I could not come in today.
Where should I go to look for someone? First, I probably needed some money. If I wanted to find him quickly, asking the mercenary guild for help would be best.
I forced myself to calm down.
He must have had trouble with the wyverns, or maybe he got tricked by the client. After quickly washing up and changing clothes, I left the house.
I did not even think to bring food with me. Ignoring the growling of my empty stomach, I hurried to the bakery right at opening time.
“Oh my! Milena. You came early? Two hours early! Did you come because you knew we’d be busy today?”
“No, boss. I think I need to take today off, so I came to tell you in advance.”
“Why? Did something happen?”
Concern appeared on the owner’s face.
“Haah. Kaiser disappeared. I think something happened, so I’m going to look for him.”
“Ah, that roommate of yours?”
“He is not exactly my roommate. We just happened to run out of money, so we’re sharing a roof and a house.”
“That’s what a roommate is called. Anyway, I understand what you mean. Doesn’t he not speak our language?”
“That’s right.”
“Then you’d better go look for him quickly. Come in one hour earlier tomorrow instead.”
“Thank you, boss!”
Thanks to his easy permission, my steps felt a little lighter.
