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Episode 6
For a moment, the Baron’s instructions continued.
Ignis Fatus floated up and down in the air, slightly lower than the Baron’s eye level, as if nodding in response to his words.
After finishing his orders, the Baron called out again.
““Durahan.”.”
Almost before the words had ended, a black shadow surged up from the ground.
The giant armed knight that appeared before the Baron was holding its own head in its left hand.
From the head of the kneeling “Durahan.”, a solemn voice flowed forth.
“I pledge my soul and eternal loyalty to the eternal monarch, Bloden Ilfein. Your Majesty, may you bestow your sacred command.”
The Baron—no, Bloden, Emperor of the Ilpein Empire—looked down at the “Durahan.” and asked,
“How is the Gate situation? Any demon beast intrusions?”
“No demon beast could withstand the sword of destruction Your Majesty personally bestowed. They will not dare approach for some time.”
That was right.
Haley had not even suspected it, but the name “Baron” was Bloden’s disguised identity.
Bloden thought of the northern mountain range.
That cold and rugged place had a Gate from which demon beasts poured forth.
Usually, he had been content with simply eliminating the demon beasts that emerged from the Gate, but the endless battles had recently made him reconsider.
Bloden had recalled the knight orders drafted from the imperial palace and various fiefdoms.
Then, he summoned a large-scale spectral legion, led them into the Gate, and launched an extermination campaign.
It was a strategy an ordinary army could never have carried out, but a ghost army that could simply be dying if destroyed had achieved a great victory.
The cost was that Bloodon curse activated, rapidly aging him, but the severely punished demon beasts fled far beyond his reach. Some even fled outside the Gate, hiding so thoroughly that tracking them became difficult.
A temporary peace had arrived.
Of course, it was clear that as time passed, the demon beasts would crawl back out and threaten the empire again. But by then, Bloden would also have recovered from the curse and regained his appropriate age and appearance, so it would not be a problem.
“How long do you estimate until they become a problem again?”
“Approximately three years.”
Bloden nodded.
That was a worthwhile trade-off for having aged this much.
“Guard the army and the battlefield until further orders. Slay any demon beasts on sight. Report immediately if their numbers increase.”
At Bloden’s command, the “Durahan.” tilted its left hand. Its head also tilted to one side in a bow.
“However, if my humble self and the army remain on the surface for long, Your Majesty’s body may not recover swiftly. Will that be acceptable?”
As Bloden’s eyes narrowed, the “Durahan.”, realizing its question was impertinent, quickly lowered its head.
“As you command.”
The “Durahan.” vanished as soon as it finished speaking.
“Black Livia.”
Upon the call, a black shadow swooped over. Soon, a semi-transparent ghost crow, its wings shimmering like smoke spread wide, landed before Bloden and bowed its beak to the ground in respect.
“Go to Raven and deliver this.”
Bloden gave detailed instructions to Livia.
“Black Livia. Raven. Convey. His Majesty’s command.”
Having received the instructions, Black Livia turned back into a shadow and swiftly disappeared into the darkness.
The ghost crow, capable of transcending space, would deliver his command to Raven at the imperial palace—nearly a thousand kilometers away—in under five minutes.
Sending even Ignis Fatus away with a wave, Bloden returned to Haley cabin.
The dim light from the weakened hearth, as deep as the night, faintly illuminated Haley face. Bloden stood by the bed, gazing intently at Haley, who was sleeping soundly.
Unconsciously, his eyes had changed to a violet hue, and Bloden had become the Baron once more. His expression also softened, childlike, as if it had never been cold and stern.
‘Hmm.’
Letting out a quiet, soundless cough, the Baron bit his lip slightly.
He planned to use this period of relative quiet from the demon beasts to finally resolve the long-troubling case of orphan abductions.
To find the base of operations, it would be much easier if those scum approached him first. Coincidentally, having become younger, he had come to this city with a plan to act as bait to lure the kidnappers.
Just as planned, he had encountered the kidnappers and was feigning panic when… he was unexpectedly interrupted.
When he was patted on the butt for the first time in his life, he was utterly bewildered.
When had the Emperor ever experienced such a thing? Even in his actual childhood, he had never received such undignified treatment.
But it happened because he was in a child’s form, and he had to endure it to avoid revealing his operation.
However, Haley had spoken kindly to the young Baron, genuinely worried about him, carried him because the road was long, and even held his hand tightly.
Her attempt to flick his forehead was impertinent, but strangely, Haley actions weren’t unpleasant.
In fact, they felt too good. So much so that he pretended a thorn was stuck when there wasn’t one.
When she sucked his finger to “remove the thorn” and when she hugged him tightly to put him to sleep, his heart raced uncontrollably.
He hadn’t intended to, but it was so cozy that he even dozed off for a moment.
When he was Emperor Bloden, everyone treated him with respect and formality. Even the regent, who sought to send him to the battlefield and seize power in the imperial palace, treated Bloden outwardly as the Emperor.
And when in his younger form as the Baron, there were plenty who treated him rudely or tried to manipulate him with sinister intentions.
In other words, whether as Bloden or the Baron, there had never been a single person who genuinely worried about him.
Haley was different.
The more Baron’s unfortunate circumstances became apparent, the more she tried to give.
In his eyes, Haley was little better than a pauper.
Life would be harsh enough alone. Taking in another mouth to feed would be incredibly difficult.
In a world where some parents sell or abandon their newborns just to have one less mouth to feed…
Though not sharing a single drop of blood, Haley seemed willing to endure hardship for a child who had lost his parents and been abandoned by his wet nurse, taking him into her home.
To some, it might be trivial warmth. But to the Baron, it meant a great deal.
In this city, where he had come to solve the abduction case, he had unexpectedly received unconditional warmth he didn’t want to lose.
Finishing his thoughts, the Baron muttered his conclusion to himself.
‘Then I’ll change the plan.’
Whether as the Baron or as Bloden, he intended to continue investigating the orphan abduction case. Only the method would change.
Until now, he had planned to be kidnapped for the simplest resolution, but as the Emperor, he didn’t need to personally involve himself in every situation.
It was enough to deploy suitable personnel, monitor the results, and move at the optimal time. The subordinates he commanded were quite capable.
‘I could also use a bit of a vacation.’
Thus, the Baron decided to spend an indefinite, long vacation at Haley house.
Later, when Haley discovered that the Baron was Bloden, the Emperor, she might faint from shock. She might feel burdened.
But the Baron thought it didn’t matter.
‘I just won’t get caught.’
As long as he remained in his child form, if he didn’t slip up, there would be no reason for Haley to be surprised.
Even if his identity were discovered, what could Haley do?
He would reward her for caring for his younger self and bring her to the imperial palace. That would be that.
A commoner cannot defy the Emperor’s command. Moreover, it would be good for Haley—not just securing her status but elevating her to the upper class.
Rationalizing it thus, the Baron quietly climbed onto the bed and lay down beside Haley.
Even with a child’s body, the old bed creaked.
“Hmm.”
Sensing his presence, Haley, who had been tossing, pulled the Baron into an embrace.
The Baron closed his eyes and breathed in quietly.
‘She doesn’t wear perfume, does she?’
Oddly, Haley had a sweet scent.
His mind, complicated from predicting not only battles with demon beasts but also the various political struggles that would erupt once the regency ended in two years, felt instantly cleared.
Held in Hailey’s embrace, the Baron finalized his new plan.
He decided that, for now, he would be raised well by Hailey without revealing his true identity.
