Spoken words.
Indecently vulgar words, hard even to utter.
The musicians continued to play, yet a hush seemed to fall over the room. While most people were attentive, those who listened questioned if they had heard correctly.
Where exactly was this place?
It’s the Imperial Palace of the Empire.
Standing on the grounds of a demolished heretic temple, it’s known as the torch of humanity—a residence for the noble royal family, leading humanity’s defense.
“Ah, that’s refreshing.”
In a place renowned for such convictions, Shiron exhaled with relief, patting his chest. The reactions of the bystanders were intriguing, but Shiron found them inconsequential.
What mattered was only Austin’s reaction.
Next to him, even Victor was turning pale, as if about to faint, while Austin forced a faint smile, pretending calmness.“Now, I’ve told you. Are you a bit less curious now?”
“…Hmm, I knew you were unusual, but I didn’t expect you to openly threaten the royal family.”
“Threaten? You misunderstand.”
Shiron hastily waved his hands, denying the accusation.
“His Highness asked me to share my concerns, and as a human, I shared the burdens I’ve been carrying.”
“It sounded more like a wish than a concern.”
“I made it clear. It would be difficult to answer.”
Shiron smirked, scanning the room. As anticipated, everyone’s faces flushed. No one dared to confront Shiron, who stood up to the prince.
That was inevitable.
Despite being just a brash young man, Shiron was Hugo’s nephew. The Emperor held Hugo Prient in higher regard than his own children, and he was fanatically devoted to him. Hugo’s notorious actions in the North were well-known. Clearly, anyone threatening imperial authority was marked for elimination, but anyone who had been to the North even once would understand…
‘This kid doesn’t know the terrors that lie within the demonic boundary.’
Shiron contemplated the fearsome beings of the demonic boundary.
“Or did you expect me to tactfully lie?”
“I at least expected you to be a bit more circumspect.”
“How strange.”
Shiron approached Austin, then turned to place his hand on Victor’s shoulder.
“You’re not even a crown prince, let alone the emperor, are you?”
“The emperor keeps delaying my investiture as the crown prince.”
“So I see no reason to be careful with my words around His Highness Austin,”
Shiron said, draping an arm around Victor’s shoulders.
“After all, from my perspective, Austin holds no advantage over Victor.”
“I see.”
“If you have nothing further to say, then we will take our leave.”
“Yes, I’ve caused unnecessary trouble.”
“Where did you say the balcony was?”
Without responding to Austin, Shiron turned and walked away.
On a secluded balcony, not the main hall, Shiron sat down on the sofa with a frown.
“Why do I keep blabbering? It really makes me want to beat someone up.”
Shiron grumbled unfinished curses and gulped down strong liquor. He wasn’t exaggerating just because he was angry. Although Austin’s presence was sufficiently irritating, the girl sitting next to him now occupied his thoughts more.
Shiron turned to Lucia.
She had been silent this whole time, which was a bit ominous. Even now, her fist, resting on the lap of her dress, trembled like a bomb about to explode.
‘Would she have hit him if I hadn’t stepped in?’
Imperial Palace Duel Event.
In “Reincarnation of the Sword Saint,” Shiron naturally became rivals with Austin, simply because Lucia was close to Victor.
They constantly clashed, ending up in situations like “Which Prient is the better fighter?”
Shiron Prient, unable to control his anger, was beaten by Lucia. Lucia Prient, instead of being expelled from the palace, gained Victor’s trust.
‘Has the past changed? She’s enduring well.’
Organizing his thoughts, Shiron patted the shoulder of the girl struggling with anger control issues.
“Well done.”
“…What was?”
“For holding back.”
Shiron let out a sigh, heavy with the influence of alcohol.
“Staying silent earlier and not rushing to beat Austin to a pulp.”
“What do you take me for?”
Lucia, slightly irritated, was about to jokingly punch Shiron but then lowered her fist. She anticipated being condemned as someone who resorted to fists rather than words, even in jest.
“You, of all people…”
Lucia continued, her head bowed.
“You blatantly provoked a fight.”
“What are you talking about? When did I provoke a fight?”
“…You could have just ignored it. It’s not the first time those arrogant people have acted disrespectfully.”
“?”
What? Lucia was making sense. Shiron blinked, feeling a sense of dissonance.
Meanwhile, Lucia, lost in thought, stared at her glass with a distant look.
-A hero representing humanity is a barbarian? That’s problematic.
-Barbarian. Can she even read?
-Her background is too low. At least she should have been adopted by someone to represent us.
Lucia knew all too well how annoying the whispers behind her back were. They weren’t even worth a fist, let alone a sword, but the violence of numbers always overwhelmed an individual. It was no different 500 years ago, and her patience was always tested.
-Ignore it. They are just scared that the newly emerged hero might threaten their comfortable power.
…That was indeed the case.
Therefore,
Lucia didn’t take the initiative. Regardless of Victor’s status, she had long given up on trying to understand the minds of those in power.
‘It’s none of my business.’
“Victor can’t stand up to his brother, so he’s acting pitifully. It’s none of our concern, right?”
Lucia stared at the empty sofa. Victor, who should have been sitting there, had left them alone in the room, claiming he would bring some drinks and snacks.
Unaware of Lucia’s thoughts, Shiron took her hands.
“It’s disappointing. Isn’t Victor one of us?”
Her anxiety caused her to fidget, wrinkling her specially made dress.
“We played together since we were children. If I were powerless, it might be a different story. How can I stand by while a friend is openly disrespected?”
“But still…”
“Would you stand back if I were in a situation like Victor’s?”
“You’re different.”
“How am I different from Victor?”
Shiron noticed a change in Lucia’s reaction from the original story. The girl, who suited pants better than skirts, had calloused and torn hands from her daily sword practice, yet she wore nail polish. It was evident how much she had been looking forward to this event.
“You are… my brother.”
…A brother, huh? Shiron’s lips curled up slightly.
“When have you ever treated me like a brother?”
“…I haven’t, but.”
“See? You keep talking rudely, always trying to challenge me. If others saw us, they’d not think you were my sister, but Siriel.”
“…Do you really want to be treated like a brother?”
Lucia looked up at Shiron with a sly expression. Her modest eye makeup and lipstick gleamed under the lights.
“…Don’t change the subject. That’s not what we’re discussing right now.”
“Brother.”
“Stop it.”
“Why, brother? You said you wanted to be treated like a brother. From now on, I’ll call you that.”
“No, when did I say that? It’s unsettling, so stop.”
As they bickered,
Creak-
A grating noise made them both turn their heads toward the door. At that moment, Victor entered, pushing a cart loaded with drinks and snacks.
Lucia looked at the approaching Victor with disdain. Just as Shiron was about to be flustered, this intruder walked in.
“You returned quicker than expected.”
“Thanks to the commotion you caused, not a single person dared to speak to me.”
Victor, sensing the odd atmosphere in the private room, gave a bitter smile.
The air in the room was unusually warm, and both their faces were flushed. Noticing Lucia’s disheveled dress, Victor deliberately shifted his gaze to Shiron.
“…I want to finish our interrupted conversation, if that’s okay with you?”
“Don’t beat around the bush; just speak up.”
Shiron poured liquor into a glass in front of Victor.
“That bastard. What’s with him publicly disrespecting you like that? It’s infuriating to watch.”
His words and tone were harsh, but Victor didn’t object. He was profoundly grateful that his most trustworthy ally remained visibly angered on his behalf.
Victor gazed at his full glass and then downed it in one go. His eyes were so red, it seemed he might cry at any moment. It was evident he had suffered a lot just by watching.
Victor, holding back the lump in his throat, began to speak.
“My brother…”
“Wait.”
Shiron raised his hand to interrupt Victor. His face, slightly reddened from the alcohol, showed prominent veins.
“Why, why?”
How many times had their conversation been cut off today? Victor felt so aggrieved that he was on the verge of tears. But he held them back, frightened by Shiron’s angry, reddened face.
However, he couldn’t hide the tears welling up in his eyes. Seeing this, Shiron sighed deeply.
“This kid has become a complete idiot while I was away. ‘My brother?’ Really?”
Shiron decided to put aside Lucia’s matter for now.
Victor was the priority.
As a contender for the imperial throne, being this weak was troubling. His plan to make Victor the next emperor seemed shaky, and it sobered him up.
“You keep bowing your head in that idiot’s absence. That’s why he’s becoming arrogant and crossing the line.”
“…”
“If I hear ‘my brother’ one more time… You’ll be the one I hit before Austin.”
‘This situation is turning weird.’
Leaving Lucia’s patience aside,
The emperor, who might die tomorrow,
The overly fragile Victor,
And Austin, who dared to publicly humiliate a Prient, was definitely a problem.
‘Lucia being submissive is fine, but Victor being like this is problematic.’
The emperor should have been Victor, not Austin. His aim was to subjugate demons, not to indulge in petty power struggles. Just by observing Austin’s actions, it was clear. Already blinded by power, he was attempting to undermine Shiron, who remained loyal to Victor.
‘If Austin becomes emperor, he will hinder the apostle subjugation.’
Shiron quickly considered the best course of action under the circumstances.
A moment later,
Shiron pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and spread it on the table. He started to jot down the names of those who had attended the party, pinpointing specific individuals.
Ideally, he would have liked to disfigure Austin’s face and unseat him immediately, but the politically frail and temperamental Victor wasn’t prepared to grasp the opportunity. So he suppressed his anger. Instead, he crafted a meticulous plan.
The individuals who could become immediate allies.
‘People who have shown even a slight favor toward me.’
The rest of the attendees.
His hand moved swiftly.
The next emperor had to be Victor. How much effort had he invested since childhood to befriend the future emperor, only to watch things unravel like this?
Originally, Austin was supposed to die after his health declined from vying for imperial power with the second prince, Henry. If a situation demanded intervention, it had to be addressed. Shiron couldn’t simply observe the distorted circumstances brought on by the second prince’s expulsion.
Eventually, a web-like power structure emerged on the paper. Lucia’s eyes widened in amazement, and even Victor, who was reaffirming what he already knew, couldn’t shut his mouth.
‘When did he…’
Victor felt a shiver run down his spine.
Shiron was meant to have been absent from Rien for five years. Yet, the details on the paper were incredibly precise, encompassing information Victor had only obtained through attending social gatherings.
Victor looked up to see Shiron’s face, which appeared to be in shadow.
No, it wasn’t shadowed. A chandelier hung behind his head, creating a halo effect.
“If I commit this to memory…”
“The conversation isn’t over yet.”
Shiron spoke sharply, brushing his hair back.
“Check the names in red.”
“I did.”
“Those are traitors.”
“…?”
Victor glanced again at the names written in scarlet on Shiron’s list. Traitors… Could so many people really be plotting to betray their country?
‘All of them are my brother’s men…’
“Just understand that.”
“?”
Shiron’s voice remained calm as he looked at Victor, whose agape mouth twitched, making him appear foolish.
“Incorporate the others into your power as you see fit.”
With his plan set out, Shiron counted the pieces of black glass.
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