IITYVA 42

Chapter 42

“…Huh?”

For a moment, I couldn’t believe my ears.

My pupils quaked like a magnitude 9.0 earthquake.

The disconnect between those tiny lips and the words that came out of them left me utterly stunned.

I blinked in disbelief, my lips parting wordlessly.

So, just now…

As—no, Akes—the same Akes who had smiled so gently just yesterday, telling me I could go wherever I wanted…

‘No way…!’

It felt even more unbelievable than the Emperor turning out to be sane.

Right before my brain could explode from the overload—

Akes’s small body, unable to endure the fever any longer, slowly slumped over.

“A-Ace?!”

Panicked, I shot up and quickly checked on him.

Thankfully, it seemed he had only lost consciousness. There didn’t appear to be anything seriously wrong.

“Haa…”

A sigh of relief escaped me.

I gently laid Akes down properly on the bed, soaked a towel in water, and wiped the sweat from his pale face.

His face, breathing shallowly, had grown even redder than before.

After giving him the fever medicine Camilla, the attending physician, had left for him, I slowly sat down on the chair beside the bed.

My heart was still pounding like crazy from the shock.

Annoyed by the wild thumping in my chest, I pressed a hand firmly over it. At the same time, I could hear Akes’s now steady breathing in my ears.

I slowly lifted my head and looked at him.

He was sleeping peacefully, his face far calmer than before.

Looking at that angelic face, I unconsciously muttered,

“…Akes is not in his right mind right now.”

What he said earlier must’ve been nonsense, blurted out while delirious from the fever.

Yeah. That explanation made much more sense.

Telling myself that brought a bit of comfort.

“Akes, sleep well.”

Rest up and get better soon.

Whispering a wish born from both my selfishness and my care for him, I pulled the blanket a little higher over Akes.

“The Emperor is hosting a banquet to welcome the Spirit User’s return.”

Grand Duke Baharaman, who casually skimmed the invitation in his hand, finally opened his mouth.

Perhaps he had let out all his anger over his previous failure when he raged and trashed his office last time, because today he appeared surprisingly calm.

The voice of the Grand Duke continued into Dante’s ears as the latter stood with his head bowed in guilt.

“Only small-minded men obsess over failed plans. We, being magnanimous, must move on to the next alternative.”

Dante hesitated.

“By alternative… you mean?”

“Eliminating Grand Duchess Serenia is impossible. Even with one SS-rank and two S-ranks, we couldn’t handle one grand duchess in a child’s body.”

The Grand Duke gritted his teeth.

“Now that the Spirit User has returned to the capital, the Grand Duchess who clings to her must have slipped back into the Grand Duchy’s estate as well. Taking him out while he’s being guarded there? Absurd.”

He let out a snort of disbelief.

“There’s only one method left for us.”

To win over the Spirit User.

And the Emperor’s banquet provided the perfect opportunity to naturally approach her.

Drumming his fingers on the table, Grand Duke Baharaman’s expression suddenly twisted.

“If only that damned son of mine were more cooperative, winning her over would be much easier.”

“…”

Dante lowered his head in silent resignation.

Lloyd de Baharaman, the Duke’s only child and heir, had once again gone out to meet some woman…

“The only thing he got from me is his looks,” the Grand Duke clicked his tongue.

In front of the master who believed this with unshakable conviction, Dante wisely swallowed back the thought: Honestly, the young lord resembles His Majesty more than Your Grace…

Unaware of Dante’s inner thoughts, the Grand Duke muttered,

“From what the merchants tell me, the Spirit User and that brat Akes were quite close before leaving the village. Could it be that she found out who he really is and still joined hands with him? Damn, it’s frustrating we can’t plant a spy near her…”

Planting a spy would only damage her trust—an idiotic move.

After all, all water spirits served as her eyes and ears.

As he silently listened, Dante finally opened his mouth.

“What if we brought in the Empire of Belzesti?”

“…The Belzesti Empire?”

The Grand Duke’s face turned sour.

“But that’d be more trouble than it’s worth. From Belzesti’s perspective, they have no reason to join forces with us. If we try to draw them in, the cost…”

“Does Your Grace remember that I once worked at the imperial palace of Belzesti?”

The sudden question made the Duke frown.

“I remember. Why are you bringing that up?”

“Back then, I heard a strange rumor about the deposed Emperor Bellarician. I think we can use it to persuade the Belzesti nobles.”

“You think you can persuade them? What kind of rumor is this?”

Grand Duke Baharaman asked with interest.

“That the soul of the deposed Emperor Bellarician exists within the Elberk Empire.”

“What? That’s nonsense.”

The sparkle of curiosity in his pale-pink eyes dimmed instantly.

Even as the Grand Duke turned away, Dante pressed on.

“I thought the same at first. But after arriving in Elberk, someone caught my suspicion.”

“Suspicion? Who?”

Curiosity piqued again, the Grand Duke looked back.

Dante answered calmly.

“Court sorcerer Harnen.”

The Duke frowned slightly.

“Harnen? That name sounds familiar… No surname, so he’s a commoner?”

“Yes. He’s also a prodigy who graduated early from the Atlanta Academy alongside the Spirit User. He’s currently working under Grand Duchess Serenia.”

“Tch, that damned Grand Duchess again.”

The Grand Duke scowled.

“So, you’re saying one of her sorcerers has the soul of the deposed emperor?”

Dante nodded.

“Yes. At first, I doubted it too. But he knew things about the Belzesti palace that only insiders would. And he’s never set foot there before.”

Of course, that was a lie.

Dante knew Harnen was the reincarnation of Bellarician because he’d heard it from Belzesti nobles in his past life.

At that time, the leader of the Belzesti nobility, Duke Servante, had approached Grand Duke Baharaman, who had just begun his rebellion, and proposed an alliance.

Naturally, the Grand Duke accepted.

…Shortly after, however, the entire advancing army was wiped out by Grand Duchess Serenia. Belzesti immediately backed out and cut ties.

I never wanted to get tangled with those bat-like bastards again…

But now, they couldn’t afford to pick and choose.

If it meant survival, Dante would do anything.

Truly, anything.

“If Harnen really carries the deposed emperor’s soul, he’ll want revenge against Belzesti’s nobles. Conversely, those nobles will try to eliminate him to prevent any future threat.”

“Bellarician, huh… Right. I vaguely remember that 26 years ago, that mad tyrant caused a massacre in the imperial palace. The nobles staged a coup in response.”

The Grand Duke’s fingers stopped drumming the table.

“But Harnen studied with the Spirit User, didn’t he? If we move against him, might we offend her?”

To this, Dante shook his head.

“You don’t need to worry about that. The Spirit User despises the deposed emperor.”

Einra loathed Bellarician.

So much so that even hearing his name irritated her.

Back at the academy, any classmate who mentioned the fallen emperor ended up in a bloody mess—without exception.

The corners of the Grand Duke’s mouth curled up in satisfaction.

“If you’re telling the truth, we might be able to draw Belzesti in using that sorcerer. They’d have no choice but to cooperate with us.”

After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

“Contact Belzesti immediately.”