Chapter 94
Sigh… If this were the modern era, the road would have been paved with asphalt, and we wouldn’t have had to level the dirt ourselves. What a shame.
…Or maybe not? Wouldn’t asphalt also need repainting, and wouldn’t we have to scrape off all the chewing gum stuck to it?
‘Come to think of it, dirt roads are better.’
After a long while, when the road maintenance was almost finished, Winter stepped back, clasped his hands behind his back, and surveyed the road with the sharp gaze of a hawk.
“Hmm…”
“Do you see any areas that are lacking?”
I, who was checking the road alongside him, quickly tried to read Winter’s expression. He answered in a cold, composed voice.
“The road is uneven.”
“…Yes, I’ll have them flatten it more!”
So, to level the road, Benny even used his wind-attribute aura…
“Father… I miss you…”
I heard Benny muttering that, but I deliberately pretended not to hear.
Rumors had spread that the newly enthroned Emperor would pass along this road, so the villagers had gathered, watching us maintain the path while waiting for the Emperor.
The onlookers repeatedly exclaimed in admiration at Benny’s precise aura control… though he didn’t want recognition for that.
‘Still, it’s annoying.’
I glanced at the crowd. Having been on outside duty several times before, I knew this well: they were looking at us like we were monsters, and they were visibly afraid.
It’s naturally unpleasant to be among people who avoid you.
At that moment, I noticed Dallin. Among all the people, he looked far less confident than he did in the unit, almost like he did at the very beginning of his enlistment.
“Dallin!”
“Yes?”
When I called his name, Dallin’s eyes went wide, and he ran over quickly.
“Why aren’t you working efficiently?”
“Y-Yes?!”
“Why is your side so slow? Do you want to get us all killed? Do you want to go inside and do a shift properly?”
“Ah, I-I’ll hurry!”
Dallin started working quickly, but he kept glancing at me. He seemed to have completely forgotten his irritation toward the villagers.
Phew, considering my subordinate’s feelings to this extent—I must be a truly amazing senior.
“…Aren’t you going fast enough? I can see your hands, you know.”
“I’ll fix it!”
Yes, I really am an excellent senior.
Finally, after the road maintenance was mostly done, we lined up on both sides of the road to clear the path for the Emperor. This was also to guard against any assassins mixed in with the crowd.
We were spaced out, meeting other unit members at each end. Not only the border defense forces but also soldiers from other commands were reportedly mixed in.
Unfortunately, the time chosen for the Emperor to pass was when the sun was at its peak, and sweat began streaming down our backs. The sunlight was harsh.
‘Damn it, Emperor… I could really kill you…’
I frowned and sweated, and seeing this, Winter left his position and walked toward me.
“Salvia, are you very hot?”
“Yes.”
As I answered, I glanced at Winter’s blue eyes. Come to think of it…
‘Would it be cooler if I stayed near him?’
Just as holding Aquila’s fire-attribute aura hand gave warmth, perhaps standing next to Winter might have a cooling effect.
I looked at Winter’s previous spot and spoke.
“Zina, may we switch positions?”
“Doesn’t matter, do as you like. But why?”
“Well, the sunlight is stronger here.”
It was a ridiculously impolite excuse—switching spots because of stronger sunlight—but no one reacted with surprise, and even Winter remained calm.
“Then so be it.”
So I waited beside Winter. Whether it actually made a difference or not, it did feel a bit cooler, perhaps just psychologically.
“They’re coming.”
After we began waiting, Winter murmured while staring straight ahead.
When the Crown Prince had visited the unit before, Winter was the first to sense him. He seemed to feel the vibrations in the ground.
“I can feel the vibrations of horses coming this way.”
“Whoa… Did you hear that?”
I quickly turned to the subordinates, glaring at them. They stiffened even more from tension.
The Crown Prince—or rather, the Emperor—could wipe us out with just a word about slacking off.
As we tensed, waiting for the Emperor, someone suddenly appeared running along the road.
A large man, wearing a black robe, looking every bit like a suspicious dark magician.
‘A dark magician?!’
Right, I remembered from when Caron had been in danger: there were said to be three great dark magicians in this region!
Just like the previous dark magician, this man was surely planning a crime!
Even if he wasn’t a dark magician, running into a cleared road meant he was attempting a crime targeting the Emperor!
Damn it, I could hear the sound of our unit members’ necks being about to get cut from here!
“Zina, behind you!”
“Catch him!”
Winter and I shouted almost simultaneously, and rookie Zina turned around, realizing the suspicious man running toward us.
“No!”
The Emperor was about to pass along this road. That thought flashed in my mind, and I instinctively moved—but Caron acted first.
Caron, standing next to Zina, lunged at the man as soon as I shouted “Catch him!” and grabbed him.
“Ugh!”
Caron rolled over while pinning the man, successfully subduing him. The man failed to dash into the path of the Emperor.
‘Phew, he almost left footprints on the freshly cleaned road.’
Caron was one of the strongest among the soldiers, so the man couldn’t fight back at all.
‘If they’re one of the “great three” dark magicians, why are they all so sloppy?’
Indeed, people with titles like that rarely turned out to be truly formidable—like the “Four Heavenly Kings” in villain organizations; they’re usually just fodder for the protagonist.
Though the dark magician was caught, the chaotic atmosphere didn’t go away.
“Ugh, the imperial…! Damn the imperial family!”
The dark magician kept shouting angrily, clearly holding a grudge against the Emperor.
“Isn’t that a cursed doll?”
I asked Winter, noticing the suspicious totem in his hand. Winter nodded.
“Yes. It’s definitely an item used for dark magic.”
So he was attempting a terrorist attack to assassinate the Emperor.
‘Damn it, I almost died for real this time.’
It had been even more dangerous than when I was attacked by Ghost Gloom.
Meanwhile, the dark magician struggled to escape Caron’s grasp.
“How dare you oppress dark magic while using dark magic?!”
Of course, no matter how much he struggled, Caron didn’t let go, staring down at him with a terrifying, expressionless face.
As Caron pressed down, the man’s robe slipped, revealing his face.
“Gasp…”
People nearby stepped back in surprise.
His gaunt, pale face and sunken eyes made him look utterly unnerving.
‘He’s incapable of rational thought.’
The dark magician had no strategy, simply lunging, likely consumed by rage at hearing the Emperor would pass. This made him easy to subdue.
He shouted at Caron in frustration:
“Why are you helping the Emperor when you’re being used by him?!”
The soldiers were stunned, having thought the same. But then Winter’s cold voice snapped everyone’s focus.
“Everyone, focus ahead.”
The soldiers remembered the Emperor would pass through, and except for Caron, everyone remained tense.
“What… what is going on?”
The squad leader seemed unsure, but Winter handled the situation expertly.
“We’ll naturally widen the gaps left by Caron. Then Caron can take the suspicious person far away, cover his mouth, and hand him over to the soldiers later…”
“No need for that.”
At that moment, a familiar female voice rang out.
“No way…”
Hearing it, Winter’s face turned perplexed, Caron almost loosened his grip, Ishina’s pupils shook, and Aquila gazed at me with what seemed like a sorrowful look.
And the one most flustered at this moment was me.
“N-No way…”
“That’s a dark magician. We’ve been tracking him, so I’ll take care of it.”
A woman appeared, dressed casually… but it was April.
“E-E-E-April?”
All the trainees and privates looked puzzled, but the corporals and Winter were frozen in place.
“What brings you here…?”
Winter cautiously asked first. April pointed at the subdued dark magician.
“I’ve been tracking him. It’s my job.”
Right, April had joined the special dark magic reconnaissance unit. This must be the dark magician she was pursuing.
“Aren’t you busy? I’ll handle this, so we can talk later.”
April made eye contact with me and smiled slightly, making my mind go blank for a moment—but then I remembered the Emperor would pass soon and regained focus.
April took the dark magician from Caron and dragged him away somewhere.
