Chapter 166: Disappearance Part 7

I had to stop Lobelia who was so furious she looked ready to grab me by the collar and drag me off right then and there.

Maybe she was fine, but the people who came with her needed some time to recover from the journey.

I used that excuse to buy some time.

Of course, it’s not like buying time would actually do anything.

Honestly, how was I supposed to fix a rumor that exploded and spread before I could even react?

You can only cover up one shocking rumor with an even more shocking one so many times. And the only things left that were that shocking were the true identities of the final boss candidates.

If I leaked that, sure, the attention on me and Lobelia would vanish instantly.

But so would my life.

“Your Highness. At times like this, a head-on approach might be the best option.”

“Oh? Are you proposing marriage to me?”

“Are you crazy?”

“Your manner of speaking is getting worse by the day. At this rate, I might as well drag you off to the gallows for insulting an imperial member. And why are you reacting like that? If anyone’s going to do it, it should be me.”

Ugh, how impressive.

But if you’re so great, maybe you should’ve brought a solution with you.

“Just hear me out. My life is already ruined anyway.”

Honestly, thanks to the rumors involving me and Lobelia, I’ve probably ended up in the spotlight of every criminal in existence.

There’s no undoing this.

Since I hadn’t dealt with it early on, the best course of action for now was to lay low.

At the Cradle, I’d have to live quietly, acting like I had nothing to do with Lobelia, and just pray that people’s interest in me would fade away.

I had no idea how long that would take or if that moment would even come, but one thing was certain.

It was still a much better situation than when Loki was alive.

There were no remaining imperial members capable of checking Lobelia from the frontlines of the succession struggle, so there was no one left who could use power to oppress me.

If any random nobodies tried anything, I could just push back with force.

And besides, I had Yuna, the best bodyguard I could ask for, always by my side. I could manage this somehow.

Still, there was one thing I had to take care of before it was too late.

“We need to forget everything else and focus on winning over Yuna and Ariel.”

To be honest, they were scarier than any assassins at this point.

Two immensely powerful individuals, who also held immense political power.

“Do you think they’ll believe anything we say?”

“Unless we have clear evidence to prove the rumors false, probably not. But as with most rumors, proving that something didn’t happen is the hardest part.”

Just look at what happened when my dorm room got blown up last time.

Ariel scolded me, saying it had happened twice now. How could she believe it was just a coincidence?

And she was absolutely right.

“The plan is more or less the same as before.”

“Go on.”

“The problem lies in their anxiety. You could say the trust both of them had in us, Your Highness and me, has been damaged.”

“Why me…?”

“Because you’re at the center of the rumor. And you’re the one who started it.”

“Hmm…”

“That’s why I think we need to come up with a proper compensation plan to win them over.”

“Such as?”

“As Your Highness knows, Ariel and I are engaged on paper. To be precise, we only promised to get engaged, so we’re technically not in any real relationship.”

“You? Why are you suddenly making such a trashy comment?”

“I just said it, and now I’m the trash? That’s not fair.”

I have a rough idea of what she imagined, but that’s not it, okay?

“What makes Ariel anxious is the fact that we have to hide the engagement.”

“You’re going to try and ease that anxiety? How? Don’t tell me you’re thinking of announcing the engagement publicly?”

“That would be suicide. Who knows what the Emperor might do if he’s keeping an eye on House Ether’s movements?”

On top of that, the Emperor has started watching me lately, so it would be even more dangerous.

“We’re going to hold an engagement ceremony. Even if it’s still too early for an official engagement, we can at least put something together, however modest.”

It’s not like our relationship will change much, but it might ease her anxiety a little.

“The reason for holding the ceremony sounds trashy, but it’s not a bad idea.”

“Trashy? This is a drastic measure for a fiancée who’s been suffering emotionally.”

“Isn’t she suffering because of you?”

“Because of both of us. Don’t try to dodge that part.”

“……”

The first time, it was Lobelia’s fault.

The second time, it was mutual. And this time, it was my fault.

We’ve each messed up once, so it’s hard to say who’s more at fault.

“Alright, fine. I get it. I’ll personally give you my blessing. But Johan…what about Yuna?”

“Should I hold an engagement ceremony with Yuna too?”

“You’ve lost your mind.”

Well, then what should I do?

Still, I can’t treat the two of them differently.

“More than that, I’m amazed you were even thinking of getting engaged to Yuna too. Bold of you. As far as I know, you haven’t even made a contract with her.”

“Why are you talking like I actually have a choice in this?”

There’s no way I can resist either of them, no matter how I try.

“What can someone like me, who has no power, no influence, and no backing, possibly do? If the two of them force something on me, I’m in no position to refuse.”

“I see I wasn’t thinking straight. You’re the one being sold off, after all…”

Anyone hearing this might think I’m using engagement as a threat, but that’s not what this is.

What I’m doing is trying to keep the two of them in a good mood.

This is the inescapable fate of a noble born in a minor territory.

“But won’t Ariel be upset if she finds out?”

“That’s why we have to do it in secret.”

“……”

“Are you thinking this is trashy?”

“I am.”

She’s so blunt about it; I have nothing to say.

When an imperial member says something like that, who am I to complain?

“Then let’s call the two of them over here. If we pretend it’s a surprise party, we can use that as an excuse for Your Highness showing up in our territory.”

“Hmm… I’m not convinced it’ll go that smoothly.”

“Do you have a better idea?”

“……”

If you don’t, stop nitpicking and just cooperate.

***

There was still some time left before Yuna and Ariel would be released from their disciplinary probation.

Considering the time it would take for them to come down to the Damus territory, there was still a bit of breathing room…

But there was a lot to prepare.

“Son, what on earth turned you into such a monster?”

“You’re really asking because you don’t know?”

The moment I explained in detail why I had to hold engagement ceremonies with both of them, my father let out a deep sigh.

Still, he had grabbed the back of his neck and collapsed not too long ago….maybe he was getting used to it?

“Well… I suppose there’s no harm in having some ambition.”

“……”

“If you think of it as a deal that secures support from the Ether Duchy and the Magic Tower, then maybe it’s finally time for our House Damus to rise again.”

“Are you satisfied now?”

“You want to die?”

“I misspoke.”

“Son, I know we don’t have a choice in any of this. But I also know that your ridiculous nonsense is just a desperate struggle to survive.”

“Father…”

“Who knows, maybe a new era really is about to begin.”

“I won’t inherit the Count’s title yet.”

“You little bastard! You’re the one who started all this, and now what?!”

“Wait! I haven’t even graduated from the Cradle yet! How am I supposed to become a Count? Unless you drop dead, it’s legally impossible under Imperial law!”

“This damn brat.”

Another peaceful day in the family.

I ended the conversation by beating up my father who tried to beat me up under the excuse of a “duel”.

“Gah!”

What can I say. I’m still a Cradle graduate, after all.

The time had long passed when a mere rural lord could overpower me. If he wanted to beat me, he should take down the Prophet first!

“Then, as the winner, I’ll exercise my rights. Please handle the party preparations.”

“You ungrateful little bastard…”

“What can I say? If you didn’t like it, you should’ve won. Or did you really think I’d keep losing forever?”

The naive version of me from the past was long dead.

The person I was now was ready to do whatever it took to survive.

Anyway, that took care of the small engagement ceremony….more or less.

Even if my father sounded like he was dying, since it would be a modest event, it wouldn’t require much preparation.

Now it was time to take care of the aftermath of the terror incident I had experienced.

First, I went back to Lobelia and explained everything that had happened.

“I killed Loki completely.”

“…That’s not exactly the kind of thing you say while having tea, is it? More importantly, you’ve been hiding something that serious all this time?”

“It wasn’t as important as my life.”

“……”

I could be kidnapped and imprisoned by Ariel or Yuna at any moment. What did the death of one imperial member matter in comparison?

“I just thought Your Highness should know.”

To those at the Cradle, I had simply explained that I got caught up in a terror attack and fled home. It was a version of events slightly embellished for convenience.

Fortunately, since many others besides me were caught up in the attack, no one had much reason to doubt the truth of it.

I had also willingly contacted the Cradle and informed them of my location, which helped.

“…And that’s how it all happened.”

I even told Lobelia everything about Loki and Faust.

Of course, I kept Tillis’s true identity a secret. But even if her identity was hidden, her fighting power was well known, so no one would think it strange that she was able to buy us some time.

This was for Lobelia’s sake.

Tillis’s beast-like intellect came with beast-like instincts. If she realized Lobelia had figured out who she was, she wouldn’t just sit still.

“By the way, you said he ‘sent you home’… That explains the rumors about eldest brother visiting the capital recently.”

“If it remained just a rumor, I guess he left quietly.”

“Well, I’m not so sure about that…”

“Is there something that concerns you?”

“Hmm… I don’t think it’s something I should be telling you.”

“Then that’s fine.”

I didn’t particularly want to get too involved in imperial affairs anyway.

If it was something even Lobelia was hesitant to bring up, it was probably dangerous just to hear about it.

“What worries me more is the Saintess.”

“She’d probably survive even if you threw her into a crater, wouldn’t she?”

“That’s not what I meant. The problem is that he sent her home.”

What did “home” mean to Tillis?

The place Lobelia and I wrecked while fighting Loki last time?

Or the place where the World Tree used to stand before the Emperor wiped it out?

“Johan, do you know what happened to the place where the World Tree used to be?”

“It turned into a wasteland, didn’t it?”

“It would’ve been better if it had.”

Lobelia spoke as if uneasy, tapping her fingers lightly on the armrest of her chair.

“A chemical factory was built there.”

“……”

“To be honest, even someone as famously kind as the Saintess… I’m not sure she’ll be okay after seeing that.”

Wow…

I already knew the Emperor was a bastard, but this? This was another level.

***

Tillis had been forcibly returned to the elven territory where the World Tree once stood, pushed back by Faust’s power.

At first, she didn’t even realize she was in her homeland. Not even after seeing it with her own eyes.

But she could tell by the way the civilians looked at her.

They looked at her as if she were a criminal. They were afraid.

And from their perspective, it made sense.

On land the elves had once considered sacred, where the revered World Tree used to stand, there was now a chemical factory operating.

And then, suddenly, an elf had appeared out of nowhere right in front of them….it would’ve been harder not to be afraid.

“Ah.”

But Tillis’s reaction, once she grasped where she was, wasn’t just calm. It was almost cold.

As if simply registering her location was enough, she showed no emotion at all.

No sadness, no longing.

Even now, glimpses of old memories and tragedies flickered in her eyes, but she felt nothing in response.

She had returned to her homeland after a long time.

That was all it meant to her.

“Oh, I had a house around here. Well, I suppose there’s no way it would’ve survived until now. Hmm… did it burn down back then?”

Like someone gazing at a painting in a frame, Tillis casually looked around her long-lost homeland, then turned to leave.

Or at least, she tried to. For just a moment.

Suddenly, she stopped in her tracks and looked back at her hometown.

For some reason, it felt like someone’s words were echoing in her ears.

– Someone like you will never be able to find happiness.

She remembered the taunt of a snake-like man who had sneered at her even on the verge of death. His voice was dripping with malice.

– I’m not the kind of person who would rip a guardian away from a child too sick to even realize they’re sick.

She remembered the detached pity of a transcendent being, whose face looked as blank and faded as an old photograph.

And then—

– The bluebird is a metaphor for happiness. It means happiness isn’t something you find far away; it’s right nearby.

She remembered the casual words of a foolish, insignificant boy.

None of these words had meant much to Tillis.

The mockery, the scorn, even the explanations offered in compassion…none of it stirred her heart in the slightest.

But what she didn’t know…

Was that all of those words had been quietly etched deep into her heart.

“…Hmm.”

Tillis turned around.

And walked toward the ruins now defiled by the factory that stood atop them, erasing every trace of the past.

Flutter!

Behind her, a demon buried in a mass of wings silently rose into the air.