Chapter 145 - The Stable Hand and the Princess

Ferda asked William once again.

"You're not saying it was reduced by 3%, but to 3%?"

"That's correct. Even after explaining it myself, it's a figure that's hard to believe."

Olivia's objective evaluation had originally been an astounding 45%.

Even if someone deliberately tried to diminish her accomplishments, she still deserved at least 30%.

Unable to understand how such a miraculous number had appeared, Ferda asked William for the reason.

Summed up in a single sentence, the conclusion was that everything had simply come down to luck.

The problem was that Olivia had only been educated in the etiquette expected of an Imperial Princess and had never properly studied leadership or military tactics.

Therefore, the Empire argued that even if her decisions had been well-founded, someone without formal tactical training taking command on the battlefield could have endangered the army, and that she should already be grateful they had not held her accountable for that.

They even added that, midway through the campaign, she had endangered the army by ordering the formation of a pursuit battalion based on an overly bold tactical decision.

As a result, although she had served as Chief of Staff, they insisted that most of her achievements should instead be credited to those who had carried them out in practice.

The reason Alexander had personally welcomed and praised each of them had all been because of Olivia.

"I gave them a document. Didn't you see how they used it?"

"I did. We used the material Your Highness the Regent provided to argue the justification behind her actions, but... it simply wasn't persuasive enough."

"Why?"

"The deciding factor was that the son of Duke Lutenia remained silent."

Lutenia had served as Chief of Staff, the second-in-command of the temporary alliance.

His contribution had been assessed at 15%, the second-highest after Olivia.

"And what percentage did he end up with?"

"Thirty percent."

No wonder he had kept his mouth shut.

He had boldly taken a full third of Olivia's accomplishments.

Naturally, the Empire's highest decoration—the one Olivia should have received—would have gone to him instead.

Ferda could clearly picture how everything had unfolded.

They had turned it into a zero-sum game.

If your slice of the pie grew larger, someone else's had to shrink.

That was how they persuaded countless noble heirs and knights.

To increase their own share, to claim greater merit, someone had to be sacrificed.

That someone was Olivia, who alone possessed nearly half the total credit.

For those whose contributions were too small even to earn a mention, gaining even 1% of merit was an opportunity too valuable to refuse.

Sacrifice one person to make the many happy.

It was astonishingly easy for them to abandon both the duty of a noble and the honor of a knight.

The Imperial Princess was simply too beautiful.

Far too beautiful for people of their station.

They knew they could never possess her.

Rather than currying favor with fruit that looked appealing but could never be theirs, choosing tangible benefits was the more rational, long-term decision.

'Disgusting bastards.'

Still, he couldn't suppress his revulsion.

They had followed behind her, calling her the Flower of the Empire, only to sell her out the moment a reward was placed before them.

"Still... there were some who gave up their own share out of a knight's honor."

"I hope you were among them."

"Of course. Even if I receive rewards, my own achievements are enough. I couldn't accept inflated credit."

"So how much merit did they acknowledge for you?"

"They said ten percent."

Ferda casually flipped through the copy Mori had organized.

William had originally been listed at 5%.

Exactly double.

Since they had even tried to lure Vernel away from him, Ferda asked what offer William had received.

"I was offered the position of Guardian Knight of the Imperial Royal Guard."

Guardian Knight.

It was a title reserved for the highest-ranking knights and could only be bestowed upon those serving directly under the Imperial Family.

The offer clearly carried the message: abandon the Grand Duchess Valdrova's territory and come serve here.

"So? Did you accept?"

"I accepted it only as an honorary title."

In other words, it was merely an impressive-looking title without an actual investiture ceremony.

Coming from a knight, that was simply a polite way of saying he already had a lord to serve.

A Guardian Knight ranked alongside even powerful Counts.

Seeing William reject such an offer made Ferda unexpectedly pleased.

"When will you return?"

"I had planned to leave tomorrow morning, but now I'll depart immediately. They offered to provide Teleport Magic..."

"You could take your time."

"As Chief of Public Security, shouldn't I fulfill my duty?"

Diligent indeed.

"Very well. Come straight to the castle once you arrive. As soon as you get here, we'll hold the bonus award ceremony and the banquet."

"Yes, sir! I'll return as quickly as possible!"

***

After William returned through Teleport Magic, Ferda awarded bonuses to the Tactical Infantry who had fought in the war and sponsored a grand celebration.

Since supplies intended for a two-day banquet had already been prepared, it wasn't difficult.

Ferda was able to use the remaining provisions that would otherwise have gone to waste.

As for the infantrymen, they experienced the luxurious food normally reserved for nobles—something they had never tasted before.

It was a proper reward worthy of veterans.

Everything seemed destined to pass peacefully.

Then, Ferda's Communication Crystal suddenly flashed blue.

He placed a hand upon it and connected the voice transmission.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Regent! I am Joseph, an Imperial liaison officer!"

An Imperial liaison contacting him this late at night meant something serious had happened.

"I was wondering... has Her Imperial Highness the Princess happened to visit Castle Valdrova?"

Ferda frowned instinctively.

"And why are you asking me that?"

"I sincerely apologize for asking such an offensive question. However, we must quietly and swiftly resolve an urgent matter within the Empire, so I have shamelessly sought your assistance."

The moment he heard those words, Ferda understood.

Olivia had run away.

"My answer is that I don't know. What happened to the Imperial Princess?"

"I'm afraid I cannot disclose that."

Well, look at these people.

"So you tell me half the story and expect me to accept 'I can't say' as the end of it? Suppose I make a few deductions and start spreading them everywhere. At that point, your secret may not remain a secret."

Faced with such an open threat, the liaison could only let out an awkward sigh before answering.

"As you have guessed... Princess Arken is currently missing. The Imperial Palace—and indeed the entire Empire—is searching for her whereabouts."

"So you've even begun investigating everyone who crossed the border?"

"That's correct. We're comparing entry and exit records to determine her location. Since the Chief of Public Security traveled this evening, he became one of those under investigation."

"I understand. If I hear anything on this side, I'll inform you immediately."

"Thank you very much!"

After repeatedly begging him to keep everything confidential, the liaison ended the transmission.

"So... she ran away..."

Honestly, it was understandable.

Her achievements had been reduced from 45% to 3%.

Her political future had been crushed.

To Ferda, it resembled the time when he had been denied recognition as a Mage and branded the Public Enemy of the Continent.

'Back then... I never wanted their hatred.'

Yet the world had desperately wanted him to hate it.

Otherwise, there was no explanation for such malice falling upon him.

Even now, recalling those events made his blood boil.

Erdes... that damned woman.

After silently grinding out her name, he returned to the matter at hand.

'Princess Olivia has disappeared.'

How had she escaped?

She possessed the Red Circle and could use Light Magic, but escaping through something like Teleport Magic would have been impossible.

To break through such heavy security, she would have needed an accomplice.

And that accomplice would have accepted a risk great enough to lose their head.

Even nobles were no exception.

'What could they possibly gain from it?'

An ordinary person would dismiss it as nothing more than an emotional outburst from someone too weak to endure reality.

But Ferda's first instinct was that Olivia was plotting something.

He simply couldn't imagine her rebelling like a spoiled child throwing a tantrum.

Through this disappearance, she intended to obtain something she desired.

At the same time, another image surfaced in his mind.

It belonged not to the present, but to a distant future when hatred had completely consumed him.

She stood atop a palace balcony, the femme fatale whose schemes would bring an empire to ruin.

For some reason, Ferda thought she resembled himself.

She had suffered because of her family.

She had hated her family.

She had tried to kill every last one of them.

In that regard, they were exactly alike.

The only difference was that Ferda embraced hatred to achieve his revenge, while Olivia wore a mask.

Ferda had succeeded.

Olivia had failed. 1

After abandoning everything, she launched a coup with absolute resolve.

The Princes and Princesses died.

But the Emperor still remained alive.

In the end, she too was only human.

No matter how strong her reason or philosophy, they were merely walls of salt beneath the rain when faced with overwhelming emotion.

She might resist for a time, but anyone could eventually collapse.

That was why Ferda decided he could not remain idle.

He had to find her before anyone else did.

***

Ferda left the castle and headed into the forest.

As always, it was wild and overgrown from years of neglect.

More specifically, he stopped just beyond the patrol range of Iorga's Dragon Spawn.

It was midnight beneath a waning crescent moon.

Standing beneath the shadows of the trees in the dark forest, he slowly closed his eyes.

The instant he consciously abandoned one of his senses, all the others sharpened dramatically.

Even the chirping of insects vanished.

A faint scent of sulfur drifted through the air.

Only then did Ferda quietly speak a name.

"Sitri."

Immediately, he felt something sticky cling to his back.

"You called, big brother?"

Appearing behind him, she traced her serpentine lower body across him before moving around to face him.

It was clearly meant to make him uncomfortable.

Ferda showed no emotion.

"Where is she?"

"Who?"

"Olivia. Someone like you ought to know where she is."

"Hm? Aren't you jumping to conclusions? Do you think I spend all my time spying on the Princess who lives in the Imperial Palace?"

"Someone as obsessed with lust as you couldn't possibly not know."

Ferda knew.

Whenever the Great Demon Sitri seduced humans, she transformed into whatever form they found most irresistible.

One of her favorite forms was Olivia.

Eight times out of ten, she tempted men while wearing Olivia Arken's appearance.

And it worked better than anything else.

Even knowing she was merely a demon's imitation, hundreds of men had died simply chasing the fantasy of embracing the Imperial Princess.

To Sitri, such a useful Olivia was a pet she desperately wanted.

No...

Something even more precious than that.

To obtain such a pet, Sitri would constantly watch for opportunities.

One of her eyes was undoubtedly always fixed upon Olivia.

So if anyone knew where Olivia had gone after running away, it would be her.

"Let's say I do know... Why do you need that woman? Weren't you completely devoted to the Grand Duchess?"

"I simply need her."

"Hmm? So beneath it all, big brother really is just another man..."

"You keep speaking like a dog pretending to be human."

Ferda grimaced in disgust.

Sitri's eyes, however, never changed.

"Then let's do this, big brother. I'll try to seduce you in this form for three minutes."

Her figure stood vividly even within the darkness.

The Great Demon Sitri's appearance slowly shifted until she became Olivia herself.

Her eyelashes.

Her lips.

Even her fingertips.

Everything was identical.

Speaking with Olivia's voice, she smiled.

"If you endure three minutes... I'll tell you where she is. How about it?"

She conjured an hourglass in midair.

It was exactly the sort of underhanded trick one would expect from her.

"Do as you please."

Ferda answered indifferently.

Sitri smiled triumphantly, as though she had trapped him.

"How foolish. No matter how loyal you are, you're still a man."

She boldly pressed herself against him.

The curves he had only ever seen from afar now seemed to caress his body.

She breathed softly against the back of his neck, teasing him without pause.

Ferda offered no resistance.

He simply allowed her to do as she wished.

Sticky, suggestive sounds marked each passing second.

After counting what he estimated to be three minutes in his head, he noticed there was still plenty of sand left in the hourglass.

'So that's your trick.'

Of course.

This wasn't an official wager.

And she had never said the hourglass measured exactly three minutes.

From the very beginning, all she had wanted was to shake him and humiliate him.

"It's over."

"What? Really?"

Ferda gestured toward the hourglass she had summoned.

As he said, every grain of sand had already fallen.

Olivia—

No, Sitri—muttered with wounded pride.

"I secretly swapped it for a four-minute hourglass... and you're telling me I couldn't seduce a single man in four whole minutes?"

Still wearing Olivia's face, she glared viciously.

"Big brother... are you impotent?"

"No."

Ferda could answer confidently because he knew perfectly well that he wasn't.

More importantly, he knew what the real Princess Olivia was like.

Watching someone wearing her face behave so vulgarly destroyed any possibility of arousal.

"I won."

"Hmph... You never lose. That's so irritating."

She pouted with disappointment before smiling.

As though she didn't entirely mind the outcome.

"There used to be an old story."

"Don't start playing word games—"

"Hear me out, darling. You've heard the tale about the princess who escaped the castle together with the stable hand, haven't you?"

"...Yes."

It was a classic tale of someone rising far above their station.

Ferda still found himself able to recite parts of it automatically.

"The answer lies inside that story."

At those words, Ferda closed his eyes and followed the flow of the tale in his memory.

He suddenly realized what Sitri was trying to imply.

'...No way.'

Impossible.

He desperately denied it to himself.

Yet the more he did, the wider Sitri's smile became.

"Sweet dreams, big brother."

When Ferda opened his eyes again, Sitri had already vanished.

Standing alone where he was, he quietly repeated the thought to himself.

'Was she lying?'

It hadn't been an official wager.

She had never been obligated to tell the truth.

But what would she gain by lying?

Sitri's leash was held by Ferda.

If what she implied truly meant what he thought...

Then there was only one person who could be the stable hand.

'William.'

The Chief of Public Security.

The sword that protected the common people.

The answer was unmistakable.

Yet Ferda desperately wanted to deny it.

William was one of the very few knights Ferda truly trusted.

He simply could not believe William would secretly spirit away the Imperial Princess.

'But nothing is absolute.'

After all, the very reason William had first come to this town was because he had crossed the line once already to save commoners.

There was no guarantee that someone who had crossed one line could never cross another.

Besides, it would also explain why he had hurried back that very evening instead of waiting until tomorrow.

Ferda still couldn't decide what to do.

'If I don't know...'

Then he would have to see the truth with his own eyes.

Even if that truth proved deeply unpleasant.

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