Chapter 50. Two Seasons At the Same Time

Has it already been a month since we left for the first desert expedition?

I finished preparing to depart after hearing news of undead sightings. Perhaps due to daily purification training outside the castle, I moved as swiftly as any knight.

When the Holy Knight Order assembled, Mihail signaled our departure.

The unique aspect of this expedition was that Johann was accompanying us.

“Your Majesty, when will you return to the Imperial Palace?”

It was a question born of genuine concern.

I was starting to worry if it was alright for the emperor to be away from the palace for so long.

But Johann, unaware of my thoughtful intentions, replied curtly,

“That’s not for you to worry about.”

“……”

Ah, I see.

Why so prickly again?

I’m sure we parted on good terms just yesterday morning.

He was truly unpredictable.

Perhaps he has much to consider as emperor. Or maybe he’s on edge due to the undead sightings.

After pondering his state briefly, I forcibly cut off that train of thought.

Right.

It’s not for me to worry about.

He surely knows what he’s doing.

Feeling a bit dejected, I urged Sylphid forward. The horse galloped well even in the middle of the desert, as if there was no terrain it couldn’t traverse.

Sand sprayed up with each hoof fall.

I was riding between Johann and Mihail, and occasionally felt Johann’s gaze on me. But that gaze wasn’t friendly.

What could it be?

Why is he glaring like that?

Feeling a stinging on my right cheek, I focused on looking straight ahead. The only thing that made it bearable was the gentle sunlight that seemed to shine from the left.

Looking straight ahead made my neck feel stiff, so I turned to the left occasionally to stretch my neck muscles. Each time, my eyes met Mihail’s.

Perhaps due to yesterday’s embarrassing play on the water, I felt a bit awkward, but Mihail’s nonchalance allowed me to feign composure as well.

Don’t smile, you jerk.

I inwardly shouted at Mihail as he gently curved his eyes.

You’re only being nice because you want to use me.

That appearance of his is poison, pure poison.

His brilliantly shining platinum hair exuded an even more fatal charm in the desert. How to describe it… If there was a treasure hidden in this barren desert devoid of anything, it would be like this man…

“……”

What absurd thoughts.

I decided to just focus on riding straight ahead. Warmth flowed from the left, chill from the right, but I chose to think of it as experiencing two seasons at the same time.

Well.

They were the same in that they both made my skin tingle.

The desert wind whipped against my skin.

Ignoring the gazes of both men, I decided to focus on this wind as much as possible.

How long had we ridden like that?

In the middle of the brown wasteland that filled our view, a black mold seemed to bloom. It was the undead legion.

“Durahans, is it? How nice to see them after so long.”

Johann spoke from the right.

His tone was as if he found those terrible high-level undead endearing.

“Why don’t you go greet them then?”

This time Mihail spoke from the left.

His tone was gentle, but clearly sarcastic.

“I wonder if they’ll welcome Marseus.”

“I’m concerned your skills may have rusted, Your Majesty.”

“You worry about strange things.”

“Of course. As your subject, I’m deeply concerned your body may have weakened from daily overwork at the palace.”

“Haha. You say amusing things.”

Johann said this, but his eyes weren’t smiling at all. It felt colder than the icy winds blowing from the Grodes Mountains.

Ugh.

Why are they doing this with me in between?

Feeling like a shrimp between whales, I shrank my neck like a turtle.

I was also dumbfounded by the leisure of these heroes engaging in a battle of wills with durahans right in front of us.

Hey, you two.

Can’t you see them charging at us?

Seeing the black, evil horde rapidly closing the distance like storm clouds driven by wind, I felt a chill down my spine.

My heart began to race, but these two showed no signs of moving a finger. Looking back, the holy knights who followed also seemed to be waiting for orders.

“Hey look, durahans, hey, hey!”

Finally panicking, I stretched out my arm and frantically pointed at what was ahead.

Only then did Johann and Mihail turn their heads. With very indifferent and bored expressions.

“Care to show off your skills?”

“I was planning to save you if you got in danger.”

“So you’re saying you’ll just stand by after coming all this way.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure. You never know. A situation requiring Marseus to step in might arise.”

…These guys, really!

Still battling wills to the end!

“Uh, uwaah!”

Just then, Mihail kicked Sylphid’s behind.

As a result, I ended up charging forward alone.

Mihail, you bastard!

I’ll kill you! I’ll definitely kill you! Waaah.

“Stop! Stop! Kyaaah!”

I screamed and shut my eyes tight. I had already entered the midst of the durahan legion. Fear gnawed at my heart.

Despite all my training, I was too panicked to chant spells and just released my purification ability as I used to do.

Fwooosh…!

White light spread in all directions.

“Bastard of light speed.”

Suddenly, I thought I heard a small whisper.

Huh?

It seemed like blue paint was spreading over the white light that had covered my closed eyelids. At the same time, a strong wind swept through, making it difficult to keep my balance.

Startled by the supernatural phenomenon, Sylphid began to act up.

“Ugh…!”

Before I could soothe him to stay still, I fell off the horse.

Oh no!

The durahans should have turned to ashes!

Too afraid to open my eyes, my falling body was gently enveloped by the sand. Hm? This doesn’t feel like sand though?

It all happened in an instant.

The light that spread from my hand was just now starting to fade.

I cautiously opened my eyes. There I saw Johann with a stiff expression.

“Your Majesty…”

A whimpering sound escaped me without realizing.

Johann remained silent with a chilly expression. His Adam’s apple bobbed greatly as if swallowing something, then he averted his gaze from me and lifted his head. That look in his eyes was eerie.

“Ah. How disappointing.”

Mihail’s voice was heard.

“Miss Sera, what happened to all your practice?”

“Mihail Andantino.”

Johann’s voice was as cold as ice.

He glared at Mihail as if to kill him, then opened his mouth.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“I should be the one asking. Is this the situation you were referring to? One where Your Majesty needed to step in?”

“What if something had happened to Seraphina?”

“The purifier stands at the forefront of the battlefield.”

Mihail replied nonchalantly.

“Look. Miss Sera is excellent. Hasn’t the entire durahan legion turned to ashes? Though it’s a shame she didn’t use a spell.”

“……”

Johann glared at Mihail with sharp eyes.

And I, still in Johann’s arms, quietly looked up at him while holding my breath.

It felt strange.

To show such hostility.

He seemed to agree with Mihail’s words given his silence, but he still looked very angry.

I understood.

He had always valued talented individuals.

He probably didn’t want to easily lose the possessor of an incredible purification ability who had suddenly appeared like finding a needle in the desert.

But still.

Does he value talent this much?

I was somehow caught up in a strange feeling.

* * *

In the Imperial City of Elmon.

Three weeks had passed since the emperor disappeared.

Since this had never happened before, the Imperial Palace was in a state of emergency that wasn’t quite an emergency. No one worried that something might have happened to him, who’s one of the three heroes.

The problem was the piling work.

Ionia gritted her teeth as she performed the emperor’s duties. The dark circles under her eyes, deepened from lack of sleep, made her look very haggard.

I won’t let him off easy when he returns. Repeating those words like a mantra, she looked almost like the dark mages said to have existed in ancient times.

Of course, she wasn’t the only one trapped in this dark abyss.

“Haaaaaah…”

Jesuf let out a long sigh. If his breath had weight, it might have crushed the entire Imperial Palace to dust.

As he helped with paperwork beside Ionia, he was merely in an assistant role, but for someone who inherently disliked writing, this time was hell.

He’d do what was necessary when needed, but…

Being buried in this all day was truly grueling.

Bang.

The office door opened at that moment.

Ionia and Jesuf turned their heads. Johann, in exotic attire, was entering with nonchalant steps as if nothing had happened.

Ionia stood up, adjusting her glasses.

“Where have you been?”

Though gritting her molars, she smiled sweetly as she interrogated him.

Johann briefly surveyed the office scene, then raised an eyebrow.

“How curious. It seems things run well even without me.”

“Disappear one more time.”

I won’t let it slide next time.

The unspoken latter part was sufficiently conveyed through Ionia’s chilly gaze. Beside her, Jesuf was also joining in with that look.

I’d better not cross the line any further.

Johann gestured for Ionia and Jesuf to leave, as if saying he’d take over now.

But the two couldn’t leave easily, seemingly having much pent up.

As the emperor sat down at his usual desk, Ionia asked.

“Did you go to Sahar?”

It was easy to guess from his attire.

Johann nodded lightly in response. Then he suddenly called her name.

“Ionia.”

“What?”

“The purifier is officially part of the imperial family, right?”

“Why ask something so obvious? You’re not asking because you don’t know.”

It was suspicious that he was asking something he wouldn’t normally ask. Ionia looked at Johann, her sharp intuition on alert.

Finally, Johann, who had been quietly lost in thought, opened his mouth.

“It seems I’ll have to bring Seraphina to the Imperial Palace after all.”