Chapter 58. Stubbornness
“No.”
The words of refusal came from Claude’s mouth. He glared at Jesuf with cold eyes, as if it was out of the question.
“You want to take someone who just returned?”
“We’re to bring her back as soon as she arrives. Before the next subjugation begins.”
Jesuf added with displeasure.
“Isn’t this all because Your Grace kept replying that you were still in the middle of subjugation?”
“We were still in the middle of subjugation.”
That was true.
I nodded at Claude’s words.
Glancing at me, Jesuf pressed his temples as if he had a headache, then opened his mouth again.
“As stated in the official document, Miss Seraphina is to be dispatched only when needed. Her main residence is Elmon.”
Jesuf spoke mechanically, as if reciting memorized words.
Claude growled, like he couldn’t accept it.
“It’s better for her to stay here than to go back and forth.”
Yes, absolutely.
Agreeing with this, I nodded again.
Even with Sylphid, long-distance travel was tiring.
“We don’t even know when the next subjugation will be.”
“Why wouldn’t we know? Austin!”
Claude shouted loudly.
The quick-witted butler hurried out of the reception room to call for Austin.
What’s going on now?
Claude and Jesuf glared fiercely at each other. The tense atmosphere was so heavy that I felt my shoulders being pressed down, and I breathed carefully.
At that moment, Austin arrived with hurried steps.
“What is it, Your Grace?”
He asked politely, like a loyal servant.
“Search for the location of the undead.”
“Pardon?”
But having just returned from subjugation, even Austin couldn’t hide his bewilderment at this order.
“Find out. We’re leaving for subjugation again.”
“Now?”
“Don’t make me repeat myself.”
“But Your Grace…”
Normally, he would have acted without question, but Austin couldn’t hide his troubled expression. He hesitated before speaking.
“The knights need rest too. The mages and healers have all collapsed from exhaustion.”
“……”
Claude was silent.
Seeing this, Jesuf became triumphant.
“Then Miss Seraphina will come with me.”
“Wait.”
As Jesuf gestured for me to leave with him, Claude hastily stopped us.
“Purifier Seraphina needs rest too.”
“She can rest on the way.”
Hey.
Why are you answering for me?
I looked at Jesuf with incredulous eyes.
I should say something.
“I think I do need to rest. I actually fainted this time.”
“……?!”
Jesuf’s eyes widened.
“You fainted again?”
“Again? You knew about me fainting before?”
And you still work me so hard?
Do you know how much I suffered going back and forth because you sent me to Sahara?
Jesuf nodded as if it was obvious.
“It was in the reports. I also received reports about your courage training.”
“But you still sent me to Sahara without letting me rest…”
“That was the original dispatch location. Sir Andantino kept pestering us about why we weren’t sending you when we said we would.”
“……”
I felt like a shrimp caught between three whales.
I see.
So this is a power struggle between you all?
It seemed like they were competing to see who was the strongest by keeping me for as long as possible.
How did it come to this?
I desperately wanted to cry.
At that moment, Jesuf spoke again.
“Anyway, we must take Miss Seraphina with us.”
“And if I refuse?”
Claude snorted.
Jesuf replied with a face full of despair. He almost seemed to be pleading.
“We must take her no matter what. If not, His Majesty might come personally.”
“What?”
“If we don’t bring Miss Seraphina, he says he’ll tour the continent to check if the purifiers are working well.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
“You know he’ll do it if he says he will.”
“Crazy bastard.”
I swallowed hard.
I can say with certainty that Claude is the only person in this world who would refer to the Emperor so casually. Seemingly agreeing with those words, Jesuf unusually didn’t say anything about it being disrespectful or to show proper manners.
His complexion just darkened a bit.
He muttered in a deflated voice.
“He was already away from his post for quite a while recently. Because he suddenly went to Sahara.”
As he said this, Jesuf stared directly at me.
Ugh.
I didn’t summon him on purpose.
From his dark gaze, I could guess how much Johann’s close aides must have struggled due to the Emperor’s absence. It would be even worse if he went on a national tour.
So that’s why they have to take me. To avoid their own hardship.
Jesuf, you bastard.
I quietly glared at Jesuf. Meanwhile, he was looking at Claude again.
“Didn’t you say your knights need rest too, Your Grace?”
“Damn it.”
“As per the official document, I will take Miss Seraphina with me. If you don’t comply, Hilton will be permanently excluded from Miss Seraphina’s dispatch locations.”
“F*ck.”
With that, Claude expressed his agreement.
* * *
The sky in Elmon was high and blue.
The late autumn air was quite cool.
Johann was taking a leisurely stroll around the imperial palace with his hands behind his back.
Starting from the garden visible from his office, his steps had somehow led him to the palace where Seraphina had stayed.
“Faye will be busy again.”
Since she would have to attend to Seraphina when she returns.
If Faye had heard this, she would have replied that attending to Miss Seraphina was much easier than cleaning the vast palace, but that wasn’t Johann’s concern.
The important thing was that Seraphina would be back soon.
He recalled a recent conversation with a pleasant smile.
He had mentioned that since it seemed Claude was lying, they should check if Seraphina was really being continuously deployed in subjugation missions. The dumbfounded expressions on Jesuf and Ionia’s faces at that moment were quite a sight to see.
Anyway.
The two of them asked who would confirm this, and Johann just stared at Jesuf intently. Adding, “Or I could go myself.”
When silence fell, he meaningfully said, “While I’m at it, I might as well tour the continent. I should give fair attention to the other purifiers too.”
His two subjects intelligently grasped his intention right away.
There was some arguing after that, but.
<Do it.>
<Do what?>
In the end, Ionia took the Emperor’s side. Despite Jesuf’s objections, she quickly settled the situation.
<This means you won’t be stubborn about anything else. Understood, Your Majesty?>
<Hahaha. As if Marseus would ever be stubborn about anything.>
As he laughed it off shamelessly, Ionia handed him a heavy stack of documents. Johann’s smile almost turned into a grimace, but…
He stopped walking and lifted his head to look up.
It was good that he had been stubborn after all.
“It should be time for her arrival.”
He could see the window of the room where Seraphina had stayed during her special training. Johann smiled, his eyes narrowing with pleasure.
Though the room was empty, the window was wide open. As per his orders, maids were cleaning and airing out the room. He could hear the busy sounds of movement from inside.
“The palace will be lively again.”
As if it had ever not been lively.
The imperial palace was a place where countless people moved busily, and innumerable events occurred every day. But to Johann, this place without Seraphina felt like a world in black and white.
Well.
It had already regained its color with the expectation of her imminent arrival.
Johann imagined Seraphina leaning on the open window, then started walking again.
He imagined sparring with her at the training grounds, watching her sweat prettily. At the dining hall, he imagined her eagerly eating delicious food, praising the palace chef as the best and disregarding all etiquette.
These were all scenes he had witnessed on some day.
It was summer then.
Now he would see those scenes against the backdrop of autumn, no, winter.
“I absolutely won’t let her go.”
Johann’s lips curled up meaningfully.
He planned to refuse dispatch requests as much as possible. How could he send her to such dangerous places? How could he trust those shady guys?
Claude and Mihail were untrustworthy bastards.
Even though they once said they were the most suitable ones to entrust a purifier working on the front lines.
Johann lifted his head as if gazing into the distance, thinking thoughts that others would find quite absurd. He had somehow returned to the garden visible from his office, where he could see Seraphina just by turning his head.
“Your Majesty.”
Jesuf was approaching.
Knowing what this meant, Johann’s heart swelled with joy.
“Is she here?”
He greeted his right-hand man with a broad smile. His eyes quickly scanned Jesuf’s surroundings.
And Johann couldn’t help but feel puzzled.
“Where’s Seraphina?”
Why didn’t she come back together?
Don’t tell me you didn’t bring her?
As his eyes filled with a murderous intent, as if to say he wouldn’t let this slide, Jesuf answered as if it was obvious.
“She went home.”
“…Home?”
For a moment, Johann repeated the word in a dumbfounded voice. His pupils shook violently.
Home? Home?
Instead of coming to the imperial palace…
That’s when Jesuf delivered a blow, as though it should have been obvious.
“Miss Seraphina’s residence is in District 14, isn’t it?”
Johann’s face contorted beautifully.
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ynabispo
Me incomoda um pouco que eles gostem dela, mas não estejam dispostos a fazer nenhum movimento. Até Johann que já admitiu pra si que se apaixonou por ela parece só querer mantê-la por perto pra observá-la. Infelizmente Mihail parece ser o único tentando flertar com ela.