Chapter 118: Shadows of Dawn. or Shade

The woman he faced in the Count’s Office was not the woman he had known before.

A beauty whose blue hair and blue eyes blended seamlessly together—that was her now.

She looked directly at Daike, who had been guided into the office, her gaze sharp and confident.

“Your divine beast looks clearer.”

Her voice sounded not just firm, but as if it were carved in stone.

It was an atmosphere that didn’t quite match her light tone of speech.

Even though there was no particular malice or discomfort in her voice or attitude, the air around them seemed to freeze the moment she spoke.

“And you’ve changed a lot.”

It was a natural aura of authority.

However, that alone wasn’t enough to shake Daike.

He, too, was a veteran knight who had endured and overcome all sorts of hardships while traveling abroad.

Among the descendants of heroes, the only one who could truly stand on equal footing with him was surely Princess Elhermina.

He had always strived to become a man worthy of her.

…And the fact that he had willingly endured the path he took to surpass Kariel’s Castle was entirely of his own volition.

In any case, the blue-haired, blue-eyed beauty, who was in the process of transitioning from a girl to a proper woman, had now become the head of a Count’s household.

Some might say that the prestige of a Count’s family is further solidified by possessing a Lord’s Domain, but the Esdina Clan had long since established a firm position as Court Counts.

Furthermore, she was the daughter of a hero and a warrior who, while not surviving to be ranked among the Nine Heroes, had supported their backs and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with them.

This was the reason why the Esdina Clan could openly reject the Hero Emperor and the Knight of Radiance, and why they could serve as the leaders of the Noble Faction, which belonged to the Anti-Imperial Faction.

Above all, the Esdina Clan was a family that had wielded power by securing wealth and interests instead of a Lord’s Domain.

However.

Since more than half of those interests had reportedly been absorbed by the Royal Court… it seemed clear that the prestige of the Esdina Clan had changed significantly from before.

This was the extent of the superficial information he had gathered on his way here.

Above all, the biggest shock was that Seras had become the Princess’s right hand.

…Though it wasn’t that he couldn’t guess the reasons why she had no other choice.

“Did El send you to find me so urgently, of all people?”

“…Seeing as you’ve come to call her by a nickname despite how much you hated El, I’m reminded of how fleeting the world is.”

“Cut the chatter.”

“Still, isn’t this treatment a bit too cold for childhood friends meeting after several years?”

“Is it even possible for someone like you, a follower of El, to be close to me?”

“You’re the same now, aren’t you?”

“…I am not a follower. It is a political alliance.”

“Isn’t that the same thing?”

“We’re not speaking the same language.”

Her casual attire—private clothes in a deep blue that were modest yet striking—accentuated her figure very well.

Her hair had grown significantly since he last saw her, making her maturity even more prominent.

“I’m curious about El, but more than that, I’m curious about Kariel.”

“…If it’s reached your ears, I suppose it’s all over. Or perhaps it’s more accurate to say you’ve established quite a position for yourself while traveling between foreign lands.”

“I did perform well. For starters… isn’t it obvious how valuable I am, simply by being the one to secure the Legacy of the Great Demon King after El?”

“That confident brazenness is still the same. It’s more annoying because you’re not even pretending; you actually are that good.”

Seras openly bit her lip.

Of course, it was just a gesture; she didn’t actually chew it.

“When you secured the qualification to obtain that, Uncle Variel was so happy.”

“My father was?”

“He was openly proud of you. I guess he didn’t show it to you?”

“When I saw him earlier, he acted as nonchalant as if he’d just been away for a few days.”

“Probably because of a father’s pride. He’s always been like that, hasn’t he?”

“That… is true.”

Daike let out a small chuckle.

“Do you know that your father is currently the head of the Noble Faction?”

“What?”

What? Did he hear that correctly?

“In name only. Currently, the Imperial Faction is overwhelming, so those who oppose them or have to walk on eggshells have no proper place in the court. Sir Variel is the one mediating so they can be used effectively.”

“…I recall the former Count Esdina used to hold that role.”

“Grandfather is now in a position where he spends his old age in a quiet, lonely place. Looking at the atmosphere back then, it’s a miracle he’s even alive.”

And moreover.

“You heard the news that Alessius was sent to the Northeast Border, right?”

“I heard it happened, though not in detail.”

“That wasn’t a simple demotion. It’s far more sinister than that.”

It must have been a shocking event.

To the public, it was known simply that Prince Alessius had made a fatal mistake in the internal power struggle.

Only now, through Seras, could Daike grasp some of the detailed inner workings.

“Grandfather didn’t just lose power; he was effectively placed under house arrest. And…”

Seras trailed off for a moment and sighed deeply.

“Eras was excommunicated and exiled at the same time. In effect, our family took a devastating blow.”

“Is the reason you’re safe because you swore loyalty to the Royal Court? Whether you wanted to or not, there was no other option. Was this… a case of His Majesty’s consideration?”

“To be precise… there was a compromise in the discussions regarding the relationship between El and Kariel. Because we reached an agreement there, I was granted leniency. If not… well. I wonder what would have happened.”

“……Talking in riddles again.”

As a childhood friend, he had known for a long time that Seras had feelings for Kariel.

The problem was that her competitor happened to be Elhermina.

…Therefore, she couldn’t have been unaware that it was a fight that was nearly impossible to win from the start.

Nevertheless, she chose to struggle.

The fundamental reason she hated Elhermina was likely because of that.

Isn’t that how political rivals are?

Just as she had viewed Kariel.

“To put it bluntly, it ended up as if Elhermina stepped aside, which is absurd. But looking at how things are going now… I wonder if we did something pointless.”

“Could you explain it so I can actually understand?”

“By all means.”

The summary was quite simple.

Originally, after Kariel’s Holy Land Pilgrimage, once some time had passed and he returned, the union between the two would be finalized.

Using that as a justification and pretext, all previous crimes would be unearthed, leading to a large-scale purge and punishment.

At the same time, by instantly renovating and reorganizing the power structure of the Imperial Court, the board was set so that the scales of power would tilt perfectly toward the Emperor. The one who planned this was none other than Elhermina.

On the surface, it was exaggeratedly reported that the Hero Emperor had planned everything.

“The problem is that Kariel didn’t return. No, before that, the issue was… rumors began to circulate that Kariel was involved with, or colluded with, the Demon King.”

And one more thing.

“This is a secret, so keep it quiet. I’m telling you because it’s you. If you leak it, the suspect is obvious, so be prepared.”

“…How thoughtful of you.”

Is she planning to make him an accomplice? She’s learned some dark tricks since becoming the head of the household.

However, he had already stepped too deep to refuse.

…And he couldn’t ignore his swelling curiosity.

“Stop being sarcastic. Anyway… Lady Melineos had a prophetic dream, and she said the contents she saw and heard were ominous.”

The bigger problem was.

“She said that the memory had been temporarily sealed, and the one who did that was the Demon King—specifically, the Golden Beast.”

“…That kind of information reached your ears?”

“El told me. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have known a thing.”

The problem was.

“…We planned to secure Kariel secretly, but somehow this information leaked, and combined with the intel that Kariel had fled to a foreign country, there was significant interference.”

“Hmm……”

“Thanks to that, the situation began to spiral rapidly. Much faster than expected.”

If things had gone wrong, the fame and authority of the Hero could have crumbled in an instant under the pretext of defending such a secret of Kariel’s.

Political loss and disadvantage were almost cute in comparison.

Furthermore, since Count Esdina—Seras’s grandfather and the head of the Noble Faction at the time—had grasped this and intentionally reprimanded the Emperor, Daike could imagine just how serious the situation had been.

“At that moment, as if she had been waiting, Elhermina openly brought up those who had plotted against and isolated Kariel in the past, dragging the subject to the surface.”

This meant that all the noble children who had colluded, been involved, or tacitly agreed and cooperated would be caught.

Even for this, Elhermina had already made her move, setting the stage so that some of them would voluntarily confess and apologize to the Royal Court, bowing their heads.

And she did it very secretly.

Thanks to that, Count Esdina fell straight into a trap without even being able to resist.

At this time, Alessius, who would have been their greatest shield, was personally sent away by the Emperor to be stuck in the border guards as an example, making it impossible for anyone to reprimand the Emperor.

If it were just a simple exile, they might have argued that he was merely covering his tracks.

But the fact that it was the Northeast Border was crucial.

The most dangerous conflict zone where local skirmishes and disputes frequently broke out due to magic beasts and hostile nations.

Therefore.

To question any further crimes would be to demand the death of the Golden Bloodline… at the moment a subject mentioned that, how would they differ from a traitor?

“It seems my grandfather really was the one who led the isolation of Kariel.”

“…Is that true?”

“Yes. And besides that… at the time, Grandfather forced Eras, who was close to Kariel, to make a choice.”

Whether to hold onto Kariel, or to hold onto Alessius.

It seemed Eras had such an opportunity back then.

Seras herself hadn’t known.

However, for Eras, there was no choice to begin with.

Other than blindly following what her grandfather, the head of the household, wanted.

Moreover, as young sisters, Seras and Eras were far too terrified of the head’s shouting and punishment.

Even so, if Seras had realized the truth sooner, wouldn’t she have at least resisted or rebelled?

But her grandfather was very cunning and blocked even that possibility from the start.

By the time she actually found out, it was far too late to undo anything.

“……”

Thinking about it again made her shudder.

After his son, who should have returned as a hero, died in the end, her grandfather completely changed.

All that remained were the two daughters his son left behind.

If only he had returned alive from the final battle… he was a son who could have had everything.

“He became even worse after hearing that he ended up dying while trying to protect his mother.”

His mother wasn’t a hero, but she had heard that her influence was so great that all Nine Heroes respected her.

She didn’t actually know the reason why.

Her grandfather always remained silent, and because of that, the Esdina sisters couldn’t even ask others properly.

Eventually, only after her grandfather reached that state… were they able to ask the Empress.

“…Enough about my story. Anyway, that’s how the power structure was completely reorganized.”

It was the establishment of absolute imperial power.

Though it had been overwhelming before, there had always been criticisms that the Emperor’s benevolent and conciliatory political approach lacked decisive action.

At the very least, it was clear that such a conciliatory attitude had united the vast empire during the period of recovering from chaos.

Of course, if he had shown only powerless mercy, he would have been looked down upon and mocked.

…But the Hero Emperor was more cruel than anyone when he chose to be.

And this was clearly proven through the war and several great battles against the Demon King’s Army and the nations that cooperated with them.

As if to make an example, he completely burned the entire territory of a small nation that clung to the Demon King, turning it into ashes, tearing down every standing building, and even crushing or pulling out every common weed.

At that time, he was certainly less of a hero and more of a brutal conqueror.

However, thanks to that decisive resolution.

Many nations began to refuse the demands of the Demon King’s Army or showed a sluggish attitude toward cooperation.

With a single decision, the Human Alliance was able to bypass wars and wasteful battles that would have occurred dozens of times.

“The first thing he did after drawing his sword was to demote his own son, the Prince, and strip him of his succession rights to make him pay the price… so now he could hold the accomplices who collaborated with him equally accountable.”

The shield was gone.

Then they had to take the hit with their bare bodies.

But.

The problem was that the crimes cited by the Royal Court were truly heinous.

The very justifications the nobles had intended to use against the Royal Court were turned back upon them.

And in an even more heinous form.

Cooperation with demons.

Heresy and rebellion.

Hosting heretical cult meetings to plot the revival of the Demon King.

The cases used to interrogate and question them poured down relentlessly, like a flood breaking through a collapsed dam.

“It would have been better if that were the end.”

When inquisitors dispatched from the Holy See were added, people began to be linked in an endless chain.

With both the Emperor and the Religious Order determined to shake them down, who could possibly remain unscathed?

The Emperor had written a death list long ago and had been waiting for the opportunity to draw his sword.

If not, how could he have handled things so swiftly and decisively?

Decisive punishments were handed down to those whose crimes were mentioned and whose suspicion was confirmed.

Large-scale public executions.

Due to collective punishment, entire families were ruined, and there were continuous instances of branch families succeeding the main house.

Those who became the new heads of their families all swore loyalty to the Royal Court, and to prove it, they began to independently clean up those who had once belonged to the main house.

All of this was achieved in less than thirty days.

Furthermore, the anxiety and fear toward the Royal Court were conversely spread as hatred.

By meticulously detailing every single crime to the people, the reason and justification for the purge—and the realization of justice achieved by executing it—were established on a grand scale.

In this, irrelevant truths meant nothing.

Some truths were excessively exaggerated, and even small crimes were transformed into capital offenses.

Above all, it was framed as the Hero Emperor’s painful decision.

The Emperor, who had continuously taken on hardships for the sake of the people, had treated the nobles well as his subjects and citizens.

Yet, they had committed such atrocious acts without hesitation, brazenly boasting of being nobles and possessing Blue Blood!

Finally, the Hero Emperor, who had endured until he could no longer do so, drew his sword—as if he had saved and cherished his image of righteousness and fairness just for these moments.

He poured out all the anger and severity he had accumulated.

And so.

The people actively supported the Emperor’s noble decision.

“At the time, cheers erupted throughout the capital. They said the greedy and corrupt Blue Bloods were finally paying for their crimes.”

This was also because the people had long been exposed to the Emperor’s will and intention to push through policies and agendas for the people.

For the people and intellectuals had been subtly informed that the nobles had tried to push policies that would cause public resentment for the sake of their own interests and rights.

For a long time.

For a very long time.

There were even many people who openly cursed the Emperor’s complacency for constantly yielding to the nobles.

So, the meaning that such a decisive response gave to the frustrated people…

“You should have seen it yourself.”

Eventually, the great chaos subsided.

The surviving nobles began to realize implicitly.

That nothing the Emperor did was meaningless.

That the Emperor had never feared them, nor had he ever felt they were a threat.

In the end, he had simply sown the appropriate seeds for the people and the nobles respectively, and waited calmly until each harvest grew.

Thinking of it that way, too many things fit together perfectly.

By the time they noticed, they weren’t just stuck in a swamp; mud was already flooding down their throats.

It was too late.

However, was it true that no one even tried to struggle, even if it was too late? No, that wasn’t the case.

But.

…Who was standing beside that Emperor?

Even if he weren’t there, what of the Emperor? The Empress?

Despite knowing all of that, those who attempted to struggle—as if they had no other choice—

…ended up in an even more miserable state.

Their very families were, quite literally, erased.

Neither the main house nor the branch families were exceptions.

“The reason everything in the current Empire is decided, processed, and moved so swiftly and with one heart and mind is all because of that.”

Thanks to that, the Empire was developing at a rapid pace.

Central nobles, no matter how low-ranking, typically had an extraordinary amount of wealth piled up in their pockets and warehouses.

Collecting those resources, redistributing them, appointing new talents, and pushing through long-delayed policies as if they had been waiting for this moment.

The workload increased significantly, but in proportion, vitality began to surge throughout the entire Empire.

Indeed, the Empire had entered its golden age.

It showed just how much power politics can wield to make a nation strong, agile, and efficient when it functions properly.

It was common to hear people say that the progress was visible to the naked eye from one day to the next.

“No wonder people’s expressions seemed so full of energy.”

To Daike, the Empire was still the Empire, and the capital, the Heart of the Empire, was no exception.

However, as he moved about and looked around the interior, he felt that there was more vibrancy flowing than before.

Above all, the cleanliness of the capital, the clothing of the citizens, and their demeanor had changed noticeably compared to a few years ago.

Buildings and facilities that hadn’t existed before had increased significantly.

……However.

“As mentioned before. Is it that only the things regarding Kariel didn’t go as expected?”

At that point, Seras let out a small sigh.

“Because of that, El is currently arguing with Your Majesty, saying he will leave the capital for a while.”

“What?”

“And you now know very well who you have to persuade from here on out, without me having to wear myself out explaining it, right?”