The head of the Prient family, Glen Prient.
Tangled red hair. Shabby clothes. At first glance, one might mistake him for a beggar, but upon closer inspection, no one could associate the word ‘beggar’ with him.
Golden eyes that seed inhuman.
His gentle eyes might give the impression of being friendly, but the longer one faced him, the more one felt like prey before a predator.
Glen Prient was having a private audience with the Emperor for that very reason.
Even Victor, the supre ruler of the Empire, felt a chill down her spine when eting Glen’s gaze. One could only imagine how the guards who confronted him at the front gate must have felt.
…However, this was largely thanks to her two childhood friends. Glen’s golden eyes were familiar because they resembled Lucia’s, and his bold eyes were similar to the man Victor cherished the most, making it impossible for her to dislike him.
“Hmm, it suits you well.”
Victor looked at Glen with a satisfied smile. Until a mont ago, he was kneeling and fumbling with his chest, and each ti the emblem symbolizing the imperial family glead with a blue light.
“Really?”
“Indeed. As expected, it looks much better because of your good looks.”
“Hmm…”
Glen, dressed in a uniform, inspected his body. He rotated his shoulders broadly, repeatedly sitting and standing. His actions seed more like he was checking if it was suitable for future activities rather than checking the fit of the clothes.
“…One swing of the sword and it will burst.”
Glen said, looking down at the much smaller Emperor.
“Do the Empire’s knights fight wearing such clothes?”
“Of course, they wear armor in battles.”
“Hmm, but the guards who were exuding hostility earlier were wearing similar clothes.”
“Aren’t they just guards? In case of ergency, the captain of the guards will move. He is prepared for proper combat. Didn’t you see him?”
“Indeed, it seed so.”
Glen stroked his now-clean chin and chuckled.
“I thought my brother also fought wearing such cumberso clothes. It’s a relief to hear that’s not the case.”
“Of course not.”
Victor chuckled and stepped back to look at Glen’s appearance.
‘It would suit Shiron well too.’
Except for the hair color and eyes, Glen looked exactly like Shiron. Or was it the other way around? It would be more accurate to say that Shiron resembled Glen.
“So, what’s next?”
Glen adjusted the holy sword, Rigil, which he had placed on the floor.
“After grooming and changing into the uniform, the knighthood ceremony is completed.”
“Hmm, should I try so perfu? There are a few in the imperial collection…”
“If applying perfu were a knight’s duty, I would quit imdiately.”
Despite asking to be made a knight, he was now decisively stating he wanted to quit. It was a rather capricious statent. It’s quite rude to say such things in front of the Emperor, but Victor seed unfazed and nodded.
“Do you want to be sent to the battlefield?”
“Yes. But it doesn’t have to be the battlefield. Any place where I can use my power will suffice. And it would be even better if it is sothing ‘only I’ can do.”
“Sothing only you can do…”
“In simpler terms, there is probably no swordsman stronger than on the continent. I’ve never lost once in a sword fight.”
“It’s ironic for such a talented person to work under soone else.”
Glen looked at Victor, who burst into laughter, tilting his head.
“Why are you laughing? If you think I’m lying, I can prove it right away.”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what?”
“It’s just hard to understand why soone so talented would willingly decide to work under soone else.”
“…But I heard my brother is also part of the Empire. On the way here, I heard rumors about the best swordsman in the Empire. It’s not so strange.”
More than 20 years ago, the story of his brother, who ran away during the head-of-family appointnt ceremony and hardly showed his face, was heard repeatedly on the way to the Imperial Palace.
“That’s not what I ant.”
“Then?”
“When His Majesty made Sir Hugo his man, Sir Hugo was known to bow to no one.”
“…”
“He didn’t enter under soone else’s command of his own will.”
“…I just needed soone to guide . It’s not that I particularly wanted to work under soone else.”
Glen sighed and unclenched his fist. His palms bore deep nail marks from gripping too tightly.
‘Interesting. He looks exactly like Shiron, but his inner self is more like Lucia.’
Victor clearly saw those marks. The outward ntal confusion gave her many thoughts.
“Then. I’d like you to take care of the man who’s coming here now.”
Among his thoughts was the treatnt of Glen. When the best swordsman on the continent begged to be used, could he ignore it? Victor waved his hand toward the open door of the Alhyeon Room without giving a separate order.
‘There are many casual visitors today.’
Shiron Prient, his friend with black hair, approached with asured steps. Glen raised an eyebrow at the emperor’s suddenly changed attitude.
“You ca sooner than I thought? I thought you would rest at ho for a few days.”
“Can we talk about work later? I’m a bit busy.”
“…Of course.”
Shiron, who looked exactly like Glen, passed by Victor. Victor, who took a step back, felt that the reunion of the family was not very harmonious.
“Head of the family.”
Shiron did not call Glen ‘father.’
“Let’s go ho. The family is waiting.”
“…Family? If you an my brother, that’s enough. I can’t say we have a good relationship.”
“Isn’t Yuma family? What about the guardians of Dawn Castle?”
“You…”
“I’m also… part of Father’s family!”
“…”
“Let’s go. Victor is a busy person with a lot to do. He doesn’t have ti to deal with an uncle.”
Shiron pulled Glen’s hand and looked at Victor.
“Right? Victor.”
“No, I’m fine…”
“What? I can’t hear you.”
“…Ahem. Co to think of it, I might be busy? Since your father ca during my afternoon lecture, it seems you ca at the right ti.”
“Right? Then I’ll co back later. Sorry for the trouble today.”
Shiron hurried his steps after patting Victor on the shoulder. Victor sighed as he watched Shiron roughly leave the Alhyeon Room.
Victor was aware of the existence of the Dawn Castle of Prient through minimal docunts, but with her first and second brothers deposed, the related departnt was completely wiped out. Knowing her friend’s personality, Victor had not made any special efforts to investigate.
However, the complex family matters that were revealed on the surface could not be ignored.
‘Is it because he grew up under Sir Hugo, that he hesitated to call him father?’
It might seem like unnecessary ddling, but Victor also had an extraordinary family background. So, it was inevitable to be interested in the strained father-son relationship.
“Did Yuma ask you?”
In the running carriage, Glen spoke, fixing his gaze outside the window. Shiron sighed deeply and looked at Glen, resting his chin on his hand.
“What’s with the sharp reaction? Did you fight with Yuma?”
“…If leaving the castle and not returning is considered fighting, then you could say we fought.”
“You didn’t fight.”
“…”
“Yuma didn’t ask . She even told not to go fetch you.”
In short, it was Shiron’s unilateral decision.
As soon as Shiron heard Glen’s location, he prepared to head to the imperial palace. Yuma was horrified and advised him to reconsider, but knowing where he was, Shiron didn’t see any reason why he couldn’t go fetch a runaway middle-aged man.
Glen’s eyes widened as if he had heard an unexpected answer.
“Why? Do you think I’m lying?”
“…Yuma must have had a reason to find you. She’s soone who didn’t leave the castle to avoid interfering with the world’s order. She wouldn’t have left the castle just to see your face.”
“I’ll tell you straight.”
Shiron straightened his back and looked at Glen.
“Yuma was worried about you.”
“Worried about ?”
“Yes. She said you skipped als… and even went to the demon realm several tis.”
Yuma shared many stories while trying to dissuade Shiron. She said it was painful to see him wandering aimlessly as if he had lost his purpose, like she once did. She said that now that he seed to have found a signpost after his wandering, she couldn’t stand in his way.
Yuma’s voice had a hint of tears when she spoke of Glen.
A demon worried about a human’s well-being and shed tears.
It didn’t make sense.
Especially for a human she had raised all her life as a tool for her revenge.
“Why did you run away?”
Knowing roughly about Yuma’s situation, Shiron couldn’t help but act imdiately. There was no hesitation in his question to Glen.
“Was it shocking to learn that Prient is not a descendant of the hero?”
He didn’t hesitate to lay his cards on the table. Glen’s eyes widened, and he sat up.
“The power of prophecy?”
“Of course not.”
“Then…”
“Yuma told . While making a once-in-a-lifeti request to .”
The one-horned demon.
The woman he saw before leaving the house couldn’t be called a demon. Though she hid her horn to act in the human world, Yuma, to Shiron, seed to possess a warm maternal love more than anyone else.
“What request…”
Glen couldn’t et Shiron’s eyes. He had never played the role of a father and had barely spoken to him. Glen felt more estranged from Shiron than from Lucia.
“Find the aning of life.”
“…”
“For Father and for everyone in Dawn Castle.”
The carriage jolted to a stop. He personally opened the door and looked at the mansion’s main gate. Eldrina and… Lucia were there. Lucia hid behind Eldrina when she saw Glen get off the carriage.
“I don’t know if such a request is even worth ntioning, but let’s at least have a al together?”
“Hmm…”
Glen’s eyes were filled with reluctance as he looked at Lucia.
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