* * *

It didn’t take much effort for Cadel to hide the prison escape. Because of Cadel’s status, the only person who came in and out of the prison where he was imprisoned was a soldier who delivered food. Fortunately, Cadel knew someone who could control at least one soldier at will.

「“Are you crazy? Why are you still not leaving the castle? I thought you must have managed to escape because you seemed to have received help from the Commander of the Twilight Knight Order……. Why did you come to see me again?”」

「“I’m here to collect interest, Sir Dreyfe.”」

「“In, interest? Even if you don’t have shame, you should take what you can get. Who wouldn’t say that you’re a mercenary!”」

「“Yes, this shameless mercenary is going to need all the help he can get, so please don’t be a d*ck about it when he’s already down and out.”」

He must adopt the habits of a sinner, so do not give him food or water until His Majesty gives permission.

Thanks to Dreyfe, who relayed the false instructions, Cadel was able to hide his escape for the rest of his stay in the castle.

The Emperor has been too busy preparing for the round table meeting to pay attention to Cadel, as Dreyfe had told him, and he was now somewhat bewildered by the presence of Cadel Lytos before him.

“Why was he next to the Commander of the Twilight Knight Order……. Wasn’t he a hero who helped the Empire?”

“I expected him to be on the Empire’s side.”

And, as Cadel predicted, the Emperor was slow to speak. Only the ambassadors and their aides murmured and made plans to deliver the secret news to their homeland.

‘If I were to reveal my identity or mention the fact that I’ve been held in a dungeon, the room would quickly erupt into chaos.’

Even if only one of the two was leaked, something interesting would happen. The Emperor seemed to recognize this as well, his eyes narrowing on Cadel.

There were two choices, take him down now, or let him get away with it and watch him make things worse. There were too many eyes here. The limits of ambassadorial enlistment were clear, and no matter what he chose, the Empire would lose.

Therefore, the Emperor couldn’t subdue him recklessly. At least until he brought up a story that would have damaged the Empire.

Cadel inclined his head toward the Emperor, then spoke in a low voice.

“I am sorry, Your Majesty, but the after-effects of the battle prevented me from coming immediately at your invitation. When I had barely recovered, my good friend Sir Garuel explained the situation to me, and I thought I might be of some assistance, so please forgive my rudeness in dropping in uninvited.”

It might sound like a simple apology, but at least for the ambassadors, it was enough to resolve the question of ‘Why is the mercenary commander who made a name for himself in the battle of the Empire speaking on the side of the White Kingdom?’

Cadel might be carrying a bomb, but at least he didn’t intend to detonate it here. At that determined demeanor, the Emperor completely shed his embarrassment and feigned benevolence.

“That’s fine. If anything, I’m glad to have met the mercenary commander I’ve been looking for.”

Well then, shall we listen to your story?

At the Emperor’s intrigued remark, all eyes at the table turned to Cadel.

“……Huh. It’s a summoning circle that connects to the inside of the Demon Realm. Does this mean that the seal has become weak enough for the power of the Demon Realm to leak out?”

“Partly because of the weakening of the seal, but also because the magic circle was highly complex and technologically advanced. They even built their own defense mechanisms by planting traps inside the circle, so they must have spent a long time preparing.”

Cadel was the only witness to Sellev’s first summoning, the one who destroyed the circle of magic, and the only one known to have defeated two demons.

A hush fell over the room at the unquestionable clarity of his analysis.

It was clear from his words that something was wrong with the Demon Realm’s seal. As long as there was evidence and reason, the Great Powers should mobilize their forces to investigate the seals surrounding the Empire, and then the seals on the far reaches of the continent.

It was going to be an arduous task. And it would be the work of the commanders and their men currently gathered around the table. It was no wonder the mood sank.

Cadel straightened his back as he looked at the dark faces of the ambassadors.

‘Keep up the good work. After all, in the end, humans win.’

At the center of it all was himself.

As Cadel stood there waiting for the Emperor to speak, feeling his heart grow solemn, he suddenly felt an unfamiliar touch on his fingertips.

Rolling his eyes, he caught a glimpse of Garuel tickling his hand under the round table. His eyes locked with Cadel’s, and a faint smile curled his lips. The corners of Cadel’s mouth twitched at the short word the silent mouth formed.

‘……What’s cool about that? Anyway, it’s easier to work than to breathe.’

It wasn’t all that uncomfortable, so it seemed like he was quite used to the man named Garuel now.

‘Maybe it’s because I received something.’

Except for the bullsh*t, he had consistently done pretty things, which made it all the more strange to hate him. After all, once a favorite was always a favorite?

Cadel snatched up Garuel’s hand, which kept tickling his fingertips, and held it tightly. When he glared at him to tell him to stop, he was met with an uncharacteristically surprised look.

Cadel patted the back of his hand, then turned to the Emperor, who opened his mouth at the right moment. As he relaxed his grip, he felt the warmth escaping from him.

“This makes it clear that something is wrong with the Demon Realm’s seal. Ambassadors of all countries, hasten to convey to your lordships that they will honor their obligations under the ‘Sealing Protection Convention’. We’ll schedule the next meeting as soon as we hear back from them.”

As the Emperor rose to his feet, so did the representatives of the countries, and while they stood at attention, waiting for him to leave the room first, the Emperor stood still and looked at Cadel.

Lowering his gaze, he stared at Cadel’s face for a moment, ordered something to the guard captain, and then left the conference room.

In the conference room where the Emperor was gone like that, Cadel saw the system window he had been waiting for appear.

「Analyzing recorded achievements. It will take 2 hours until the quest results are available.」

* * *

“You speak well, Sir Cadel. You didn’t tremble before the Emperor, and you spoke in a straightforward, logical manner.”

“I also have a knack for acting.”

“Do you know that such a thing makes people feel disturbing?”

“……I want Sir to know that you are truly disturbing me right now.”

After leaving the conference room, Cadel headed straight to Garuel’s room. This was because none of the Emperor’s subjects, including the captain of the guard, summoned him.

However, he only had 2 hours before the quest results were available before he could go directly to the Emperor. He wanted to play it safe, so he decided to stay with Garuel until there was a clear result.

‘With Garuel by my side, even the Emperor wouldn’t use coercive methods.’

Garuel could be seen as a reliable presence.

Cadel watched Garuel as he leaned against the window. The way he cracked witty jokes while holding a flask the entire time reminded Cadel of a debauched gambler, but his good looks made his free-spirited demeanor seem dangerously appealing.

What an unfair world. Cadel said bitterly, his gaze never leaving Garuel’s.

“Thank you for your willingness to help with something that would otherwise be a hassle.”

“It’s not like I did it for free.”

“Still. Normally, they would have pretended not to know or handed me over to the Emperor.”

Is that so? Muttering softly, Garuel took a sip of his alcohol. Shifting from his lean against the window, he walked over to the table where Cadel sat and set the flask down.

“Aren’t you scared?”

“About what?”

“What I would ask for.”

Garuel bent down and caught a glimpse of Cadel’s upturned face. Cadel tried to pull away, as if the proximity were a burden, but the firm backrest naturally blocked his retreat.

Garuel’s hand moved slowly. Careful fingers caressed the tip of Cadel’s chin, then grazed his slightly parted lips.

The knight’s hands, which should have been rough and hard, were soft and smooth, and not for lack of training. The cursed power had undone all his accomplishments, erasing even the traces of his past years.

Cadel could not find the words to respond to the warmth that kept creeping under his lips. The best he could do was to hold Gael in his trembling eyes.

Garuel’s gaze moved slowly as if he were taking in every detail of Cadel’s features.

“What are you trying to do?”

“Whatever I do, you just have to think of it as a price for my help.”

As Cadel frowned at the somewhat shameless way of speaking, Garuel’s low laughter tickled his ears.

“But now doesn’t seem to be the right time.”

With a note of regret in his voice, Garuel’s face turned away. As if waiting, someone knocked on the door.