For anyone, a vacation is always short, whether it feels short or long.
She didn’t expect it to pass so quickly as if she had used a time skip ability, but with no major events for months, I guess it makes sense.
So…
“Time to get up.”
“…”
With less than 30 minutes until the carriage returns to the imperial palace, Epherna is buried face-down in her bed, not moving at all.
“I don’t want to… I don’t want to go.”
“But you have to. You’re the Princess.”
“…Let Mister do it. Just handle everything.”
If that were possible, it would have been done long ago.
The stability of the imperial administration and prestige is firmly supported by her existence. Does that make sense?
“I can take care of tasks, but I can’t replace your symbol.”
Epherna, simply by being, proves the Grandeum Empire’s resilience.
The reason she can do this largely lies in the absence of the Emperor and the Second Prince, but it also stems from her consistent efforts and results, marked by her sweat and blood.
Consistency may seem trivial, but in the long run, it’s the sharpest spear and thorn.
In the past, the Second Prince, having solidified internal affairs and consistently shown diplomatic achievements, wielded absolute power, rivaling the Emperor.
However, when he was forced into isolation due to the Winter Blizzard, those who trusted him in the empire began to turn their heads towards Epherna one by one, and now, over four years later, most of his influence has shifted to her.
As time passes, no matter how glorious the past was, it inevitably fades and is forgotten.
Of course, wars of conquest initiated by the empire are an exception.
That’s on such a grand scale that it won’t be forgotten for centuries… It’s a great achievement that will endure through the ages.
Anyway, just as the once-great Second Prince has been forgotten, Epherna, too, risks being forgotten if she delays any longer.
So, she must go.
“Get up!!!”
“I don’t waaaant!!”
I pulled on Epherna’s legs with all my might, and she resisted fiercely, gripping the blanket tightly.
Despite the fabric being on the verge of tearing, she wouldn’t let go. Is this the strength of a magician who has restructured her body? It easily surpasses that of an ordinary adult male!
I shook my head at the thought of applying full strength. No matter how strong Epherna is, if I use too much force, her legs might come off.
Then how would I take her?
Her feet were trapped in shoes and pants, making it impossible to tickle her to loosen her up.
Lifting her whole body without her strength giving way wouldn’t yield a different result from what I’m trying now…
“…”
An idea came to mind.
A method that could hit the mark with zero chance of failure.
But if I use that…
‘Is this really the right time to be thinking about that?’
Only five minutes until departure.
Hah.
“Eh…?”
Epherna let out a sound as she felt the soft touch against her cheek, releasing her grip.
“Mister… What did you just…?”
Before she could finish her sentence, I rushed to the carriage with her tucked under my arm.
*****
I succeeded in stealthily carrying Epherna away, but an unexpected problem arose.
‘If the sage time has come, that’s a problem in itself…’
Was I really out of my mind?
I did something I would never usually do, and now I regret it.
I couldn’t even gather my thoughts, just filled with regret.
– We’ve become ordinary people too.
The words of Valtean suddenly came to mind.
He said that we, who were once shadows, have now become fully human.
Without questioning the legitimacy of our actions, I simply moved my body as instinct desired.
I regretted it late, unable to rationalize my feelings, but that’s just being human.
I turned to look at Epherna.
Because of the kiss earlier, she was staring out the window, not meeting my eyes, and her cheeks were slightly flushed.
Then, the instinct of the dragon within me screamed.
It urged me to immediately grab that slender neck and kiss her.
To rip off those cumbersome clothes and leave red marks all over her porcelain skin.
And to leave my seed behind.
I easily ignored that instinct.
To be honest, I was too deep in thought to do otherwise.
– This is definitely not something I would do rationally.
‘…Damn.’
I felt both joy and sadness at the fact that I had become human.
Why, why do I feel sadness about this?
Isn’t this what I’ve secretly wished for?
…
But then I thought.
Is this feeling truly… sadness?
What kind of expression was I wearing as I looked at Epherna? What emotions was I feeling?
Is this feeling… really sadness?
[You clueless brat, not even knowing the nature of your own emotions.]
[And you dare call yourself a descendant of the dragon?]
Joy, sorrow, anger, embarrassment—there are many kinds of emotions in the world.
The elite shadow operatives were trained from a young age to master such emotions.
[Unbelievable. After just ten years of training, you think you can manage emotions? You’re merely untangling knots that would come undone in less than a year.]
Yeah. That’s true.
In reality, Valtean and I each discovered emotions we hadn’t known after our retirement.
[That’s not discovery. It’s merely pretending to discover on your own.]
…No. That’s not right.
[What isn’t right?]
I understand emotions.
I know how to feel joy, sadness, anger, and embarrassment.
[When do you feel joy? When do you feel sad, angry, or embarrassed?]
Well, that’s…
[Outside of objective situations where anyone would feel joy, sadness, anger, or embarrassment, how will you express your emotions in situations where responses vary from person to person?]
Well, that’s…
[You would seek the optimal emotion for the situation, like a machine. All while being oblivious to your own feelings waiting to be acknowledged.]
…
What am I?
What do I want?
Do I desire Epherna?
Is it simply that I want to possess her, to make her mine, my woman?
[Instinct and emotion are different.]
I know that.
But what’s the difference?
[Instinct is merely a reaction imprinted in your blood.]
[You are just a child. A child fumbling around, not even knowing the nature of the emotions you feel.]
[Poor thing. The realm of your body, your environment, is so elevated that you’ve given up on nurturing your immature mind.]
…What does that even mean?
Explain it so I can understand.
More importantly… Who are you?
[Me? Hah. Ridiculous.]
I don’t know anyone like you. Who are you? Are you even human?
And where am I right now?
Since when have I been here?
Is this really reality?
Is this the imaginary realm that Shir resides in?
I came to my senses.
This place is painted only in white.
The one speaking to me takes the form of a black orb.
[It’s both true and not true.]
[The imaginary realm is the realm of dreams born from the unconscious. But my world holds no one’s dreams.]
That’s not the problem.
Who are you?
[…]
[Well, at this point, I suppose I can tell you.]
[You… You must have made a wish.]
What are you talking about? I’ve never…
—I want to save Epherna.
“…Huh?
[You’re committing such a reckless act without even gathering the essences of the Divine Kings.]
[If I hadn’t paid the price in your stead, you would have died long ago, and your soul would have been torn apart.]
Then you must be…
[Yes. I am….]
“That’s enough.”
I turned my head at the sound of the gentle, beautiful voice.
And then I saw them.
A little girl with yellow hair and a monocle.
A woman in her twenties whose appearance felt oddly familiar.
An old woman who, at first glance, might be mistaken for a witch.
“God of Time and Space?”
The girl with the monocle was one of the gods of the world I had seen in the Lemea Duchy long ago.
Specifically, she was one of the three split manifestations of a god who had lost their power.
So, the other two beside her…
“Little one.”
“…Yes?”
“I’ll tell you in advance; our conversation will be later. If you have questions, ask then.”
“…Understood.”
I nodded for now.
If a god is saying something, there must be a reason, so there’s no need to ignore the warning.
The God of Time and Space stepped forward as the representative.
Standing in front of the speaking black orb, she continued with a solemn expression.
“It’s been a long time, Dragon King.”
So his identity was indeed the Dragon King.
The primordial, singular, and supremely pure dragon.
And now, a being whose soul had been torn apart and vanished.
The world calls him the Dragon King.
“First, let me ask: why are you here?”
[I do not know.]
“What? If you don’t know, who will explain this situation?”
[I thought you were involved, but now it seems that’s not the case.]
“What do you mean by that?”
[Complicated explanations are not possible at this time. The only hint lies with my distant descendant.]
The God of Time and Space turned to look at me.
I put on a blank expression. Because I truly knew nothing.
[You are a child who hasn’t inherited even a fragment of my body, let alone my soul. In a way, you are closer to being human, and you might hold the key to this phenomenon. Then…]
The black orb, the Dragon King, left those words hanging before vanishing.
At that moment, the world began to crumble.
As if all the conversation we had was merely an illusion, I felt a sensation akin to waking from a dream, and I opened my eyes.
