After the hug, she slowly removed the hands that were around Ian’s neck.
Although she wished to remain in the embrace all day, that wasn’t something she could do.
Moreover, now that all the disasters had been resolved, there would be more time to spend together.
After all, time was abundant. With that in mind, there was no need to act hurriedly.
It was regrettable, but now it was time to return to the usual appearance of Eri, as Ian remembered her.
The meaning of that was simple.
“What? Ariel confessed in front of everyone? What on earth are you talking about, Eri?”
“It’s exactly as I said. After defeating Lucifer and returning to the Empire, the first thing she did was confess all the wrongs she had committed.”
As always, Eri was summarizing the events that occurred while Ian was unconscious.
Her role was to assist Ian, so this was inevitable.
Ian couldn’t understand what she was saying as she relayed the news in a calm manner.
“Wrongdoings… Could it be…”
“Exactly what you’re thinking. When she was in the Hero Party, she confessed that the harm she caused to others and the mistakes you were blamed for were all her own doing. She admitted that it was her decision alone.”
Ariel, whose future was more golden than rosy.
It was natural that the path ahead of her would be smooth, as not only had she struck Lucifer’s heart, but she had also returned safely.
All that remained was for her to live her life on that solid path without deviating from it.
However, our mischievous hero, for reasons unknown, began to deviate from the path right from the start.
“Why stir up things that had already been buried? Eri, is this the end? Right?”
“Do you think so? I told you, she confessed everything. What I just told you was only about the harm caused to ordinary people. She also confessed everything that caused difficulties for the party members. Furthermore, the reason she returned just before the Demon King’s castle was because of her own inadequacy, and she even admitted that you took the blame to buy time for her.”
It was understandable, as how could she see the harm caused to Ian in a good light?
She had been holding back, and if she were to release her anger, she could easily return to her princess persona and pressure Ariel until she could hardly breathe.
That she was still holding back could be seen as her effort to suppress her emotions.
Of course, Ian couldn’t understand why his younger sister was acting this way.
‘Why is she revealing the truth that didn’t need to be revealed now?’
He listened carefully to her words while continuing to think.
It was like a dark history, and why would she bring out truths that could completely block her future if they were carelessly spoken?
Could she be seeking atonement?
If that was the reason, why not just quietly apologize at night? Why confess in front of the imperial court and bureaucrats?
‘Even if she had a flower garden in her head, does she really think the bureaucrats would accept it? Ariel isn’t that foolish, is she?’
The bureaucrats were people who would do anything to maintain their position.
To survive, they could turn even a world-saving hero into a trash of humanity.
Even though Bedon and Eri were working together to clean up the imperial palace, it wasn’t possible to eliminate all the bureaucrats who were out of favor.
Among them, some might even harbor discontent with the current imperial family.
‘Why on earth would she do such a thing, throwing away her reputation?’
Of course, what she did wasn’t purely harmful.
Whenever something is given up, something is usually gained in return. That was the rule by which the world turned.
If Ariel didn’t do this without thinking, there must be something she gained.
‘What could she have gained by throwing away her bright future like that?’
Why did she do this? As Ian continued to ponder, a realization struck him.
‘Wait. Could it be that she intends to credit everything to me? No, that can’t be. She wouldn’t give up her own things for me.’
He began to piece together the reason for his younger sister’s sudden actions.
If she felt guilty for everything he had suffered and wanted to repay him for all the pain he had endured, it made sense that she would act like this.
In fact, if Ariel truly did what Eri said, most of the glory would come to Ian, who had silently endured all the hardships until now.
Of course, it was an unimaginable plan unless she had lost her mind.
‘No. Ariel is crazy. She wouldn’t do something like that unless she had lost her mind.’
Thinking about his younger sister’s state, it wasn’t entirely unreasonable.
‘Yes, Ariel must be out of her mind because she feels so guilty for everything and wants to show her gratitude for everything I’ve done for her by confessing everything in front of the bureaucrats. I can understand why she did that.’
Just as she wished, the glory of being a hero would all go to Ian.
And, the ripple effect of what she did didn’t end there.
The bureaucrats, who didn’t view the hero’s existence with disdain, could have been provoked.
Even if they had taken away Ariel’s credit, they would not look kindly on the fact that Ian, born from the same family, was now taking everything for himself.
Already, seeing the Volkanovs prospering was a bitter pill to swallow. And if the imperial family were to reward Ian heavily, the gap would become increasingly unmanageable.
They would likely go into a frenzy and try to erase Ariel’s contributions entirely.
However, if one were to think about what Ariel had said, it would be clear that Ian’s relationship with her was not that of an ordinary sibling.
‘Originally, they were like rivals, and it would have been assumed that I was forced to bring Ariel along due to her title as a hero.’
Upon reflection, Ian may not have thought favorably of Ariel as the Hero.
The bureaucrats, who had envied Ariel, might change their minds upon hearing this.
‘Ariel, seeing the power she could wield, was trying to target Volkanov as well… But the head of Volkanov, who is me, is on bad terms with Ariel. I’ve even taken all of the hero’s credit for myself.’
They might decide to retract their weapon aimed at Volkanov and try to cling to him instead.
‘If things go that way, I will have to deal with those vile bureaucrats, but it’s not a big problem.’
It wasn’t a huge issue.
After all, Ian knew exactly what stance the imperial family had.
‘Bedon, who has no interest in the position of Crown Prince, is fighting with Erzebeth for the throne only to get rid of those who could hinder her once she becomes Empress.’
By purposely aligning with her opposition, Bedon was filtering out incompetent bureaucrats burning with jealousy and envy.
That was the plan Bedon had, and if Ian tipped him off about any bureaucrats that came his way, he would deal with them.
‘Even though Ariel is in for a huge loss, both I and the imperial family will be in an ideal position if things continue like this.’
The imperial family would eliminate the troublesome bureaucrats in one swift stroke, further solidifying their power.
Ian, who had a deep connection with Eri, would benefit directly from the resulting ripples.
However, it wasn’t yet certain.
For Ian’s plan to unfold, he needed a tool.
That tool was to gain recognition for his achievements as a hero and the rewards that would come with it.
Without obtaining those, nothing would come of it.
Thus, Ian cautiously looked at Eri and said.
“Phew… Well, the hero didn’t act recklessly. Congratulations. The imperial family has decided to promote you to the title of Duke of Volkanov. And, if you wake up, they would like you to come to the imperial capital soon.”
“Duke, huh…”
At the moment when the coveted tool was finally in his hands, Ian couldn’t help but smile with satisfaction.
***
Eri continued to summarize the recent events for Ian.
After the news of the title succession, she spoke of the scale of the damage caused by the war, starting with talks about the casualties.
But Ian didn’t pay much attention to it.
Why would he care about the harm done to strangers?
He, who would become the pillar of the Empire, shouldn’t be bothered with such trivialities.
Dealing with such problems was for the bureaucrats who could leisurely discuss matters in their comfortable offices, not something Ian needed to handle.
Moreover, Ian had just secured his place as Duke, so he was focused on planning for a prosperous future.
“The members of the hero party don’t need to worry. Illian Sigrud and Saintess Glendia weren’t severely injured, and I’ve heard Hexar Madukelan received treatment from priests sent by Edenria.”
“Hmm. Glad to hear it. Since they’ve helped, I’ll go visit them. I’ll need to find some wine to give as a gift.”
Ian only paid attention when the conversation turned to those with whom he had deep bonds, like the members of the hero party.
“Oh, and there’s news about the Miler family.”
“Miler? Is this about Instructor Haley? By the way, has she healed her arm? The last time I saw her, she had lost her right arm.”
“Well, it hasn’t been resolved yet.”
“It hasn’t been resolved…?”
Even though priests from Edenria were involved, they couldn’t heal it?
Of course, bringing back a severed arm wasn’t something easily done, but wasn’t Hexar, who had severe burns all over his body, already treated?
There was no way that priests from Edenria couldn’t bring back a single severed arm, right?
‘And besides, Instructor Haley is the head of the Miler family and an instructor. She’s a Count and a prominent figure in the Empire.’
She was definitely not someone the Empire would easily give up on.
So why hadn’t her arm been healed yet?
“Is her condition that serious?”
“No, it’s not. Bringing back a severed arm is something that can be done immediately. However, she continues to refuse treatment.”
“Refusing treatment…”
“And that’s not all. Recently, she said that she’s passing on the head of the Miler family to her younger brother and will spend some time in self-reflection.”
“I get it now. The severed arm can be reattached immediately, but Instructor Haley is so adamant in refusing treatment that there’s been no progress. And now, because she’s even stepped down from her position as the head of the family to reflect on herself, no one knows what to do, right?”
“That’s exactly right. That’s why both Edenria and the Empire are at a loss. If this situation drags on for too long, the treatment will become even harder.”
“That’s true. The severed arm isn’t in perfect condition either.”
When a severing accident happens, the most important thing is to freeze the severed part and rush to the hospital, isn’t it?
Even if preservation magic is used to keep the limb intact, if the body part refuses to come together, there’s only so much that can be done.
“Hmm… I should go visit her later and at least say something. After all, if she’s going to live in the Empire, there’s no avoiding seeing her face.”
Since it’s confirmed that she’ll be inheriting the title of head of the family, interactions with other families will be inevitable.
Naturally, the Miler family, one of the high-ranking noble families, would be on the list of families Ian would visit.
Unless one of them dies, it’s impossible to go through life without seeing each other’s faces. It’s better to resolve any lingering feelings inside, even if it’s difficult.
“I’ve told you everything that needs to be reported.”
“Good… You’ve worked hard, Eri.”
“Yes. Is there anything else you’re curious about?”
“Curious about…?”
Listening silently to her words, Ian smiled faintly.
At the same time, Eri looked at him, puzzled, clearly not understanding why he was smiling.
Was there anything else he was curious about? He’d heard all the important news, so there wasn’t much else to know.
However…, there was one thing he wanted to ask Eri.
“Eri, it’s all over now, right? Lucifer’s been defeated, and if they’re calling me to the imperial capital for the promotion to duke, then it seems we can finally breathe easy, after putting out the fires.”
“That’s right. Once the damage from the demons is repaired, we’ll be able to return to a normal life.”
“Right… So here’s the thing. How about stopping now?”
“W-What do you mean…?”
Her face faltered in surprise as she hesitated.
Ian stared into her eyes and spoke.
“I mean the whole thing about pretending to be Young Lady Everhart and working undercover. It’s about time to reveal it, right? It’s not easy to go to school with your four-year-younger classmates.”
“W-How…?”
At Ian’s mocking tone, Eri’s body trembled like a reed in the wind.
