Chapter 39

The Delegation

A little earlier—several hours ago.

The Imperial Capital Command was always a busy place, but the chaos now was unmistakably abnormal.

Every available employee was moving around frantically without a moment to breathe. Even Aiden began to feel uneasy just sitting in place, wondering if he should be doing something.

"Hmm—"

Aiden rolled his eyes around as he swallowed a groan under his breath.

He already knew that the purpose of the delegation's visit was him, but the problem lay in the people who were part of that delegation.

Aiden rested his chin on his desk, expressionless, giving off the sense that everything was under his control.

"Princess Laila…"

He muttered that name with a meaningful air.

Sure, he wasn't exactly someone great, but he held the overwhelming advantage of knowing the original storyline.

No matter who the opponent was, he could handle it. After all, he knew in advance who they were.

"Who is that...?"

...At least, that's how it was supposed to be.

No matter how hard he racked his brain, he couldn't recall ever hearing that name.

No, seriously—who even was she?

"……"

Even as his blood seemed to dry up from his face, Aiden’s expression remained blank while a single thought raced through his mind: this was strange.

Given the amount of information he had about major figures in the Holy Crown Kingdom, that was a natural reaction.

Even considering that the Craven royal family tree was the most complicated on the entire continent, he was confident he knew all the key players.

So the idea that someone he had never heard of would be coming as part of a delegation to the Empire? It just didn’t make sense.

"This is really weird, huh?"

It felt like something was out of place. As if there was a hidden agenda he was unaware of.

But strange or not, the delegation was an undeniable, imminent reality.

The only way to gather any information now—

"Katya?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you know about Princess Laila?"

"Nothing?"

"……"

"From the start, the only person I ever really had simple conversations with was my brother."

...Ah, right.

Asking her something like this had been rather inconsiderate.

"…Still, I think I can tell you one thing for sure."

"Yes?"

"Just promise me one thing."

Katya spoke calmly, and Aiden tilted his head in curiosity.

She had never spoken this seriously before—not even once.

"I hope you don’t get too angry."

"...Pardon?"

"No matter what happens, don’t get too angry."

"……"

Aiden blinked blankly.

"What do you mean, all of a sudden?"

"...Just."

Katya muttered expressionlessly.

"People from the Holy Crown Kingdom... they're kind of like that."

"……"

"I'm uncomfortable with them, and they're probably uncomfortable with me too."

"……"

Well.

He already knew that much, but it didn’t feel like Katya was saying it just to inform him.

It felt more like a warning.

"Then why are you suddenly telling me this?"

"When you get mad, you don’t care about the consequences—you just charge ahead."

Katya narrowed her eyes and murmured calmly.

"I'm fine, so don’t do anything reckless. This time, we really can’t clean up after you."

"……"

"The person coming this time isn't some reckless fool pushed out of the royal succession you clashed with last time, nor is she affiliated with the Empire. She's royalty from another country—a major power at that."

—If you cause trouble this time, it really won't be fixable. Got it?

As if she were cautioning him that way, Katya’s steady gaze locked onto Aiden’s. His expression stiffened in turn.

'...What the hell, all of a sudden?'

She usually didn’t care about anything and acted high-handed, so why was she suddenly saying all this?

But before he could think more deeply about it, a loud voice cut into his thoughts.

"Princess Laila is entering!"

With those words, the front door of the Command's first floor swung open, and a group of people marched in with strict order.

Paladins in full armor emblazoned with the Holy Crown Kingdom’s emblem, maids and servants, bureaucrats and at the front of them all stood a woman with a strikingly sharp presence.

A monocle over one eye, gray hair, and a dress styled with antique elegance.

'—Huh?'

The moment he saw her, Aiden’s brows furrowed.

It felt extremely odd.

He had never heard the name Princess Laila before, yet the woman herself definitely seemed familiar—like he had seen her somewhere before.

He couldn’t place her face. But a wordless sense of déjà vu surged in his mind—

"Aiden, are you ready?"

But again, his thoughts were interrupted by Sir Stella’s voice.

"Yes. I’m fine."

"She’s coming up right now. Please stay seated."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the door to the office he was sitting in swung open.

Without a knock, without any prior notice—she barged in like it was her own home. The others in the room visibly tensed at the unexpected entrance, but it was clear that Princess Laila, standing at the head of the group, didn’t care one bit.

She strode briskly into the room. Her sharp gaze swept the surroundings coldly before settling in one place.

"Aiden Kellermain?"

At the high-handed voice, Aiden bowed his head politely.

"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess Laila."

"Sit. We have a lot to talk about."

…Well.

In many ways, she seemed like someone who was going to be exhausting to deal with.

▣

Looking back at his objective, it was clear that earning her favor had to come first.

‘The royal family of the Holy Crown Kingdom is basically a gold mine.’

As a country where one must be able to handle Holy Flame to remain in the royal family, the royals of the Holy Crown Kingdom each possessed various unique traits related to the Holy Flame.

Even if not on Katya’s level—whose ability practically rendered her immortal—they each carried several traits that significantly boosted their Holy Power operation.

At the very least, she’d surely possess some abilities that would be immensely useful in the upcoming Warden of the Realm subjugation battle.

And, reviewing that objective, Aiden could say this with certainty.

This was a poisoned chalice.

At least when it came to her.

"That must’ve been a long trip. May I offer you something to dri—"

"Do you know why I’ve come?"

"……"

—No matter how powerful she was, he had to earn her favor to copy anything from her. Otherwise, none of it would be usable.

The fact that she seemed entirely unwilling to even converse made Aiden’s temples throb immediately.

"I heard it’s because I can use the Holy Flame."

"Holy Flame is a national resource unique to the Craven Holy Crown Kingdom, and those who can wield it are among the state’s most important assets. They are the backbone of the nation. If you can use it, that makes you one of them."

"Aha."

"Therefore, I was dispatched to bring you back to the homeland."

Princess Laila dropped those words coolly.

"The day after tomorrow. Be ready."

…And with that, she dropped a bomb that made reality suddenly feel distant.

"……"

Aiden blinked in a daze for a long moment before opening his mouth in a dazed tone.

"Pardon?"

"You’ll have to wrap up your affairs if you’re going somewhere else. Ideally, I should take you immediately, but customarily, two days should be given—"

"No, no, hold on a second."

Aiden quickly cut in.

"At the very least, we should be aligning our positions before saying things like that. Don’t you think this is far too sudden?"

"You seem to be mistaken. This is not a place for negotiation."

Whether he reacted or not, Princess Laila replied without batting an eye.

"You will be escorted to the Holy Crown Kingdom soon. I have no intention of considering your circumstances one by one."

"……"

"Make sure you’re ready. Everything will proceed as scheduled."

…Her voice was so brazenly confident that it was hard to react right away.

Aiden caught a glimpse of Sir Stella standing beside him, her mouth slightly agape.

At this level, it wasn’t just rudeness—it was an act that teetered on the edge of a full-blown diplomatic disaster. It was practically a declaration of war.

The atmosphere in the room rapidly turned ice-cold. The armed personnel from the Empire, led by Sir Stella, and those from the Holy Crown Kingdom sensed it most keenly.

Hands began inching toward sword hilts, and just as the situation threatened to erupt—

"Hey."

The voice came from Katya, who had been quietly sitting beside Aiden until now.

"No matter what, don’t you think that’s going too far?"

Katya spoke with a faint smile.

Laila’s eyes slowly shifted toward her. As if she was only just now registering her presence. As if, up until that moment, she hadn’t even bothered to care.

And the moment she looked at Katya, what filled the eye beneath her monocle was unmistakably—

Scorn and contempt.

The gaze of someone looking at something utterly pathetic.

"No matter what, you should at least follow basic diplomacy at an inter-nation meeting like this. Otherwise, you’re just a th—"

"—Princess Katya."

Laila's next words dropped coldly, in perfect sync with that attitude.

"Who said you could speak?"

Aiden’s expression hardened instantly.

…Katya, for her part, continued to smile even after hearing that.

"A watchdog bred only to serve His Holiness the Pontiff should stay silent if she can’t even fulfill that purpose properly."

"……"

"If you’d succeeded like you were supposed to, I wouldn’t have had to come all this way."

As Katya quietly closed her mouth in response, Aiden’s eyes narrowed.

…She wasn’t angry. She wasn’t even resisting. She was quietly accepting it.

There was even a kind of practiced familiarity in her demeanor—like she’d been through this countless times before.

‘…What the hell is this?’

Aiden already knew Katya wasn’t treated well in the Holy Crown Kingdom.

But even so.

This kind of behavior had clearly crossed the line.

Considering they were both royalty, this was a level of insult that could easily justify a duel to the death.

And what followed… was even worse.

A colorless flame flared up around Princess Laila’s body.

Holy Flame. With considerable heat. And unmistakable hostility.

"……!"

The Empire’s soldiers gasped and instinctively drew their swords. In response, the paladins from the Holy Crown Kingdom followed suit, drawing their weapons as well.

"Katya."

Princess Laila’s voice dropped again—cold and merciless.

"Answer."

As if to make absolutely clear who held the upper hand.

As if to discipline an ‘animal’ who dared to defy her.

"You know what to do, don’t you?"

"……"

"You’re going to apologize, aren’t you?"

Holy Flame moved instantly.

"—Kneel."

Then—

The Holy Flame reached Katya in an instant and pierced through her knee joint as she stood still.

A merciless strike. Enough to disable it in one go. As if it didn’t matter if she was injured because she would "regenerate" anyway.

Her front leg collapsed all at once, forcing her into a kneeling position.

"What the hell is—!"

Before Aiden could yell those words from the bottom of his throat, he paused mid-motion.

Katya had extended one hand toward him.

As if to tell him not to interfere.

…Still wearing that same smiling face.

The look in Katya’s eyes as she glanced at him made her intentions painfully clear.

—Please don’t get too angry.

—I’m fine, so don’t do anything reckless. This time, we really won’t be able to fix it.

—This person isn’t some washed-up scoundrel excluded from royal succession like the last one you tangled with, nor is she affiliated with the Empire where people protect you. She’s a royal from another country—a major power at that.

"……"

Only now did it truly sink in.

Why Katya had warned him in advance.

Because if he saw how she was usually treated, Aiden would no doubt fly into a rage and retaliate without thinking.

"Still not apologizing?"

"……"

And then—after doing something like that—

Princess Laila remained completely emotionless as she began preparing her next attack.

Aiden’s eyes snapped toward her, wide and glaring.

…Honestly, he couldn’t believe it.

Why didn’t he know who this person was?

How could someone this despicable not be in his memory?

And just as his head boiled with rage—

Aiden’s eyes locked onto the Holy Flame that Princess Laila was wielding.

"……?"

Something.

Something was off—he noticed it around that moment.

His brows furrowed as he carefully tracked the trail of the Holy Flame she was moving.

‘—Ah.’

And at one point—

He realized what had been bothering him all along.

That strange feeling of familiarity he’d sensed when he looked at Laila.

The déjà vu.

Click—a switch flipped in Aiden’s head.

The mechanism that always activated in urgent situations, when something had to be done.

"—"

His calculations were swift.

His decision was even swifter.

In an instant, he knew what he had to do here.

"Lost your voice, Katya? Want me to break the other leg too?"

"I’m sorr—"

Katya tried to reply with a smile, but before she could finish—

Aiden’s voice cut her off.

"Princess."

Katya turned toward him, eyes wide.

There was anxiousness on her face. A silent plea asking him not to make things worse.

If things escalated, maybe she would be fine but Aiden definitely wouldn’t come out unscathed. So please, don’t get involved…

That’s probably what she meant.

But—

Aiden was already certain.

He knew exactly what he could—no, should—do right now.

"Apologize."

"…What?"

Princess Laila asked in disbelief, just as Holy Flame surged from Aiden’s body.

"Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me, Princess. You heard me clearly."

Then—

Aiden’s Holy Flame sliced clean through Laila’s, which had been piercing Katya’s knee.

As if to prove that his Holy Flame was superior to hers.

"……!"

As Princess Laila’s eyes widened in shock, Aiden stepped toward the kneeling Katya.

"This isn’t a negotiation. Let me make my schedule clear too."

He grabbed her shoulder and helped her stand, speaking in a calm voice.

Returning her words to her, word for word.

"Apologize before you get your teeth kicked in. To my friend."

"……"

"I’ll give you five seconds."

Laila’s expression froze solid.