SLDS 81

“Oh, noble soul of Themion, may you now lay down all your pain and sorrow and find rest by God’s side.”

The final prayer ended in solemn silence.

As a dirge played on the pipe organ began to echo, people steeped in grief came forward one by one to continue the tribute.

The funeral of Johannes Albrecht IV was currently being held here. Cecil had visited the Kingdom of Themion a few days before Johannes died.

When his turn came, Cecil carefully walked out and approached the coffin placed in the center.

Rich, abundant flowers filled the space around Johannes, who lay within a transparent glass casket. His closed eyes made him look extremely peaceful. Cecil looked down at him and became lost in reminiscence for a moment.

The image of Johannes smiling happily at the sight of his friend who had come from so far away was still vivid in his mind.

Who would have thought he was a man about to die? Johannes had looked healthy even the night before, and he had not lost his characteristic, sun-like smile.

But a miracle did not happen. Prince Johannes Albrecht IV of Themion met his death on October 16th, just as his fate was ordained.

‘Cecil, I think I’ve been more blessed than others. Since I know the day I will die, I can put my affairs in order beforehand. I’m afraid, but I have no regrets. I’m ready to let everything go and depart now.’

Perhaps that was why a smile seemed to spread across his pale, stiffened face. Standing before his friend’s corpse for the second time, Cecil mulled over countless thoughts.

Johannes, will I, like you, be able to prepare for a death with no regrets?

Cecil placed a single red flower on Johannes’s chest and then observed a moment of silent prayer. He turned and also offered his condolences to Johannes’s wife, who was lost in sorrow.

After watching the process of Johannes being buried in the royal palace cemetery, Cecil headed back to the Empire. The distance was considerable. It was a grueling march that took a full five days just to come and go.

Inside the rattling carriage, Cecil kept his eyes closed the entire time, as if in hibernation. His mind was complicated with worries.

The biggest among them was that he had only about 120 days left to live.

When had time flown by so quickly? Cecil let out a long sigh and looked out the window. In the distance, the form of the Imperial Palace began to shimmer into view.

He leaned his exhausted body back and closed his eyes again. He could not afford to spend his remaining time in vain. Having just returned from Johannes’s funeral, his own impending death was starting to feel even more real.

Recently, the political situation in the Vercan Empire was undergoing rapid change.

First, Emperor Arnold’s health had drastically declined. A chronic illness he had been suffering from had worsened, and when he reached a state where he could no longer manage state affairs, Crown Prince Alexis took over the emperor’s role in accordance with imperial law.

The empress’s faction was hell-bent on keeping Alexis in check. However, there were just as many factions that supported the crown prince, and the neutral aristocrats also lent their strength to Alexis. It was all thanks to Cecil’s efforts behind the scenes.

At the right time, a crisis also struck the mining business. The aristocrats of the empress’s faction, who had invested a great deal of money, began to suffer from financial difficulties, and eventually reached a point where they had to sell off all their assets.

On the verge of bankruptcy, it was impossible for them to care about the empire’s internal affairs. The crown prince was ruthless in cutting off aristocrats who were negligent in their duties and filled those positions with capable individuals.

Once half of the aristocrats with fairly high positions were replaced, the empress’s power also began to wane.

The woman who once controlled the senate with a single word had now been reduced to just a pretty flower in the Imperial Palace.

“Someone among the new aristocrats said that the current empire is undergoing a process of shedding its skin.”

Cecil placed the book he had just chosen on a trolley in the library. They were all old books, and a musty cloud of dust poofed up.

“A plausible metaphor.”

Alexis replied with his arms crossed. He seemed to quite like the expression, even letting out a snort of laughter.

He gave the books Cecil had selected a light scan, then seriously studied Cecil’s face as he was blowing the dust off them.

“Aren’t you upset?”

“About what, Your Highness?”

“That no one knows you’re helping me from behind the scenes. In fact, I heard you’re getting a lot of criticism. I heard that there are a ton of aristocrats who went bankrupt overnight because the investment information you gave them was all bogus.”

Cecil laughed silently.

“It doesn’t matter. I’m used to being criticized.”

“It bothers me, though.”

“Are you bored? Why do you take an interest in such trivial matters?”

Cecil replied indifferently and turned away. He busily moved in and out of the aisles of the Imperial Palace library to find the rest of the books.

The book he wanted happened to be on a high shelf. He stood on his tiptoes and stretched out his hand, but his fingers only brushed it tantalizingly.

“If it’s difficult, ask for some help. I don’t know why you insist on struggling all by yourself.”

Alexis, who had approached him at some point, took the book out for a struggling Cecil. Being so tall and lanky, he could reach it easily just by extending his arm.

The central imperial library was rarely used, so it was extremely quiet. Alexis and Cecil often came here to have secret conversations.

Of course, no one ever mentioned the kiss that had taken place in the study of the Peridot Palace that day. It was the same even though three months had already passed.

It was as if it had been carved out of each other’s memories, all of it treated as something that had never happened.

In truth, after returning from the funeral, Cecil had been worried that Alexis might bring up Johannes’s death once more.

But contrary to his expectations, Alexis did not mention it at all. He just treated Cecil like someone who had never had any suspicions in the first place.

His heart was not entirely at ease, but he couldn’t very well try to sound out Alexis’s intentions. Cecil just hoped things would continue to flow this way. Both he and Alexis were people with a lot of work to do.

He spoke while looking over the selected books.

“If I needed help, I would have said so. More importantly, you said you were leaving tomorrow, didn’t you?”

As he skillfully changed the topic of conversation, Alexis smiled faintly, as if letting him off the hook.

“Yes, it will take about two weeks.”

The Black Forest guard post was finally completed. It had been a full two years since construction began. Alexis planned to inspect the Black Forest and the guard post, and also to tour the surrounding outer districts on behalf of the emperor.

“Aren’t you curious about how the guard post was built?”

“I am curious, since Your Highness supervised it directly. I’m sure it was built well, of course.”

“What if I were to ask you to come with me?”

At the sudden proposal, Cecil put down the book he was holding.

“Are you asking me to accompany you on your tour, Your Highness?”

“It wouldn’t be so bad to have someone to travel with.”

“Shouldn’t you be taking Yuria, not me? Accompanying the Saintess would look better to others…”

“I believe I just made the proposal to you.”

When Cecil could not give any reply, Alexis reached out and pushed back his messy bangs. His stunned expression became much more visible.

“Haven’t you been gloomy ever since you returned from Themion? You look very worn out.”

He pointed out Cecil’s face, which had lost a noticeable amount of weight and grown sharper. In fact, Cecil had been having sleepless nights again lately.

“You don’t have to follow me for the entire tour. Just come to see me for a little while when it’s convenient for you. For a change of pace, to get some fresh air.”

“I’ll see. I’m busy… I don’t know if I’ll have the time.”

Cecil mumbled his reply. Honestly, he wanted to go more than anything, but he did not know if it was okay to be greedy.

✽ ✽ ✽

A week after Alexis had left the Imperial Palace, Cecil pushed himself to make a few days of free time.

The outer district where the Black Forest was located took a full day to reach even on horseback.

In the early dawn before the sun had risen, Cecil packed a simple bag and set off, accompanied by his chief attendant and one royal guard. Thanks to riding a fast horse without rest, he was fortunately able to arrive at his destination before the sun set.

Cecil climbed a high hill and admired the forest spread out before his eyes.

The vast woodland was dark even with the sun up, befitting its moniker, the Black Forest. This was because giant, ancient trees that had grown for hundreds of years were tangled together, blocking the sky. It was more mysterious than frightening, and was close to a magnificent spectacle.

The party rode their horses up to the front of the guard post. A knight who happened to be on sentry duty recognized Cecil and came running in a single bound. He greeted him with a polite bow.

“I greet the little star of the Empire.”

“You are working hard. Where is His Highness?”

“His Highness has gone out to inspect the outer districts.”

It seemed they had unfortunately missed each other. Cecil forced himself to swallow his disappointment.

“It’s nearby, so it’s not far. I will send a man to inform him that you have arrived, Mr. Cecil.”

“There’s no need for that. I can just look around on my own. If it’s alright, may I ask you for a tour?”

“Yes! Of course!”

The knight quickly brought his superior, and Cecil was able to look around the wall with the guidance of the guard captain.

Up close, the wall was far more solid and majestic than it had looked from a distance. He had heard that they had poured their heart and soul into the repairs, and as much time as they had invested, the level of completion was indeed high.

“There won’t be a problem.”

“Pardon?”

“I mean, even if the demonic beasts were to appear again. A wall of this scale, they wouldn’t be able to get over it.”

“Haha! Demonic beasts? Have you forgotten that we subjugated them all?”

Saying it was an excessive worry, the guard captain laughed heartily. The others in the group were the same. It seemed no one even imagined that the demonic beasts would ever reappear.

Cecil laughed along with the others. If the preparations had been insufficient, he had been planning to push himself to tell them that the demonic beasts would swarm again, but at this level, he could rest assured.

The wall that stretched long in front of the dense forest, and the powerfully soaring guard post.

It was clear that the fruits of Alexis’s labor would continue to protect the empire steadfastly in the future.