Chapter 121
Despite the term “friend,” it was an utterly thuggish threat.
Just as Edwin furrowed his brow, he whispered softly.
“Of course. …But please spare Sir Pierre. He’s just chasing a futile dream, after all.”
He bowed his head in supplication.
His face showed he knew full well how shameless the request was.
“What kind of dream is he chasing, exactly?”
By this point, I was curious.
What could possibly drive Pierre to devote such loyalty to the Empress, even at the cost of his life?
Listening to a villain’s backstory would only leave a sour taste, but since Edwin cared for him, I decided to hear it out.
“Sir Pierre is the last heir to the Serak tribe’s sorcery. He wants revenge against the Emperor who massacred the Serak people. Making Prince Cesare, who carries the blood of the Serak royalty, the Emperor—that’s the beginning of his vengeance.”
Revenge. Ah, another staple of romance fantasy tropes makes its entrance.
Right. In romance fantasies, characters would sacrifice their lives for revenge.
If Cesare became Emperor, the empire would crumble, making it the perfect form of retribution.
But that would interfere with my rosy romance.
For that utterly personal reason, I resolved to stop Pierre.
“Yeah. I’ll shatter that dream for him.”
Edwin, catching sight of my gruesomely grinning face, subtly inched away.
My reaction must have seemed off-kilter to him.
A moment later, Edwin murmured uncertainly.
“So, you’ll spare him?”
“I’ll start with a threat. If that doesn’t work, then I’ll have to block him my way.”
“……”
“Don’t worry. For your sake, I’ll make sure to keep Sir Pierre alive and well. He’s frail, after all—he should live out his remaining days in comfort.”
I had no desire to kill someone who was going to die soon anyway with my own hands.
At my assurance that I’d spare his life, Edwin relaxed with relief.
“……Really?”
“I mean it. Hey, if there’s anything else you haven’t mentioned, spill it now. It might turn out to be a clue.”
“Come to think of it, it seemed like they were planning something with the Fairy Bloom. I couldn’t figure out exactly how they intended to use it, though.”
“Hmm?”
I’d assumed they weren’t using it because they’d caught on to something suspicious.
Could it be that they’d saved it as material for triggering Alferen’s mana rampage?
Since they have the Ice Dragon’s egg, maybe they plan to use its life as collateral for casting the spell.
‘Heh heh heh. This might resolve more easily than I thought?’
Thanks to the Crown Princess’s attribute training, I’d already mastered ways to apply summoning arts.
If I reverse-track the Fairy Bloom’s location and snatch the Ice Dragon’s egg beforehand, Pierre would end up like a raccoon washing cotton candy—utterly foiled!
“Ahahaha!”
I burst into laughter, too excited to hold it in.
Why does thwarting villains always get me this pumped up?
I’ll protect Brother Ren myself!
As I clenched my fist and chuckled triumphantly, Edwin shook his head in disbelief.
“You must have gone mad from the shock. Can’t blame you.”
Even being openly treated like a lunatic didn’t faze me.
I gripped his shoulder firmly and declared.
“Alright. Edwin, I’ll explain the plan.”
“A plan?”
“Lure Pierre out at the time I tell you. I’ll handle the Fairy Bloom myself.”
“Well, if the Master of the Magic Tower knows about it, erasing it beforehand would be child’s play.”
Unaware that I was the summoner, he extended his hand for a shake.
Now that he’d spoken up, his face looked remarkably unburdened.
“So, when do you want to set the date for the operation?”
“The day before the Founding Festival events begin would be ideal. If we interfere too early, your foster father might get suspicious and change his mind.”
“That makes sense.”
“Part of me wants to roll him up in a mat and lock him in a warehouse until the festival’s over. But he’s your foster father—that would be too disrespectful.”
“……”
“Relax your face. It was just a thought. Honestly, from my perspective, isn’t that a pretty lenient fantasy?”
After a long silence, Edwin let out a deflated laugh and muttered.
“You’re right. If it were me, I’d probably roll him up and toss him into the sea.”
But that would kill him……
I’m truly glad to be Edwin’s friend, given how he’s only sentimental toward those close to him.
With such trivial thoughts swirling, I vigorously shook the hand I’d clasped.
“So, make sure you lure him properly. Don’t forget—if it fails, we’ll have no choice but to use force. The key is to capture him alive and prevent any funny business. Got it?”
“Yeah. Leave it to me.”
And so began the collaboration between Edwin and me.
* * *
After sharing the basic intel with Edwin.
I headed straight to Alferen.
Once I relayed the entire conversation I’d had with Edwin, he murmured to himself.
“Mana rampage, huh.”
Alferen wore a somewhat incredulous expression at the opponent’s unexpected recklessness.
“And right in the middle of the Harvest Festival, where the Founding Festival events are unfolding.”
Well, it’s an insanely unhinged idea that no sane person would conceive.
It’s essentially a mutual suicide pact.
A grand mage like Alferen’s mana rampage would be a catastrophe on par with a monster outbreak.
And to unleash it in the heart of the capital.
During a time when crowds flock to enjoy the festivities.
It could easily lead to innocent people dying or getting hurt.
‘They’re probably planning to pin all the blame on Ainluk too. That despicable scum.’
The more I thought about it, the more Cesare struck me as someone who couldn’t be left unchecked.
Alferen seemed deep in contemplation.
Even to me, this felt like an exceedingly grave terrorist incident.
Moreover, Alferen was overseeing the management of this year’s Harvest Festival.
After the incident, some might criticize him for failing to prevent the terror.
“Prince Cesare likely judged the Founding Festival as the perfect timing. The Crown Prince and his wife will both be attending that day.”
They’d probably figure that harming the Crown Prince couple in the process would be an added bonus.
“We need to advance Her Highness the Crown Princess’s schedule first. We can’t risk the child getting caught up and something going wrong.”
It was as I headed toward Rosaria’s boutique, my face thoroughly creased in a frown.
Suddenly, Alferen gently smoothed the furrow between my brows.
He gazed at me tenderly and asked.
“So, you came rushing over because you’re worried about me.”
In the midst of this urgent situation, his leisurely demeanor left me with a baffled expression.
“Huh? Obviously! If something happened to you, I’d…!”
Then, sensing something off, I tilted my head.
For someone who’d just been informed of a terror plot, he was far too calm.
I pressed my fidgeting hips firmly back into the chair and asked.
“Don’t tell me you already knew?”
“I was aware of some suspicious movements. I didn’t know it involved making me rampage, though.”
Alferen flashed a triumphant smile.
The touch tickling my cheek deepened.
I grumbled with a face that suddenly felt aggrieved.
“You could’ve at least given me a heads-up.”
“I didn’t expect you to find out. You’re already busy with the Crown Princess’s matters anyway.”
“Liar. You probably couldn’t say anything due to security concerns.”
“Our Delly is so clever too.”
Alferen chuckled softly and pressed his forehead against mine.
As the distance closed, my gaze naturally fell on his blue eyes.
A languid smile, like that of a sated predator.
Eyes that conveyed utter satisfaction just from the fact that I was worried about him.
“You do realize you’re the target of terrorists right now, don’t you?”
“I know.”
“How about showing a bit more sense of crisis?”
“Hmm. This feels more like a crisis to me right now.”
With those words, his lips brushed mine briefly before pulling away.
“You’re right in front of me, after all.”
His melting smile filled my vision.
‘Th-this seductive brother…!’
In an instant, the atmosphere turned intimate.
This definitely wasn’t why I’d come here.
The blatant seduction made the prior conversation evaporate into white haze.
Before I knew it, the vibe had grown charged, his downcast eyes fixed on my lips.
At a distance where a slight lift of my head would connect us, he whispered lowly.
“Am I the only one?”
No need to make a question like “How about you?” sound so provocative.
Feeling inexplicably shy, I lowered my gaze and replied.
“I don’t think so?”
Even with that ambiguous answer, Alferen moved.
His lips approached slowly, pressing deeply against mine.
As he said, this moment felt more like a crisis than the impending event.
A crisis this sweet couldn’t exist anywhere else.
