Chapter 124
The next day dawned, and thanks to the Crown Prince’s consideration, Yan found solace in the tranquility of his private palace.
“Your external and internal injuries have significantly subsided. Is there anything else that discomforts you?” asked the Crown Prince’s physician, his hair touched with streaks of grey, a smile playing on his lips.
Yan swirled his arm in the air, testing its strength, then shook his head. “No, thanks to you, I feel no discomfort.”
“That’s a relief. But it’s quite miraculous, really. When I first treated you, I didn’t expect such a swift recovery within a mere day.”
Yan chuckled awkwardly in response.
Indeed, as the physician noted, Yan’s body had been nothing short of a ragged mess just the day before. The mana storm, unleashed by the Special Task Force Commander, had lacerated his body like a flurry of sharp blades, and the forced manifestation of his will had twisted his mana roads into knots.
But then…
[It’s time to keep your promise to me.]
Somehow, Mormont had used his mana in the dead of night to unravel the twisted mana roads and heal the wounds across Yan’s body.
This miraculous recovery had the physician looking at Yan as if he were a monster, but there was no suitable answer to give. It wasn’t as if he could say a lich had healed him.
After a few more checks, the physician left the room.
With the private palace now empty, Yan flopped back onto the pillow.
“When was the last time I rested like this?”
He couldn’t recall ever having such a peaceful respite in this lifetime… and it wasn’t half bad.
Yan chuckled to himself and bit into a piece of fruit resting on the bedside table. The crisp texture and sweet taste enveloped his mouth.
Suddenly, he remembered the Task Force Commander’s eyes, filled with regret from the night before. If he hadn’t accidentally broken free from the brainwashing in his previous life, would he have met the same death as the Task Force Commander?
“…I don’t know.”
With that thought, Yan sprang up from the bed. Lying down any longer seemed to make his body ache.
“Is resting not in my nature?”
Rising from his spot, Yan walked towards the window.
Despite the life-and-death struggle with the Task Force Commander just the day before, it was an incredibly sunny day, as if the battle had never happened.
Yan gazed out the window at the empire’s citizens, bustling about their day.
That’s when it happened.
Bang!
Someone flung open the door to Yan’s resting quarters and entered.
Yan turned his head to identify the newcomer.
It was Leon.
Yan bowed respectfully.
“Your Highness, you’ve arrived.”
“How’s your health?”
“Thanks to your concern, I’m without ailment.”
“Hahaha, perhaps it’s the vigor of youth that hastens your recovery.”
“Aren’t you in the prime of your own youth, Your Highness?”
“Is that so? Hahahaha.”
Thus, Yan and Leon exchanged trivial banter for quite some time.
Then, Leon suddenly fell silent.
Yan did not express surprise, as if he already knew.
After all, Leon had been busy dealing with the aftermath of yesterday’s events.
It was odd for him to spare time for mere pleasantries and small talk.
Leon scratched his cheek with an awkward smile and then posed an unexpected question to Yan.
“Do you… have any interest in becoming a lord?”
“…A lord?”
Yan, usually unflappable, found Leon’s question sufficiently startling.
He had only expected the privilege of choosing a single treasure from the fourth floor of the imperial armory.
Anything more seemed like greed, especially given his obscured status as the Chief Instructor.
But now, out of the blue, a fief?
“Yes, a lord. It’s time I start expanding my circle, and even if not for that, I wanted to offer you something.”
Yan’s eyes sparkled with delight at Leon’s words.
Most people vaguely dream of becoming a lord someday if they achieve enough to rise through the ranks.
But it wasn’t a position just anyone could strive for and attain.
There were thousands of nobles in the empire, but only about three hundred noble families held fiefs.
And of those, only about a hundred were granted directly by the royal family.
The position of a lord was one that could only be secured by fortune, or by catching the eye of high nobility or the royal family.
‘Having a fief would make it much easier to move around or search for my parents.’
Only a portion of the taxes and tolls from the fief needed to be sent to the royal family; the rest could be kept.
This would eliminate the issue of being unable to proceed with plans due to lack of funds.
But that wasn’t all.
Nobles with fiefs were treated with respect wherever they went.
‘The most important thing is that I can bring those who were with my father into the fief.’
As a lord, he would be akin to a king within his fief, and surely no one would dare challenge him on that.
Of course, there were downsides.
Becoming a lord would make it inconvenient to plan or move in secret as he had been doing.
He would be recognized wherever he went, and through social circles or intelligence agencies, his every move could become known.
Yan rolled the sweet notion of lordship around in his mouth as he looked at Leon.
“Yes, I will accept. A lord.”
There were downsides, but those were matters of caution.
The advantages overwhelmingly outweighed any reason to refuse.
But then, Leon’s expression shifted peculiarly.
“Your Highness?”
“It’s nothing. I thought you would refuse.”
“Me? Refuse?”
“I didn’t think you liked standing out. That was my impression when we first met, and Damian said the same.”
“Ah.”
Yan quickly realized why Leon had thought so.
In the past, he had no leisure to discern friend from foe, so he tried to hide everything.
‘But there’s no need for that anymore.’
Yan grinned.
“The situation has changed.”
“The situation?”
“Before, I was focused on survival. Now, I have the luxury to prepare for the future.”
The Chief Instructor, who had seemed an enemy, turned out to be an ally.
And for reasons unknown, the Crown Prince was more amiable than in his past life, and the trainees destined to be the Empire’s Seven Stars were also close to him.
As people began to gather around him, he now had the luxury to clearly distinguish friends from foes.
“Hmm, is that so?”
Leon tilted his head, not quite understanding, but then he chuckled.
“You’ll manage a fief well. You don’t seem like someone who would trouble the fiefdom’s people.”
At that, Yan felt a twinge of guilt.
He had thought to start collecting taxes for revenue as soon as he received a fief.
‘I’ll have to delay that.’
Yan inwardly clicked his tongue and adjusted his expression.
Then he nodded.
“I’ll do my best.”
“Good. I’ll see if there’s a suitable fief available.”
At that moment, something flashed through Yan’s mind.
“Ah, Your Highness, by chance…”
“Hm?”
“Would the fief of ‘Armenia’ be too much to ask for?”
“Armenia?”
Leon cocked his head at Yan’s words.
It was an understandable reaction.
Armenia was a rather barren and desolate frontier fief.
* * *
Several days later.
Yan stepped out of his secluded palace, summoned by the Emperor himself, and made his way to the grand hall.
The one who came to escort him was none other than Kyle, one of the Royal Knights’ Seven.
“It’s a relief that things have worked out well.”
Kyle seemed to harbor guilt for having listened to the plea of Yan, who was once considered a criminal, but the truth that came to light allowed him to breathe easier.
“Your assistance was instrumental, Sir Kyle.”
“That’s what I’m saying. The Special Task Force Commander, that fellow, may have been overly loyal, but I never thought he’d commit such acts.”
“It’s hard to discern one’s true nature from appearances.”
Yan made small talk with Kyle as they walked through the imperial palace.
The murmurs of the nobles huddled in the corridors about Yan reached his ears.
“So what becomes of the Chief Instructor and that trainee, Yan?”
“Well, with this, he’s firmly grasped the favor of His Highness the Crown Prince.”
“Hmph, the rumors say he’ll soon receive a fiefdom.”
“A fiefdom?! But he’s only just received the title of baron and the position of executioner…”
“That just shows how much the Crown Prince favors him.”
“This will completely change the power dynamics.”
“Exactly. With the Special Task Force Commander gone and the Chief Instructor taking his place, it’s practically the Crown Prince’s era now.”
“After all, it seemed like His Majesty the Emperor was ready to start transferring power.”
Yan’s lips curled into a smirk as he listened to their conversation.
Kyle, walking beside him, clicked his tongue at the sight.
“Listening to them, one can truly appreciate how remarkable you are.”
“It’s all thanks to the Crown Prince’s favorable view.”
As Yan and Kyle chuckled and moved forward, several nobles approached him.
“Ah, greetings, Baron Yan. I am Eysol, the eldest son of the Gunter barony.”
“Hey, don’t cut in line just because you’re a noble’s heir! Ah, pleased to meet you, Baron Yan. I hail from the south, I am Baron Varten.”
…
Yan greeted the throng of nobles with a smile, exchanging brief pleasantries with each.
They wanted to converse more with Yan, but…
“Apologies, but Baron Yan has been summoned by His Majesty the Emperor, so we must excuse ourselves.”
Kyle deftly interrupted them.
Though it might have been displeasing, the nobles instead widened their eyes and watched Yan depart.
“Did you hear that?”
“…The Emperor himself summoned him?”
“Just a mere baron getting a private audience with the Emperor.”
“The power structure is truly changing.”
“At this rate, we might see the youngest duke in history.”
* * *
Before the Grand Hall
Kyle stood at the door, a smile gracing his lips as his hand rested on the doorknob.
“Enter.”
“Aren’t you coming in, Sir Kyle?”
“The Emperor wishes for a private audience.”
“Ah, I see.”
At Kyle’s words, Yan swallowed hard and stepped into the grand hall.
Deep within, there was a grand throne.
Seated upon it was a middle-aged man clad in a black and gold dragon robe, unlike the previous ceremony, he wore no golden crown.
Yan walked a fair distance into the hall, head bowed in protocol, before taking a knee.
With a loud voice, Yan proclaimed,
“I stand before the highest star of the Caballan Empire, the most exalted presence!”
Silence ensued.
It was only after a long pause that the Emperor finally spoke.
“Lift your head.”
At the Emperor’s command, Yan raised his head.
In that moment, it felt as if lightning struck through Yan’s mind.
A strange sense of dissonance muddled his thoughts.
‘…What?’
Up until the award ceremony, the Emperor had only given him a vague sense of familiarity with the Emperor from his past life.
But he hadn’t thought much of it.
It was natural to bear some resemblance, sharing the same bloodline.
But why…
‘Those eyes…’
They weren’t just similar to the Emperor of his past life.
They were the spitting image of the Emperor, Leon’s future self.
As Yan grappled with his confusion,
“I’ve wanted to have a conversation, just the two of us.”
The Emperor began, a slight smile on his lips.