Chapter 247: Lost Power

Chapter 247: Lost Power

The head of the Prient family, Glen Prient.

Tangled red hair. Shabby clothes. At first glance, one might mistake him for a beggar, but upon closer inspection, no one could associate the word ‘beggar’ with him.

Golden eyes that seemed inhuman.

His gentle eyes might give the impression of being friendly, but the longer one faced him, the more one felt like prey before a predator.

Glen Prient was having a private audience with the Emperor for that very reason.

Even Victor, the supreme ruler of the Empire, felt a chill down her spine when meeting Glen’s gaze. One could only imagine how the guards who confronted him at the front gate must have felt.

...However, this was largely thanks to her two childhood friends. Glen’s golden eyes were familiar because they resembled Lucia’s, and his bold eyes were similar to the man Victor cherished the most, making it impossible for her to dislike him.

“Hmm, it suits you well.”

Victor looked at Glen with a satisfied smile. Until a moment ago, he was kneeling and fumbling with his chest, and each time the emblem symbolizing the imperial family gleamed with a blue light.

“Really?”

“Indeed. As expected, it looks much better because of your good looks.”

“Hmm...”

Glen, dressed in a uniform, inspected his body. He rotated his shoulders broadly, repeatedly sitting and standing. His actions seemed more like he was checking if it was suitable for future activities rather than checking the fit of the clothes.

“...One swing of the sword and it will burst.”

Glen said, looking down at the much smaller Emperor.

“Do the Empire’s knights fight wearing such clothes?”

“Of course, they wear armor in battles.”

“Hmm, but the guards who were exuding hostility earlier were wearing similar clothes.”

“Aren’t they just guards? In case of emergency, the captain of the guards will move. He is prepared for proper combat. Didn’t you see him?”

“Indeed, it seemed so.”

Glen stroked his now-clean chin and chuckled.

“I thought my brother also fought wearing such cumbersome clothes. It’s a relief to hear that’s not the case.”

“Of course not.”

Victor chuckled and stepped back to look at Glen’s appearance.

‘It would suit Shiron well too.’

Except for the hair color and eyes, Glen looked exactly like Shiron. Or was it the other way around? It would be more accurate to say that Shiron resembled Glen.

“So, what’s next?”

Glen adjusted the holy sword, Rigil, which he had placed on the floor.

“After grooming and changing into the uniform, the knighthood ceremony is completed.”

“Hmm, should I try some perfume? There are a few in the imperial collection...”

“If applying perfume were a knight’s duty, I would quit immediately.”

Despite asking to be made a knight, he was now decisively stating he wanted to quit. It was a rather capricious statement. It’s quite rude to say such things in front of the Emperor, but Victor seemed unfazed and nodded.

“Do you want to be sent to the battlefield?”

“Yes. But it doesn’t have to be the battlefield. Any place where I can use my power will suffice. And it would be even better if it is something ‘only I’ can do.”

“Something only you can do...”

“In simpler terms, there is probably no swordsman stronger than me on the continent. I’ve never lost once in a sword fight.”

“It’s ironic for such a talented person to work under someone else.”

Glen looked at Victor, who burst into laughter, tilting his head.

“Why are you laughing? If you think I’m lying, I can prove it right away.”

“It’s not that.”

“Then what?”

In the running carriage, Glen spoke, fixing his gaze outside the window. Shiron sighed deeply and looked at Glen, resting his chin on his hand.

“What’s with the sharp reaction? Did you fight with Yuma?”

“...If leaving the castle and not returning is considered fighting, then you could say we fought.”

“You didn’t fight.”

“...”

“Yuma didn’t ask me. She even told me not to go fetch you.”

In short, it was Shiron’s unilateral decision.

As soon as Shiron heard Glen’s location, he prepared to head to the imperial palace. Yuma was horrified and advised him to reconsider, but knowing where he was, Shiron didn’t see any reason why he couldn’t go fetch a runaway middle-aged man.

Glen’s eyes widened as if he had heard an unexpected answer.

“Why? Do you think I’m lying?”

“...Yuma must have had a reason to find you. She’s someone who didn’t leave the castle to avoid interfering with the world’s order. She wouldn’t have left the castle just to see your face.”

“I’ll tell you straight.”

Shiron straightened his back and looked at Glen.

“Yuma was worried about you.”

“Worried about me?”

“Yes. She said you skipped meals... and even went to the demon realm several times.”

Yuma shared many stories while trying to dissuade Shiron. She said it was painful to see him wandering aimlessly as if he had lost his purpose, like she once did. She said that now that he seemed to have found a signpost after his wandering, she couldn’t stand in his way.

Yuma’s voice had a hint of tears when she spoke of Glen.

A demon worried about a human’s well-being and shed tears.

It didn’t make sense.

Especially for a human she had raised all her life as a tool for her revenge.

“Why did you run away?”

Knowing roughly about Yuma’s situation, Shiron couldn’t help but act immediately. There was no hesitation in his question to Glen.

“Was it shocking to learn that Prient is not a descendant of the hero?”

He didn’t hesitate to lay his cards on the table. Glen’s eyes widened, and he sat up.

“The power of prophecy?”

“Of course not.”

“Then...”

“Yuma told me. While making a once-in-a-lifetime request to me.”

The one-horned demon.

The woman he saw before leaving the house couldn’t be called a demon. Though she hid her horn to act in the human world, Yuma, to Shiron, seemed to possess a warm maternal love more than anyone else.

“What request...”

Glen couldn’t meet Shiron’s eyes. He had never played the role of a father and had barely spoken to him. Glen felt more estranged from Shiron than from Lucia.

“Find the meaning of life.”

“...”

“For Father and for everyone in Dawn Castle.”

The carriage jolted to a stop. He personally opened the door and looked at the mansion’s main gate. Eldrina and... Lucia were there. Lucia hid behind Eldrina when she saw Glen get off the carriage.

“I don’t know if such a request is even worth mentioning, but let’s at least have a meal together?”

“Hmm...”

Glen’s eyes were filled with reluctance as he looked at Lucia.