LIGHTNOVELWORLD Ch. 48 - The Man's Trace
“What? What is this… no way?!”
It was a new order, with Emperor Harun’s signature at the top.
The order entrusted the position of commander of the Imperial Magic Corps to Nadia!
Although Al had been ranked first among the imperial wizards, he had declined the position of commander for years.
That position had always been held by the master who had taught both him and Nadia.
But now, of all times, to take that position!
Nadia delivered her rebuke.
“You should have been doing your work properly and in a timely manner.”
“…”
“If you had, even if you made a big mistake, you would have had a chance to make up for it. For example, if you had been the commander of the Imperial Magic Corps, you wouldn’t have been dismissed because of the unfinished tasks.”
“Uh…”
“Didn’t you say that sometimes duty and authority come hand in hand? So, what is this?”
Al had no words to say!
There had been plenty of opportunities to accept the commander’s position, but he had always refused out of laziness. Yet he had still done quite a bit of work!
Al’s lips twitched with injustice.
“Nadia…!”
“Won’t you sign your approval? Well, it doesn’t really matter if you don’t.”
Of course. With His Majesty the Emperor’s approval, what did his signature even matter?
“No, uh…”
“Pardon?”
“Do your best without me.”
Now that things had turned out this way, resignation was all that remained.
“…”
Nadia’s gaze seemed to say, “You take care of yourself.” It was cold.
To be honest, it felt like the embodiment of contempt. Her brown eyes scanned him from top to bottom.
“Give it here, I’ll sign it.”
“Take care of yourself.”
“Yeah.”
Al, who replied weakly, signed the document, and Nadia left without any hesitation.
Left alone, Al buried his face in the curly wool of the sheep and muttered.
“Sheep.”
“…?”
“Ah, suddenly I miss that tiny Dark House. Isn’t it funny? Even if you combined the two houses, they’d still be smaller than our mansion.”
Suddenly, Al found himself longing for the grand gates of the Eid family estate, even though he hardly ever went inside due to working overtime.
The sheep didn’t understand human speech in detail.
Nor did it like having a strange human leaning against it, muttering.
Time to act up!
“Baaah!”
Thud!
“Hey!”
The disgruntled sheep kicked him with its hind leg and promptly walked away.
Just like Nadia had just left him.
Al, abandoned coldly even by the sheep, lamented.
“Sniff, sniff, do I deserve such treatment? I worked hard, after all!”
Though he admitted his mistakes, he still felt wronged that he was never given a chance to make up for them.
And so, Al’s life as a shepherd began.
One day.
Two days.
Three days.
Four days…
By the fifth day, there was no trace of energy left on Al’s pale face.
The shepherd handed him a water canteen with a sympathetic look and said.
“Today, I need to take the lamb to the palace. Will you be alright alone?”
“Yeah.”
“I’ll be back before sunset.”
“Do as you please.”
Whoosh.
The moment the shepherd left; Al slumped down.
Thirty minutes later, when someone approached, he only weakly twitched his lips.
“What now?”
“I was told to collect sheep’s milk from here. It’s for the banquet.”
“First they asked for wool from 200 sheep, and now they want me to milk sheep too… wait, what?”
That familiar voice!
The boy under the hood was none other than Karas!
“No way!”
“Shh, Al. Keep quiet. No one else knows.”
“H-how did you get here?!”
Considering how the shepherd had just left with the lamb, his timing seemed deliberate.
Karas quietly whispered under his hood.
“It’s His Majesty the Emperor’s order. Al, are you alright? I haven’t seen you since you came back, and I was worried.”
The morning of that dreadful night.
He had left without even saying goodbye to Yuriana, who had been sleeping peacefully on his shoulder.
Afterwards, rumors spread that Al had incurred the emperor’s wrath and been punished, causing Karas a lot of concern.
Although the Ifrit family, to which Karas belonged, despised the emperor’s faction.
Karas had seen Al do his best to clean up the aftermath of that day.
Therefore, Karas believed the emperor’s actions were unjust, which was a rather bold stance.
If he saw his uncle today, he was even thinking of petitioning on Al’s behalf.
Al grinned.
“Yes. I can go back once I shear wool from 200 sheep.”
“Why so much…? Oh, wait. Is it because of what you said?”
At that time, when Al had left Karas and Yuriana behind at the Dark House.
He had jokingly told them to count 200 sheep.
To think his uncle would take that report and hold it against him—how remarkable.
Karas shook his head in disbelief.
Seeing Karas’ concern, Al tried to reassure him.
“I’m alright.”
“Al…”
“Rather, if it were an order to offer 200 sheep as personal property, I would do it right away. Ugh, but how did you get here?”
Karas glanced back at the path he had taken.
“Oh, well, I received a message to collect sheep’s milk and bring it to His Majesty. There’s a banquet this afternoon with all the high-ranking officials gathered, and they need it.”
“…!!!”
Up until now, Karas Ifrit had never officially entered the imperial palace.
He wasn’t directly involved in treason, but he was someone who could become a rallying point for those who were.
Officially, he was in seclusion, but in reality, he had been imprisoned.
Al immediately understood why Harun had done this.
‘Bringing him to the kingdom’s Dark Town might seem like sending him abroad but making him attend an official banquet…! This is… he’s planning to properly secure Karas’ place!’
Was it finally starting? The first step in executing the grand scheme of His Majesty the Emperor!
He spoke cheerfully.
“Understood. I will squeeze plenty of sheep’s milk, enough for everyone attending to have a taste.”
“Uh…”
“It will be very fresh and rich in flavor.”
Karas glanced at the sheep and cautiously asked.
“But Al.”
“Yes?”
“… do you know how to milk a sheep? I don’t know how. His Majesty said everything would be fine once you got here.”
Al gave an awkward smile.
“I grew up as a noble, after all.”
No matter what anyone said, the Eid family was the most powerful in the empire.
Even that proud Baine acknowledged it.
So, would he have ever done such work?
“Baaa!”
“Baa— Baa—”
“Baa!”
“Baaaack!”
The sheep’s bleating grew louder all at once.
* * *
Throughout the winter, work was being done little by little to repair the Dark House.
Yuriana, who had reunited with the now-healed Levina, spent a quiet winter.
It was as if she had forgotten the lively days in the capital, as if the birthday celebration had never happened.
‘Miss…’
She no longer eagerly begged to go out and play, her eyes sparkling with excitement, as she used to.
Levina often felt heartache when looking at Yuriana, but she also felt relieved.
That the young lady was safe.
That she had survived that day and could continue serving her.
That she could still envision a future for herself and the young lady.
And Al…
Levina was surprised when she unconsciously thought of the man who had gone to the empire.
‘Wait, Al? Ugh, why am I thinking about him! All the men from the empire are womanizers.’
Right after she had been wounded by the assassin’s weapon, she had escaped the utility room with all her strength, practically crawling.
And there she had met Al, who had just come down to the first floor.
Behind him stood Karas, drawing a dagger and trembling slightly as he protected his chest.
Whoosh!
-Urgh…!
-Stay still! Don’t move!
Several small yellow orbs flew behind the wounded Levina.
There was no doubt. That was attack magic.
Al, who had subdued those terrible enemies all at once, used magic to deal with the nearby enemies while giving her first aid.
Only then did the pain fully hit her.
The bright red blood from her ankle quickly soaked the temporary bandage he had tied.
Levina, enduring the pain, whispered softly, not wanting to attract enemies with her voice.
-I’m fine. Please, go and save the young lady!
-Lady Yuriana is already with a capable escort.
-What?
-You don’t need to worry. Miss Levina, take care of yourself. You’re injured.
-But…!
-There are still enemies on the second floor, so I came down because I sensed your presence. The escort is with Lady Yuriana on the first floor, and I need to return to the second floor. It’s safer that way, don’t you think?
-Ah…!
Al then killed all the enemies rushing toward them, supporting Levina as they headed back to the second floor.
He truly was an exceptional wizard.
Even his physical movements were incredibly swift, though not quite on par with the boss.
Levina keenly felt her own weakness once again.
Once the second floor had fallen silent, Al placed her in an undisturbed room and built a barricade with furniture.
With surprisingly meticulous hands.
Then, as he left, he said.
-Levina, I will repay this debt today. I swear it as a man of the empire.
-What?
-Then, until we meet again.
That was the last time she had seen Al.
Surely, he was still in contact with the boss, who had returned to the Dark House not long after?
There was no reason to feel sad about that.
Levina became lost in thought.
‘What did he mean by that… what debt? Why did he talk about being a man of the empire? Ah, no. Why do I keep thinking about him? Man of the empire… no, I can’t!’
Smack!
She slapped her cheeks with her palms, trying to regain her composure.
Yuriana, who had been sitting quietly, was startled.
“Levina? What’s wrong?”
“Huh?”
Levina had been acting a bit strange for some time now.
She clenched her fists and blushed, all without a word, throwing a silent fit.
Was this an aftereffect of the injury?
Levina quickly regained her composure.
“It’s nothing, Miss…!”
“Hmm.”
“… would you like to go for a walk outside?”
Levina was more concerned about Yuriana, who had been staying indoors too much.
She no longer had nightmares, drenched in sweat or tears, which was even more concerning.
That invisible indifference could sometimes be dangerous.
Yuriana’s response was as disappointing as expected.
“I’m fine.”
Levina knew that