Clack, clack. The imperial carriage, carved with ornate patterns, raced down the capital's main avenue, making a steady vibration. Luan leaned his back against the velvet seat and stared blankly out the window at the scenery sweeping past. The high spires of the imperial palace were gradually receding.
A vacation!
Of course, it wasn't an official clocking-out on paper. It was a business trip dressed up in the plausible justification of a "purification rite," a strategic retreat to catch his breath for a while.
Luan propped his chin on his hand and sank into thought. The subject was his new employer, Emperor Kirian Eckart.
Kirian Eckart.
The future in novel form the god had handed over… no, let's just call it the original work. The Kirian depicted in the original was a tyrant without blood or tears. Given that the previous emperor had died in a conspiracy and many of the imperial family had lost their lives, it was only to be expected.
But the man he'd directly experienced over the past few days was, more than he'd thought… reasonable.
Of course, it was true the man had a foul temper, acted before he spoke, and was a tyrannical employer who made a habit of exploiting labor. But at the very least, he was a counterpart with whom deals went through on the basis of ability and results.
He only hates incompetence; earn your keep and he treats you well.
If so, the answer was simple. Work as much as he wanted and secure his own safety in return. But Luan's brow furrowed. If the Emperor was a "controllable variable," then the being he was now going to confirm was an "uncontrollable disaster."
Aiden. The true protagonist of the original. A saint who received the god's love in full.
Aiden was the same age as Emperor Kirian. Despite being the same age, unlike Kirian—worn thin by political strife—Aiden was a pure crystal untainted by the world's grime. Soon enough, this Aiden would awaken, and his appearance meant the start of the ruin of Luan, who held the villain position.
Sunset-colored. Hair like the last lantern lighting the world before darkness comes. But the reaper who'll cut off my head.
The real reason Luan had insisted on the temple visit wasn't only for rest. He had to confirm whether Aiden was at the temple now, and if so, how far he'd grown. Only then could he draft a route to avoid him in advance.
The temple he arrived at was peaceful. White marble columns and the fragrant scent of flowers. It was a holy comfort of a wholly different dimension from the savage air of the imperial palace. Spotting Luan as he stepped out of the carriage, a priest came running out in his stockinged feet.
“Your Majesty the Empress!”
It was Benya. The moment he saw Luan, he clapped a hand over his mouth and his eyes reddened.
“At last… at last you've come again. To this holy ground!”
“…What is this?”
Benya's voice trembled with emotion.
“You've no idea how the High Priest lamented, saying the temple's blessings were cut in half after you returned to secular life. The genius poised to take the youngest ordination in history, the child the god loved… for Lord Luanisiel to return!”
Benya looked ready to drop to his knees. I thought his head was screwed on funny even back at the palace, but he's like this here too? Honestly, it was unexpected. Five years had passed, and they'd never met in person, yet for this man to know the rumors about him so well.
In the past, Luanisiel Requies had been a legendary prospect at the temple. With overwhelming divine power and a noble character, he'd been called the next High Priest material, but he was a tragic genius forced to become Empress and leave under the pressure of his House.
To Benya, Luan's visit wasn't a simple purification rite but the return of a lost saint.
“Benya. Lower your voice. It's embarrassing.”
“How could you be embarrassed! Your Majesty's divine power still shines like the sun! Ah, the air already feels like it's clearing up!”
Benya made a fuss and threw his arms wide. It seemed his being assigned to do the counseling wasn't only the result of pass-the-bomb after all. Judging by his exaggerated attitude, it looked like he'd been determined to satisfy some private agenda even in the matter of the Emperor and Empress's divorce.
The novice priests around them stared with awe-filled eyes too, whispering, Is that person the legendary Lord Luanisiel? Luan turned his head away, revolted.
This is exactly why I didn't want to come.
This atmosphere of treating him like some kind of saintly sage was a burden. Of course, the Luanisiel of before had been sincere. But what was inside him now was a different soul. I'm just an office worker who wants a good night's sleep.
“Just show me to the purification chamber, please.”
“Of course! We've specially cleared the Chamber of Divinity so that Your Highness can perform the rite in peace.”
He's set on this. To go and pick the most sacred room, where holy water springs up. Even facing divorce, an empress is an empress, is that it? The temple's consideration drew a snort from him. And yet when it came time to return to secular life, they couldn't even stop Duke Requies.
Benya took the lead. But there was no need to be tied to the past. Didn't today's visit have one more purpose? Luan followed him and, feigning indifference, asked. Now was the chance.
“Benya.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Lately at the temple… are there any unusual newcomers?”
“Unusual newcomers?”
Benya tilted his head.
“Well, there are plenty of trainees who come in every month. Is there someone in particular you're looking for?”
“Nothing really. I'm just curious what sort of juniors there are. Distinctive people come in sometimes, don't they. For example… someone with a hair color that stands out a bit.”
“Hair color?”
“Yes. Like vermilion, say.”
Luan's heart pounded with tension. Please, say there's no one.
“Ah! There's one.”
At Benya's crisp reply, Luan's heart sank.
“There's a novice priest who came in a few days ago who's exactly like that. His hair is vermilion, just like a sunset sky, so it really catches the eye. His name is… uh…”
“…”
“Aiden!”
Luan moistened his dry lips. He was here. And very close, at that.
“That person—where is he now?”
“Hmm, at this hour he's probably in the herb garden in the back courtyard. He's not a formal priest yet, just on odd-job duty, so he draws water and trims herbs.”
Benya added as if it were nothing.
“He's about twenty, but his divine power? Well. It hasn't manifested yet, so he's ordinary. He's just popular because he has a pretty face.”
Twenty. The same age as the Emperor. And his divine power hasn't manifested yet. That meant he was on the verge of awakening. The bomb's timer was ticking.
“I'll go to the purification chamber later. I should take a walk first.”
“Pardon? But Your Majesty, your complexion is pale. You should rest…”
“It's part of the rite. Breathing fresh air and feeling the energy of nature makes the divine power circulate better.”
Luan spun an absurd logic and shook off Benya's restraint. He changed direction and headed for the back courtyard. As he walked quickly on his long legs, Benya grew steadily more distant.
I have to confirm it.
Pushing through the bushes, he came upon the herb garden spread out wide. Bathed in warm sunlight, the place was as peaceful as a scene out of a fairy tale. And in the very center of that peaceful scenery—
“…Found him.”
Luan held his breath. The back of a young man crouched in the middle of the herb bed, and vermilion hair swaying in the breeze. The color was so vivid and unreal that he could recognize it at a glance even from afar.
The young man was trimming herbs with dirt-covered hands. Hair glinting in the sunlight, white skin. By anyone's measure it was a one-of-a-kind look that seemed to advertise, I am the protagonist.
Luan hid his body behind a tree and observed him. Bright. So bright it's almost worrying. That a kid with such an innocent, pure face would later become the holy knight who saves the empire and executes him?
It was then. Sensing a presence, perhaps, the young man raised his head. His eyes met Luan's.
“…Huh?”
The young man's eyes went round. Emerald-green eyes. Luan's figure was reflected in those clear, transparent eyes.
“Who are you?”
The young man asked, rising to his feet. Tall, but with a gentle air entirely free of any intimidation. Rather than being wary of the unfamiliar intruder, he gazed at him with curious eyes.
“Did you… perhaps lose your way, brother?”
Brother. It was the most common term for addressing a believer at the temple, but the voice was excessively warm. Luan swallowed dryly. The death flag had spotted him and struck up a conversation.
Should I run? Or greet him, even now? In the instant tens of thousands of calculations flashed through his head, Aiden smiled brightly and took a step closer.
“This way is the herb bed, so the path is rough. If you're looking for the exit, shall I guide you?”
Kind. Kind enough to bring tears to your eyes.
Luan thought. The protagonist really is different. But… if I don't want to make an enemy, I'd better build a good relationship from now on.
Right. Getting jealous and bullying him like in the original is what amateurs do. I'll choose the path of becoming this kid's solid ally.
Luan slowly walked out from behind the tree. A new survival plan began to run through his head.
[Networking for a Safe Resignation.]
It was the moment the gears of fate began to mesh in a direction entirely different from the original.
