Chapter 6 ….
For a brief moment, Baron’s instructions continued.
Ignis Patus floated slightly below Baron’s eye level, hovering up and down in midair. It seemed as if it were nodding along to Baron’s words.
Once he finished giving his orders, Baron called again.
“Durahan.”
Before the words were even finished, a black shadow shot up from the ground.
The massive armored knight who appeared before Baron was holding his own head in his left hand.
From Durahan’s kneeling head, a majestic voice resonated:
“To the eternal ruler, Bloden Ilfein, I devote my soul in loyalty. Your Majesty, grant your sacred voice.”
Baron—no, the emperor of the Ilfein Empire, Bloden—looked down at Durahan and asked,
“How’s the gate situation? Any demonic incursions?”
“No demons can withstand the sword of destruction bestowed by Your Majesty. For the time being, they won’t dare show themselves.”
That was right.
Hailey had no idea, but the name “Baron” was Bloden’s disguise.
Bloden thought of the northern mountains.
In that cold, harsh region, gates constantly spewed demons.
Usually, he would have been satisfied just eliminating the demons that emerged from the gates, but endless battles had recently changed his mind.
Bloden recalled the knights drafted from the imperial palace and various territories.
He not only recalled them but also summoned a massive command legion and led them into the gates for a full-scale extermination campaign.
A normal army could never have carried out such an operation, but a ghost army—one that could simply be re-summoned even if destroyed—could achieve a decisive victory.
As a side effect, Bloden’s curse activated, causing him to revert significantly in age. Still, the demons who had suffered his wrath fled to distant places beyond his gaze. Some escaped beyond the gates, but they hid so well that tracking them was nearly impossible.
A temporary peace had arrived.
Of course, it was obvious that, in time, the demons would crawl out again and threaten the empire. But by then, Bloden would have recovered from the curse and regained his proper appearance, so it wouldn’t be a problem.
“How long until it becomes a problem again?”
“About three years, Your Majesty.”
Bloden nodded.
Three years was worth the trouble of having reverted in age.
“Until further orders, protect the army and the battlefield. Slay any demons you see. Report immediately if their numbers grow.”
At Bloden’s command, Durahan tilted his left hand, and his head tilted naturally as well.
“However, if my lord and the army remain on the surface continuously, Your Majesty’s body will not recover quickly. Will that be all right?”
Bloden’s eyes narrowed. Realizing he had overstepped, Durahan quickly bowed his head.
“Understood.”
As soon as Durahan finished speaking, he disappeared.
“Black Livia.”
At the call, a black shadow shot through the air. Soon, a translucent ghostly raven landed before Bloden, its smoky wings spreading wide as it bowed, beak to the ground.
“Deliver this to Raven.”
Bloden gave Livia her detailed instructions.
“Black Livia. Raven. Sense. Your Majesty’s orders. Battleship.”
Having received all the instructions, Black Livia vanished into the darkness as a shadow.
The ghostly raven, transcending space, would deliver Bloden’s commands to the Raven at the imperial palace, about a thousand kilometers away, in less than five minutes.
After sending Ignis Patus away with a wave of his hand, Bloden returned to Hailey’s cabin.
The fire, weakened by the late hour, cast a dim light over Hailey’s face. Bloden stood beside the bed, quietly watching Hailey, asleep and surrounded by colorful blankets.
By now, his eyes had turned violet, and he had become Baron. Even his expression, once stern, had softened into that of a child.
“Hmm.”
Baron gave a small, silent cough and lightly bit his lip.
With the demons quiet for the time being, he intended to take the opportunity to solve the long-standing orphan abduction case.
It was far easier if the perpetrators approached him first. Since he had also reverted in age, he planned to act as bait for the kidnappers in the city.
He had pretended to be flustered when he encountered them, but… there had been an unexpected interruption.
He had been utterly bewildered the first time someone patted his bottom.
As emperor, when had he ever experienced such a thing? Even in his childhood, he had never received treatment so unbefitting of his status.
But it had happened because he was in a child’s body, and he had to avoid revealing that he was on a mission, so he endured it.
Yet Hailey spoke kindly to the young Baron, genuinely concerned, offered to carry him because the road was long, and held his hand tightly.
Her attempt to flick him lightly on the forehead was audacious, but Hailey’s actions, strangely enough, did not annoy him.
In fact, he liked them immensely. So much so that he even pretended a thorn had pricked him when it hadn’t.
When she sucked her finger to remove the “thorn” or hugged him to lull him to sleep, his heart raced uncontrollably.
He hadn’t planned it, but the warmth was so comforting that he even fell asleep for a short while.
When he was Emperor Bloden, everyone treated him with utmost respect. Even regents seeking to strip him of palace power outwardly treated him as emperor.
But as young Baron, he was surrounded by those who acted recklessly or schemed.
In other words, whether as Bloden or Baron, no one had ever genuinely cared for him.
Hailey was different.
The more she saw his unfortunate situation, the more she tried to give.
In Baron’s eyes, Hailey was practically a beggar among commoners.
Her life must have been incredibly harsh. Raising even one child alone would have been a monumental struggle.
In a world where some parents sell or abandon their newborns just to lessen the burden, she willingly welcomed a childless, orphaned boy into her home.
To some, it might seem like trivial kindness. But for Baron, it reached deeply.
In this city, where he had come to solve the kidnapping case, he unexpectedly received unconditional warmth he didn’t want to lose.
Baron whispered his conclusion to himself.
“Then the plan must change.”
Whether as Baron or Bloden, he would continue investigating the orphan kidnapping case. Only the method would change.
Until now, he had arranged for his own “kidnapping” as the simplest approach. But as emperor, there was no need for him to intervene personally in every detail.
He could deploy capable subordinates, monitor the outcome, and act at the optimal moment.
“It might be time for a little vacation too.”
So Baron decided to spend a long, indefinite vacation at Hailey’s house.
When she eventually learned that Baron was Bloden and the emperor, she might be utterly shocked—or even overwhelmed.
But Baron didn’t care.
“As long as she doesn’t find out.”
He would remain in child form; as long as she didn’t accidentally discover his identity, there was nothing to worry about.
Even if she somehow learned the truth, what could she do?
He would simply reward her for caring for the child version of himself and then take her to the palace.
A commoner could not refuse an emperor’s command. Beyond that, she would rise beyond mere recognition of status, possibly reaching the upper class, which would also benefit Hailey.
Rationalizing this, Baron climbed into bed beside Hailey.
Even in a child’s body, the old bed creaked under him.
“Mm…mm.”
Hailey, sensing his presence, turned and pulled him into her embrace.
Baron closed his eyes and breathed in quietly.
‘She hasn’t even put on perfume.’
Strangely, Hailey smelled sweet.
The complicated thoughts of battling demons and anticipating political strife after the end of the regency two years later suddenly cleared.
Baron, held in Hailey’s arms, finalized a new plan.
For the time being, he would remain undiscovered and let Hailey care for him well.
