Chapter 36

That night at midnight, by the Imperial Palace fountain.

The young heir of Count Westier—Aren Westier—who had long dreamed of rising in status by persistently sending letters to Rodella, was visited not by the person he was waiting for, but by someone else entirely.

“Aren Westier.”

The moment a voice called his full name with perfect accuracy, Aren froze.

He had been waiting nearby, cloaked in a black robe so as not to be recognized, hiding from even his own servants’ sight. He had concealed his presence as much as possible, careful not to draw attention.

Yet the one who approached—this intruder—had not only found him but clearly knew his identity.

“I know who you’re waiting for.”

Worse, the intruder even knew his intent.

“Leave this place before her patience with your disrespectful letters runs out.”

The speaker—Denet—spoke with words that carried layered meaning.

The one offended by the secret letters could very well be Royden himself, but it was just as likely (and perhaps even more likely) that Rodella had finally lost her patience.

Had it been clearly Rodella sending this warning, Aren might’ve responded indignantly. But the ambiguity only made him more nervous.

Worse yet, he had never revealed his true identity in the letters, only used them to ask for secret meetings. He hadn’t even shown his face.

‘How do they know who I am? Even with my face hidden?’

Rattled by the intruder’s unknown sources of information and the clear, lethal intent in his tone, Aren nodded frantically.

“Y-yes, I understand.”

Above all, the killing intent directed at him was real.  

This was a clear warning: if he didn’t stop this, he might truly vanish without a trace one day.

And by the time his trembling legs managed to turn him around—

Denet was already gone.

Aren collapsed to the ground, unable to support himself.

* * *

Since the regular report was an event attended by many departments within the Imperial Palace, it was never allowed to drag on—primarily for the sake of the Emperor’s safety.

Thus, the official schedule at the palace concluded swiftly.  

After Latine, who had represented the Azure Order in offering formal thanks to the Emperor, climbed aboard the last carriage, the convoy of the Azure Knights set off.  

—Hrrrghh! 

Hearing the spirited neigh of the horses, Rodella finished organizing her thoughts.  

Then, as Latine had just settled inside the carriage, she suddenly asked: “The response to this report was good, right?”  

“Of course. Better than I’d imagined.”  

Latine beamed from ear to ear.  

Rodella followed up without missing a beat: “Now that we’ve shown them change, next time we’ll show even clearer results.”  

At that, Aivert turned his head to look at her.  

That confident sparkle in her eyes—he had seen it before.  

This was the expression she made only when she had a solid plan she was sure of.  

‘What will you say next?’  

He couldn’t take his eyes off her.  

Latine blinked.  

“If we just keep going like this, it’ll be a revolution.”  

He waved a hand in an amused protest.  

“Any more than this? Let’s not get greedy.”  

Just as he was about to content himself with modest progress—  

Rodella shook her head and clenched her fists.  

“No. Now is the time to implement a drastic measure.”  

“A… drastic measure?”  

‘What now?’

Latine looked wary.  

Rodella explained concisely:  

“First, we’ll disclose this quarter’s damage cost to the knights.”  

Latine raised his brows.  

“They’re not going to like that.”  

He didn’t want to discourage his knights.  

And understandably so.  

Just look at Felix—he had clearly been shaken.  

After seeing the damage compensation amount disclosed during the report session, he had been in visible disbelief.  

“That much…?”

“Should I even be eating at HQ right now? Maybe I should cut back? What if I’m actually a leech in knight’s clothing?” 

Surely there were others in the order feeling similarly crushed.  

But Rodella, of course, had already accounted for that.  

“That’s exactly why we’re disclosing it. It’s a shock tactic.”  

She spread her hands.  

“Then of course, I’ll follow up by saying we need to reduce damage—and to help them put that into action quickly and clearly…”  

Rodella smiled.  

“We’ll reward the knights who reduce damage costs. With a portion of the money that would have gone to damage compensation.”  

Even just that portion would be a substantial sum to an individual.  

“…!”  

As expected, Lorenz’s eyes sparkled.  

The discussion continued in more detail.  

By that time Lorenz, Felix—even Aivert—were all looking intrigued, Latine finally nodded.  

“That really is a good idea.”  

That was when Felix blurted out: “But field knights can reduce damage. Are research knights expected to cut back on research funds?”  

A critical issue for any mage.  

But Aivert interrupted smoothly: “If Sir Felix even figures out how to get these cuffs off, I bet he’d be eligible.”  

“Oh…”  

Felix lit up, clearly thinking of the ‘reward’ Rodella had mentioned.  

‘That reward will be mine!’

His eyes practically shouted.  

‘That’s the spirit, Aivert! This is how you motivate people!’ 

Rodella grinned.  

“Shall I proceed as planned?”  

Aivert had given implicit approval with his attitude.  

But the final word had to come from Latine.  

“Everyone seems motivated. Very goo—wait a moment.”  

Latine, mid-nod, suddenly stopped.  

“The current damage compensation is coming out of my personal funds, isn’t it?”  

“Yes.”  

Unfortunately, everyone present—including senior knights like Felix and Lorenz—knew this all too well.  

Latine scowled.  

“So if we reduce damages, and then give a portion of the savings as bonuses to the knights…”  

He arched his brow.  

“Aren’t I just giving away my money again?”  

As expected of Modilac’s Blade—sharp observation indeed.  

Rodella nodded.  

“Exactly.”  

“……?”  

Latine gave her a look of disbelief.  

“You’re bleeding me dry so naturally—”  

Rodella cut in smoothly:

“Anyway, even if the costs don’t go down, you’re going to keep covering the damage expenses yourself, aren’t you, Commander?”  

Because you don’t want to saddle your knights with debt…  

Latine pulled a sour face but nodded.  

At that, Rodella gave him a sweet smile.  

“Then at least this way, the costs will definitely decrease compared to now.”  

“……”  

That was true, but it still felt like a loss.  

Rodella immediately caught on.  

“Do you feel like you’re losing out somehow?”  

“I do.”  

Latine answered without hesitation.  

So, Rodella laid a carrot-shaped whip in front of him.  

“Then… shall we drop the plan?”  

That made Latine pause at once.  

“Without your approval, Commander, of course nothing can be done. I’ll look for another way.”  

As Rodella said that, Aivert suddenly spoke up.  

“You hesitated.”  

“Hm?”  

Everyone turned to look at him as Aivert continued.  

“You hesitated. That means you’re thinking about it—because not doing it would be a real loss.”  

He grinned.  

“Let’s go ahead. He loves it.”  

At those words, Lorenz and Felix erupted in cheers.  

“Woohoo! That’s our Commander!”  

“Modilac! Modilac!”  

The mood had fully tipped in their favor.  

Poor Latine, caught in the middle of their well-coordinated little scheme, clutched the back of his neck.  

“Ugh…”  

‘No one’s on my side—not a single one!’

Even as he screamed it internally, he couldn’t bring himself to deny it outright.  

Because Latine was, in the end, a good-natured superior who couldn’t look away from the hopeful eyes of his knights.  

“Nice!”  

Taking advantage of the chaos, Rodella gripped Aivert’s hand tightly and whispered.  

Of course, she had no idea that, in that brief moment, Aivert was reeling from the warmth of her hand, the scent of her hair, the sound of her breath.

* * *

―Neighh…!  

From afar came the sound of departing carriages.  

The event had been held in a banquet hall near the Administration Bureau, so it was only natural that the sound of horses leaving could be heard.  

One of those carriages must belong to the Azure Knights.  

“…What will you do, Aivert.”  

In the Chancellor’s Office at the top floor of the Administration Bureau, Chancellor Ameris smiled with a hint of sorrow as she listened to the sound.  

“It seems the way you and Rodella look at each other is different.”  

The gaze of a lover and that of a friend are not the same.  

There’s no way I wouldn’t know that.  

Thinking of her friend riding in that carriage, Ameris let out a pained smile.  

“Whatever happens… you have to keep your promise to make sure Rodella doesn’t get hurt.”  

She closed her eyes.  

Because more than she realized, Rodella carried the fate of many things on her shoulders.