As Ian returned to his room, claiming he wasnât a eunuch, the girls worried he might have been hurt.
âIanâŚâ
Watching Ianâs figure, slumped like a wounded cat as he walked to my room, Noah blamed the others for not being honest with him.
However, a young girlâs heart didnât easily reveal its true feelings to others.
If only there were a medicine that could make someone speak honestlyâŚ
In a world where magic and summons existed, why wasnât there something like that? Noah felt incredibly resentful.
To be honest… I wish there were a way to express my feelings without hiding them, she thought.
***
Later that night, Ian returned to his room, frowning as he spoke to the emperor over the orb.
[So, Ian… you shouted youâre not a eunuch?]
ââŚHow did you even know that, Your Majesty?â
[Where do you think you are?]
At those words, Ian was reminded once again that he was staying at a resort reserved for the imperial family.
The servants here were trusted by the emperor and served only the royal family. Their eyes were the emperorâs eyes, and their ears were the emperorâs ears.
[If thereâs a problem with your function, I can send a doctor or some medicine.]
ââŚItâs not like that. And I donât think thatâs something to say in front of a minor yet.â
[Young? Youâre old enough to get married right now.]
The emperor looked at Ian with a strange expression, as if wondering what on earth he was talking about.
Only then did Ian recall that this was a game worldâand realized his mistake.
âŚRight, thereâs no such thing as a minor here.
On Earth, anyone under the age of 20 was considered a minor and couldnât do much without a guardian. But this was a different world, one created in Korea, and it wasnât a 100% replica of Korean law or society.
After all, he himself had to graduate from the Academy within two years and go to war to protect humanity.
âAnyway, I have no intention of getting into that kind of relationship with those girls.â
[Hmm⌠if itâs the princess, isn’t it okay to take her as a wife? Thereâs a saying that heroes come in threesâŚ]
âI donât think thatâs something a father should be saying about his daughterâŚâ
[Of course, the first wife must be a princess.]
Ian stared at the emperor, dumbfounded.
Wasnât it just a while ago that he was being forced into a relationship with the emperorâs daughter, the princess?
Though Ian wasnât her father, he could tell that the emperorâs emotions were unhinged. Some people cherished their children like treasures.
Ian once again realized that he couldn’t judge the emperor by ordinary standards and quickly changed the subject.
âSoâhow are things outside these days?â
[Surprisingly peaceful. All thanks to you, Marquis Ian.]
âThe demons are keeping their promisesâŚâ
[I thought it might be a ruse to secure a justification.]
Surprisingly, after handing over the heads of the death row inmates disguised as Ian and Noah, the demons had truly ceased their attacks.
Of course, if they ever discovered the heads were fake, they might return with an army in a fury. Still, the emperor had expected them to use it as an excuse to retaliate immediately after his unreasonable demand wasnât met.
[âOr it could be part of a scheme, using even your death as a stepping stone.]
ââŚMine?â
[Yes.]
One of the reasons humanity couldnât completely drive out the demons was because they fed on human emotions and were born from human minds.
Even within Dinuaâinside the Academy, supposedly a completely safe placeâsuch things occurred in another city steeped in violence and unrest.
Someone could spread a malicious rumor, claiming the emperor had offered up human heads to demons. That could spark hostility toward him from the people.
Such united hatred would manifest as a new demon that threatened humanity once again.
More than anythingâŚ
[Thatâs what I fear most, Marquis Ian.]
âWhat?â
[That the commoners we strive to protect⌠would one day point their blades at us.]
The peace they currently enjoyed had been built on the death of Ian Clark. But what if Ian Clark were to be discovered aliveâand the demons used that to reignite a war?
Perhaps people would say what no one dared to voice aloud:
âThings were better when Ian died.â
No matter how strong a person was, hearing something like that could plunge them into a deep well of despair.
And that⌠was what the emperor feared most.
When those who uphold justice betray it…
âI donât care.â
Fortunately, Ian Clark wasnât the kind of person who paid much attention to the chatter around him.
Had they ever faced the true evil of a human being hiding behind an anonymous mask, orchestrating chaos from the shadows?
It wasnât so frightening when powerless commoners had to take a stand.
[Then you are lucky.]
The emperor laughed as he spoke. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he gave an instruction to Ianâs attendant.
[I sent you a present.]
âA gift?â
[Iâm sure youâll like it. Well thenâ]
With those words, the emperor ended the communication. Although magic existed in this world, objects couldnât teleport, so Ian went to bed wondering what kind of gift he might receive.
Please, let it be something that helps him cut down demons.
***
The next day, the gift arrived.
As he opened the box handed to him by a maid, Ian found pills inside.
ââŚWhatâs this?â
âThese are, well⌠not sureâŚâ
Even the maid didnât know what the pills were. Still, considering the sender, it might not be anything too dangerousâprobably.
Ian guessed that if the pills had magical effects, anyone familiar with magic should recognize them.
âEmpress, do you know what these are?â
[Summoner, do you think Iâm some kind of all-purpose dictionary?]
âJust say you donât know.â
Unfortunately, the Great Witch, despite her centuries of wisdom, didnât recognize the pills either. And in a way, that was understandable. Technology advanced rapidly, and no matter how powerful she had been, someone from hundreds of years ago couldnât possibly know everythingâespecially not magic, which evolved insanely fast.
Smells sweetâŚ
Sniffing the contents, Ian noted that the pills resembled candy. The scent was almost intoxicating.
Unfortunately, he didnât like sweets. Since there were four pieces, he figured the girls could have them. He made his way down to the dining hall with the box in hand.
The girls were already eating downstairs.
âAhâIan!â
They waved at him as he entered and pointed to the seat next to them.
Ian casually took the seat next to Noah, and the maid immediately began serving the dishes.
Seafood delicacies made from the finest ingredients, cooked by the kingdomâs best chefâdespite being from the modern world, Ian found this food tastier than anything he had eaten on Earth.
Then again, Iâve never eaten at fancy places.
Good ingredients and great cooking skills produced excellent flavor, regardless of the era. Honestly, 70% of the ingredients could probably have produced great taste even back on Earth.
âIan, whatâs that?â
âHmm? Ohâthis?â
After the meal, the girls grew curious about the box Ian had brought.
He handed out the candies: two pink and two yellow.
Stella and Syrah chose the pink ones, while Noah and Dinua picked the yellow ones.
âIan, arenât you having one?â
âI donât like sweets.â
Stella tilted her head, remembering how he usually only ate sweets on rare occasions, but she shrugged it off and popped the candy into her mouth.
The girls who ate the candy immediately smiled, their faces lighting up.
âWow, where did this come from?â
âYeah. Itâs really tasty!â
âSuper sweetâŚâ
ââŚRight.â
Watching them enjoy the candy, Ian was briefly tempted to try one himself. But then againâwhat kind of man ate candy like that? He shook his head. Better to just let the girls have it.
Guess thatâs the end of the gifts.
As Ian stood up, Stella suddenly said, âYou look great today. I want to kiss you on the lips.â
ââŚWhat?â
Ian froze, staring at her. Stella looked back at him innocently, as if she didnât realize what she had just said.
âWhy are you looking at me like that? I really want to take him home and raise him.â
âS-Stella?!â
Noah, clearly flustered, called her name.
Stella, now aware something was off, brought her hand to her mouth.
ââŚWhat did I just say?â
âYou said you want to kiss Ian on the lips.â
âHey! I didnât mean that! I just meant⌠like⌠a friendly kiss or something!!â
Realizing something was seriously wrong, Stella clammed up.
Watching her squirm, Dinua frowned and said with concern:
âS-Stella⌠I think you ate something weird. You stray-cat b!tch, donât flirt with Ian. Iâll kill you!â
ââŚWhat?â
âE-Even you, Dinua?!â
The moment Ian realized both Stella and Dinua were saying things theyâd never normally say, he understood what kind of âgiftâ the emperor had sent him.
The emperor truly wanted to mess with him!