“Kegh! Heok!”

Repin’s breath exploded from his lungs in a seizure-like gasp as he became aware of an unfamiliar ceiling. Where am I? Who am I? He rolled his eyes, a splitting headache pounding in his skull. Just as his last, faded memories were beginning to sharpen, three or four faces abruptly leaned into his view.

“Aaaaargh!”

“My, what a booming voice. You’ll deafen us.”

“Accor—no, Captain Akorella?”

“Yes. I am Akorella of the Ministry of Magic, and these are the imperial physicians. We’ve been monitoring your progress, as you, Lord Repin, have been unconscious for several days after your drinking binge. I’m glad you’ve come to your senses. We almost had a funeral on such a fine day.”

Unconscious for several days?

Repin clutched at his pounding heart and looked around. It seemed to be the Ruswenan dignitaries’ palace, but not a single member of his delegation was in sight.

“Wait a minute. You’re clutching your chest. Does your heart hurt? And do you normally wake up like, ‘Kegh!’? Were you suffocating?”

“No, right now—”

“How are you feeling right now? What’s your physical condition?”

Akorella pushed her glasses up with the tip of her pen. There had never been a case of someone mixing Truth Serum and alcohol before, which made Repin a rather valuable test subject. The fact that his was a disposable body was just a minor peculiarity.

“H-How many days have I been like this?”

“I don’t know about ‘days.’ It’s been a little under ninety hours, I think.”

“…That’s impossible!”

“Why is it impossible? What’s impossible is your attitude, coming to someone else’s celebration and drinking yourself to death. How can you not know your own limit at your age?”

“You… you must have given me sleeping pills again! You cunning bastards! You think I wouldn’t know? You colluded with the King of Clifford and fed me something strange! Truth Serum! Yes, that’s it!”

Repin shot up and began to rage, but the physicians restrained him, forcing him back down. He likely wouldn’t have been able to move a single step anyway, sapped of all his strength.

Akorella meticulously checked Repin’s condition and shrugged. “Do you have any proof?”

“Wh-What did you say?”

“And did anyone force it down your throat? Why are you picking a fight after drinking it all by yourself, Lord Repin? You said all sorts of things to the King of Clifford. Will you be alright? If you want to send a carrier pigeon to Ruswena, I can help you write the message.”

What did I say? Repin just blinked, and as a memory from the other night surfaced, his face went pale. The dragon!

“Hmm. His memory seems better than expected.”

“No, th-that is! Whatever it was, I was drunk and talking nonsense. Where is the King of Clifford now?”

“Oh. So you admit it was a mistake made while drunk?”

Repin flinched at Akorella’s question, realizing he had no easy way out. If he strongly asserted that he had been forced to drink the Truth Serum, he would be admitting that everything he had divulged was true. If he claimed he had misspoken while drunk, he would be unable to protest Bariel’s indulgent behavior.

Repin ground his teeth, and Akorella waited patiently for his answer.

‘That filthy mustache.’

‘This lunatic of a mage!’

Their glares were so full of hostility that the physicians subtly backed away and held their breath.

“I wish to see the King of Clifford first.”

“Ah, yes, yes. If you wish to see him, you should.”

He was choosing to grasp the overall situation before rashly taking a stance. Akorella, as if she had expected it, roughly yanked the curtains open.

Swoosh!

Bright sunlight poured in, revealing the Imperial Palace grounds packed with a crowd so dense there was no room to even step. Repin, looking dazed, walked toward the window.

“But what to do? The Clifford and Ruswenan delegations have all entered the main palace to attend the coronation ceremony. The crowd is too large to get through easily, so it would be best for you to stay here with me until the event is over.”

“What kind of nonsense is this?”

“Nonsense? Then feel free to try leaving on your own. But if you get trampled to death, Bariel takes no responsibility.”

They can fly, yet they pull a stunt like this! Repin’s jaw tightened, his mustache trembling. Akorella pulled over a chair, sat down, and began what was an interrogation in all but name.

“Is your stomach upset? Are you nauseous?”

“It would be stranger if it wasn’t!”

“I see. And your head?”

“It is perfectly clear! There is no problem with my judgment!”

“And the problem with the dragon you presented?”

“Of course—!”

Repin, who had been shouting confidently, froze. Akorella paid him no mind, calmly scribbling with her pen as she continued. “The condition of the scales on the tribute dragon was atrocious. It was a serious issue, enough to affect its lifespan. And that’s not all.”

Thump.

A single water bottle had naturally appeared on the side table. Repin instinctively knew it was Truth Serum. He pressed himself against the wall to protect himself and began to inch toward the door.

“Wh-What are you doing?! I am Repin, the head delegate of Ruswena! Are you unaware that threatening me is the same as declaring war on Ruswena?”

“I know. I know that very well. But I don’t know why you’re overreacting when I haven’t even done anything.”

Click! Repin’s heart sank along with the sound. The door had been locked from the outside. Akorella rested her chin on her hand, smiled sweetly, and gestured for him to come closer while she was still being nice.

“Even if you do this! Do you think you can make Ruswena kneel?!”

“Oh my, what a great patriot. I’m so moved I could cry. You’d think no one else here has a country. I love my Bariel too, you know? So when we get sucker-punched, well, it doesn’t make me feel very good.”

When Repin showed no sign of moving, Akorella walked over to him herself. “I’m going to ask a few questions, and your level of cooperation will determine how intact you are when you return to Ruswena. The list of expected questions is—”

“Don’t, d-don’t!”

“Is the tribute dragon a crossbreed?”

“……!”

“How many suits of Black Armor have been prepared?”

“I don’t know! I don’t! I’d rather bite my own—!”

Before Repin could bite his tongue, attendants rushed in and stuffed a cloth in his mouth.

“And lastly, were you aware of the dragon’s abilities?”

“Mph! Mmph!”

Pop! Akorella opened the cap of the Truth Serum and slowly waved it in front of the struggling Repin’s eyes.

“You ask if I’m not afraid of Ruswena?”

“Mmph!”

“Then are you not afraid of Bariel?”

“Waaaah! Waaah!”

“It’s starting! It’s finally starting!”

As Akorella whispered, the roar of the crowd outside surged like a gale. The coronation ceremony was about to begin. She winked at Repin and asked, “You know the coronation and the deployment ceremony are happening together, right?”

“Mmph—”

The deployment ceremony. When war was declared, the valiant soldiers of Bariel would march toward Burgos to cut down their enemies. This meant that for Bariel, there would only be allies and enemies, and Ruswena, which had long been on a different path, would become a target to be crushed. And Repin was the representative of Ruswena. In other words, the representative of the enemy.

“Now, now. Let’s get started, shall we? Try this as a hangover cure. Until you’ve thrown up everything inside you! Yes!”

This fate had been more or less sealed the moment a delegate, not the king, had arrived. They either had to cooperate with Bariel to seize power back home, like Prime Minister Shatima of Hawan, or fulfill their duty as a prisoner of war.

Repin shook his head from side to side and struggled, but due to the loud commotion from the Imperial Palace, no one came to his aid. Not that it would have made a difference even if they had heard.

***

The main palace was filled with a solemn atmosphere. Even the most flamboyant nobles wore almost no jewelry, and their garments were of non-lustrous materials. On this day, the only thing allowed to sparkle was the crown.

The Clifford party looked half-dead from the days of drinking, while the Astana and Hawan delegations were seated without issue, awaiting the ceremony. The problem was the Ruswenan side.

“Are… are we going to be alright?”

“Shh. Stay calm.”

When Repin had passed out from drinking, they had thought little of it. It was a common occurrence, after all. But for him to be unresponsive even now, as the coronation was beginning? They had been told the palace had assigned a physician, but it was hard to believe. They had, of course, considered that their status could shift from honored guests to prisoners of war with the declaration of war, but they had never anticipated this process. Bariel was still treating them as state guests; the only problem was that Repin was not waking up.

‘Kyla’s not here. Did she really go to Burgos first? That tenacious woman.’

Chloe covered the lower half of her face with a fan and surveyed her surroundings. Only the quiet sound of a music box flowed through the hall, and the nobles, careful of their comportment, were hesitant to even move.

“Mama, Mama! Where’s Papa?”

“Shh, Vivi. Papa is with His Highness. He has many things to do until the very end. Lady Philea, can you see well from there? Please, come closer.”

“Thank you, but I’m alright. I can see just fine. But perhaps just for Roel.”

“Yes, yes. This way, Roel. You can stand up here. There’s a dais for the children.”

Thanks to Viviana’s consideration, Roel and Vivi were able to stand together on a small step-stool. Vivi hugged Roel tightly and whispered, “It’s the coronation! This is amazing!”

“…”

“Roel, we’re about to witness a legendary moment!”

“Vivi! Didn’t Mama just say to be quiet?”

Though a little farther away, Viviana and Philea were also seated with their daughters. As the only commoners among the nobility, Viviana smiled awkwardly, conscious of the gazes around her.

“Your Highness.”

And inside the main palace, Jin turned his gaze at Ian’s call. He was dressed in a black uniform, his hair neatly arranged. Pinned to his chest were five badges symbolizing the Imperial Family.

“So. It is time?”

“Yes. Whenever you are ready.”

“I have waited a long time. I am ready.”

Even as he said so, Jin kept fiddling with his badges, checking if they were crooked. Seeing this, Ian stepped closer and adjusted them himself.

“Akorella is handling Repin?”

“Yes, she is. I have adjusted the sleeping agent so that he will wake up around this time. There will be no setbacks.”

“An interesting report should be coming up after the coronation is over.”

“But that is when the real work begins. What Repin has said may be the truth to him, but we will need to investigate if it is fact.”

“If he has the blood of a snake, he has surely played some tricks.”

He was referring to the possibility that Eldert had fed Repin false information to confuse Bariel’s side. It was clear to all who had faced him that Repin was a disposable pawn, so the possibility was high.

“Sir Ian.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“So much has happened to get to this point.”

“Indeed, it has.”

“So I thought it was a long and arduous road, but looking at your face now, it doesn’t seem that way. It feels as if the me from ten years ago is standing here now.”

It was because of Ian’s ageless appearance. Ian smiled gently, took a step back, and looked Jin over from head to toe.

“You are a man beyond comparison to the person you were then, Your Highness.”

“Thank you.”

“…”

“I feel I have never said it, so I say it now. Thank you for holding me even when I was bleeding from my wounds. Thank you for not persuading me with sweet words. Thank you for being with me on that first step I took into the great hall, and thank you for assuring me that I was a person of great worth.”

Ian just smiled, suddenly realizing how precious the bond they had forged through time was.

“Most of all, thank you for returning. I sincerely thank the gods that you are here with me in this moment.”

At Jin’s words, Ian silently placed a hand on his chest and bowed. He, too, was thanking the gods. Then, he turned and gestured to the attendants.

“We will now enter—”

The attendants draped a magnificently embroidered cloak over Jin’s shoulders. Ian watched the scene with joyful eyes and added,

“Your Majesty.”