Thud!

A gray pigeon knocked on the window.

“……What?”

Dekan turned his head in surprise.

It was a messenger pigeon from the Silver Shield. What surprised Dekan was that the pigeon, which only goes to designated places, had flown all the way to the mansion of the Duke of Phelion.

Clatter!

Dekan quickly opened the window and welcomed the messenger pigeon.

“Coo, coo.”

Avoiding Dekan’s hand, the pigeon swiftly flew into the room and circled around Rasilia.

It couldn’t speak, but it was clear that it wanted to convey something.

“You have something for me, it seems.”

“Coo, coo.”

As Rasilia extended her hand, the pigeon obediently placed its feet on it. A small scroll was tied to its ankle.

Rasilia untied the string and handed the scroll to Dekan.

“Take it. Since it’s addressed to you, you should be the one to verify it.”

“Ah…….Yes, if it’s not from the Shield, it must be verified.”

The look on Dekan’s face as he received the scroll was noticeably uneasy.

“What is it?”

“Even the birds know that…”

The bird had been rigorously trained in magic. The secret messages from the Silver Shield were precisely targeted, and no one but the intended recipient should receive them.

Yet the bird had flown straight to Rasilia and calmly handed her the message. Today, the bird’s gaze, which never strayed from Rasilia, seemed particularly sparkling.

“It seems it should not be so familiar with me.”

“That’s accurate. ……But it appears to be beyond my capabilities.”

Seeing the pigeon nuzzle its head cautiously against Rasilia, Dekan briefly flashed a wistful smile.

“It could be seen as a good thing. If the enemy were to send a messenger pigeon, you could easily intercept the information while Her Majesty is here.”

Rasilia answered with a bitter smile.

“Let me verify this.”

Dekan unfolded the tightly rolled scroll.

Inside, text was written in a cipher that only knights of the Silver Shield could read.

“……This can’t be!”

Having read it, Dekan crumbled the scroll. As he unclenched his fist, the scroll turned into ashes and disappeared.

“We must go back immediately, Your Majesty.”

There was no doubt that the scroll contained grave news.

“What’s going on?”

“You have transformed, Your Majesty. And not in the palace.”

“What? Why so suddenly?”

The Bluemoon had already passed. There was no reason for the Emperor to transform into a demon.

“The reason is unknown. But for now, Your Majesty, you are needed.”

In the past, she would have hesitated, thinking she was too fake to do anything.

Not now.

Rather than fretting over whether she was real or not, the need to go prevailed.

“Lead the way.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. We must hurry.”

Rasilia even clenched the hem of her dress in her hand and began to run.

(Time separator)

“Insane! What on earth are you talking about?”

The Silver Shield moved quickly. News that the Emperor had transformed and was rampaging through the capital had already reached the palace.

Except for the fact that Rascal had casually stamped the royal seal and skimmed through the message from Liyan, there was nothing to fault in how efficiently the Silver Shield’s communication network operated.

“Your Majesty……? What on earth is happening?”

“I transformed?”

“Exactly. When did you? No, why?”

“……If I transform, the Empress will come?”

“What?”

The Empress had been absent for half a day already.

Rascal had left his office to wander around and finally moved to the Empress’s palace.

The Empress’s receiving room became the new office. All orders were issued here, and palace secretaries and stewards were also summoned here.

Despite having cleared even the work he had deliberately postponed, there was still no word of the Empress returning.

The thought of transforming so the Empress would come back had briefly crossed his mind.

However, both their expressions changed as soon as Rascal said this.

Demons had appeared in the capital. The Silver Shield knew this and had activated their communication network.
The Empress would have been contacted by Dekan first. She believed that Rascal had transformed…

Bang!

Rascal shot up from his seat.

“Where is the immature bird now? Did it follow the Empress?”

“Ah, the Phoenix? I’m not sure. I’ll ask one of the palace maids.”

“Hurry up. And the guards,”

“Of course, Your Majesty.”

Since the silver shield had moved, the royal guards responsible for the capital’s security would have headed towards the place where the demons appeared.

However, Rascal intended to personally lead the guards.

He had a bad feeling.

If it wasn’t him who had transformed, then it meant another demon had appeared on the continent.

He was just starting to feel the existence of his true companion. Yet attempts were continuously made to separate him from his companion.

First, the temple picked a fight with its emblem, now a demon appeared pretending to be him.

Ironically, the Empress was not yet aware that she was his companion and hadn’t accepted him.

Interferences kept occurring in this precarious situation. He couldn’t be in a good mood.

“Huff…”