“I’m curious. Duke Gwendhill has gone to countless wars under Your Majesty’s name, risking his life and winning to protect the peace of the empire. He has never complained about the unfair reality and has been a true sword and shield of Your Majesty.”

Matapju, who was laying out her thoughts in a monotonous voice, tilted her head.

The more she spoke, the more uninteresting her life seemed.

“Living like that, was he happy?”

Matapju looked at the emperor quietly.

“Wouldn’t he have wanted to throw everything away and run away at least once?”

“……. ”

Only the gaze between the two flowed for a while, and there was a moment of silence where only one breath could be heard.

Then, suddenly, the emperor burst into laughter.

“Haha.”

As if he had heard something amusing, the emperor shook his head as if in excitement.

“Happiness. Matapju is also a sentimental person, it seems.”

Kindness was embedded in the emperor’s eyes.
However, Matapju could clearly see through the emperor’s act. In the moment of blissful speech, the emperor calmly adjusted his evaluation of Matapju.

“Over generations, the Gwendhill Ducal family has had much to bear. Sitting in the position of the Duke of Newton Empire, it’s natural that the responsibilities increase.”

Emotion was unnecessary in politics.

Only responsibility and duty existed.

“Born as a duke. Grew up as a duke. Living with duties…”

Among them, Leo Delt Gwendhill had nothing he could willingly discard.

Matapju, who was a woman herself, could understand that, but the emperor in front of her did not seem to.

The answer was simple.

‘Because he doesn’t see him as a person.’

Matapju smiled slyly.

“In the end, Gwendhill Duke had his life taken away, given the natural weight of responsibilities.”

“……. ”

“Accumulating an unbearable burden, he could only be crushed to death.”

Leo Delt Gwendhill was a sword and a shield. However, there was no unbreakable sword in the world, and there was no shield that could block everything.

Ultimately, the human who was a sword broke, and the shield shattered.

And only then could he become a person. He became an ordinary person with emotions, a heart, sometimes shaken, reckless, and making mistakes.

“I hope Your Majesty will not be crushed by the weight of the throne you are sitting on.”

Matapju left the palace after leaving an elegant farewell.

With each step she took on the thick carpet, the atmosphere in the palace stuck to her like a tightening noose.

‘Newton Empire will not collapse.’

Instead, the Newton Imperial Family, which lost the sword and shield, would collapse.

‘From now on, the nobles will twist and rampage for power.’

From the moment Matapju left the palace, the noble faction would rush in like a pack of wolves.

‘The Newton Imperial Family and the throne must be protected.’

The alliance was still valid. There was no intention of leaving Different Breedend in control of the throne.

However, Matapju had no intention of stepping forward and assuming the role of the Gwendhill Ducal family.

‘If the emperor, who puts all the burden on one person and whines about not being able to protect the throne in his absence, is better off changing, then that would be better.’

Matapju was capricious.

If the emperor, upon hearing about Leo Delt Gwendhill’s life or death, had sincerely worried about the safety of the Duke, he would have changed his mind and at least inquired about the state of ‘Ren.’

However, the emperor’s concerns and relief were solely focused on the ‘situation’ surrounding the throne.

‘A proper emperor should be able to buy some time.’

Until Leo Delt Gwendhill returns.

The current emperor was wise and cunning enough to protect his own position without relying on the power of the Gwendhill Ducal family. So, even in the face of crisis, he could maintain alliances and prove his ability to protect himself.
There is no one-sided trust. Moreover, help is originally something that should be mutually exchanged.

“Well, next~”

Matapju unfolded the teleportation magic.

The next destination was the Gwendhill Ducal residence. Fortunately, she could encounter the knight with long gray hair at once.

“How did you bypass the magical blocking devices at the Ducal residence?”

Facing the intruder who suddenly appeared in the office of the Ducal residence, the knight with long gray hair, Zed, emitted a sharp aura.

Even if she was Matapju, she couldn’t help but react sensitively to unauthorized intrusion.

“I am Matapju.”

Whether she said that or not, Matapju sat comfortably on the two-person sofa, crossing her legs.

Zed, just in case, checked the window and the area outside the office.

“Why did I come is not something you’re going to ask?”

“……. ”

Zed silently organized the piles of documents on the office desk.

“Did you find any clues?”

“No.”

Matapju took out a portrait of Leo Delt Gwendhill from her bosom.

“I found someone who looks exactly like him.”

“……!”

Zed immediately turned his body.

His icy expression quickly melted away.

“Where, no, where is he?”

Would the face in the portrait be common? Zed quickly approached Matapju.

With her chin resting on her hand, Matapju looked up at Zed.

“If I tell you?”

“I’ll go fetch him right away.”

Saying something obvious, Zed quickly retorted.

“What if I say no?”

“What kind of joke is this right now…”

“Is the person in this portrait that unpleasant? You prefer things as they are now.”

“……There’s no way my master would say such things.”

Facing the unfamiliar words, Zed frowned, and Matapju raised the corners of her mouth.

“Well, he spoke very naturally. Looked into my eyes and said, ‘I’m happy now.'”

At the word ‘happy,’ Zed was for the first time bewildered.

It was a word that their master would never utter.

“…Did you properly investigate?”

Seeing Zed hesitate, Matapju burst into laughter.

“Why? Is it strange that your master is happy?”

Matapju tidied her long hair, got up and stretched vigorously with Zed still present.

“He seems to have eaten well, rested well, and lived well. It seemed like he was seriously injured, but the recovery seemed smooth.”

“……!”

Although Matapju spoke casually as she passed by, it was quite specific, as if she had confirmed it up close.

Zed grabbed Matapju’s arm.

“Tell me. Where is our master?”

“Go look for him? Even if your master doesn’t wish for that?”

“Even if that’s the case, we must bring our master to the Ducal residence. Isn’t everyone around targeting him?”

“If you come here, will your master be happy?”

“This place is our master’s home.”

Matapju, as if she was going to break Zed’s arm, looked down at his hand. Then she flicked her finger as it is.

“Ugh!”

For a moment, strong force seized Zed’s neck and threw him away.

“Wait a moment!”
Zed stood up from the messy office desk and shouted, but Matapju had already disappeared.

Documents scattered all over the floor.

“Knight Zed?”

People who heard the commotion from outside rushed in.

“Summon all the mages within the territory immediately.”

“What?”

“We need to analyze the remaining teleportation coordinates here.”

Zed clenched the disordered documents in his hands.

If the confirmation of the owner’s life had been made, he had to go out to meet him as his knight.

“Happiness?”

More important than happiness was the owner’s safety.

Zed’s priorities were clear.

Hiro, the green-haired knight who had been searching alone, went to find the border soldiers.

“I heard you’re looking for a hidden village.”

“Oh, yes. There’s someone looking for it.”

“Then, you don’t need to climb the nearby mountain. There’s only one village. But if you still want to go, would you like to come with me?”

“Oh, is that okay?”

“Yes.”

The tall soldier, Tristan, nodded to Hiro.

“I was planning to climb the mountain soon to repay the favor.”