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「Hein, come here. After what happened tonight, I feel a bit unsettled too. And… well, we were interrupted earlier, so… won’t you?」
Mother’s cheeks flushed ever so slightly as she spoke.
That alone was enough to overwhelm me.
Even I, a genius, couldn’t put a name to this emotion, something beyond mere joy or affection.
This happiness, this feeling of I love you, I love you, I love you so much!
Being told come here made me unbearably happy.
Yet at the same time, a sharp pang of guilt struck me.
I understood, of course.
Normally, a mother and child wouldn’t be so… intimate like this.
I’m not a child anymore. I can’t keep clinging to her like some fool.
Mother must lament how I still can’t let go.
Of course she would. What parent wouldn’t wish for their child to grow independent?
I know. I know. And yet—
・
・
「Mama, please don’t be afraid. Those lizards are… mrmph…」
Mother pulled me into her embrace.
「As long as I, no, as long as I am here, I won’t let anyone lay a finger on you! What’s the Demon King’s army to the Aster Ducal House, inheritors of the stars?! Nngh… p-please, don’t breathe in my ear like that…」
I wanted to show her, no, to prove to her just how mighty the Aster Ducal House truly was, to reassure her that the Demon King’s army was nothing to fear. But Mother, ever the tease, wouldn’t let me.
「B-before the radiance of the great stars, the Demon King is j-just… mmm…」
My words faltered.
Wrapped in Mother’s arms, comforted by her warmth, drowsiness crept over me.
「Hein, you don’t have to carry everything alone. Please, rely on those around you. And your love… mm… I feel it, truly. There, there. You’ve done so well, so just rest now…」
She stroked my head once, twice… then patted my back gently.
Even my formidable mental strength was no match for this lull.
「Come now, no more fighting it.」
At the fourth stroke, I surrendered, and slipped effortlessly into sleep.
・
・
・
◇
I had seen everything from the balcony.
The terrifying evil dragon. The pillar of light that pierced even the heavens, taking the dragon with it.
「T-that light… is…」
It was blindingly radiant, beautiful, and yet carried an overwhelming premonition of ruin.
Father had been summoned to the royal capital for its defense and was currently stationed at the royal castle.
No doubt the Aster Ducal House would soon receive orders to mobilize as well. But strictly speaking, the current matriarch, Helga Ira Aster-sama, was n.o.t. a.n. A.s.t.e.r.
Meaning, the order would fall upon the heir apparent, Hein Sera Aster.
However, Hein had yet to fully mature, and initially, the royal court seemed inclined to rely solely on the Sariel House for defense.
「Could that… possibly be Father?」
Even as I said it, I doubted.
To my knowledge, Father did not possess such power.
Moreover, I had just witnessed the hundreds of offensive barriers he had woven shatter one after another like fragile glass.
「No. That is not the work of a Sariel. That is the work of an Aster.」
I sensed a presence behind me and turned.
「Grandfather!」
「Faure is as useless as ever. It seems even this retired old man must lend a hand…」
Faure, my father, the current head of the Sariel Ducal House.
But his abilities were… limited. Within two years, I would likely surpass him in sorcery.
Grandfather, on the other hand, even in his advanced age, remained the most skilled practitioner in our family.
「The work of an Aster… Then, could it be, ?」
「Indeed. The Aster heir, no doubt. Terrifying magic power. Terrifying sorcery. He has already surpassed the previous head, Damian.」
「Hein…」
My feelings toward Hein Sera Aster were complicated.
We were engaged, yet I had glimpsed something dark within him.
I, too, am a noble. I pride myself on my discernment.
And to my eyes, Hein seemed nothing less than a vessel of calamity.
Power alone is meaningless without purpose.
I had wanted to annul the engagement, but matters between ducal houses are never so simple. Political considerations outweighed personal ones.
So instead, I waited, for Hein to reveal his true nature.
The plan was simple: maintain the engagement while keeping our distance. If Hein’s frustration led him to act out, that would be grounds to annul it.
Or, even better, wait for him to make some irreparable blunder on his own, rendering the engagement untenable.
Frankly, I’d expected the latter to happen sooner.
But Hein? Not only did he avoid scandal, his conduct was exemplary, a model noble through and through.
And as for frustration? There was none.
It was as if he’d forgotten our engagement entirely. He never approached me, never spoke a word.
For my part, I knew outright ignoring him would reflect poorly, so I tried to initiate conversation when opportunity arose. Yet he remained utterly indifferent.
「By the way, Esmeralda… how fares your relationship with Hein?」
The question I dreaded had finally been asked.
「W-well… we, ah… maintain a proper association, I suppose…」
My answer was clumsy, evasive.
「…I care not what it is about the Aster heir that displeases you. Has he done aught amiss? From all I’ve observed, he’s rather the paragon. Make no mistake, this is no engagement to discard on mere whim.」
「…I understand.」
Admitting we hadn’t exchanged a single word was unthinkable.
But now, it seemed I had no choice but to act.
Repairing our relationship was the wisest course. If an engagement with Hein, a man of such power, who fulfilled his duties flawlessly, collapsed due to my neglect, the Sariel Ducal House’s standing would crumble.
The blame would fall squarely on me. After all, I was the one who’d made no effort to advance our ties.
Would I have to resort to… physical means to capture his attention?
The thought alone weighed heavily on me.
◆◆◆
In the original timeline, Hein and Esmeralda’s engagement had dissolved.
The reason? The Aster Ducal House failed in its duty to defend the capital.
That failure allowed Esmeralda to cut ties with Hein completely, turning her attention instead to Azel, who repelled the Sky-Eater Ormund.
Hein, thwarted at every turn, stewed in resentment.
All the while, his soul festered with the very darkness befitting a vessel for the Demon King.
But in this world?
Hein’s soul remained pure.
A mother-loving boy, struggling to define the shape of his love, hardly a flattering description, perhaps.
Yet in that struggle, the Demon King found no foothold.
Not even the slightest crack to exploit.
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