Just like the departure ceremony, the return ceremony was nothing special. It wasn't much different from the usual monster subjugation, and it was also because Theo had omitted all the cumbersome and unnecessary rituals.
However, when we arrived at the Imperial Palace, someone we never expected was the first to greet us.
"...Your Majesty the Empress, what brings you here?"
"What brings me here? Of course, I must come to celebrate the Second Prince's safe return."
Not only the Empress but also her closest and most dangerous aide, Duke Raymond, was with her.
Disappointed that my walk, where I could fly around as I pleased, was over, I circled in the sky one last time before descending as soon as I spotted the two.
Theo naturally extended his arm so I could sit. What trick are you trying to pull this time?!
"I am relieved to see that the Divine Beast has also returned unharmed."
Considering she said she was relieved, her gaze towards Theo and me was intense. Rather than the usual contempt and anger, today, it felt particularly like she was observing us.
Especially, her gaze lingered on me longer than on Theo, as if she was searching for something.
However, despite all the precautions I had taken, the two simply exchanged greetings as if they had only come to welcome us and returned with a refreshed attitude.
It was unlikely that we would find out anything more by standing here, so we dismissed the knights and returned to our chambers.
The first thing I did was take a proper, squeaky-clean bath in the bathroom after several days, and then I lay down on the soft bed.
Rubbing my cheeks against the soft and fluffy blanket and pillow, I truly felt like I had returned home.
'Home…'
At some point, home had ceased to be a comfortable and warm place for me. In fact, I think it was like that everywhere.
Regardless of the season, it was always cold, uncomfortable, lonely, and suffocating. After spending time forcing my whole body into ill-fitting clothes and comforting myself that it was comfortable, I had finally regained the true meaning of home.
"You seem to be in a good mood. Still, try to stay awake just a little longer. I've ordered plenty of meat, just as Shuian likes."
"Gasp, really?"
It was still early for dinner, but Theo, who had been quite concerned about me eating only soup throughout the subjugation, must have told the kitchen to prepare a meal for me as soon as we arrived. I can't help it. I have to eat and sleep for Theo's sake! It's not because I want to eat it, really!
After finishing the meal, I went to bed early as well. I didn't intend to fall asleep right away, but I wanted to lie comfortably on the bed and rest for the first time in a while.
As always, I looked up at Theo's face as he hugged me like a body pillow. It was because he had seemed to be in a bad mood since earlier.
I had made sure that his wounds were completely healed, so was he just tired? But this trip shouldn't have been too difficult for Theo.
While there was no such thing as an easy monster subjugation, compared to his usual routine of enduring the entire schedule with substandard supplies due to the Empress's schemes, fighting monsters and demonic energy, and keeping unreliable people around him in check, this trip was like a walk in the park for him.
Perhaps sensing my gaze, Theo raised the corners of his lips and asked.
"Why is my Shuian staring so intently? Are you bored?"
It was the same gentle question and smile as always, but he still seemed listless.
"Are you sick somewhere?"
"Why?"
"Just… you seem out of energy. Is the demonic energy detoxification not complete?"
Just as I was frowning and wondering if I should check his wounds one more time, Theo, who had been quietly looking down at me, chuckled as if sighing.
"How does Shuian know me so well? Everyone else doesn't seem to notice this much. Sometimes I wonder if I'm just a very obvious person."
"Theo said so himself. I'm always in Theo's sight. It's the same for me, so of course, I know. How could I be the same as anyone else?"
I was always watching you. As an eagle, as a Divine Beast, as a human. And even now. Even in those moments you don't know, when you're sleeping peacefully.
On days when you, who are slowly overcoming insomnia, fall asleep a little earlier than usual, the time I spend watching you as you sleep increases. Even in those particularly short and long nights, the only thing I looked at was you.
I smiled, feeling the warmth descending on the crown of my head.
“…I see, so that's how it is.”
"Of course. So now, tell me why you're like that."
Trying to subtly gloss over it! At my urging, Theo hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"It's been a habit of mine to conserve as much strength as possible. I never know when the Empress might be plotting something, and especially during subjugations, I can't be free from demonic energy poisoning either."
Demonic energy accumulates in the body like poison and causes negative symptoms depending on the degree.
The only way to detoxify it is with divine power, and the descendants of Artes can exceptionally detoxify themselves thanks to the special nature of their mana, but it consumes quite a bit of mana to detoxify it.
So, for Theo, who was always exposed to danger while dealing with the Empress, monster subjugation must have been a continuous tightrope walk.
So it was only natural that he developed the habit of conserving strength, as he never knew when something might happen.
"But I'm concerned that that habit almost put you in danger."
What is he talking about now?
"I almost got into danger? When?"
"When you were fighting that strange monster. The magic broke, and you almost got hurt, didn't you?"
Ha, goodness. Is he still thinking about that? The protection magic did break, but he quickly recast it, and I wasn't hurt anywhere, so how can he say that was dangerous?
"When I say 'almost in danger,' I mean seeing Theo get hurt trying to protect me. Theo, you're the one who shouldn't do dangerous things!"
Theo, who was about to add something, just smiled as he saw my sharp eyes. What am I going to do with this gentle soul…
"But why Liam?"
He's definitely changing the subject, but apart from that, I had expected him to ask about Liam someday.
In Theo's eyes, Liam would have been just one of the many people in the Knights, and there might have been others among them who were unfairly framed.
In fact, in a world where status is more important than anything else, it wouldn't be surprising if there were several innocent prisoners.
"Because he's kind? Because he's righteous?"
I trailed off.
"Um… I don't know…"
Liam had turned a blind eye to too many misdeeds and misfortunes to be called a good person, and he had enough compassion to hold a spear, risking his own life, for a young knight he didn't even know, so he couldn't be called a bad person either.
So he was neither a bad person nor a good person, just one of the ordinary people who are everywhere.
"If Liam had ignored that young knight, my choice might have been different, but it's not because Liam is kind or righteous. I just needed confirmation about my gut feeling."
"What kind?"
"The certainty that he wouldn't betray Theo."
There was no need to endlessly suspect him as a perfect villain, and there was no need to gauge his righteousness as a perfect good person.
He was a 'moderate' person who would give his loyalty with just a little favor, had the courage and righteousness to take risks for others, but also had the cowardice to turn a blind eye to some misdeeds for his own benefit.
I wasn't trying to make a fair judgment, I just needed another ally who wouldn't betray Theo, so perhaps it had to be Liam.
After my firm answer, Theo, who had been silent for a long time, suddenly pulled me into a tight embrace. Thanks to that, I was buried in his large chest and could no longer see his face.
"Ugh…! Why all of a sudden…."
“…Even if everyone betrays me, it doesn't matter as long as you stay by my side. Would you be disappointed if I told you that so honestly?"
Would I be disappointed by something like that? You still don't know me!
"No. Then I'll tell you not to worry because I'll always be on Theo's side."
I still couldn't see his face, but I could tell he was happy from the laughter falling on the crown of my head. He might think I was just saying it, but he would never know that I had already made up my mind that way since leaving the forest.
"That statement makes me happier than you bringing Liam for me."
Making the final boss happy was surprisingly easy, so I grinned.
ê•¥
After only one day of rest, Theo became even busier due to the backlog of work and the strange form of demonuc beast discovered during this subjugation.
And I took advantage of Theo's busyness to find out about my identity. In fact, after learning that my identity was a Divine Beast, I had overlooked any questionable parts, thinking that it was because I was a Divine Beast.
But I increasingly felt that there were more secrets that I had overlooked or didn't know yet.
Let's recall the memory of when I first opened my eyes in the forest. I had opened my eyes as a fully grown eagle, not a baby bird, so I had no choice but to be sure that it was possession.
However, the fact that I knew information that I didn't know if it was mentioned in the novel, or that I naturally did things that I had never done before, was certainly unnatural.
Could it be my exaggeration to say that it wasn't just a habit ingrained in the possessed body?
I thought that what Ariel had said might also be related, so I decided to investigate on my own first.
It was difficult to seek advice from anyone, and there was nowhere to look into it, so the first place I thought of was the Imperial Library, which was said to have the most books in the Empire.
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