Prologue: The Margrave’s Granddaughter

To the Kingdom of Iwood, the neighboring realm to the east—the Geisel Empire—was an ally.

In the past, the empire had poured its strength into foreign conquests, burning with an endless ambition for continental unification.

Decades ago, however, the prime minister at the time had impressed upon the emperor the grave risks of holding such vast territory, persuading the realm to shift its foreign policy toward peaceful coexistence.

The current emperor was a mild-mannered man as well, and had maintained a favorable alliance with the Kingdom of Iwood... or so it was supposed to be.

“I knew it! Those scoundrels were never to be trusted!” boomed a furious voice. “That foolish prince has gone and staged a rebellion!”

This outburst echoed through the eastern borderlands of the Kingdom of Iwood.

High Lord Looser Lavender VI—the grand noble governing the domain bordering the empire—roared imperiously, slamming his fist onto the table.

The struck table vibrated, sending a wineglass tumbling over. Crimson liquid spilled forth and dripped down to the floor, yet Looser paid it no mind as he continued to bellow.

“My eyes cannot be deceived! The neighboring realm... the Geisel Empire must be pulling the strings behind this rebellion! Forming an alliance with such a nation was a mistake from the very start!”

Looser Lavender VI was sixty years of age.

He was the current head of House Lavender.

As Margrave Lavender, he was a grand noble possessing authority on par with Marquis Rosemary, the Director General of Court Mages, and Marquis Catleia, the Commander of the Royal Guard.

Because his duties lay in guarding the eastern frontier, his political sway in the central capital was weak... yet within the kingdom’s eastern region, his influence was absolute.

Truth be told, however, Looser possessed the appearance of a withered old man, his legs so feeble that he could not even walk without a cane.

“That is why I warned them!” he cackled with manic fervor. “One can never tell when an alliance will be broken! The empire is never to be trusted... Kuhahaha! I was right all along! Our clan was never in the wrong!”

In a raspy, withered voice, Looser laughed and shouted, venting a tangled mess of raw emotion.

A maniacal light gleamed in his bloodshot eyes, his visage resembling that of a vengeful spirit cursing all living things.

The reason Looser worked himself into such a frenzy... was because he had heard that Marquis Eiger, a fellow grand noble, was preparing to launch an insurrection.

Marquis Eiger was a key figure within the Queen Dowager Faction, which revered the late Queen Dowager Frederica.

The figurehead installed at the helm of the Queen Dowager Faction was Third Prince Rodel Iwood.

Rodel was not the son of the legal queen, but rather the child of a concubine who had wed into the royal family from the Geisel Empire.

Rodel’s mother had succumbed to illness when he was still young, and was no longer of this world.

What mattered to Looser here was neither Marquis Eiger nor the Queen Dowager. It was the fact that Rodel carried the blood of the emperor of the Geisel Empire.

House Lavender had served as the shield guarding the eastern border since ancient times.

Before the alliance had been forged with the empire, they had crossed blades time and again with invading imperial forces. In other words, they were sworn mortal enemies.

When peace was brokered between the two nations, it was the Margrave Lavender of that era who had opposed it more fiercely than anyone else.

Even after war with the empire ceased and they became allies, only House Lavender had continued across six generations to decry the danger posed by the empire.

“Ah, yes! Exactly so! We were in the right!” Looser cackled hysterically. “Our pleas never to trust the empire were not mistaken! It was all the others who were wrong! Nuhahahahaha, hahahahahahahahaha!”

“...What shall we do?” a young girl chimed in response to his venomous rant. “Shall we... strike first... and invade the empire ourselves?”

A single young girl responded to Looser’s raspy, curse-filled outburst.

“The preparations to mobilize our troops... are complete,” she continued softly. “House Lavender... has been preparing... to stand against the empire... all this time.”

The one who had spoken to Looser was a young girl with purple hair cut into a bob. She was short and slender, appearing to be no older than twelve or thirteen.

Yet her expression was far removed from any childish innocence or naivety.

The girl was entirely expressionless, as though wearing a mask.

Her finely sculpted features only served to heighten her doll-like aura.

Had this girl been dressed in a fine gown and makeup, seated quietly in a chair, most anyone would have mistaken her for an exquisitely crafted bisque doll.

“Hmph... No. Absolutely not, my granddaughter!”

Looser lowered his voice slightly, answering with a low growl.

“...The empire is beyond doubt siding with the rebel army. However... they have yet to show their fangs. Ah, yes! They have not shown them... cunning as they are!”

Looser grasped his cane and struck the floor hard.

“If we dispatch our troops now, we ourselves shall become the traitors! That cannot be permitted! It is unacceptable! We of House Lavender are loyal vassals to the crown. So long as the royal family continues to treat the empire as a sworn ally, it cannot be permitted...!”

“...”

“Ah, my grandchild! You who inherit the will of the vanquished who fell at the hands of the empire! Urula Lavender!”

“Yes... Grandfather,” she replied softly.

The girl known as Urula gave a slow nod at Looser’s summons.

“You shall head to the Royal Capital at once!” Looser commanded. “As for your pretext... yes, submitting an application to transfer into the Royal Academy should suffice!”

“...What shall I do... in the capital?” she asked.

“Glean intelligence on the central government! Investigate how His Majesty the King and his inner circle of nobles intend to deal with Marquis Eiger! Discover what punishment they plan to inflict upon that imperial bastard aiding the rebellion... Rodel Iwood!”

Looser repeatedly tapped the tip of his cane against the floor with sharp clacks.

“And should His Majesty show even a shred of mercy to that worthless Rodel... eliminate the foolish prince yourself!”

“Under...stood...”

Urula dropped to her knees, bowing her head low.

The sight resembled less a grandfather and granddaughter than a master and a loyal vassal—or perhaps a slave.

“Now that you understand, begone!” he barked. “Ah... yes. While you are at it, investigate the boy named Rest, who reportedly slew the master of the Subnock Plains.”

“...Rest?”

Urula raised her face, tilting her head in wonder.

Seeing his granddaughter express curiosity despite her impassive countenance, Looser let out a derisive snort.

“He brought down a demon beast that no one had managed to slay since the founding of our kingdom. He must possess considerable martial prowess. He may prove useful in the inevitable war against the empire.”

“...”

“Ah, and if all goes well, seducing him to win his allegiance would serve us nicely,” Looser added callously. “You at least possess a fine face. Offer up your body and try winning him over.”

“...Yes. Understood.”

At her grandfather’s cold, heartless directive, Urula lowered her head once more without uttering a single complaint.

“...As... Grandfather... commands...”

As Urula murmured in a hollow tone, the corners of Looser’s lips curled upward in satisfaction.

How splendidly... she has been molded...

Urula had lost her parents at a young age and was taken in by Looser.

Her father had been Looser’s son and the heir to House Lavender, but he had fallen madly in love with a traveling dancer and eloped with her.

After abandoning his noble house, the two lived in a tiny, secluded village... until bandits raided the settlement, taking the lives of nearly every villager.

Urula was the sole survivor. Looser took her in and raised her to become the next successor of the margraviate.

This girl must inherit my grand ambition... the absolute vow to eradicate the hated Geisel Empire. For that purpose, emotions are entirely unneeded. She must become a puppet dedicated solely to my goal.

House Lavender had lost countless family members, loyal vassals, and domain subjects in their long struggles against the empire.

Even though an alliance had been struck with the empire, the hatred that had accumulated over generations could never be erased.

Swearing to crush the empire without fail one day, the family heads passed down the name “Looser”—meaning “the vanquished”—generation after generation so they would never forget their humiliation.

“Go, Urula...” he exhorted her. “All for the name of Looser!”

“All for the name of Looser...” she repeated.

Repeating her grandfather’s words in a voice utterly devoid of emotion, Urula excused herself from the room.

◇ ◇ ◇

“...Phew.”

Having finished her discussion with her grandfather, Urula Lavender returned to her private quarters.

She took a seat at her table and let out a quiet sigh.

Yet... her face remained as impassive as ever, as though wearing a mask.

Though there was no one else in the room, her back remained perfectly straight, and not a single wrinkle marred her purple gown.

Her deportment was less polite or refined than it was mechanical, lacking the fluid warmth of a living human being.

“All for the name of Looser... Bring down the hammer of justice... upon the empire.”

Alone in the quiet room, Urula murmured the words in a voice that still held a trace of youthfulness.

““Head to the Royal Capital”... “Transfer to the Royal Academy”... “Glean intelligence on the royal family and nobility”... “Kill Rodel Iwood”...”

With hollow eyes, she recited the directives she had been given.

From an early age, Urula had undergone rigorous training for the sole purpose of exacting vengeance against the empire.

That upbringing was tantamount to indoctrination. Had her grandfather ordered it, she would not have hesitated to launch a suicidal charge into an enemy army all on her own.

““Investigate the boy named Rest”... “Seduce him”...”

That was the final order issued to her.

A boy who had achieved the un-studentlike feat of slaying the master of the Subnock Plains.

Investigating him was fine. That was one of Urula’s specialties.

The problem lay in the latter directive—the task of seducing him.

“Seduce...”

Urula lowered her eyebrows just a fraction... a single millimeter.

Though her facial expressions were sparse and her words few, Urula was by no means dull-witted or foolish.

Her mind worked quickly, and she possessed ample insight to read the feelings and emotions of others.

“...”

Urula reached up to touch her chest beneath the purple fabric.

Small, slender, flat... a child’s physique far removed from anything resembling feminine charm.

It wasn’t just her chest. Her hips and waist were similarly unsuited to tempting a man.

If she possessed a single physical feature superior to others... it was only her doll-like, beautifully sculpted face.

And even that face was so devoid of emotion that it hardly invited warmth or intimacy.

“Mmm...”

Urula let out a troubled groan.

At this rate, she would be unable to carry out her grandfather’s order. She would fail to fulfill Looser’s will.

“Why would Grandfather...?”

Why would he assign such an impossible task as seduction? Urula pondered deeply.

What Urula had no way of knowing... was that while Looser was a ruthless ruler who treated his granddaughter as a tool, he was also excessively biased toward his own flesh and blood.

Urula is a beautiful maiden carrying the blood of Looser.

Naturally, any man would fall captive to her charms.

With just a little seduction, that boy named Rest will crumble in no time.

Reasoning in such a manner, he had ordered Urula to seduce Rest.

“...I need to know.”

Urula murmured with a soft sigh.

Unlike her grandfather, Urula possessed a realistic view of herself, intuiting that winning Rest over through standard feminine wiles would be exceedingly difficult.

“Learn... Rest... I must learn more... about him...”

Not through sexual allure, but through some other method... she would win Rest over and make him her ally. Reaching that conclusion, Urula rose to her feet.

She rummaged through a cabinet, retrieved an object, and returned.

“...I shall perform a divination.”

What she had brought back was a large crystal ball, roughly the size of her head.

Urula was skilled in the art of divination. It was an ability passed down not from her Lavender bloodline, but from her mother.

Urula’s mother had been a traveling dancer as well as a fortune-teller, possessing the power to peer into realms beyond this world.

In this world, divination was a unique ability distinct from ordinary magic.

It was a supernatural gift that linked with the non-physical realm—the Astral Plane—to extract information.

Determined solely by innate talent, no amount of training could ever grant it to someone who lacked the gift.

It was an unstable power. While it allowed one to peer into human hearts and the future, it was far from omnipotent.

Had it allowed one to see everything, Urula’s parents surely would not have lost their lives.

“Rest... House Rosemary... Royal Academy... Subnock Plains... Slaying of the master...”

Chanting a string of keywords like an incantation, Urula held her hands over the crystal ball.

Using every piece of known information as material, she sought to draw forth insight regarding the boy named Rest from the Astral Plane.

“...Ah...?”

Before long, a white haze gathered within the transparent crystal orb.

A spirit residing within the Astral Plane had answered Urula’s summons, projecting the desired vision into view.

“...”

What appeared inside the crystal ball was a black-haired youth of about sixteen.

He possessed no particularly striking features. If anything, his face could be described as ordinary.

“...”

Yes... he was plain. He should have been.

Yet she could not avert her eyes. Her gaze was riveted to the crystal orb, glued in place.

“...”

Rest was speaking of something within the crystal ball.

Four young women stood beside him, all beautiful girls close to his age.

All four women clung to Rest, while he gave a troubled laugh.

“...”

Though no sound reached her ears... Urula continued to stare.

Staring, intently and unblinkingly.

Had a gaze possessed physical force, it would have bored a gaping hole straight through the crystal orb.

Intently, thoroughly, lingeringly, breathlessly, immovably... she gazed at Rest for as long as time would allow.

And then... Urula’s lips trembled slightly.

“I love him,” she whispered.

As if delivering some bizarre joke, Urula uttered the words.

Her mask-like, impassive face flushed bright red in an instant, looking as though it might catch fire at any moment.

“I love him... I really, really love him. I love him so much... I knew it, I love him. I love him, love him, love him, love him, love him, love, love, love, love, love, love, love, love...”

Her limited vocabulary completely collapsing, Urula stared intently into the crystal ball, repeating her declarations of love.

Urula’s eyes gleamed with iridescent, rainbow light as she peered into the orb.

That was the very power she had inherited from her mother—the Fairy Eye.

Commanding a full view of the Astral Plane, the sight perceived by these eyes differed vastly from that of ordinary humans.

To Urula, the ordinary-looking Rest appeared as a drop-dead handsome youth unlike any she had ever seen.

“I love him... Ah, I truly love him... How breathtakingly beautiful he is...!”

For Urula, raised to be a tool of vengeance to carry out Looser’s will, it was a surge of emotion so overwhelming it washed away her entire former self.

It was far beyond having the scales fall from her eyes... It was a shock to her very soul, turning her personality and values upside down at their foundation.

“I love him... I love him... I have to go... to where he is...!”

Joy, expectation, longing, romance, bashfulness, madness... With a myriad of emotions swelling in her chest, Urula Lavender’s heart beat with wild excitement.

In the eastern borderlands... the Margraviate of Lavender.

The commotion stemming from the defeat of Demon Beast Subnock had rippled out to an unexpected place, shaking the emotions of one old man and one young girl to their core.

The grandfather, Looser Lavender VI, moved in secret out of hatred.

The granddaughter, Urula Lavender, set into motion out of love.

And the actions of both were about to send no small ripples through the future of the Kingdom of Iwood.

ToC