Clatter, clatter. The imperial carriage, engraved with elaborate patterns, rolled along the main boulevard of the capital with a steady rhythm. Luan leaned his back against the velvet seat and gazed blankly at the scenery rushing past the window. The tall spires of the imperial palace were gradually growing distant.
A vacation!
Well, not in the technical sense — not a proper day off on paper. It was a business trip under the respectable pretext of a “purification rite,” and a strategic retreat to catch his breath.
Luan propped his chin in his hand and fell into thought. The subject: his new employer, Emperor Kirian Eckart.
Kirian Eckart.
The future delivered to him in the form of a novel by God…… or rather, let’s just call it the original work. The Kirian depicted in the original was a tyrant without a drop of blood or tears. Given that the former Emperor had died through conspiracy and many within the imperial family had lost their lives, that much was only natural.
But the man he had directly encountered over the past few days was, unexpectedly…… more reasonable than he’d expected.
Of course, it was true that he had a foul personality, acted before he spoke, and was the very definition of an exploitative employer. But at the very least, he was someone you could deal with through ability and results.
He simply dislikes incompetence — do your part and he treats you accordingly.
Then the answer was simple. Work as much as he wanted, and secure his own wellbeing in return. But Luan’s brow furrowed. If the Emperor was a “controllable variable,” then the existence he was now on his way to check on was an “uncontrollable catastrophe.”
Aiden. The true protagonist of the original work. The saint who received the full blessing of God.
Aiden was the same age as Emperor Kirian. Despite being the same age, unlike Kirian who had been worn down by political strife, Aiden was a pure crystal untouched by the grime of the world. Before long, this Aiden would awaken — and his emergence would signal the beginning of Luan’s ruin, positioned as the villain.
Sunset-colored. Hair like the last light illuminating the world before darkness falls. But the grim reaper who would take my head.
The real reason Luan had insisted on visiting the temple wasn’t rest alone. He needed to check whether Aiden was at the temple right now — and if so, how far along his growth had come. That way he could map out the routes to avoid him in advance.
The temple they arrived at was peaceful. White marble columns and a sweet floral fragrance. A sacred serenity that was worlds apart from the sharp, suffocating air of the imperial palace. Spotting Luan stepping down from the carriage, one priest came sprinting out without a second thought.
“Your Majesty, the Empress!”
It was Benya. The moment he saw Luan, he clapped a hand over his mouth and his eyes turned red.
“At last…… at last, you’ve returned. To this sacred ground!”
“……What’s the matter?”
Benya’s voice trembled with overwhelming emotion.
“Since Your Majesty left the temple, the blessings of this holy place have been halved — the High Priest has been utterly devastated. The genius who was on the verge of becoming the youngest ordained in history, the child beloved by God…… Luanisiel has returned!”
Benya looked as though he was about to drop to his knees. Luan had already thought Benya wasn’t quite right in the head back at the imperial palace, but he was like this here too? It was honestly a surprise. Five years had passed, and they had never directly crossed paths — yet Benya knew his reputation this well.
In the past, Luanisiel Requies had been a legendary prodigy of the temple. Praised for his overwhelming divine power and noble character, he had been spoken of as the next High Priest — but had been forced by his family to become Empress against his will, a tragic genius who had been taken away.
To Benya, Luan’s visit was not a simple purification rite. It was the return of a lost saint.
“Benya. Lower your voice. This is embarrassing.”
“How could you be embarrassed! Your Majesty’s divine power still shines like the sun! Oh, I feel the air growing cleaner already!”
Benya threw his arms wide with great fanfare. It seemed his appointment as Luan’s liaison hadn’t been purely the result of passing off an unwanted task. Judging by his excessive behavior, he had clearly intended to indulge his own agenda even in the matter of the Emperor and Empress’s divorce.
The apprentice priests nearby were also staring with reverent eyes, whispering, “Is that really the legendary Luanisiel?” Luan grimaced and turned his head away.
This is exactly why I didn’t want to come.
The atmosphere of treating him like some kind of holy figure was suffocating. Of course, the Luanisiel before him had been genuine. But the soul now inhabiting this body was different. He was just an office worker who wanted to sleep soundly.
“Please just show me to the purification chamber.”
“Of course! We have cleared the Sacred Chamber especially so that Your Majesty may perform the rite in peace.”
He came prepared. Clearing the most sacred room from which holy water springs. Even on the verge of divorce, an Empress was still an Empress, it seemed. The temple’s consideration drew a scoff from him. For an institution that hadn’t even managed to stop Duke Requies when he was actually leaving.
Benya led the way. But there was no need to dwell on the past. There was one more purpose to today’s visit, wasn’t there? Luan followed along, feigning indifference as he spoke. This was his chance.
“Benya.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
“Lately…… have there been any unusual new arrivals at the temple?”
“Unusual new arrivals?”
Benya tilted his head.
“Well, there are many apprentices who come in each month. Is there someone in particular you’re looking for?”
“Just curious. I was wondering what sort of juniors have come in. Sometimes rather unique individuals join, don’t they. For example…… someone with a rather striking hair color.”
“Hair color?”
“Yes. Something like scarlet.”
Luan’s heart was pounding with tension. Please let there be no one.
“Oh! There is one.”
At Benya’s bright and immediate answer, Luan’s heart dropped.
“An apprentice priest who arrived a few days ago fits that description exactly. His hair is scarlet, exactly like a sunset sky — you’d notice him right away. His name is…… um……”
“……”
“Aiden!”
Luan moistened his dry lips. He was here. And very close at that.
“Where is he right now?”
“Hmm, at this hour he’s probably in the herb garden out back. He’s not a full priest yet — he’s assigned to miscellaneous tasks, so he’s drawing water and tending to the herbs.”
Benya added this as though it were nothing of note.
“He’s around twenty years old, but his divine power — well, it hasn’t manifested yet, so he’s quite ordinary. He’s just popular because he has a pretty face.”
Twenty. The same age as the Emperor. But his divine power had yet to manifest. Which meant he was on the very eve of awakening. The timer on the bomb was already counting down.
“Let’s go to the purification chamber later. I need to take a walk first.”
“Pardon? But Your Majesty, your complexion is pale. You should be resting……”
“It’s part of the rite. One must breathe in fresh air and feel the energy of nature for divine power to flow properly.”
Luan offered this completely baseless reasoning and brushed off Benya’s protests. He changed direction and headed toward the back garden. Walking quickly with his long legs, Benya was soon left far behind.
I have to check.
Parting through the bushes, a wide herb garden spread out before him. Bathed in warm sunlight, it was as peaceful as a scene from a fairytale. And right in the middle of that peaceful scene——
“……Found him.”
Luan held his breath. The back of a young man crouching in the middle of the herb patch, and scarlet hair swaying gently in the breeze. The color was so vivid and so surreal that it was recognizable at a single glance even from a distance.
The young man was trimming herbs with soil-stained hands. Hair sparkling in the sunlight. Fair skin. An appearance that seemed to announce to the world, “I am the protagonist” — a beauty that looked like he had the entire world to himself.
Luan hid behind a tree and observed him. Radiant. So radiant it was almost unsettling. Could someone with such an innocent, guileless face really grow up to save the Empire and sentence him to his end as a holy knight?
And then. Perhaps sensing a presence, the young man raised his head. His eyes met Luan’s.
“……Oh?”
The young man’s eyes went wide. Emerald green eyes. Luan’s reflection appeared in those clear, transparent irises.
“Who are you?”
The young man asked as he rose to his feet. Tall, but with a soft demeanor that carried not even a trace of intimidation. Rather than being wary of the strange intruder, he looked on with eyes full of curiosity.
“Are you perhaps…… lost, brother?”
Brother. It was the most common way to address a visitor at the temple, but the voice that spoke it was far too warm. Luan swallowed dryly. The death flag had spotted him and spoken to him.
Should he run? Or should he introduce himself now? A thousand calculations flashed through his mind in an instant — and then Aiden smiled brightly and took a step closer.
“This area is the herb garden, so the path is rough. If you’re looking for the exit, shall I show you the way?”
He’s kind. To the point of bringing tears to my eyes.
Luan thought. The protagonist really is something else. But…… if he wanted to avoid making enemies, it would be better to start building a good relationship now rather than later.
Right. Jealousy and harassment like in the original work — that’s what amateurs do. I’ll choose the path of becoming this guy’s reliable ally.
Luan slowly stepped out from behind the tree. A new survival plan began to take shape in his mind.
[Networking for a Safe Resignation]
It was the moment the gears of fate began to turn in an entirely different direction from the original work.
