# That night, the entire palace was brightly lit until late. Handmaidens ran about with tense faces, while guards stood rigidly, turning away anyone who approached.
It was an unprecedented level of security during Elizabeta's reign. Fundamentally, Elizabeta was the backbone of this country. Such extreme vigilance in the royal court meant that the entire administrative function of the nation had essentially ground to a halt.
It was the worst situation for a woman in labor, but for the past few months, Elizabeta hadn't had a moment's rest.
Half-destroyed territories, nearly half the noble families and administrative officials gone, the loss of two military corps and the resulting security vacuum, loss of influence over the entire northern territories, suppression of scattered wild monsters remaining after the defeat, and war debts to allied nations including the Six Southern Countries.
All these matters were being meticulously coordinated under Elizabeta's supervision and approval. She was afforded neither weekends nor sufficient sleep.
Her once-slender belly had grown increasingly swollen, making movement difficult. With no appetite and living day by day with exhausted eyes, she lacked even enough time to sleep.
Meanwhile, the man who should have been supporting her through this said he would take a concubine before they even held their wedding ceremony... And then.
"Please, a son... a son... it must be a son!!"
Elizabeta cried out with a tense face, tightly gripping a white towel.
If the child were a daughter, her name would become her husband's ex-girlfriend's name... She couldn't bear to witness that.
"Lord, grandfather... ancestors!! What have I done so wrong?!"
Elizabeta overcame her labor pains with anger and lamentation, breaking into a cold sweat. Handmaidens were massaging her arms and legs all at once.
As her cries echoed throughout the royal chambers, that man was standing outside beyond the sacred rope with a cold expression.
"Senior, are you alright?"
Dmitri carefully asked Ivan while looking at him. He was the only person who would speak kindly to Ivan, as all the other officers in the palace despised him.
Ivan gave no response and continued to glare at the closed door.
"Um, senior...? Your eyes look... unhinged?"
It couldn't be helped. Ivan ignored Dmitri's words and remained rigid as stone. Anxiety gnawed at his heart like tiny bites.
In this era's medical knowledge, childbirth was considered an extremely high-mortality event.
To prevent childbed fever, he had ordered all entering handmaidens, midwives, and physicians to wash their hands and feet almost obsessively, and all their clothes were boiled and dried at least three times.
If there had been a priest, such concerns would have been unnecessary, but with sacred power gone, healing relied entirely on basic medical care.
Moreover, most "medical care" in this world was closer to quackery or folk remedies. Of course, there had never been a time without sacred power in the past thousand years. With most diseases and injuries instantly curable by a priest's sacred spells, medical services had never needed to develop.
In his previous life, he had been an ordinary college student with virtually no knowledge of medicine, physiology, or pathology. What he knew was merely basic common sense. In the current situation, there was nothing he could do.
"Aaaaargh!!"
A scream leaked through the closed door beyond the sacred rope. At that moment, the wooden railing Ivan was gripping crumbled into sawdust with a crunch.
"Senior...?"
Dmitri looked at Ivan with a shocked expression. But Ivan showed no change in expression, simply dusting off the crushed railing and calmly gripping it again.
*crunch, crack, crumble*
Everything his hands touched was turning to powder. Since it was obvious that a person would not maintain their form if caught in that grip, Dmitri carefully stepped back with a sigh.
Only the late king could stop his senior when his eyes looked like that.
"Waaaaaah—!!"
How much time had passed? While the guards watched with horrified expressions as the corridor gradually turned to ruins, a small crying sound finally erupted.
Dmitri, who had been holding his breath, finally exhaled and said with a smile:
"Finally!! Senior, I told you not to worry! Haha! Congratulations!"
"It's a girl."
"...Pardon?"
"Even before puberty, there are subtle differences in the vocal ranges of girls and boys. It's a girl."
"Ah, yes..."
Ivan walked toward the sacred rope with expressionless steps. The guards blocked his path with rigid expressions.
"No audience permission has been granted yet, sir. Please wait a moment—urk!"
The two guards collapsed and fainted, foaming at the mouth while still in their outstretched position. Since the only barriers that could stop a cold-blooded agent were his own common sense and loyalty, guards who didn't qualify couldn't stand in Ivan's way.
Ivan took a deep breath and pulled open the door.
The smell of blood.
First, his sense of smell detected the scent of blood and activated. Simultaneously, he followed the strong body odor with his gaze.
He ignored the handmaidens looking at him with shocked faces. Even the few guards present didn't dare approach him.
"Relax... your expression... you fool..."
That faint voice made him pause. Elizabeta, looking at him with a tired face from beyond his feet, smiled weakly and said:
"What kind of face is that for our child to see her father for the first time?"
"Your Majesty."
"Enough. Speak comfortably. It's alright..."
"Elize..."
Ivan briefly rubbed his face and headed toward the clean water set aside in a corner of the chamber. He washed his hands roughly enough to irritate his skin and carefully turned around.
In the center of the chamber, Elizabeta was holding something.
"Look, Vanka... this is the blood of you and me. The royal blood of this country. The master of the next era..."
His feet felt heavy. He could see a tiny life wrapped in a white blanket.
A reddened, chubby hand waving about, a swollen face with puffy lips making small movements—the baby's face peeked through the blanket.
"So this is how Maximillian felt."
"Hmm...?"
Ivan found himself empathizing without realizing it. Yes, with this feeling... the transmigrator must have risked his life for this world and walked the path of the Demon King.
If he had known this feeling just 10 months earlier, Ivan might have agreed with Maximillian's ideals during their final battle.
He could now fully understand the anguish and thoughts Maximillian must have experienced. Yes, with this feeling... he would have split the heavens.
"It's a girl."
"Elize, I knew immediately because she resembles you."
"Hehe, but don't her eyes look just like yours? And these tightly closed lips, and these earlobes too."
"Hmm..."
Elizabeta, gently stroking the small child, whispered softly:
"Little one, this is your father. Look."
"Mmm..."
The baby looked at Ivan with blurry eyes, smacking her lips. When he met those deep blue eyes, Ivan found himself muttering:
"I'll kill them all."
"...Huh? W-what are you saying, Vanka...?"
"Everything that could threaten my daughter..."
"Vanka? You need to come to your senses. You didn't even give birth to her. I did all the hard work, so why are you the one going crazy...?"
"Just a moment."
Ivan looked into the child's eyes one last time, nodded, and turned around. Seeing his gallant figure, Elizabeta trembled and reached out her hand.
"No, no! Where are you going?! What are you planning to do now?! You can't destroy the country again!!"
There was no time to humor the delusions of a mother who had just endured a long labor. Ivan's cold reason was already preparing the next plan.
Leaving the chamber, Dmitri remained in the corridor that had become ruins.
"Ah, you're back? Why does your expression look even more serious? What happened?"
"I need to modify the plan, Dmitri."
"The plan...? Ah, the plan. Right? There's no way Her Majesty would allow such a thing..."
"From this moment, we'll establish another intelligence office within the counterintelligence headquarters. Let's call it... the Special Protection Office. I'll oversee the training and operations, so you handle the personnel and resource allocation."
"You did get Her Majesty's approval for this, right?"
"Of course."
Since a wise monarch like Elizabeta would never refuse the creation of an intelligence office to protect the royal bloodline, permission was as good as (already) received. Dmitri, who (would have) understood Ivan's meaning precisely, nodded dubiously and withdrew.
# Epilogue: 17 Years Later
His vision was shrouded in darkness. Both arms were tightly bound, and every part of his body ached. A gag filled his mouth, making his screams nothing more than muffled groans.
He panted and screamed with all his might, then suddenly cowered as he heard approaching footsteps.
Who is it? What on earth is happening—
*Swoosh!*
The sack covering his face was removed. Tears welled up as white magical light suddenly flooded his face.
It took a long time for his vision to return to normal. He sniffled and barely managed to open his eyes.
"Are you conscious?"
"Mmph! Mmph!!"
"Ah, hey. Remove his gag. It's fine."
The shadow backlit beyond the white light gestured toward him. A man who had appeared by his side removed the gag from his mouth.
After swallowing his dry saliva several times, he carefully spoke with a fearful voice:
"What, what is the meaning of this? I am..."
"House Illieri of the Earldom. From Albinia. Obrio de Illieri. Age 17. Entered the country to attend St. Yansk University. Total stay so far: 3 months and 12 days. I know."
"If you want ransom, my father can certainly..."
"House Illieri may be wealthy, but not today, Obrio."
The man continued with a smile:
"Why did you approach Princess Laella?"
"...What...?"
"We collect personal information on everyone who approaches within 5 meters of the Princess. Obrio of Illieri. You approached her 3 times, pretending it was coincidental. One of those times, you exchanged more than five sentences in conversation, and you even went so far as to invite the Princess to a 'university festival.'"
"..."
Obrio blushed and lowered his head. The man backlit by the magical light clicked his tongue and shook his head.
"The right to remain silent is not a concept in Krasilov, Obrio. We are people who always get answers, and we have psychological counselors who can help generate the will to speak. Bring it in."
*Clank!!*
At the man's gesture, a metallic sound was heard. Turning his head, Obrio saw a metal cart filled with various blades being brought in.
"You know what? If one is sufficiently skilled at skinning, it's possible to cut only the nerves without spilling a single drop of blood. The pain continues, but without blood loss, one can stay alive for a very long time. The longest record so far is 15 days. For reference, that fellow spilled everything, including his secret account transactions, after just two days. I wonder how long you'll last."
"I, I just... just wanted to get, get closer to the P-Princess..."
"That's not a good answer. Not at all. I thought you were a smarter person."
*Shing*, with a skin-crawling sound, a thin surgical knife appeared in the man's hand. It was so sharply honed that the light reflecting off the blade was perfectly clean without any distortion.
"You'll need to answer wisely. Choose your next words carefully. We have plenty of time... Consider yourself fortunate. If my senior were here, he would have chosen slightly more aggressive methods."
The man who approached looked to be middle-aged. Despite wearing prosthetic legs on both limbs, he walked smoothly and silently, slowly placing his hand on Obrio's bound arm.
"Dmitri."
"Eek, yes, senior! You're here already?"
"Why would it take long to destroy one entrance train? Who is this?"
"Uh..."
The face of the man who had been smiling smugly the entire time froze. He looked with fearful eyes toward some shadow in a corner of the interrogation room.
From the direction of the voice, the man called "senior" continued:
"Ah, so this is the one who approached Laella. Has he not spoken yet?"
"From what I can see, he seems to be Type 3, senior."
"Unrequited love... Yes, there have been many lately."
Dmitri quickly moved away from Obrio and stepped back. The voice continued from among the shadows:
"There have been 12 others in the past 3 months. Your name?"
"Ob-Obrio... de Illieri..."
"The eldest son of Earl Illieri. Faculty of Chivalry?"
"Y-yes, that's right."
"The twelve before you were disappointing, but I always provide the same opportunity. An opportunity to prove your worthiness to be with Laella. If you have no other intentions... would you like to try?"
*Thud.*
Footsteps echoed like thunder. A terrible killing intent felt like it would tear his heart apart.
Obrio had to forcibly suppress the rising nausea. His mind was completely paralyzed with fear, unable to think anything.
Through his bleached brain, the man's voice lodged like a command:
"Let's see if you can provide the same thing I've been providing to Laella all this time."
"P-p-provide...?"
"Safety."
The man who walked out from the shadows was looking down at him with deep blue eyes. He was tall and lean, cold beyond description.
His age was difficult to determine due to the full beard on his chin. Those brilliantly blue eyes seemed both aged like an old man and explosive like a youth.
He pulled out an axe from his breast and continued:
"The ability to protect Laella safely. That's all I require. Like any father..."
"Y-y-you are P-P-Princess Laella's f-father...?"
"Gladly so."
"I, I, I am... *sob*... honored... can't... breathe... honored...! To meet you... Hero."
"Flattery has nothing to do with my daughter's safety, and is even inappropriate."
Ivan Petrovich Yeremov... a man who became a god while still alive. The man who killed all the gods of this land and achieved peace for the United Kingdoms.
The man whose mere existence made all monarchs carefully observe Krasilov's movements... a living war deterrent.
That man was now looking at him. With killing intent.
In the midst of panic that made him feel like he would stop breathing, Obrio looked at the approaching Hero and inwardly realized: This is death. I'm about to die. Oh, father... mother, I'm sorry. Your unfilial son is leaving first...
"Daddy—!!!"
*CRASH—!!*
The interrogation room door shattered as someone burst in. Somehow, Ivan, who had retreated near the wall, no longer held any weapon in his hands.
Surprisingly, Ivan was smiling brightly. He spread his arms wide and embraced the rushing shadow.
"Daughter! How was school?"
"What did I tell you? You're kidnapping kids and threatening them again!! How many times have I told you not to do this!"
"It's a misunderstanding, daughter. I don't kidnap people. Would you tell me who's spreading such false rumors?"
"Whenever I mention someone, they always go missing!"
Brilliant silver hair, sapphire blue eyes that shone brightly, and light footsteps approached Obrio.
*Whoosh*, the scent of roses wafted by. As Obrio's face relaxed dreamily at the sweet fragrance, he saw Ivan and Dmitri glaring at him terrifyingly from behind her shoulders.
"Ignore them. Dad and Uncle talk like that, but no one has actually died from this sort of thing yet."
"P-P-Princess..."
"Hahaha, I told you to just call me Laella. There, done. I've untied everything. Stand up."
Obrio rose unsteadily, fervently praying he hadn't soiled himself. Thankfully, there seemed to be no such evidence.
He stood up with difficulty and looked at Laella.
"Let's get out quickly. You shouldn't stay here. And don't tell anyone about what happened today. I won't be able to save you twice."
"Yes, yes!!"
"Wait."
At the cold voice, Obrio froze. Ivan, who had somehow approached behind him, put his arm around him in a friendly manner and whispered:
"If you look to the right when you leave, you'll see five mounds, young Obrio."
"Y-yes?"
"Seven withdrew from school, but five took the challenge. I hope you won't be the thirteenth. You're smart, so you understand what I mean, right?"
"Yes!!!"
"Good, I like you already. I hope we don't meet again."
"Yes, Hero!!"
Obrio hastily left the interrogation room. Watching his retreating figure, Ivan smiled contentedly.
"That boy will never approach Laella again."
"Shall we begin the next operation?"
"Let's put the festival raid on hold for now. When all the other boys gather, we can make plans then..."
"'Little' Ivan should be finished with classes by now, senior. Will you go to Isabelle?"
"What about Astrid?"
"Astrid should be with Einar now. He loves his granddaughter so much."
"Let's go there first."
Ivan nodded briefly and left the interrogation room.
Outside the small window in the corridor of the Pritzenkaya branch of the Counterintelligence Headquarters, the sunset was shining down.
A massive city, incomparable to the Pritzenkaya he remembered from over a decade ago, spread out below him.
Trains flowed along long tracks into the city. Many people disembarked, and many others boarded the vehicles.
The shadows of airships circling in the sky drew long trajectories below the city. Beneath them, humans, elves, and dwarves scattered and gathered.
And closer, within the large fence of the Counterintelligence Headquarters.
Two students were walking.
A terrified boy and a girl cheerfully swinging her silver hair as she walked.
Peace would continue forever. Even after his death, forever.
There might be wars at times, and calamities might occur. Forgotten gods might awaken, and new challengers seeking ascension might appear.
What might happen during a thousand years of time? And the next thousand years, and the thousand after that.
But it doesn't matter. As he had done, and as those children would do, people would continue to walk their path a thousand years from now, just as they had a thousand years ago.
Even if they stumble, even if they painfully sit down, even if they lose everything and crumble. Again, they would pick up their old tools and take one more step forward.
Maximillian wanted to eliminate all threats to humanity's future with his own hands. He wanted humans to be nurtured in eternal peace.
But Ivan would not do that. As was being meticulously prepared even now, his plan would be different.
He would be the threat.
He would be the obstacle, the terrorist, the attacker. He would be the test, the trial, the difficulty.
And his "children" would gladly overcome all those trials and hardships and move forward.
Thus, humanity would advance toward a better today than yesterday. Step by step, without stopping.
That would be enough.
Seventeen years had passed since the epilogue.
And even after thousands of years from the ending, the story would continue unbroken, flowing alongside history.
# Epilogue: 17 Years Later
<THE END>