The navy-haired boy's gaze wasn't like always, not as indifferent and emotionless as usual, no, it was calm and mild, akin to the placid surface of an ocean, rippling with a curious warmth.
"Pfft!"
He chuckled gently, eyes curving like crescent moons, thin eyebrows intertwining, face seemingly a delicate painting.
"Such an arrogant title!"
Kieran's expression stiffened up, veiled with an unknown emotion; anger or dejection, Ian couldn't distinguish.
"It's your title," he paused for a second. "My liege."
"Nope! Nooopee!"
Ian immediately shook his head as he retorted, completely forgetting the momentum of elegance he'd subconsciously gained at the mention of a past title.
"My lord!"
Kieran immediately changed the way he addressed the fellow young man.
"Nah!"
"Your Highness."
"No no no!"
"Prince."
"Dude!" Ian waved his hand in the air."Don't say such dangerous things!"
What if someone heard their conversation? It'd be such a hassle to deal with!
"Dangerous?" Kieran's voice came through gritted teeth, "Am I so incompetent that you feel threatened by danger with me around?"
"Uh?" Ian was left baffled at the unexpected answer, "No, that's not what I meant... Anyway, don't call me like that."
"I don't know any other way to refer to you, your highness."
"Eww!"
Ian took a small step back.
"It's been so long since someone called me with that title, it feels kinda gross and silly."
"It befits you the most, your highness."
'Did he just insult me or was it a praise?'
"Haha!"
He cast his gaze down at the kneeling swordsman, deciding to change the topic.
"Get up. There is no meaning to this anymore."
"...I'm your guard."
"You might've been a guard before, but a servant doesn't need a guard anymore."
Kieran's reply came a little bit late this time.
"Stop referring to yourself in such ways, Crown Prince."
"I'm no longer a crown prince."
"You will become, once again."
"Hah, seriously!"
Ian shook his head in disbelief.
"Erase all such thoughts from your head or you'll only get yourself killed."
"I'd rather die than bow down to a false ruler."
"Haaaah!"
The self-proclaimed regressor didn't know whether to feel proud or disappointed about this boy. His words were both nice and harsh, his resolve a double-edged sword, which if wielded wrong, was capable of destroying him instead of raising him to victory. Ian brushed back his hair, unable to do anything but chuckle once again.
"I'm no ruler either, so stop bowing down to me."
"...."
The sword shifted slightly while still dug to the ground, and its owner snapped his head up, staring intently into Ian's eyes as if intending to devour the boy in the blackhole within his pupils. Goosebumps rose all over Ian's body and he flinched unnoticeably at the sudden pressure.
"Stop acting as if you've completely given up and quit trying to persuade me, it's useless."
Of course, Ian knew that it would be close to impossible to change this man's mind and stop him from doing what he wanted to do. He knew what feats he would achieve in the future and how he'd fight for the fall of The Empire. Ian clearly understood how firm Kieran's resolution was and where all this ambition came from. He could understand the boy very well.
Yet, he still wanted to keep the man away from danger and harm. How could he lose someone again after just finding out about their survival?
Ian was the only one who knew of the events of the future. He knew too well that this person, too, wouldn't be safe if he insisted on facing such power. The sole thing making Ian feel less stressed and worried was the fact that Kieran, as one of the ruling figures of The Resistance, was never killed in any of his regression rounds. Ian knew that even if he died, he got killed after Ian's death in all rounds. There was also the possibility of his survival. It was nice, knowing that the man was capable enough to take care of himself.
"If you had such a goal in your mind, you could follow that lady, couldn't you? That woman will do anything for you to join her army and to help you improve."
"I've already sworn royalty for someone else, I can't follow another person's orders."
Each time Kieran responded, Ian was awestruck and baffled. He was starting to think that this boy might've practiced all these dialogues beforehand.
"Don't be so strict! We were just kids back then and even as children, that was forced upon you. You can forget about everything that happened and decide on your own. Don't be stuck in the past. You have no obligation to protect me any longer. You've done your job well in the past."
The kneeling man huffed as if ridiculing his opponent.
"I've decided on my own, and my decision was to follow the vow I've sworn as a kid."
"...."
Ian lowered his head, out of words to respond, speechless. The brief silence didn't last long. It was broken by the swordsman's husky voice yet again.
"You too, Your Highness!"
"Y-yeah?"
"There was no reason for you to show your power to the others if you didn't intend on taking action, am I wrong? You could've just lived the life of a servant, quietly hide somewhere, and wait for the chaos to end."
"...."
A smile gradually bloomed across Ian's mouth. Now that things have come to this, why not make use of it to the fullest?
"Well..."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
"....."
For the tenth time in a row, Alaric's gaze swapped between the stars of the banquet. The Emperor and The Imperial Prince both sat on the highest platform, enjoying their relaxing time. There were other princes and princesses at a lower-level platform, some discussing among each other while others sat elegantly, glaring at the lower lever humans. They all had pretty faces and well-built bodies, but the common thing among them was their hair and eye colors. They were all light blue, with a hint of silver spread across them, just like the emperor himself.
Only the crown prince had eyes and hair of such a dark shade of blue, completely striking when compared to his other siblings.
"...."
Alaric glared at his glass, dazed. Various thoughts raced in his head, but they all led to a single description and stopped there, not moving any further.
'Eyes as blue as the night sky, deep and serene, as if holding all the knowledge and wisdom within...'
The crown prince's eyes weren't that dark. He was young, probably a teenager that hasn't even hit 20 years of life. Despite seeming elegant and strong, he didn't have the qualifications to be called mature and wise.
However, Alaric knew of a person with similar characteristics as described. A sense of anxiety rose up within his chest while thinking about it, entangled with an unknown fear.
'Navy hair as smooth as silk, long and messy, a thin, pale, yet handsome face, blessed with immense pure Aether...'
Everything that he thought of matched with the person in his mind.
'A monster...'
Except for one thing, the only thing stopping Alaric from linking the two separate entities to each other. He neither believed nor wanted to believe that his estimate was correct.
Alaric's low-pitched, irritated yet somehow hollow murmur couldn't be heard by anyone but himself.
"There is no way, he can't be the villain of the story!"
"Hey!"
A nudge to his side crashed Alaric's line of thoughts. He snapped his head up, looking at the person who called for him.
"Yeah?"
"What are you thinking of?"
"Me? Nothing!"
Barnett sighed at the obvious lie, "Then don't stare at the crown prince like that, it's both rude and suspicious. He's looking weirdly at you."
"Uh?"
Alaric looked back at the highest platform, only to make eye contact with a blue-haired teenager intently glaring at him. He seemed to be trying to look serious and majestic, but his young and innocent face failed to give him such a vibe. He looked more like a keen youth than an all-serious crown prince. However, the boy must have pretty sharp senses to have noticed Alaric's gaze from such a distance and become curious or wary of him.
Followed by him, some other people also looked his way. One of the princesses, a young girl with light blue hair and silver eyes, took a peek at her brother before tilting her head at Alaric. On the other side of the second platform, a young man with incredible looks, wearing a loose yet luxurious outfit, with dark gray, almost black hair reaching his waist, rested his chin on his palm, dazedly glancing at Alaric with a tired gaze.
Alaric hurriedly shifted his gaze away. He didn't have any intentions of gathering unnecessary attention. The people kept staring at him for a few more seconds before also looking away.
'Did I recognize him right? Is he that duke's son?'
One must have a high position to be seated at the same level as the princes and princesses. The dark gray-haired man was the only one with such a position. However, he didn't join any conversation nor did he show any interest in the party. He sat in a corner the whole time, sipping wine and dozing off.
'Whatever, I don't care!'
Alaric erased all extra thoughts from his head.
'I must focus on the matter at hand. I should find out if my hypostasis is correct or hopefully not.'
His resolve firm, Alaric took a big sip of his orange juice and thought of ways to confirm his guess.
. . . . . . .
Tonight was a great night. It was the birthday of the great emperor, an occasion that the citizens of Reinington, the capital of Asteriand, celebrated annually at the main square of the city by signing, dancing, or praying to the Sun God for blessing them. It was a joyous and festive night for them, an event that brought everyone together.
This year too, people had left their houses to gather together and have fun for the whole night. The festival was going on as always. People's cheers filled the air and the sound of music was heard through the crowded areas, blended with the singer's song and the citizen's laughter.
The smaller city streets were empty of any passersby. Even the homeless attended the party tonight as food and drinks would be distributed for free among the people present at the square.
The houses were empty, dark as no light was turned on. The further one went from the main streets, the quieter everywhere became, as if stepping into an abandoned city.
Two people wandered the dim and narrow alleys quietly, passing one house after another and heading to their destination akin to invisible shadows. Upon entering an alley, one of them halted and signaled to the other to stop. The two people clad in long and hooded cloaks approached a house with slightly short walls, located in the middle of the neighborhood.
"Let me help."
"I don't need it."
Declining the offer, the thinner man jumped up a little bit and grabbed the edge of the wall, which was short enough for him to reach with a little bit of struggle, and pulled himself up, jumping inside the yard. The other person followed suit, landing beside the first, yet much easier and faster than him.
The infiltrated house's yard was larger than average. There were a few stuff here and there, a small bench, some wooden sticks, a tiny garden, and some cats sleeping soundly.
"Let's wait for them to arrive."
The thinner hooded man strolled towards the bench and leisurely plopped down as if he hadn't just entered someone's house but was on holiday. He bent down and stared at the sleeping cats, wondering if it was okay to pat them. The other person stood beside him, holding his sword tight.
"Are you sure this is the right place?"
"Yep~"
The swordsman gazed around warily.
"How can you know about their house's location? Have you come back to the capital after that incident?"
"Hey, didn't you agree not to question my actions?"
"...Yes. I apologize."
"Eww, no need for that."
The relaxed young man waved his hand around as if to dismiss the stiff swordsman, however, the person didn't budge.
The breeze of late night was cool and the silence was refreshing to the soul. The darkness added to the serenity, bringing ease of mind to the people in the yard. The cats purred in sleep, the tree leaves hit each other, creating faint noises, and stars twinkled in the distant sky. Minutes passed in stillness as the due enjoyed the tranquil feeling, making their wait easier and pleasing.
Tat
However, the silence was broken by a light footstep, and the stillness shattered as a blade emerged from behind, aimed at the neck of the sitting young man.
Slash
The attack was blocked smoothly by the swordsman, who didn't even draw his sword. Following that, another blade slashed the air and shot toward them, which was deflected by a flip of the swordsman's hand.
SLASH
A sword flashed in the darkness, reflecting the pale moonlight, and slicing down from above the swordsman's head. Someone appeared from behind in the dark of the night, wielding a blade that was thinner than normal swords.
Tak
Kieran finally unsheathed his sword, blocking the attack with the half-exposed metal. The attacker landed on the ground and shifted their posture, thrusting a knife at Kieran's side with swift movements.
Keiran veered his body to the side, causing the knife to cut nothing but air. The other hooded individual has gotten up by now, watching the silent fight unfold from the sidelines, patting a cat in his arms.
"What made you think that infiltrating my house was a good idea?"
A woman's hoarse and suppressed voice reached their ears before another attack moved ruthlessly towards Kieran's neck.
The boy deflected the thin blade and waved his scabbard like another sword, aiming at the woman's stomach. The other person bent their bodies down in an instant and sent a kick as a counter-attack, which was avoided easily by the swordsman. Another knife appeared inside the woman's palm, intended to wound the boy's leg, however, the woman had to raise the knife to block the sword that was moving at her neck instead. She flipped on the ground, creating a bit of distance from her opponent before jumping up at high speed, wielding a sword and knife in either hand.
DANGG
Two swords blocked the other while the knife dug into a scabbard that was being used as a second blade, scratching it slightly.
"Who sent you?"
TAK
Keiran shifted his sword in his hand and turned his body around, judging the punch and sending a kick at her stomach. The woman moved to the side in an instant and placed a hand over the boy's extended leg, using it as a step to summersault and wrap her legs around the swordman's neck. However, her strength couldn't match that of a near swordmaster, and her lock failed after a bit of struggle from Kieran. The two of them took one step back each before tightening their grip over their weapons, ready to charge at each other once again.
"Hey hey hey! Stop fighting, guys!" A young voice came from the side followed by a pale light that illuminated the yard, brightening the two warriors' expressions. Upon seeing the swordman's face, the woman froze on her spot, eyes dilated and mouth gaped in an instant.
"Captain- No!" She took a step back out of shock. "Y-you are-"
Her gaze shook for an instant at the overlap of two faces, one from her memories and one present in front of her face. The two looked similar but also different at the same time, making her wonder if it was a dream or reality. Her head shifted to the side subconsciously at the person who brought a stop to their fight, as if seeking confirmation from the young man.
Visible through the hood was a youthful and thin face, gentle and good-looking, with blue eyes, deep and serene, and eventide-colored hair covering a part of his face.
"....."
The woman's body froze in an instant, her blade and sword slipping out of her hands and dropping to the ground. The sleeping cats woke up and meowed loudly, annoyed by the noises and light, but their owner failed to pay any attention to them.
"Y-you-"