Little Pink Starfish

“Very well. Sir Quiste, take two weeks’ leave starting today. All expenses will be covered by the Imperial Treasury. Is there anything else you wish for? If it’s within reason, I’ll grant it.”

“That’s more than generous, Your Majesty.”

“Hardly. The mission you carried out could have easily cost you your life. Name your wish.”

“…Then, Your Majesty, I’d like to serve you tea.”

Ishar blinked and looked at Shuzel. The knight returned his gaze with warm, heartfelt eyes and confessed with a shy smile.

“Ever since I left your side, I’ve always wanted to serve you tea again. May I?”

“I’ve actually been missing your tea lately. But—are you sure that’s what you want?”

“To be allowed to serve you tea is an honor in itself, but… Is there a problem?”

“No problem. Just, when I was young, someone used to chirp at me like a bird, scolding me not to eat sweets at night.”

Ishar said it with a mischievous smile. Shuzel looked momentarily flustered, immediately realizing he was the “chirping bird.”

But as expected of someone who had long been by Ishar’s side, Shuzel swiftly composed himself.

“That bird, Your Majesty, was only concerned because someone used to sneak into the kitchen and eat handfuls of sugar at night.”

When Richarde sent his second son out for official appearances, he gave him extravagant clothes and jewelry, but not food.

To young Ishar, sweets were not candies or pastries, but raw sugar or honey used for cooking.

So whenever his magical studies hit a wall, Ishar would sneak into the kitchen. Shuzel would always somehow know and drag him out.

“…Thanks to that, I’m still healthy.”

“It’s my honor, Your Majesty.”

Ishar realized that he would never win an argument if it involved the past. Now that he understood what he hadn’t back then, he couldn’t speak recklessly.

‘No matter how much I suppressed my presence, Shuzel always caught me because he was staying up all night to protect me.’

Shuzel likely slept clutching his sword in the room next to Ishar’s, tracking every movement inside, peeking in, dozing lightly.

And yet, whenever Ishar saw him, Shuzel would smile without ever showing fatigue.

“Here it is, Your Majesty.”

Shuzel returned without a sound, placing a teacup before him.

The tea was almost white—full of sugar and cream. It looked horribly unhealthy, but to young Ishar, it was the best thing he had ever tasted.

“I apologize for not bringing any sweets to accompany it.”

“This is more than enough.”

As he took a sip, the overwhelming sweetness spread through his mouth, almost to the point of numbing it.

At first, the sweetness made one frown, but with each sip, it coated the mouth and went down smoothly—a blissful taste.

“Go and get some rest now.”

“I’d like to stay a bit longer, if I may. Am I disturbing you?”

“Not exactly, but I might not talk about anything entertaining with you here.”

“It’s a rare honor to share in Your Majesty’s worries. For my family, it would be a point of pride.”

“Your words are sweeter than this tea.”

“That, too, is an honor.”

Ishar tilted the cup again and drank. As he savored the tea, his gaze lowered.

A short silence passed. After licking the cream from his lips, Ishar spoke.

“There’s something I thought was long over. As you know, after I ascended the throne, I poured everything into eradicating it—used any means necessary.”

Shuzel’s eyes flicked to the hand placing the teacup down.

“It’s been almost three years now, hasn’t it? I thought I’d put an end to it when I wiped out the remnants who experimented on my dear disciple.”

Shuzel’s eyes widened.

“But it seems I was wrong.”

While investigating those who attacked Yujin, Ishar discovered something… intriguing.

“There was someone—someone who helped Karsha in secret, so subtly I didn’t even notice them until now.”

Though Ishar’s lips curved into a smile, Shuzel immediately sensed that it was rage—barely contained and boiling underneath.

“That person is still strutting around the Imperial Palace. How could I let that stand?”

“Will you take their head?”

“No matter how powerful I am, I can’t behead a founding noble’s descendant without solid evidence.”

Ishar brushed back a lock of long, pale-blue hair behind his ear and continued.

“So first, I’ll find the place he created in memory of Karsha and utterly destroy it.”

“Will Your Majesty go yourself?”

“I must. Only then can I uncover all that he’s hiding.”

“I’ll accompany you.”

“As if you wouldn’t. You’re my knight.”

At that, Shuzel bowed with deep emotion.

Watching him, Ishar made up his mind. Since things had come this far, he’d cleanse the Capital completely before Veloan returned from the subjugation mission.

While investigating the attack on Yujin, they’d uncovered a small black market linked to one of Duke Superzen’s lackeys.

Located underground, it appeared to be a typical black market. But the rumors gathered by informants said otherwise.

Apparently, somewhere in that market was a lab—believed to be run by the remnants of those researching immortality.

‘If I can find it and prove that it belongs to Duke Superzen, I’ll strike him down. That man… he knew Veloan was Karsha’s son. That he was a test subject. That’s why he treated him so closely.’

It wasn’t confirmed that the black market belonged to Duke Superzen, but Ishar’s instincts—honed through countless life-or-death moments—told him he was right.

‘Did Veloan know? No… he couldn’t have. That’s why he accepted the duke’s invitation. Still, I’ll ask him when he returns.’

And so, nearly two months passed.

That day, everything had gone well. Ishar had cleaned up spies hidden across the capital, executed the nobles who colluded with them, and confiscated corrupt aristocrats’ wealth to refill the treasury.

His work had gone smoothly. Few incidents arose across the Empire that day, and those that did were easily resolved. It was a rare moment of peace.

So Ishar finally allowed himself a proper rest in his bed.

But he woke in the middle of the night, sensing a strange chill.

He didn’t know why he had awoken, so he simply lay still, eyes open.

Whoooosh!

A storm raged outside. The howling wind and rain slammed against the window—unlike the calm before sleep.

He wondered if an assassin had slipped in and expanded his magical senses. But there was no one.

‘Why did I wake up?’

Then suddenly, a decorative figure near the fireplace flared with rough magical energy—it was Nykid’s artifact, from Esche’s mage corps.

Like Veloan, Nykid had been conscripted into the Fourth Subjugation Force. Skilled in communication magic, he was one of the few who regularly sent Ishar direct updates.

Until now, Nykid’s magical signals had always been stable.

But this time, for the first time, it was wild and unstable—enough to spark anxiety in Ishar.

Just as he sat upright—

—“Your Majesty, requesting urgent reinforcements. Please send as many healers and healing-focused clerics as possible. Two unknown monsters drove us to the Edge of the Void, and the subjugation force has suffered heavy casualties.”

“Start with a brief on the monsters. I need that to dispatch appropriate reinforcements.”

—“One is a humanoid with wings like a butterfly and tentacles. The other is a massive beast clad in armored spikes. The humanoid monster used powers akin to magic. The large beast—its spikes made both magic and melee nearly useless. The humanoid was injured and fled into the Abyss. The large one is… probably dead.”

“Speculation. Report the casualties.”

—“Half of command is dead. Battalions Five through Twenty are completely wiped out. We’ve retreated to the outskirts of Riccione territory, holding a defensive line with the remaining wounded and survivors.”

“Krybule unit?”

The low voice echoed through the room. It struck Ishar how loud his own voice suddenly sounded.

Through the magical resonance, Ishar could feel Nykid’s hesitation.

“Answer me, Sir Nykid.”

—“…They’re gone. Lord Veloan lured the large monster to the Edge of the Void after it broke through both the Great Barrier and the Third Wall and attempted to reach the settlements. He fought it there and… fell into the Abyss, along with the creature. Lord Aster and I, along with five members of command, witnessed it from the front line.”

Veloan fell into the Abyss.

The words were unmistakably in Imperial Common.

Yet they felt so foreign, Ishar couldn’t understand them.