Chapter 199
【 Epilogue 】
“Rage, it’s been a long ti.”
“…Yes, it really has been.”
Behind the bars sat Rage Isrinbloom, looking haggard and dazed.
He smiled faintly, but there was no focus in his eyes.
Seeing his son like this, Dilug sighed.
“You’ve changed a lot over these five months.”
“Well, this underground prison isn’t exactly a pleasant place. I an, this place… it’s ant only for criminals, isn’t it? Only those whose cris have shaken the entire Empire are sent here. Trying to live well in a place like this… that would be too much to ask.”
“…Yes. Don’t live well. You have to pay the price for what you’ve done.”
Dilug looked at his one and only son with a complicated gaze.
“Because of you, countless soldiers died. The rebellion you started—dragging the Nomads into the Capital—caused enormous losses in both lives and property.”
“I was trying to start a war. That kind of loss is inevitable.”
At Rage’s answer, Dilug’s expression said he had no words left.
But Rage continued regardless.
“It’s been about three months now, right? Since I was captured… after a month-long trial, they threw in here… Ah, so is it the new year already? Did you co to visit as a New Year’s gift?”
“It’s not the new year yet. But yes, it’s year-end.”
“I hope you have a good year-end.”
“…That’s hard to do because of you.”
Dilug’s heart was a tangled ss.
Seeing his son end up like this… it was so overwhelming that he couldn’t put it into words.
“…Why did you do it?”
“You an, why did I start the rebellion? I already said it during the trial. Because this country was suffocating . With the Empire’s power, with Muktaba’s power, with the Isrinbloom Family’s power—we could have gone further. But everyone in this Empire was just content with reality. That’s why I wanted to tear it all down.”
“You still haven’t changed your mind?”
“Not yet. Though… maybe after rotting in this prison for ten years, I might think differently.”
Rage gave a hollow laugh and reached out toward the bars.
He gave them a small shake, but of course, they didn’t budge.
“The underground prison beneath the Imperial Palace, where no one has ever escaped for hundreds of years. I’m supposed to live here for fifteen years, right?”
“You were almost sentenced to life imprisonnt… no, to death. I shortened it as much as I could.”
“You shouldn’t have bothered. Even if I get out in fifteen years, what could I possibly do then? Co to think of it, I’m not even part of the Isrinbloom Family anymore, am I?”
“That’s right. Your na has been erased from the Family.”
“And on top of that… look at this.”
Rage lifted his right arm.
His right hand was gone.
It had been cut off three months ago—
during the battle with Gideon.
“My noble status stripped away, one hand gone. Even if I leave this place, what could I do? I might as well live here forever…”
“Maybe that would be better for you. That’s why I lessened your sentence.”
Dilug looked at him with a blank expression.
“For soone like you, living outside the prison with nothing would be more painful than staying locked up.”
“…I see. And even if I leave, I’ll be under watch for life… The Hawkbat people will probably monitor until the day I die.”
“Yes. You’re a criminal who led a rebellion, Rage. You should’ve thought about what you’d lose if you failed.”
“What I’d lose… haah, there’s a lot. My noble title, my family, my power, my right hand… and all I gained in return was countless grudges. There must be plenty who want dead. Many who lost precious things because of my rebellion.”
Rage laughed emptily.
The light in his unfocused eyes grew dimr and dimr.
“You can really see far ahead, Father. You knew I’d suffer more outside this prison than inside, so you gave this kind of punishnt…”
“You can’t atone while locked away. And besides, living as a commoner instead of a noble… that might be a valuable experience for you.”
“Valuable experience? Don’t mock like that. If this is how you plan to toy with , just kill .”
“No, I won’t let you off that easily. I’m still furious with you. Especially after what you did—manipulating my mind—that was… truly horrifying.”
“Hahaha… was it? I’m sorry for that, then. I’ll apologize.”
Rage chuckled dryly, and Dilug gave a faint, humorless laugh in return.
“Live well here. I’ll visit from ti to ti… and in fifteen years, when you co out, I’ll be there to bring you back.”
“Stop saying things you don’t an and just go. Don’t co again. Stop pretending to care—it’s a waste of ti…”
“Rage.”
Dilug’s face remained expressionless, but his eyes were deadly serious.
“You may no longer be part of the Isrinbloom Family, but you’re still my son.”
“…So what?”
“I don’t think I’ve done my duty as a father properly. I thought it was best not to interfere with you all… but that was wrong. So from now on… I want to talk with you. About the things we never shared before.”
“……”
Rage stayed silent for a while.
Then he gave a faint laugh.
“Don’t you think it’s too late for that now?”
“It is. But just because it’s late doesn’t an I should give up.”
“…Hahahaha, hahahahahahaha!”
Rage burst into loud laughter after a mont of silence.
“So the cold-hearted man does have so affection left for his child?”
“How could I not?”
“Haha… haah. Fine. Ti is all I have now, anyway. During that ti, I’ll talk with you as much as you want. Who knows? Maybe through those talks… I might change a little.”
“Change through conversation, huh… If only we had these conversations long ago, maybe things wouldn’t have ended up like this.”
“There are no ‘ifs’ in history. No matter what you say, I’ll still be rembered as a great sinner in history.”
“…You’re right.”
Dilug nodded, looking at his son.
The two stared at each other in silence for a long while.
* * *
“You went to the underground prison, didn’t you?”
“How do you know everything? I just got back; the rumor shouldn’t have spread yet.”
Inside the Emperor’s office.
Dilug looked at Andrew with disbelief.
Andrew smirked.
“I’m the Emperor’s Eyes and Ears. News like that reaches fast…”
“Then how did soone like you fail to notice Rage slowly approaching the commanders in the Capital?”
“Hey, honestly, how am I supposed to sense the power given by an Ancient Evil Dragon? And besides, Rage only approached people who wouldn’t have raised any suspicion…”
“I’ve heard that excuse enough tis. You don’t need to repeat it.”
With a dry chuckle, Dilug replied, then turned his gaze toward Nazar, who sat at the head of the table.
“Let’s move through this year-end eting quickly and finish early. That would be best for everyone, wouldn’t it?”
“Of course, that’d be best for everyone. But, Dilug—”
“What is it, brother?”
“You’ve changed quite a bit lately.”
Nazar smiled as he looked at his black-haired friend.
“Ever since you beca the Head of your House, you were so obsessed with etiquette and formality… But now, you seem like your old self again. It’s like… yeah, like seeing you back in our Academy days.”
“…I’ve done a lot of thinking since the last incident.”
Dilug sighed softly and answered.
“I used to think this was the right way. If I was given a position with great responsibility, I had to act accordingly. That I had to suppress personal emotions as much as possible. That’s what I believed.”
“And now you think differently?”
“I have to. Maybe it was because of that mindset that things turned out the way they did. It’s ti for a change.”
At his words, Kafka, who sat beside him, patted his shoulder with a wide grin.
“You’re seriously annoying sotis, but I’ll give you that. The fact that you admit your mistakes and try to change right away… I respect that, every single ti.”
“Hearing that from you feels a little funny. Wasn’t it you who was the most stubborn and least likely to change among us?”
“Hey, you bastard! Can’t I just give a complint for once?”
“What do you expect from soone like ?”
With a smirk, Dilug turned his eyes back to the papers in front of him.
“For now, things in Muktaba and my Family are slowly getting back under control. The factions that truly followed Rage have been completely subdued… The issue of the Isrinbloom Family’s lost trust, though…”
“That won’t be easy.”
“Yeah. But that’s sothing I have to bear. The Family’s poor managent… that’s my own incompetence.”
Dilug nodded in response to Andrew’s words before continuing.
“Anyway, the aftermath of Rage’s rebellion is currently…”
Thus, the Emperor and the three Dukes continued their final eting of the year.
And when the eting was about halfway through—
“By the way, have you all thought about granting Gideon a ducal title?”
At Nazar’s words, the dukes went silent for a mont.
Kafka was the first to speak.
“I’m all for it! I an, he’s my son-in-law—of course I’d agree…”
“Stop with that nonsense and give a proper, logical reason this ti.”
“I was planning to.”
Kafka glanced at Dilug and continued.
“There’s enough justification. It’s still under verification, but evidence keeps surfacing—from beneath the Isrinbloom Family’s underground all the way to the Protected Zone for Other Races—that the Mainac Family truly existed. If Gideon really is a descendant of the Mainac Family… he’s the last legitimate heir of a noble ducal line. That makes him fully qualified to beco a Duke.”
“I don’t oppose giving him the title of Duke in principle. But right now… I don’t think it’s the right ti.”
“Huh? Why not?”
“Gideon hasn’t yet established a proper foundation for a ducal house. There’s a lot of preparation required to beco a Duke, but his family hasn’t recovered enough. And to be a Duke, you need a certain level of public recognition and support from the citizens of the Empire. You can’t just be a Duke in na only.”
At Andrew’s explanation, Kafka tilted her head.
“But Gideon was one of the key figures in stopping the rebellion. Isn’t that enough?”
“Well, yes. His achievents are more than enough, but still… I’m against giving it to him imdiately. Waiting a few more years would be wiser.”
“I agree with that.”
This ti, Dilug spoke.
“I don’t object to him receiving the title, but now isn’t the ti. At the very least, it should be after he graduates from the Academy and restores his Family to so degree.”
“Now that you say that, it makes sense… Ah, whatever. Do as you all see fit. Title or not, I’ll still dote on my son-in-law. Oh, right. That reminds .”
Kafka suddenly looked as though she had rembered sothing.
“You all know that Lisa and Gideon are holding their engagent ceremony early next year, right?”
“Of course. Speaking of which, Kafka, could I perhaps…”
“Brother, you can just co to the wedding. If His Majesty the Emperor attends the engagent ceremony, that alone would cause a stir.”
“Ah, fine. You three get to go, but I’m always the one left out.”
“Aaah, brother, you know it’s not like that!”
“Heh, I know.”
Nazar chuckled and looked at Kafka.
“And about Gideon’s knighthood ceremony—Kafka, you said it would be held together with the engagent, right?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Normally, a knighthood is given after reaching adulthood, but Gideon’s achievents this ti were huge, weren’t they? So we’ll just do it then. Everyone’s fine with that? No objections?”
“Knighthood appointnts fall under the authority of the Balmuth Family anyway. We’ve no reason to object.”
Dilug seed indifferent.
Andrew, however, spoke up with a aningful expression.
“But Kafka, did you hear from Lisa recently?”
“What about?”
“I heard from Jason not long ago… Gideon’s thinking about not becoming a knight. He’s actually considering refusing the knighthood.”
“…What? Why?”
Around the sa ti, at Lysquare Academy.
“So, you’re saying you won’t be taking swordsmanship classes next year?”
“I’m still thinking about it.”
“Why?”
At Luke’s question, Gideon awkwardly scratched his head and smiled.
“Umm… I just want to live peacefully, I guess?”
Luke let out a dry laugh at Gideon’s answer.
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