* * *
“No. The real one is still the real one. You can’t change that just because you’re greedy. And killing him? Never…”
“Don’t you want to be with me?”
I fell silent and looked at Ateol.
I didn’t know how to respond.
What was I supposed to say to something so… tender?
‘Don’t you want to be with me?’
Of course…
Of course, I should’ve said no—but the words just wouldn’t come out.
“Even so, killing Siwoo isn’t right.”
In the end, I dodged the question.
Thankfully, Ateol let it slide.
“I don’t understand.”
“You don’t have to.”
There’s nothing you can’t understand.
Just do it.
And if you can’t, then memorize it.
That’s how people live—by holding on to their morals.
“Can’t you just let me go?”
At my words, Ateol stood and laughed softly.
I immediately regretted asking.
He walked over, placed a hand on the back of my chair, leaned down…
and kissed me on the ear.
“No.”
The Imperial Palace Library.
Hundreds of marble stairs and bridges connected to shelves packed with rare, beautifully bound books.
The ceiling was adorned with a crystal chandelier and grand frescoes.
The railings were engraved with carvings of gods and scenes from mythology.
The place wasn’t just beautiful—it was awe-inspiring.
In one shadowy corner, far from where people usually came, a man sat huddled on the floor.
Beside him were stacks of thick books.
He gnawed on his fingernails as he turned the pages.
Half of the text, he understood.
The other half—he couldn’t make sense of.
He mumbled constantly, scribbling in a notebook with clumsy handwriting.
Both his mumbling and his writing were in a language no one else could understand.
“A swarm of rats?”
“Yes.”
I had come to check on Siwoo, partly to keep tabs, partly to raise his affection—when, once again, Ateol appeared out of nowhere.
This time, though, he had a reason.
A swarm of rats had shown up in Riteva, and the citizens were struggling.
“A swarm of rats appeared, so why are you looking for me? You should be calling the Pied Piper instead.”
Ateol tilted his head in confusion, and Siwoo chuckled like he thought it was just a joke.
Ateol turned his gaze toward the laughing Siwoo.
“Since it’s a rare occasion, you should come along too.”
“Huh…? Me?”
“Yes. Riteva’s not that far, after all.”
“Wait, why are you taking Siwoo?”
Don’t tell me you’re planning to get rid of him while we’re there?
I glared at Ateol suspiciously, but he only smiled innocently.
“Siwoo must be getting a little stir-crazy staying in the palace all the time.”
“You really want to bring me along?”
Siwoo’s eyes sparkled.
Guess he had been secretly hoping to go out.
I couldn’t bring myself to stop him so directly.
I mean, what am I supposed to say?
“Calm down, he’s taking you to kill you!”?
I shook my head slightly, flustered, but Ateol casually brushed past my reaction and kept talking.
“It’s a report from Caleus. Rat swarms are common, but apparently these are moving with such perfect coordination that it’s unnerving. There must be a leader among them. Most likely, it’s a demon beast.”
Even after stepping down from his position as crown prince, Caleus continued handling most of his former duties—and even took on responsibilities that should’ve been the empress’s.
Unpaid, at that.
Riteva was a sort of planned city, managed by the state to improve the living conditions of refugees and the extremely poor.
It was a headache to oversee—any misstep in management led to immediate consequences, and it consumed a massive budget.
Now Caleus was in charge of that, too.
Maybe Ateol’s plan was to keep him so busy he wouldn’t have time to think of anything else.
“Do you need time to prepare? We should head out soon.”
Ateol said this.
I hate the way he phrases things like that—feels like a roundabout way of saying “You don’t need to, right?”
Just to be difficult, I insisted on changing clothes first and stopped by the Mage Tower to bring Serta with me.
Ateol’s expression darkened just a little when he saw Serta tagging along.
“I’ll be acting as your guard.”
“You have your own duties to attend to.”
“Oh… Are you giving me permission for that task?”
“…What?! No, absolutely not!”
Damn it, I walked right into that one.
I nearly said, “Serta’s on guard duty, so you can focus on killing Siwoo!”
When I insisted on going alone, Serta gave me a worried look, and then an annoyed one at Ateol, but eventually backed down quietly.
If only Ateol were that cooperative too.
Since Riteva was one of the cities surrounding the capital, it didn’t take long to get there by carriage.
We passed the outskirts of the capital and soon arrived in a neatly organized little town.
The mayor once again came running out in a panic to greet us.
“You really don’t have to run out to greet us every time like this.”
“What’s ‘busun’?”
I had just mumbled it to myself, but somehow Ateol heard and asked.
“It’s an old Korean phrase. Like running out barefoot to greet someone.”
“…But he’s wearing shoes.”
Do idioms not translate properly or do they just work when it’s convenient?
I didn’t bother explaining further, and Ateol didn’t ask again.
Apparently, the rat swarms only appeared at night.
We decided to stay at the government office until then, but I couldn’t stop thinking about Ateol.
What if he sneaks Siwoo out and gets rid of him?
What if Siwoo, not knowing anything, ends up meeting a horrible end…?
Hmm.
“Siwoo.”
In the end, this is what I chose.
“Wanna go for a walk?”
“Huh? W-With me?”
Siwoo looked startled, and Ateol stared at me intently.
His face basically said “I see right through you.”
I ignored him and headed out into the streets with Siwoo.
Everywhere people gathered, they were talking about the rat swarms.
Claims that there were thousands of them, that some were as big as dogs, that their tails were snakes…
Aside from a few, most of the rumors didn’t sound very believable.
“Tower Master, is it normal for someone in your position to be called out like this so often?”
Siwoo tilted his head as he asked. Honestly, no.
In my previous life, when monsters showed up, the Imperial Knights were dispatched.
And if the Mage Tower got involved, it was usually Bell or Serta who went. I rarely did.
Only when Clodun asked “Do you have to go yourself?” and I answered yes did I reluctantly go.
But that wasn’t often.
This time, somehow I kept getting dragged around.
I couldn’t explain all that to Siwoo, so I just shook my head.
Even though the rat swarms were creepy and ominous, they hadn’t actually harmed anyone (yet), so despite many people having seen them, the atmosphere remained fairly peaceful.
Siwoo and I walked past the market, through the park, and up a hill that overlooked the city of Riteva.
Usually, walking this kind of path raises favorability points. Wonder if that’ll work this time?
[Affection Level: Siwoo
65%
Siwoo thinks, “Maybe it’s still too soon…”]
It went up!
And the content wasn’t even garbled this time.
What does he mean by “too soon”?
Talking to me?
Getting close?
There’s nothing difficult about it, so I really wish he would just go for it.
“U-Um, Tower Master.”
Oh. He actually started a conversation.
“Isn’t that… a rat?”
“…”
My eyes instinctively followed the direction Siwoo was pointing.
Sure enough, a rat was scurrying by.
Then another, and another…
Before I knew it, the rats had become a swarm.
* * *
