"Was it such a shock that you went into hiding for 10 years? It's not like I stabbed you in the back."

Deceiver just turned on the guy. He didn't even stab him in the back. He remained a son and disciple until the end. He didn't harm Raven, he just revealed his identity.

Nevertheless, Raven was shocked and went into hiding for 10 years. As Deceiver, he couldn't understand.

"... Yes, you are this kind of guy."

A twisted demigod who does not think that deception itself is a problem.

In the past, when he didn't know anything, he accepted these aspects that occasionally surfaced, thinking it was just because he was young and ignorant, but not anymore. Raven's eyes sank.

'I would feel better if he stabbed me in the back and shamelessly smacked me in the face like he said.'

What's the point of getting angry about this?

A low, self-deprecating laugh leaks out as if he is in despair. He slowly withdrew his hand and answered calmly, as if explaining something to an inexperienced child.

"There's no way I wouldn't be shocked to hear that the person I gave my heart to was my enemy. Besides—"

A mockery seeped into his cold, frozen voice.

"How can I remain calm when I knew from the beginning that you had planned and deceived me?"

"Are you shocked because I am your 'enemy'?"

"I was shocked because 'you' were my enemy."

'You', not anyone else, deceived him.

He was so shocked that the relationship between them was not a coincidence, but a planned relationship planned by the enemy. Raven, who had given Deceiver his heart enough to adopt him, collapsed in sadness instead of standing up in anger.

He thought he had run as hard as he could, but when he looked around, he realized that the situation at square one had also contributed to his failure.

"Of course not now."

He shook his hands off without any hesitation and walked away.

Deceiver, who was staring at Raven, slowly stood up. After tidying up his clothes and shaking them off a few times, he opened his mouth in a neat manner, as if asking when he had behaved as he wanted.

"You must have been exhausted from the long journey, so it would be a good idea to rest for now. We will continue the deeper conversation later. 

"I will give you the VIP room."

The emperor, who had been paying close attention to the statement that signaled the end of the conversation, quickly responded. Deceiver's brow twitched.

"It's just a VIP room."

He shook his head firmly.

"He is your father and Master. Wouldn't it be right to give up the most beautiful palace?"

"You..."

"For example, the Eastern Palace."

It's so beautiful that it's hard to find a suitable name for it, so it's just called the East Palace.

It has become a palace where the emperor, who cherishes his sister more than anything else in the world, gives it to his sister, the emperor with his beloved wife gives it to the empress, and the emperor with his favorite concubine gives it to her to prove the emperor's favor. 

At the mention of such a place, the face of the current emperor, Kian Ardal, hardened.

"Eastern Palace... What do you mean? But that place... ."

"Your Majesty doesn't have anyone he likes. This is Father and no one else. I want to hand over the empty, unoccupied palace to Father, but I'm sure you won't stop me."

"... ... ."

"Or maybe."

The Deceiver stares persistently at Kian Ardal. As if to prove that it was something out of the ordinary, the two eyes glowed coldly, containing something beyond the scope of understanding.

"Have you found someone you care about so much that you want to give up the Eastern Palace?"

"That can't be."

He'd seen a half-body with eyes like that jump out in an unexpected direction. Kian Ardal hurriedly shook his head, knowing that if he wasn't careful, these innocent people could end up dying.

"It would be an honor if someone precious used it."

"Did you hear that, Master? I will also allow the 'Stalker' brought in according to the palace as an accessory. So..."

If you don't want to see a pitiful crow dying.

"Rest."

"..."

He may not care if people die, but he can't stand to see that he become the cause. The Deceiver narrowed his eyes at the man with his fists clenched. The unspoken threat contained therein was clear, asking why should he stay here? Raven, who was about to express his strong rejection, kept his mouth shut.

"... Son of bitch"

"I'm sorry to hear that."

He couldn't lose his humanity, which he had worked so hard to protect, just because of something like this.

***

The customer left. The Deceiver, who had finished his business, also started to leave, but as if something occurred to him, he stopped and looked back. His dry gaze was directed at Kian Ardal, as if he were looking at an insignificant insect struggling to survive.

"I think I won this time too, Your Majesty."

"... !"

Kian Ardal's complexion turned pale.

"I'm not angry, so you don't have to worry. It's not that I don't understand the tricks, but it's somehow entertaining."

That's why he just left him alone no matter what he did up until now.

"But."

This time, the target is Raven.

'You dared to try to steal Father away and make a deal with my other brothers and sisters.'

All that Stigma said was, 'I received orders to secretly find Raven,' but the purpose was clear.

Even though older brothers and sisters are human, they are difficult to deal with. It wasn't a matter of power, it was the situation. What would have happened if I hadn't been the first to find him and stick to him?

From the emperor's perspective, he chose his options well... Deceiver, who felt the need for warning for the first time, spoke slowly.

"It would be best to understand and move within the boundaries of what I allow."

And he grinned.

"Of course, your wise majesty will do well."

A slight look of fear appeared on Kian Ardal's face. This should have been enough of a warning. The Deceiver let go of his pressure and smiled brightly.

"Rather, Your Majesty. My father returned after 10 years, so he doesn't know how the empire's social scene has changed."

"... Can we hold a banquet to commemorate the visit of our distinguished guests?"

"Thank you for being so considerate."

"Then let's catch the day as soon as possible—"

"No. The nobles have a lot to prepare for, right? If it's too soon, they'll be in trouble."

It should be held as soon as possible, but there should be enough time for even local nobles to prepare and come up.

"If we rush for no reason and end up with a disappointing banquet, it will be embarrassing for both parties..."

Prepare a grand banquet without any shortages. That's what the demigod was saying.

"So you don't have to rush too soon."

If he holds a banquet, your brothers and sisters will realize the existence of their Master and reach out to him, so there is no need to bring it forward.

Of course, they are also the ones who will tie up his Father's feet, so he can't let him meet them at all. It would be a good idea to hold on for a while until Father leaves on his own feet, then quickly throw a banquet and invite his brothers and sisters to tie him up.

A grand banquet and well-appointed nobles are enough to please Father. Because Father is a person who is hungry for conversation and warmth with people.

"My father is the mentor of all the Association Presidents, including me, so he may have a good cause, but I would like to announce the identity as late as possible."

"then... Can I simply announce himself as a 'distinguished guest'?"

"It's nice that you speak fast. I look forward to a wonderful banquet."

"... Yes."

***

After the Deceiver left, Kian Ardal, who had dismissed everyone around him, collapsed in his seat.

After a long moment of silence, a hollow laugh came out.

"This is what happens in the end."

Deep sorrow was buried at the end of the voice.

He muttered it as if he were talking to himself, but he said it knowing that there is someone listening. Stigma noticed this and appeared.

Insensitive brown eyes without a trace of warmth look down at the emperor who was sitting down without any pain. Kian looked up at him quietly. As he faced those cold eyes, his emotions also cooled and his head began to roll.

'...But it wasn't like I had no income at all.'

Giving a warning meant threatening.

It's a being that has been left alone as if it doesn't care what he does. He must have been able to do that because he didn't suffer any damage. That person was the first to give a warning.

The reason was obvious.

'Raven, that person is the weak point.'

But if you touch him carelessly, he will most likely die. As he said, we must pay close attention to the 'line'.

He was contemplating what to do next, when Stigma, who had accepted the meaning of his gaze differently, slowly got down on one knee and lowered his gaze.

Only then did Kian's attention fully focus on him. It wasn't like he didn't have anything to say, so the silence was easily broken.

"...Is there anything you want to say to me?"

There was no pause, and the answer came immediately.

"Why did you do that?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Why did you give me orders, knowing that I would report it?"

Stigma is a watchdog that Deceiver has explicitly placed on the Emperor.

Even though he was from a noble family, he was ultimately a slave of a defeated country and could not have known that it was because of this background that he rose to the position of viscount of this country. However, the emperor gave him orders. It was an irrational and unreasonable action.

"That's right."

Kian calmly lowered his eyes. In contrast to his calm face, his voice seemed to be a little tired, with a hint of fatigue and resignation floating through the space.

"Because it would be impossible to do something without him knowing anyway."

"..."

"I had my hands and feet cut off, so there was nothing left of me that was useful. So what should we do? I have no choice but to ask for your help."

Because you have good abilities, the judgment that 'he' considers me insignificant and will ignore even if he is reported to me for such shameful behavior also played a part. It was like that in reality.

"Isn't it pathetic?"

"no."

"Lie."

Still, he cannot give up. He is an emperor who has many things to protect. With a self-deprecating laugh, the young emperor shook off his unhelpful feelings and continued his thoughts.

'The person who was called 'Father' by the demigod and none seemed to actually hate the other, but I wonder if this was real or just a fight...'

If it's real, is it pure hatred that makes you want to kill, or is it love and hatred?

He needs to find out, but this is not the kind of thing that can be found out through stigma. It hasn't been long since he gave the warning about 'Raven', but if the Deceiver finds out that he gave this order, he will definitely not leave him alone.

It may be difficult, but he has to go back another way.

'First of all, get your hands on a card that you can use other than Stigma.'

He turned his attention to areas that could not be touched carelessly and looked for things he could do now. Something came to mind.

"...Now that I think about it, there are some people who have caught my eye recently."

"..."

"Did you say you were a slave liberation activist?"

Stigma's eyebrows narrowed slightly, as if he heard something he couldn't hear.

Even so, what can they do? Although he is a watchman appointed by a demigod, in the end, he is a viscount with the shackles of being a former slave, and the opponent is the emperor standing over his head.

Wouldn't it be nice if the demigod could be a strong supporter, but the stigma is also just a part that can be replaced if the demigod doesn't like, so he can't be used as it pleases.

After completing the calculation in his mind, Kian spoke what he had to say without paying attention to his opponent's expression.

"Can you find out about them? If possible, I would also like to ask for a way to contact them."

It doesn't matter if he reports it. Even if this order flows to the demigods, it is beneficial if he can contact them and get new cards.

'A demigod who hates trouble won't pay attention to uninteresting things, so he won't stop you from carrying out orders like this.'

There is no way that someone who has risen to this position in the name of 'competence' would not be able to carry out the orders given directly by the emperor. As a result of Stigma, he would have no choice but to do it.

"...If that's an order."

Sure enough, Stigma slowly lowers his head as if trying to hide his unwilling expression.

Her short green hair fell down to hide the profile of her face, and a neat voice without a trace of emotion flowed from it.

"I will gladly accept it."