OPDSP 2

The ladies didn’t answer Aeryl’s question—they simply stared at his face in silence.

‘This is uncomfortable.’

It felt like they were saying with their eyes, Who the hell are you?
Though Aeryl was used to being stared at, the women’s wary gazes were hard to endure.

In the end, he gave a short bow and hurriedly fled from the grocery store.

“Sigh…”

Standing in a corner, Aeryl let out a sigh. It occurred to him too late that he should’ve said something like Come visit if you’re bored before leaving.

“What good is thinking of that now?”

Going back into the shop was out of the question now.

‘Why am I so nervous? This isn’t like me.’

Aeryl walked on with a weary step. He hadn’t given up completely—he planned to return after some time. After all, he hadn’t even caught a glimpse of the shop owner, his true target.

‘There are a lot of people out on the street.’

Maybe it was because of the rumors about the Grand Duke’s visit—only now did Aeryl start to notice the crowd around him. The townsfolk were dressed more finely than usual, each holding a paper flower in their hands.

‘Is the Grand Duke really passing through?’

The mood was entirely different from usual—how had he only just realized it now? One of Aeryl’s bad habits was how narrow his focus became when pursuing a goal.

‘The Grand Duke Asirion, huh.’

Any man on the continent was bound to admire the Grand Duke and his Black Knights. Their heroic tales stirred a man’s soul. Aeryl too admired them, and now his curiosity was piqued.

‘Why is he coming here? Surely it’s not because of me…?’

Fidgeting with his glasses, Aeryl grew slightly anxious, but upon further thought, it didn’t seem likely he’d come to capture him.

‘His Majesty would’ve covered up my escape. He hates having any blemish on the family before marriage arrangements are settled.’

Besides, the Grand Duke and the Emperor weren’t on good terms. The Ducal House and the Imperial Family had kept each other in check for generations. The Emperor wouldn’t ask the Grand Duke for help in finding Aeryl.

“What’s going on, then?”

Aeryl moved toward the gathering crowd and listened closely. Soon, he figured out why the Grand Duke was visiting the village.

“We must give His Grace a grand welcome.”

“Of course. That’ll boost morale and help the Great Purge go smoothly.”

The Great Purge.

‘I think I studied that once.’

It was an annual tradition unique to the Duchy of Asirion.

After the harvest and before the worst of the winter, the Grand Duke would lead the Black Knights on a campaign to hunt monsters. Reducing the monster population in advance helped minimize the damage through the winter months.

He recalled hearing that the purge mainly targeted the area around the snow-covered mountain known as the “Demonic Frontier.”

‘So they’re passing through this village.’

This village at the edge of the world lay just beneath those snowy mountains. It made sense.

‘Maybe I should take a look at the Grand Duke while I have the chance.’

Since things had come to this, he might as well catch a glimpse of the famous Grand Duke and the Black Knights. Who knew when he’d get another chance like this?

The Grand Duke wouldn’t have the slightest idea the Empire’s youngest prince had run away—and even if he did, he’d never guess he was hiding out in a remote village like this.

‘I changed my hair and eye color anyway. And most importantly, the Grand Duke has never seen my face!’

Besides, participating in a local event like this might help him warm up to the villagers and give him something to talk about later. With the last of his unease shrugged off, Aeryl let himself get swept up in the festive atmosphere.

***

Who knew how long he had been waiting? In the distance, the sound of a horn blared, and then riders appeared—knights clad in black armor.

Thump, thump.

Their synchronized footsteps came together in perfect rhythm, growing louder as they approached. From helm to armor to boots, these giants dressed in black moved in flawless formation, radiating sheer force.

‘Impressive.’

Aeryl was in awe. His heart beat in time with the thunder of hooves.

Then, at the head of the Black Knights, he saw a man.

Unlike the knights in full armor, the man wore a light uniform, bearing only a single sword. His attire was far less formal, and yet he gave off a presence far more powerful than those behind him.

It was the sort of pressure one felt when a giant stood in front of them. Aeryl couldn’t take his eyes off him.

‘That must be… the Grand Duke.’

Just one man—and yet the sheer dominance he exuded was incredible. The dignity emanating from his cold, unfeeling face was simply overwhelming.

As the Grand Duke drew closer, Aeryl’s heart beat faster. He swallowed dryly, unable to tear his eyes away from the approaching figure.

“Woahhh! Your Grace, the Grand Duke!”

“Your Grace!”

The villagers shouted their hearts out, as if it were the last day of their lives. In contrast, Aeryl regained some composure, and his heartbeat returned to normal.

Thanks to that, he heard something others had missed.

“Waaaah!”

A child was crying.

Aeryl instinctively looked around for the source. A small child had collapsed in the path of the Grand Duke’s entourage.

He scanned the area. The child’s parents were nowhere to be seen, and the crowd, distracted by the Grand Duke and his knights, hadn’t noticed the child.

“There’s a child in the road!”

Aeryl shouted in alarm, but his voice was drowned out by the noise. The Black Knights hadn’t seen the child either. They continued their march, with many more troops following behind.

‘What do I do?’

He stamped his feet anxiously. The procession was moving faster than it seemed. By the time people noticed, it might already be too late.

‘No choice!’

Aeryl dashed into the street. An adult would be seen more easily than a child. He placed himself between the child and the marching knights, waving both arms to bring them to a halt.

At that moment, the eyes of the duke, standing at the front of the procession, met Aeryl’s. His pupils were a melancholic shade of blue, like the sky on a snowy day.

Even while locking eyes with Aeryl, the Archduke motioned with his chin to the knight beside him and moved his lips as if to say something.

Keep. Going?

They weren’t going to stop?
That meant they were willing to trample over both Aeryl and the child. It was unbelievable, but there was no time to dwell on it. Pushing his shock aside, Aeryl turned and sprinted toward the child. Behind him, the ominous sound of hooves drew closer.

“He really isn’t stopping?”

At this rate, he’d be crushed by the horses.

“Waaah!”

Summoning every last ounce of strength, Aeryl ran with everything he had. He barely managed to scoop up the child and leap off the road.

“Wha—what was that?”

The surrounding people gasped and staggered back in shock. Only then did they realize Aeryl and the child were there. They pulled the two of them to safety. Aeryl, catching his breath, watched the procession march past just inches from where he had been.

‘If I’d been even a second later, we would’ve been trampled. He really didn’t stop?’

The Grand Duke had truly intended to ride straight through. Whether it was Aeryl or the child—it didn’t matter to him.

“Waaah! Waaahhh!”

“Ah.”

As Aeryl stared blankly at the procession, the child in his arms burst into tears.

He quickly examined her. She was a little girl, maybe six years old. The real problem was that she seemed so frightened she couldn’t stop crying.

“She’s about to cry herself into a fit.”

A local muttered something similar. It wasn’t uncommon for children to fall into seizures when overcome by panic. It was getting dangerous. Aeryl looked around.

‘There’re only betas in this village.’

It was something he’d confirmed as soon as he arrived. After a quick glance around, Aeryl cautiously released his pheromones. The faint scent that spread from him seemed to wrap around the child like a warm embrace.

“Shhh. It’s all right now.”

And miraculously, it worked. The child, who had been sobbing so hard she could barely breathe, began to calm almost instantly.

“Hic… ugh… uuuu…”

“There, good girl. Let’s stop crying now. I’ll make all the pain go away.”

He smiled kindly and stroked her hair. In that brief moment, her wariness melted, and she leaned her head into his hand.

“She stopped crying all of a sudden? How did you do that?”

“Haha, well, I may not look it, but I’m a doctor.”

A villager had asked the question. Aeryl brushed it off with a laugh, though he thought to himself:

‘It’s the power of Omega pheromones.’

A soft aura surrounded Aeryl and the child like a protective mist.