"...Sorry."
Without warning, the person pulled back his hood. The girl gasped at the stunning face that emerged.
Silver hair cascaded down their neck like silk. His eyes were gentle and almond-shaped, the color of a clear blue lake. His nose was perfectly proportioned—not too high, not too low—and his lips were just right, neither too full nor too thin. Every beautiful feature was placed exactly where it should be.
His face was so androgynous and beautiful that the girl couldn't tell if he was male or female. his low, sweet voice could easily belong to a woman.
But there was something youthful about his features. The contrast with his mature aura made him seem even more otherworldly and captivating.
"...Is it okay for you to take off your hood? You're the Grand Emperor, right...?"
The Grand Emperor. The person said to be the strongest in history. Known as the Silver Blade Wielder, he led the elite Zero Squad of the world's largest guild, Moonlight.
When the girl asked, he lowered corners of his eyebrows.
"I show my face to scared kids sometimes. ...Of course, I make sure they keep it quiet."
The famous and popular Grand Emperor. The village chief had told her he was never showed his face.
If people saw the Grand Emperor's face, they'd never be able to walk down the street again. It would definitely cause chaos—the whole town would go crazy.
"I-I'm fine. I won't tell anyone."
She had no intention of causing trouble for the Grand Emperor who'd saved her life.
"Thank you."
The Grand Emperor smiled softly. That incredibly beautiful smile made her face heat up.
But now that she wasn't distracted by his stunning looks, she realized the Grand Emperor looked way too young.
The Grand Emperor had first appeared in the war that happened a few years after she was born—almost ten years ago. How old had he been back then?
Had he joined the war when he was still just a kid? What kind of burden was he carrying on his shoulder?
Those blue eyes seemed filled with sadness.
"...Here."
She was handed the Angel Lily and quickly forced a smile. A young girl like her couldn't possibly understand what the Grand Emperor had been through.
The Grand Emperor smiled gently again and pulled his hood back up. She didn't find that hooded figure scary anymore.
"I'll walk you home. ...Where are you from?"
"Oh, thank you so much. A place called Abin Village."
He was offering to escort a girl he'd never met all the way home. The Grand Emperor turned out to be incredibly kind. She'd assumed from the village chief's words that he'd be intimidating—basically someone who'd scare her.
"Abin Village..."
The Grand Emperor let the words slip out, then cut himself off.
"...Teleport."
"Huh? Whoa!!!!"
A strange sensation ran through her feet, making her stumble. The Grand Emperor caught her before she could fall.
Suddenly, she was standing in familiar scenery. Right in front of her was the village she'd rushed out of that morning.
Teleportation was a magic most people would never experience unless they lived in a big city.
The spell that could instantly transport you anywhere was incredibly difficult—one of the hardest advanced spells with almost no one able to use it. She'd heard that big cities usually had teleportation circles set up for getting around town.
So this was teleportation magic. As she looked around, a voice called down from above her head.
"Sorry, I should have warned you I was going to teleport."
"N-no, it's fine."
She knew he'd helped her avoid falling, but being held this close while hearing that pleasant voice right in her ear was making her nervous.
"Good... I'm glad."
The Grand Emperor let go with what seemed like relief and started walking toward the village, gesturing for her to follow.
In the twilight, she breathed a sigh of relief at finally making it home and followed behind the Grand Emperor.
But then—
A villager who'd been outside glared hard at the Grand Emperor. When other villagers saw this, they glared too.
Looks like they were staring at an enemy.
"Where's your house?"
But the Grand Emperor didn't seem bothered by the stares. There was no way he hadn't noticed.
This could be treason. The Grand Emperor's rank was higher than even the king's. Seeing his face under the hood had made her less tense, though she still recognized he was someone important.
"...This way."
When she pointed toward her house, the Grand Emperor who seemed intent on walking her home started heading that direction slowly.
Right then—
"Get out, outsider! Get lost!"
One villager blocked their path. Other villagers quickly gathered around.
"Wait! this person—"
Were they trying to drive away the person who'd saved her? They probably didn't even realize this was the Grand Emperor.
One man roughly grabbed the Grand Emperor's shoulder, trying to drag him away. Another man grabbed his arm and started pulling. The women watching from a distance began throwing stones at the Grand Emperor.
The Grand Emperor said nothing. He didn't even resist. Just stood there like he'd given up.
"Seina!"
She heard a familiar voice and turned to see her mother running over. Her mother hugged her tightly, then glared hard at the Grand Emperor.
"You seduced my daughter! Don't tell me you did something awful to this child—"
"No! Nothing like that happened! That person—"
Nothing like that had happened. The Grand Emperor had just saved me. But when her mother looked at her, tears started flowing.
"Poor thing... He made you say that, didn't they? It's okay now."
That was impossible.
As the girl shook her head hard, trying to argue back, a quiet voice reached her ears. Even with all the villagers shouting, she could hear it clearly.
"...Don't worry about it. I know what happened in this village."
The Grand Emperor's words made her gasp.
Two years ago, bandits had attacked this village. By the time people realized the true nature of these criminals who'd disguised themselves as guild members, it was too late. The village was ransacked, several villagers were killed, several women were raped, and valuables were stolen. The Central Nation's army arrived and captured some of them, but only the ones who'd stayed in the village—most of the bandits had escaped.
Her father had been killed then, her mother had been badly injured and spent a month hovering between life and death, and she'd nearly been raped. That was probably why her mother was so on edge.