I Plotted The World Destruction With The Male Lead - Chapter 19

However, the emperor considered the possibility that the rumors might be true. He thought that constantly shielding Van could spoil him.

It was not uncommon for someone to act like a docile lamb before the emperor, only to reveal a completely different nature outside the court.

But Luria found the rumors to be deeply unjust. It was clearly a scheme, yet the emperor insisted on viewing Van through the lens of those rumors.

“Carlyle must be the one who spread them!”

The gossip had emerged just when officials began suggesting that Van be named crown prince. The rumors, combined with Van’s formidable reputation, had branded him as “The Mad Dog of the East.”

Dael, displeased upon hearing the nickname, had abandoned the idea of officially appointing Van as crown prince.

Of course, he was not considering any other royal as his successor, but he believed it would be unwise to proceed until the rumors died down.

This only made Luria despise Carlyle even more. Unlike Van, who had a straightforward, almost boyish nature, she saw Carlyle as a deceitful schemer who worked in the shadows.

“You won’t even listen to the boy you’ve raised as your own, yet you trust the words of that despicable man?!”

“Empress, you go too far. The House of Javes has been a loyal vassal of the imperial family for generations.”

“They are also the ones who kidnapped guides, driving them to their deaths, and even dared to lay hands on me. I remember that.”

Luria’s sharp retort left Dael momentarily speechless. However, as a member of the imperial family himself, he had never fully grasped the suffering that guides endured due to insufficient guiding.

“That was the doing of the previous Grand Duke of Javes. That man has been dead for decades. It is not right to hold the son accountable for the father’s sins.”

“And yet you can bear to look at his son? I cannot! Carlyle is far too much like his father!”

The emperor might believe that protecting his guide was only natural, but Carlyle—who had lost his own father—would not see it the same way.

Luria was convinced that Carlyle resented both herself and the emperor, and that he was slandering Van out of spite. She was frustrated that Dael, despite how obvious the situation was, chose to turn a blind eye.

“A child may resemble their parent, but condemning Carlyle for crimes he did not commit is unjust.”

By forgiving Carlyle’s father, Dael had demonstrated the emperor’s magnanimity and reinforced his authority. The former Grand Duke of Javes had met a miserable end, yet many nobles still praised the emperor for his mercy.

But Luria believed that Carlyle would one day drive a dagger into their backs.

“How can you say that when the Grand Duke of Javes constantly stands in Van’s way?!”

Luria spoke as if Van were her own child. Dael could only scoff.

She didn’t yet realize that her fierce defense of Van would force him to issue an even harsher punishment.

When Dael fell silent, visibly displeased, Luria glared at him in resentment before turning on her heel and storming away.

However, since she, too, was a royal in need of guiding, Dael found the situation troublesome.

If he followed through with his original plans—ordering Van to subdue the northern territories or Vanishing him—Luria would not take it quietly.

I can only hope that Van had a damn good reason for what he did.

Dael sighed, watching the empress’s retreating figure.

Even when angry, his guide was breathtakingly beautiful.

*

Originally, Eleanor had intended to guide Van even while inside the carriage. She had even been willing to go further if the situation led to it.

However, as soon as she boarded and settled into the plush seat, those thoughts drifted away.

Her body, loosened and relaxed from a hot bath, combined with a satisfying meal, left her in a state of drowsy comfort.

Inside the carriage, which barely swayed at all, Eleanor curled up in Van’s arms and fell asleep. It was only natural—after all, he had kept her up all night.

Van gazed down at the sleeping Eleanor with a satisfied expression.

He was astonished at how deeply he cherished and adored her.

“Who would have thought that simply looking at someone’s face could bring such joy? Incredible.”

Her soft, rhythmic breathing was endearing, and even the lashes resting against her closed eyelids were lovely.

Wanting her to rest as comfortably as possible, Van adjusted her position, reclining her along the seat.

With her head resting on his thigh, Eleanor slept peacefully.

Van smiled as he watched her.

It was a rare moment of tranquility, one he had never imagined possible in his lifetime.

The carriage, carrying both Eleanor and Van, passed through the eastern duchy’s outer gates, accompanied by the duke’s escort knights.

The teleportation circle that would take them to a gate near the capital was located on the border between the eastern and central regions.

Before their departure, a messenger had been sent to inform the official in charge of the teleportation circle. By now, they would be fully prepared for the duke’s arrival in the evening.

A messenger had also been dispatched to the court mage who maintained a direct connection with the imperial palace.

Van was anxious about what the emperor would say about his delayed departure.

He personally didn’t care, but he worried that Eleanor might.

“First… I need to handle her status.”

A commoner could not marry a high-ranking noble or a member of the imperial family.

Van planned to ask Empress Luria to adopt Eleanor into a noble family as their foster daughter.

The empress would readily arrange for someone from her maternal family to take Eleanor in.

It would be a beneficial arrangement for her family as well, so there was no reason for her to refuse.

The real nuisance was Carlyle, who was surely waiting for him in the capital.

That rat had likely run straight to the emperor to snitch on him.

“He might even be pretending to be injured by now.”

If Van had just inflicted a serious injury on him, perhaps he wouldn’t feel this restless.

The mere thought of Carlyle standing near the emperor and empress filled him with rage.

Though everything Van had fought for in his past life had ultimately crumbled, he still had no intention of letting Carlyle live.

Leaving him alive was simply too dangerous.

“But how do I convince His Majesty? Even if I tell him about my regression, he won’t believe me…”

The empress would undoubtedly agree that Carlyle was a threat.

But the emperor? He would demand solid proof.

Van couldn’t explain his regression, nor could he reveal the secret underground passage where a hidden god slumbered.

If the emperor knew that Van and Eleanor had once lost everything and tried to destroy the empire, he would not take it well.

The empress might understand, but the emperor… never.

Just as Van’s thoughts deepened—

“Ahh! What the hell?!”

Startled by the knights’ shouts, Van flinched and turned toward the carriage window. He had drawn the curtains completely shut to shield Eleanor from the sunlight.

Eleanor, seemingly roused by the sudden commotion, groggily lifted her head.

“Duke?”

“It seems something is happening outside.”

Van replied as he pulled the curtain aside to look out.

Standing close to the carriage, Apis swung his sword, shouting urgently.

“My lord, do not open the door!”

His blade cleaved through a bird that had been about to crash through the window.

But it was no ordinary bird. The moment it was cut, it transformed into a thick, black liquid that splattered onto the ground.

‘Damn it!’

Eleanor, now fully awake, gasped and turned to the window in shock.

Van, too, peered out, watching the knights struggle against a flock of attacking birds.

Those fighting alongside mages fared better, but those without magical support had to focus entirely on keeping the creatures from pecking at their faces while frantically cutting them down.

However, these birds weren’t real.

Each time they were slashed apart, they briefly turned to liquid before reforming and launching another attack.

Thud!

Another bird slammed against the glass on the opposite side.

The enchanted window didn’t shatter immediately, but cracks spread across it, and through those cracks, the same black liquid began to seep inside.

Without hesitation, Van pulled Eleanor into his arms.

“Eleanor, I need to use my power.”

Eleanor knew Van possessed immense abilities, but in the original story, there had never been a moment where he actually used them.

When he escaped the underground prison, he had been in a terrible state.

If he had attempted to use his powers back then, he would have either exploded from the strain or gone berserk.

But now, Van had received Eleanor’s guiding throughout the night.

He had used a small amount of his power to heal her waist, and thanks to the recent guiding, only a slight impurity had built up in his body.

“It might get dangerous… Please guide me.”

At his request, Eleanor nodded and wrapped her arms around his waist.

She recalled that guiding was most effective through mucous membranes rather than just skin contact.

So, she cupped Van’s face and pressed her lips to his.

As Van received her kiss, he watched the black liquid creeping into the carriage.

It was beginning to morph back into a bird, preparing to lunge at him.

But then—

Whoosh!

A sharp gust of wind sliced cleanly through the creature, bisecting it in an instant.

A split second later, dozens of wind currents followed, shredding the creature into nothingness.

Shriek! Keeeeek!

The eerie cries of the creatures rang out, but Eleanor didn’t turn to look.

Eyes shut, she focused entirely on kissing Van and guiding him.

As Van caressed the back of Eleanor’s head, his gaze shifted to the outside.

Manipulating the air was an easy task for him.

The only concern was the impurity accumulating in his body.

‘I’ve never used my power on this scale before, but…’

Fleeing to a nearby village or town was out of the question.

The local guards wouldn’t be able to handle these birds, and more lives would be lost.

The nearest city with an established mage corps was too far.

The mage controlling these creatures had likely chosen this location for that very reason.

The first to notice the unnatural shift in the air were the duchy’s mages.

On either side of the carriage, small cyclones began to form in midair, sucking up the smaller birds.

Even to the naked eye, it was clear that this was beyond the scope of any large-scale spell.

The mages’ eyes widened in disbelief.

“Wh-What is this?!”

“The duke is doing it!”

The knights and mages of the duchy all knew Van possessed unusual abilities.

But the only power he had ever used, albeit rarely, was his healing ability.

This was the first time they had ever seen him wield the power of wind.