How a Wizard Survives (54)
How a Wizard Survives (54)
Nobody there had any sense of danger.
That was my thought as I galloped through the hunting grounds behind Prince Marcel.
Yesterday's joust ended in that disaster, yet today they're out hunting again, as if they can't get enough.
The hunting method itself bothered me even more.
According to Katrina and Angelica's explanation...
The women may use bows, but the men must throw javelins, no exceptions.
If a man draws a bow during a hunt, he's branded a coward, apparently.
Marcel had no intention of looking like a coward.
All of them, so pathetically weak, yet they still plant their pride in the strangest places.
On top of that, couldn't they have picked smaller, tamer game?
Today's quarry isn't a fox, not a bird, not a deer—it's a boar, of all things.
A beast perfectly suited to goring you straight into the next world.
And Prince Marcel didn't even wear armor.
While I was grumbling to myself, the hounds that had raced ahead started yowling like mad.
I stuck right behind Marcel, just in case anything went wrong.
"Hyah!"
My fears proved unfounded.
Marcel calmly raised his spear, wheeled his horse aside, and dodged the boar's charge.
When the beast turned wide, he seized the opening and hurled his javelin. It crossed the seemingly impossible distance in an instant.
"Squeeal!"
"I-it hit!"
"It was struck dead in a single blow. Fine skill."
"Well, that was good luck. I'm relieved I don't have to go back empty-handed."
Marcel chatted amiably without a hint of smugness as he heaved the boar onto his horse's back.
I quickly dismounted to help, and just then Princess Alina, who had fallen behind, arrived.
Almost everything about today's hunt had displeased me, but... the feast afterward was tolerable enough.
Chefs butchered the beasts we'd caught on the spot and brought them back prepared in all manner of dishes.
The party was large, but the animals were so big that everyone got a generous share.
The Heretic Inquisitors in particular received truly delicious cuts.
I heard that even the offal and feet were cooked without waste and distributed to the palace servants.
"Ooh, the foreleg is absolutely delicious..."
And the wine I'd delivered to Ash yesterday was top-grade too, they said.
I had to admit, Marcel seemed like a decent fellow.
That doting king would never choose just anyone as his daughter's husband.
If he'd chosen poorly, Alina might very well end up assassinated.
In truth, the prince had chosen the wrong bride.
'Prince Marcel... I did warn you, didn't I?'
Regardless of my opinion, neither the prince nor his delegation appeared dissatisfied with Alina.
At first she'd seemed excessively shy, but by now she was showing her usual energy and gentleness in equal measure.
To be honest, the shyness probably wasn't a negative in their eyes either.
"What a perfectly matched couple."
"To be frank, I thought she was too good for the prince..."
Reshutal gaining a reliable ally was never a bad thing.
Even when I factored in my teacher's plans, it remained favorable.
Still, my heart often clenched whenever Alina glanced my way...
The succession of ceremonies finally ended, and the wedding day arrived.
The ceremony was held in the royal palace gardens with high-ranking temple priests presiding.
On the day itself, royalty from neighboring kingdoms attended in droves.
Never in my life had I thought this vast palace could feel cramped.
I was struck speechless by the chaotic atmosphere when Katrina called me over.
For a while now, she'd looked oddly relieved.
"Jaeger, from now until the ceremony begins, you will be Princess Alina's personal guard."
"Is that alright?"
Wouldn't it look questionable for her to be alone with an unrelated man just before her wedding?
When I expressed that unnecessary concern, Katrina nodded.
"Among us, your skills are the best. The other units are overwhelmed by the sheer number of guests."
"Ah, so it's comparatively easy duty, is it? I'll accept it gratefully."
"You're being cheeky again."
Following Katrina's orders, I headed indoors and caught sight of Alina, already dressed in her gown.
She'd become like a statue, unable to move, while her close attendants bustled around her.
They were checking her makeup until the very last moment, fastening ornaments to her dress; they looked immensely busy.
"What an absolutely magnificent dress. There'll be a long backlog of orders after this."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Diana, who had just received the compliment, spotted me and flushed.
She certainly deserved to hear such praise.
Even at a glance, this latest creation was no joke.
I stood guard at the entrance until Diana and the ladies-in-waiting withdrew.
As I quietly began to close the door, Alina called to me from inside.
Since the royal marriage had been decided, this was the first time she had addressed me directly.
"Sir Jaeger. Would you close the door for a moment?"
"..."
Screeeak.
In the now-private room, Alina faced me with some difficulty and asked carefully, "Um... is it... is it alright for me to marry?"
Given that she believed I was a High-Rank Demon, that reaction was only to be expected.
She believed I had infiltrated the palace for some purpose and feared getting in my way.
I replied with a faint sense of disbelief.
"You certainly chose a late moment to ask."
"I'm sorry. But that's not what I meant."
"Hmm?"
"If you had disliked this marriage, Sir Jaeger, you would have intervened long ago."
Admittedly, that was true.
Then what in the world had her earlier question been about?
Seeing my confusion, Alina became more specific.
"Would it be acceptable for me to marry a human and bear children...? Honestly, I have been conflicted."
So she was asking advice from a senior in demon life?
Knowing her ability, I answered curtly.
"You'll simply charm him, won't you? That is your specialty."
"Even so, I cannot do such a thing to people who are too close. The Reshutal royals frequently interact with Heretic Inquisitors."
Did she mean that?
If so, the king's excessive doting wasn't the result of magic... which was, in its own way, impressive.
"What exactly do you want to ask?"
"Whether someone born a demon can live just like everyone else... Because I myself don't truly know what being 'demon-like' means."
Apparently Everhart hadn't properly informed her about her own birth.
In fact, it was astonishing that she'd even realized her origins at all.
A child planted in another man's nest by the so-called Grand Duke of Demons had to be intended for some larger purpose...
Yet even she herself had no idea what that role was.
'Is this another bluff? No, she has no reason to lie at this point.'
Under normal circumstances, I could simply ignore such questions.
No, I should ignore them.
If I gave Alina unnecessary information, my own bluff might be exposed.
But when I was directly confronted with her anguish, I absolutely couldn't stay silent.
I let the words that had been roiling in my chest pour out.
"What does it matter how you were born?"
"... Excuse me?"
"You didn't choose to be born a demon, did you? Did Everhart ever act like a real father to you? All you have to do is live the way you want to live."
If a person were forced to live according to their birth, I'd be a heap of ashes by now.
Being born an Awakened One wasn't a crime, was it?
At my answer, Alina shuddered once, then expressed her thanks.
Unable to endure the awkward atmosphere any longer, I stepped outside.
"We shall now conduct the kingdom's joyous wedding ceremony! Honored guests, please take your seats..."
At last the moment had come.
Together with the other Holy Knights, I took up a position at Alina's side.
As if her mind were already made up, she walked forward without hesitation.
Prince Marcel had entered shortly before her.
Already a handsome man, he'd dressed himself up even more handsomely today.
The Inquisitors beside me were already hurling curses at him.
"Please let his dick be three centimeters... three centimeters!"
"Three-cent dick! Three-cent dick!"
Ignoring the men's desperate curses, Alina kept walking and stood beside Marcel.
What did it matter if the kingdom arranged the match?
If you're born into a prestigious house, you have to accept this much.
Fortunately, the wedding address didn't drag on too long.
The high priest at the altar had to finish the address before the king burst into tears.
He then gave the obligatory declaration preceding the asking of consent from both sides.
"If anyone objects to this wedding, speak now or forever hold your peace..."
Several Inquisitors twitched forward, but Reinhardt looked ready to cut down anyone who dared leap out.
Everyone was silently coming to an agreement.
A sinister laugh suddenly rang out from the garden entrance.
"My, did I arrive too late?"
"Who goes there!"
I spun around and saw that all the guards stationed at the entrance had already collapsed.
Strolling through their midst was a knight clad in huge, thick armor.
I felt a prickling sense of crisis on my skin and stepped forward to face him.
It was like being thrown naked in front of a beast.
I didn't know who he was, but he was far from ordinary.
"Stop! The jousting grounds are two blocks down. And even that ended days ago!"
"Ah, is that so? If I'm late, then it can't be helped."
He laughed loudly and swung a jousting lance without any restraint.
Armed knights rushed him in a swarm, but they crumpled to the ground before the lance even touched them.
I felt something catch on my adamantite sword and swiftly deflected it.
'Is that magic! What kind?'
I glanced at the bodies of the guards who had already fallen: instead of blood, a pale, milky fluid was pooling on the flagstones.
Hard as it was to believe...
I concluded that they hadn't been stabbed to death; they had died from sexual ecstasy.
"Don't tell me this bastard..."
"It seems someone forgot to invite me!"
The figure tossed aside his helmet without a second thought; his face was an amorphous, shadow-like mass.
No doubt about it.
The Lust Demon, Grand Duke Everhart!
He had come to claim Alina at last.
Since he'd already infiltrated the palace before, forcing his way in was even easier this time.
The Heretic Inquisitors and the Einhold family members had barely formed up into combat ranks when countless Demonic Beasts and demons surrounded the garden.
"Eeeek! D-demons? Why here again of all places...!"
"C-compose yourself, Your Majesty!"
"Get His Majesty and the guests to safety!"
"Sir! Escape is impossible!"
One of the knights shouted frantically.
A red beam hammered into one of the Demon Thralls.
Colossal heat melted the creature's body in an instant.
It was the Sun Shield, one of the Holy Relics on loan from the Reshutal Inquisition Branch.
"Heretic Inquisitors! Rally!"
"You dare—in a place like this!"
"We're not the same as last time!"
The Einhold family and the other Inquisitors rose undaunted.
Everhart spread his wings and swept them in a broad arc, cutting down several knights.
That must be how he overcame the Holy Relic barrier at the Front Lines.
After clearing a path with staggering ease, he bellowed, "I pronounce this curse! Any man who weds Princess Alina shall meet his death! I stake my name, Grand Duke Everhart of the demons, on it!"
"Tch..."
"He's after Prince Marcel! Stop him!"
The inevitable had arrived.
Everhart had arrived in Reshutal to set in motion the horrific scheme he'd been preparing for well over a decade.
But... was blocking Alina's marriage really all that meaningful at this stage?
I cut down a Demon Thrall while that question lingered.
Amid the chaos, with blood spraying and people collapsing without any visible cause, Alina stood stock-still, as though she had received some revelation.
Knights tried to usher her to safety, but with their strength they couldn't budge her in the slightest.
For Alina, who had doubted the purpose of her existence, it must have felt as though her real life had finally begun.
This is dangerous.
As she is right now, there's no guarantee she'll continue to choose a human life!
'Damn it. A High-Rank Demon is already a handful, and now I have to watch Alina behind me too...'
At a glance, Everhart was in an entirely different weight class from someone like Chainfist.
While I was unable to focus on him because of Alina, Luft burst out of Everhart's shadow and landed a single sword blow.
"Get away!"
"Grrk! You little gnat!"
Unfortunately, the wound Everhart received was not deep.
Even while trading blows with Reinhardt, Hector, and Luft simultaneously, the Lust Demon forced his way through.
The moment he spotted Alina standing rooted in the center of the garden, he licked his lips.
The plan a High-Rank Demon had spent more than a decade preparing was at last revealed.
"Khhh, you've grown up beautifully. Out of my way, you rabble! The bride is mine alone!"
"... What?"
I wasn't the only one frozen by his words.
Alina staggered hard, as though dizzy.
Beyond all doubt, Everhart's eyes were blazing with lust.
He saw her as nothing more than a sexual object.
"Th-that's a lie. All that, for a reason like that...?"
"Alina, come here. Return to your master!"
Well, I understand that a Lust Demon would be horny at all hours, but...
Isn't this incest?
In other words, he infiltrated human society for nearly twenty years and kept her planted there, all for the single-minded purpose of fucking his own daughter?
Does this bastard see his own child as something like a crop?
Living according to one's attribute isn't always pleasant to witness.
Having gained profound enlightenment, I hardened my blade with a shudder of revulsion.