How a Wizard Survives (67)
In hindsight, this outcome was only natural.
The truth about Princess Alina's identity was a secret between her and me, not from Everhart. To him, it wasn't a secret at all.
He was the Grand Duke of Demons, the Lust Demon.
Swapping a human princess was practically a badge of honor to him.
Doing this could endanger Alina, but...
He already seemed to view her as something stolen from him. If he could not have her, he would rather destroy her.
'Still, a father driving his own child into a death trap...'
I ran while silently cursing him, then belatedly glanced back at Alina.
Her face had fallen so completely that it was pitiful. I had not known a person could look so crushed.
"Should we not have run away?"
"No. I wanted to get away from that place too..."
Alina trembled faintly and leaned against me. She seemed ready to collapse at any moment.
"For now, let's return to the royal palace."
"Y-yes. Understood."
I was worried about the atmosphere at the palace, but... after an incident like this, not returning would look suspicious.
The city guards opened the gate with grim faces. A heavy, solemn tension filled the palace.
His Majesty the King was raging, exactly as expected.
"It's not just those heretics! Burn anyone who dares run their mouth about this matter!"
The king might have been somewhat dull-witted, but no one could call him a tyrant. Right now, however, he embodied the word.
Who could dare say a word against him? His own child had suffered this humiliation.
On top of that, wasn't Everhart the one who ruined the last marriage negotiations? Thanks to that, his subjects didn't even dare think of opposing him. I was certain that anyone who carelessly stepped forward right now would lose their head.
"Ahh... Alina! You've returned!"
The king quickly called her over and comforted her.
"Pay no mind to the vile rumors spread by that demon. Suspend your Inquisition work for the time being, and starting tomorrow, come out and enjoy some time with me. An opera would be nice, wouldn't it?"
"Ah... yes."
Alina nodded reluctantly at the king's forceful attitude.
To be honest, His Majesty's political sense was by no means poor. No, seeing how he procured a top-tier husband candidate like Prince Marcel the Second last time, one might even call it outstanding. Running state affairs while burning heretics in the middle of the city and getting squeezed by the front lines is never easy.
'He's worried about Alina.'
Alina was Reshutal's sole heir, with no siblings who could replace her.
So the king decided to severely punish the malicious rumors about her, while simultaneously attending public events with Alina to protect her position.
That didn't mean he lacked consideration for his beloved daughter.
"Sir Jaeger! From tomorrow, you and your unit shall be fully dedicated to escorting Alina. You must not take your eyes off her."
"I will carry out your command."
"Good. Alina, there will be an appeal soon, so sit here. Help me with this, your father's work."
Watching the king pour his heart and soul into Alina, I silently swallowed my tears. Knowing the whole story, I pitied him deeply.
Alina also seemed uneasy, her face full of anguish.
Security was the Royal Guard's responsibility. I decided to wait in an adjoining room until the day's business ended and called over an attendant.
"Convey His Majesty's orders to Lady Katrina immediately."
"Yes, Holy Knight."
Nestled in my arms, Shui relayed the situation to Ulysses and Ash through the mask's communication function. I could feel her shifting as she earnestly explained everything.
"So, Master Jaeger will be late for the time being. It's an unavoidable situation, so please don't be too disheartened..."
[Alright. It's lonely, but I'll endure it well. Tell Jaeger to take care of himself.]
Ulysses's voice, laced with a thick laugh, was cheering me on.
Shui, seemingly displeased with my overtime, grumbled quietly.
"What a miserable demon. Does he think people will actually believe him?"
It was infuriating that a demon was waging a war of public opinion, but...
We were already being tormented enough. Besides, his actions weren't entirely stupid either.
"Well... from Everhart's perspective, he doesn't need to convince everyone. He just needs to make one person suspicious."
"Huh? Who is that?"
"Our King."
Alina was not his biological daughter. That fact carried enormous weight.
If the king truly began to doubt her, every small inconsistency would surface one by one. That would be disastrous for Alina.
The problem was when the king would notice.
For now, political calculations distracted him... but I did not know when realization might strike.
When the day's official business ended, Alina emerged from the audience chamber and silently nodded to me.
Katrina and I had been assigned full-time as her escorts. Since the Reshutal Royal Family was the patron of the Inquisition, Reinhardt lent us out without a word.
Late at night, as we stood guard together, Katrina mouthed silently. She spoke softly as usual, her lips moving faintly, but I could roughly guess the content and make it out.
"I never imagined Everhart would come out like this... If Alina's true identity is exposed, it won't be good for us either, right?"
"Of course not. Reshutal has no heir other than Alina."
The king was trying to make her queen by bringing in a matrilocal son-in-law from abroad.
If Alina's demon nature were discovered... in the worst case, the entire kingdom could collapse.
'Should've had at least a couple more sons and daughters... Why were the royals so stingy with their seed?'
This had spared the kingdom from succession disputes... but under the present circumstances, the lack of alternatives was regrettable.
Just then, the queen, who had been comforting Alina until late, gave us a small nod and left the bedroom. I sensed a bad omen in her expression.
'The queen has already figured it out.'
The queen had given birth to Alina herself, so she could hardly be ignorant of the truth. We pretended not to notice and remained silent.
@
From the next day onward, as the king had forewarned, various public events were held nonstop. It was a show of force to prove that the king still favored Alina and felt no misgivings toward her.
The capital's nobles scrambled to act as if nothing had happened.
But nothing was that easy.
"Don't be fooled, everyone! Princess Alina is the daughter of a cursed demon... Gahhk!"
I threw a dagger and pierced the head of the heretic who had lunged in front of the king.
Even though the Reshutal Heretic Inquisitors were working hard, Everhart's contractors kept popping up like rats.
The king personally summoned Reinhardt to vent his fury.
"Sir Reinhardt! Are you truly capturing the heretics?"
"Your Majesty, if you wish to put them down, please order the City Guard to stop the burnings at the stake."
"What?"
It was something no one had dared to advise until now. But Reinhardt stood with his head held high and spoke.
"Burning Everhart's contractors at the stake is counterproductive."
"W-why do you say that?"
"Normally, heretics burn to death screaming or repenting their sins. The terrible smell, smoke, and screams put the citizens on guard."
But Everhart's contractors are different. Everhart's true terror wasn't his combat power, but how he handled his contractors.
"Everhart's contractors are the complete opposite. They laugh ceaselessly until their last breath. That's because Everhart has already promised them endless pleasure."
"Something like that is possible?"
"The pleasure Everhart bestows exceeds the human threshold. Accepting it destroys the brain. Once addicted, they become slaves loyal to Everhart even in death."
Originally, burnings at the stake were meant to inspire fear in the citizens... but burning Everhart's contractors had the opposite effect. It was practically an advertisement for Everhart's power.
Especially in tough times like these, if someone with nothing left to lose saw that, they would gladly become Everhart's contractor.
Grasping Reinhardt's point, the king finally relented.
"Then what is the best course of action?"
"Beheading is swift and clean for them. Still, it's just a temporary agitation, so don't let it weigh too heavily on you."
"..."
The king reluctantly nodded and sent him away.
Alina, Katrina, and I were all on edge, wondering when he would catch on to the truth.
In the meantime, as Reinhardt stepped aside, the Head of the Einhold Family, who had also been summoned, paid his respects. He had been called from the ducal territory to assist with the escort operation.
With complete confidence, he said something unexpected.
"Your Majesty, why not prove it once and for all here?"
"What?"
The king's eyes flickered, and the Head of the Einhold Family boldly stepped forward. It was an outrage only possible because he never dreamed of Alina's true identity.
"Our family's magic includes one that can prove a bloodline. If we use it, everyone would be reassured..."
'H-he brings that up here?!'
This is bad. The king must have accumulated some doubt by now... If that test happened here, Alina couldn't escape it.
Her eyes, which had barely managed to stay calm, trembled violently.
But fortunately, our king reacted with distinct displeasure.
"I refuse to dignify such blasphemous rumors by entertaining them."
"Your Majesty, still..."
"Enough. I won't say it twice."
Unusually, the king firmly rejected his proposal. Honestly, I was really anxious this time... It was unexpected. The king I knew was a bit more indecisive and prone to anxiety.
Yet in this crisis, it was none other than the king who showed the most composed demeanor.
'Could it be?'
As a peculiar hypothesis began forming in my mind, the king moved us elsewhere for tea.
Days of torment had left Alina ashen. The queen looked even worse beside her, enough that I began to fear one of them might actually die.
The king pretended not to notice and ordered the Royal Guard.
"Everyone, withdraw from here. Dame Katrina, you as well..."
"Ah!"
Alina, pouring tea with trembling hands, accidentally let go of the teapot. It crashed loudly onto the floor beneath the tea table.
I snatched it up just in time.
"Allow me."
"Th-thank you, Sir Jaeger."
Under the tea table, Alina clutched my sleeve tightly. Having unintentionally remained in the family's private space, I could only witness the king's heartbreaking consolation.
In this atmosphere, no human could pretend everything was fine.
"Alina. Soon the knights of Reshutal and the Heretic Inquisitors will break the demon's curse. What do you say we go get you fitted for some new clothes tomorrow?"
"Your... Your Majesty."
As the queen finally prepared to unburden her conscience, I could no longer stay silent. I did not want them fumbling past one another in ignorance.
"...You already knew, Your Majesty."
"What?"
The queen froze solid at my remark. Alina also stared wide-eyed, unable to speak.
But the king himself just wore a somber expression. It was as though he had been expecting this moment. He didn't throw me out or call the Royal Guard.
"Wh-what do you mean..."
With rumors coming from every direction, anyone would want to confirm the truth at least once. The Einhold Family Head's earlier proposal had served exactly that purpose.
But the king's attitude had been far too resolute. The king I knew couldn't possibly react this way.
Unless he had known the truth from the beginning. Once that possibility occurred to me, every doubt vanished.
On behalf of the two women, and for the king more than anyone else, I asked him.
"How did you realize it?"
"I've never told anyone until now, but... my body produces no seed."
"Then the fluid itself..."
"No, the fluid comes out, but it lacks the seed, you should say. Sir Jaeger, you are oddly lacking in consideration in strange places."
"It's better to be certain about this sort of thing."
The king actually looked relieved. No wonder—he must have spent years struggling with the truth he had been forced to deduce from the moment Alina was born.
Alina, beside him, squeezed out her words one at a time, as if wringing them out.
"But... why did you... accept me..."
"No matter what anyone says, Alina, aren't you the daughter of my beloved wife?"
A warm smile spread across the king's face. Alina's throat was so choked up she couldn't say another word.
To reassure the two women, the king hastily added, "At first, I thought it was a gift from heaven. To think it was actually a gift from a demon."
He gave a bitter little smile, then spoke more bravely than anyone.
"But a gift is still a gift. There's no need to return what you've already received. Alina. You have been, and will continue to be, my daughter."
"Your... Majesty."
The queen finally burst into sobs. The king comforted her, then looked at me.
"Sir Jaeger, please keep what happened here today a secret..."
"Don't worry, My King."
For the first time, I answered him with genuine sincerity. Alina, with tears in her eyes, smiled brightly.