The Prince's Lament and the Duke's Decision
Aslan, the Crown Prince, was pouring out his grievances to me about how I had ruined the picture he had drawn for himself.
“The results were utterly disastrous.”
What the hell does he want me to do about it?
“If we’re being precise, Lily’s incident has nothing to do with that.”
“You’re right. There is no direct connection. However, when the noble students you chased out came to me begging for help, I couldn’t help but notice their wary glances. I fear this will linger for a long time.”
“Once the purge is complete this time…”
The nobles, even if they don’t fall completely, have eyes and ears. They won’t dare act out in Atelina for a while.
“No. I believe it would be better to start over.”
“Start over, Your Highness?”
“The incompetence of the Crown Prince and his noble followers is now known to every student in Atelina.”
“Indeed.”
So they do know. If they know, they can fix it going forward. Unlike that trash hero who plays around and stuffs his face like it’s his first day every single time, at least this guy knows how to reflect. That’s a relief.
“Seeing Lily made me realize something. I will be pointed at and mocked from now on. They’ll say Atelina has an incompetent Crown Prince. It’s better to step down before it gets ugly.”
If he really wanted to, he could manufacture public sympathy and keep the position. Claim he was exhausted, or that he had tarnished the imperial name.
“Above all, I allowed myself to be manipulated by that woman for so long that I even betrayed you, whom I once considered my partner. How could I possibly remain Crown Prince after that?”
“Is that so.”
“Can you give me another chance? If I prove my worth once more as the prince…”
What a load of bullshit.
“No. I have far too many things I want to do myself.”
That’s not something I should even have to hear. I don’t like it. Olivia becoming the Crown Prince’s fiancée again is out of the question. No matter where the blame lies, Olivia’s feelings toward the prince can’t be good. I don’t want to marry a man either. And if Aslan truly wants to regain the people’s favor, he should marry a commoner instead of trying to rebuild the collapsed noble faction.
“The Ashtar family has been loyal to the imperial house since its founding. If Your Highness demonstrates true qualification, the Ashtar family will follow you. Furthermore, if you wish to win the hearts of the common people, how about becoming engaged to a commoner who genuinely admires you?”
“I see.”
The prince wore a bitter expression. At this point, that was probably the next best option.
“After every night comes morning. If you overcome this trial, the time will come again when Your Highness can display your abilities.”
“I suppose so. Then I’ll take my leave.”
“Yes.”
The prince who had thoroughly messed with my mind finally withdrew. Watching his retreating back, I muttered quietly.
“After the night comes morning, huh. Even hearing myself say it makes me cringe.”
In the first place, I doubt anything like that will happen. During the battle with the Demon King, he had said this:
I had brushed off the Demon King’s words at the time, but he wasn’t wrong. In the era before the Demon King and the concept of demonkind existed, humans and many other races had constantly fought one another. The Demon King is dead, and now the Four Heavenly Kings have taken his place, but they are nowhere near as capable. Sooner or later, they’ll be defeated. When that happens, countless nations will once again clash and wage war over land.
The Demon King’s words were one hundred percent correct. Especially the Empire, which had supported the Kingdom and maintained a wartime regime, and the Kingdom itself, whose entire territory had been devastated by direct battles with the Demon King’s army—they would make excellent prey.
But so what? What does that have to do with me? Whether the Demon King exists or not, there will always be war. In that case, it’s only logical to deal with the Demon King, who currently threatens humanity’s survival, first.
I’m surprisingly simple in that regard. Whatever happens afterward has nothing to do with me. I only look at the reality right in front of me. Back then, I had answered the Demon King’s mocking words with a gentle smile.
If the Demon King gets in my way, I erase the Demon King.
If humans get in my way, I erase the humans.
You’re simply one of them. Nothing more.
And with those words, the battle against the Demon King had begun. Come to think of it, that had been pretty entertaining too. I can still clearly picture the Demon King’s dumbfounded face when I declared that I would erase anyone—Demon King or human—who displeased me.
If the Demon King was right, war between humans will eventually break out. The real question is whether Aslan can overcome that. Of course, all of this only matters if that bastard actually gives up the position of Crown Prince. Normally, it’s not easy to let go of a seat like that.
* * *
Duke Ashtar was able to learn about the incident involving Lily through a communication magic tool from the Church. It was a story that would turn the entire family upside down.
The Ashtar bloodline had formed a contract with a succubus. And not just some minor affair within the territory, but an incident that had taken place in Atelina, the very heart of the Empire.
“Hmm. If it is true that Lily contracted with a succubus…”
“The family’s position will become untenable.”
Rockton Lapa Ashtar, the eldest son and heir who would inherit the ducal lands, let out a sigh so heavy it seemed the ground might collapse beneath him.
Of all things, a member of the family had contracted with a monster. Just when their troublemaking younger sister Olivia had become a Saint and started doing well, now Lily had ruined everything.
“I suppose so.”
“I cannot understand Olivia. Becoming a Saint was fine, but couldn’t she have informed the family first and handled it quietly?”
Normally, that would have been the correct approach. Any misfortune occurring within the family should be concealed from the outside and dealt with internally. That was the way to protect the family’s honor. But this time was different. A daughter of the ducal house had essentially brought ruin upon Atelina, the heart of the Empire. In the end, even the Ashtar family would not escape the pointing fingers.
‘It’s true that Olivia went too far this time.’
Had he given her too much freedom? At this rate, wouldn’t she drag the entire family into ruin? Such thoughts suddenly crossed his mind. But Olivia was now a Saint. No matter how dissatisfied he felt, there was little he could say. Besides, the saying went that crisis was opportunity. This incident had not struck only the Ashtar family. Olivia would surely know that as well.
“She is a Saint. She simply fulfilled her duty.”
“Still, I cannot comprehend it. A monster. And a succubus, at that. A daughter of a ducal house. Won’t all the prestige the Ashtar family has built up over the years collapse overnight?”
Yes, at first glance that was true. But if he could only see one side of the matter, how could he possibly be qualified to become the head of House Ashtar?
“There is something you still do not know.”
“Pardon?”
“We can simply cast out Lily, who has disgraced the family, while Olivia has completely solidified her position as a Saint. The world will praise her. They will call her a true Saint who cast out even her own sister for colluding with a monster. Moreover, that Saint belongs to House Ashtar. We lose one but gain another. Above all, what do you think the other central nobles will do?”
“Ah.”
Now that he thought about it, the other nobles would not escape unscathed either.
“Even if we fall, we fall together. At least we only have a daughter involved. The ones bewitched by Lily were all the eldest sons of major families, weren’t they?”
Daughters existed primarily for political marriages to benefit the family, but eldest sons had to inherit. If those very heirs had been ensnared by Lily in droves, those families would be trembling right now. With the foundation they had built over the years and the presence of a Saint, House Ashtar would not suffer any fatal blow. The political landscape of Atelina would simply shift.
“I see.”
“Exactly. So do not worry. As the next head of House Ashtar, go negotiate with the Church on what punishment would be appropriate for Lily.”
This was before Olivia had taken full control of the Church. With an incident like Lily’s erupting at this moment, they would need to offer suitable support to the Church and persuade the Pope.
“Then what will you actually do with Lily? With things having come to this, don’t we need to make some decisive move to protect the family’s reputation?”
The people of House Ashtar had never looked favorably upon Lily. That was only natural. She was an outsider who had rolled in from nowhere. Even Rockton, the next head of the family, had never particularly liked how she kept trying to cling to him unnecessarily. It had seemed as if she were after something, but who would have thought she had been contracted with a succubus?
“Lily has ruined everything by her own hand. She has gone too far to be saved. Send her to a monastery. If she throws a tantrum and refuses…”
The Duke of Ashtar carefully continued.
“Throw her into the river.”
* * *
-Brother, can you save this girl?
-In this state, from the beginning… Sigh. She’s already as good as dead.
-So even you have things you can’t do.
The clear laughter of my younger sister, who used to toy with me, rang vividly in my ears. I tried to retort, but when I suddenly opened my eyes, I realized I had dozed off in the prayer room provided by the Goddess Church.
“Must have nodded off. I had a shitty dream about my annoying little sister.”
This was before I had joined the hero’s party. Long before my younger sister, in the midst of her stormy adolescence, had run away from home. A girl who had been properly hit by black magic had drifted all the way to the Land of Destruction. By then, her soul was already cracked and on the verge of death or corruption into a monster. Her face and entire body had turned a pale purple, making it impossible to recognize her features.
To save her, I had to tear off a piece of a healthy soul and patch it onto the cracked one.
“The memories from back then are pretty hazy now.”
Well, as long as she’s living well somewhere, that’s fine.
I felt a presence and looked up to see Claire bringing Nora with her.
“My lady. I have brought Nora.”
“Hmm. You’re here?”
“S-surely you’re not planning to kill me now…”
Nora trembled violently, terrified.
“I keep the promises I make.”
No matter what, I keep my promises. One thing I made sure to do while working with that bastard hero Eugene was this: even if the other party deserved to die, if I promised to spare them, I would spare them. The question was how I spared them.
“Wouldn’t a normal Saint kill monsters?”
“A normal Saint would have tried to purify you. In my case, of course, I would send you off in agony. Do you want to die?”
“Ah! N-no! I don’t want to die!”
Good. Good. We’re taking the easy route. Killing her would certainly solidify the position of the Empire’s Saint, but…
“Right. If I have to explain it, it’s just a whim. Even as a Saint, I don’t treat monsters as enemies. Whether human or monster, if they don’t sit right with me, I get rid of them.”
Monster or human, whether they committed a sin or not. If they simply don’t please me, I deal with them. That’s how I’ve always done things. That was also part of the reason I had expelled the hero, the saint, and that bitch Cyria. I couldn’t exactly kill a hero’s party that was praised by the people.
“In short.”
“Yeah, I don’t bother with reasons. I kill them all in the name of the Goddess. Is that what you mean? But before that, you have committed a sin too.”
“Eep.”
Why is she so tense? I’m planning to let her live anyway.
“Just kidding. I’ll treat you as a monster who was exploited by Lily instead. You can’t qualify as a victim, but I will guarantee your life.”
“Then… what about my vitality…”
“Vitality, vitality.”
Now that I think about it, I hadn’t considered anything except male prostitutes.
“Claire, by any chance…”
“I looked into it, but management in the imperial capital has become extremely strict recently. It’s difficult to even find male prostitutes.”
“Suddenly?”
Just a short while ago, my subordinates in the slums had said there were male prostitutes. Had they all dried up in the meantime?
Snore~ Puuuooo
“My lady, it is thanks to you that the nobles have taken a heavy blow. So the noble wives, wondering if the same might happen to them, redirected the arrows. It has been confirmed that several noble wives frequently visited host clubs, so authorities have begun cracking down.”
“Hmm. Even so, if I don’t resolve this properly, it’ll be troublesome.”
Snore~ Puuuooo
So damn noisy.
“By the way, what’s with that pig over there snoring since earlier?”
“That is the Pope.”
Wow. The whole world is in chaos outside, yet the Pope is living such a comfortable life. Ah, I just thought of a good idea. There’s no need to go looking for male prostitutes, is there? There’s a pig sprawled out sleeping right over there.