[No title provided]
We'd confirmed that Prince Taurus was the enemy, but there was no way to expose his true nature. Sure, he had a nasty personality by rumor, but outwardly, he was a promising alpha male who'd reached Aura Master. His looks weren't bad either, despite the rough features, and as a prince of a nation, he lacked nothing in power or wealth. If I tried to brand him suspicious without a shred of evidence, I'd end up facing the death penalty for insulting royalty, with no connections to back me up.
Revealing myself as an Aura Lord might reduce the chaos, but... hmm...
"If only there were a way to force that guy to reveal his power..."
The only real evidence I had was the sensation from shaking his hand. Even that had been so deeply concealed that no one short of my level could have noticed. I didn't know the source of that power, but it was definitely nothing good.
"Wait... the handshake?"
Come to think of it... when all my club members shook hands with him, there was one person who hadn't. Or rather, it was more accurate to say the prince had deliberately avoided shaking hands with her.
'The Saintess.'
Formally, no one could touch a noble Saintess like that, so he'd bowed his head instead. But the fact that Taurus of all people had done it only to her felt off.
"My dad told me, but the results were weird. They found traces of mana unlike anything anyone's ever seen. Or... is it even mana?"
"Pardon?"
"No one knows the origin. It's like it doesn't belong in this world. They're suspecting it might be the power of the demon race from the mythic era, but that's ancient history from thousands of years ago—"
"Hold on. Could you repeat that?"
"Huh? Which part? The mythic era? Or the demon race?"
According to the princess, long ago—about 3,000 or 4,000 years back, around when civilization first took root on this planet—humans, beastkin, elves, and various other races lived alongside one other: the demon race. They looked much like humans, but with black skin and reverse pupils opposite to ours. Outwardly, that was it; inwardly, they were as gentle and non-aggressive as any human.
Then their king, the Demon King, declared he would become this world's god in place of the Goddess, and everything changed. He wielded a unique power: Madness. This bizarre force strengthened its targets at the cost of their sanity, and only he could use it. He corrupted his own kind into an army with it, declared war on all races, massacred survivors, and enslaved the rest. The Demon King could steal the power and life force of those gripped by Madness, inching toward true godhood.
The Goddess, unable to stomach the atrocities, wiped out the demon race and tore the Demon King limb from limb until no trace remained—a classic tale of justice prevailing.
But...
"No way... You think the Demon King is behind this mess?"
"It's still just suspicion... but it's possible."
"That's mythology from thousands of years ago. Scholars say it's just a fairy tale to hype up the Church of the Goddess."
"You never know. It could be a fairy tale based on fact."
With that, I went straight to find Hertia.
"You want me to officiate for the two of them and even infuse holy power?"
"Please! You're the only one I can ask."
"But even so..."
Her stepping in would resolve things quickly, but it could spark rumors of collusion between the Saintess and the imperial princess. Her mere appearance at the princess's wedding—when she shouldn't take sides—would cause a huge stir.
"We can emphasize that you're old friends with the princess. People will see it as a final gift for someone you'll never see again."
"Hmm..."
"I'm begging you."
I dropped to my knees right there, and Hertia panicked, waving her hands for me to get up.
"Ah, fine! I'll talk to the High Priest, so stop kneeling!"
"Thank you! Oh, one more thing—absolutely crucial. No matter what, you must infuse holy power into Prince Taurus."
"Got it! Stop rushing me... Why are you so obsessed with him anyway? Do you... like him or something?"
"..."
"I-it's a joke! Don't look at me like that! Sending killing intent at a Saintess? I've never seen those eyes before..."
With Hertia's promise secured, I waited for the wedding day.
* * *
"Gaaahhh!!"
'Just as I thought...'
From the rooftop of a building near the garden, I watched Prince Taurus unleashing the power he'd hidden—in real time. I'd worried a Master-level fighter like him might catch on quick, but even he looked stunned by the sudden emergency. If he'd reacted faster, Hertia couldn't have gotten close.
Luckily, she'd infused holy power into him before he noticed, and now, struggling to contain the rampaging force, he'd exposed himself to everyone—validating my actions.
"You bitch!!"
"Eek!"
Realizing his rampage stemmed from the Saintess, the berserk prince swung a massively enlarged fist at where she stood.
Boom!
"?!"
"Whew. Almost too late."
"Y-you're...?"
Thankfully, I'd rushed in and saved her before she got flattened. To her, it must've felt like instant teleportation. Staring death in the face, then rescued by a masked stranger—she gawked with wide eyes.
"Go! It's dangerous here. Knights! Protect the Saintess!"
"Y-yes, sir! This way, Saintess!"
"W-wait...!"
I watched her get pulled away by the knights, then turned to the prince wrecking the garden. Was the rampage inside him refusing to settle? He groaned in agony, rampaging wildly.
"That power... no way!"
Then I noticed the emperor beside me—not fleeing, but staring intently. He seemed to know the source of the dark, ominous power pouring from the prince, eyes blazing as he glared without budging. Knights struggled to drag him away, but his gritted teeth and fury made it tough.
'The emperor... Does he know something?'
I didn't know what it was, but for the famously level-headed emperor to lose his cool like this, it might tie to the empire's dark secrets—or maybe the late empress?
"Your Majesty, please evacuate. This place is—"
"Grrraaahhh!!"
Whoosh! Slash!
The rampaging prince stomped, collapsing everything, then hurled massive building debris our way. I sliced it in one strike; watching it split and fall, I yelled at the emperor to run.
"This area's about to collapse. I can't guarantee your safety if you stay—go now!"
"I'm fine! Save my daughter... hurry to my daughter!!!"
"Pardon?!"
The emperor suddenly worried about the princess? Wait—where was Astraia?
She was alive, thankfully. She'd noticed the prince's change early, evacuating everyone, but tripped and fallen flat—hidden from his view.
"I'll save Princess Astraia. You go."
"...I leave her to you."
I didn't get why he was suddenly fatherly, but the bride came first. I dashed over, helping her up.
"Are you all right, Princess?"
"I'm fine. Just scraped my knee a bit... But who are you?"
"Not important now. We need to evacua—"
"Youuu!!"
Oh no.
"Finally! Finally I reached that spot... and you ruined it!!"
Clutching a black, sticky aura-like energy, the prince leaped straight at me.
'Damn... a fist master.'
Boom!! Crash!!
Each punch hit like cannon fire. With the princess in my arms, I hopped around dodging.
"Hic... ugh!"
"Just a bit longer. I'll get you somewhere safe—?!"
That instant.
Boom! Clang!
"What the— this arm?! Where the hell—!"
A fist from an impossible angle. I'd predicted every muscle twitch, but this defied logic. I whipped out my sword, barely blocking the sudden third fist. Even channeling aura, its sheer mass made blocking alone a struggle.
"Ho? You blocked that? Most die in one hit, but you're somewhat useful."
"...Brute monster?"
His familiar-yet-not visual now sported two extra arms sprouting from his back, body and fists massively swollen. Eyes reversed—whites as pupils—he drooled like a rabid dog, utterly unhinged.
"Now, you cocky whelp... hand over my bride."