Chapter 47: Omen (2)
Chapter 47: Omen (2)
"As expected, the Chancellor is quick-witted."
Only then did the Emperor relax his expression and smile faintly.
There was a problem to resolve before the war. Until then, it would be best to keep matters concerning the war hidden.
He lowered his gaze and took in the document he had been reading until just moments before.
Skimming once again the contents about a pseudo-religion rapidly expanding its influence within the slums, the Emperor murmured.
"Even if one cannot help pseudo-religions that arise during war, there ought to be a cleanup before we go."
When a nation is in turmoil, pseudo-religions run rampant.
He understood. People whose psyches were unstable would have nowhere to lean on but religion.
But a pseudo-religion that existed without even waging war left no room for reconsideration. Even more so if it was a religion that was threateningly swelling its size.
Once war began, its influence would only grow, never shrink, so it must be swept away completely before the war.
'Who should be entrusted with it...?'
He motioned away the busy-looking Chancellor and sank into thought for a moment. The deliberation was not long.
"As expected, under the pretext of punishment, entrusting it to Deon Hart..."
After all, it was merely cleaning up fanatics, so even injured as he was, he could finish it without much difficulty.
If he concluded it safely, he could even bestow a reward for it.
Such thoughts slipped out without any particular tension.
There was no one listening but Nemeseus, and compared to the war it was not a very important matter, so he had merely tossed it out casually.
"Your Majesty, did you just say Deon Hart?"
"......."
The Emperor, who had realized his slip in that instant, clamped his mouth shut.
He had forgotten for a moment. That Nemeseus was someone who vehemently opposed the appointment of Deon Hart.
Watching the resolute eyes that rarely stared straight back at him as if asking why Deon Hart again, he quietly pressed his forehead.
***
"Captain."
"We've got another fight tomorrow, so why aren't you asleep...? Your face."
"I had a nightmare."
"......Don't do this here, go back inside. Your complexion right now is beyond..."
"It's not just once or twice. Every night, the people I killed appear in my dreams. And they appear exactly as they were when they died. Things I can't even make out the shapes of approach me, dripping blood..."
"......."
"Please save me. I killed them brutally, just as you told me. I repeated to myself over and over that it couldn't be helped in order to survive, and because I couldn't manage sober, I used the drugs as you taught me. But I still feel like I'm going insane. It's agonizing. The drugs only work during the fight; once it's over, the memories come back vividly...!"
"Calm down. Calm down, and how about trying to shift your thinking just a little?"
"Huh?"
"You didn't take the drugs to kill the enemy. You were swept up by the drug's influence and killed them. It was because of the drugs that you had no choice."
"Captain...? What kind of garbage mindset is that...?"
"Pfft, really? Then how about this? Ah, before that, I never got around to telling you—you were injured here."
"Huh? Uh? When...?"
"......."
"Ah! Don't touch it! It hurts!"
"See, once you're conscious of it, it hurts, right? Actually, I pressed that wound a little while ago. But you didn't notice."
"......."
"Pretend you don't know. Don't deliberately recall it. You said it comes back vividly? That's because you're conscious of it, so it's clearer. Leave the memories from when you were on the drugs in their hazy state. Even if they come up, look away. Because it wasn't you who did it."
"......."
"It wasn't you."
***
When I came to, I was back at my mansion.
Just before I lost consciousness, I had been near the border, but when I woke up, I was home!
If not for the wound on my shoulder, I would have mistaken it for a dream.
I heard that the bastards who attacked me had been dealt with somehow. I didn't ask any further and just nodded quietly.
Since the Murderer bastards were with me, they must have handled it well on their own. Honestly, I didn't particularly want to dig into it seriously.
The whole world knew that their methods were brutal, and recalling the arrow I was struck by and the searing pain that followed was not a particularly pleasant activity.
Days passed like that amid much ado, and today, Rememver requested a quiet conversation while carrying a massive stack of documents.
...'carrying a massive stack of documents'.
'Foreboding.'
For now, since the pretense was a request for conversation, I accepted, but the majesty of those documents was tremendous.
So much so that when Rememver entered, I thought a pile of documents was walking in. I thought I was seeing things from document-work stress.
At any rate, he couldn't have a conversation holding documents. He set them down on a nearby desk. With a terrifying 'Thud!', the desk vibrated finely.
"Cough."
"Are you alright?"
"Ah, yes."
"You did not cough up blood, I hope."
"Yes."
Unfortunately.
"That is a relief. You are injured in the shoulder, so if you had coughed up blood, it would have been quite bewildering."
Was he being sarcastic?
When I stared at him with a crooked expression, Rememver smiled gently and stepped back.
Then he cleared his throat softly and began with a serious expression.
"While you were out on the subjugation, Count, we caught a spy."
"Oh."
"Unfortunately, we were unable to uncover who was behind them. My apologies."
He bent his waist. The neat, efficient gesture drew an involuntary admiration from me.
He was more refined than the nobles of the Empire. What on earth had this butler done before? I heard he was from an isolated small country in the center of the continent... Could he be from a high noble family?
My suspicious idle thoughts were soon interrupted by the voice that followed.
"I heard that you, Count, likewise failed to uncover the one behind it."
"Ah..."
I had heard that. But why bring that up? Was he picking a fight?
"That means the one behind it is no light existence. I suspect the candidates would be the Revolutionary Army, a hostile kingdom, or the head of the Noble Faction, Duke Illustar."
So it wasn't a fight. Our butler was truly competent.
He managed the mansion well, handled documents well, observed etiquette impeccably, and even deduced well.
Wasn't he nearly all-around capable? If he could just fight well, he'd be truly omnipotent.
'No, he seemed to be decent at fighting too...'
I recalled him subduing a Revolutionary Army soldier with a hip throw.
Rememver's words didn't end there.
"In my personal opinion, I believe it may be Duke Illustar, but whichever it is, Count, it will be an opponent too burdensome for you to handle alone, so it seems best to step back from this or request aid from His Majesty the Emperor. If it was presumptuous meddling, I apologize."
"No... Thank you."
I must have answered too absentmindedly. His mysterious silver-blue eyes rested on me for a moment.
A short silence passed, then as if to change the atmosphere, he smiled gently and stepped toward the pile of documents he had set down earlier.
Uh, wait, why those...
"A great deal of paperwork has piled up."
"Ugh, hmm..."
"Fortunately, the injured place is your left shoulder, so there should be no problem holding a pen and writing. You are right-handed, Count, are you not?"
Thud! The sound and vibration that had echoed from that desk now echoed from my desk.
Cold sweat beaded on me as I looked at the pile of documents in front of me, eyed Rememver's expression, then picked up the top document.
[Design plans for dam construction in Hart Territory...]
"Ah!"
"What is it?"
"I must see His Majesty."
I needed to request the return of Hart Territory. With all the things that had happened, I had forgotten for a while.
It was absolutely not running away. It was something I had been thinking about from the start.
Thinking that if the mood seemed right, I should also return the Murderer Knight Order bastards loafing around my mansion, I picked up my outer coat.
I ignored Rememver's gaze that followed me to the very end.
***
I looked to my left. The Crown Prince was drinking tea.
I looked to my right. The Princess was clinging to my arm.
Where am I? Who am I?
I had just come to see the Emperor, so why was I having tea time with the imperial family?
As I became newly aware of the situation, my throat felt parched, and I gulped down tea with an expression half out of my mind.
'The tea aroma is incredible though.'
Haah...
Who could I blame? It was all my fault for timing it poorly.
If only I had come earlier or later, but I had to come right when the Emperor was meeting someone.
Considering I could always directly meet the Emperor immediately, it was unusual that today I was told to wait.
There was a guest who had arrived first, but that was none of my business.
I had definitely intended to wait quietly. They said it wouldn't take long, so I really meant to wait quietly...
[Couuunt!! Cough, cough!!]
[Y-Your Highness the Princess?!]
[My apologies, Count.]
[Your Highness the Crown Prince!]
The Crown Prince and Princess appeared.
For some reason, the Crown Prince was holding the Princess by the scruff of her neck, but rather, thanks to that, I grasped the situation quickly.
So the Princess had tried to ambush me again. The Crown Prince had stopped her.
Whew, I almost died. This frail body can barely withstand even a hug bearing the Princess's weight, so it was best to avoid such situations as much as possible.
While I expressed my gratitude with my eyes and calmly paid my respects, the Crown Prince, who had been staring at me blankly, suddenly dropped a bombshell.
[I would like to serve you tea by way of apology. Will you accept?]
Refusal was refused.
His eyes seemed to say that.
He had even blocked my escape route in advance.
[Should an attendant come looking, I shall send you at once. Consider it a brief rest until you have your audience with His Majesty.]
[Ah, that's...]
[Did you not say that whenever you came to the Imperial Palace, you would often stop by to see me? Could it be... that was a lie...]
[It is not. I was so honored that my reply was delayed. Thank you for the invitation, Your Highness the Crown Prince.]
And now.
I had already gulped down four cups of tea to moisten my drying lips.
...No, this isn't resting.
In what way was this resting? It was applying psychological pressure.
"The tea seems to suit your taste."
"Y-Yes..."
"I shall send a little with you when you leave."
"Thank you."
Actually, I didn't really need it.
Of course, the aroma was good, the aroma.
The taste... naturally, it was neither sweet nor salty. There was sugar in front of me, but I felt too self-conscious to reach for it at all. It felt like drinking water heavily sprayed with perfume, I supposed.
In other words, it wasn't to my taste. I was just drinking because my throat was dry.
The Crown Prince brought the teacup to his lips and tilted it with a light twist of his wrist.
Even just drinking tea, grace and dignity exuded from his movements. As expected of the Crown Prince.
Compared to that, the Princess was...
"Count, won't you get tired of just tea? Please have some cookies as well."
"...Yes, thank you."
Let's just not think about it.
I accepted the cookie the Princess offered and glanced sideways at the still silent Crown Prince.
He set down his teacup and was looking at his incorrigible younger sister with an expression that said 'What on earth am I to do with her?'.
Then, as if resigned, he shook his head slowly and turned his gaze toward me.
My reflection appeared in the golden eyes unique to the imperial family.
"I heard you were injured. Are you feeling alright?"
"Ah, yes, I am fine."
I barely stopped myself from reflexively covering my shoulder.
The Crown Prince's eyes narrowed.
"Your body has weakened due to the curse, so you must be careful if at all possible. I do not understand why you personally went out to subjugate monsters."
"...I apologize."
I didn't go out; I was dragged.
But no one would believe it even if I explained. Who would believe that a count is pushed around by the knight order that serves him?
"Do not apologize to me; apologize to your own body. You must assist His Majesty for a long while, no?"
For a long while? Ugh, how dreadful.
I couldn't refuse outright, nor could I express affirmation, so I silently raised my teacup with a faint smile.
'...I'm full.'
I was full of water.
As my attention was momentarily taken by the unpleasant sensation of my stomach sloshing, the Crown Prince continued.
"I hope that you will serve His Majesty well. I say this because it is you, but honestly, I do not wish to become Emperor. I do not even think I will."
"...Pardon?"