95. Aiterne Marquis (2)
The marquis fell silent right after uttering those words, as if he'd realized he'd let something slip.
Judging by that reaction, Gerald Marquis might already know Pedro Duke's true nature.
In my case, I knew Pedro Duke wasn't human but a demonkin thanks to my mother Agnes's prophecy of the future and the battle with the Execution Squad.
But how did Gerald Marquis figure it out?
At that moment, I recalled that the marquis before me was the master of the Aiterne Merchant Group. Merchants staked their lives on information more than anyone.
So it wasn't all that surprising if he'd guessed Pedro Duke's identity through some channel or other.
The head of the Aiterne family had more than enough capability for that.
But he soon composed himself with a relaxed expression and said to me,
"What I meant was, I'm asking how you can assert so confidently that Pedro Duke isn't human."
Brushing past his slip-up like that was proof the marquis was no pushover.
Yet I answered straightforwardly.
"You must know who my mother is, Your Excellency."
"The Great Saintess Agnes. You're referring to her?"
"Yes. And her other title is..."
"The Saintess of Prophecy. So you're saying the Great Saintess left you a prophecy about the duke's true identity."
As the marquis said, my mother had the gift of foresight. With that near-miraculous ability, she'd led humanity to victory in the Great War against the demon race.
I replied,
"That's right. And Pedro Duke is the master of the Centriac Knights, a Grand Master knight. He's someone who's entered and returned from Kaotic Gates and Inferno countless times. You must know that many who pass through Kaotic Gates end up turning into demonkin."
The marquis didn't deny my words. It was common knowledge that demonkin could emerge from Kaotic Gates.
I've even made contact with the voice beyond those Kaotic Gates myself. I nearly fell to it.
I had reasons for calling that entity the "voice" based on my mother's prophecy and my own experiences.
The chaotic, formless space I'd briefly entered through Reister after she became a demonkin—that was the realm beyond the Kaotic Gates.
A place where voices endlessly whispered.
Monsters harboring murderous intent toward humanity, their will bent on human extermination.
And the voice I'd heard there was like a colossal will aggregating all those monsters' intents.
Falling to that voice's illusions turns one into demonkin in an instant.
Even I had felt fear toward that overwhelming will. And the uncertainty of what lay beyond the gates only doubled that dread.
The Central Order of the empire knows next to nothing about what's beyond the gates either.
According to Lilia, the Central Order was already rotten to the core.
Even before Grius, it had been full of corrupt priests. They, of all people, should have been investigating the Kaotic Gates' nature—but they'd abandoned that duty long ago.
They'd even turn themselves into demonkin just to indulge in pleasure.
After hearing me out, the marquis seemed lost in thought for a moment.
"Hmm... Demonkin. Demonkin, you say."
It could have been dismissed as the ravings of a young fool. But as I'd just pointed out, my mother was the Great Saintess Agnes.
And behind me stood the ruler of the north, Wilhelm Margrave.
So the idea that the duke ruling the south was a demonkin would surely catch his attention. He already seemed to suspect as much about Pedro.
He's weighing the north against the south, figuring out which side is better.
After a stretch of silence, the marquis finally spoke.
"As a subject of the Holy Empire—and the son of the Great Saintess and a cadet of the Holy Academy like yourself—it's only natural to oppose demonkin and the forces they lead, in line with Jedin's teachings. However."
I could guess what came next.
"I'm no holy priest. I'm just a merchant. The empire's holiness has long since decayed. To me, the blessings of gold ring truer than any from the gods. So even if Pedro Duke is a demonkin, it makes no difference to me."
Just as I'd expected. He was a merchant to his bones. Even though the central and southern regions bordered each other in rivalry right now,
if siding with Pedro Duke proved far more profitable than aligning with Lilia or Essemont, he'd毫不犹豫ly join the demonkin's faction.
"So even if you speak of an alliance with Essemont... I have no need to draw my blade against Pedro Duke before the scales tip. Nor do I need to clash with the Bayrea Mercenaries under the rebels."
In other words, true to his merchant nature and the political instincts of a great noble, he'd sit back and observe the most profitable path.
Then Lilia, who's already aligned with his faction, is in danger.
But I was confident I could persuade him. To sway a merchant, you had to offer the most valuable card.
And I had just that card. I said to Gerald Marquis,
"You've chosen Chloe as your heir, haven't you, Your Excellency?"
He gave me a look like I'd spouted nonsense, but he soon answered seriously.
"Indeed. Chloe has met every qualification to be the Aiterne heir. She proved herself a superior merchant to all her elder brothers."
His tone was cool, but a hint of pride in Chloe slipped through.
"As expected. I admire that about her too. Chloe knows my true worth. And in fact, the Aiterne heir... is already smitten with me."
"This is no place for such jests!"
Anger flashed across the marquis's face at my words.
***
The marquis had every right to be furious. The venerable house of central nobility, the Aiterne family—and its heir, Chloe de Aiterne.
To say outright in front of her father that she was smitten with me? To him, it must have sounded utterly absurd.
"The time of Aiterne's marquis is not so cheap as you seem to think. If you bandy about petty jokes fit for the capital's noble whelps in my presence!"
"I know full well what kind of man you are, Your Excellency. And what kind of woman your heir Chloe is."
Realizing my attitude was earnest, his anger softened a touch. I continued,
"You must know it too—that Chloe is no lady to fall for some worthless fool."
In that instant, his gaze fixed straight on my face.
"You have striking looks, Count. Your height and build are perfectly balanced. An ordinary woman might well fall for your appearance alone."
Of course, the marquis wasn't buttering me up. He was appraising my looks with a merchant's cold objectivity.
"But Chloe isn't so foolish as to lose herself over a man's face. Though she's my daughter, she most resembles my own way of thinking—a cool-headed girl. And yet... hmm."
As he said, after a moment's serious contemplation, he addressed me.
"However, I don't sense much of the value you've touted yourself. Being the margrave's sole heir is impressive, to be sure. But in the end, aren't you Princess Lilia's fiancé?"
The marquis's mind worked quickly, as expected.
Chloe was his acknowledged heir. For such a girl to be infatuated with me? He might suspect I held some hidden worth beyond the obvious.
But I already had a fiancée—and not just any, but Lilia, who stood to become the empire's next emperor once the rebellion was quashed.
If I were merely to become the northern margrave, a marriage alliance via Chloe might make sense.
But an emperor's husband? Taking an official second wife was unthinkable. That's what the marquis was pointing out.
Time for the finishing blow.
I voiced what I'd planned before even entering the room.
"I intend to take Chloe as my wife."
He clearly hadn't seen that coming. His expression hardened coldly in that instant.
And unlike before, his tone turned icy and detached—proof he was truly enraged.
"That's going too far with the jokes. Even if you are Wilhelm Margrave's heir, I'm not so lowly as to indulge your whims. To speak so casually of my heir... no. It's not worth discussing. Leave at once."
If I weren't the margrave's heir, he might have slapped me outright. His fury was palpable.
But I wasn't joking, of course. I bowed to him once more, politely and sincerely.
"I mean it. I am the margrave's heir and the Great Saintess's son. But..."
And then I released the side of myself I always kept hidden. Dragonkin horns sprouted from my head.
"I am also the son of the Demon King, Lucifel."
In that moment, Gerald Marquis's red eyes wavered.
***
My conversation with Gerald Marquis ended successfully.
He accepted my proposal. The one about taking Chloe as my wife.
Someone devout in Jedin or another great noble might have refused outright...
I had shown him directly that demon blood ran in my veins.
And not just any blood, but the lineage fit to ascend to Demon King of the demon kingdom's pinnacle.
As a skilled alchemist himself, reading the demonic aura I'd briefly emanated was no challenge.
The son of Lucifel... the Cold-Hearted Demon King himself!
Having confirmed it personally, he finally understood why Chloe valued me so highly.
'My daughter placed an exceedingly high value on the count. I didn't mention it earlier, but Chloe staked her own claim to the heirship to beg me for time to meet with him.'
That surprised me. To solidify her position as heir, Chloe had schemed within the family from a very young age.
She even wagered that position for my sake.
I'd known her feelings since the womb tattoo formed, but if Chloe were here now, I'd want to pull her into my arms— she felt that endearing.
From there, things unraveled smoothly. Gerald Marquis was the type to contract with devils themselves if the value was right.
He seemed to intuit that my unique bloodline could dominate the entire continent of Iseland.
I have Essemont in my corner. As the future emperor's husband, authority over the empire. And as Demon King, rule over the demon kingdom to boot.
Especially that Demon King bloodline—it shook him deeply.
And I'd let slip my mother's prophecy: that I was fated to oppose Pedro Duke, who was sure to become history's most vile demonkin.
In other words, if I won, Iseland wouldn't perish but would be reshaped into a new order centered on me.
Running a merchant group under demonkin rule? Naturally, my side appealed more to him.
So in the end, he chose me over Pedro.
I promised him I'd take Chloe as my proper wife, not a mere paramour.
Even for a master merchant like him, these were chaotic times impossible to predict.
As a great noble and merchant, he faced a pivotal choice. And he seemed to cherish Chloe more than I'd thought.
'I've never told her this, but I've always rooted for Chloe to be my heir. If the man she chose is you...'
Of course, that sentiment was just one of many reasons he chose me. But the marquis extended his hand first.
'Take good care of Chloe.'
Thus our brief summit concluded. He gave his firm assurance that Aiterne's private forces would deal with the Bayrea Mercenaries immediately.
A tremendous gain. And above all...
The marquis gave me another gift as well. I checked that gift—the True Name of the Chaos Entity—via the system.
True Name of the Chaos Entity Acquired