Chapter 49 — Where People Gather, There Is Always… (4)
Chapter 49 — Where People Gather, There Is Always… (4)
The state of...!
'Whoa! Amazing!'
Roan forced his opening mouth shut.
Helen's Affection was rising at a rapid pace from -83.
-81, -79, ... -71, -69 ....
The numbers, beeping and shifting at a breathless speed, stopped at -43.
Incredible!
Indeed, if someone stomps on a lunatic superior like that, then no matter who it is, your affection would skyrocket.
On top of that, it was the superior who had insulted her friend.
And the friend she had been worried about looked perfectly fine.
Multiple factors seemed to have combined to make Helen's Affection shoot up. Whatever the reason, it was fortunate!
In his joy, he eased the Overwhelm that was pressing down on the Knight Commander. The Commander was out of his mind, gasping for the breath he'd been denied, shedding tears and snot.
Helen, who had been holding Grünent, approached the Commander after asking for her leave.
"Commander."
"...Keuhk, keuhk..., get away...!"
"I am sorry. Commander."
Seeing he had the presence of mind for that, he seemed to be fine.
Grünent's expression, having witnessed firsthand the treatment Helen received, darkened instead.
Helen was in no position to worry about Grünent.
The reunion between Grünent and Helen had ended in a mess. Still, they had confirmed each other's safety, so for today, let us send them back first.
There was perhaps a chance that a situation requiring the help of 'Mihon' might arise. He would have to check the Saintess's skill, but her Affection was already -43.
He seemed to have more leeway than expected.
So, first, he wanted to settle Helen down and give her time to talk with Grünent.
With Grünent present, Helen's Affection would likely rise naturally as well.
Having finished his thoughts, Roan decided to count that Knight Commander as a non-person now.
"I am the Emperor of Evirgio. And I am also Grünent's husband. Whatever your story may be, to hold Grünent so precious—I thank you."
At the Demon King's wholly unexpected greeting, Helen's eyes went wide. Seeing that sight, Grünent, her face smeared with tears, smiled brightly.
Helen, who had been looking back and forth between Roan's and Grünent's faces, looked back at the Knight Commander.
The Knight Commander, who had been glaring silently at Roan, introduced himself as if chewing and spitting out the words.
"Knight Commander of the Church of Laurecia. Matthias."
"Vice-Commander of the Laurecia Order Knights. I am Helen. I as well...."
Helen paused mid-sentence and eyed the Commander's reaction. The Commander was wholly occupied glaring at Roan.
Helen spoke cautiously.
"Thank you for taking care of Lady Grünent. Your Majesty."
At the address 'Your Majesty,' Matthias shot a murderous glare, but Helen had already bowed her head deeply with her greeting.
"...."
She seemed to have more she wanted to say, but behind her, the Knight Commander's eyes glittered coldly.
I should definitely separate that bastard from her next time.
But since he was her superior for now, locking him alone in the underground prison might have a negative effect on her Affection.
Let's be careful until her Affection rises above 0, at least.
And so, Roan sent Helen, and the eyesore of a Knight Commander also, though reluctantly, to the separate room he had prepared.
Walking down the hallway, the Knight Commander began to grumble. The knight monitoring them glared at him, but he was His Majesty's guest. He could not bring himself to stop him.
"I am worried about her state."
"What do you mean?"
"Look at the Princess's condition. Has she not already fallen under some magic or brainwashing?"
Helen kept silent and said nothing.
If she had fallen victim to some magic, she would have been able to detect it. Holy power diffuses differently than mana, but they share the commonality of flowing from the body, so examining for traces is not difficult.
But it did not seem that Grünent was obeying the Demon King against her will.
Rather, her expressing her own opinions to the Demon King, or berating the Commander, was the same Grünent as usual.
However, if she were to relay this to the Commander....
"Why are you silent like a mute who swallowed honey this time? Earlier, you were running your mouth just fine when you were supposed to keep it shut."
"My apologies. Commander."
"If this is the case, rescuing Her Highness will become more difficult than anticipated."
'You're already surrounded, though...' Helen swallowed that statement.
Matthias's martial prowess was far above her own.
If he had proper weapons, he could easily dispatch the knights currently standing watch.
If only he could avoid the Demon King's eyes....
But the difficulty jumped exponentially when it came to taking Grünent and leaving this place.
She wasn't even sure if Grünent would want to leave. Seeing her earlier, she appeared to be properly treated as a wife.
And then, at the words the Commander whispered next, Helen was horrified.
"If rescue proves difficult, we must at least take part of her body with us. The head would be best."
"...Excuse me?!"
When Helen inadvertently cried out loudly, both the demon knights and Matthias frowned.
"The Princess is now a traitor to humanity. We cannot know what information or secrets she has spilled. We cannot afford to let such a Princess live."
Helen clenched her teeth tight.
Matthias's eyes gleamed with madness.
*
"Helen."
Meeting Helen in the separate room, Grünent pulled her into a deep embrace once more.
"Lady Grünent."
Helen still could not believe her eyes.
The Demon King's underground prison was notorious even in Merde.
When she heard that Grünent, who had practically been kidnapped as a concubine, was confined there, Helen despaired.
So when the Order said they would rescue her, Helen joined that suicide squad without a second thought. Whatever the political reasons were, they did not matter. If only she could save Grünent.
Hearing that the Commander, who considered her a thorn in his side, would also be joining the rescue party, Helen's hope grew even greater. No matter how much he tormented her, his skill alone was the best in the Order of the Goddess knights.
'With even Helen, an outstanding knight and Saintess, taking part, perhaps we truly can bring the Princess back alive. If we succeed, my standing not only in the Order but in all of Merde will soar tremendously.'
Unaware of the Commander's calculations, Helen had prepared for months to rescue Grünent.
However, they were surrounded by a riverbank where movement was difficult.
Movements that seemed to understand their direction and the knights' characteristics. Everyone had been caught by the sudden magic.
That was why, at the moment of capture, she had been crushed.
That she would never see Grünent again.
"Helen, it's alright."
Yet her blue eyes were full of laughter.
It was the same look as in Merde.
"This is Rauka. My guard."
Helen's gaze reached Rauka's ear.
Her eyes flew wide once again.
"A forest elf is your... guard?"
"You can speak comfortably. Helen. Rauka is trustworthy. Because she's a forest elf."
Helen, who had glanced at the forest elf leaning leisurely against the wall with her arms crossed and looking at her, visibly relaxed her attitude.
"A curious thing. How did a forest elf come to..."
"Well, His Majesty bid me to."
Rauka spoke brusquely. Yet her tone held no anger.
No matter how much the Demon King orders them, forest elves do not involve themselves with others.
How?
At Helen's questioning gaze, Grünent answered with a smile.
"She said this castle has many demonfolk, so she freed Rauka from the prison and assigned her as my guard."
The more she heard, the stranger it was.
"You mean His Majesty worried about your personal safety?"
"Yes. His Majesty is a kind person."
Rauka lightly sniffed.
She would be hearing that until her ears wore out. Still, it wasn't as if he lacked that side to him. It was an act in that sense.
But Helen's expression sank darkly upon hearing Grünent's words.
And suddenly, power began to stir within her body.
Helen began to manipulate holy power.
Rauka started to say something, but Grünent stopped her with a light wave of her hand, as if to say it was fine.
"It's alright, Rauka. You understand, don't you, Helen? Go ahead and check. It's not brainwashing."
"...Grünent."
She knew. One cannot maintain such refined speech under brainwashing magic.
There are methods of brainwashing that sustain consciousness through drugs, but in those cases, not even holy power can detect it.
So Helen's action was meaningless.
But the infamy Helen had heard was far too great for her to believe in one stroke that the Demon King was kind.
Rauka, feeling a foreign power stir and then vanish within her, frowned at the alien sensation.
"Well, it's only natural to be suspicious. He is the Demon King."
"My apologies. Rauka."
"Forget it. But surprisingly, that De... His Majesty really is a decent person."
Forest elves do not speak lies.
So Helen was confused.
When Grünent told her about all she had experienced during this time, Helen fell into even deeper confusion.
"If you say so."
"Your expression looks like you want to fight me."
"Understand me. Grünent. I..."
"Yes, I know. Because we were all like that."
Grünent and Rauka nodded.
"It is a bit hard to accept with words alone. But His Majesty is a person I respect. He protects the weak, seeks to fulfill the responsibilities of the strong, and is honest and thoughtful."
In the past, Rauka would have retorted, "Don't talk nonsense," but now she quietly accepted Grünent's praise of Roan.
Affection -20.
An Affection value at a level where she could rationally accept if the other party had merits.
"At times, His Majesty even seems like a more righteous monarch than the human king."
"Grünent?"
Helen's eyes flew open, startled by Grünent's radical statement.
When she had been in Merde, not once, not even in jest, had she ever voiced such discontent aloud.
Rather, the Order had been dissatisfied with the moderate Grünent.
"But, Helen."
The laughter in Grünent's expression vanished.
"His Majesty is truly trying to stop the war."
"What...?!"
At a loss for words, Helen stared blankly at Grünent, who was speaking incomprehensibly.
There was no lie on her friend's face.
"The Demon King is trying to stop the war that humans started.
He is truly trying to end the suffering that we and the demonfolk endure."
Grünent's blue eyes shone as if they would swallow Helen whole.
The eyes that Helen had wanted to treasure dearly.
Those eyes shining with intelligence.
Within them lay trust in the Demon King.
"He is the same as us."
In the meantime, Helen's Affection had begun to creep up again.
Roan could not yet know of that fact.
He merely believed it would be rising, since she must have spoken with Grünent.
'After all, it was the same with Rauka.'
At this point, perhaps Grünent was the one brainwashing Helen and Rauka until their ears wore out.
Roan did not know that his own words were precisely right.
"Helen is a person who does not hear things twistedly."
After meeting Helen, Grünent had returned to Roan in his office to report.
Since she had met an invader from an enemy nation.
That she was allowed a private meeting at all was an extraordinary privilege.
"Even if I do not tell her, I believe that once she simply watches what Your Majesty does for a few days, she will quickly understand Your Majesty's great purpose."
"Actually, rather than Helen..."
"...You mean the Knight Commander."
Grünent rarely swallowed a sigh.
Yes, anyone could see he was a headache.
"I heard that he is a person difficult even for the Order to control because his actions and words are so extreme."
"Yet he climbed to a high position."
"Because his skill was exceptional."
Grünent smiled teasingly.
"Though he is nothing compared to Your Majesty."
Roan stroked Grünent's head and gave a faint smile.
He made various guesses at what skill he might be able to obtain from Helen, but it seemed he had not yet hit on the right answer.
'Maybe 'Calmness'? 'Will'... I already got that one. 'Patience' perhaps? 'Fairness'? It couldn't be 'Heal,' could it.'
Even when playing the game, he could not view the full list of a character's skills.
It was a method of seeing a few of the strongest skills of a romanceable character, and then, after the Hero had sex, choosing something useful.
Though the Hero had options to choose from.
It seemed because mine was a degraded version.
Roan grew a little glum.
Grünent noticed his expression.
Misunderstanding that the troublesome Knight Commander was casting worry over His Majesty's august countenance, Grünent burrowed into his embrace to comfort Roan.
Perched upon Roan's thigh, she buried her face in his shoulder.
"Your Majesty. This concubine pays no mind to the Knight Commander's words. I was merely so happy that Your Majesty stepped forward for me."
As he stroked Grünent's slender, soft hair, his heart grew calm.
A gentle floral scent rose from her.
"I see. I am glad."
"The Order is a place of strict discipline, so there are many knights who suppress their anger. Helen, too, has strange moments. She seems to be under much pressure."
That strangeness could be for a different, rather lewd reason, Grünent.
But along with that off-the-wall thought, an idea that followed right after flashed through Roan's mind.
"In that case, Grünent."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Are the knights of Laurecia an organization like the military? Earlier, Helen could not move a muscle against the Commander either."
"You are correct."
Leaning on Roan's shoulder, Grünent murmured without lifting her head.
"They might even be more military-like than the Merde army. Helen was greatly influenced by that as well."
Roan's eyes narrowed.
It seemed he might gain a hint regarding his relationship with the lords, a worry he had just recently begun to ponder.