Chapter 55
Allen showed remarkable patience. Staring at Aaron, who was sneering at him, he honestly debated whether to just kill the bastard right there. It was true that he needed the empire's power to face the Demon King's army, but the situation had grown a bit delicate.
He'd already formed a strange alliance with Lilite, a high-ranking Demon King's officer, and the odds were high that the Light Sword had survived as well. If the six kingdoms outside the empire were still intact, relying on imperial might might not be the only answer.
No, in fact, dealing with Aaron—who pretended to help while scheming behind the scenes—might be far messier than the alternative. And hadn't the prick already tried to kill him once?
No, no. Allen suppressed his rage as he looked at Aaron's face again. Killing him would be as easy as flipping his palm, but it wouldn't satisfy the burning grudge in the slightest. If he offed him now, Aaron wouldn't even understand why he was dying.
Besides, executing a mere puppet of the emperor wouldn't mean much. Aaron tried to hide it, but he was nothing more than a pathetic crown prince gripped by the same insecurities as Saintess Marian.
I'll let you have a little more... and kill you when you've gained some real confidence. When you're closer to your goals. Allen glared at him, thinking that.
"What're you thinking so hard about? Hm?"
"...I have no idea what your problem is."
Allen shot back at Aaron, who kept provoking him. Sure, he'd headed to Butler Territory without the emperor's orders, but the emperor hadn't said a word against it. Yet here were Aaron and the nobles treating him like an enemy. And knowing Aaron's sleazy nature, it only made his attitude more baffling.
"This is why country bumpkins don't cut it. You wouldn't have a clue what you've done, even in death."
"What the hell does that mean?"
Allen's eyebrows shot up at Aaron's words. Not just Aaron—the other nobles were reacting the same way. That's when he realized there was something he didn't know.
"The Butlers are a dead card. So the hero should've stepped up later."
"...Later?"
"Yeah. After the six kingdoms fell and everyone outside the empire was cornered. That would've been the most efficient timing—or so I and my ministers agreed."
Allen stared at Aaron blankly for a moment. In other words, they'd been timing his grand entrance.
Suddenly, the emperor's lukewarm expression made sense. And why, in his previous regression, the empire had controlled and obstructed his every move.
"...But was that really necessary?"
"What? Still not getting it?"
"No, if the empire wanted to, conquering the other kingdoms wouldn't have been that hard, right?"
Allen was floored by Aaron and his ministers' dirty schemes, but his real question was different. Even with each kingdom's unique strengths, none could match the empire's military might alone. A united front might be a headache, but infighting plagued the six kingdoms anyway.
So why bother using the Demon King's army to swallow them? That's what he couldn't wrap his head around.
"What a stupid question."
Aaron laughed as if Allen were ridiculous.
"Heh, our hero seems blind to the state of the world, so let me explain."
"..."
"Even if we conquered them by force, would they follow us? No, they'd bide their time for rebellion, dreaming of their old kingdoms. But if we saved them from the Demon King's army? Their loyalty to the empire would skyrocket naturally, wouldn't it?"
Everything clicked into place for Allen. The bizarre orders from Aaron in the first timeline, the swift fall of the other kingdoms—it all assembled in his mind at once.
The empire hadn't let the kingdoms be out of some grand altruism. They could have annexed them forcibly, but dealing with the aftermath was a hassle. The Demon King's army was a perfect opportunity for an empire eyeing its neighbors.
They'd divert attention to the six kingdoms—or rather, their people—while the empire played the benevolent savior, absorbing them bit by bit. Just as Aaron planned, the kingdoms crumbled to the demons in his past life, and the empire slowly claimed their lands. Not everyone was slaughtered, so the survivors accepted becoming imperial subjects, raising the empire's banners on the front lines.
The Mercenary Empress was a prime example, as were Barkan's tribesfolk—the barbarian leader Allen had killed.
Disgusting.
Allen felt nausea rising as he watched the crown prince and ministers brag about their filthy plot. Beside him, the saintess—who'd listened silently—had eyes gone ice-cold.
Aaron flashed a bright smile at Allen and Marian.
"So think it over, hero from the sticks and saintess of lowly birth. Which side should you pick to come out on top?"
Aaron mimicked his father's speech on purpose. A few remaining nobles in the hall hurriedly covered their mouths to stifle laughs at his clownish antics.
Revulsion and fury made Allen's heart pound, but his mind cooled rapidly in response.
Yeah. That's how revenge on you will really mean something.
He hoped Aaron kept up this act. The longer the patience lasted, the sweeter the fruit.
"I'm sorry, but everything the crown prince said is true."
After parting with Aaron, Allen met Princess Mary Reister right away. Marian had left the palace first to report the Butler Territory incident to the church.
Mary confirmed Aaron's words, admitting even she hadn't realized her brother's faction harbored such intentions.
"Then why did the emperor just let it slide?"
Allen asked the troubled princess, and she soon provided an answer.
"That plan was my brother's idea. Father seemed to think it was just... fine, nothing more. If anything, he appeared more interested in something else..."
"Something else?"
"Did anything happen in Butler Territory, by chance?"
Her words jogged his memory of the secret letter Charlie had held—from the crown prince. He'd considered confronting Aaron about it, but the bastard would've denied everything, so Allen hadn't bothered showing it.
"Is this tied to that 'other interest'?"
He handed the letter to Princess Mary. She frowned, brushing back her golden hair as she read it.
"As expected, brother made his move."
"Yeah. So why the hell was the crown prince trying to kill me?"
Allen asked, barely containing his rage. Mary gazed at him with pity for a moment before cautiously explaining.
"Probably to confirm your immortality."
"Just for that?"
"It wouldn't be 'just' that to Father. Honestly, he seems more focused on your ability than unifying the continent."
Allen let out a bitter sneer. The emperor's obsession with unraveling his immortality was something he'd endured plenty in his past life.
"So what now? Should I put on a self-harm show for your dad?"
He asked Mary, who shook her head.
Of course, he had zero intention of debasing himself like that. He wasn't saving the world at such a cost, and if the empire was plotting in the shadows, rallying the other kingdoms might be smarter anyway.
"I know you're disappointed, but that's the situation. Father might keep testing you. But please... don't abandon the empire. I'll help however I can."
Reading his eyes, Mary bowed her head in plea. Feeling a slight debt to her, Allen could only nod.
And that'll torment Aaron the most.
"Hero?"
Leaving the palace, Allen bit his lip at the purple-haired woman waiting with a blank expression. The emperor's test had come sooner than expected.