Chapter 16: The Future Tyrant, Dantalion (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 16: The Future Tyrant, Dantalion (1)
[Hmph! Are you doubting this Great One right now?]
Well, it’s not so much doubt as it is…
[Master! How could you do this to me!]
Hmm.
It was more of a curiosity than a doubt.
Honestly, wasn't this too good to be true? To think I could have someone else enter a proxy contract on my behalf without having to contract with the demons directly.
But what happens if the person contracting in my stead doesn't listen to me?
Moreover, if the demon prioritizes the words of the human they actually signed with over mine, then this is all for nothing. My face clouded with suspicion regarding the proxy contract.
[As much as I find that brat Desmond annoying, he isn't wrong, Master.]
Is that true?
[Yes. To us demons, a Master who carries the blood of Winston is very special.]
I see.
Since even Bibi was saying the same thing, I had no choice but to believe it.
Only those of the direct lineage can become the true masters of the demons, and they can entrust the gems to those who aren't Winstons to contract on their behalf.
This is a total jackpot, isn't it? I could just ask the people around me to contract with the other gems I’d find in the future. If that was the case, I might be able to form contracts with all the gems much faster than I expected.
What about the other direct descendants? Can they contract on my behalf too?
The problem was that I didn't have many people I could trust with the gems.
The First Duke of Winston surely had many subordinates and close aides to entrust them to, but I didn't.
To be honest, at this point, there was no one I could trust besides my fellow direct family members.
[Of course, you can entrust them to other Winstons. In fact, they would likely have the best compatibility with the demons.]
[The human who contracted with the Archdemon also gave gems to his family members at first!]
Ho, I see.
So those family members later became the collateral branches and served as vassals to the Duchy of Winston, keeping the gems.
I nodded inwardly at Desmond and Bibi’s words.
If that was the case, I shouldn't look for suitable candidates for the gems outside, but inside. If possible, I should give them to the other direct descendants.
Veronica was the priority, of course, then the Sword Master Duke Winston, or the equally strong Vincent.
Brandon is more of the scholar type, so giving one to him is a bit… I’ll have to think more about Brandon.
Think… a bit more…
However, because I had my eyes closed to pretend I was sleeping, I actually started to drift off.
To make matters worse, my fever began to spike even higher than before. Before I knew it, I had fallen asleep and lost consciousness.
*
The western edge of the Empire.
A wasteland reputed to be the largest and most useless territory after the North.
Chernoke was the largest fief in the Western Frontier.
Beyond its borders lay numerous barbarian tribes, and the allied nations that manipulated and incited them were one of the Empire’s long-standing headaches.
The superficial reason Crown Prince Dantalion had come here was to punish them, establish order, and save the Empire from danger.
Sending the young Crown Prince, the future heir to the throne, to Chernoke—where war never ceased—was practically telling him to go die. Yet, no one in the Imperial Family could oppose that decision.
Not even Dantalion himself.
Lacking power is a sin. Dantalion had come to realize that truth at a very young age.
“Are you awake, Your Highness?”
“……”
Joshua opened the tent flap and stepped inside, just as he always did.
It was humble for the residence of the Empire’s Crown Prince, but it was still the largest and most luxurious tent in this harsh environment.
Bowing his head, Joshua gazed at the master he served. The Crown Prince, with his golden hair and blue eyes—the symbols of the Imperial Family—boasted a picture-perfect appearance today as well.
“Your Highness?”
“Mm.”
However, something was different from usual. The Crown Prince was staring intently down at a small piece of paper.
In this place where battles were constant, they maintained close contact with troops scattered across the West every hour, but it was rare for the Crown Prince to check a dispatch so early in the morning.
Furthermore, the small, grimy scrap of paper—wherever it had come from—looked incredibly shabby.
The handwriting was so large it was visible even to Joshua from a distance, scrawled and crooked as if written by a child.
“Where is that dispatch from?”
We’ve been at war for years, yet there’s a place with such poor standards.
Joshua frowned, thinking it was time to tighten discipline. His eyes, which valued hierarchy above all else, grew sharp.
However, Dantalion did not give the answer Joshua wanted.
“I must go to the North.”
“…Pardon?”
So suddenly?
Joshua blinked rapidly, his eyes going wide to the point of looking foolish.
He couldn't understand what Dantalion had just said.
No, he understood the words, but he couldn't grasp the intent. Joshua hurriedly spoke again.
“What do you mean by that? The North, all of a sudden?”
The North, the Winston territory, was a place they hadn't considered at all in their plans.
In the first place, because of the Empress Dowager’s surveillance, it should have been difficult to even obtain information from regions other than the Western Front. This was too abrupt. Joshua’s mouth hung open in shock.
“I’ll go alone, so continue with the plan as scheduled.”
“Pardon? Your Highness, what on earth…”
Dantalion, speaking of going to the North as if he were taking a stroll through the neighborhood, suddenly let out a short laugh and tucked the paper into his tunic.
Just what was written on that paper?
Joshua was bewildered, but Dantalion simply turned around.
“I’ll leave things in your hands, then.”
“What? Your Highness, I…! Your Highness…!”
Dantalion stepped out of the tent and vanished quickly. Joshua rushed out after him, but he couldn't even catch a glimpse of his shadow.
What in the world just happened? Joshua froze where he stood.
There was a mountain of work to do. To gain the support of the Western faction, they needed to wrap up the war as soon as possible, yet he was abandoning his post at such a critical time?
Leave things in my hands? Just like that? Is that something that can be done just because he asks?!
“Your Highneeeeess!”
Joshua let out a shriek and clutched his head. Startled by the noise so early in the morning, soldiers and knights looked toward Joshua in confusion.
The future looked truly bleak. Left alone, Joshua let out a long, heavy sigh.
*
After lying in bed for about three days without moving, my body had recovered more or less.
It wasn't that I’d fallen ill because the North was cold, but because of the contracts with the demons. However, Veronica and the other direct descendants were worried I might blow away if the wind so much as brushed past me.
“Dia is okay now.”
“You mustn't go outside. If you go out, you’ll get an owie.”
“I don't hurt anymore, though.”
“Our sweet Dia, you have to listen to Mommy, right? Hmm?”
“……”
Veronica was smiling with a kind face. But for some reason, I felt an inexplicable pressure. I nodded my head before I knew it.
Guess I won't be going out today either.
Well, it didn't really matter.
I thought indifferently as I turned my head.
Demon, did you deliver the note properly?
[Of course, Master! Who do you take me for!]
Hmm… The reaction is slower than I expected.
I was sure that once Dantalion saw that note, he would come flying to the North immediately.
Is it really that difficult to come to the North while avoiding the Empress Dowager’s gaze?
If so, I might have to think of another plan.
I nodded slightly, lost in serious thought. As I did, Bibi, who was hanging onto my shoulder, swayed up and down with my movement.
“Oh my, it seems you really like that rabbit doll too?”
“Huh?”
“Brandon will be so happy when he finds out.”
“……”
Veronica said with a bright smile.
Come to think of it, the rabbit doll Bibi was inhabiting was a gift from Brandon.
I remembered him making a fuss about how the rabbit’s eyes were precious pearls.
“Uh-huh, the bunny is cute.”
“Is that so? Should Mommy buy you more rabbit dolls?”
“No, that’s…”
For a moment, I imagined the room being filled to the brim with rabbit dolls.
Knowing Veronica, she would probably actually do it. Meeting her serious gaze, I became quite flustered.
[Kyaa! I’m so happy there will be more of these cute rabbit dolls!]
Shut up, Bibi!
[Hmph, you’re mean, Master.]
Bibi, hanging from my shoulder, pretended to cry affectingly.
I had a feeling that if there were more, Bibi would try to make all those rabbit dolls her own body. She’d probably have a blast switching to whichever rabbit doll she liked best each day.
Bibi is the only one who benefits from this. I don't want any more childish rabbit dolls.
It was just as I was agonizing over how to politely decline.
“Lady Veronica, the Duke is looking for you.”
“Oh?”
A maid approached and spoke to Veronica. Veronica tilted her head as she looked at her.
“Alright, I’ll be there shortly.”
“Yes, milady.”
For Duke Winston to call for Veronica while she was with me… it was the first time that had happened since I arrived here.
I narrowed my eyes, sensing something unusual.