“Leader, Leader…!”
“Damn it, let go of me! And why is my body like this again!?”
“No. I’ll never let you go from now on…”
“You crazy woman…! Damn it, Merlin! This is your doing, isn’t it?! How dare you!”
Feyna, hugged tightly by Aruki, screamed at the top of her lungs toward Merlin. If it were still Merlin’s body, that roar would have been the terrifying expression of an Aura Master and a Great Sorcerer’s anger—but.
Right now, Feyna was nothing more than a little girl. A very young child.
“Yeah. Give it your best shot. Aruki, love him for a long, long time. If he ever tries to run away, just let me know. I’ll come find him.”
“…No need. I’ll never let him escape.”
“Alright, alright, got it.”
“Hey, hey! Wait, wait a moment! Merlin! Let’s talk, let’s talk!”
With those words, Merlin burst out laughing with a “Puhahaha!” feeling triumphant as he exited the house.
Left alone with Aruki, Feyna slowly turned around while feeling a chill run down her spine.
Aruki, who had been hugging her tightly, began to smile eerily.
“Leadeeer~ I love you.”
“Hey, hey~ I’m a girl right now, okay? Girls can’t love each other like—”
“That’s not true. I’ll show you myself.”
“…N-No way!”
And so, Feyna was carried off by Aruki towards the bed. On the bed, Aruki realized that even between two women, intimate communication could happen.
***
Money, power, force.
An empire where all things converge.
And at its heart lies the towering Imperial Capital.
The imperial family, capable of possessing everything in the world, might seem the happiest of all, but reality tells a different story. In fact, they feel an emptiness far greater than a beggar struggling day-to-day on the streets.
A beggar only needs food and money to survive, but someone who has everything grows up without knowing the bottomless greed that can never be satisfied.
‘Amazing, Kail.’
Bellion was one such member of the imperial family. The third prince. Above him were two older brothers and one older sister—all superior individuals compared to Bellion, making his chances of becoming emperor virtually nonexistent.
In other words, Bellion was born into a predetermined defeat.
‘Where do you plan to fly off to next?’
When he was younger, during his birthday party, Kail was reckless, wild, and lacked any sense of propriety.
Back then, he seemed utterly worthless, far from noble—but in just ten years, Kail became an Aura Master.
There was a reason behind his lack of etiquette. Becoming an Aura Master in his teens? That kind of talent appears maybe twice in the entire history of the continent.
That’s why Bellion befriended Kail.
At the same time, he knew he could never truly be friends with Kail.
‘I’ve stopped here, but you…’
Kail was a radiant being, shining like the sun. Every day he achieved new feats, and recently there were rumors he had surpassed even the level of an Aura Master.
In comparison, Bellion remained the third prince—a predetermined loser among the royals. All he could do was pray not to be killed once one of his siblings ascended the throne.
While Kail soared higher and higher, Bellion could only continue to fall.
To the bottom. Continuously.
“I envy you. I really envy you.”
Most people would envy Bellion, but Bellion envied those who envied him.
People who lived carefree lives, without worrying about the future, wasting their days with the mindset that things would somehow work out.
People who weren’t like him—destined to plummet after losing everything, but rather those who could obtain anything through effort.
He simply envied them.
“—What exactly do you envy so much?”
“…Who are you?”
“Aren’t you someone who already has everything? Isn’t wanting more from here just greed?”
Startled by the sudden voice, Bellion turned around to see a man standing silently in the corner of his room. He swallowed hard.
How did he get into my room? There should be guards outside…
After pondering for a moment, Bellion realized the man before him could kill him effortlessly. No matter how quickly he called the guards, this man could slit his throat faster.
It wouldn’t do any good to resist or act defiant. So Bellion calmly answered his question.
“…If you call it greed, what’s wrong with that?”
“Please, continue.”
“I am Bellion Diaros, the third prince of the Diaros Empire. Born with the fate of the Son of Heaven, destined to take hold of this empire. —So what’s wrong with me having a little ambition?”
For a poor child to desire an expensive toy—that’s greed.
But for the daughter of a wealthy family to want a ridiculously expensive jewel necklace instead of toys—that’s not greed.
Likewise, whatever ambition a prince like himself harbors is justified.
“I want to become emperor. I want to take the whole world into my grasp. Who wouldn’t covet something so close, just within reach?”
“—You believe yourself to be specially born, so this level of greed doesn’t even count as greed. Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong with that?”
Bellion deliberately raised his voice, hoping the guards would hear and rush in.
But the man spoke faster than the guards could enter.
“Admirable. An existence filled with both jealousy and greed.”
As he spoke, the man suddenly threw back his hood. Bellion’s face twisted in shock as he saw the man’s face.
“The Evil God is always by your side.”
The bishop and apostle of the Evil God Cult, Arrogance, extended his hand.
Bellion stared at the offered hand.
***
Upon returning home, Kail immediately went to find Yuri. Sitting in a rocking chair, Yuri stood up as soon as she saw Kail return.
“Kail.”
“Stay seated, Yuri. Don’t move your heavy body.”
“I need to move a little. It helps the baby come out easier.”
“Is that so?”
Scratching his cheek, Kail marveled at how Yuri seemed more knowledgeable than himself despite coming from the modern world. Just then, Yuri slowly approached and embraced him.
Her large chest and belly pressed against Kail’s body, her slender arms wrapping around his waist.
Feeling their two heartbeats sync, Kail gently returned the embrace, careful not to jostle the baby.
“Welcome home, dear.”
“…Yeah, I’m home.”
Kail lightly kissed her forehead, lifted her up, and sat down on the rocking chair. Yuri naturally nestled herself onto Kail’s lap, intertwining her fingers with his.
“Am I too heavy?”
“For an Aura Master? Never.”
“But didn’t you just tell me not to lift heavy things?”
“…That wasn’t because you’re heavy.”
“The baby’s inside me, so technically, I am heavier, right?”
“Are you teasing me?”
“Did I get caught?”
Yuri giggled after realizing her nonsensical argument had been exposed.
Seeing her laugh, Kail forgot his irritation and gently wrapped his arms around her waist. He then showered her cheeks and forehead with light kisses.
When there was no spot left on Yuri’s face untouched by his lips, Kail cautiously spoke.
“Yuri.”
“Hmm?”
“Do you think I’m handsome?”
“Why are you asking this again?”
“…Can’t you just answer the question? Are you T? Why are you so stubborn about answering?”
“What’s a T?”
“Well, it’s—”
Trying to explain psychological theories to someone from a medieval fantasy world gave Kail a headache, so he brushed it off with a vague explanation.
Used to Kail spouting things she didn’t understand, Yuri gave him a simple answer.
“You’re handsome. Why else would I have chosen you?”
“…There are men more handsome than me, though.”
“Of course. There are many men more handsome than Kail—but none who will love me as much as you do.”
Kail didn’t press whether she meant physical or emotional love. Instead, he buried his face in her neck, showering her with affection.
“Aah—I want to make a second child soon.”
“…We haven’t even had the first yet.”
“That’s exactly why I’m saying this.”
The two flirted and exchanged nonsense as they spent sweet moments together in the garden.
After some time, Jerry came running barefoot to find them.
“Huff, puff—! Ka, Kail! My lady’s here too!”
“…What’s got you so out of breath?”
“It’s serious! Really serious!”
Jerry thrust a newspaper he’d brought from somewhere into Kail’s hands and shouted.
“The Evil God Cult is invading the empire!”
“…What?”
