Chapter 96
Charlotte hurried to Theodore because her sister had involved the Northern Alliance, which had started to move. However, their movement wasn’t directed towards the palace and the territories controlled by the crown princess, so Charlotte was able to take appropriate action and resolve the situation.
Unbeknownst to her, she was making her way back to her own refuge. For some reason, she felt compelled to go there. Whether it was because she had just heard her sister’s foolish antics or if there was some other reason, she couldn’t tell.
Regardless, Charlotte returned to her sanctuary, where she was confronted with quite a shocking sight.
It was likely the soldier she had encountered earlier, now sitting on the ground with his helmet removed. But that wasn’t the problem.
‘…Who is he?’
It was a face she had never seen before. The man, with his hair as dark as the night sky and striking golden eyes, was definitely not someone Charlotte recognized. There was no one like him among her soldiers.
The only possibility that came to mind was that someone was disguised as a soldier. However, considering that his armor and insignia were all genuine, it seemed he had killed another soldier and was imitating one of her men.
“You.”
Yet, for some reason, Charlotte found herself calling out to him absentmindedly. She realized her mistake a moment later, but fortunately, he also seemed somewhat taken aback.
When nothing happened, Charlotte understood that he did not intend to harm her at all. Despite that, she had to ask why he was disguised as one of her soldiers, so Charlotte spoke up.
“Who are you?”
In a situation where neither party reacted, the first to move was none other than the man. He stood up very quickly and appeared to plan to scale the tall palace wall.
Charlotte shouted urgently.
“Wait! I won’t call for soldiers!”
“…?”
He seemed puzzled, and Charlotte momentarily didn’t understand why she had said that. But soon, she realized her reasoning.
She felt intrigued. It wasn’t just because of his appearance; there was something about him that piqued her interest. Charlotte sensed a mystery she had never experienced before emanating from him.
“…Instead, don’t move there and answer my question.”
That’s what she wanted to know. Who he was, where he came from. If he were a simple spy or assassin, he would have tried to eliminate her the moment he saw her, so that wasn’t the case.
“Who are you?”
Seeing that he showed no particular reaction to her, the crown princess, gave her more certainty that he wasn’t a spy at all. His attitude of not calling for soldiers made him look at Charlotte with an even more intriguing expression.
“Who do you think I am?”
A natural condescension, yet it didn’t feel unpleasant. His voice, demeanor, and expression all belonged to someone accustomed to looking down on others.
Indeed.
‘…Is he of the same kind as me?’
It was something very similar to what Charlotte von Bismarck had possessed since being born into royalty. No, he seemed to hold even higher stature than herself.
He smiled lightly and said, “How amusing. A princess asking an intruder for a conversation.”
“…If you were a typical spy or assassin, you would have attempted to eliminate me at first sight. Given that you had two opportunities, would you not have done so?”
“…As expected of Princess Charlotte, astonishingly perceptive.”
He praised Charlotte’s intellect before giving a brief reply.
“As you said, I am neither a spy nor an assassin.”
“Then why are you here? What is the reason for killing my soldier and disguising yourself?”
“I have no grand reason. I merely stopped by because I needed something.”
“…Something you needed?”
“I don’t feel obligated to tell you what it is, so I will refrain from answering. More importantly…”
His golden eyes shone brighter than the moonlight amidst the darkness. In that moment, Charlotte felt a wave of pressure from his presence. She knew exactly what it was.
The demeanor of a monarch.
That was what she sensed from this man.
“You and I are enemies, princess. There’s no reason for me to reveal my hand to you.”
“…Enemies? Who are you to call me your enemy?”
“This time, princess, you’ve been quite interesting, so I will retreat quietly, but next time, there will be no second chance.”
In that instant, without taking a single step, the man scaled the tall palace wall. The speed at which he moved left Charlotte in awe; she was surprised she couldn’t follow him with her eyes.
“Thus, princess, it would be best to withdraw your unnecessary interest. You should focus on your role.”
“…You.”
“Hmm?”
Charlotte looked directly into his eyes. Any ordinary person would be overwhelmed and unable to maintain eye contact, but she was different.
“Did you come from the Demon World?”
“…That’s an interesting remark.”
The man did not answer. With that final exchange, their short encounter came to an end as he disappeared over the wall. Charlotte stared blankly at the spot where he had vanished for a moment before quietly muttering,
“Are there such talents in the Demon World?”
She was already convinced. The man was not human but had come from the Demon World.
If that were true, then it was nothing short of enviable. Perhaps it was better than the countless fools overcrowding her country.
“You said enemy.”
The Demon World considers the Bismarck Empire its enemy. That was quite troublesome. Charlotte let out a hollow laugh as she murmured to herself, “I’m afraid they will become too strong an enemy.”
#
“…Your Majesty?”
Lin was looking at Seere with slightly astonished eyes. The expression on Seere’s face had turned quite sour while listening to the outline of the strategy for the siege on the 65th floor.
Lin glanced over at Celestia, the commander of the 7th Legion, who devised the strategy. Celestia was looking at Seere with an even more confused expression than Lin.
Swallowing her saliva, Lin asked her, “Your Majesty, did you not like the strategy?”
“…Huh? No, I like the strategy.”
An unexpected response came. If that was the case, the more puzzling question was why their lord was making such a face. It looked as if she was in a foul mood.
“Then, Your Majesty, is there something wrong with your health?”
“…Huh?”
“Your expression isn’t good.”
At Lin’s question, Seere seemed to realize her own expression for the first time. She quickly clarified the reason.
“Ah… it seems like the teacher is meeting a woman.”
Seere had stated it simply, but both Lin and Celestia were shocked. Both of them stared at their lord with wide eyes, and Seere, noticing their gazes, tilted her head and asked, “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, nothing.”
Celestia immediately denied it, but Lin was a bit different. Since she was usually on friendly terms with Seere, she cautiously inquired.
“How… how does Your Majesty know if Nahun is meeting a woman or not?”
“Intuition.”
“Pardon?”
Seere opened her eyes wide and spoke.
“Intuition.”
Lin and Celestia appeared even more surprised than before. How could she know that Nahun, who had crossed over to the human realm, was meeting a woman based solely on intuition?
But since Seere said so, they couldn’t refute it. Lin and Celestia nodded somewhat dazedly.
“…Shall we proceed with the operation this way, Your Majesty?”
“Right, it’s not bad. But Lin, Celestia.”
“Yeah?”
“Can’t we do it a little faster?”
Seere said.
“I want to finish quickly and go meet Nahun.”
She was eager to wrap up the affairs of the Demon World and meet Nahun. However, Lin cautiously presented a counterargument.
“…Considering the soldiers’ fatigue and also the battle on the 64th floor, this is the best we can do.”
“Is that so?”
Seere appeared to accept this readily. She understood that she also had ulterior motives. But….
‘…I’m anxious.’
She felt increasingly worried that Nahun seemed to be encountering women in the human realm, and she yearned to finish her duties quickly and see him.
“Sigh….”
I miss the teacher. Seere was overwhelmed with a strong desire to dash into the human realm right away. Meanwhile, Lin and Celestia could only exchange awkward glances at the sight of the young Demon King sighing.
#
The next morning, Eri and Dein, who had to continue playing the role of a couple, naturally headed toward the entrance. Eri, feeling slightly awkward and strange while going out to receive guests, asked him,
“Ah, Dein….”
“Yeah?”
“Today, we must report to Nahun, right?”
“That’s right. I plan to gather more information in the morning and meet him in the afternoon.”
“Did you have any clear results?”
“If it’s about the civil war… it seems that the Northern Alliance, led by the Emperor, hasn’t properly clashed with the princess’s forces yet. The princess’s army has also quickly retreated, abandoning land that is unnecessary or hard to manage, and they seem to have gathered tightly around Germania.”
Eri nodded at Dein’s explanation. Indeed, it seemed the civil war was stagnating, quite different from their initial expectations.
“What about the Holy Kingdom’s movements?”
“It seems they haven’t made any.”
“I see… Nahun might not be too pleased about that.”
“It has only been a short time since the civil war began, so the Holy Kingdom is probably being cautious. They will likely show some movement soon.”
Dein put on his shoes. As he opened the front door, Eri also followed him out wearing comfortable sandals. Dein looked around and commented, “The homeowner isn’t here. We can leave today without issue.”
“…De, Dein.”
“Yeah?”
Eri lightly caught some hair with her fingers. She, whose lovely pink hair was being twirled up, cautiously said,
“Ah, even if no one is watching… wouldn’t it be better to get used to it?”
“…Huh?”
Dein paused for a moment to ponder her words before he grasped the meaning and became quite flustered. Eri blushed slightly and lowered her head a bit, appearing to be waiting for something—the embrace like yesterday.
Without realizing it, Dein called her name.
“Eri…?”
“…Was that too strange a thing to say?”
Eri attempted to brush off the moment with a laugh. Seeing Eri’s embarrassed form, Dein suddenly felt angry at himself.
‘What am I doing?’
Despite the awkwardness following what happened yesterday, it was Eri who took the initiative. He realized how sincere she was in pretending to have this relationship.
Dein clenched his jaw. And resolutely responded to her.
“No. It’s not strange at all.”
“Uh…”
“I’m going to take liberties.”
Dein spread both his arms wide and hugged Eri gently. Unlike yesterday when she was tense, she now accepted him more naturally. She placed her hands lightly on his shoulders and leaned her face against his chest.
‘…He’s firmer than I thought.’
She had felt it yesterday, but now, directly against him, she could tell he was much more solid than she had anticipated.
It was perhaps to be expected. He rushed here and there quickly and also implemented various innovative movements for infiltration. To engage in what was called stealth action, one would naturally require a strong core.
Eri stayed nestled against Dein for a moment, and when he released his hands first, she naturally fell back a bit. Eri, feeling her face redden and heat rising, quickly spoke.
“G-Goodbye, Dein!”
“…Yeah, I’ll be back.”
Dein rushed down the stairs, and Eri waved at him from behind. When she finally saw him leave, she stopped waving her hands. Then, with her palms covering her face, she bent her knees and sat down.
“…Ah.”
Though she attempted to cover her face, the cheeks visible between her fingers were as red as apples. Moving her pink-tinted eyes around like her hair, Eri let out a peculiar sound.
“Ugh…”
Dein would see her as only a friend.
This relationship was merely a temporary act.
She was fully aware of it, yet….
“Why am I feeling this way….”
