episode_0096

“… I think I’ve already come far enough.”

Raoul tried to grumble for no reason as he watched Camilla grab his wrist and drag him away. He wasn’t particularly angry at her, but he wasn’t in a good mood.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“… Yeah. Thanks for stopping me. Even if I did something to that girl, nothing would have changed. I’m still so naive. ”

“Again, you always…!”

Raoul quietly wiped the sweat running down his forehead and then pushed back his hair, which felt a little stuffy.

“You always…”

“You can continue talking.”

“Why are you always… Oh really. I’m not like this. I’m usually a very proud and dignified person…”

“In my opinion, you are a woman with a dignified and proud charm.”

“That’s the point. That’s why you’re so annoying.”

Raoul quietly accepted Camilla’s inexplicable irritation.

The cause is not clear, but it is clear that it was something he did wrong.

When someone got annoyed, it was my fault. That’s what I started to think. There was nothing more useless than arguing with a friend.

It was more convenient to carry it myself.

“By the way, Camilla. I have something to ask you.”

Raoul quietly brought his face closer to Camilla.

“What do you mean you like me?”

Raoul couldn’t understand it at all, so he had no choice but to ask back.

I wasn’t so foolish as to not know what it meant for a man and a woman to say they like each other.

He just couldn’t accept that Camilla liked him.

He himself was the empire’s problem child with not much time left to live, and Camilla, despite being called the mad lady or the spoiled lady, was still the empire’s top bride candidate.

“Haa… I want to pour out my heart somewhere more proper.”

“… I had my doubts too. But I decided to dismiss them as vain expectations. I thought that the kiss you gave me before was just a means to make me come to my senses. ”

“Do you think my kiss is that light? What woman would kiss a man she doesn’t like? I’m not that light?”

“Of course. You can’t be a light woman.”

“Anyway, I like you. Yes, that’s true.”

After hearing that story, Raoul quietly thought of Leila.

The regret of that day, the deep pain, and even the curses I had uttered that day came back to me.

Raoul, who saw them rise to the surface of the water, tried to answer with a bitter expression.

“Your heart feels happy. I don’t know if I’m worth it. You’re the best woman in this empire. But Camilla.”

Raoul tried to bring out the bitter answer he had been keeping inside.

“I…”

“No, don’t say anything more. It’s not a confession yet.”

“Camilla I think that’s a bit of a lame excuse.”

“Shut up. If it’s not me, then it’s not. And I told you. I wanted to vent my feelings in a more proper place. A proper place, a proper atmosphere… This is neither of those places right now.”

“To be honest, even if we change the location…”

Then Camilla just covered Raoul’s mouth.

“The Imperial Hunt is coming up soon. I’ll win first place there and confess to you proudly in front of everyone.”

“That Camilla…”

“Shut up. I decided so. You know my personality, right? And you know? I can’t go to the Imperial Hunt alone. You’re my partner. I decided so.”

Raoul had countless words he wanted to use in rebuttal.

First of all, the Imperial Hunting Festival is a festival where many empires gather. It’s quite funny to see someone who has already retired show up at such a place.

Secondly, the fact that he and Rosie have not officially announced their breakup yet. It’s strange that Rosie hasn’t made it public, but if she were to become Camilla’s partner in that situation, it would be a huge topic of gossip.

Thirdly, the one who confesses after winning first place in the hunting competition is usually a man. It would be quite funny if the genders were reversed.

And if he and Camilla become partners, the hunting system’s balance will be destroyed. If Camilla alone goes out, she can hunt as much as an average army, but if she joins in, there’s nothing left to see.

Lastly and most importantly, even if he confessed, he wouldn’t be able to date for long. Because of the aftereffects of the medicine and battle, it wouldn’t be strange if he died at any time.

“This is bordering on madness…”

“Raul.”

Camilla smiled brightly and pressured Raoul.

“Should I be really angry?”

“… Okay. Okay. I’ll cooperate. This can be the last memory.”

Raoul did not enjoy hunting other than quail, but he was a man who enjoyed everything he did with his friends.

“So you guys come out too.”

“Yeah. Hide behind the tree and be disgusting.”

Raoul and Camilla called out to Kyle and Liesel, who were hiding behind a tall tree about 20 meters away.

Kyle looked extremely nervous and Liesel smiled awkwardly, but Raoul showed no change in expression.

“That Raul, Camilla, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but that idiot, no, that young lady kept nagging me to go, so I had no choice but to do it hahahahahahahahahahahaha, don’t you know that I’m the kind of idiot who would butt in on those conversations between you two…!!!”

“Do you really like my brother?”

“Hey you idiot…!”

“But I wonder. That crazy young lady liked my brother so much that she didn’t get married until now.”

“If you say one more word, I’ll kill you with my own hands before you die by Camilla’s hands.”

Kyle waved the baton around and made threats, but Lisel wouldn’t hear him.

Because Lizel thought Kyle was just her brother’s errand boy. She had no idea that Kyle was known as a head collector during the war.

“What do you have to hide? Kyle, I’ve known you since long ago, and Lizel, you’re someone who wouldn’t bother my heart. No, even if you did, it wouldn’t really matter to you two. ”

Lisel didn’t know what those words meant, but Kyle knew what they meant better than anyone else.

It was a kind of warning that if you interfered, you would be impaled on a spear and killed on the spot.

Kyle glared at Lisel with resentful eyes, shaking and not being an idiot.

From now on, if you make a mistake with your words, your eyes are filled with a strong resentment that you will be killed and I will be killed too.

“… I don’t mean to bother you, but I want to participate in the hunting festival.”

“Well, that’s none of my business. It doesn’t really matter to me whether you catch rabbits or whatever at the hunting festival.”

But Raul thought differently.

The hunting festival was a festival where nobles competed with each other in hunting in the forest, and it was also a dangerous place where all kinds of beasts and wild animals were released.

And Raoul wasn’t the kind of heartless older brother who would send his sister out to a place like that without any safety measures.

“Kyle. I want you to be Lizel’s partner.”

“Huh? Why am I the one who is messing with this idiot?”

“It’s a command.”

“….. Yes.”

Kyle looked like he had just tasted a lemon for the first time.

Raoul, who first realized that a face could be distorted to that extent, felt sorry inside, but did not withdraw the order.

Rather, he went so far as to add a secret order without Camilla knowing, with an indifferent face.

“And no matter what happens, I want you to be number one.”

“Is that luggage… or rather, the young lady?”

“Okay. Is there anything you don’t understand about my orders?”

“Why on earth are you doing this?”

“… I just hope Camilla doesn’t experience the same loss as I did.”

“Sigh…”

After checking Raoul’s back as he got further and further away, Kyle turned his head towards Liesel and stared at her pretty face.

Kyle’s face, which had been crumpled to its limit, was distorted to more than twice the size of a human’s.

” This dog’s seeds are like the emperor of the patriotism …

That night.

The Demon King looked at the same moon as everyone in the empire and drank a glass of wine made from clear water.

“Queen of dragons. Even if the whole world curses you, I will understand you. Love is something that is so difficult to understand, that does not want to be understood, and that should not be understood.”

The Demon King buried her and the old dragon’s bones in a simple tomb, then poured a cup of his favorite wine over them.

“Rest in peace, poor dragons who know love. I will remember your love.”

And the Demon King turned his head towards the King of Ghosts.

The King of the Wraiths looked in the direction of the Empire with eyes burning with hatred.

“Is it your turn next, or rather their turn?”

There was no one there but the Demon King and the King of Ghosts, but the Demon King deliberately addressed him in the plural.

“… Yes.”

“Your sortie will be a tragedy for the Empire. There will be no more love for dragons. Only pure hatred will sweep the Empire.”

“…..”

“If you were to find someone who hates the Empire as much as I do, it would probably be you.”

The king of the ghosts held his bow tightly and suppressed his anger.

“Oh, unfortunate king who lost his country to the empire.”

“…….”

“What are you trying to hunt with that bow?”

“… I intend to hunt down the hateful empire.”

Meanwhile, the King of the Ghosts also turned his head and asked the Demon King, who was sipping his drink.

“Your Majesty, I have something to ask you.”

“If there’s anything I can answer, I’ll be happy to answer.”

“The hatred I felt from you must be greater than that. Why did you give up your turn to me and the queen?”

The Queen of Dragons and the King of Ghosts. Together, they possessed the power to destroy an entire nation.

If they succeed first, the Demon King will lose the target of his revenge.

The King of Ghosts wanted to know why he had yielded his turn.

“… It’s a bit difficult in the language of this continent. Realm… or should I say stage? ”

“Yes…?”

“You are at the stage where everything fits together evenly. I am now standing at the stage where I am one step away from the realm of God and providence.”

The King of Ghosts could not understand a word the Demon King was saying.

But at least he didn’t seem to be bluffing.

“There are many ways to get past that stage. A change of mindset, endless effort, or enlightenment. All are meaningful, but not the most effective.”

“So what is the most effective method?”

“… Well, I can’t answer that. You have to figure that out yourself to make it work. ”

The Demon King said, drawing his sword in the direction of the Empire.

“But I have one piece of advice for you. You will never get past that stage if you are complacent in your favorable situation. There is no enemy as weak as the one who has only fought easy battles. I am also a part of that providence.”

The King of Ghosts quietly looked at the back of the Demon King.

“I will go beyond this stage. And with that overwhelming power… I will cut down that abominable empire with that sword that can reach the realm of the gods… so that I can inflict more pain. ”

Only then did the King of Ghosts understand what he meant.

“… Indeed. I understand what you want to do through me. ”

The King of the Ghosts began to walk towards the forest where the hunting festival was to be held.

“However, I also do not intend to walk only the paths laid out by others. Please keep that in mind.”

“Yeah. I’ll cheer you on.”

“Okay…”

As the King of the Ghosts let go of the strings he had stretched to their limits, a clear and elegant sound rang out.

“Let the hunt begin, Empire.”