Ch.29497. I Have Something to Say (2)

“According to what you’re saying… Elle? That child… where did she go? For what purpose?”

When Rueld shared what he had seen and experienced,

silence fell over them.

Surprisingly, the first to show disturbance was the Emperor’s side.

“Why would she go to such extremes…?”

While the Empress covered her devastated face with her hands.

“……”

Ermina… remained silent with her eyes tightly shut.

“……”

Rueld couldn’t even bring himself to say anything.

“Hmph.”

Geornia finally understood why Kariel had deliberately told her such things.

‘So it was revenge.’

Was he trying to get back at his parents by killing her?

‘How pathetic and… futile…’

A sense of helplessness that left no room to feel devastation, as if all strength was draining from her body.

“……”

Ermina still stood with her eyes tightly shut.

“How could this… Yes. The Demon King has finally… achieved his revenge in this manner. By trampling our hope and future… in the most miserable way possible.”

The Emperor uttered what might have been a sigh or an exclamation, unable to even properly exhale.

“……”

Ermina remained silent with her eyes closed.

What had she just heard?

If this wasn’t a dream or a nightmare, then all of this was reality, a fact.

How was she supposed to accept this?

‘Ah….’

Everything was going dark before her eyes.

Her mind was growing distant.

And yet somehow…

…she remained clearly, sharply conscious.

Though it felt as if her insides were being torn into a thousand pieces, painful and exhausting,

somehow, she managed to stand firm on her feet.

Normally, she wouldn’t have been able to do this.

Or perhaps she had always had the strength to endure and withstand even things like this?

[Burn brightly as you save others in this happy hell.]

Yes.

Perhaps even this was a curse the Demon King had placed upon her.

‘I am…’

[Do not worry. Thus, you will not even be able to break.]

Isn’t that how she was meant to live, constantly serving the world?

[Consider this a blessing too. Thus, attend to the labor your lord has passed on to you. Diligently, diligently.]

A fragment of embedded memory surfaced.

The Demon King had used some trick to prevent her mind from collapsing.

And it was something that Ermina could neither understand nor accept.

……

“Haaa…”

Though breathing was difficult, her agitation quickly subsided as she composed herself.

Her lips, which had seemed like they would never open, parted slightly.

“So… that’s how it is.”

“……”

“That was… that child’s… choice.”

Haltingly.

As everyone now watched Ermina, she took a deep breath and steeled herself.

“…What’s done… is done.”

What can’t be helped, can’t be helped.

They had experienced countless such situations.

“If we fall apart here… that would be exactly… what the Demon King wants and wishes for.”

“……”

The Empress naturally clung to her side, stroking her shoulder and rubbing her back.

“We must endure. And then…”

Her words trailed off.

A silence that wasn’t silence.

As the atmosphere—ominous yet anxious, precarious yet delicate—compressed as if it might continue or break at any moment.

They remained lost in thought, ruminating on regrets, despairing in uncertainty, exhausted and numb, embracing their parched hearts.

…They simply endured that time.

Time would surely wash away such wounds.

…But whether that truth would apply equally to them.

Perhaps they needed to be watched over a little, no, much longer.

‘How unexpected.’

And.

Geornia felt uneasy as she alternately observed Ermina, who seemed to have composed herself, and Rueld, who appeared extremely disturbed.

‘Demon King.’

How far did you foresee this, leading events to this state?

Was this truly the result of Kariel’s own intentions alone?

Geornia could assert that it wasn’t.

That’s how deeply rooted the Demon King’s malice was to them.

Perhaps even this was a way of resisting and defying the Demon King’s black hand.

Perhaps that’s why Ermina was firmly composing herself.

Geornia could only vaguely speculate.

So the war between us isn’t over yet?

…I truly wish I could ask you face to face.

Damn you, Demon King.

====

“For Eras to be connected like that, it would qualify your younger brother to ascend to the throne in the future, right? With you as a rival gone, someone will need to replace that role. Even if it’s unclear who that will be right now, it won’t be Alesius or Eras. But Eras could at least be one pillar of it.”

She talks too much.

The night sky was brilliant, and the rising bonfire was nostalgically warm.

…But that silence was being mercilessly swept away by her eloquence.

“It’s pointless to ask how I know these things. When I revealed to you that Lutesia is your daughter from another world, I had already directly confessed that I was aware of and understood everything.”

“……”

“By the way, why did you pass Mistilteinn to me? Is this some new form of confession? Like entrusting your life to me? If that’s the case, you don’t need to show such sincerity. Oh, or did you perhaps think you were just lending it to me? That’s entirely possible! Yes, indeed!”

“……”

“Well, I’ve grasped the situation to some extent because of Heba. That the you from my childhood memories and the current you are different kinds of people. Even so, who can guarantee that’s not your true nature? Therefore, saying the current you isn’t the you I knew is somewhat misleading, so making such an unsatisfying statement to express an awkward rejection is—”

“El Hermina.”

“Call me El. Oh, perhaps Kariel, do you also go by El, so it feels cringeworthy when I call you that? But we usually call you Kal—”

“Fine, El.”

With the bonfire between them, they were engaged in this absurd conversation, dialogue.

Anyway, they were devoted to exchanging what could hardly be called reminiscences.

“Were you always this talkative?”

“Haven’t your emotions returned? The me you remember is from when my emotions were not just restrained but castrated, so while I understand if you have a different impression, how can you be sure that’s my true nature?”

“……”

“To begin with, it’s because of emotions that we have vitality and driving force to actively pioneer our lives. Desire and needs, the will and longing to fill deficiencies. The beginning of such things stems from emotions. No matter how abundant the firewood, without a spark, it’s just dry wood. Lightning could strike or the dry land could become so parched that coincidences overlap to cause a fire, as we learned during our academy days, but that’s not as common—”

“Alright, calm down.”

“Calm down! What a surprising expression you throw! Here, as you can see, I am extremely calm, my friend.”

“……”

The black robe or veil that Kariel had received from her when he was about to leave the institution.

Anyway, the night garment had returned to its owner.

Except for that luxurious veiled robe decorated with black fur around the shoulders, all El Hermina was currently wearing was the snow-white pajama, a sleep dress she had worn when she first came to see him.

Despite being barefoot and having traveled a rough journey, she seemed completely unfazed.

…Despite her appearance, she was a figure who had effectively made the Great Demon King’s legacy her own.

Moreover, with Hebatein in her possession, she was, in a sense, someone with few equals throughout the continent.

…As long as she held Mistilteinn, even Kariel himself couldn’t unconditionally guarantee victory.

“You naughty fellow. Are you that interested in my feet? I’ve heard that men with perverted tastes get aroused by things other than the parts they should naturally find attractive, and Kariel, you’ve become quite naughty while I wasn’t looking.”

“……”

Wait, she interpreted it that way?

El Hermina with emotions was actually harder to read than when she had none.

“I was just concerned that you might have hurt your feet on the rough terrain.”

“Huh! You’re making excuses! The great Kariel! My, my… how pitiful. Ah! I see! You’re trying to appear cute to me? But historically that’s a woman’s role, so for a man to do so, hmm?”

“……”

It was truly rare, but a vein bulged slightly on Kariel’s forehead.

Even that was just for a moment.

“Oho, so it’s true…?”

She noticed it with uncanny perception.

“It’s not very stylish, but if you want, I could comfort you right here. What do you say? Shall I offer? Or…?”

…This is somewhat irritating.

“Haah.”

“Still, I was surprised by your method. It’s quite naughty and bold.”

Though El Hermina said this with a smiling face, offering what wasn’t quite praise.

She slightly raised her blue eyes and sighed softly as she rambled.

“Even so, they must be suffering greatly inside.”

“……”

“I don’t intend to meddle in your family affairs, so I won’t say anything more. As long as there’s time, there will always be opportunities.”

“I wonder.”

Just because there’s time, will there truly be opportunities?

To begin with, I…

====

Without saying a word.

The Demon King immediately saw through Kariel’s inner thoughts and plans.

That was precisely why this deceptive situation had come about.

As expected.

It must be because they weren’t just acquaintances of a day or two.

[Fools. So, did you have a good reunion?]

[Demon King!]

Right after my father acknowledged defeat to me, her appearance wasn’t just a mere formality.

In that very moment when the gap in his heart widened due to the shock of defeat.

Father fell for the Demon King’s trick.

He would have directly witnessed my apparent suicide and accepted it as truth.

Unlike when deliberately extracting the golden afterimage or manifesting Corin or another Demon King, no armor fragments were left behind.

Everything is arranged as a move for what comes next.

Never wastefully use the same predictable move.

That’s why I also thoroughly concealed the ability to move through shadows.

Now, unlike before, I can easily extract myself from the center of the institution to the outside.

At this point, it would be accurate to call it true teleportation ability.

And even in the process of infiltrating shadows, shade, the space of the abyss, I no longer feel much burden.

It’s become possible to conceal myself for extended periods.

That’s also why I could pretend to stay openly within the institution.

Still, it’s difficult for long periods.

I owe Seras in many ways.

“……”

Therefore.

This is, in that sense, a perfect deception tactic.

No, a deception strategy.

From before entering imperial territory, I had already established all plans.

I thoroughly carried out preparations for it.

Not everything was in place.

I just gathered and established conditions one by one as I moved forward.

“But has your resentment been resolved to that extent? You could have fought openly and then reconciled. Or you could have forced them not to be themselves, not to fulfill their duties. Whether directly or indirectly.”

I exhaled in response to her question.

“Father and Mother are people who help many others.”

The lives they’ve helped and saved far exceed what Kariel himself has done.

“That’s why I’ve granted them absolution.”

It’s not that I’m willing to endure everything unconditionally, but there were reasons to endure to some extent.

Besides.

I didn’t want Elimion’s childhood to become unhappy or unfortunate because of me.

Of course, even this doesn’t stem from simple goodwill.

Elimion is essentially the bloodline of radiance after Father, the one who will establish the foundation of the empire in the future.

To interfere with that means directly opposing the master of this world.

…But even that child is, in a way, a pitiful child bound by fate, so I wonder if I need to pour unnecessary emotions into it.

“…Foolishly kind or kindly foolish? Acting like that makes you prone to being used, Kariel. Ah, but don’t worry. With me here, you can throw such concerns to the far side of the Northern Sea. As long as my eyes are wide open, I will never let you experience such a fate.”

“……”

“I know, I know! That you won’t be used! But what if there’s a being with a deep mind like the Golden Demon King? Are you confident you won’t be used then?”

“……”

“That thing about pulling the future and possibilities in the direction you want, at your current level, even handling that could be a massive burden for you. Am I wrong?”

“…You seem to know a lot for someone I never told.”

“Because it’s me!”

…Crossing her arms proudly and going “Hmph! Hmph!” in an old-fashioned way… it suits her so well that it’s even more irritating.

“So, are you heading straight to the north?”

“No.”

“Then?”

“…I’ll go eventually, but first I need to take care of the kids.”

“…Kids?”

El Hermina narrows her eyes and probes.

“How many are there?”

“About three.”

“Given the timeframe, it can’t be with one woman. From how many women have you seen these three fruits of yours?”

“…You seem to have a needless misunderstanding. I’m not talking about my children.”

“Then you should have been clear about the subject! Besides, three in such a short time! There should be limits to promiscuity! I almost misunderstood that you ran away to indulge in wanton hip-thrusting!”

“…You’re saying this knowing better, aren’t you?”

“Of course! I know exactly what I’m saying!”

…Is this really that El Hermina?

I feel strangely bewildered.

Since becoming free from destiny and fate, my future has become even more uncertain.

Even so.

Among the futures I glimpsed before, I never saw… an El Hermina like this?

“More importantly, do you really have no thoughts on it? As a man, you’re at an age where such desires should be exploding, and you probably haven’t been abstaining all this time. How many have you seeded—”

How should I put it.

Maybe I should have just traveled alone, why did I make her accompany me?

Kariel, truly rare for him,

began to doubt his past judgment.