episode_0034

As I looked into the eyes of Mia Crowfield, one thought immediately came to mind.

How much does she know?

Considering the Emperor’s personality, she might have completely revealed that she was involved in the matter. After all, ‘revealing and boasting’ seemed to be the Emperor’s style.

“Your husband has been taken care of by me. So, if you want you and the rest of your daughter to be safe, do as I say.”

In this era, the recording device is too bulky and its performance is not that great. While magic stones can be an energy source on their own, it is impossible to replace all the other parts of the recording device. So, even if the Emperor openly says such things, there would be no way to collect evidence.

Magic is not all-powerful. At least, I have never encountered any listening devices while playing the game. Even though there are discussions about political and legal situations going on.

“……”

Alice and Charlotte, they both seem to be able to sense the opponent’s aura. Aura, presence, something that would come out of a martial arts novel… No, here, in this world, such concepts that might come from ‘Japanese manga or anime’ seem to be commonly accepted. Scenes like ‘How can this aura…!’, ‘How can they hide their presence…!’ also appear.

…But I can’t sense any of that at all.

I don’t know how to use magic, and I can’t sense aura or presence. In fact, if I could sense those things, my expression would have broken a long time ago. Lucas even teased me with his aura, besides just provoking me with his words. He seemed to stop when he saw that I didn’t even move an eyebrow.

I simply can’t sense it.

“……”

Everyone’s gaze turned towards me. So, it seems that Mia Crowfield is emitting her aura towards me. She wasn’t originally a character who uses a sword, so I can’t say that her aura is overwhelming, but it’s still strange that I’m not flustered at all in the face of such an atmosphere.

“Your Highness, are you participating in student council activities?”

She asked me, looking at me intently.

In the original work, Mia Crowfield was a very quiet character. She knew that the Emperor, Alice’s father, had killed her own father, but she didn’t send more aura than necessary to Alice.

She probably didn’t think that Alice would directly kill her father. It was also partly Claire’s doing in the original work.

Later, she did try to take Claire’s life. She was easily subdued and screamed, but still.

“I’m curious about what you’re asking me for.”

I quietly asked Mia Crowfield while looking at her.

…It’s not like I have no guilt at all. After all, because of my actions, a family fell apart.

But, that doesn’t mean I think I shouldn’t have done it. I’m not sure if justifying it this way is right, but at least I didn’t have any intention to kill unless ‘there was a reason to kill.’

But I saw an underage child and the Crowfield Viscount on the bed.

Both the child and the Viscount seemed to be under the influence of opium.

It wasn’t like ‘I killed them,’ but if I had let that person go, something would have definitely happened in the future.

After that incident, such things were strictly prohibited within the Crowfield Viscount’s territory. It wasn’t that immoral acts were banned. It was because the Viscountess, fearing that it might come back to haunt them, cleared up all the business.

Would the Viscountess have been disappointed in her deceased husband if she knew his true identity?

Well, at least looking at Mia Crowfield in front of me now, it didn’t seem like she would have been.

“I…”

The gazes of the people around me suddenly turned back to me, and I realized it a bit belatedly, showing a slightly flustered expression. The expression that seemed to be sending me off just a moment ago seemed to crumble a bit, and it didn’t seem like I was such a thick-skinned person to begin with, judging by how they looked around in confusion.

That’s the same as the original.

“Did I kill your father?”

“……What?”

The atmosphere in the student council room stiffened instantly.

The somewhat relaxed atmosphere was suddenly cut off and pulled taut as if it would snap. Even I, who couldn’t feel things like tension, felt a drop in the room temperature by a few degrees.

There may be someone in the room who heard the rumors, but no one would openly admit to it like this. After all, it’s better if an assassination doesn’t get exposed.

“Yes, I killed him. By planting a bomb on the carriage. Twelve people died.”

“What are you talking about…?”

Alice looked at me, her face turning pale.

“I’m talking about assassinating Viscount Crowfield. Did you not know?”

Alice shook her head.

She probably had a guess. Even if I answered like that. But she probably didn’t think that I killed Crowfield.

I was only twelve at the time.

“…What are you talking about? Who did my sister kill?”

“When I escaped the orphanage, I had already killed someone.”

As Claire calmly replied, the faces of the people around us turned even paler.

“If you were to join the student council… What were you planning to do if you became a member of the student council like you?”

I asked Mia Crowfield again, looking at her.

“…Why?”

But Mia Crowfield, looking at me, only had a blank expression.

Was it because she didn’t have a weapon? She didn’t show any attitude that she still wanted to kill me.

Thud.

Perhaps her legs lost strength, Mia Crowfield knelt down right there.

But no one tried to support her or help her up.

They just looked at me with eyes that seemed to see a monster.

“Didn’t you already know that I knew? Is that not the reason you’re looking at me like that?”

“…”

Mia Crowfield didn’t answer.

“…You.”

As I observed Mia Crowfield, who was kneeling on the floor, a cold voice came from the side.

Charlotte, who had put down the teacup in her hand, stared at me with eyes that seemed like they could freeze even ice.

“Are you saying that the Emperor of the Empire killed his own nobles?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“For the Emperor’s power.”

Alice’s face turned even paler.

I had already made it clear to Alice that I supported her. Even if I were to be accused as the next Emperor instead of Alice, I would only support Alice.

In Alice’s eyes, who knew this fact, my reason for killing the Viscount might seem like a way to solidify Alice’s power base.

“…Do you think it’s okay to do anything in the name of power?”

Charlotte looked at me with eyes full of genuine disgust.

“My personal judgment also overlapped.”

“Personal judgment…?”

Although it was a look of disgust, Charlotte, still, did not interrupt or cut off my words, but asked again.

The princess of the kingdom was trying to look at me with a fair eye even in this situation. Maybe she didn’t fully believe what I was saying. Well, I did kill him, but there’s no evidence. Even if you think I’m saying this because the emperor ordered me to, it still fits the situation.

“The viscount was involved in opium trafficking. In the viscount’s territory, there was an opium den where they were using young children who hadn’t even reached the age of ten. Even if the viscount wasn’t directly involved in the trade, he was clearly a customer of that den.”

“…Evidence?”

“I saw it with my own eyes.”

“…Investigation and trial—”

“Was impossible.”

If it had been possible, such a thing wouldn’t have happened in the viscount’s territory in the first place. No matter how powerful the emperor is, the highest authority within the territory is the viscount. The emperor can’t just come to the viscount’s territory and wield his power. But he did. He used his power, named violence, to get rid of the viscount.

“Would it be possible in a kingdom?”

“…”

When I asked again, Charlotte closed her mouth.

Her expression, which seemed like she was looking at a monster, was a bit strange. It was difficult to accurately determine what emotion it was.

“…Father…? Why…?”

Mia Crowfield, who had heard my story, muttered to herself.

“Mia Crowfield. I haven’t heard your answer yet.”

I looked at Mia Crowfield and asked again.

“What were you planning to do by joining the student council? Were you planning to kill me if you found out that I killed the viscount?”

“…”

Mia Crowfield didn’t say anything for a moment and just stared at me blankly before saying,

“…I’ll kill you.”

That’s what she said.

“I’ll kill you!”

“Even if your father was the one doing such things? Even if he was the one sacrificing numerous children?”

“I don’t believe it! I don’t believe it!”

“Crowfield Yeong-ae!”

The student council president finally came to his senses and stood up from his seat. Mia Crowfield seemed like she was about to rush at me, which made him get up.

“Just a moment, Crowfield Yeong-ae! Calm down…!”

“…Understood.”

When I answered quietly, the entire student council froze once again.

“So that’s what you think.”

“Unni, wait a moment.”

I don’t know how to sense life, and naturally, I don’t know how to emit life. Perhaps the best I can do is to stare at my opponent. But maybe I judged that there was something more than that.

Maybe she thought it was strange that I had been killing people without changing my expression since I was twelve. Maybe she thought I might try to eliminate Crowfield right here.

Claire was already halfway up from her seat, looking at me.

Was she thinking that no more killing should be done? At least, Claire’s eyes looking at me were not filled with disdain and disgust. It was just a gaze full of worry.

“Wait, Claire.”

Alice stuttered.

“Let’s all calm down. We don’t even know if all of this is true or not.”

Alice was trying to comfort me in some way.

Leo was completely frozen, and Charlotte still looked confused.

Hmm.

Yes, everyone reacts like that, don’t they?

I slowly looked around the student council room, trying to imprint their faces in my mind as much as possible.

And—

Again.

“There’s nothing decided yet.”

I said to Mia Crowfield in a calm voice.

“Your Highness… No, as Alice wishes, I will do as she says. How would you like me to proceed?”

“Oh? Ah, um, yes.”

Alice, who was looking back and forth between me and Mia Crowfield, seemed a bit flustered as she responded.

“I… am considering it positively.”

“In that case, I will also consider it positively.”

I replied and took a sip of my milk tea.

“…Then I, too, would like to consider it positively.”

Mia Crowfield, who was staring at me, said so.