episode_0157

That’s exactly right.

Of course, it’s meaningless if I’m alone. The whole point is to make others the audience of my play—without an audience, it’s not much of a performance, is it? The guildmaster will go searching for the glimmer of ice just as I persuaded him to, and Cecilia will likely try to exorcise Elle the moment she lays eyes on her. Unlike magic, Cecilia wields pure divine power, and in Elle’s current state, she could kill her instantly before she even has a chance to act. That’s too risky, so she’s out.

Chris would’ve been the ideal choice as a witness, but given how deeply entangled he is with Lucilla and the newspaper’s publication, I decided to leave him be. Lucilla is too rigid—it’d be too unreliable to leave everything in her hands alone.

“So, what do you think? Can you spare the time? It won’t take long. At most, two days.”

“Just the two of us?”

“I suppose so…?”

“Why me?”

I let out a slightly disappointed sigh at Ellia, who widened her eyes and asked in return.

“Speaking in that tone like you can’t believe it—even I’d feel a little hurt.”

“I only asked because what you said was hard to believe.”

“If you find it so unbelievable that I’d ask for your help, then what exactly is the version of me inside your head doing…?”

“The sole prophet. Our only hope, capable of handling anything alone.”

“Don’t overestimate me. I’m not that great. Besides, all the futures I see end horribly. A truly capable person wouldn’t even see futures like these.”

“That’s a fair point.”

“So? Will you help or not?”

“What’s the job?”

“Will you help?”

“If you’re going out of your way to call for me, it must be related to prophecy. The fact that you need only me means there’s a reason for it. And looking at the current student council lineup, I’m the only one who can go with you. Logical.”

“Glad you understand. Then I’ll take that as cooperation. But are you really okay with this? The imperial succession—”

“The throne is already mine. The only question is when I’ll claim it.”

“Reliable as ever.”

Well, I approached her knowing that. In the current situation, no one has contributed more than Ellia. Even in the First Church’s collapse incident, and in places I couldn’t see, Ellia excelled in both her role as a student and as the imperial princess. Other successors took advantage of Ellia being unable to leave the academy or the capital, hunting countless monsters and racking up achievements outside—but so what?

In the end, what truly matters in ruling the empire is the ability to manage the existing nation’s internal affairs, and Ellia had already mastered that. Even the natural disasters and incidents I couldn’t handle in the first timeline are now things she can manage flawlessly.

If Ellia graduates from the academy, she’ll also fight on the frontlines better than anyone else.

“The current emperor’s seat is merely being held in my stead by my father. Just to keep those who foolishly think the throne is ownerless from swarming around it.”

Ellia stretched lightly.

“Let’s get to the point. Tell me what you need.”

“I said I need you, but it’s not that serious. There’s just a suspicious rumor I want to investigate.”

“A suspicious rumor? Nothing’s reached my ears recently.”

“…It’s a prophecy. One where you’re absolutely necessary.”

“Me?”

“Yeah. It’s something only you can do.”

“Hmm, hmm. I see. Then I suppose I have no choice.”

Got her.

Ellia is strong—both physically and mentally. But fortunately, she still harbors a sliver of guilt toward me, and given her personality of repaying debts unconditionally, she wouldn’t refuse a request where she’s needed.

“Good. Then I’ll explain briefly. First, we’ll disguise ourselves lightly to conceal our identities, and four days later, in the back alley of Lisbak Road…”

I whispered the location of my plan to Ellia.

“Got it?”

“Your demands are excessively meticulous. But fine.”

That was the end of my conversation with Ellia.

“Alright, Elle. Let’s try again. ‘It’s unnecessary.’”

“It’s… un-ne-ces-sa-ry.”

“No. That’s not how you pronounce it…”

After securing Ellia’s agreement, I was drilling Elle in my room.

“Eric. Do I really have to say this? Continental is hard!”

“It’s necessary, no matter how hard it is. If you don’t do it convincingly, Ellia will definitely suspect something.”

The difference between a demon who speaks Continental fluently and one who stumbles through it is massive. The latter might not be unusual if they were once captives or had a strong interest in humans, but even then, they’d never master it perfectly.

“Not a single demon has ever spoken Continental until now. The empire’s common language and demonic tongue have diverged so much that even their pronunciation systems are entirely different. Of course, if you trace their roots, they share the same origin…”

Even my own demonic speech is halting at best—holding a natural conversation like in daily life is outright impossible. I tried explaining the difference, but Elle gave me a bored look and asked:

“So?”

“If you speak perfect Continental and answer every question flawlessly, people would be shocked. What if a demon slipped into their ranks? How could they tell?”

“They’d crumble on their own?”

“To prevent that, they’d grit their teeth and prepare to slay the Demon King. The lax frontlines would tense up again.”

And the witnesses to all this would be none other than me and Ellia.

“If it were just me, they’d call me insane. No, they’d probably dismiss it as nonsense again. But if two people saw it—one of them the most likely candidate for the throne?”

I’ll admit it: the weight of my words and Ellia’s are worlds apart. That’s why I needed a credible witness and accomplice. Even if Ellia doesn’t reveal Elle’s existence to others, it doesn’t matter. She’ll still recognize the existence of a demon who resembles the Demon King and speaks Continental fluently—and she’ll agonize over how to counter her and others like her.

Either way, the methods differ, but the result is the same.

“But Eric, what we’re doing now is just an act. What if we get caught?”

“That’s why we’re practicing. Again.”

What I’m planning is, to put it nicely, a self-inflicted scam. No—in those cases, you at least get physically hurt. In my case, I lose nothing.

If Ellia finds out this is all staged, she’d never let it slide.

“But what will you do if we’re caught?”

“I’d rather not imagine it.”

If that happens, something far worse than anything I can imagine awaits.

“Alright, I’ll explain again. We’ll keep at it for the next three days, so do your best. If you don’t memorize it perfectly, we’ll repeat it multiple times a day.”

“Uuu…”

Elle puffed up her cheeks but soon began stammering through the script I’d prepared.

The core of the plan is to explain my relationship with Elle to Ellia and, in the process, have her verify the safety of the contract between us. To do that, the first step is to force Ellia into a situation where she has no choice. That’s why I made Elle memorize a Continental script word for word.

Of course, I don’t expect her to answer every question flawlessly, but evading them skillfully will be enough.

A demon who suddenly appears, speaking Continental, and forces a contract on me? Who could doubt that?

Especially if I frame it as sacrificing myself for Ellia.

“Perfect. You’re remembering it well.”

“Eric. Will this really work?”

“I told you it will. Just focus on acting. Now, let’s try. Starting with your appearance.”

“Got it. Hnngh…!”

Elle closed her eyes, clenched her fists, and focused. Thanks to our contract, I could feel her mana surging wildly—and the next moment,

“H-how is it? Did it work?”

The Demon King I knew so well stood before me.

“You look just like her.”

The more I looked, the more she resembled Elle. I should probably scrap the idea of just introducing Elle as she is. This appearance alone would be convincing enough for Ellia.

Elle’s mana is already overflowing. With magic circuits hundreds of times superior to mine, even a small amount of mana would let her appear threatening before Ellia.

The Demon King’s appearance, coupled with magic rivaling the Demon King’s?

Perfect.

“How is it? How is it? Did I do well?”

The speech pattern needs a little more work, though.

A demon identical to the Demon King suddenly appears, speaking Continental and demanding a contract? Only the Demon King herself or the Goddess wouldn’t fall for this.