Machart, Subjugation (2)

“Kkuh, kkeuheuk…”

Right after Ethan and Machart clashed one-on-one, the pained voice of one man reached my ears.

Naturally, it wasn’t Ethan’s. After that momentary final battle, only Ethan remained standing on the ground.

“……”

Ethan, with one foot planted on Machart’s chest and a sword pressed against his throat. Getting closer to confirm the outcome of the battle, it was clear Ethan had won the final fight.

“Kkeuk, aaaaah…!!”

Machart lay on the ground, groaning in pain, both his arms severed at the elbows and shoulders, rolling on the floor. I’d asked Ethan not to kill him outright, and he’d left him just barely alive.

With that much blood loss, he wouldn’t die immediately, and it was certainly better than leaving him alive and giving him a chance to counterattack.

“Atone for your sins against Lilith with your death, Machart Paris Baltoria.”

“W-wait! C-calm down! Think carefully before you do something you’ll regret!”

“What choice could I possibly regret more than letting you live? After all the threats and torment you’ve put Lilith through, is there any reason I shouldn’t kill you?”

“I-if you kill me now, what will you do?! If I die, you’ll be trapped in this world forever with that woman! If you want to spend eternity stuck here with her, go ahead and do as you please!”

“……”

“That’s a lie, Ethan. This world is a fake one created by his unique magic. Once the caster dies, the world will naturally dissolve.”

“…Right, Lilith. Thanks for telling me.”

…For a moment, Ethan had looked strangely pleased upon hearing Machart’s words. Surely he wasn’t actually tempted by the idea of staying in this world forever with me?

Reassured by my words, Ethan’s blade pressed slightly closer to Machart’s throat, the finely honed edge drawing a thin line of blood.

-Sshhk.

“H-hyiiik…!!”

“And even if what you said were true, my choice wouldn’t change. No matter what you say, there’s no way you’re walking away alive, so accept your death quietly.”

“W-wait! Y-you know the penalty for assassinating royalty is the extermination of three generations, right?! Even if you’re the sole heir of the Blackwood Ducal House, you can’t possibly escape punishment after killing me…!”

“What kind of nonsense are you spouting when you’re already closer to a demon than a human? I wonder if you’d still be saying this after it’s revealed to everyone that you’re a demon.”

“H-how will you prove I’m a demon?! Do you really think I’d confess to being a demon before I die?!”

“……”

“Let me make one thing clear. If I die, not only you but your father and that woman beside you will all be executed for the crime of assassinating royalty. If you want us all to be companions on the road to the afterlife, then go ahead and kill me! Ahahahaha…!!”

Whether he’d lost his mind in the face of death or genuinely believed his life still held that much value, Machart laughed with an oddly confident expression.

Ethan simply looked down at him with a pitiful expression.

“Normally, it would’ve been impossible to prove you were a demon when you’d only accepted the power of demons without fully transforming.”

“Exactly! The moment you behead me now, you’ll be branded a royal assassin with no way out! I’ll die as a member of the imperial family until the very end!”

“…No, you’ll die as a demon. Your name, tainted by demons, will become a disgrace to the imperial family, erased from the records and wiped from existence in every way.”

“How can you be so sure? Are you relying on the Hero? Do you really think everyone will acknowledge me as a demon just because he says so?!”

“Are you an idiot? What’s the point of spouting nonsense even an elementary schooler wouldn’t believe?”

“…Elementary schooler? Is that some kind of monster? Lilith…?”

“……”

Setting aside whether “elementary schooler” was a type of monster, I decided to clearly explain the situation to Machart, who was looking at me with that smug expression.

“Why would I use such a ridiculous method when I have the power of a Saintess? Just using the Mirror of Truth would reveal that half your body is already flowing with demon blood.”

“T-the power of a Saintess?”

“Yes, the power of a Saintess.”

“…Hah, haha…! Ahahahaha…!!”

…Had this bastard finally lost his mind?

Upon hearing my words, Machart clutched his head-or tried to, but with no hands, he could only twitch his remaining elbow-before bursting into a deranged laugh with all his remaining strength.

“Ah, hahaha…! So that’s why…! That’s why you two were so confident!”

“……”

“……”

“No wonder you went through the trouble of bringing that woman to this noble gathering, even putting a mask on her! Ahahahaha…! Kkh, kkeuheuk…!”

Machart’s voice rose to a strangled scream as he directed a bloody grin at me and Ethan. I had a rough idea why he was reacting like this.

Being part of the imperial family, Machart must have known-that Celista hadn’t received the power of a Saintess.

“Right… If what you say is true… With the power of a Saintess, the evidence that I used demonic power would inevitably come to light…”

“……”

“……”

“But only if the woman you brought is truly a Saintess…!”

As Machart shouted his final words, the grayscale film-like background surrounding me and Ethan faded away, revealing once more the dazzlingly lit rear garden of the Star Palace.

The extravagant lighting spilling from inside the palace to the outside, the faint music drifting from the banquet hall.

…And, before I knew it, the crowd of gathering attendees and palace guards.

“Kyaaaaah!! P-Prince Machart!!”

Triggered by the scream of a noblewoman in a red dress, the people gathered in the rear garden began shouting all at once.

“W-what are you doing to His Highness?! Put that sword away at once!!”

“G-good heavens… H-he’s already injured…”

“How could you be so cruel… To do this to Prince Machart…”

…I was sure I’d signaled for everyone to gather in the rear garden “without drawing attention.”

For a moment, I wondered if I’d sent the wrong signal, but thankfully, that wasn’t why this crowd had gathered.

The brown-haired noblewoman, “Ivelin the Crazy Woman,” stood smiling calmly amidst the chaos, catching my eye.

‘Damn it, is this her doing again?’

She must have sensed Machart’s trap failing and gathered this crowd to the rear garden to save him. Or perhaps there was some means of communication between her and Machart, who was using demonic power.

Regardless, this unplanned gathering was unexpected. The public opinion formed from this fragmented scene would undoubtedly work against Ethan.

To anyone watching, this looked like Ethan picking a fight with Machart to the death, not like a knight drawing his sword to slay a demon.

‘The public opinion is too unfavorable. Can we calm this down, even temporarily?’

Showing proof that Machart was a demon would silence the criticism, but the problem was that doing so in this situation wouldn’t be easy.

People tended to see only what they wanted to see. In a situation where Ethan was clearly the aggressor and Machart the victim, using the Mirror of Truth would lack persuasiveness. Even if we showed proof, some would refuse to believe it, covering their ears and eyes.

If only we could get everyone’s attention focused on Machart’s transformation into a demon, it might work-but in this situation, no one would take the words of a mere baronet’s daughter seriously.

“S-step away from His Highness at once, Prince Ethan!”

“Prince Ethan! If you don’t sheathe that sword, even as the sole heir of the Blackwood family, you’ll be held accountable for the crime of assassinating royalty…!”

“Your Highness, pull yourself together! Prince…!”

“Everyone, be quiet…!!!”

“……”

“……”

“……”

Amid the marketplace-like chaos of the rear garden, a commanding voice rang out.

A sharp, high-pitched voice that demanded attention, and a beauty that effortlessly captured everyone’s gaze stepped forward from the crowd.

-Step, step.

With the appearance of someone whose lineage commanded absolute respect, the noisy rear garden fell silent in an instant. …Including me.

I hadn’t imagined she would appear at this noble gathering.

As Seraphine, her long golden hair swaying, walked to the center of the rear garden, a dazed thought crossed my mind.

‘Why is she here?’