Why is Perdes, who should be going to Leopold's estate, here?
When I stared at him in extreme embarrassment, Perdes smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.
“I’d like to talk to you two for a moment. Is that okay?”
“...Come this way.”
I also had a lot of questions for Perdes, so I took him back on the train.
Bam, the sound of the guest room door closing was loud.
I covered the window with curtains and asked Perdes.
“Now tell me. Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be getting off at Martina Station and heading to Leopold’s estate by now?”
“I’m sorry. Something urgent came up, and I couldn’t do that. It was very important.”
“Then I told you to contact me in advance.”
“I tried to do that too, but for some reason, the communication didn’t work.”
“Yes? Really?”
When I asked back in surprise, Perdes laughed.
“I guess you didn’t know.”
"Sorry."
“What do you have to be sorry about? If you didn’t know, it means you didn’t have to contact me, and at the same time, it means nothing happened to you, so it’s actually a good thing.”
His expression was quite dark, even though he was saying it was a good thing.
There must have been something that big, right?
“Did you happen to find Sir Aldor? Did you confirm that he was infected with Diabolos?”
When I asked him in a sharp tone with an anxious mind, Perdes shook his head.
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then what’s going on?”
Instead of answering, Perdes took a small box out of his pocket that could fit in one hand and held it out.
“What is this?”
“Open it. Open it, but don’t be too shocked.”
Why do they give advance warning?
I swallowed hard and opened the box. Inside was a golden hair and a twisted, unidentifiable object.
"What is it?"
"Skin."
what?"
“These are pieces of skin and hair taken from the Emperor’s body. To be exact, it would be more accurate to call them sloughs.”
The word shed was used for all species that shed their skin, like snakes or insects.
Not a person.
But these are pieces of skin and hair taken from the emperor's body?
I stared at the contents of the box because it didn't make sense.
“I got a call from Sir Aaron two days ago.”
Perdes' voice was heard overhead.
“A man believed to be the Crown Prince and Sir Aldor entered the palace, and he asked me to track them down on his behalf.”
Wait a minute. What did you just say?
You saw the Crown Prince enter the palace two days ago?
“That can’t be. The Crown Prince led the Royal Knights and set out for Owen long before that. He can’t be in the Imperial Capital.”
“I thought so at first, too, so I asked Sir Aaron if he had seen things differently, and he said it was true. The man who was supposed to be Sir Aldor also called him the Crown Prince.”
“What about the Imperial Knights? You should contact them and see if the Crown Prince is there.”
“How can I verify that? The enemy won’t allow it.”
Oh, I see. Because of his dementia, Perdes was completely excluded from the recapture battle.
“Still, I have confirmed that reports have come in that the Crown Prince has arrived safely near Owen.”
“Then maybe Sir Aaron was mistaken?”
“I gave up on going to Leopold’s estate to check that out while also trying to find the man who was presumed to be Sir Aldor.”
Oh, so that's what it was.
I was secretly upset that Perdes broke his promise to me, but that feeling has completely disappeared.
“...After searching the palace like that, I finally entered the Emperor’s palace, where someone threw a stone at me that had ‘Basement’ written on it.”
“Who said that?”
“I can’t confirm who it is, but I think it’s Sir Aldor.”
Sir Aldor... said so?
“I thought it was sending a signal to check out the basement because there was something there, so I went straight down there. And... ugh.”
Perdes suddenly frowned and covered his mouth with a gagging sound.
I patted his back hastily and asked.
"Are you okay?"
"... I'm okay."
Perdes muttered with a pale face.
“It’s so horrible to think back on that scene again.”
“What on earth could be in the basement that makes you say that?”
“What I gave you.”
What did you give me?
My gaze naturally turned to the box I had received from Perdes.
An absurd object that was said to have been taken from the Crown Prince's remains.
“In the basement were the Emperor’s remains.”
Perdes continued with a frighteningly serious expression on his face.
“Not one, but dozens.”
Even now, when Perdes closes his eyes, the horrific scenes he saw in the basement come back to me vividly.
In times like these, having a good memory doesn't help.
Perdes clicked his tongue and frowned.
They say that if you're so surprised you can't even scream, and that saying was absolutely right.
At that time, when Perdes saw the Emperor's body parts lying here and there, twisted like a snake's skin, he was shocked and closed his eyes tightly, not making a sound.
When he realized what was happening, he was about to scream, but he swallowed it for fear that someone else might hear.
As he was about to turn around and go back up the stairs, Perdes gritted his teeth and turned back, thinking that perhaps those ruins could help Adele bring down the Emperor.
And then he tore off pieces of hair and skin from the nearest Emperor's body.
After securing the evidence, his mind began to calm down a bit, and he began to see things he hadn't seen before.
“There was a magic circle on the floor that looked a lot like Diabolos. A magic circle drawn with blood.”
Perdes, barely able to shake off the horrible afterimage, continued to speak stammeringly.
“It’s probably just my guess, but I think that’s the mother.”
“Mother?”
“Yeah. I heard this from Byblos before, but there is a mother magic circle for curse-type magic circles like Diabolos. You use that magic circle to put a curse on the target.”
Adele's expression became serious as the explanation continued.
“That means that whoever gave Diabolos to the Anatome Guard or others is certain to be the Emperor.”
“Yes. And the Emperor is probably not human. No, he is definitely not human. Humans cannot shed their skins.”
Although it was a very shocking fact, Adele just nodded calmly.
“I’m not really surprised.”
“I thought maybe that might be the case.”
“But aren’t you usually surprised? You thought it was something that could never happen.”
“That’s not it.”
Because there is nothing in this world that is impossible.
Adele had already experienced the more absurd thing called regression four times, so she quickly put that thought aside.
“This is it.”
At Adele's unexpected reaction, Perdes shook his head as if he was troubled.
“If you were surprised or scared, I would try to calm you down and tell you not to go to the palace, but it’s difficult.”
“You told me not to go to the palace?”
"Yes."
Perdes nodded and grabbed Adele's shoulders.
“As I just said, the Emperor is not human. But you are an ordinary human.”
“I’m not ordinary either.”
Because their physical abilities are superior to those of ordinary humans,
“You have to try it to know.”
“No. I don’t think you can win. I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t think you can win. So...”
“Don’t tell me to retreat.”
Adele pulled away from Perdes's hand and spoke firmly.
“The destination is right in front of us, so we can’t turn back now.”
“This is not a joke. Your life is at stake. This is not the time to be stubborn.”
“Please say it’s not stubbornness but belief.”
“Adele.”
“Even if I go back, I’ll die anyway. I disobeyed the Emperor’s orders and brought the knights all the way to the capital.”
Not only that, she threw counterfeit gold coins into disarray in the empire and joined hands with the Allied Forces to help them invade the empire.
“So, whether I die or become food, I have to fight until the end.”
“There’s also a way to let go of everything and run away. Just as you tried to free me by making me a non-existent person in the world, you can do the same.”
Adele picked it up, smiled, and pointed to his hair.
“With this hair color?”
Red hair that proves that she is a blood relative of the Leopold family.
As Perdes sighed deeply and lowered his head, Adele patted his arm.
“Don’t worry. I will definitely come back victorious.”
“....”
“So, Lord Perdes, please wait as far away from the capital as possible... ”
"No."
Perdes raised his head. His golden eyes sparkled with determination.
“I will go with you.”
“Huh? That’s...”
“Choose. Either run away with me or go to the palace together.”
What kind of ridiculous request is this?
When Adele hesitated in confusion, Perdes emphasized again that there were only two choices and that there were no other options.
“Of course, there is also a way to force me away without having to choose one of the two.”
“...”
“If that’s the case, then I don’t know what to do. So choose wisely, Adele.”
When I stared at him in extreme embarrassment, Perdes smiled awkwardly and scratched his head.
“I’d like to talk to you two for a moment. Is that okay?”
“...Come this way.”
I also had a lot of questions for Perdes, so I took him back on the train.
Bam, the sound of the guest room door closing was loud.
I covered the window with curtains and asked Perdes.
“Now tell me. Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be getting off at Martina Station and heading to Leopold’s estate by now?”
“I’m sorry. Something urgent came up, and I couldn’t do that. It was very important.”
“Then I told you to contact me in advance.”
“I tried to do that too, but for some reason, the communication didn’t work.”
“Yes? Really?”
When I asked back in surprise, Perdes laughed.
“I guess you didn’t know.”
"Sorry."
“What do you have to be sorry about? If you didn’t know, it means you didn’t have to contact me, and at the same time, it means nothing happened to you, so it’s actually a good thing.”
His expression was quite dark, even though he was saying it was a good thing.
There must have been something that big, right?
“Did you happen to find Sir Aldor? Did you confirm that he was infected with Diabolos?”
When I asked him in a sharp tone with an anxious mind, Perdes shook his head.
“No, that’s not it.”
“Then what’s going on?”
Instead of answering, Perdes took a small box out of his pocket that could fit in one hand and held it out.
“What is this?”
“Open it. Open it, but don’t be too shocked.”
Why do they give advance warning?
I swallowed hard and opened the box. Inside was a golden hair and a twisted, unidentifiable object.
"What is it?"
"Skin."
what?"
“These are pieces of skin and hair taken from the Emperor’s body. To be exact, it would be more accurate to call them sloughs.”
The word shed was used for all species that shed their skin, like snakes or insects.
Not a person.
But these are pieces of skin and hair taken from the emperor's body?
I stared at the contents of the box because it didn't make sense.
“I got a call from Sir Aaron two days ago.”
Perdes' voice was heard overhead.
“A man believed to be the Crown Prince and Sir Aldor entered the palace, and he asked me to track them down on his behalf.”
Wait a minute. What did you just say?
You saw the Crown Prince enter the palace two days ago?
“That can’t be. The Crown Prince led the Royal Knights and set out for Owen long before that. He can’t be in the Imperial Capital.”
“I thought so at first, too, so I asked Sir Aaron if he had seen things differently, and he said it was true. The man who was supposed to be Sir Aldor also called him the Crown Prince.”
“What about the Imperial Knights? You should contact them and see if the Crown Prince is there.”
“How can I verify that? The enemy won’t allow it.”
Oh, I see. Because of his dementia, Perdes was completely excluded from the recapture battle.
“Still, I have confirmed that reports have come in that the Crown Prince has arrived safely near Owen.”
“Then maybe Sir Aaron was mistaken?”
“I gave up on going to Leopold’s estate to check that out while also trying to find the man who was presumed to be Sir Aldor.”
Oh, so that's what it was.
I was secretly upset that Perdes broke his promise to me, but that feeling has completely disappeared.
“...After searching the palace like that, I finally entered the Emperor’s palace, where someone threw a stone at me that had ‘Basement’ written on it.”
“Who said that?”
“I can’t confirm who it is, but I think it’s Sir Aldor.”
Sir Aldor... said so?
“I thought it was sending a signal to check out the basement because there was something there, so I went straight down there. And... ugh.”
Perdes suddenly frowned and covered his mouth with a gagging sound.
I patted his back hastily and asked.
"Are you okay?"
"... I'm okay."
Perdes muttered with a pale face.
“It’s so horrible to think back on that scene again.”
“What on earth could be in the basement that makes you say that?”
“What I gave you.”
What did you give me?
My gaze naturally turned to the box I had received from Perdes.
An absurd object that was said to have been taken from the Crown Prince's remains.
“In the basement were the Emperor’s remains.”
Perdes continued with a frighteningly serious expression on his face.
“Not one, but dozens.”
***
Even now, when Perdes closes his eyes, the horrific scenes he saw in the basement come back to me vividly.
In times like these, having a good memory doesn't help.
Perdes clicked his tongue and frowned.
They say that if you're so surprised you can't even scream, and that saying was absolutely right.
At that time, when Perdes saw the Emperor's body parts lying here and there, twisted like a snake's skin, he was shocked and closed his eyes tightly, not making a sound.
When he realized what was happening, he was about to scream, but he swallowed it for fear that someone else might hear.
As he was about to turn around and go back up the stairs, Perdes gritted his teeth and turned back, thinking that perhaps those ruins could help Adele bring down the Emperor.
And then he tore off pieces of hair and skin from the nearest Emperor's body.
After securing the evidence, his mind began to calm down a bit, and he began to see things he hadn't seen before.
“There was a magic circle on the floor that looked a lot like Diabolos. A magic circle drawn with blood.”
Perdes, barely able to shake off the horrible afterimage, continued to speak stammeringly.
“It’s probably just my guess, but I think that’s the mother.”
“Mother?”
“Yeah. I heard this from Byblos before, but there is a mother magic circle for curse-type magic circles like Diabolos. You use that magic circle to put a curse on the target.”
Adele's expression became serious as the explanation continued.
“That means that whoever gave Diabolos to the Anatome Guard or others is certain to be the Emperor.”
“Yes. And the Emperor is probably not human. No, he is definitely not human. Humans cannot shed their skins.”
Although it was a very shocking fact, Adele just nodded calmly.
“I’m not really surprised.”
“I thought maybe that might be the case.”
“But aren’t you usually surprised? You thought it was something that could never happen.”
“That’s not it.”
Because there is nothing in this world that is impossible.
Adele had already experienced the more absurd thing called regression four times, so she quickly put that thought aside.
“This is it.”
At Adele's unexpected reaction, Perdes shook his head as if he was troubled.
“If you were surprised or scared, I would try to calm you down and tell you not to go to the palace, but it’s difficult.”
“You told me not to go to the palace?”
"Yes."
Perdes nodded and grabbed Adele's shoulders.
“As I just said, the Emperor is not human. But you are an ordinary human.”
“I’m not ordinary either.”
Because their physical abilities are superior to those of ordinary humans,
“You have to try it to know.”
“No. I don’t think you can win. I’m sorry to say this, but I don’t think you can win. So...”
“Don’t tell me to retreat.”
Adele pulled away from Perdes's hand and spoke firmly.
“The destination is right in front of us, so we can’t turn back now.”
“This is not a joke. Your life is at stake. This is not the time to be stubborn.”
“Please say it’s not stubbornness but belief.”
“Adele.”
“Even if I go back, I’ll die anyway. I disobeyed the Emperor’s orders and brought the knights all the way to the capital.”
Not only that, she threw counterfeit gold coins into disarray in the empire and joined hands with the Allied Forces to help them invade the empire.
“So, whether I die or become food, I have to fight until the end.”
“There’s also a way to let go of everything and run away. Just as you tried to free me by making me a non-existent person in the world, you can do the same.”
Adele picked it up, smiled, and pointed to his hair.
“With this hair color?”
Red hair that proves that she is a blood relative of the Leopold family.
As Perdes sighed deeply and lowered his head, Adele patted his arm.
“Don’t worry. I will definitely come back victorious.”
“....”
“So, Lord Perdes, please wait as far away from the capital as possible... ”
"No."
Perdes raised his head. His golden eyes sparkled with determination.
“I will go with you.”
“Huh? That’s...”
“Choose. Either run away with me or go to the palace together.”
What kind of ridiculous request is this?
When Adele hesitated in confusion, Perdes emphasized again that there were only two choices and that there were no other options.
“Of course, there is also a way to force me away without having to choose one of the two.”
“...”
“If that’s the case, then I don’t know what to do. So choose wisely, Adele.”
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