"Why, why are you acting like this? Is it really that unbearable?"
Vania peered into the laboratory. Revan glanced back at Edgar behind him.
A vacant gaze, devoid of light from an anesthetic overdose. A haggard face.
It could not be called the appearance of a normal person.
"Hmmm..."
"It's okay, brother."
Vania let out a sigh and shrugged her shoulders.
"It’s not like His Majesty doesn’t know."
"..."
Yeah, whatever.
Although unethical acts are being committed in poor conditions, isn't this, after all, an experiment being conducted under the Emperor's permission?
***
"You said you have Ryan's supernatural ability too, right?"
The Crown Prince asked worriedly.
He, who had escorted His Majesty the Emperor, was currently having a conversation with me in the living room on the first floor of the Count's residence.
I glanced around for a moment, then nodded.
"Yes. But brother-in-law, you can't kill someone with a single glance like Dad did. Like this."
I gently placed my hand on the Crown Prince's shoulder and added.
"Contact must precede to cause instant death."
“...Ah. Yes.”
For some reason, the Crown Prince seemed to be sweating profusely, so I quickly let go of my hand.
"How many people know?"
"I got my hands on it, but I've never used it, so nobody knows."
"That's a relief. You can't hide the fact that you have supernatural abilities, but you'd better take the fact that you possess an instant kill ability to your grave. You know what I mean, right?"
"Yes. Of course. I will keep that in mind."
The Wassenberg family annihilation incident.
The Emperor exercised his power of summary execution, and although Ryan carried it out on his orders, naturally, it could not be overlooked without any follow-up action.
Isn't this a serious incident where a family was destroyed?
It had to be clearly announced to the outside world through a post-mortem trial why force was used to attack a mere noble family, whether Wassenberg had really committed a wrong worthy of being annihilated, and so on.
If they do not do so, the Imperial family will become a tyrant abusing the power of summary execution and lose the people's favor.
Anyway, there were several secrets that were bound to be revealed in the process.
It became known that Ryan was a person with supernatural abilities, and even that his ability was <instant death>.
The capital has been greatly overturned.
With the annihilation of the Duke's family, the citizens of the Empire, who were unfamiliar with the power of supernatural abilities, began to take a keen interest, and it also served as an opportunity to reflect deeply on the structure of the military monopoly...
Well, for ordinary people who had never suffered from Wassenberg, concern about his power was bound to outweigh concern about how big of a mess Ryan had cleaned up for them.
Is it really okay to live with someone who kills with a single glance?
...Something like that.
Of course, it was the scenario I naturally expected, and to resolve it, Revan is draining my father's blood.
"It would be nice if the experiment yielded meaningful results."
"Yes. That's the only way my dad can get married and have kids."
Poor Ryan, who hasn't been in a relationship at this age because I told him not to make any weaknesses.
Now you can date, and if you get along well, you can even get married.
And what if you see your children too?
It is probably a person with special abilities.
"Is there a reason you are certain that Ryan inherited the blood of the head of the family?"
"Because I am a time traveler. I know for sure that the first four of my siblings do not have the chosen blood. Father was so obsessed with finding the head of the family that he made them have many nephews and nieces."
I shook my head as I recalled the time before the regression.
"It went so far as to make my fourth brother, who couldn't marry because he was serving as a priest in Romayer, urgently have a child out of wedlock."
“I see.”
"Anyway, none of them could pass down the blood of ability users, and the only remaining direct descendant was the fifth brother who had been excommunicated. But it turned out he was an ability user himself. Naturally, I couldn't help but think that you were the chosen blood."
"Hmm. What is the reason for excluding yourself?"
"I was actually the eleventh child. In the history of the Wassenberg family, the bloodline inheriting special abilities usually manifested in the head's first or second child, so statistically speaking, it would be difficult for me to win."
"So, it's 'statistically,' right? In other words, it means there could be even a 1% chance."
"...That's right."
It was a matter I couldn't be certain about since I hadn't given birth.
"But it doesn't matter who the chosen blood is. If people with supernatural abilities are to continue coexisting with ordinary people, a means of control is absolutely necessary."
The unknown power called supernatural ability.
Even I, a person with supernatural abilities, cannot be certain of anything.
Even if the chosen blood does not have children, there is no telling what other extraordinary ways the supernatural ability might be passed down.
Just as the first head of the Wassenberg family awakened his power without warning.
Therefore, it was necessary to prepare for future generations, assuming that individuals with supernatural abilities would continue to exist and that they would establish a second and third Wassenberg with their formidable military power.
That was the task left for us.
"So, Revan's experiment absolutely has to succeed. Um, I really want to have children."
I preemptively spoke up, just in case the Crown Prince told me not to have children.
"Haha, who said anything?"
"It seems like you are worried about what to do if I am the chosen blood..."
"I was just asking out of curiosity. Do I look like someone who would interfere with my brother and his wife's plans for having children?"
"Haha. That's not it."
At that time.
“Vania.”
Nike came up to the first floor in a rush with five of the Emperor's guard knights.
"Huh? Why are you coming up already?"
It was exactly 10 minutes after going down with the Emperor to see my father, who was locked up in the basement.
"Because His Majesty insisted on going inside only with Ryan."
"Yes?"
I was embarrassed.
The Emperor's guards standing nearby looked full of dissatisfaction.
It has to be that way.
The most precious person in this empire has entered a secret room without any escorts, accompanied by a wielder of an instant kill ability.
It was shocking from the guards' perspective.
However, I can guess why the Emperor was being stubborn. It must be for Ryan's sake. To show that he trusts Ryan.
'Ugh.'
I swallowed a sigh.
A human who can end the life of any living being with a single glance.
In fact, it is fair to say that it falls outside the realm of humanity. After all, the power to decide life and death is not granted to humans.
Everything was over, and unlike before the regression, Ryan had completed his revenge without issue as a legitimate executioner, but that was the reason why we still had concerns.
***
The Emperor, Alphonse Lord Valencier, was quite flustered.
It was because he was confused as to whether the person kneeling in front of him was really the Edgar he knew.
A body reduced to a pathetic size. A gaunt face, a man in a straitjacket with a gagged mouth, wearing a blank expression.
The man who had burned like an arrogant sun his entire life was now in a more miserable state than anyone else at this moment.
"Keuhum!!"
Revan, who was standing to Edgar's left, cleared his throat and glanced at the Emperor.
"Would you please loosen the gag?"
When the Emperor gave the order, Revan broke out in a cold sweat and stammered.
"Your Majesty, as you can see from his condition, conversation will be difficult anyway..."
"Whether we can have a conversation or not. You're a free agent, aren't you?"
However, Ryan, who came along, removed Edgar's gag instead of Revan.
"Biting your tongue hurts, so don't do anything unnecessary."
"..."
Only then did the Emperor come face-to-face with Edgar for the first time since the destruction of the Wassenberg clan. Just as Revan had said, looking into Edgar's eyes, which were under the influence of anesthetic, it seemed impossible to have a conversation.
... I thought so.
“You are not afraid.”
Edgar, suddenly regaining the light in his eyes, chuckled and said.
"What gives you the confidence to stand so confidently next to a superpowered individual with an instant kill ability, and to even make his father kneel so miserably?"
"..."
Silence fell.
"How long do you think my son will remain Your Majesty's sword?"
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