"Now, come back to the Imperial Palace, to my side."
"Ah, as expected."
He had thought there was no way he wouldn't say something like that. Presepe stared at Dietrich without even blinking an eyebrow at the story she had already anticipated, but that didn't last long.
"I know how terrible I must have been to you."
It was precisely because of what Dietrich said next.
"It’s only natural, isn’t it? That Lady Vanessa was executed and banished. Because you resented her, misunderstanding that she abandoned you and left on her own accord. And now... just accept it."
Dietrich's voice cracked shabbily.
"The fact that I forced you to stay by my side, and at the same time made you suffer, is actually because of the same reason."
"..."
"Also, perhaps... the fact that I am someone who could really put you in danger."
After the bug, Dietrich, having regained his memories from the previous episode, continued to suffer incessantly and thought endlessly even after Presepe left the Imperial Palace.
Do I really want to kill Presepe?
...Will I really end up killing Presepe someday?
In her dreams, she killed Presepe time and time again. She executed her brutally, shot arrows at her as she fled, and beheaded her with a sword.
And, despite loving each other so much, they could not trust one another, so they chose to die together.
"I promise, Presepe."
However...
"From now on, I will never hurt you."
The Dietrich in the dream was not him.
Of course, it was true that he had such deep love and hate for Presepe that he would make such a choice, but in reality, he would never have acted that way.
Maybe he's hypnotizing himself, but...
“Trust me.”
Dietrich's voice was practically a plea.
Presepe did not give any answer. She simply stared blankly at Dietrich, who was looking at her pitifully.
The real Dietrich, unbound by the game's settings and thoroughly breaking away from the assigned defaults.
Was Dietrich Ateloia originally this kind of person?
"If you grant my request, I will also tell you what I saw that day."
Dietrich continued speaking.
"But I won't force you. I won't stubbornly hold onto you like before either."
Only then will I be able to say that the me in my dream is not the real me.
Dietrich thought to himself.
"Then, you are saying that if I do not return to the Imperial Palace, Your Majesty will not tell me anything."
Presepe, who had been listening silently to his words, slowly closed her lips.
"You say it’s not coercion, but ultimately, you have to follow the request to find out the answer."
"Presepe, I..."
"Great."
At Presepe's brief reply, Dietrich's eyes, filled with her, trembled violently.
Okay.
I thought you would understand.
Because you are someone who cherished me.
It was the moment he was about to reach out his hand toward Presepe while having such thoughts.
“I won’t listen.”
"...What?"
"I have no desire to return to the Imperial Palace or to Your Majesty's side. So, it can be done even if I do not receive an answer."
Presepe knew it well, too. That Dietrich's answer might be of great help to her.
But just because she returned to the Imperial Palace like that, what changes? What really changes?
The fact remained that she could only exit the game by finding the real male protagonist, and she didn't want to go to such lengths just to stay by Dietrich's side.
And then things changed.
Now, Presepe has a place to return to, even if it isn't the Imperial Palace.
"You said you wouldn't force me. I will believe at least that. Please let me believe you."
"..."
“I’ll just go back now.”
That was the last time. After bowing respectfully to Dietrich, Presepe turned away without a second thought. Then, she began to walk slowly.
"Leaving the Imperial Palace, away from my side... do you really think you are safe now?"
However, Dietrich's voice coming from behind finally grabbed her ankle.
"Are you saying you trust Grand Duke Fenrir, whom you haven't known for very long, more than me, whom you've known your whole life?"
"What kind of nonsense is this?" Presepe, dumbfounded, turned to look at Dietrich.
"He might be a more dangerous person than you think."
"..."
"Why don't you understand that? You don't even realize my true feelings right now!"
"Of course, that’s only natural."
Presepe answered with a blank expression.
"At least Grand Duke Fenrir never made me suffer for absurd reasons. Not even once."
"..."
"Even if Grand Duke Fenrir turns out to be a truly dangerous person, and I end up in a critical situation... it would still be much better than my life so far."
"What...?"
"At least that is the result of my choice."
The receding figure of Presepe was reflected in Dietrich's utterly desolate eyes.
Presepe seemed like a completely different person.
Just like before, just as she has done her whole life, if she cannot even dare to disobey his words, she is a person completely different from a weak woman...
"..."
Dietrich, left alone in the garden, clenched his fist tightly with the hand that had been hanging limply in the air. Then, biting his lip with all his might, he too began to leave the garden.
***
"Do you happen to know? That I had a really hard time thanks to the Grand Duke."
At Ivan's words, Fenrir let out a small, mocking laugh.
"If you're trying to act like a crybaby, you'd better stop."
"..."
"You should be grateful to me, on the contrary. If your head had been cut off, you would have suffered much more."
Ivan gritted his teeth.
"And it is a stretch to say that I made you suffer. If you had properly understood your place in the first place and hadn't done what you shouldn't have, none of this would have happened."
He was planning to get rid of them today if the chance arose anyway. But since they approached him on their own initiative, there was absolutely nothing bad for Fenrir.
"But I think the same goes for the Grand Duke, doesn't it?"
However, Ivan seemed to be glaring at him intently, then suddenly sneered and continued speaking.
"The hardship I spoke of isn't limited to just this wretched wound. Did the Grand Duke underestimate me?"
"Well, I tend to accept things as they are."
"..."
"If you felt like I looked down on you, it must be because you actually are funny."
"Damn bastard," Ivan swallowed the curse under his breath. In any case, he wanted to kill the other person just the same.
"So, did you go see the Emperor and pull a stunt to make a desperate attempt?"
"... What?"
Ivan's face stiffened in an instant.
"Isn't it for the same reason that Siegfried and the Knights are nowhere to be seen?"
No matter how hard he looked, not a single member of the Order was to be seen. And Siegfried.
"Nevertheless, we have an excellent and valiant Order of Knights, a holy church that will always spare no protection and defense, and a Magic Tower that will step forward before anyone else in the event of a crisis."
Dietrich's speech, which left a somewhat uneasy feeling.
Fenrir quickly noticed.
The fact that Ivan was already plotting.
"..."
Fenrir, who had been staring at Ivan with cold eyes, suddenly turned his gaze forward.
It was because of Presepe, who was looking around searching for Fenrir after returning from the flower garden.
“Ah, Grand Duke..."
As their eyes met, Presepe smiled brightly at him. However, realizing that it was Ivan who was by Fenrir's side, she furrowed her brows slightly.
"You'd better make sure of this, Ivan."
In that brief moment as he walked toward Presepe, Fenrir, who had brushed past Ivan, spoke in a low voice.
"The fact that no matter what you do, you will eventually just be treated like a joke by me."
"You...!"
Ivan, surging with irritation, reached out to grab Fenrir, but there was no way to keep up with his long strides.
"It looks like you had a good conversation."
"Yes, well, that is true, but did the Archmage do something strange again? To the Grand Duke."
Fenrir did not answer. He just snickered.
"So he did? No, this time, what kind of nonsense is he spouting while leaving room for doubt...?"
Presepe frowned and tried to chatter away, but she could not finish her sentence.
It was because of the knights who suddenly appeared in formation.
"Uh....?"
"What on earth is going on?" Confused, Presepe widened her eyes and looked at the Knights, then glanced around. She saw Dietrich walking out from behind.
'Well, something feels ominous.'
It was the moment Presepe reflexively lightly grasped Fenrir's sleeve.
"Grand Master Siegfried, having received orders from His Majesty, has completed preparations to lead the Order into battle."
Are you participating?
Where?
"To safeguard the peace of Ateloia, I swear to carry out this mission, too, even to the point of sacrificing my life."
All the knights, including Siegfried, knelt on one knee and bowed their heads toward Dietrich.
Dietrich watched them silently, then slowly took a step. He approached and stood in front of Siegfried.
"As I mentioned earlier, there are still those who covet the bountiful Ateloia."
Dietrich's voice overlapped with the murmuring of the nobles.
"This is not a story limited to humans alone, and particularly in the western forests of Ateloia, ferocious monsters are still breaching the defenses."
Lie.
"Today marks exactly the 999th year of the nation's founding. Standing at this crossroads leading into the new millennium, I hereby order the extermination of all monsters in the Western Forest."
Ivan didn't say that. On the contrary, he said it had decreased.
"The Holy Knights of Ateloia, Siegfried born under the blessing of God, and..."
At that moment, Dietrich's cold eyes turned toward Fenrir.
"Dear Grand Duke Fenrir will stand at the head of the punitive expedition."
'This. This bastard...'
You said you wouldn't force me to return to the Imperial Palace...
"If anyone disobeys the Emperor's command even when the Empire is in crisis, they cannot be called a citizen of the Empire of Ateloia and will receive punishment befitting their status."
She knew he didn't say that for no reason. He was subtly trying to threaten her.
"G-Grand Duke..."
Presepe, her face pale with ashenness, hurriedly shifted her gaze to Fenrir.
And, she saw it clearly.
The corners of Fenrir's mouth, staring straight ahead, twisted and formed a subtle arc.
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