On the return carriage, Presepe remained silent the whole time.
"..."
Fenrir, sitting next to Presepe, just quietly gazed at her without saying a word.
The reason Fenrir deliberately got into the carriage with her was that he thought Presepe would be afraid of the situation regarding the return trip.
Anyway, she also came to know for sure about her own bloodline, and eventually met Siegfried in the Forbidden Forest.
Not only that, but a considerable number of knights witnessed her attempts to push Dietrich off the cliff and saw that she was the only one who was not attacked by monsters. Siegfried will surely report this to Dietrich, and no one knows what will happen afterward.
Moreover, Ivan's case went without saying. He was the one who showed the most severe obsession with Presepe among those who had to be killed, and the fact that he had shown up at the mansion was proof of that.
'This crazy game...'
Just as Fenrir had expected, Presepe was feeling quite bewildered by the strange turn of events.
Of course, the biggest thing amidst that confusion was whether the Demon King was really dead.
'Now that Ivan has fled, what if Dietrich uses that as an excuse to threaten him again, demanding that he return to the palace?'
Fenrir told her earlier that he gave Dietrich a video stone that vividly captured the events of that day.
She wondered why his arm had been cut off again, and it seemed he had incurred Dietrich's wrath because of it.
When she thought about what she had gone through so far, it wasn't that she didn't feel a sense of schadenfreude, but the problem was that she had absolutely no way of predicting what the person who had fled after having their arm cut off would do with a grudge.
"Hannah will really like this."
At the sound of Fenrir's voice settling in softly, Presepe finally looked up at him.
"She must have been craning her neck, waiting for Lady Presepe. Wondering when you would arrive."
Fenrir’s face as he said those words was utterly unremarkable. Forget the Forbidden Forest and all that nonsense; he looked as if he were returning from a truly insignificant trip.
"So, you would do well to get some rest. It is obvious that she is going to mercilessly unleash on Lady Presepe all the chatter she has been holding back for the past few days."
It was truly absurd. Even in this anxious situation, she couldn't help but burst into laughter at Fenrir's words.
“Lean on me.”
"..."
"For that is why I boarded the carriage with Lady Presepe."
Suddenly, Fenrir's broad embrace was reflected in Presepe's violet eyes.
The one who hugged her tightly last night as well, as if telling her not to worry about anything.
Soon, Presepe carefully rested her head on Fenrir's shoulder. Then, she gazed into the void with eyes filled with countless emotions.
She wondered what on earth was going on.
The Demon King, Ivan...
Now, where and how am I supposed to find a clue?
Is there another way?
What if I go all the way back only to have Dietrich spout some nonsense and do something to Grand Duke Fenrir?
Even in this crazy situation, she was worried about Fenrir. Even though she was in a dire situation herself.
"My promise to protect Lady Presepe is still valid."
As if aware of that worry, Fenrir parted his lips again in a low voice.
"Even if Lady Presepe is of monster blood, and even if His Majesty issues another strange order to sortie, that is the case."
"..."
"So please don't be anxious."
Presepe listened quietly to Fenrir's words, and only after a long while did he speak in a cracked voice.
"Grand Duke Fenrir keeps suffering because of me."
"I never thought of it as harm."
"And you even got injured this time."
"To be precise, it was because the monsters attacked me. It wasn't like Lady Presepe bit or scratched me, was it?"
Presepe smiled weakly.
No matter how much Fenrir brushed it off as a joke, acting as if it were fine, anyone could see that he was being victimized.
'To avoid causing the Grand Duke any more trouble, it would be right to return to the Imperial Palace.'
Although Dietrich, having developed a sense of self, still seemed obsessed with her, it seemed unlikely that he would kill her as easily as he did in the original game, like killing a bug.
And since the Forbidden Forest and the monsters have been burned down, Fenrir will not have to go into battle against his will, as he did this time.
However, even while having such thoughts, the great thief realized that her existence was causing harm to Fenrir...
"I want to be with the Grand Duke..."
She had no intention of changing her mind easily.
"Is that okay?"
"Yes."
Fenrir's answer to the question Presepe cautiously posed was nothing short of concise.
"All the more so if that was a choice made by Lady Presepe herself."
To think it was a choice made by oneself. It was a remark that wouldn't have been taken seriously in reality, but in this damn game where she couldn't do anything of her own free will, it meant a little different to Presepe.
"..."
Presepe gave no further answer. Instead, she leaned her head on the shoulder of Fenrir, who supported her without fail today, and fell into deep thought.
***
It was truly a hectic day after day.
"..."
Dietrich sat on the bed, his face clearly showing signs of fatigue. Having had an extremely exhausting day, he washed his dry, rough face.
Every single monster that attacked the imperial palace was killed without exception. Of course, a considerable number of soldiers died in the process, but the damage was not as great as expected.
Reconstruction of the broken walls and a few buildings began swiftly, and soon it would regain its pristine appearance as if it had never been attacked.
The problem lay elsewhere.
"The backlash from the priests is very strong."
It was to my liking. After all, it was none other than an Archmage who beheaded the Archbishop and fled, so it was only natural.
"The Church was already on bad terms with the Magic Tower, but it seems the situation will become even more serious in the future. There are even suggestions now that the wizards should be driven out of the Imperial Palace entirely, with people asking where there is any guarantee that they won't repeat the same behavior."
The situation would have been slightly better if they could have at least captured him. However, the whereabouts of the Archmage Ivan, who had committed that absurd act and fled, remained unknown.
Ivan's portrait was posted all over Ateloia along with a huge bounty offer. Even if he had succeeded in escaping, it would not have been easy to hide and survive afterward, so it was impossible to understand how on earth he had not been seen until now.
"Ha..."
Dietrich, frowning from a severe headache, pressed his temples hard with irritation. Not long after, he suddenly looked at something occupying the top of the nightstand next to the bed.
It was a very old, shabby little doll. Completely unsuitable for the Emperor of the Empire.
"The maidservant said that in a certain region of Ateloia, there is a being that drives away nightmares."
Dietrich could still recall it vividly. The innocent face of young Presepe, who had handed him that utterly bizarre doll when he was suffering from chronic illnesses and struggling after losing his mother, having nightmares every day.
"I hope this helps..."
Dietrich reached out and quietly grasped the small doll. Then he looked down at it for a long time.
At that time, her kindness was a great comfort. Young Dietrich was just as powerless within the imperial palace. Unable to lean on anyone, Dietrich would fall asleep every night clutching the doll Presepe had given him as if it were a living creature.
But now, things like this doll were of no help at all.
If it isn't Presepe, not even a little.
"Life is sometimes born between monsters and humans. It's quite funny."
However, what suddenly crossed Dietrich's mind were Ivan's words, who had been chattering in the viewing seat.
What if...
What if Presepe really had the bloodline of a monster?
What if the person Vanessa cheated with was a monster?
If that fact were to leak out, it was obvious that it would cause a tremendous backlash. This was especially true now, given that the Magic Tower's image had been completely tarnished and was drawing public outrage.
...Could I risk all of that and keep Presepe by my side?
Dietrich bit his lip with all his might.
Although Dietrich did not want to believe Ivan's story, there was also a scene he remembered.
"But I went to Your Majesty to see my father. To beg you to spare him at all costs."
That is exactly what Presepe asked him.
It was a memory of the day he went to see the former Emperor to ask him not to harm Presepe after Vanessa's infidelity was revealed.
"You must not kill her."
However, there was a guest in the audience chamber who had arrived before him.
Dietrich hid himself and secretly listened to their conversation alone.
"If the message from the Knights is true, it would be even better for you to just cast them out."
Dietrich's face began to look peculiar as he recalled the memory of that day.
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