"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 a little enigmatic as he recalled the memory of that day.
"Besides, isn't Lady Presepe her daughter? Even if we spare her life, there is no possibility she will become a source of trouble."
The person who said those words was someone young Dietrich had seen a few times at the imperial palace.
The old archmage of the magic tower.
He was not as skilled as the current Archmage Ivan, but he had held his position for quite a long time and was said to be well-worn out.
"Executing Vanessa might not cause a major problem, but the case of Presepe is a different story. Furthermore, unlike others, that species possesses a higher level of intelligence and is capable of thought. Therefore..."
He couldn't hear the conversation that followed.
It was because the Emperor's guard, sensing a presence, stormed right up to Dietrich's nose with an extremely fierce expression.
That was the last memory of that day.
"..."
Dietrich's face was filled with bewilderment as he pondered deeply.
To be honest, Dietrich had never given much thought to Presepe's background until now.
It was simply that Presepe, stripped of her status as Princess and banished, vanished without a trace and lost all contact, so he trembled with a sense of betrayal, believing that even she had abandoned him.
But why hadn't he ever found it suspicious until now? About what the Archmage said.
In fact, it was not just because Dietrich was a madman who was excessively obsessed with Presepe.
He merely faithfully carried out the settings assigned to the character Dietrich within the game. The original Dietrich, without any bugs. In other words, Dietrich, who was not the real male protagonist, had absolutely no connection to things like Presepe's background, and would never have even come to know about it.
He himself did not know the reason, but that was the case.
“That tribe...?”
Only one thing came to mind.
Monster.
'Then Presepe is...'
Does he know this fact? Does he perhaps possess concrete evidence? Evidence that he is of monster blood?
And who else would have known this information? As Dietrich knew, the Archmage at the time was found dead not long after having that suspicious conversation with the Emperor... that is, not long after Vanessa was executed and Presepe was banished.
Perhaps that, too, was a deed committed by the previous Emperor. It would not have been good for him to hear that he had mistaken Presepe, of monster blood, for his own daughter and even granted her the title of Imperial Princess.
"I have no desire to return to the Imperial Palace or to Your Majesty's side. So, it can be helped even if I do not receive an answer."
However, the only thing that came to mind was the cold face of Presepe, who had cruelly pushed him away with utterly heartless words.
And not long after, Dietrich realized that it didn't matter to him at all whether Presepe was a half-monster or a full human.
The fact that his desire to just somehow, by any means necessary, bind her to his side remains exactly the same, too...
"Your Majesty."
Beyond the firmly closed bedroom door, the voice of a guard knight was heard.
"It is said that Grand Duke Fenrir has returned."
Then it meant that Presepe had also returned to the capital. Dietrich sprang out of bed and opened the door. The guard looked slightly surprised, but without delay, he began to deliver the message he had to convey.
"He is waiting in the audience chamber, stating that he wishes to see His Majesty. What should we do?"
Dietrich did not answer. Instead, he walked quickly past the guards and began walking toward the audience chamber.
***
The atmosphere in the audience chamber was extremely cold.
"..."
Seated on the throne, Dietrich looked down at Fenrir silently with a stern expression, without saying a word.
And only after quite some time had passed did he slowly move his lips.
“You’re hurt.”
There were small, unhealed wounds remaining on his face, and white bandages wrapped tightly around his black shirt were visible.
"There was a monster attack while investigating the Forbidden Forest."
Fenrir answered in a normal tone.
"The Forbidden Forest was completely burned down by a fire of unknown origin. A significant number of monsters were also engulfed in the flames and perished, and the umbilical cords through which they are conceived also lost their function."
"...The Forbidden Forest burned down?
Dietrich's face crumpled at Fenrir's completely unexpected words.
"It is exactly as you heard. It would be best for you to hear the details from Siegfried. What happened in the Forbidden Forest is not my concern."
Dietrich said nothing at the extremely disrespectful remark.
He simply stared quietly and intently at Fenrir's wound.
While mulling over the contents of the Book of Prophecy that Ivan had told him.
If it is true that he, too, was attacked by a monster, then Ivan’s prediction that the Demon King was connected to Presepe, the hidden being mentioned in the Book of Prophecy, seems to be spectacularly wrong.
"I have something to tell you regarding Archmage Ivan."
"Are you talking about his escape?"
"This is a separate matter from fleeing."
Fenrir continued speaking.
"You were tracking the murderer who killed Attar Hanan and Noah DeVern. Do you remember?"
At Fenrir's words, Dietrich narrowed his eyes and looked at him.
"Your Majesty must be aware by now, too, of the fact that Ivan is strangely obsessed with Lady Presepe."
“Because.”
"I suspect that the murders that have occurred so far were also committed by Ivan."
"..."
"The flower garden where Attar Hanan was murdered is relatively close to the Magic Tower, and Ivan did not attend the celebration that day. According to the investigation conducted before leaving for the Forbidden Forest, no one witnessed Ivan that day."
It was true. Ivan, who had a pathological aversion to crowded places, stayed holed up alone in the magic tower that day as always, not stepping a single step outside.
"There were many suspicious aspects to Noah DeVern's death as well. As you have likely been informed, it was a cunning murder involving moonflowers and monster griffons. How many people in Ateloia would be capable of pulling off such a trick?"
"..."
"Taking advantage of His Majesty's illness, it was nothing more than diverting attention with plausible words. And the cause of the murder is also clear."
"Because they tried to approach Presepe?"
"Yes."
Fenrir answered briefly.
"Ivan is a criminal who fled after brutally murdering Attar Hanan, Noah DeVern, the Archbishop, and even the priests of the church, so there would be no problem shooting him dead on sight."
If you listed them one by one, there wasn't a single questionable part to them. They sounded plausible, too.
But...
"If the Grand Duke's words are true, the pretext will disappear."
Dietrich parted his lips in the dry daylight.
"I mean, an excuse for you to keep Presepe."
Fenrir smirked at Dietrich's words instead of answering. Dietrich glared coldly at Fenrir for a moment before continuing.
"We have identified the murderer, but Ivan is still on the run, and given the circumstances of his return, it is highly likely that he will approach Presepe. Previously, we sent Presepe out because we suspected the culprit might be in the Imperial Palace, but this time is different."
"..."
"The Grand Duke leading private soldiers, or me residing in the Imperial Palace filled with troops and able to protect Presepe—which one looks safer in your eyes?"
Dietrich was right.
It was true that if all the blame were placed on Ivan, the excuse for keeping Presepe would disappear.
However, Fenrir would be able to shoot Ivan immediately upon encountering him, completely disregarding the attention of others.
Of course, there was almost no chance of the real culprit being revealed, but it was advantageous to take this opportunity to pin everything on Ivan. It would also alleviate Presepe's anxiety that the murderer might be targeting her, at least a little.
"Grand Duke, His Majesty will surely try to summon me back to the Imperial Palace."
Furthermore...
"...I have an idea."
Presepe had already come up with a valid reason why she could not return to the Imperial Palace.
So, the excuse of having to protect Presepe from a potential murderer in the Imperial Palace was no longer necessary.
"Your Majesty and I. Between the two of us, wouldn't only Lady Presepe be able to answer who will protect her more safely?"
"What?"
"What on earth is this all about?" Dietrich glared at Fenrir with a distorted expression, then looked ahead at the sound of the door opening.
Then, he saw Presepe with a slightly nervous expression.
"...Presepe?"
Dietrich looked at Presepe, who had suddenly appeared, with an expression of utter bewilderment.
Of course, he had intended to order her to be brought in immediately, but he had never expected her to come of her own accord like this.
...However, the words that flowed from between Presepe's tightly closed lips were even more unexpected.
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