Facing Dietrich, who was staring at her with a puzzled look, Presepe secretly swallowed hard.
"Grand Duke, His Majesty will surely try to summon me back to the Imperial Palace."
It was obvious exactly how Dietrich would act. As soon as he received the report that Fenrir and Presepe had arrived in the capital, he would send someone to forcibly drag her to the Imperial Palace.
"...I have an idea."
Throughout the carriage ride, Presepe pondered deeply, combining the new information she had learned with various possibilities.
The starting point of that dilemma was simple.
How can she stay outside without returning to the imperial palace?
Together with Grand Duke Fenrir, the only one she could trust and rely on in this damn game.
And Presepe found the answer.
The problem was that she wasn't sure if it would work, but now it was do-or-die.
"While staying in the heart near the Forbidden Forest, I looked around Mother's house."
"...Are you talking about Vanessa?"
Dietrich knew, too. That Vanessa lived in a village close to the Forbidden Forest.
"I asked you quite a bit before. I asked if you knew the reason why I wasn't executed."
At Presepe's words, Dietrich reflexively ruminated on what the old archmage had said long ago.
"My father was a monster."
And Preseve took out Nidhogg's scales from her bosom and spoke.
"To be precise, it's a dragon."
"Furthermore, unlike others, those species possess higher-order intelligence and can think..."
"That was probably the reason. That is why the former Emperor could not bring himself to kill me and simply cast me out."
"..."
"Did you happen to know? Dragons are more intelligent than ordinary monsters and have a strong attachment to their young."
There was no way Presepe could have had such knowledge.
It was Fenrir who told this story, as expected. Perhaps wanting to comfort Presepe, he told her in the carriage on the way back to the capital. He said that Nidhogg had probably tried to find Presepe.
If he had been alive, he would have definitely done that.
Of course, we do not know how much of the truth the former Emperor knew. We do not know how he uncovered Vanessa's infidelity, or whether he was even aware that Presepe's biological father was a dragon.
In any case, she could only guess. Perhaps the former Emperor couldn't bring himself to kill her, out of concern that it might invite even greater trouble.
And that was a guess that was accurate to some extent.
"Since the Archmage is a crazy person by nature, I thought what he told me might be a lie, but... no, it wasn't."
To be honest, she thought she didn't know what Dietrich would do when he found out about this. So she was scared.
But the damage was already done. No matter how much she kept her mouth shut, Siegfried was there.
Siegfried, being seasoned in battles against monsters, must have known well why the monsters do not attack only Presepe.
And he probably plans to report that to Dietrich just as it is.
If it was a fact that was going to be revealed anyway, it was better to at least use it.
"...So."
Dietrich, who had been quietly listening to Presepe's words, looked down at her and asked.
"What do you want to say?"
"..."
"Even if you have the bloodline of a monster... nothing changes."
However, Dietrich's reaction was a bit unexpected.
He is a person whose behavior is unpredictable, but she could roughly guess.
She thought he would either exploit that fact to his own liking, or cast her aside just like in the bad endings she's secretly watched...
"I just spoke with the Grand Duke. He said it is highly likely that Ivan was the one who killed Attar Hanan and Noah DeVern as well."
...Was that all Ivan's doing? Presepe looked a little puzzled.
"Now that we know who the culprit is, it means Grand Duke Fenrir has lost his justification for protecting you."
"..."
"In other words, you have to return to the Imperial Palace."
Dietrich was well aware, too, that if this fact were to leak out, it would cause repercussions that could not be ignored.
But who knows, and to what extent?
No... even if someone knew, he could just shut them up.
Just like the previous Emperor, his father, killed that old archmage.
He wanted to ensnare Presepe by his side, even if it meant doing that.
By any means necessary, by any means necessary.
"No... My thoughts are still the same."
Presepe looked visibly nervous, but she did not give up and continued speaking.
"I don't want to return to the Imperial Palace."
"Ha..."
"If Your Majesty forcibly keeps me bound to the Imperial Palace as you did before, I will spread rumors immediately. That I am actually of monster blood."
In that moment, Dietrich's expression turned cold.
"At any other time, this might have simply been dismissed as a rumor, but now that Ivan the Archmage has killed the Archbishop and fled, it is different. The Church will immediately try to verify the facts."
Hadn't there already been an uproar over the need to expel the wizards and destroy the magic tower? In this situation, even if she was only half-breed, if word began to spread that a descendant of a monster was in the Imperial Palace, the consequences were obvious. Presepe was well aware of this, too.
"It will eventually be exposed, and I might end up dead."
"..."
"No matter how much Your Majesty tries to exert force, if the Church rises up in earnest, there is no way to stop it."
This was the method Presepe came up with to avoid returning to the Imperial Palace at all costs.
Threatening someone by using her safety as leverage.
Will this really work?
Whether that happens or not, what if they tell me to die right by his side? Considering what happened in Dietrich's route, that isn't an entirely impossible turn of events.
...It was not that she wasn't worried, but the face of Dietrich, who had even begged her to return to the Imperial Palace, kept coming to mind.
Perhaps Dietrich, who found her true self due to a bug... might be a slightly different person from the Dietrich who only acted according to his settings.
Just like those words he just spat out, saying, 'Even if you have the bloodline of a monster, nothing changes.'
"..."
Dietrich showed no reaction for a moment. As he always did, he did not get angry, nor did he shout and stubbornly grab Presepe.
He simply looked at Presepe with a look that seemed a little sad for some reason, and then parted his lips in a low voice.
"You'd rather die than stay by my side?"
At Dietrich's candidly detailed words, Presepe slightly averted his gaze.
Well, strictly speaking, that was true.
"You threatened your life knowing exactly what answer I would give."
"..."
"Yes?"
Unbelievably cunning...
Countless emotions were evident in Dietrich's eyes as he gazed at Presepe.
However, Dietrich knew very well that if her identity were revealed, what would follow would not deviate in the slightest from what she had said.
Besides, since the person in question is going around talking about it like that, there is no way to silence them.
So, Dietrich's answer was already decided.
"...Get out."
Dietrich spoke in a strained voice.
He had absolutely no desire to pry into whether Presepe was doing this simply because she didn't want to be by his side, or if she harbored other feelings for Fenrir.
Maybe it's something she doesn't want to know, but...
"But you'd better make sure of this, Presepe. No matter how the consequences of what you did today come back to haunt you, the responsibility lies entirely with you."
No matter how much you say you don't want to, if your place to return to completely disappears, you too will have no choice.
Before anyone realized it, a vivid murderous intent was emanating from Dietrich's eyes as they turned toward Fenrir.
"..."
In fact, no matter what Dietrich threatened right now, there was no way it would reach Presepe's ears.
Moreover, Presepe was well aware. The number of knights who had died in the Forbidden Forest alone was enormous. On top of that, monsters had even attacked the Imperial Palace, and Ivan was on the run.
So, no matter what happens, Dietrich will ultimately not be able to touch Fenrir right away. Not only does he lack a justification he can use immediately, but Dietrich is also currently in a situation where he cannot act rashly.
"Yes."
So, Presepe answered, looking Dietrich straight in the eye.
"Thank you for the advice, Your Majesty.'
It wasn't exactly a welcome low, though.
Previous Next
Comments
Post a Comment