CH 388

On the terrace, Bertus and I were enjoying tea together after a long time.

Two sacred artifacts.

He already knew I was the owner of Tiamata. I had somewhat anticipated it during Saviolin Turner's warning.

Bertus seemed like he wanted to say something, but hesitated slightly, as if the words were stuck in his throat.

His fingertips trembled.

You rascal.

Don't think about that again!

"...."

Not sure if he thought speaking itself would be a loss, Bertus smirked and said nothing.

"Well, never mind. That's not the important part. The fact that you were chosen by two sacred artifacts, that's the important part."

Right.

Let's erase that from all our minds.

I'm getting tired of feeling dizzy in this manner, and soon, the truly dizzying conversation would come up.

If you're chosen by two sacred artifacts, you must be an incredible person like Ragan Artorius, so why did you cross-dress?

I don't want to hear that!

Bertus stared at me with a serious expression.

"There's a lot I want to ask, Reinhardt."

"…Yeah, sure."

"Not that, but this rascal!"

"Uh, I didn't say anything?"

Bertus and I couldn't be serious with each other ever since that incident!

"Charlotte."

However, when her name was mentioned, I couldn't help but regain my composure.

"You did it, didn't you?"

He asked even though he knew.

I couldn't deny it. He didn't specifically ask what I did or how I did it. He probably didn't think it was necessary to go that far.

"Yes."

"Good, at least you didn't try to deny it meaninglessly."

He must already know everything about my actions and Charlotte's. Bertus mixed milk into his black tea and stirred it gently with a teaspoon.

"Reinhardt, I can't touch you now. You're not a fool, so I think you understand that much."

"…"

Not just one, but two sacred artifacts.

Killing me or harming me is out of the question. My existence has become too important, and the option to touch me has disappeared, even if I were on Charlotte's side.

The scary thing about Bertus is that.

He doesn't say how much he knows.

Whether he knows that I saved Charlotte's life, how I did it, or how much he knows about her current situation.

He doesn't reveal anything until suddenly, he acts as if it's obvious that he knows the halfway point of the truth.

It confuses the listener.

That's why I don't know how much I should say, and in the end, I might reveal more than Bertus knows.

It's a snake-like way of speaking.

"Reinhardt, you can be on Charlotte's side, but becoming my enemy is another choice. You can't be on both my side and Charlotte's, but just because you're on her side doesn't mean you have to be my enemy."

Bertus stared at me intently.

"Will you become my enemy? Let's just make that clear."

What would happen if I said I'd become his enemy?

Bertus wouldn't say anything about it. He might leave me alone for now, or he might try something.

"I don't plan on doing anything like that."

"Well, I hope so."

Things have changed since then.

I'm not just a Royal Class student—I possess two Sacred Relics. As long as others don't know that Ellen also has two, I am the only person in the world who owns two of them.

Just as I don't want to make Bertus my enemy, he has no choice but to not want me as his enemy either.

Bertus takes a sip of his milk tea.

"By the way, Reinhardt, do you know this?"

His expression turns cold.

"The struggle for the imperial succession has already ended."

Bertus declares with an icy expression.

"Charlotte cannot become the emperor."

It's not a surprising revelation.

Bertus had brought down the revolutionary forces, one of the biggest threats to the empire.

And that's not all.

While Charlotte struggled to maintain her own body, Bertus had dealt with countless matters.

In comparison to Charlotte, who had been overwhelmed by the aftermath of the Demon King's abduction, Bertus had proven his abilities time and time again. He continued to do so without my knowledge.

Charlotte, who could do nothing.

Bertus, who kept demonstrating something.

In such circumstances, the balance of imperial succession had gradually tilted, and after the revolutionary forces' incident, it had completely shifted to Bertus.

Of course, it's not publicly known, but the emperor would be aware of Bertus's accomplishments.

The die has been cast, and the outcome is already determined.

"Of course, aside from all that, Charlotte's path to becoming the emperor was already non-existent, simply due to the fact that the soul of the Demon King resides within her."

He knew that too.

The souls of the Demon King and Charlotte cannot be separated. As long as Bertus knows this, Charlotte's life would be forfeit with a single word from him.

"Reinhardt, I don't know if you'll believe me when I say this, but I don't want to kill my sister."

His excessively cold expression made the already hard-to-believe statement even more difficult to trust.

"What do you think the reason is?"

Because they're siblings.

That reason would certainly not be it. There must be another reason, which ultimately means not killing Charlotte would be the better option.

There's only one reason.

"…Is it because of me?"

"Yes."

If Charlotte is harmed, I will become Bertus's enemy. I've vowed to do so, and Bertus should know what I've done by now. And he's already told me he doesn't want to make me his enemy.

"If I have a reckless madman like you as an enemy, I'd feel a chill on my neck too."

Schoolyard ruffian Reinhardt has become Hero Reinhardt. The range and scale of what I can do have changed.

In plain terms, if Ragan Artorius were alive, no one in the world would have dared to treat Artorius casually, and no one would have wanted to be his enemy.

If Charlotte dies, I become their enemy.

So, Bertus argues that it is in his best interest not to kill Charlotte. Because my existence has become a stumbling block.

"But I can't not kill Charlotte."

"…Why?"

"Because there's no reason to keep her alive. Charlotte's mere existence already affects my imperial power. So, if Charlotte is alive, whether I become the next emperor or ascend the throne, people around me will clamor hundreds of times a day for me to kill Charlotte. They'll keep shouting that in my ear for days, months, and years, and my close associates won't be able to understand my refusal. And subordinates tend to prefer a cruel ruler over a hesitant one. Because at least it's certain. I can't risk arousing suspicion among my associates by keeping Charlotte, a strong contender for imperial power, alive for no particular reason, can I?"

A powerful heir to the imperial power poses a threat to the throne if they survive after being eliminated. There's a real possibility of supporters rallying to make Charlotte the ruler, and if Bertus makes a mistake, a movement to establish a new emperor could emerge.

There's no reason to keep Charlotte alive, and Bertus will inevitably have to kill her regardless of his own wishes.

I don't want to kill her. But I must.

Charlotte had said the same thing.

If she doesn't become the emperor, she'll have no choice but to die.

From the beginning, the battle between the two was a fight to become emperor or die. They couldn't decide each other's fate through their own will in these two diverging paths.

If one survives, they must kill the other.

But if Bertus kills Charlotte, he creates an enemy in me.

"It's a headache, you see. If you die fighting the Demon King, that's one thing, but if things work out and you kill the Demon King and become humanity's hero, I don't know what crazy things you might do to me. If I kill you after you've become humanity's hero by killing the Demon King... then there's no emperor, no anything. What would happen if the emperor killed Ragan Artorius, who had come back to life? That's exactly what I'd be facing."

He speaks these harsh words nonchalantly.

He calmly says that the best thing for him would be if I annihilate the Demon King and died while doing so like Ragan Artorius.

Of course, if I were a true hero, Bertus might be afraid to stab me in the neck, but physically, I can't fight the Demon King.

Bertus must kill Charlotte.

But if he does, a very dangerous situation will arise.

"So even if Charlotte ends up being killed, it can't be helped... Understand that... What? What are you saying?"

At my words, Bertus lowered his head.

"There's no way you would accept that."

As if to say that wasn't the case, Bertus showed a bitter smile.

"Didn't I say there's no reason?"

"...You did."

There is no reason to keep Charlotte alive.

Hence, his close aides will argue that Charlotte must be killed to solidify the imperial power, and Bertus has no words to refute that.

"That's why we need a pretext."

A reason, in other words, a pretext.

"A pretext for not having to kill my sibling."

A pretext for Bertus not to kill Charlotte even if he becomes the emperor. A pretext for the close aides not to demand the killing of Charlotte.

Bertus stirred his teacup with a bitter smile.

From the issue of Charlotte's soul, it all comes back to a political problem.

A girl who must die no matter which path she takes.

Charlotte de Gardias.

"Do you want to save my sibling's life?"

Last time, you saved Charlotte from the darkness, so will you try to save her from the political situation where she must die?

At Bertus's question, I nodded without lying.

"Yes."

"By any means?"

"By any means."

Bertus chuckled.

"Marry my sibling."

The prophecy of Dettomorian.

"There's no other way."

I finally realized that it had foreseen this situation.

And.

I had no choice but to know what personal favor the emperor was going to ask of me.

However, a question arose.

"Then, doesn't the pretext of being an imperial heir that Charlotte has also become stronger?"

Despite what he said, Bertus has no reason to keep Charlotte alive.

He doesn't want to make me his enemy, but marrying someone with a sacred relic gives power to Charlotte.

"That's true."

Bertus must have some idea. He certainly won't be doing anything good for Charlotte.

But he didn't tell me what that idea was.

Or could it be that he really feels compassion for Charlotte?

—---

Bertus was already certain of his victory, knowing that it couldn't be overturned.

And I knew that too.

Even without Bertus's existence, it's uncertain whether Charlotte could become the emperor. Charlotte, who has become one with the demon king's soul, can't control the power of darkness completely, and people will find out she has become the owner of ominous power.

By that alone, leaving aside all other matters, Charlotte can't become the emperor.

That's why Bertus no longer perceives Charlotte as a competitor. However, if he succumbs to the pressure of his close aides and kills Charlotte, he would create an enemy of the nation.

Bertus is saying that.

I am somewhat afraid.

I am the master of Alsebringer and Tiamata.

If Charlotte marries me, my status will rise, but Charlotte will be the one who becomes safer.

If the battle with the Demon King becomes imminent, there is no way my existence can remain hidden.

The hero of humanity, the hope of mankind.

Such epithets will inevitably be attached to me.

And if Charlotte becomes my wife, the empire will be unable to touch her, just as they cannot touch me. Whether Bertus becomes emperor or not, there will be no talk of killing Charlotte before I die.

The emperor must know this as well. That is why he hesitated to ask me for such a favor and ultimately refrained from doing so. My presence had become too heavy for him to request something for personal reasons.

Charlotte must also be aware of this fact.

To save Charlotte, I have to marry her. Now that Alsebringer has also fallen into my hands, my standing has grown even stronger.

That is why Bertus brought up the conversation. He must be wary of what a man who possesses not one but two sacred relics might do if he went rogue.

But can I really make such a decision regardless of Charlotte's wishes?

What exactly are Bertus's intentions?

-Kaang!

"What are you thinking about?"

"…Ah, nothing. Just…"

"Hand."

As I stumbled backward, Ellen helped me back up.

What should I do?

I have sworn countless times to protect Charlotte at all costs, but now I must do even this. If I don't, there's no way to save her.

Is this really the right thing to do?