CH 407

Chapter 407

At the Imperial Palace of Emperatos, the Winter Palace.

"How does it feel to have the support of two heroes?"

"I'm starting to feel a bit uplifted, but I don't really want to react to it."

Charlotte responded curtly to Bertus's question.

"What would have happened if Ellen Artorius had become your guardian knight, and you couldn't resist and even got engaged to Reinhardt with your eyes closed? Isn't that an unpredictable outcome?"

Charlotte furrowed her brow at Bertus's maliciously sarcastic remark.

"Do you really think I'd want to go down in history as a princess who was killed by her own knight?"

Surprisingly, Bertus was taken aback by Charlotte's nonchalant response.

"Do you really think Ellen would do that?"

"Even if she doesn't, Reinhardt would still feel humiliated by me, for sure. And that's what I hate more."

Bertus couldn't help but be dumbfounded by Charlotte's candid admission that she'd rather die at the hands of a jealous Ellen than earn Reinhardt's hatred.

She was not someone who would reveal her feelings so excessively.

But after accepting defeat, Charlotte had become brutally honest in many ways.

"So, what's the reason for inviting your half-siblings, whom you don't particularly like, to your palace when you're not busy and have nothing to do?"

The current visit had come about because Bertus had told Charlotte to stop by the Winter Palace.

Charlotte had no choice but to come, as Bertus had requested.

Her support base was now secure, but as long as Bertus knew that Charlotte's soul had fused with the Demon King's soul, her life was always in danger.

"Well, do you have any progress in your research on the Soul Binding spell?"

Charlotte's expression hardened at the question.

"You're asking even though you know, aren't you?"

"…I know you think very little of me, but this time I really don't know. All I know is that you've obtained a grimoire about the Soul Binding spell from somewhere and that you're planning to try something with it."

Charlotte couldn't understand Bertus's claim of ignorance. Though she had tried to keep it a secret, Bertus had always seemed to have all the information at his fingertips.

If Bertus still didn't know about the underground labyrinth of the Demon King's castle, that would be even more surprising.

Bertus didn't know what he should have known.

That meant the information had been blocked somewhere.

'Could it be Turner?'

Turner was supposed to remain neutral, but at some point, she had begun to support Charlotte, knowingly or unknowingly.

Saviolin Turner could be Charlotte's last hope, trying to prevent information about the Soul Binding spell from reaching Bertus's ears.

As a result, Bertus had learned about the Soul Binding spell, but he clearly didn't know that its source was the underground labyrinth of the Demon King's castle.

Of course, Bertus might know about the underground labyrinth of the Demon King's castle.

However, if they could somehow hide the information that Charlotte, Turner, and Reinhardt had headed to the Demon King's castle, there would be no connection between the grimoire on the Soul Binding spell and the information about the underground labyrinth.

Bertus probably knew of the soul-binding magic and the underground labyrinth as separate pieces of information.

If the information had been properly blocked, only three people would know about the underground labyrinth of the Demon King's domain.

Saviolin Turner, Charlotte herself, and Reinhardt.

Even the wizards who conducted the soul-binding magic research didn't know where they had obtained the grimoires. Therefore, while information about the magic could leak, its origin couldn't.

As a result of such research on soul-binding magic,

"I was told I have to live like this."

Charlotte had heard the outcome not too long ago.

At Charlotte's calm words, Bertus furrowed his brows. Judging by his reaction, it seemed he was hearing it for the first time.

"You don't seem too disappointed, though?"

Indeed, Charlotte had been stoic when she heard that her condition couldn't be healed with the soul-binding magic.

As expected, it had come to this.

That was her only sentiment.

Bertus's expression hardened.

"Sister, you might not believe me, but I'm genuinely regretful about having to kill you. Not long ago, it would have been enough to turn Reinhardt against me, but now I have to turn Ellen Artorius against me as well. Even if it's right for me to kill you and the entire continent agrees with it. Fundamentally, those two are stubborn. In my opinion, Ellen Artorius is just as crazy as Reinhardt or even more so, just less obvious. Of course, it's not that I can't handle those two. But after killing you, am I supposed to kill the two heroes who are treated as humanity's hope? Then I should pray for people to hang me without pain."

Bertus rambled on with a genuinely annoyed and flustered expression.

"Considering my situation, it's ironic that you're the one who's in trouble. At this point, I might even want to thank the Demon King."

Charlotte covered her mouth and giggled, imagining the difficulties Bertus would face after her death.

Bertus glared at Charlotte with a grim expression and crossed his arms.

"Listen, sister, you seem too carefree, thinking it's all over when you die. But consider my situation. I'm torn between killing you to prevent the revival of the previous Demon King Valier and risking my own life, or letting the previous Demon King be resurrected and grinding the continent's power to wage a legitimate war against the Demon King without Ragan Artorius. On top of that, the current Demon King issue still remains as another problem. Even if I survive physically, the stress will kill me. Definitely."

While Bertus's words contained some exaggeration, they weren't exactly wrong.

If Charlotte were to die now, Bertus would also have to die.

If they waited until the Demon King had completely taken control of Charlotte's body, Bertus would have a legitimate cause, but a massive sacrifice would occur when they had to subdue the resurrected Demon King.

Ellen had become her knight and Reinhardt held her dear.

Only two facts had made her life feel unbearably heavy.

Heavy it was, then light, then heavy again.

Charlotte found the changes rather amusing.

Bertus's concern was undoubtedly justified.

"Well, I can't be sure either, and I don't know if you'll believe me... but I have a feeling that nothing like that will happen."

"…On what basis?"

Reinhardt had told her many times.

By harboring the Spirit Speech, the world's one-of-a-kind supernatural power.

Nothing would happen.

You'll be fine.

Nothing would happen.

Among the countless whispers that seemed to bring peace to her heart, Charlotte unconsciously believed.

I'll be fine.

Even if this power were to corrode her, she wouldn't lose her will, so maybe she was completely fine now.

That's what he said.

Charlotte trusts Reinhardt.

She trusts the numerous whispers of the Spirit speech that Reinhardt had bestowed upon her, and thus, she believes in the changes in her body and soul.

"I'm sure I'll be fine."

"No, I mean, on what basis?"

Charlotte grins at Bertus.

Swoosh

"!"

Charlotte's hair turns pitch black, and she transforms into a devilish figure with bloodshot, vertically slit pupils and black irises.

Her hair, tainted with darkness and wavering in midair, and the horrifying figure reminiscent of a demon or even the Devil King, made Bertus's face turn pale.

"Look."

A sinister voice, like a scratch on darkness, resonated, and as Charlotte gestured, dozens of dark spears appeared in the air.

The spears were aimed at Bertus, but they remained stationary without the slightest movement.

"I won't kill you even in this state."

"No, you... what on earth is this...?"

"Isn't this evidence enough?"

Charlotte had become one with the Devil King.

To be precise, she had gained control of a portion of the Devil King's power.

This was a gift from Reinhardt.

The life that would have been lost without Reinhardt had now been granted additional power as a bonus - the power of the Devil King.

Soul absorption was not an alternative.

"Why should I give this up, instead?"

But now that things had come to this, the only thing Charlotte could trust was this power.

—---

"If that was meant to scare me, it worked too well, sister."

As if not denying that he was scared, Bertus slowly nodded.

At his words, Charlotte's wavering hair settled back into place, and her hair and pupils returned to their original state.

"I didn't think I'd ever see you scared. I should thank the Devil King."

"Could you cut the ridiculous jokes?"

Admitting to being scared was brave enough. For an ordinary person, suddenly seeing someone turn into a demonic figure and try to kill them would usually result in fainting.

Undoubtedly, to Bertus, it did not appear as if Charlotte was being dominated by the Demon King; rather, she seemed to be properly wielding the Demon King's power. Of course, whether her condition was actually fine as Charlotte claimed could not be confirmed, but at the moment, it was undeniable that she was in a stable state.

Naturally, it was a power that could not be revealed to the outside world. Even those who were unaware of the specifics would likely agree that if Charlotte were to expose her true power, it would be an extremely unpleasant and ominous sight.

It was no more than an emergency measure, a last resort for Charlotte.

Although this power was potent, it would be impossible to survive if it became widely known across the empire's numerous knights and the continent. And that was why the power that could move countless forces with just a single word was so terrifying.

"Why did you bring up that topic? I don't think you asked just to praise me."

At Charlotte's question, Bertus crossed his arms and stared intently at her.

"Of course, I'm curious about the source. Where did you get the magic book related to the providence of handling souls? Did you establish a connection with some secret organization?"

"Oh, is that it?"

Bertus seemed unaware that Charlotte had been to the Demon King's castle, even though he knew about the labyrinth.

She could tell him the source. However, she believed that only she, who possessed the soul of the Demon King, could penetrate the labyrinth.

"Why, do you think there's anything else?"

"What's the point in telling?"

Neither Bertus nor Charlotte was a magician.

They knew that rare magic books held tremendous value. And they weren't merchants who would convert that value into money; instead, they would supply the magic to the army to strengthen their military power.

Powerful magic was a force in itself. No matter how dangerous the magic or how perilous the spell, there was never too much power for those in control.

There would be no issue in telling Bertus the source. After all, she was the only one who could enter that place.

However, she had no reason to give him that information.

Although she couldn't become an emperor, she could establish a cooperative relationship with Bertus.

The things in the Demon King's underground castle would become Charlotte's assets.

It was a life of indebting herself to Ellen and indebting herself to Reinhardt while accumulating wealth.

If Bertus discovered her usefulness on his own, perhaps someday she could face the two of them without a sense of obligation.

"Alright. I'll bring you a few more volumes."

"Shall we make a deal?"

"The fewer cards you have, the more you need to cherish them."

Charlotte would bring him quite a substantial number of magic books, even though she said it would only be a few.

It didn't matter if he realized that it was the dark vision of Darkland, or if he noticed that it was discovered in the Demon King's underground castle afterward.

Because only she could enter there.

—---

"Uh..."

"..."

Upon seeing Harriet, Reinhardt hesitated and moved past her.

Not knowing what to say, she had been avoiding Reinhardt recently.

Harriet had seen Ellen and Reinhardt talking normally as they had in the past. She had also seen Ellen, who had become a guardian knight, and Charlotte bickering strangely. And she had seen the three of them walking around together.

Harriet had no idea what she should do.

When Reinhardt announced his engagement, it felt as though her mind had been completely emptied.

She could neither concentrate on her studies nor her research.

She couldn't tell him not to go through with the decision, as it was to save Charlotte's life.

And so, she wondered if all she could do was watch.

Continuing to watch, she thought that perhaps she should distance herself.

But when Ellen became Charlotte's knight, the engagement disappeared as though it had been a lie.

It was something she couldn't do herself.

It was only possible for Ellen Artorious, the younger sister of Ragan Artorious and the owner of Lament.

Because Ellen, who had a more powerful symbolic presence than Reinhardt, could guarantee Charlotte's safety by becoming her knight.

Ellen did what she could not, and so Reinhardt no longer needed to get engaged.

She should have been happy, she thought.

But Harriet didn't feel any happiness at all.

So even when she saw Reinhardt and Ellen together again like before, Harriet couldn't bring herself to feel that way.

She knew that if she approached him and started a casual conversation, he would treat her like before.

But still.

In the end, wouldn't that be the limit?

Reinhardt would always feel somewhat guilty towards her.

Apologizing.

Always apologizing.

That was all there was to it.

She could not go any further than that.

She had always thought she was second to Ellen.

But that wasn't the case.

She had always been last.

Whether it was mending their relationship or receiving attention.

Sometimes Charlotte came first.

Sometimes Ellen came first.

Even Olivia had been first at times.

But she had always been next.

The arrogant Harriet of the past would have been furious and angry, thinking that she didn't deserve such treatment.

But the humble Harriet, who had decided to treat people as people and live an ordinary life, had been gradually worn down.

She knew that expecting anything was difficult, but this much was enough. That he had given her this much attention, that this much was enough. That she should be grateful for this much.

Before she knew it.

She was facing her self-esteem that had not become humility but had fallen into an abyss.

It would be fine if he didn't hold her hand.

It would be fine if he didn't embrace her.

Feeling herself surrendering to a satisfaction mixed with resignation, believing that just being by his side was enough.

This was wrong.

Being satisfied with someone who didn't like her but cared for her out of guilt was just miserable.

If her heart was to admit defeat in the end, wasn't it better to fold?

"Harriet, are you alright?"

"Huh? Oh... yeah."

At Adelia's worried words, Harriet nodded her head.

If her feelings wouldn't be reciprocated, she should fold them.

Reinhardt had climbed too high, unlike before. Perhaps he had become someone she couldn't even look at.

The seed sown in the soil of her heart had grown into a flower.

But like a flower that withered without bearing fruit.

If it were to wither, then only her feelings should wither.

The soil where flowers withered, it was a feeling as if even oneself was wilting away.

—---

Harriet left the temple and headed for the royal palace.

As she set out, she made a resolution.

To forget.

Slowly.

When she becomes indifferent, when all the painful feelings disappear, they can return to being ordinary friends.

Harriet believes that Reinhardt would also want that.

Just like how Liana can act comfortably around Reinhardt because she doesn't like him, Harriet should be able to do the same.

Let's talk after a long time has passed.

Then she can say that she had liked him.

Very much.

That she had liked him a great deal.

"..."

Upon stepping onto the street, Harriet eventually broke down in tears in the middle of the road.

"Terrible... Terrible... Such a terrible person..."

Even though he knew she liked him.

Although they didn't have a proper conversation because something might break, in the end, he knew everything.

It was unbearable to feel hurt and sad. Maybe she should speak up.

Maybe she should curse him, call him the worst person in the world.

There's no reason to like him.

He's just an extremely terrible person, and she knows it's her fault for liking someone like that.

It would be better to hate him, as the feelings of inferiority and defeat would disappear.

Let's dislike him.

Just hate him and despise him. Pretend not to know after shooting him a look that says he's a terrible person.

Will they return to being friends later? There's no such thing.

With that resolution, Harriet walked the streets, rode the magic train, and headed for the royal palace.