CH 631

Capturing the Archduke of Saint Owan held a qualitatively different significance than taking over Kernstadt.

Kernstadt was about securing 'scale' in terms of overall power.

However, the Archduke was the person in charge of the Titan, which was one of the main pillars of the allied forces' strength.

Of course, the Archduke couldn't operate the Titan on his own when it came to the finer details, but the Titan held immense power within the allied forces.

It was strong enough to turn the tide of a battle in a major city within just seven minutes.

Although the Immortals currently possessed tremendous might, the Titan was not far behind and was being continuously improved in real-time.

Having the Archduke on my side didn't mean I could possess the Titan.

It meant that I could neutralize them.

Just as I hoped that the Immortals wouldn't be used in such a situation, the Titan should never be used in a manner other than fighting against monsters.

As long as I pursued this direction, I had to thoroughly neutralize both the allied forces and the empire.

Capturing Kernstadt had already weakened the allied forces by about half, and by neutralizing the Titan, I could render one of the main pillars of their strength unusable.

No matter how I met him, I would go to the meeting with the Archduke alone.

Sarkegaar would make contact with the Archduke first, and I would be the one to speak with him.

I left the decision of where to meet up to the Archduke.

We could meet in the capital city of Arnaca in the Saint Owan Duchy, but that might be very uncomfortable for him.

I didn't want to appear threatening to the Archduke in any way. That's why I chose to go myself instead of sending Harriet.

The allied forces had already left Grenosia and started their retreat. There wasn't any battle in Grenosia, anyway.

Sarkegaar, who had returned to Lazak with Lucinil, returned sooner than I had expected.

"What's going on? Why did you come with the Lucinil instead of Harriet?"

Harriet, who was in charge of transportation, usually brought people back from designated locations quickly.

But why did Lucinil come instead of Harriet?

"I don't know. The scribe wanted to take him, but he insisted on going with me."

"Really?"

"Yes, Your Highness."

Did Sarkegaar have a preference for people?

He disliked humans in general, but I didn't recall him specifically disliking Harriet. Why now?

"Anyway, did you decide on a place?"

"…We haven't had a chance to meet with the Archduke yet."

What's going on? Why did you come back if you haven't finished the task?

I had grown accustomed to his sinister and gloomy expressions.

But this expression of Sarkegaar's was new to me.

There was something strange about both sending Harriet back and bringing Lucinil along.

"That… It might not be very important, but I thought Your Highness should know… I didn't want to involve the scribe for a reason…"

It was a rare sight to see Sarkegaar flustered and rambling.

"…Why are you suddenly like this? What's going on?"

Sarkegaar hesitated uncharacteristically, and even Lucinil tilted her head as if something was odd.

Did something happen?

Did something not go well?

"Actually… The person who developed the Titan… Your Highness's classmate…"

"Adelia? What about her?"

What on earth was he trying to say?

Adelia did what now?

"That girl...seems to have...hmm..."

"...?"

Is this what I'm thinking?

"No way."

Lucinil also opened her mouth wide and started to tremble.

"Adelia is...likely to have...fallen for the Archduke of Saint Owan..."

This was completely out of the blue, extremely bizarre, not particularly meaningful, and had no impact on the overall situation.

"What a crazy..."

A massive, insane accident had occurred.

No, it had already occurred.

But wait.

Wasn't this?

"The Archduke...The Archduke is?"

The Archduke isn't, right?

Then, it's true.

Big trouble!

What about our blockhead!

What about me!

"The Archduke...of course, wouldn't be that kind of person..."

I'd had several near-death experiences before.

But this was the first time I felt like I had actually died and come back to life.

------

Sarkegaar was waiting for a moment when the Archduke was alone, lurking in various forms nearby.

"He never seems to be alone."

"The Archduke is busy...it makes sense when you think about it."

He was a public figure who couldn't help but fail in his endeavors.

Louise von Schwarz was quite busy as well. However, the Archduke was both a commander and the head of research.

Although the scale wasn't comparable to Kernstadt's army, the Archduke probably didn't have any proper downtime.

That's why it was extremely difficult to make contact with him when he was alone.

Sarkegaar's failure to make contact with the Archduke as per my instructions was not without reason.

But right now, that wasn't important.

Sarkegaar was visibly flustered by the situation, and Lucinil listened to the story with a bewitched expression.

"It seems...the Archduke often sleeps in the research quarters rather than his own quarters. There are other researchers there, but...Adelia is also almost always present."

Titan was a war weapon created by combining the ancient golem technology of the Saint Owan Empire and Adelia's genius for magicrafting.

In other words, the Archduke was the head of the laboratory, and Adelia was the chief researcher.

So, they would inevitably see each other's faces all the time, every day, every hour.

Still.

I was still thinking about the slightest possibility.

That it was a misunderstanding or a mistake on Sarkegaar's part.

It had to be.

It absolutely had to be!

It's too confusing!

"When the Archduke skips a meal, Adelia seems to bring him food, and when he falls asleep, she covers him with a blanket...those kinds of things seem quite..."

"Seems like it's reversed somehow..."

Lucinil murmured with an uneasy expression at Sarkegaar's explanation.

That's true.

It should be a heartwarming scene of a daughter's friend following him to the battlefield to develop war weapons, the daughter’s image overlapping with her, and the Archduke covering the daughter with a blanket when she falls asleep in the lab...

It's the complete opposite!

"Well, isn't that...possible?"

But honestly, isn't it not that strange?

Covering with a blanket, bringing bread when one seems to be starving.

You can do that. It doesn't have to be because Adelia has those feelings. It could be because she respects the Archduke or pities him.

But...

What about that?

Feeling pity and compassion, I constantly found myself paying attention to them, wanting to take care of their needs. Before I knew it, I was only looking at that person...

That...

Surprisingly, it was a plausible possibility.

However, Sarkegaar responded with a very troubled expression to my assertion that it could happen.

"It might be possible, but..."

"Yes, that's just how Adelia is. She can't bear to say harsh words, and when she thinks someone is kind but troubled, she can't help but worry about them. I'm not sure if that's really the case, but she's kind-hearted. Right..."

"So you're saying she has a similar way of thinking as you, but her personality is more upright?"

"Your Highness, I'm not in the mood for banter right now."

"Ah, my apologies. It's just that I always seem to choose the worst things to say, and it's not helping the situation..."

"Enough! Silver-haired brat, leave!"

"What? Did you just call me a brat?"

"Silver-haired granny, leave!"

"You!"

Sarkegaar watched Lucinil and me bickering with a mature expression.

It was an expression that said we were truly pathetic.

Anyway, let's get back to the main topic.

"So... are you sure about this?"

There was no evidence!

If merely providing blankets and meals was an indication of affection, then the world would be filled with baseless confessions!

"It's not evidence, but... I am certain."

"How can you be certain without evidence?"

"The way she looks at him..."

At those words, I felt my breath catch in my throat.

The way Adelia looked at the Archduke.

Her expression.

That...

It didn't seem like evidence at all, but in truth, there was no better proof.

In fact, it was such a lack of evidence that it made me wonder what other evidence there could be.

"Damn it."

So that's what it was...

The kidnapped graduate student, who had been living in the professor's lab, began to see the professor as a man after only looking at him...

------

One cannot imagine what they have never experienced.

The Archduke is a modest person. Therefore, he would not be able to imagine that Adelia might like him. So, whether or not Adelia had such feelings, the Archduke would be completely oblivious. He would not even have considered the possibility in the first place.

In the end, Sarkegaar finished his brief report and returned to the allied forces.

When the opportunity arose to connect with the Archduke, he would deliver my message. The fact that Sarkegaar discovered this while seeking the opportunity was not a significant issue.

Even if Adelia harbored... such feelings toward the Archduke, it wouldn't cause any major problems.

The Archduke's children are all well and healthy. His missing daughter is safe and sound now.

It doesn't affect the overall situation, and strictly speaking, it's not a big deal.

Frankly, what does it matter if the Archduke and Adelia were having some bizarre, embarrassing affair? The important thing is the war, not romance.

I should have remained ignorant!

Knowing it only makes me feel like I'm going insane over a problem I can't solve, and it has nothing to do with the overall situation!

—---

"Have you decided when to leave?"

"Not yet..."

"Really? Then why did Sarkegaar come by earlier? He seemed to have an odd expression. Is anything wrong?"

"It's not that..."

"Also, when I was trying to take him there, he asked me to call you. Did I do something wrong to him?"

"No, no, you did nothing wrong. Absolutely nothing wrong."

Our blockhead did nothing wrong!

"Then who is at fault? What's going on?"

"No! Nobody, uh, nobody did anything wrong."

So, was it Adelia's fault?

No way.

There's nothing wrong with liking someone...

It's not like something bad happened!

"…What's going on? It seems like something's up."

"No, nothing. There's no problem…"

Obviously, Harriet suspected there was an issue.

As Harriet innocently asked various questions, I felt like my tongue would go numb.

Harriet and Adelia became friends when they met at the temple.

Upon hearing the news that Adelia had developed Titan with the Archduke, Harriet seemed delighted by her friend's historic achievement.

Your dear friend has fallen for your father...

How am I supposed to tell her this!

------

Several maddening days passed.

The Allied Forces left Grenosia and set off, and of course, the Archduke had some time during the march.

The report from Sarkegaar.

I made contact with the Archduke safely, and the meeting place he proposed was the capital of Saint Owan Duchy, Arnaca.

The White Palace of Arnaca, Arunaria.

Meeting at the Allied Forces' garrison was risky. Moreover, the Archduke could travel anywhere from the start.

So, he seemed to prefer meeting in his own territory.

"…"

Actually, I should be extremely nervous.

I didn't know what the Archduke really thought of me, and I had no excuse if he became angry about how I handled Harriet as I pleased.

But, after realizing something strange...

The problem was that it became a completely different kind of tension.

Anyway, the task was set.

Meet the Archduke.

And trap him.

That was all I had to do.

I didn't know anything else.

Neither Harriet nor the Archduke knew.

I hated making things more confusing by saying unnecessary things!

------

Saint Owan Kingdom's capital, Arnaca.

I had been to Arnaca twice.

During my time at the temple, I went there because of Adriana's sudden withdrawal. The monastery where Adriana grew up was in Saint Owan Duchy.

Back then, I knocked on the gates of the duchy's palace to obtain priority to use the warp gate.

Thinking about it, I must have been quite insane.

At that time, I met the entire Saint Owan royal family. I had met the Archduke once before.

He and Harriet almost thought they were going to get married.

The second time was after the gate incident when I came with Harriet. I didn't enter Arunaria, only Harriet did.

And now, for the third time.

The fortified magic towers of Arunaria were still impressive.

People's expressions were still gloomy. They must have thought that once the war ended, the empire would retaliate.

Would they consider it a relief that the Saint Owan Duchy sided with the Demon King, or would they say they knew the Archduke would betray them after all?

I couldn't tell what decision the Archduke would make.

If the Archduke sided with me, the misunderstanding of the world would eventually become true.

There was no way to make any excuses.

He would have to endure the criticism that his family had conspired with the Demon King for a very long time, ever since his daughter followed him. It wasn't true, but there was no way to clear their name.

I wondered what the Archduke would think when the false accusations became accepted as fact.

It was not Harriet who brought me to Arnaca, but rather Eleris.

I didn't want to come here with Harriet for no reason. And I found out about something rather absurd.

I walked through the desolate streets of Arnaca towards the massive palace at its center, the White Palace of Arunaria.

It was a towering palace, seemingly carved out of a colossal mountain.

The palace was still beautiful.

As I gazed upon the palace's towering spires, various thoughts crossed my mind.

In her childhood, Harriet had told me that she used to climb those tall spires to watch the children playing in the streets below.

Imagining a young Harriet, watching the children play from atop those lonely spires, it seemed somehow pitiful and cute.

With those thoughts, I arrived at the square where the entrance to Arunaria came into view.

"Your Highness, be careful."

"Nothing will happen, but I should be cautious."

Naturally, I was the only one entering. There was no need to involve anyone else and make the Archduke anxious.

Eleris sternly warned me to be prepared for any situation.

At the entrance to Arunaria, human-shaped golems guarded the gate.

Human-shaped golems.

It was eerily similar to the real human-made golems, and I couldn't help but feel a chill.

"State your business."

"Speak."

The same question as when I first visited Arunaria.

"I am Reinhardt."

Only a name was needed to enter.

"I bear a message for His Grace the Archduke."

The golems gave the same response as before.

"Enter."

However.

"Demon King."

They addressed me as the Demon King, even though I introduced myself as Reinhardt.

-Grumble Grumble

The grand gates of the palace began to open, revealing the tall, white stone steps leading up to Arunaria.

There was no need to go all the way to the palace.

At about the midpoint of the ascending staircase.

Archduke Saint Owan looked down at me from there.

The Archduke held a staff in his hand.

Naturally, it was not a walking stick used for a disabled leg.

It was likely the Archduke's weapon.

The Archduke, dressed in a suit, silently stared down at me.

It was different from the typical robe-wearing mages.

The Archduke exuded a dignified and aristocratic aura, a prime example of a noble mage.

To be honest, I was intimidated.

Had I come to a place I shouldn't have?

Should I have just let Harriet go instead?

Had I foolishly insisted on doing this myself and ended up in a mess?

"Uh... Well..."

I had to take the submissive approach.

Fighting the Archduke would ruin my life!

I had no confidence in handling that!

"May I come up...?"

When I encountered the Archduke during the temple days, he seemed like nothing more than a doting father.

However, now that the war continued, the Archduke had returned to his true self.

A mage who rightfully deserved the title of the world's strongest.

Raphael de Saint Owan.

The Archduke looked down at me and spoke.

"Come up."

Honestly.

In many ways.

I was scared of the Archduke.