CH 633

As the Archduke had said, I was a strange existence without a sense of vengeance.

There were plenty of people who hated me, blaming the Demon King for all their troubles.

However, some believed that if I were the prince of the demon world that had been destroyed by humans, it was only natural for me to harbor such feelings.

The right to destroy humanity.

If not me, then who else could possibly have that right?

It would be stranger if I didn't want that.

That's why people thought I naturally desired humanity's destruction due to my perfect and overflowing motivation.

But it was unexpected.

The Archduke was prepared for death.

"Even if you kill me, please spare my daughter," he had intended to say.

It wasn't anger towards the thief who had taken his daughter that caused the Archduke's grim expression.

He had been prepared for death.

The Archduke was my enemy.

He had someone who should rightfully try to kill him, yet that person also held his precious daughter.

Therefore, he thought he would have to give up his life if it were demanded of him.

Having learned that even the Great Demon War was unjust, the Archduke had come to feel guilty towards me.

"If I were to do such a thing, how could I face her in the future?"

"Is that so?"

The Archduke nodded with a faint smile.

It was a bizarre situation.

The Archduke must have been constantly thinking about a problem I had never considered.

Harriet had followed me.

The Archduke must have wondered if I was using Harriet or if I truly cherished her.

If I cherished her, did I also value the daughter of my enemy?

What would I think of that enemy?

He must have been contemplating that all along.

That's why he thought I would finally come to the point of requesting contact.

Would he have to make a miserable choice, trading his life for his daughter's safety?

But in reality, I had come with the face of a thief who had taken his daughter, nervously glancing around.

That's right.

From the Archduke's perspective, he was prepared to die when he met me.

Yet the person who should have rightfully killed him was trembling with a face that seemed deserving of death.

It must have been a bizarre feeling.

Soon.

The silence that had lasted for over an hour was due to the fact that the Archduke and I had nothing to say to each other.

Both of us felt guilty towards each other.

So, the Archduke was astonished when he realized I didn't harbor the slightest bit of vengeance.

"It's quite strange; it's as if you don't even have a sense of identity as the Demon King."

That's true.

Even from the perspective that a Demon King should at least have some desire for vengeance, it was strange that I didn't even have that much.

"In fact, it's not much different. I have no memory of my time as the prince of the demon world, and it's more accurate to say I was born anew on the day the Great Demon War ended."

"And the fact that you knew the future as well."

"It's a matter that has lost its meaning now."

There was no need to mention that I was the Creator.

They wouldn't believe it anyway.

"Right…"

As if to say that he wouldn't try to understand what he couldn't, the Archduke slumped onto the bench.

I wondered if he was feeling as though ten years had passed.

Honestly, I had not come to this place with a light heart either, but the Archduke had decided to meet me with a much heavier heart than mine.

More than I had imagined, the leaders of humanity had no choice but to fear me.

At the same time, they realized that they had no choice but to acknowledge the legitimacy of my desire for revenge.

I realized that my actions, which were not to annihilate humanity but to subjugate them, could be seen as a form of forgiveness by the leaders in some sense.

Could this be considered good news?

Revenge was not within my realm of imagination, so I couldn't even consider it. Instead, those who feared the Demon King, not me, justified, interpreted, and rationalized my actions.

I was fine with that.

The one who had the right to annihilate humanity chose to forgive and rule them.

Some might tremble under that oppression, but others might be grateful for the Demon King's mercy and magnanimity.

Just like the attitude the Archduke was showing now.

"...I think I know what you want."

The Archduke knew what I was going to say even without me saying it.

"Do you need my power?"

The Archduke's knowledge.

The Archduke's authority.

And the Archduke's territory.

There, the citizens.

"Yes."

In other words, everything of Saint Owan Duchy.

"All right..."

The Archduke nodded.

"If it can be even a small atonement for all the sins I've committed against you and the demon race, I suppose I should do it."

"People's finger-pointing will become worse."

"That doesn't matter at all."

The Archduke faintly smiled.

"There is a code of conduct for beings, and I simply follow that code."

The Archduke, who thought he was sinless, had become a sinner.

"I thought I was following that code, but in the end, all those thoughts were nothing but arrogance."

The person who always thought they should go the right way, and who believed they had come the right way, eventually realized they had come down the wrong path.

In the end, the Archduke admitted his arrogance.

"Then, I should do what I can now."

He acknowledged that his belief that he could discern the right path was overconfidence.

"From now on, my power is yours."

No one is always right.

Everyone is like that.

The Archduke was one of those people.

------

Saint Owan Duchy decided to stand by my side.

It was completely different from what I had thought.

I was worried about what would happen if the Archduke tried to kill me.

The Archduke believed he had to cooperate with me because of the sins he had committed.

The process was different from what I had imagined, but I achieved the desired result.

"It would be nice to have a meal before leaving, but I guess it's not ready yet."

"Ah... yes."

He was probably talking about a different kind of preparation, not the meal.

Had the Archduke told his wife that he was prepared to die?

Whether he had told her or not, if I met the Archduke's wife now, she might have a heart attack.

She had seen Harriet safe with her own eyes, but the Archduke's wife would also be afraid of me, just like the Archduke.

"I’ll explain it. When you come again later, we can meet like before."

I would be able to see the Archduke's wife after he had explained everything to her.

Just like before.

When I first came to Arunaria, I couldn't help but feel a sense of nostalgia as I thought about how the Archduchess and Harriet's brothers had treated me back then.

At that time, it was incredibly burdensome.

Could we go back to the way it was before?

The Archduke's words somehow made my heart ache.

We could go back to the way it was before.

Yes, we could do that.

Even if there were things that couldn't be undone.

Surely, what could be undone would be undone.

"By the way, you must have found something of your own. Is there a place in this land where that is possible?"

"There is. It's not huge, but..."

It was either surprising or impressive that there was still a safe place to plant a flag in this harsh land. The Archduke slowly nodded his head.

The Archduke should be fine.

He's not an outsider anymore.

No, he never really was to begin with.

"If you wish, you can visit the place."

Upon hearing this, the Archduke's eyes widened.

"…Really?"

He was clearly excited about the idea of seeing where his daughter had been living with his own eyes.

I was the ruler.

If I wanted to do that, I would do it. What's the problem?

However, I recalled the words of the Duchess I had heard a short while ago.

What would you do if you let a wolf in without knowing whether it's a wolf or a sheep?

The Archduke wasn't just anyone.

But exposing Edina to many people would be dangerous.

Even now, Rowan had never been to Edina.

"I'm sorry, but I think this is not something I can decide on my own..."

It felt somewhat terrible to disappoint him after raising his expectations, but it didn't seem like a matter I could decide on my own.

"Anyway, Harriet can visit here from time to time... That's possible..."

"Yes, I understand what you're saying. Perhaps it's better for me not to know. I understand."

The Archduke seemed to understand why I was being cautious and nodded his head, as if to say there was no need to apologize.

And it seemed that he was already satisfied with the fact that I didn't make decisions about my world alone.

Oh, seriously.

No wonder Adelia went crazy.

That's right.

Due to the heavier and more serious atmosphere than I had expected, I only just remembered it.

Adelia.

The issue with Adelia stuck in my head and wouldn't leave.

"…Didn't you say it was okay? There's no need to apologize."

"No... That's not it. Thank you for understanding."

The Archduke had misunderstood.

What should I do?

I already knew that the Archduke of Saint Owan was a doting father, but I also knew that he was a proper noble and a good person.

I wasn't going to say anything.

But I couldn't help it.

Did the Archduke really not know?

Should I at least give him a hint?

"Anyway, about the Titan."

The Archduke crossed his arms at my words.

"Whatever you do in the future, I can fully cooperate, but giving you the power of the Titan is impossible."

No, that wasn't what I was talking about.

But I would have to discuss the use of the Titan eventually.

"As you and I both know, the operation of the Titan is a magical weapon that must be jointly operated by Adelia, who was once your classmate. I cannot operate the Titan on my own because the device called Master Orb requires both of us."

I knew that already.

However, the conversation naturally led to the topic of Adelia.

"And if you plan to use the Titan in a war..."

It was evident that the thought of immense damage crossed his mind. Of course, as a duke, he would have no choice but to comply if I wished to do so, but ultimately, he wouldn't want large-scale bloodshed.

"No, that's not it. Why would I use it for that?"

"Ah... I see."

"If it's not used in critical situations, that's enough."

"True. If you really need to use the Titan, it would involve that child in danger as well... Frankly, I don't want that."

Yes.

The Titan could be activated with both the Duke and Adelia.

Although it was close to a safety mechanism, it could also be considered the Titan's weakness that it could be operated without anyone's permission if only those two were captured.

Adelia might be a genius, but from the duke's perspective, she was still a child.

He wouldn't want to involve her in the power struggle between Darkland and the Empire.

Anyway.

Now that Adelia's name had been brought up rather smoothly, it was an opportunity.

"Let's set the Titan aside... Since it came up... You know, Adelia."

"Oh, right."

"How is she... Doing well?"

Cautiously.

Without raising suspicion.

I wanted to hear what the duke thought.

I had no intention of informing him if he didn't know.

I just wanted to check if the duke was really unaware.

At my question, the duke sighed, "Hmm..."

"Yes, Adelia was very close to our youngest, as you said..."

He seemed to think I was asking because of a request from Harriet.

This was good news.

"Although following the battlefield cannot be considered living well."

It was a bit strange to ask if she was doing well.

"Apart from her well-being, I suppose she could be considered safe."

I didn't want to know if she was safe or not; I wanted to know what the duke thought of Adelia.

What should I do?

"What do you think of Adelia, Your Grace?"

I don't know!

Just ask!

"I remember what you said once."

"...Me?"

"Didn't you say you'd create something that would astonish the world at the Magic Research Club meeting that you guys formed?"

Ah.

That's what he was referring to.

"I realized my perspective was much narrower than yours."

In the end, the Moonshine and Power Cartridge were created.

The result I predicted, even though I wasn't a magician, came true.

"Was that also an item that belonged to the future you knew?"

"...Yes."

"How interesting that someone who knows the future talks about it, but at the time, nobody believed... Or perhaps, that's just the nature of the future."

Who would believe someone talking about trivial events happening in the future?

"There are people who create miracles. Adelia is one of them."

People whose existence itself is a miracle, almost a blessing for humanity.

That was probably the highest praise the duke could offer.

But... Apart from that...

What should I really say?

Pretending not to care and asking such questions was incredibly difficult.

Does she seem like a girl to you?

I couldn't possibly say that!

"I've been thinking that if everything goes well and she's alright, I'd like to ask her to become a member of our family... What do you think?"

"...Pardon?"

Uh...

Excuse me?

No way?

"She was a good friend to our youngest, so wouldn't that be a good thing?"

No, that's not what I meant?

Could it be?

"It seems our third child is quite fond of Adelia, too."

I wanted to die.

------

Somehow, after exchanging the remaining words with the duke, I came out to the plaza feeling dejected.

Honestly, I didn't remember much of what we discussed afterward.

"Your Highness...?"

From afar, Eleris, wearing a hood, rushed over with a surprised look.

"It didn't seem like anything was wrong, but..."

No...

Nothing's wrong with me...

"Mom..."

"...Yes? Y-yes?"

"Mom, I want to die..."

"Your, Your Highness...?"

Mom!

Mother!

Although Eleris wasn't my mother, she was something like a great aunt!

Waaah!

I'd rather become a newborn and forget everything that's happened.

Seeing me suddenly wail like a baby, Eleris embraced me with a flustered expression.

"C-calm down. I don't know what's going on, but..."

Eleris patted my back.

I felt dizzy.

I was already dizzy.

And now I've heard something even more disorienting.

"Curiosity... Curiosity doesn't kill cats, it kills people..."

"...What?"

I resolved not to say anything when I went in!

Why did I ask such a pointless question when I was inside!

Ugh!

I'm an idiot.

Yeah.