CH 681

Louise von Schwarz remained in the Imperial Palace as a pivotal figure in the Demon King's army.

Though she needed to return to her homeland as soon as possible, her essential role in the Demon King's army meant she had to familiarize herself with all the necessary aspects of the Imperial Palace.

Louise quietly observed Reinhardt, who sat frozen in his chair.

Despite their lengthy period of cooperation, Louise's interactions with the Demon King were mostly conducted through Rowan, leaving her without much personal acquaintance.

The first time she saw his face directly was at a general command meeting, just before the withdrawal of the Allied Forces.

Since then, she had seen him a few times after entering the Imperial Palace, but this was the first time they had met alone and conversed.

Despite being a vital and closely tied collaborator, Louise was practically a stranger to the Demon King.

In comparison, Heinrich probably knew him better.

"This is our first meeting like this," she noted.

"Yes... it is," he agreed.

Observing the frozen Demon King, Louise cocked her head.

"Why don't you speak more comfortably? You're set to become the Emperor of the entire continent, and I am clearly here to serve you," she suggested.

She wondered if Reinhardt was cautious around her because he considered her a friend's older sister.

Could it be that a being above all should freeze just because the person in front of them is slightly older?

Had the stories about the Demon King she heard from Heinrich been somewhat distorted?

He seemed far from the ruffian Heinrich had described, appearing instead somewhat pitiful, which was amusing. With a temperament like this, the future of the new Empire seemed uncertain.

While she might not like Rowan, Louise held no animosity towards the Demon King.

On the contrary, she was grateful to him, for he was the one who attempted to save Heinrich from the brink of death.

And since he was the one who ended the Gate incident and brought them to this point, she couldn't help but view him as a grand figure.

Still, why was he trembling with such anxiety?

She couldn't understand why.

Contrary to what she had heard, could it be that the Demon King was actually quite timid?

Louise wondered if she needed to revise her perception of him.

Finally, after much hesitation, the Demon King spoke.

"Um... about that."

"...About what?"

"Well... I have something... I want to tell you..."

She felt a strong urge to urge him to speak already.

Considering he was set to become an Emperor, she found his lack of confidence astonishing. This Empire felt incredibly precarious.

"About... marriage..."

With that single word, Louise instantly grasped the situation.

Why the Demon King had been so frozen.

Why he was so hesitant.

As soon as she heard the word he had finally managed to blurt out, she had no choice but to understand.

Louise stared at the Demon King.

She didn't need much time to deliberate.

The new Empire could hardly be considered stable.

Therefore, they needed to build alliances with numerous groups, sometimes placing them beneath their feet to establish a foundation.

Thus, it would be beneficial to establish more than just an alliance with the Schwarz royal family, which was the number two nation.

And intertwining with the royal family of the new Empire was a necessary task for the heir of the Schwarz royal family.

For the new Empire.

For the survival of the royal family.

And with this single choice, Louise, who would become a citizen of the Empire, would separate from the Schwarz royal family, confirming Heinrich's ascension to the Schwarz throne.

Louise was joining the Empire with a legitimate and certain justification.

And likewise, Heinrich became the king of Kernstadt with a valid and sole reason.

A situation she had imagined, but wasn't sure how to make possible, had become achievable quite effortlessly.

For her, it was more than a good thing, it was something she simply had to do.

"There's no reason not to do what's necessary," Louise declared, nodding her head.

"Thank you in advance."

Somehow, with a very business-like demeanor, Louise extended her hand. The Demon King grabbed it with a flustered expression.

"I, um! I, I! I should be thanking you!"

Louise looked at the Demon King with wide eyes, incredulous at such a character. But that was only for a moment.

She took a moment to take a deep breath. There was something the other party needed to know, even if it was something she had to do.

"But there is something you should be aware of."

"Ah..."

"It's about Heinrich."

The Demon King, swallowing nervously, nodded with a stern expression.

"I, know... about it."

"Ah... I see."

Louise said nothing more.

------

Could this be what it feels like to have your soul sucked out?

No, it seemed more like it was shattered.

"...You really did it."

Upon hearing that the mission was completed, Charlotte looked astounded, her eyes wide and her hand covering her mouth.

"You told me to...!"

"I didn't think you'd actually do it. How shameless can you be?"

This.

This!

After asking me to do it, how could you be surprised that I did!

Regardless of anything else.

Regardless of anything else!

I couldn't believe the day had come when I had to do such crazy things...

What the hell is an emperor!

I don't want to do it! I already feel like I'm going crazy not wanting to do it!

"So, she accepted?"

"...Without even hesitating."

I am getting married.

And quite a lot, at that.

Even with someone I never even imagined.

And I'm going to have to keep doing this sort of marriage.

I agree with Charlotte's saying that for someone like me, marriage is a job.

But ending up married to everyone in the end.

I knew that day would come eventually, but now that it's suddenly right in front of me, I feel like I'm going crazy.

It's too scary.

What's going to happen to me?

I'm already dizzy, how much more dizzy will I get?

"Don't worry about the preparations, I'll handle everything."

Charlotte seemed to say she would take care of scheduling or other issues.

For some reason.

She seemed to enjoy tormenting me.

Charlotte looked at me and grinned.

It's been overflowing with malice since this morning.

"So, only the last hurdle remains, right?"

"The last...? There's more...?"

"No, as for the people you have to marry, it ends here for now. But as a matter of courtesy..."

As Charlotte approached me with a sinister smile, she whispered softly in my ear.

"You should tell Heinrich yourself, out of courtesy, right?"

"Uh...?"

"You should tell him you're marrying his mother."

"!!!!!"

I bit my tongue, but unfortunately, I didn't die.

------

After the Allied Forces returned in large numbers, all the temple-origin fighters had gone back to the Temple, and Heinrich was no exception.

With the end of the Gate War and the aftermath spreading, the whole continent was boiling over, and the Temple was no exception.

Anxiety, despair, fear, and a faint glimmer of hope.

These emotions intertwined, everyone striving to navigate their opaque futures and unsettling realities in their own ways.

And so, I had called Heinrich to the Imperial Palace.

Not in the bedroom or the reception room of the central palace Tetra, but in the garden at the front of Tetra.

Without a single escort.

"…Should I address you as Your Majesty now?"

Heinrich, who had responded to my summons, wore an ambiguous expression.

"No… Just… Continue as before."

"Is something bothering you? Why the long face? Well, I guess it's just the beginning for you. I can't be of much help anymore, being a guy whose only asset is superpower. Do you need something from me?"

"No, it's not that I need something. I just have something I need to say…"

I felt like I was going to vomit.

I wanted to die.

I had considered how to break the news, but there were no answers to be found.

There couldn't possibly be a right answer to something like this.

I abruptly stood from the bench and walked over to Heinrich.

And then, I grabbed his shoulder.

There was no way to do this other than just say it!

"I'm getting married."

"…?"

At my blunt declaration, Heinrich tilted his head in confusion.

"Oh, uh… Congratulations. With whom? Harriet? Charlotte? The Saintess? Or…… could it be… all three…?"

"…."

If one could die from embarrassment.

That time would be now.

------

-Vroom!

"Look, look at that! Harriet!"

"Ugh… What, what should we do…!"

Charlotte dragged a reluctant Harriet to the window to observe the sudden explosion of fireworks in the garden in front of Tetra.

They were too far away to hear the conversation, but they could clearly see Heinrich, his face flushing red, furiously chasing Reinhardt.

“You, die! Die you bastard!”

Heinrich's furious shout was loud enough to reach the windows of Tetra.

"Isn't this… dangerous?"

"It's fine, he won't die from that."

"You really…"

Few had ever witnessed a war hero trying to kill an emperor, and yet here they were.

"Sigh, at this rate, the grass will burn. What should we do?"

"This isn't the time for that kind of talk!"

Charlotte was laughing and joking as she watched the spectacle.

Everyone was falling apart in their own ways, and Charlotte was no exception.

Finally, the main person of the story, who had been oblivious to the commotion, appeared and personally restrained Heinrich, and only then did the uproar cease.

------

In the end, Heinrich was taken away by Louise.

I still felt nauseous.

The realization that the guy I used to tease, who could barely make a campfire, could try to kill me, gave me a chill down my spine.

The second floor of Tetra.

After the situation had calmed down, Liana, who had been clueless about the situation, detained me and asked what had happened. I was drinking a cup of tea.

"…Ah."

Having heard the whole story, Liana nodded with a nervous expression.

The absurdity of the situation was enough to startle even Liana, who would usually have been amused.

"But, uh… whether it's necessary or not, it's definitely necessary, so…"

I couldn't say for sure that Charlotte had no ill intentions, but it was clear that this would have happened regardless.

The strongest nation is, of course, the empire, and the second would be Kernstadt.

If these two forces combined, in reality, there would be no power capable of opposing the new empire.

Liana, of course, understood that reinforcing this union was a crucial matter.

It was just a little difficult to accept.

"Speaking of which...so, you're going to marry five people at once?"

"...Yes."

Harriet, Charlotte, Olivia, Airi, and Louis.

He had to marry all five at once.

As Liana counted on her fingers, she suddenly pointed at herself.

"What about me?"

"What?"

"Why am I not included?"

What.

What did she want to do!

She was...

Wait!

Liana furrowed her brow as if she was displeased.

"Do you not need me anymore because you will taste the sweet honey of marrying your friend’s mother? I'm hurt."

"What are you saying! And, don't phrase it like that...!"

"Then what should I call it?"

"But still...!"

Her words were too blunt!

He was already dizzy, did she need to make it worse?

"By the way, I wasn't against the idea of marrying you if you insisted."

"Stop, stop...just stop."

"Well, I guess I wouldn't enjoy the life of a concubine, waiting for an emperor with many wives and staring at doors that never open."

With that, Liana took a sip of her tea.

"In reality, I don't have anything other than my superpowers, so there's no real political benefit."

The grandeur of the Grantz Duke family, which had once ruled the entire continent, had vanished with the death of the Duke of Grantz, Liana's escape, and the Gate incident.

But she was a supernatural who could, perhaps, shake the world at her will.

The reason Charlotte hadn't forced a marriage with Liana was probably that there were no political gains to be had from it.

Of course, if it was beneficial, she'd probably push for it, which was the problem.

Wait.

Why was Charlotte making decisions about my marriage?

Why was I obediently doing as told?

Wasn't this the puppet emperor situation?

Was this right?

As she sipped her tea, Liana looked out the window.

"But, I don't necessarily have to become your wife to help you."

She would continue to be one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

With that, Liana gave a sly smile.

Right.

This was the perfect distance between her and him.

And that was fine in its own way.