Chapter 389
No matter what, I had to talk to Charlotte.
Because of her work related to the study of the soul magic, Charlotte often returned to the imperial palace to spend the day. It seemed that she would watch Alsbringer choose who of hers, she would congratulate me, and then she would return to the palace.
Saturday night.
Entering the imperial palace was now possible for me at any time.
However, I stood in front of the warp gate holding the artifact Charlotte had given me, not the main gate of the imperial palace.
Bertus already knows most of the facts and doesn’t actually want to kill Charlotte.
Even so, the fact that you have to be careful with your steps doesn’t change. Even if it wasn’t for Bertu, Charlotte might get into gossip because of the record that I visited the Palace of Spring in the middle of the night on the weekend.
I was thinking of using the warp gate Charlotte gave me to the basement of the Spring Palace.
As Charlotte told me, I activated the brooch-type artifact and entered the warp gate using priority.
And I was able to get out of the warp gate right away.
It’s dark, but it’s an underground space that doesn’t have no light at all.
An artifact that interferes with the established path and can exit through a completely different gate.
I used it for the first time, but I thought it was a dangerous thing while using it.
As I climbed all the way up the stairs from the basement of the Palace of Spring, I soon saw a button on the wall that could activate a secret door.
no. however.
this something… … .
Why do you feel like you’ve committed a crime when you’ve been given something to use?
It was Charlotte who asked me to come anytime, so I really did come anytime.
Are you sure you’re not changing clothes? do you want to sleep
If you go in while you’re sleeping, that’s a bit of a problem.
No, did you get permission? The thing I was given to do so, I used it at that time, but there is nothing wrong with it, right?
In other words, wouldn’t it be just like coming home after working overtime and feeling like your wife is sleeping at home?
No, they’re not married yet!
Just because it’s still doesn’t necessarily mean it’s been done!
I don’t know.
– Click
When I pressed the button, it opened softly against the wall without making a sound, and the view inside Charlotte’s bedroom came into view.
Fortunately, it wasn’t a situation where Charlotte suddenly appeared in the middle of changing clothes and giggled at me.
but.
I saw a bed that was definitely smaller than when I came before.
They said that it was too big and inconvenient, and that they would definitely change it, but it seemed like they had really changed it. It’s still quite large, of course, but not big enough to crawl on the bed.
in such a bed.
I saw Charlotte sleeping soundly, upright, facing the ceiling.
But it was a little different than usual.
The hair is dyed black.
As we got closer, we could see a little more detail.
It doesn’t feel like the last time, when the darkness gently flows down and flutters.
It was just that Charlotte, who seemed to have dyed her hair black, was sleeping peacefully and breathing evenly.
The demon lord’s ego was blown away by my commandments, and all that remains is power.
It and Charlotte’s soul are slowly merging, and now they are nearing completion.
That’s why Charlotte doesn’t run out of control and doesn’t break out in a cold sweat.
As if to show that the force did not cause a seizure, but naturally became one.
The power consumed Charlotte, but she only slept peacefully.
Regardless of the marriage ceremony, Charlotte will be fine. While she became one with the Demon King.
is this really a good thing?
I do not know.
“shallot.”
I quietly call Charlotte.
Because if it’s okay like this, it won’t be okay any other way.
“Charlotte, it’s me.”
“Ugh… … .”
At the sound of someone calling, the dark-haired Charlotte narrows her brow and tosses and turns.
“hey.”
In the end, when I called it a bit mischievously, Charlotte narrowed her brows and opened her eyes quietly.
“Um… … . huh?”
Charlotte and mine met eyes.
no.
Come to think of it.
If you see me in a room with the lights off, it will look like a stranger suddenly broke into the room in the dark, right?
Watching Charlotte’s eyes wide open.
“Kyaa… … . suck! Ugh!”
“!”
I covered Charlotte’s mouth just in case she screamed.
the moment you block it.
Meanwhile, a question arises in my head about how this is different from an irreversible crime.
I could see the fear in Charlotte’s eyes, who didn’t recognize me.
Come to think of it.
——————
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Charlotte was once kidnapped by Sarkegar.
Darkness began to flow from Charlotte’s hair, whose reason had been blown away by fear.
And, I could clearly see dozens of dark spears appearing in the air and aiming at me.
-Shyyiik!
this.
Die.
“it’s me! me! Reinhardt!”
“!”
I could clearly see dozens of spears of darkness aiming at me and stopping just before turning me into a bundle of skewers.
It happened within a second, before I could explain anything after Charlotte’s mouth was closed.
really.
I was really going to be dumbfounded.
* * *
“Sorry Reinhardt… … .”
“no… … . This can be happen. Because I came to you first.”
“I should have thought it might be you, but I was so surprised… … .”
I received an apology from the landlord for trespassing. Charlotte must have been so surprised that she almost killed me, she apologized profusely, saying she was sorry without looking into her condition properly.
“I told you to come and do this… … . I’ll be careful in the future. I’ve never been here before… … .”
“I should have told you I was coming too. you can be surprised Because I wasn’t hurt.”
“I was told to come at any time… … . hmm. hmm. OK… … ?”
Charlotte spoke, then opened her eyes wide as if she had checked her condition.
“what… … ji?”
“Yes, I should care more about your condition than me.”
After running her hand through her hair and seeing that it was dyed black, Charlotte hurriedly stood in front of the full-length mirror in her bedroom.
His black hair has become black, and his eyes have become black instead of the usual golden light.
Charlotte’s fingertips trembled. She would be crushed by her fear that she was being consumed by this power again.
“also… … . also… … .”
“Calm down, Charlotte. You will be fine soon.”
I now know that it’s only a psychological thing that triggers the game when Charlotte is in this state.
When I hugged her shoulders, Charlotte looked away from the mirror and buried her face in my arms.
“Nobody controls your consciousness like last time. It just happens sometimes, nothing really happens. trust me.”
“huh… … . huh.”
The appearance of a change may raise doubts in others, but it can also be controlled somehow.
Of course, even though she knew nothing was wrong, Charlotte shivered for a long time and broke out in a cold sweat, as if she was afraid of the fact that she had changed.
It wasn’t until after a while of consolation that Charlotte stopped trembling.
However, the hair that had turned black did not return.
Looking at the armful of hair in her hand, Charlotte muttered in a daze.
“Feel… … . It is so strange.”
The feeling of something taking control of your consciousness must have been terrifying, but it has changed like this, and after calming down, you won’t actually feel any threat.
It must have been a reaction from a sense of crisis, but Charlotte even used her ability to attack me. She seemed to be getting more and more instinctively aware of how she wielded the demon lord’s powers.
“Um, is there something urgent?”
Charlotte looked at me and asked, putting down her hand that was combing her hair, as if she was more curious about my business that came to me in the middle of the night than her own problems.
What to say and where to start.
I heard this and that from Bertus, and unless I marry you, you will have no choice but to die.
What kind of expression will Charlotte make when she hears such a story?
Was he abhorred by receiving sympathy from Bertus?
“Let’s say you feel better.”
I didn’t start with that right away. At my words, Charlotte nodded her head.
“huh. I hope so.”
“Then, will all problems be resolved?”
“… … .”
Charlotte’s expression immediately darkened.
“Then, nothing will happen in the future. Can you stay safe all the time?”
to my question.
Charlotte had no answer.
* * *
Charlotte was not in a state where she could face the issue of succession to the imperial throne with all her might.
First of all, I put all my energy into finding Valie, and secondly, I was busy taking care of myself because I didn’t know when the demon king’s soul would encroach on me.
That’s why the distance widened too much, and Bertus made an excessively large contribution. The things he did to survive eventually became the name of the heir to the imperial power who did nothing.
It was irresistible.
It’s just that the situation that was force majeure doesn’t give Charlotte extra points.
“Did you hear something from Bertus?”
“… … .”
I couldn’t bear to say no.
“Since I came back alive from the demon castle, it might have been decided this way.”
Even if she hadn’t wasted time looking for Valie, Charlotte wouldn’t have been able to overcome the aftereffects of the surgery she received from the demon king.
It’s just a set sequence.
“It is true that my position has become very unstable. I said everything because the people who supported me were now looking at Bertus instead of me.”
They can’t join Bertus, but now that Charlotte’s defeat is certain, they look at Bertus, not Charlotte.
Since the Palace of Spring was once closed for unknown reasons, even those close to her would know that Charlotte had a big problem.
It would be difficult to believe in a lord who is insecure even for simply living a normal life.
Most of all, the centrists would have been attached to Bertus, the next emperor, after seeing Charlotte’s situation.
“If Bertus becomes emperor, it may be my people, not Bertus’ minions, who kill me. I might try to obtain indulgences with my life.”
Bertus’s aides don’t have to urge him to kill Charlotte.
Infighting breaks out between Charlotte’s factions and they may kill her. In that case, since it wasn’t Bertus who killed Charlotte, Bertus would say that he didn’t harm Charlotte.
The relationship between Bertus and Charlotte was not resolved, but since Bertus had already won, it was clear that his hostility towards Charlotte had faded to the point where he could at least show mercy.
“I do not know. As long as I can resolve my situation, it might be fine while I’m at the temple.”
Charlotte smiles at me.
“You remember what His Majesty said? A story about depriving the other of the succession rights if there is something wrong with either of us.”
“… … yes.”
When I was a freshman, the Emperor apparently sent a royal edict to the Temple Royal class.
“So, at least it won’t be a big deal for a few years.”
At least 5 years until you graduate from Temple. Of course, that would be the case if nothing else happened to the emperor by then. And the words themselves may become obsolete over time.
“And things might change in those years… … .”
Charlotte blurted out as she said that. years to come. In the meantime, she said, things might change if Charlotte achieves something.
The word itself is correct.
However, even Charlotte’s supporters have already sensed the outcome and turned around. Only if you turn around quickly will you be safe from falling under the eyes of the next emperor.
If you lose the foundation, it is already an end in itself. There is no next chance.
So, Charlotte’s words are just an excuse.
An excuse to reassure me.
The people of Bertus wouldn’t harm Charlotte, but if Charlotte’s aides do nonsense, it’s something they can’t deal with.
There is a very high possibility that the story that it will be safe for several years is not true after all.
I might not be able to safely graduate from Temple.
That he could live free from the devil’s soul for at least a few years.
Charlotte is lying to me.
“Reinhardt.”
“… … uh.”
“Originally, it was a life that could not be lived.”
Charlotte looks at me and says so.
“Even though it was only a matter of being used, if I could still live according to my will. If you can live like that for a few years… … .”
Charlotte smiles sadly at me.
“That’s enough for me.”
Beyond the time limit, eventually the time limit.
I tried so hard to get out of the life of the terminally ill, but after that, the terminally ill had some respite, so it was better. That’s what you can be satisfied with.
Charlotte gave up.
It was boring.
What is an empire, what is an imperial family, and what is an emperor?
Even if Bertus has no desire to kill Charlotte, Charlotte must die. Even without Bertus doing anything to her, Charlotte was very likely dead.
Because he was born with the possibility of having great power, he also had the penalty of dying if he did not have power.
Mercy is unacceptable because it is laxity.
Charlotte quietly held my hand.
“Reinhardt.”
He looks at me with sad eyes.
“You have already sacrificed a lot for me. I haven’t done anything for you, but you’ve done so much for me. For what you have received so far, you will never be able to repay it in your lifetime.”
Charlotte quietly wipes the back of my hand.
“I don’t know what you’re thinking, but please don’t sacrifice anything for me anymore.”
Charlotte couldn’t help but know that I had something on my mind and that I had rushed into the bedroom in the middle of the night.
“I’m asking you as your friend.”
Though I felt so desperate to think of me as more than a friend.
Charlotte finally used the expression friend.
* * *
Charlotte stopped me from saying anything.
It seemed that he no longer wanted me to sacrifice for himself.
Charlotte was losing her image power. She will become increasingly isolated politically, and there will be less and less she can do.
But Charlotte doesn’t want me to make any more sacrifices for her.
It is not known that I became the owner of Alsbringer, and even if I married Charlotte in that situation, it would not change much. If so, the fact that I am the owner of Tiamata and Alsbringer must also be known.
In order to save Charlotte, I also have to bear the burden of getting my name known to the public.
I sat still in the bedside chair, unable to leave Charlotte’s bedroom.
In the darkness, Charlotte was lying on her bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. Charlotte’s body, dyed in her black hair, closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths before she returned to normal.
It seemed that he had almost become accustomed to the control of power.
“If it’s already over, I wonder if I should give up my power. It is true that it is a strong force.”
As long as it loses its base of support, shouldn’t it be left behind even if it is an evil and unstable force? Charlotte seemed to be coming to that conclusion.
“… … Maybe.”
At my words, Charlotte smiled sadly.
It was a power that almost destroyed her, but Charlotte’s current situation was that she was increasingly driven into a situation where she had no choice but to rely on this power.
Even just now, if I were really an intruder, Charlotte would have been able to kill the intruder with the power of the Demon King and survive on her own.
On the contrary, if you are freed from the demon lord’s soul, you will not be able to even make the final resistance of self-defense.
Charlotte and I know that.
So, even though Charlotte knew that it was I who had actually broken into her room, it seemed that she had realized that if she ever encountered a real intruder or assassin, the only place she could rely on was this cursed power that the Demon King had put into her.
“Nothing ever goes the way you think.”
Charlotte smiles weakly and turns her head to look at me.
Life must have been hell for Charlotte after she was kidnapped by the Devil’s Castle. She searched for Valie, but could not meet her again, and in the end, she found out that Valie was the successor of the Demon King.
He was also defeated in the race for succession to the throne.
At least he wanted to get rid of the demon king’s soul dwelling in his body, but now he might have to rely on it.
“shallot… … .”
“Still, there is.”
Charlotte quietly held my hand.
“There is at least one good thing that didn’t go as planned.”
Charlotte took my hand and held it close to her chest as if to embrace it.
“Being close to you.”
A bad-tempered bully from Class A. And heir to a criminal organization.
Charlotte and I, who had been thought of as human scum, became close enough to be together in the bedroom of the Spring Palace in the middle of the night.
That wasn’t what Charlotte expected, and it wasn’t what I expected either.
This is also one of those things that have not been resolved as expected.
“I am very grateful for that.”
Although everything didn’t turn out the way I thought.
Charlotte didn’t seem to think she had failed at all.
There is only one way to save Charlotte.
There may be a grace period of a few years, but there is a good chance that Charlotte’s renegade entourage will try to take her head tomorrow.
It can actually cause harm, or it can be poisoned.
You may lose this smile.
A sad smile, but losing that smile.
Losing Charlotte forever.
I can’t stand it.
“Then, let’s do this.”
“huh? what?”
I put my hand on Charlotte’s cheek.
“Having a half-marriage.”
“Yes? half married? What are you talking about?”
Knowing that this decision would change so many things.
“You just have to get engaged.”
“Yes?”
I could never lose what I had somehow saved.
