In the carriage that was taking them back, Presibe remained silent all the way.
“…….”
Fenric, sitting next to her, did not say a word either, but merely looked at her calmly.
He had deliberately accompanied her in the carriage because he expected that she might be afraid of the situation she would return to.
She now knew the full truth about her blood origin, and she also met Siegfried in the Forbidden Forest in the end.
Not only that, but a good number of the Legion's knights saw how she tried to bring him down while he was hanging on the edge, and they saw how the monsters did not attack her alone.
Siegfried will inevitably inform Dietrich of these details, and no one knows what might happen next.
As for Ivan, there is no problem. He is already one of the people who has shown the most pathological obsession with Presibe.
It is enough that he himself came to the palace once.
(What a crazy game...)
Just as Fenric had expected, Prisippi was feeling very disturbed by the strange state of affairs in which things had become.
However, what confused her most was one question:
“Is the Demon King really dead?”
(Now that Ivan has escaped, what if Dietrich uses this as an excuse to blackmail me again into returning to the palace?)
Fenrick had previously told her that he had handed Dietrich the Memory Stone, which contained a vivid recording of what happened that day.
I then wondered why Ivan's arm was cut off, and it seemed that the reason was Dietrich's anger at him because of that particular event.
When she thinks about everything Ivan has done to her, she feels no sympathy for him, almost seeing that he deserves more than that.
But the problem is that when a man is on the run with an amputated arm, no one can predict what he will do while he is full of hatred.
“Hannah will be very happy.”
Fenric said in a calm tone, and Prisippi finally looked up at him.
“She must have been anxiously awaiting your return, wondering when you would come back.”
His features were very reassuring, as if what they had been through was nothing more than an ordinary walk and not an adventure in the Forbidden Forest.
“So you should rest a little. Because Hanna will attack you with the words that she has been holding back for the past days, without mercy.”
It was a really strange situation. Despite all the worry and turmoil, Precipe could not prevent a slight laugh from escaping her lips.
“Lean on me.”
“…….”
“I rode this carriage with you specifically for that.”
Then the features of Fenric's broad chest came into Presippi's violet eyes.
That chest that contained her last night, as if saying: Don't worry, I'm here.
Quietly, she rested her head on his shoulder. Her lost eyes were slowly contemplating the void, and were filled with various feelings.
(What on earth is going on?
Demon king? Ivan?
Where do I start? Where do I find the first thread of truth?
Is there even another solution?)
(And if I return to the palace, what if Dietrich starts repeating his nonsense again and does something hurtful towards Duke Wenrich?)
Even in the midst of this madness, she thought of Fenric anxiously. Although her situation was much more difficult, her mind was occupied with it.
“My promise to protect you still stands.”
As if Fenric was feeling all these thoughts, he said in a low, reassuring voice.
“Even if you are a descendant of demons. Even if His Majesty issues another crazy order for another war.”
“…….”
“So, don't worry.”
Preseppe listened silently to his words, then finally spoke in a broken voice:
“Duke Fenric… you are constantly getting hurt by me, aren’t you?”
“I never thought I would get hurt because of you.”
“But you were hurt this time...”
“To be precise, it was the monsters that attacked me. You didn't bite or scratch me, did you?”
Prisippi laughed faintly.
Although he tries to pass it off as a joke, everyone who sees them will know that he is the one being hurt.
(In order not to cause him more harm, perhaps it is best that I return to the palace.)
It is true that Dietrich, having gained awareness, is still obsessed with her. But at least it no longer seems like he'll simply kill her the way things went in the original game.
Since the Forbidden Forest and the monsters had been burned, there would be no excuse for sending Fenric on crazy combat missions like before.
However, despite all those thoughts, and despite her awareness that they were causing him harm...
“I want to stay with you, Duke Fenric.”
Her heart didn't change.
“Am...am I allowed to do this?”
"Yes."
Fenric's answer to her short question was simple, but conclusive.
“Especially if that decision came from you, Miss Presippi.”
A decision she made herself? If it had been in reality, she wouldn't have paid much attention to it, but in this damned world where you didn't have the freedom to choose anything, those words had a slightly different effect on Preseppe.
“…….”
Prisippi did not answer anything after that, but rather leaned her head on Fenric's shoulder, which always supported her, and sank into her deep thoughts.
—
The days went by like crazy, without a moment of rest.
“…….”
Dietrich sat on the bed with a very tired face, rubbing his dry face with both hands, exhaustion evident on his features.
All the monsters that attacked the Imperial Palace were eliminated without exception. It is true that quite a few soldiers were killed in that battle, but the size of the losses was not as large as expected.
As for the walls and fences that were destroyed, their restoration has already begun, and soon things will return to how they were, as if nothing had happened.
But the problem was not there.
[The reaction of the priests was extremely violent.]
That was expected. The one responsible for killing the high priest and escaping was not an ordinary person, but rather the Grand Magician, and this alone was enough to ignite anger.
[The relationship between the Church and the Magic Tower was not good from the beginning, but it seems that things will get worse now. There are voices calling for the witches to be expelled from the Imperial Palace completely. They wonder what guarantees that they will not commit the same crime again.]
If he had been caught, the situation would have been a little easier. But the greatest magician, Ivan, who committed all these heinous acts and escaped, has never been found.
Posters were hung around Atloya displaying his picture, along with a huge financial reward for anyone who provided information. Although he succeeded in escaping, it was not easy to hide from sight and continue living. However, no one saw or heard from him.
“Huh……”
Dietrich furrowed his brows from the severity of the headache, and pressed his fingers on the sides of his head nervously. Then, after a moment, his eyes fell on something next to the bed.
She was a small doll, old and unassuming in appearance, not at all worthy of an emperor.
[One of my ladies-in-waiting told me that there is a being in one of the areas of Atloya that drives away nightmares.]
Dietrich still remembers clearly when he was young, constantly sick, and losing his mother. At that time, he was having daily nightmares, so little Presibe came with her innocent face and gave him this strange doll.
[I hope it helps you……]
Dietrich reached out and took hold of the little doll, then stared at it for a long time.
That simple gesture from her, at the time, was a source of great solace to him. Even he, the young emperor at that time, had no place in the palace. He did not find anyone to lean his heart on except Presibe, and he slept every night hugging that doll as if it were a lifeline.
But now, that doll is no longer of any use.
Unless you're Precipe, nothing else makes any sense.
[It is possible for a child to be born between a human and a monster. It's ridiculous, isn't it?]
However, Ivan's words that he heard from the Memory Stone suddenly came back to mind.
What if…
What if Prisippi really was a race of monsters?
What if the person Vanessa got involved with and had a baby with was a monster?
If this truth leaks out into the open, a huge shock will inevitably occur. Especially now, when the image of the Magic Tower is at its nadir, and the people's anger is at its peak.
Can I, after all, keep Presibe by my side?
Dietrich bit his lips hard, lost in hesitation.
He didn't want to believe what Ivan said, but even he remembered a scene he couldn't deny.
[But I went to the Emperor. To my father. To beg him not to kill her.]
That was what Precipe had asked her about earlier.
After Vanessa's betrayal was exposed, Dirich went to the former Emperor, begging him not to harm her.
[You shouldn't kill her.]
But he, Dietrich, remembered that he was not the only one in the reception hall that day.
There was another person before him, and he was secretly eavesdropping.
[If what the knights said is true, you'd better give it up immediately.]
As he recalled that memory, Dietrich's features began to become more complex and mysterious.