"As expected, the prime minister has a good sense of humor."
Only then did the Emperor relax his expression and smiled faintly.
There were problems that needed to be resolved before going to war. Until then, it would be best to hide anything about the war.
He lowered his eyes and focused on the document he was reading a moment ago.
The Emperor muttered as he reexamined the content about the cult that had recently been rapidly expanding in the slums.
"Even if pseudo-religions that arise during war are unavoidable, we should clean up before the war."
When a country is in chaos, pseudo-religions become rampant.
He understood. For psychologically unstable people, the only place they could turn to was religion. However, there was no room for rethinking about pseudo-religions that exist even when there is no war. Even more so if it was a religion whose size was threatening.
Once a war began, their power will only grow and not shrink, so they must be completely eradicated before the war.
'Who should I leave it to...'
He waved his hand at the busy-looking Prime Minister and thought for a moment. The worries didn't last long.
"After all, in the name of punishment, it is best to leave it to Deon Hardt..."
Since it was just a matter of eliminating the fanatics, even if he was injured, he will be able to finish it without much trouble.
If you finish it safely, you may be rewarded with that.
Those thoughts came out of his mind without much tension.
Anyway, the only person who would listen was Nemeseus, and it wasn't that important compared to the war, so he just blurted it out.
"Your Majesty, did you just say Deon Hardt?"
"..."
At that moment, the Emperor closed his mouth.
He forgot about it for a while. Nemeseus was a person who vehemently opposed Deon Hardt's moderation. He quietly touched his forehead as he looked at the rare, resolute eyes that met him directly, as if asking him why it was Deon Hardt again.
***
"Captain."
"I have to fight tomorrow too, but why didn't you sleep in? Your face looks pale."
"I had a nightmare."
"...Don't do this here, stay inside. Your complexion right now..."
"It's not just once or twice. Every night, the people I killed appear in my dreams. And that too, in the same way it was at the time of death. Unidentifiable things are coming towards me, dripping blood..."
"..."
"Please help me. Just as the captain said, he was brutally killed. I told myself over and over again that I had no choice if I wanted to survive, but it was hard to stay sober, so I took medicine as you taught me. Still, I feel like I'm going crazy. It's painful. The medicine only works during the fight, but after it's over, the memories come back clearly...!"
"Calm down. Why don't you calm down and think a little differently?"
"Yes?"
"You didn't take the drug to kill the other person, but you were swayed by the drug's energy and killed the other person. You couldn't help it because of the medication."
"Captain...? What kind of garbage mentality is that..."
"Puh-ha, really? Then how about this? Oh, I didn't know what to say before, but you were hurt here."
"Yes? Uh? When..."
"..."
"Ah! Don't touch it! It hurts!"
"It hurts now that you're conscious of it, right? Actually, I pressed that wound a little while ago. But you didn't know."
"..."
"Pretend you don't know. Don't even think about it. You said it came to mind vividly, right? It's clearer because you're conscious of it. Leave your memories of when you took the drug in a hazy state. Even if it comes to mind, ignore it. Because that's not what you did."
"..."
"You didn't do it."
***
When I came to, I was back in my mansion.
Before I lost my mind, I was near the border, but when I came to my senses, it was my home!
If it weren't for the wound on my shoulder, I would have thought it was a dream. From what I heard, the people who attacked me somehow managed to get away with it. I didn't ask any more questions and just nodded quietly.
Since there were murderers and no one else together, it must have been resolved on its own. Honestly, I don't really want to delve into it that seriously.
The whole world knew that their hands were cruel, and it was not a very pleasant act to recall the arrow that hit me back then and the burning pain that followed.
Just like that, several days had passed and today, Remember came to me quietly requesting a conversation, carrying a large amount of documents.
...Carrying a huge amount of documents.
'It's ominous.'
First of all, I accepted it because it was a request for dialogue, but the majesty of those documents was enormous.
I wonder if he thought a pile of documents was coming when Remember came in. I thought I was wasting my time due to the stress of paperwork.
Anyway, you can't have a conversation while holding documents. He put the papers down on a nearby desk.
Thud! The desk vibrated slightly with a terrifying sound.
"Cough."
"Are you okay?"
"Oh yeah."
"You didn't vomit blood?"
"Yes."
Unfortunately.
"How fortunate. If you hurt your shoulder and vomited blood, it would have been really embarrassing."
Are you being sarcastic now?
When I looked at him with a pouty expression, Remember smiled softly and took a step back.
Then he cleared his throat softly and spoke with a serious expression.
"While the Count was out on a subjugation, we caught the spy."
"Oh."
"Unfortunately, we were unable to find out who was behind him. Sorry."
He bowed down. I was naturally impressed by the simple gestures.
More luxurious than the Empire's nobles. What on earth is this butler doing? I heard that you are from a small, isolated country in the center of the continent... Are you from a high-ranking noble family?
My thoughts filled with doubts were quickly interrupted by a voice that continued.
"I heard that the Count also failed to find out who was behind it."
"Ah..."
That's what I heard. But why? Are you starting a fight?
"That would mean that the person behind it is not easy. I think a candidate would be the Duke of Illuster, the head of the Revolutionary Army, a hostile kingdom, or one of the noble faction."
It wasn't a fight. Our butler is really talented.
He was good at managing the mansion, good at paperwork, had good manners, and good at reasoning.
Wasn't this almost omnipotent? If you're good at fighting, you're truly an all-rounder, right?
'No, I think he put up quite a fight...'
I remembered how he overpowered the Revolutionary Army.
Remember's words did not end there.
"In my personal opinion, I think it is the Duke of Illuster, but either way, the Count will be too much for him to handle alone, so it would be better to step down from here or ask His Majesty for help. I'm sorry if it was presumptuous to meddle."
"No... thank you."
It looks like he was too absorbed in the answer. Mysterious silver-blue eyes took in me for a moment.
There was a short silence, and he grinned as if to change the mood, then took a step towards the pile of papers he had put down a moment ago.
Oh no, wait, why is that...
"There's a lot of paperwork behind."
"Umm..."
"Fortunately, the injured area is your left shoulder, so there will be no problem holding the pen and writing. The Count is right-handed."
Thud! The sound and vibration that rang from the desk over there rang from my desk this time.
Breaking out in a cold sweat, I looked at the pile of documents in front of me, glanced at Remember's eyes, and picked up the top document.
'Design drawings for the construction of a dam in Hardt territory...'
"Ah!"
"Why are you doing that?"
"I must see His Majesty."
I need to request the return of Hardt Territory. Something happened so I forgot about it for a while.
There was absolutely no running away. This was something I had been thinking about from the beginning.
I packed up my outerwear, thinking that if I felt like the atmosphere was good after paying attention, I would have to return the Murderous Knights who were currently making a fuss in my mansion.
I ignored Remember's gaze that followed me until the end.
***
I looked to the left. The crown prince was drinking tea.
I looked to the right. The princess was hanging on my arm.
Where am I. Who am I.
I just came to see the Emperor, so why am I having tea time with the royal family now?
When I became aware of the situation again, I felt like my throat was burning, so I drank the tea with a half-hearted expression on my face.
'The scent of tea is amazing again.'
Ha...
Who am I to blame? It's all my fault for getting the timing wrong.
Come a little early or late, and come when the Emperor is meeting someone.
Considering that I was always able to meet the Emperor right away, I was unusually told to wait today.
They say there's a customer who came first, but that's none of my business.
I definitely tried to wait patiently. They said it wouldn't take long, so I really tried to wait patiently...
'Count!'
'Hwa, Your Highness?!'
'Excuse me, Count.'
'Your Royal Highness!'
The crown prince and the princess appeared.
For some reason, it was a strange situation where the crown prince was holding the princess's back, but thanks to that, I was able to figure it out quickly.
The princess tried to surprise me again. The crown prince prevented that.
Oh my, I almost died. This weak body cannot withstand even the princess's weight-bearing embrace, so it was best to avoid such situations as much as possible.
I expressed my gratitude with my eyes and calmly showed my respect, but the crown prince, who was looking at me blankly, suddenly threw a bomb.
'I would like to serve you tea as an apology, would you please?'
I was unable to say no.
His eyes seemed to say so.
They even blocked an escape hole in advance.
'When the servant finds it, I will send it to you right away. You can think of it as a short rest before an audience with His Majesty.'
'Oh, that's it...'
'Didn't you say that you would stop by me every time you came to the imperial palace? Maybe that was a lie...'
'No. I was so honored that I was late in replying. Thanks for the invitation. Your Royal Highness.'
And now.
I was already drinking my fourth cup of tea to moisten my dry lips.
...Nope. This was not rest.
Where could I see this is taking a break? It was putting mental pressure on me.
"It looks like the tea suits your taste."
"Yes, yes..."
"I'll bring you some when I go back."
"Thank you."
Actually, I don't really need it.
Of course it smells good.
The taste... of course, is neither sweet nor salty. There was sugar in front of me, but I couldn't reach for it because I couldn't see it. It's so bland that it feels like drinking water with a lot of perfume sprinkled on it.
In other words, it was not my taste. I was just drinking because I was thirsty.
The crown prince lifted the teacup to his mouth and lightly bended his wrist.
Although he was just drinking tea, his actions exuded grace and dignity. After all, he was the crown prince. Compared to that, the princess...
"Don't you get hungry if you just drink the tea? Try some cookies too."
"...Yes, thank you."
Just don't think about it.
As I accepted the cookie the princess offered, I looked sideways at the prince who still didn't say anything.
He put down the teacup and looked at his younger sister, who he was unable to stop, with eyes asking, 'What should I do about that?'
Then, as if in resignation, he shook his head and turned his gaze towards me.
My image was reflected in the golden eyes unique to the royal family.
"I heard you were injured. Are you okay?"
"Oh yeah, it's okay."
I barely managed to stop myself from reflexively trying to cover his shoulders.
The crown prince's eyes narrowed.
"Your body has become weak due to the curse, so you need to be as careful as possible. I don't understand why you went out to subdue monsters yourself."
"...I apologize."
I didn't come forward, I was dragged in. But even if I told him, he wouldn't believe me. Who would believe that the Count was being swayed by the knights who served him?
"Don't feel sorry for me, feel sorry for yourself. Wouldn't you have to assist His Majesty for a long time?"
For a long time? Wow, that's terrible.
I couldn't say no out loud, but I couldn't say yes either, so I silently lifted the teacup with a faint smile.
'...Full.'
My stomach was full.
While I was momentarily distracted by the unpleasant feeling of my stomach churning, the crown prince continued speaking.
"I hope you will take good care of His Majesty. I'm saying this because you are the one beside him, but honestly, I don't want to become Emperor. I don't even think I will."
"...Yes?"