Chapter 272: The Princess and The Emperor (1)
Clank—!
The iron bars of the Yuren detention center were opened, and I watched Quay walk out.
“I see it’s resolved, right?”
“I have returned all the things you stole.”
Quay smiled a little, and Epherene gave me an odd look before hiding her thesis and notes behind her back.
Quay asked.
“But… Deculein. Why did you write down the divine language?”
Divine language, or in other words, God’s language. The system necessary to interpret and communicate the revelations of the Holy Age was difficult to acquire even with understanding. No, it was impossible. There was no such thing as a system in the divine language in the first place.
“The chapel you showed me. I want to go there.”
“…The chapel?”
He raised an eyebrow in surprise. I nodded in answer.
“I can kill you if I get to know you.”
“Hmm… I see. Do you know how to go?”
I played the game as a tester and even cleared it, but I didn’t know much about the final boss. As the game designer, I corrected the blurry graphics or lighting effects. Above all, the final boss was something that the player had to kill; they weren’t something to understand like the other Named in the world.
“I should figure it out later.”
However, there was one thing I did know: the true name of this guy who introduced himself as Quay. I knew the name that no one else in this world did. No, perhaps even Quay himself had forgotten.
“Then what should I do now?”
“You’re free.”
“Free?”
The jailer came, removed his handcuffs, and handed him a paper. It was a Yuren temporary ID.
“I don’t have to help you take a look around the expo. You have legs, and you have eyes.”
“…”
Quay looked slightly bewildered.
“You can move as you please.”
“Hmm. Is that okay?”
“Killing or detaining you now won’t change anything.”
I got 200 mana through this meeting, and my capacity finally exceeded 5,000. Such an achievement would be sufficient.
“I’ll let you go. Find the exhibition with this map.”
“…”
I handed him a map. Quay then fiddled with his hands and spoke with a rather calm tone.
“Good. But Deculein. You will never learn the divine language.”
“The reason?”
“That language changes every year. We’ve spoken countless languages over countless years. Even if we add up all the history of your continent, it’s less than the words we simply list.”
“…”
If so, that was disappointing. However, it was not enough reason to give up.
“Give me a hint. I think I can learn enough.”
Quay shook his head.
“Of course, I came to experience the continent and humanity, but I don’t want to give you the knowledge of that time.”
“I’ll ask one more time. The reason is?”
“You, too, are a human after all, and I cannot tolerate the defilement of what God has given to you humans.”
When he finished speaking, he snorted and walked by me. He looked sharper than before, but it wasn’t that scary. I called out to him as he left.
“──Believer Quay.”
For a moment, his shoulders trembled, and a divine aura emanated from the doll’s body.
“…”
Quay looked back at me silently. Anger and doubt, longing and fondness spread in his big eyes. Those complex emotions were triggered because I called his name in the divine language.
“Believer. And Quay. Those two words would not have changed. You’ve always been a believer, and you’ve always been called Quay.”
“…You.”
Quay clenched his teeth. Epherene looked up at him and tapped his shoulder.
“…”
He looked at Epherene, looked at me again, and immediately smiled.
“All right. I will give you a scroll.”
After saying that, he pulled out one of Epherene’s magic papers. The paper lengthened and curled out like a carpet, becoming a large scroll.
“Look. Even if you devote your whole life to it, you won’t be able to read it all.”
Immediately after, Quay walked out of the detention center. I beckoned to Epherene without a word. It meant to follow him, and Epherene cleared her throat and nodded. Fortunately, she was quick-witted in this regard.
“Oh, right. Where are you going, Professor?”
“I have something to study, so I should study.”
“Really? There’s also a library in the basement of the Yuren Palace. Go there. Then, I’ll be going!”
She chuckled and ran after Quay. Watching her leave, I smiled a little.
“…Okay.”
* * *
…Yuren’s princess Maho was always concerned about national destiny and the country’s fate. However, the life of a nation was not as simple as that of the humans inhabiting it. An individual’s death was only the end of the individual, but Yuren’s death would leave countless ruined.
In the distant future, if Yuren were destroyed or annexed to the Empire, those citizens left behind might become targets for disposal like the Demon Blood now. At the very least, they would be discriminated against. This was why Maho didn’t actively participate in the Demon Blood massacre. And that was why she wanted to lay the foundation for a republic.
The present for the Demon Blood was a possibility for Yuren: a massacre targeted at those lacking power. If the Demon Blood were not a tribe of the desert, if they had been a powerful country with the power to oppose the Empire, they would not have fallen to the point they had. Therefore, to Maho, the elders who led the Demon Blood in the past were saints who sought peace despite the odds. However, in this day and age, peace was a weakness.
That was why Maho was working hard not to follow the Demon Blood and secretly support them. If the Demon Blood were truly eradicated, the tip of the Empire’s sword would surely aim somewhere else… Maho hoped the Demon Blood would be more persistent. She hoped that they would continue to serve as a shield for Yuren.
“I’m glad the Daedo case was handled well~.”
In the basement library of the Principality of Yuren’s palace. It was a peaceful space full of shelves and paper, filled with the scent of books.
Maho spoke to Rose and ran her hand along the bookshelf.
“Thank you.”
“Oh, that’s right~. How was Professor Deculein~?”
Rose’s brow twitched.
“Why, why?”
“…Deculein was truly an Imperial noble. He insulted Yuren’s bloodline.”
“Ummm~.”
Maho asked as she walked down the library halls, pretending it wasn’t a big deal.
“By the way~, have you read the book I recommended to you before?”
“Oh. Yes. You mean this, right?”
Rose produced a book from her pocket titled The Future of the Country. The content of this book, which could not be published and was buried in Yuren’s underground library, was very simple. It expounded upon the tenets of democracy and popular sovereignty.
“I have…”
“I think it is quite reasonable~.”
If Rose were too embarrassed to say it aloud, Maho gave her answer first.
“Isn’t this country made up of people? Then, isn’t it natural for the people to be the owners~?”
“…”
Rose looked at Maho with surprise but smiled a little and nodded after a moment.
“…Yes. I have the same opinion as to the princess. It’s too harsh that the state’s fruits are given only to the nobility. It’s a society made up of the efforts of the common people, who are the absolute majority.”
“Yes. That’s right. So I thought about it~. Doesn’t the path to Yuren’s future lie, by any chance, in the thing called a republic?”
At that moment, the expression on the two women’s faces hardened, and all sound died off.
“…”
“…”
Because a certain wide back was standing to block one of the library’s halls, wrapped in a dark and immaculate suit. However, they never imagined that he would be here. Deculein. Reading a book, the sound of turning pages could be heard, and Rose and Maho’s temples were slicked with cold sweat.
He seemed to be completely concentrating on his reading, so had he not heard their conversation?
“Wow, whoa, whoa, whoa~, wow~. Professor, professor~, professor~.”
Maho, who quickly regained her composure, called Deculein. He turned belatedly and closed the book. He faced Maho with a gentle look.
“Is it you, princess?”
“What are you doing here~?”
“It’s a library, so I have no choice but to come.”
The Professor liked to read. Maho looked up at him and smiled, but Rose was surprised at how benevolent Deculein was to her. But to Rose, he called her one with a low bloodline.
“Professor, Professor~, what book are you… reading…”
However, when she saw the book’s cover that Deculein was reading, Maho froze.
「The Future of The Country」.
It was the book she gave to Rose.
“…Isn’t it absurd~? Isn’t it absurd~? It was so interesting that I put it on the bookshelf~. How in the world do some people think like this~?”
Maho made excuses quickly, but Deculein said nothing. He just smiled a little and put the book back down.
“…”
At this moment, Maho’s heart was pounding loudly. Were they discovered? Was she caught between a rock and a hard place? No, he didn’t know yet. How would he know with just one book about Yuren and her purpose…?
“Democracy. The vast majority of citizens act as the masters of the state.”
Deculein said. Maho shrugged.
“It’s an absurd, absurd idea~.”
“That’s the ideal.”
“…Yes?”
However, Deculein’s reaction was unexpected. Maho’s ears perked up.
“It’s ideal. However, nobles like me are instinctively repulsed by it.”
“…”
“If such a revolution takes place under the leadership of the subjects, or if the revolution is discussed, that might be true for all of them. The nobles of the continent have not only blood but also the power of magic.”
“…Oh, yes~. By the way, by the way, ~, even among the subjects, talents as outstanding as a noble’s-“
“There may be. However, they are not educated without the help of the nobility. The nobles are the ones who give support, the magic towers belong to the nobles, and the knights must also belong to the nobles.”
“Still… wouldn’t it be possible someday?”
Deculein grinned. It was like he was smiling at a small child, so Maho felt embarrassed.
“Princess. This bizarre ideology will require the sacrifice of the highest.”
“…”
At that moment, Maho sensed something strange. This Professor of the Empire, who one day saved her life, seemed to know all about her.
“In the case of the Empire, the Emperor herself, and in the case of the Kingdom, the King himself, the start will be possible only when they give up on everything they have and their lives. That’s why it’s an ideal.”
Of course, Deculein’s insight wouldn’t be that great. The Professor didn’t know anything about her yet. They never had a long conversation, and he only read a book.
“Anyway. Reading a rebellious and interesting theory makes you say strange things.”
After cutting off the conversation, Deculein smiled kindly again and asked.
“Do you have anything else to say?”
“Oh, um…”
Maho struggled to find an excuse.
“I… about the conversion formula. What happened to it…?”
“The conversion formula itself was not found, but the theory was proven. Thanks to my disciple.”
“Really? Really? Its worth is….”
“It is a theory that can save those dying and provide an eternal life.”
“…”
Maho’s jaw dropped. If Deculein’s words were true, the compensation Yuren would be claiming was…
“Don’t worry. I don’t blame Yuren for the loss. At least I won’t do any damage to Yuren. But I have one request.”
Deculein handed her one of the wanted posts for Carla.
“I ask for the pardon and protection of this friend. If you listen to that request, I will take responsibility and prevent the damage from the upcoming volcanic eruption.”
“…Carla?”
Maho looked up at Deculein.
“Do you have a relationship with this person?”
“Yes. She was my teacher for a short time when I was a child.”
Deculein’s short explanation was sufficient enough.
“That kind of relationship is enough.”
“…Yes, yes, yes. If so…”
“Thank you. Well then, I have work to do.”
He smiled once more and passed by Maho and Rose. The two stared blankly at his back. In particular, Rose seemed to be stunned.
“Is this diplomacy? He told me that Yuren’s bloodline is inferior… but to the princess.”
“…Ahem.”
Maho cleared her throat and handed Rose the wanted poster.
“What about Carla, Prosecutor Rose? Please.”
“…Oh. Okay.”
Rose nodded reluctantly.
* * *
Meanwhile, in the Emperor’s Palace.
Emperor Sophien was reading Blue Eyes (Remake).
“Hmph. It completely turned into a romance.”
Keiron scanned the cover of the book thrown away and answered.
“Are you talking about the novel of the wizard named Sylvia?”
“Yes.”
“There are rumors that this male protagonist is based on Deculein.”
“Yes! That’s what’s annoying.”
Sophien frowned. It had been eighteen hours since Deculein left Munchkin unattended. Her sharpness was reaching its peak.
“Deculein doesn’t even call me after going to Yuren, and this damn novel is occupying a bestselling spot. This damn love story between Yukline and Iliade is spreading around the world.”
Today’s Sophien was both a cat and an emperor. As she always maintained the possession, when Deculein was not present, she ran the government from the Imperial Palace, and when Deculein returned, she acted like a cat and-
“Oh, he came back.”
At that moment, Deculein finally returned to his room in the Yuren Palace. Sophien turned into a cat again, looking at Deculein…
…
Yuren’s guest room.
Meooow-!
As soon as I entered, Munchkin straightened up.
—You’re very late!
“I apologize. I had work to do.”
-Work? What is it?”
The Emperor came by and rubbed her face on my shoulder. This was probably a cat’s instinct, though.
—A scroll? What is this? What foreign language is that?
“Your Majesty.”
─…What?
Sophien was a hindrance in the interpretation of this divine language. No, even as a cat, Sophien wasn’t allowed to meet Quay. A too early meeting with the final boss would only confuse her. So, it was necessary to break this possession magic.
“There is something I am curious about these days, Your Majesty.”
—Hmph. What is it? You come back so late, and you have a question.
“Strangely, it’s a certain feeling I’ve sensed from Your Majesty these days.”
─…Feeling?
Emperor Sophien and the feelings she has for me right now. I knew about them. There was no way that I, who had been with her for hundreds of years and regained those memories, wouldn’t know.
“Your Majesty.”
─…
The cat looked at me blankly. However, there was some tension in her expression. She was curious as to what I was going to say.
“Perhaps.”
I looked straight into the cat’s eyes. With a moderately heavy and cold tone, I asked just one question.
“Do you love me?”
Meow-!
At that moment, Munchkin soared high in the sky. She banged against the ceiling and sank back into the bed. That was all.
Meow- Meow-
Meooow-
Meoooooooow-
The cat kept meowing as if their head hurt, and I smiled a little as I watched. Thanks to Sophien’s big surprise, as I intended, the magic of possession had been broken.