Chapter 101

The heat of the hunt was rising, and even my assistant, Cecilia, got caught up in the excitement, joyfully starting to enjoy the hunt.

Having lost my assistant, I had to comb through the forest with Camilla, searching for the demon beasts.

“During the war, demon beasts were everywhere. But now that we’re actually looking for them, they’re nowhere to be seen.”

“Maybe they’re avoiding us because of our enthusiastic slaughter. It’s just instinct, right? Especially since there are two of us.”

“Maybe. But at least I gave them a painless death. Unlike you, Camilla.”

“By the way, it was you, Raul, who killed the Demon King of the beasts. I’ve never seen such a cruel hunting method in my life.”

The Demon King of the beasts was a massive creature resembling a giant deer, about 2 kilometers in size. It was so enormous that it was hard to take in at a glance, and it charged faster than any warhorse, destroying the Empire’s castle walls and fortresses.

So, Her Majesty the Empress pretended to build a new fortress to lure the Demon King, and instead of the walls, the Demon King had to face me.

Even for me, blowing up such a massive creature was impossible. So, I had to repeatedly stab its skull with a staff imbued with all my resonance, then tear apart its massive brain to kill it.

‘…You pitiful souls bound by the Empire’s yoke. Did you think the Demon King’s efforts for peace would be trampled by such shameless creatures? If that were possible, this war… wouldn’t have happened.’

‘I don’t do this for praise. And I’m not some livestock bound by a yoke.’

‘Hunter. Especially you.’

Even the Demon King pointed out my situation until its last breath.

“…Camilla.”

“What now?”

“Do I seem bound by something to you?”

“…Yeah, you are.”

Camilla suddenly grabbed my right hand tightly.

“Like this.”

“…Hah.”

I was speechless. That wasn’t the point of my question, but Camilla twisted it and gave a nonsensical answer.

But strangely, it wasn’t bad. That nonsensical answer felt quite pleasant. The point of my question didn’t matter anymore.

Layla would have given a clear answer, but this kind of pleasant wrong answer wasn’t entirely bad.

“……I really shouldn’t be getting old. Feeling happy about such an answer.”

“You’re still in your 20s? You’ve been an old soul since you were a kid, and you haven’t changed a bit.”

“And you’ve changed a lot. You were timid and cried a lot when you were young.”

Camilla, perhaps embarrassed, started hitting the top of my head repeatedly, telling me to forget it quickly.

It hurt so much it felt like my head would split, but somehow even that pain felt pleasant. I wasn’t a masochist, but everything just felt so enjoyable. Camilla’s nonsensical wrong answer gave me amusement instead of enlightenment.

I almost smiled without realizing it.

“……Camilla. You’re not Layla. No one can be Layla.”

“Why are you suddenly stating the obvious?”

“You’ve become annoying, Camilla. I wanted to die without any burdens or regrets, but because of you, I’ve got a little bit of a heavy burden now.”

“What are you talking about…? You still have the habit of speaking in a way that’s hard to understand.”

If it were Layla, she would have perfectly understood the meaning of my words, but Camilla couldn’t. That’s why it was fun. Because Camilla couldn’t understand that sentence, I could be honest without any fear.

If Layla understood everything about me, Camilla was the opposite. Her adorable ignorance gave me comfort.

“Sigh… Well, what I meant was…”

At that moment, groans of people came from beyond the bushes. Thinking it might be a demon beast attack, we ran over, but what unfolded before our eyes wasn’t a demon beast.

No, if it were a demon beast, it would have been cute.

It was His Majesty the Emperor, spewing fierce flames.

“Hey. What did you just say?”

“Y-Your Majesty, that was just a joke between us…!”

“I can tolerate you insulting me. Leaders are meant to be insulted. But listen.”

As His Majesty stepped on the kneeling noble’s shoulder, the sound of sizzling flesh could be heard.

“AAAAHHHH!!!!”

“Camilla isn’t a lunatic.”

His Majesty lifted his foot and stomped on another fallen noble’s chest, and the sound of meat sizzling on a hot iron plate could be heard again.

“AAAAHHHH!!!!!”

“Raul isn’t some monster or beast’s bloodline either. You brat.”

Then, His Majesty kicked the chin of a young lady whose right arm had turned into a blackened charcoal.

“Ugh…!”

“And the Empress isn’t some crippled whore.”

His Majesty, seemingly very angry, raised his right hand and summoned a fiercely burning flame sword.

From what I could see, they had been badmouthing us and unfortunately got caught by His Majesty, who was hunting nearby.

It was just some harmless gossip for us, but it seemed His Majesty couldn’t stand it.

“Pay for your sins with your worthless lives. Though your worthless lives won’t even cover a hundredth of it.”

“Your Majesty…! Killing us will cause a huge scandal…!”

“There are probably a few flame-spewing demon beasts in this forest. I have the power to blame it on them, old man.”

“Y-You crazy tyrant! Is this really what an Emperor who cares for the country should do! Do you know how many years our family has served the Empire…!”

“I know well. I’m not some fool who does things for this damn Empire. Neither are you, right? The Empire is just an excuse for you to cover up your dirty deeds. All for the sake of the Empire.”

The flame sword in His Majesty’s hand burned even fiercer.

“And you insulted the reason I fought for the Empire. So die. ‘For the Empire.'”

As His Majesty was about to swing the sword, the nobles foamed at the mouth and fainted.

“Tsk… What a bunch of weaklings.”

His Majesty sheathed his sword and spat in annoyance.

Then, scratching his head, he turned around, and our eyes met.

“Well, well. Isn’t this the tomboyish lady and the heavenly former Family Head?”

His Majesty, with a mischievous grin, started teasing us. The earlier irritation and anger had completely melted away, leaving only mischief.

And we responded to His Majesty’s teasing with our fists. Camilla’s fist struck His Majesty’s temple, and my fist hit His Majesty’s jaw.

“Ugh…! This is what true friends are like. Empty loyalty means nothing. Friends who hit me but are always ready to lay down their lives for me…”

“Shut up. I’d rather drown in sewage than die for you.”

“…I never swore to die for Your Majesty.”

“These cheeky little traitors. Not even fake loyalty. I feel like skewering you with a stake.”

I almost smiled again without realizing it.

This was just a normal routine, so why did I keep feeling like smiling? It should have been a familiar scene I’d experienced many times.

Why did it feel so different now? Why did I feel a sense of fulfillment I hadn’t felt before?

If I kept feeling like this, I might not want to die. I might struggle to live, clinging to the hope of tomorrow.

I might die in regret, wishing I could live tomorrow.

“…You guys are cruel.”

“Here he goes again, cutting off the beginning and end and speaking on his own.”

“Cruel is your vocabulary, Raul. If you weren’t my friend, I would have beheaded you several times already.”

I was just honestly expressing my feelings.

And so, the three of us walked together, enjoying the forest’s atmosphere. Right after the war, each of us was busy with our own tasks, so we hadn’t had such leisure.

Why did it come to this? What did this country do to impose such a burden on us?

Do we really have to fight that monster-like Demon King again for this Empire?

Come to think of it, this forest where the hunt is held was once the land of a destroyed small country.

Even if this Empire were to fall… would I be sad?

Would I just selfishly wish for my people to be safe?

“Asel.”

“…That’s rare. You always call me Your Majesty, but now you’re calling me by name.”

“How do I seem to you now?”

Have I become a selfish monster? I was afraid.

The duality of me, who declared I didn’t care if I died, was getting stronger. I was terrified.

I was confident in killing my emotions. But recently, it’s been getting harder to kill them.

It felt like the people around me had suddenly changed. As if someone had interfered. As if they wanted me to stop killing my emotions.

As if they wanted to cut down the giant tree in my heart.

“Am I still me? Am I still Raul Berze? Am I still… your friend? Am I really a monster…”

At that moment, a burning pain brushed past my cheek.

“Sigh… What, are you drunk? A drunken rant would have been more fun, Raul.”

“What…?”

“I won’t forgive those who call you a monster, or those who treat you disrespectfully. Even if it’s you.”

It sounded like nonsense, but His Majesty seemed serious.

“Really. You have a talent for ruining the last hunt. I wanted to enjoy the last hunt grandly.”

“What are you talking about…”

“Raul. You know a lot, so let me ask you a few things.”

His Majesty asked with a slightly regretful expression.

“Can an unborn child be recognized as an heir?”

“As far as I know, they can be recognized.”

“And if the Emperor is young, can the Empress rule as a regent?”

“There’s not much history, but yes.”

“…Alright. One more thing. Raul, do you like chess?”

The question was so unexpected that I was momentarily speechless.

“In chess, the king is the most important piece. If the king is captured, the game is over.”

“Yes. That’s why the king’s value is said to be infinite.”

“But reality isn’t chess. Even if the king is captured, the game doesn’t end. Only the pieces’ abilities matter.”

“What are you talking about…”

“To capture the enemy’s rook, you might have to sacrifice the king. In this game, it’s okay if the king is captured.”

His Majesty placed his hands on our shoulders and said.

“…If the Empress goes berserk in anger, please calm her down.”

It was a cruel request.

And Camilla seemed to think the same.

“You heartless bastard…”

Camilla’s voice suddenly turned cold. Colder than the eerie atmosphere of this forest.

“Calm down an angry Penelope? I’d rather fight the Demon King.”

“…Yeah. Asking us to calm down an angry Empress. It’d be safer to jump into a pit of fire.”

There’s a limit to shameless requests.