Chapter 122 – Marlene and the Words

Roy remained collapsed and showed no signs of getting up. His chest was rising and falling, and he occasionally twitched with spasms, so he didn’t seem to be dead.

King Melvin and the other royals came out into the courtyard. The reason I didn’t deliver the finishing blow to Roy was partly because he’d lost consciousness—but also because of their presence, and because I’d achieved my objective.

Queen Mirène. Prince Josiah. Princess Stephania.

Even though their lives had been targeted, he was still family. Whatever Roy might have thought, that was Roy’s side of the story. How they felt about Roy was another matter entirely.

“Roy… you fool,” Queen Mirène murmured, closing her eyes and shaking her head.

“A succession dispute, huh…”

“I thought we were above such things,” Prince Josiah said, to which Princess Stephania sighed and looked up at the night sky.

King Melvin spoke up.

“As for Roy—I bear responsibility as king. I swear in my name that he will receive a punishment befitting his crimes. Understood?”

…A punishment befitting his crimes. That undoubtedly meant nothing less than the death penalty. In practice, it might be disguised as death from illness or an accident.

The royals gathered there nodded. Their feelings were likely complex—but if Roy’s actions toward them were to be summarized simply, it would be “betraying their trust and attempting to kill them.”

They understood that. But emotions don’t always catch up immediately. They probably needed time to sort through their feelings, but as royals, they would accept it nonetheless.

“Albert, Marlene—is this acceptable to you?”

Albert, who had been standing beside me watching Roy, jerked his head up as if startled. Right. For Albert, it was simpler. Roy was just an enemy.

So if Albert had moved to deliver the finishing blow to Roy… I wouldn’t have stopped him.

“I—”

Just as Albert started to say something, a phosphorescent light rose from the shattered Mermaid’s Lament Cursed Tool, slipping between us as if guided, and was absorbed into Marlene’s body—she had been standing right behind us.

“…!”

Softly. Very softly. Marlene touched her throat and let out a voiceless sound. …Had the Cursed Tool been destroyed, returning her voice?

“Mar… lene?”

Albert’s eyes widened.

Marlene seemed just as surprised.

Marlene—hesitated for a while, as if unsure whether to speak or not.

But… she raised her face with a serious expression and looked straight at me and Albert.

Then—she opened her mouth.

Haltingly, as if remembering. But carefully, slowly, so we could hear. With her small, cherry-colored lips, she formed the words.

“Thank you, Brother. For always protecting me until now. Thank you, Lord Theodore. For catching the culprit.”

Saying this, she showed a small, slightly troubled smile.

Marlene, who had said she didn’t want to speak… had words she absolutely wanted to convey to Albert and me directly from her own lips.

“Ha, haha—”

Albert covered his face with his hand and laughed. Was he crying, or was he happy?

“…Albert. Roy took something precious from you. I have not forgotten that.”

“…Yes. The rest—I leave to you, Father.”

…I see. Yeah.

Just as I would affirm revenge. I affirm Albert’s choice, too.

Although most of Cast Eater’s functions had been destroyed, its blade still retained its property of absorbing magical power, so I used it to restrain Roy.

After tying him up, I used Earth Magic to seal him in something like a stone coffin with only his head exposed, and by embedding Cast Eater’s blade inside the coffin, I ensured Roy’s magical power would be endlessly drained.

Thanks to that, even when Roy regained consciousness on the way back, he didn’t cause any trouble by struggling, and the return voyage went smoothly.

All the assassins who appeared on the island had been captured and retrieved. They were given first aid, stuffed into stone coffins, and transported out. Though, honestly, even without such restraints, escape seemed impossible anyway.

Their formal interrogation would likely begin soon.

King Melvin… would be busy for a while. Besides investigating what Roy had done, he’d need to fill the vacant positions, rearrange personnel, consider successors for the southern region, and manage the ensuing confusion to prevent it from escalating.

Well… that’s King Melvin’s job. He promised full support regarding demon-related matters… and said he’d arrange the environment so my actions wouldn’t be hindered.

In my cabin, I was lost in thought without any particular task. Since I no longer needed my disguise, I had taken off the ring.

Marlene was next to me. Albert had gone out to the deck, saying he wanted some time alone.

Marlene hadn’t spoken since then. It wasn’t that she was in a bad mood or offended. She might have been a bit nervous inside, but on the surface, she was back to her usual self. When our eyes met, she gave a soft smile.

Her silence… was originally like a vow, after all. She probably spoke only because she absolutely wanted to convey those words.

Marlene picked up the teapot and tilted her head slightly.

“Mm. Well then, please,” I said, and Marlene happily poured tea into the cup.

Just then, a knock sounded in the room.

“It’s open.”

“—Mind if we talk for a bit?”

The door opened. Prince Josiah and Princess Stephania stood there.

We welcomed them in, and our conversation continued over tea.

“This time—we’ve caused you quite a bit of trouble.”

“Not at all. More than that, things got rather close at one point. I’m sorry about that.”

“Hmm… I should be the one apologizing and thanking you,” Princess Stephania said with a wry smile.

“I thought I understood Roy better than that.”

“Me too. I keep wondering if it was because we were lacking in some way.”

“Well… I think it’s just a difference in perspective. You probably shouldn’t dwell on it too much.”

Knowing someone like Byron, I understood that worrying was pointless. At least, the two of them seemed to have tried to build a good relationship.

No matter what Roy thought or said to them… there was no room for leniency regarding Marlene.

He acted to seize the throne. Because he wanted to freely control the country’s policies. If those policies were necessary, he should have argued openly and tried to persuade others.

Trying to understand such a person and blaming yourself is futile and poisonous.

Besides, that military intervention in the south… I don’t think it was such a great move. Even if he used revenge against the Duoveris Cult as an excuse to get involved… even if he won the war and gained benefits, he’d also be sowing the seeds of future conflict.

So Roy’s story is pointless. Let’s change the subject.

Since they’d likely be interested in practical matters, I decided to bring up topics that could serve as future references.

“More importantly, both of you, please be careful when you return to your territories this spring. Although this Duoveris Cult incident was a farce, if it wasn’t just a disguise, the south will be in turmoil, making it easier for Cult members to enter the Kingdom of Verdugal.”

It’s entirely possible that the real Cult might make some moves within the country.

“The Cult, huh? I don’t know much about them.”

“You’ve seen the emblem, right? They’re the ones with the same tattoo somewhere on their bodies. If you see someone wearing a kimono with fluttering sleeves approaching, it’s better to be cautious.”

“Sleeves?”

“Yes. Like this… The Cult has a special assassination weapon that can conceal a spring-loaded blade near the wrist. They apparently train assassins specifically, you see.”

I explained List Blades to them.

To thoroughly secure this area, it might be good to establish regulations for public attire.

“That’s—scary.”

“But useful. You’re quite knowledgeable. Could you tell us more?”

They looked impressed—no, Marlene was also nodding with a solemn expression.

Hmm. I feel like Marlene has been quite influenced too… I feel somewhat responsible.

“Other than that, it might be effective to make wooden practice versions of unique weapons like halberds or shotels and have soldiers train against opponents using them.”

“What’s a shotel…?”

“Um…”

Princess Stephania didn’t seem to know what a shotel was.

It’s a blade with a large curve that can bypass shields to attack. To counter it, you’d need to get used to different shield handling techniques. Recognizing its characteristics and training accordingly could be helpful.