Chapter 81

Anriette bowed deeply and left the room.

As the guard closed the door and her figure disappeared, Satouki let out a large sigh.

“You’re human, too, huh.”

Slow, who had been watching, said teasingly.

Wearing a crown and a red mantle, he looked like a king, as if the costume made him so.

But that also meant that without the costume, he wouldn’t look like a king at all.

“Did you think I was a monster?”

“I thought you were something close to it. You know, doing everything perfectly and keeping a cool face. But you make mistakes, too.”

“Even if I know there’s a problem with the selection, it’s not easy to find someone who balances ability and character.”

As he spoke, Satouki sat down in the chair opposite Slow.

Though small in size, the backrest was adorned with unnecessary carvings, indicating that it was an expensive piece suitable for the Pope’s room.

It was only natural to feel a bit elated at the thought that it was now his.

Everything was going according to his plan.

But that didn’t mean he could let his guard down.

After all, an unexpected accident had already occurred.

Satouki closed his eyes lightly and reflected on his conversation with Anriette.

“I lost my composure the moment I saw Flamm Apricot’s blood. I apologize.”

That was her first confession.

Satouki had no intention of blaming her for that mistake.

The condition only occurred when the sight of blood matched her preferences, and it hadn’t happened in years.

He had even forgotten about such a quirk.

The fact that Flamm’s blood matched her preferences was more of an unfortunate coincidence than a mistake.

“Otilie tried to kill Flamm Apricot.”

She continued, adding, “It’s my fault.”

This could be called a “mistake.”

Otilie, while not affecting her daily life, was a woman with significant issues.

She harbored fanatical love for Anriette and intensely disliked any third party interfering in their relationship.

Once she was provoked, she would attack with a ferocity that seemed to change her personality, and she would continue to hate until the other person was dead or gone.

“She’s capable if used correctly.”

“This time, she made a mistake?”

“In the end, yes.”

If Flamm’s blood hadn’t matched Anriette’s preferences, no one would have died.

No matter how skilled Satouki was at handling people, he couldn’t control such coincidences.

However—

“Hug Pagny killed Jack Maury, who tried to assault her.”

Regarding the leader of the knights, Satouki had no choice but to admit his own fault.

How many times had Hug killed the deputy leader?

The current structure of the Church Knights, which often led to the deputy leader causing problems, was also at fault.

But even so, he was too emotionally unstable.

His behavior was that of a madman.

Without his overwhelming sword skills, he wouldn’t have become the leader.

“There are people who can’t be handled no matter what.”

“You mean Anriette, right? The one who said that earlier... the leader of the knights, Hug?”

“...Yeah.”

“Hug, he’s your...”

“Yes, my son.”

It was nothing but youthful indiscretion. A woman he had dated in the past had secretly given birth.

Satouki didn’t even know of the child’s existence until he joined the knights.

Most people would assume Hug got his position through connections.

But that wasn’t the case.

He had genuinely earned his position through his abilities.

He was a true executor of justice, surpassing all previous leaders—Hug Pagny.

“I didn’t raise him, so I can’t be held responsible for his personality... but as a father, I can’t deny the relationship.”

“You’ve got your own troubles, too.”

“Do you really think it’s appropriate to offer words of encouragement? I’m trying to turn you into a puppet.”

The fact that he was spending so much time in Satouki’s room in the cathedral was a testament to that.

The Milkits were held hostage, the Flamm group was under his control, and Slow himself was being used.

He had reason to resent, not to be grateful.

But Slow laughed carelessly.

“I don’t understand politics, so I have no choice but to leave it to you. Besides, I feel bad for the Flamms... but when I hear that my mother is being taken care of, and even Iela is being protected, I can’t really say anything.”

Indeed, he knew the Flamms.

He had been saved by them and had spoken to them many times.

But no matter how many of them he gathered, it couldn’t match his feelings for his mother.

If her safety was guaranteed and she was allowed some luxury, Slow had no complaints.

“I just worry if it’s really okay to leave Flamm in Anriette’s hands.”

“She won’t make the same mistake twice... I hope.”

If Otilie behaved, there shouldn’t be any problems.

Satouki added, looking tired.

“To be honest, I don’t have the time to deal with that right now.”

“You do look busy.”

“I have too many pieces to move, more than I can handle even if I had multiple selves.”

“Isn’t it exhausting?”

“Hmph, it’s for the sake of my lifelong ambition. This is nothing.”

An ambition passed down from his father.

Satouki himself had no grudge against the demons, but he saw the means and the end as reversed, and he didn’t care.

He wanted to achieve his goal, so the logic didn’t matter.

Start a war.

Let humans win.

Unify the continent in a true sense.

For that, he wouldn’t hesitate to overthrow the state.

Satouki always said, “I’m a first-rate ruler but a third-rate governor” in self-deprecation.

“You’re not the only one who’s busy, you know. You should be, too. You’re supposed to be heading to the capital for a visit. The prime minister will call for you soon. Get ready.”

Satouki said this, stood up, and headed for the door.

“Yeah, yeah, being a king is busy work.”

Slow said lazily.

There was no trace of royal dignity in his demeanor.

As Satouki left the room, the guard closed the door.

“You seem to have a rather close relationship with him.”

Echidna, leaning against the opposite wall, said as soon as she saw him.

“People like him are easier to control if you treat them a bit familiarly.”

Satouki said coldly and started walking down the corridor without even glancing at her.

“Oh, you’ve thought it through that much. Impressive.”

Echidna followed his back.

“How was Flamm Apricot?”

“I just took her for now, but the current type of Chimera seems to be fine.”

“So there was a problem with the old type?”

“Yes, it made unexpected movements that weren’t programmed. It seems the Origin really does dislike her.”

As they walked, they continued their conversation.

“A reversal... it’s a concern, but if it can be used as a countermeasure against the Origin, I want to keep it as a trump card.”

“I, on the other hand, want to dispose of it as soon as possible because of the risk of the Chimera’s core being destroyed.”

“Is that out of parental affection?”

Echidna, as the creator of the Chimera, had a fondness for the creature.

It was a natural attachment for a researcher.

Compared to Daphne and Mother, Echidna was somewhat more detached, but it was still a feeling that ordinary people couldn’t understand.

“Yes, and if the Chimera is completed, it will be enough to resist the Origin in an emergency, won’t it?”

“Relying on the Origin’s power as a weapon against the Origin is a big risk.”

“You don’t trust me.”

“I do trust you, but I’m just cautious.”

Currently, the control of the Chimera was not perfect, and the true nature of the Origin was unknown.

It was too unpredictable to entrust the fate of the country to it.

His goal was to win the war against the demons. But even after the war, the country would continue, and he had no intention of stepping down from his position.

If he thought about the future, it would be even more reasonable to rely on the Chimera.

But precisely because of that, he couldn’t rely entirely on the Chimera.

The Origin had been actively intervening in the kingdom, even brainwashing the Pope and the king.

They had said in unison before their deaths, “We’ve been together since we were little.”

The timing, about fifty years ago, coincided with when the previous king began to favor the Origin religion.

This meant that the Origin had been working to break its seal in the underground of the Demon King’s Castle for that long.

It had triggered the First Human-Demon War and then exploited a loophole in the ceasefire agreement to send the heroes.

Of course, Satouki had no intention of freeing the Origin.

He planned to strengthen the seal even more after capturing the demon territory.

But would the cunning god allow that?

Despite losing the Pope and the king, the Origin showed no action.

Was it watching Satouki’s moves from the palm of its hand?

Or was it waiting for the right moment?

He thought.

If he were the Origin, he would take control of the Chimera the moment the war was won and the demons were eliminated.

Or, he would wait until the Chimera was deeply integrated into the kingdom and then make it go berserk.

But if that were possible, the Origin would have used the Chimera to stop the Pope and the king before they died.

And under their command, it would have destroyed the demons for the god, not for humanity, and freed the Origin—much easier.

It didn’t happen, so it couldn’t.

The Origin probably didn’t have the means to control the Chimera remotely.

That’s why.

That’s why it was so puzzling that the Origin showed no movement.

Was there a strategy beyond his imagination, brewing in a place he didn’t know?

The biggest concern was probably Maria Aphengens, who had disappeared after the battle with Mother.

The heroes said in unison that they didn’t know her whereabouts.

She had once been in a very close position to Pope Fedro.

To weaken her, Echidna, pretending to be an Originist at the time, had given her a defective core.

Maria was supposed to be consumed by the core’s power and die.

But she killed many soldiers and escaped from the castle.

Later, she helped the heroes in the battle against Mother.

According to Echidna, it was something an ordinary human couldn’t do.

So—could it be that she received some power from the Origin?

If all her actions, from escaping to participating in the battle and disappearing, were part of the Origin’s plan.

Securing Maria would be the key to crushing the Origin’s ambitions.

But despite searching, no significant information had been obtained.

He was so anxious.

He was laughably timid—but that temperament had brought him to his current position.

Therefore, he didn’t let his guard down and always considered the possibility of invisible enemies.

“Satouki, you have a frown on your forehead. If the Pope looks like that, everyone will be worried.”

“It’s a habit, please be lenient. By the way, how is Kiril Svitica?”

Kiril, like the heroes, was under house arrest in the castle but had a different role.

“Generally, she is cooperative with the experiments.”

The transfer magic—“Return”—was to be used militarily.

The transfer stones left by the heroes in the demon territory still existed.

It took time to set them up, but it also took a lot of effort to remove them.

The demons probably didn’t have the time to remove them.

If the Return could be used by someone other than the heroes, it would significantly shorten the time needed for the Chimera’s advance.

“Yes, if you give me two more weeks. But...”

“Has something gone wrong?”

“I thought that if we took Flamm Apricot as a hostage, the timid Kiril would do as we said...”

Echidna, who usually had a pasted-on smile, frowned.

What came to her mind was Kiril’s appearance before the experiment.

“I will never forgive you. I will kill you, I will kill you, I will kill you!”

She glared at Echidna with a demonic expression, emitting a killing intent that made her want to vomit just by feeling it.

“To be honest, I’m scared.”

“You said something similar a few days ago.”

“Yes, that’s right. If she can kill people with just her eyes, it would be a big problem if she tried to escape forcefully.”

“The Chimera can stop her.”

“But even then, it would take several large ones to stop a hero, and it would affect the invasion of the demon territory—”

Echidna stopped as they came to a halt.

In front of them, Eterna Linbau was standing, blocking their path.

“Eterna Linbau, what do you want?”

She exhaled and looked up at Satouki with a serious expression.

Then, she bowed deeply.

“I want to send medicine to Ink.”

When she escaped the capital with Reach’s arrangement, the amount and type of medicine she carried were minimal.

The medicine was prescribed based on Ink’s condition, and it was difficult to determine the appropriate amount now that she was far away.

But having it was better than not.

The most dangerous period had passed, but the physical risks hadn’t disappeared.

But Satouki said coldly.

“I already told you that I wouldn’t allow it.”

This was the third time they had this conversation.

To him, it didn’t matter what condition Ink’s body was in.

If she fell ill, the nuns in Ileis or the herbs the researchers had should be able to treat her.

But Eterna knew that only she could save Ink.

That’s why she was desperate.

There was no reason to bow to someone who had taken her hostage, but for Ink’s sake—

“I beg you...”

She knelt and pressed her forehead to the floor.

Pride was cheap compared to life.

But Satouki still didn’t trust her, suspecting that she might be planning something to escape.

There were too many scoundrels in the world.

People without pride would do anything to please others, whether it was bowing or dancing naked.

But Eterna, called a hero, didn’t seem to be one of them.

His heart wavered.

He was human, and he couldn’t help but feel something in front of her, who was begging so humbly for an enemy.

“Why do you go to such lengths to protect a failed Child?”

He couldn’t ignore it.

He asked, trying to convince himself that it was out of sympathy.

“It doesn’t matter. Ink is important to me. I will do anything to save her.”

Eterna said, her voice trembling.

Satouki cut off the emotional pull and thought rationally.

The question was whether she was a person worth trusting.

And he reached a conclusion.

“...I will check the contents of the medicine.”

He said in a low voice.

“No problem.”

Eterna’s voice, in response, was slightly excited.

“Hmph, then you can use the herbs in the castle’s warehouse. I’ll arrange it.”

“Thank you.”

Eterna raised her head and bowed again.

Satouki and Echidna passed by her.

“You’re surprisingly kind.”

Echidna said as they turned the corner and Eterna’s figure disappeared.

“I can’t afford to let a hostage die.”

Was it purely strategic, or had he been moved, even slightly?

Satouki’s true feelings were unknown to anyone.

But the fact that a faint smile appeared on his lips was a definite truth.