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Bled’s flustered voice sounded suspicious. However, since the former duke’s words were continuing, there was no time to look into it.
“The Demon King is merely passed down like a legend and has never intervened in human affairs. Instead, I know that some of the high-ranking demons have made contact with the imperial family.”
“The imperial family….”
Kaiden muttered. I was bewildered about what all this talk was about. It was too different from the original work. Was it because the story was written solely from Stella’s point of view?
“Didn’t you ever wonder? Why strong swordmasters and mages like you, as well as powerful families, all bow their heads to the emperor without exception.”
“Well… because he’s the emperor?”
When I muttered in a dazed voice, the former duke let out a scoffing laugh.
“Yes. Power has solidified that much, but the important thing is that the imperial family has a powerful backer.”
I stared at him with my mouth agape.
“The imperial family has been trading with high-ranking demons for a long time.”
“Such a….”
“The price for managing so that demonic beasts do not invade human lands is that the emperor, the ruler of humans, agreed to give the demons what they want. I don’t know what that is.”
Kaiden asked.
“Are we being toyed with in the palm of the demons’ hands?”
“No. We are simply continuing a ‘deal.’ For five hundred years.”
“As long as the empire’s history….”
It was currently Imperial Year 515. I was confused.
“Whenever a strong person emerges who could threaten imperial authority, they release that many demonic beasts to keep them in check. They make it so chaotic that no one would even dare think of coveting their position. That’s how the imperial family has maintained the empire.”
I was dumbfounded by the former duke’s words.
So the imperial family’s power actually came from demons…? Does that mean the empire’s history I learned from my wife was a tower built on lies?
Then what about the demonic beasts that invaded the capital yesterday? Was that also orchestrated by the imperial family?
My mind was flooded with dozens of questions.
“There probably aren’t many people who know this truth anymore. Only those like us, Baltstein and Fernandi, who were there at the empire’s founding. It’s a story passed down orally from one family head to the next.”
I see. That’s why it couldn’t be known just from the original work.
Those who know this fact do not leave it in writing because a single mistake could cost them their lives or their entire family, so it has been passed down solely by word of mouth.
“I understand. But I still have a question. Why did the demonic beasts start increasing specifically 20 years ago? As far as I know, there were no swordmasters or mages strong enough to threaten the emperor at that time.”
Kaiden asked quietly. The former duke nodded with sunken eyes.
“That’s the suspicious part. Twenty years ago would be when you, Kaiden, were at most 8 years old, and you, Merian, were 3.”
Kaiden and I nodded. How could they predict how little children would grow up and start checking them? We weren’t born with “Swordmaster” written on our foreheads.
“Then we can make a hypothesis.”
The duke’s eyes flashed as he gave a sinister smile.
“What if there was a problem with the deal between the emperor and the high-ranking demons?”
“!”
Kaiden and I looked at him with surprised eyes.
Kaiden slowly opened his mouth.
“You mean the control over the demonic beasts may have slipped from the emperor’s hands…”
I continued.
“Are you saying the emperor’s authority is in danger?”
The former duke looked at Kaiden and me with pleased eyes.
“Yes. And 20 years ago, there was a suspicious incident.”
“What was it?”
“At that time, there was an explosion in the imperial palace, and the matter was settled as an accident caused by a court mage’s experimental mistake that blew something up. Half the palace walls were destroyed and the emperor was injured, yet that mage was merely exiled and that was the end of it.”
The emperor was injured but it ended with just exile? This definitely smelled fishy.
“And starting from that point, the demonic beasts began to increase.”
Kaiden muttered.
“…Everything started from ’20 years ago.’ Then are you saying this invasion of the capital might not have been what the emperor wanted?”
“Exactly. The emperor wouldn’t want public opinion to worsen because imperial citizens of the capital were harmed. Yet something like this has happened twice in a short period.”
“You’re referring to the demonic beast terror incident during the emperor’s birthday banquet.”
The former duke nodded.
“I don’t know if there’s division among the demons or what, but the important thing is that the emperor is failing to satisfy the demons.”
Kaiden and I looked at him with serious faces. Then what should we do now?
“If you think differently, it means an opportunity has arisen to check the emperor.”
“Yes?”
“…Grandfather, do you wish to use our wedding?”
At Kaiden’s words, my eyes widened.
“What does that mean?”
The duke continued with an apologetic face.
“I hope your wedding becomes the starting point for a gathering of the noble faction that can oppose the emperor’s faction.”
“Yes?”
Since I still didn’t understand, Kaiden looked at me with a bitter smile.
“It means our wedding will ultimately become the starting point of political strife.”
“Uh….”
I trailed off in confusion. The duke explained.
“The emperor has been shifting blame for his incompetence onto powerful and old families like us Valtstein and Fernandi. By checking us in that way, they have solidified their power. That’s why there has never been a proper noble faction capable of checking the emperor in the empire.”
Indeed, until now, Baltstein and Fernandi have shouldered the task of dealing with rampaging demonic beasts.
In the meantime, Fernandi has gradually weakened, and although Valtstein fights wars against demonic beasts every winter, with two swordmasters they have only managed to maintain the status quo.
“Moreover, even though demonic beast terrorism occurred twice in the capital, the imperial family failed to respond properly, while you, Merian, protected the imperial citizens even at the cost of a miscarriage.”
Suddenly brought up, I tensed. Strictly speaking, I only pretended to have a miscarriage.
The former duke looked at me for a moment, then said in a loud voice.
“In short, it’s time for those foolish nobles who only stayed in the north and never saw the majesty of a swordmaster to wake up and side with us after witnessing it twice!”
“Ah…. You mean the nobles will line up with us because the imperial family appears weak.”
The duke seemed satisfied with my answer.
“Those guys probably never expected Kaiden and Merian to fall for each other. Heh heh….”
“……”
My cheeks inexplicably turned red. We were only pretending to have fallen for each other….
At that moment, Kaiden looked at me and asked.
“Merian, will you be okay?”
I shrugged once and answered.
“I’m fine. After the founding festival, the only event where nobles can gather all at once is our wedding, right? If it’s an opportunity, we should seize it.”
“Thank you. I’m bothered that our once-in-a-lifetime wedding is being used this way, but….”
Kaiden paused for a moment before continuing.
“Still, I did want to properly crush that arrogant imperial family at least once.”
“Really?”
I was a little surprised. I had only thought of Kaiden as an exemplary noble who was completely loyal to the imperial family.
[Yeah. I never imagined Kaiden had ambitions for power.]
“I can’t just let slide what they’ve done to you all this time.”
Bled’s and Kaiden’s words overlapped, so I couldn’t hear properly. Just as I was about to ask again, the former duke was faster.
“Thanks to Merian, we now have justification. Let’s make those ignorant imperial bastards properly pay for exploiting you all this time!”
“Good.”
The duke and Kaiden exchanged murderous smiles and solidified their resolve.
The two continued talking back and forth like that. I silently watched them when a sudden question occurred to me.
“But will the emperor just sit still and watch? If I were the emperor, I feel like I’d sabotage our wedding….”
Kaiden and the duke looked at me with slightly widened eyes before bursting into hearty laughter.
“Haha! No matter how much he is the emperor, he can’t disregard Baltstein that much. Don’t worry.”
“Yeah. Besides, how could he stop a wedding that’s only a week away?”
The two laughed heartily while reassuring me. I awkwardly laughed along with them and muttered.
“Of course, right?”
And 14 hours later, I would end up locked in prison.
☆▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎☆
