The day my crossdressing was discovered, I issued crucial instructions to form a united coalition of anti-imperial forces.
I couldn't help but wonder what kind of person I had become.
The difference between what I should do as Reinhardt and what I should do as Valier was quite significant.
In the midst of all this, I had also awakened a superior talent called Magic Dominance.
Moreover, I became aware of the risk that the butterfly effect of all my actions so far could hit me at any time.
After experiencing the implausible situation where my crossdressing contest participation led to Bertus's investigation of me, I felt like I was walking on thin ice.
And when would Ellen return?
That night.
My body felt heavy as a thousand pounds after the long training session, but with so many things on my mind, I couldn't fall asleep properly.
After tossing and turning for a few hours and finally falling asleep, I wasn't sure how much time had passed.
-Groan
-Rein... Reinhardt...
"Uh, ugh!"
I was jolted awake by the desperate grasp of my hand.
As I sat up in bed, I saw Charlotte holding onto my arm, almost lying on top of me.
"Cha... Charlotte?"
"Rein... Reinhardt..."
Half of Charlotte's face was shrouded in deep darkness as she looked at me, sobbing.
Fear struck me more than surprise or horror, and I snapped to attention.
I thought it had subsided.
Was it not entirely over yet?
"Please... help me... do something..."
"Uh, uh. Oh. Alright."
Not knowing what to do, I instinctively embraced the trembling Charlotte.
"It's okay. Everything... everything will be okay..."
"Uh, ugh..."
Tears poured down Charlotte's face as she continued to shake in my arms.
I thought it was over, but was it not?
Focusing my mind despite just waking up, I spoke urgently, almost like a prayer.
"You'll be okay."
Charlotte's power hadn't disappeared.
"Nothing will happen."
Would Charlotte have to live in this agony forever if this power didn't vanish?
I whispered over and over that everything would be alright, stroking Charlotte's back.
Spirit Speech.
Whether it was the power taking effect or not, Charlotte's trembling subsided, and the darkness enveloping her gradually retreated.
Was it really a response to my Spirit Speech?
Both Charlotte and Saviolin Turner understood it that way.
However, I couldn't tell if it was a response to my demon control power, Spirit Speech, or something else entirely.
But one thing was certain.
"Ugh... sob... ugh..."
I seemed to be the only one who could improve Charlotte's condition.
As her trembling gradually subsided and Charlotte returned to her usual appearance, I finally noticed her state.
She wore a camisole and was barefoot.
Her body was soaked with cold sweat to the point of embarrassment.
Charlotte couldn't get away from my embrace.
"..."
"..."
It seemed that as his condition improved, he couldn't help but think about the state he was in and feel anxious.
I carefully pulled down the blanket and draped it over Charlotte's shoulders.
"Feeling better?"
"Uh, yeah..."
In the darkness, Charlotte nodded, wrapping the blanket around her like a cloak. I helped her to her feet from where she had been crouching on the floor and carefully sat her down on the bed.
My bedroom door was closed, and when I checked the lock, it was locked.
How had she gotten in?
"What happened?"
"This time, I didn't lose consciousness. But suddenly, this happened."
She used to be taken over by the shadows while unconscious or asleep.
However, this time the shadows began to consume her body while she was awake.
"I had to come to you, but if I went into the hallway... I didn't know who might see me..."
Even after doing it, Charlotte seemed terrified, her body trembling.
Before, when she was completely consumed by the shadows, she had shown the ability to move through the shadows or darkness. It seemed she had used that power to come directly from her room to mine.
"I don't want to do this... I don't want to be able to do this..."
Although Charlotte had been able to come to me without anyone noticing because of that power, the very fact that it was possible seemed dreadfully frightening to her.
Her fear seemed to be clouding her judgment.
"Stay with me... Stay with me, Reinhardt..."
"Alright. I'll stay with you."
As Charlotte clung to my waist, she looked up at me in the darkness.
Her large, terrified eyes were filled with tears.
It felt dangerous.
Charlotte, who had been unstable, seemed to be on the verge of falling apart again after thinking she was safe and experiencing this situation again.
"Together... always together..."
As Charlotte's lips parted slightly.
"It's okay."
I pulled Charlotte's head to my chest.
"You don't need to be so scared. It's alright."
"..."
It felt like something irreversible was about to happen. I had no choice but to do this.
"Nothing will happen. I promise."
Charlotte stayed silent in my arms, motionless for a very long time.
***
As her fear subsided, Charlotte fell asleep as if she had fainted.
Just like during our time in the palace last spring, I guarded Charlotte's bedside.
How long had it been since Charlotte fell asleep?
-Thump thump thump!
The sudden, urgent knocking on the door made my body tense up for a moment.
"Reinhardt, it's me."
The voice from beyond the door immediately eased my tension.
It was Saviolin Turner.
I carefully got up and opened the door to find Saviolin with a pale, anxious expression on her face.
-Gulp
"Reinhardt, is Her Highness... She's here."
She let out a sigh of relief upon seeing Charlotte lying on the bed through the gap in the door.
She adjusted her posture and entered my room, gently placing a hand on Charlotte's sleeping forehead.
"She disappeared so suddenly... I was worried and came to check on her."
Saviolin Turner had been at Temple for Charlotte's protection.
Although she didn't share a room with Charlotte, she would periodically check to see if Charlotte was sleeping soundly.
Then, suddenly, Charlotte disappeared, and Saviolin came looking for me in case something was wrong. Charlotte was in a deep slumber.
"It doesn't seem like her consciousness has been consumed this time. However, her power seems to have activated suddenly, and she seems to have arrived in my room riding her shadow."
"I see..."
Her consciousness wasn't being consumed, but her power was acting on its own.
Both Saviolin Turner and I couldn't help but realize that Charlotte's condition hadn't completely improved.
With a troubled expression, Turner gazed at the sleeping Charlotte.
"It's almost as if it's a stroke of luck that you can calm her condition... "
She seemed to think that my very existence was a great fortune for Charlotte.
"But to suppress her power with such an incomplete method like this... it's just a temporary solution."
It was uncertain how long I could keep Charlotte stable.
Saviolin Turner seemed to think that we needed a more fundamental solution, and I agreed.
But where could such a solution be found?
Searching for a sealing mage was a futile effort.
In the end, my thoughts couldn't help but reach that direction.
Akasha.
I didn't like treating it as an all-powerful tool that could fulfill any desire, but I had no choice but to consider it right now.
Could there be a way to seal Charlotte's power there?
As Saviolin Turner gently wiped the cold sweat from Charlotte's forehead with a handkerchief, she spoke softly.
"Reinhardt."
"Yes."
"…It's clear that her power is related to the Demon Lord. You know that, right?"
"…Yes."
I knew that better than anyone.
"Do you think it's a stretch to think that there might be a clue to solve her condition in the Demon Lord's Castle?"
Saviolin Turner's melancholic tone was mixed with her sadness at being unable to help the suffering princess.
But the Demon Lord's Castle.
It wasn't a place I longed for, but it was the starting point.
I still didn't know what was there.
"…I'm not sure. Didn't we already bring back everything we could from the Demon Lord's Castle?"
"That's true. But the Demon Lord's Castle is a very important place in the history of Darkland, which is as long as human history. We may not have uncovered everything yet."
There were still things left undiscovered in the Demon Lord's Castle. That's why many items, including treasures, had been brought out, and they continued to investigate the remaining secrets.
Listening to her words, I realized that the fall of the Demon Lord's Castle and understanding it completely were two different matters.
What I was doing was merely suppressing Charlotte's power using Spirit Speech, a transcendent power. And even that wasn't certain to be the true power of Spirit Speech.
I agreed with her statement that a more fundamental solution was needed.
Could there be a clue in the Demon Realm?
"Are you planning to go to the Demon Realm?"
"…There's no need for me to go personally, as numerous people have already been dispatched to search for it."
There was no need for her to go personally. She had more than enough people at her disposal who could handle the situation without her direct involvement.
"Your Majesty suggested… that you might want to visit the Demon Realm personally… It's undoubtedly dangerous. We have been opposing it because of the danger, both me and Her Majesty."
She looked at me with her hand on Charlotte's forehead.
Charlotte knew that her condition wasn't fully recovered. So she thought there might be answers in the Demon Realm and wanted to go there.
Turner must have been against it, considering the possible dangers.
But today, Charlotte's power had caused another outburst. Saviolin Turner, with her head bowed in front of Charlotte's sleeping face, spoke in a gloomy voice.
"Reinhardt, may I ask a difficult favor of you?"
I didn't need to hear what she was going to say to know what it was.
"Let's go together."
"…"
If something related to Charlotte's power happened, I would be the only one who could handle it, so it was obvious that she was talking about going to the Demon Realm together.
Without even hearing her request, I replied, and she trembled her shoulders while gently holding Charlotte's sleeping hand.
"Thank you… Reinhardt."
I thought it was something that needed to be done.
Was this what the emperor had been talking about when he said there was something I had to do for Charlotte?
***
The next day.
With Saviolin Turner's help, a refreshed Charlotte returned to her room, washed up, prepared, and met with me again.
"To the Demon Realm? You too?"
"Yes."
Apparently, Turner had already explained everything, as Charlotte's expression was apologetic.
"…It could be dangerous."
"How dangerous could the Demon Realm be after the Demon King died?"
Even while saying this, I felt no guilt.
To me, the Demon King was nothing more than a worthless creature.
Although we would need the emperor's permission, we would be able to go to the Demon Realm.
Charlotte may not know, but we once escaped the Demon Realm together and now we're going back.
It brought a strange sensation to me.
Charlotte looked at me with a complicated expression. From losing her senses and crying in my arms yesterday to hearing that I would accompany her to the Demon Realm, her emotions were mixed.
Her expression, a blend of embarrassment, gratitude, and guilt, was indescribable.
"Thank you. Really."
'You said you're always taking from me.'
'So, I'll give you whatever I can.'
Charlotte thought of that with a bright red face.
***
I wasn't going to depart for the Demon Realm right away. Saviolin Turner had gone to ask the Emperor for permission, so some time was needed. At the very least, there had to be a few days.
I had things to do as well.
I left Temple and headed to the Rotatory Gang.
"Are you getting by?"
"Yeah, everyone's kind."
Adriana replied with a bright smile to my question.
For some reason, Loyar had become like a dog that Adriana was raising, and the other gang members naturally took care of her since Loyar seemed to like her so much.
I wasn't without concerns, but it was fortunate that the other members had a favorable view of Adriana since Loyar easily fell for her.
Adriana had a diligent personality, so it seemed like she was helping with various chores at the gang's headquarters.
As a result, I was sure it wasn't a mistake to feel that everyone's condition was cleaner than before.
Since we were here, Adriana and I took a walk around the Rotatory Gang's area.
I wondered how Adriana felt.
She had been hurt by various incidents and was now living in hiding.
"How is your senior?"
Adriana seemed more concerned about Olivia than herself.
"Well... her personality changed a bit, but it seems like she's coping well in the end."
"That's a relief."
Adriana had a dream of a future but had given it up. She tried to regain her original life, but that was snatched away too.
Adriana must have felt vague and empty.
She wouldn't know what to do next.
Just like how Olivia had become disillusioned with humanity after losing faith in religion.
I wondered if Adriana was walking through the stage before that.
"Those who were taught to love me threatened me, and those who were taught to hate me all their lives saved me." (TL Note: Humans threated her, Demons saved her)
Everything she believed in her life had been completely denied. It was clear that these thoughts tormented Adriana, even though she was quietly staying here.
In fact, if she had returned to Temple or entered a monastery, she would have been summoned right away to be interrogated about what had happened.
And just the fact that she was rescued by the demons would have been fatal.
Even now, she didn't know, but she was being protected by the demons.
By Loyar and me.
"I'm not sure what to live for anymore."
Adriana looked up at the clear winter sky and smiled sadly.
Forced to learn the truth she didn't want to know, Adriana had lost her way.
***
Although I was the prince of the Demon Realm and the heir to Darkland, I didn't know what was in the Demon Realm.
But that didn't mean I would blindly go searching.
Even if I didn't know, there were those who would.
After a short walk with Adriana, I called Loyar outside.
"It hasn't been long since the Council ended, and where are you going again?"
"Well."
She talked as if I was constantly wandering around.
"I'm thinking of going back to the Demon Realm."
"The Demon Realm... you mean?"
At the mention of the Demon Realm, Loyar's expression changed slightly.
"As you know, I've lost my memory, so I don't know what's in the Demon Realm. So, do you know if there's a secret space there? Somewhere humans couldn't have searched."
Loyar tilted her head at my question.
"...How would I know that?"
"Weren't you in the Demon Realm before? You said I used to torment you."
"..."
Loyar glared at me with a dumbfounded expression. Did I accidentally trigger some kind of PTSD?
"Your Highness, there's no way I, who wasn't a noble or a royal in Darkland, would know. I don't know if such a place exists."
"...Right."
It was my own memory loss that led me to ask Loyar something I should've known myself. Naturally, she wouldn't know.
"So, Eleris and Sarkegaar wouldn't know either?"
"Isn't that highly likely?"
Only the royals would know about such a restricted area.
I could search blindly, but there was no need to do so.
Excluding myself, who lost his memory, there was one royal from Darkland.
"Would Iris know anything?"
"Isn't that highly likely?"
She repeated the same words. Did she not like talking to me?
Although it would be inconvenient to go all the way to the Edina Archipelago to ask, it was important to get accurate information. It would be better than making a fruitless trip.
Quite some time had passed since my first meeting with Iris, so I also needed to find out how she was doing.
However, there was no warp gate connection to the Edina Archipelago.
Thus, unless I went with a mage who could use teleportation magic, I would have to travel by boat, which would take a very long time.
But with Lucynil's help, I could quickly come and go without having to leave my post for several days.
Returning to the Demon Realm.
And the things that might still remain in the Demon Realm.
Would Iris know anything about them?
