I had no idea that Olivia wasn't at the temple. There must have been a good reason she hadn't told me.
Moreover, Olivia had taken a leave of absence from the temple under the pretext of providing support for the Demon World War.
According to Saviolin Turner, Olivia had volunteered to investigate in Rajeurn, the capital of Levaina.
Was she trying to trace the traces of the Demon King there? Even if there were clues there, all they could find would be the fact that it was the Empire's own play, not the Demon King's traces.
Why on earth was Olivia there?
She had once lied about leaving the temple for a special mission. But this time, I really had to leave the temple for something similar to a special mission.
Saviolin Turner must have sent me there because she judged that the place wasn't too dangerous.
I hesitated to tell Ellen and Harriet that I needed to leave the temple temporarily for a special mission, and ultimately, I couldn't do it. It seemed like something we couldn't do to each other.
So, without further delay, I departed immediately.
—---
After crossing several warp gates from the temple, I arrived at the Kamsencha province, thousands of kilometers away, just like last time. This time, crossing a few more warp gates brought me to the small country of Levaina in the southern part of the Empire, where Duke Grantz had died.
Currently, a special investigation headquarters was set up here. The jurisdiction would be under the Empire, not the Levaina Royal Family.
It was a ridiculous situation where the Empire was investigating the play it had staged. The thought that the leaders of this special investigation headquarters might know that this was the Empire's own play made me want to burst out laughing.
Olivia would be unaware of such facts.
Why had Olivia come here?
The capital of Levaina, Rajeurn, had the feel of a city, but it didn't seem particularly bustling. To be honest, trying to find a corner similar to the Imperial Capital in the capital of a small country was absurd.
By asking the guards, I found the special investigation headquarters, which seemed to occupy an entire government building outside the palace.
Perhaps because they were directly dispatched from the Empire, security was extremely tight.
Of course, there was no door that would not open in front of the royal crest.
When I stopped someone passing by and said I was looking for Olivia Lanze, who had come from the temple, I was told that if I waited in the guest room, she would come.
The special investigation headquarters must have found the situation quite absurd.
They were trying to investigate, and after a volunteer came from the temple, someone with a royal crest like me had come.
As I had shown the royal crest upon entry, the report would have gone up the chain.
"Are you Mr. Reinhardt?"
"Yes."
"I am Scottla Kelton, the chief of the special investigation headquarters in charge of this case. It's an honor to meet you."
Scottla Kelton.
He was a man close to middle age.
Naturally, he was a stranger to me, and as he extended his hand for a handshake, he bowed politely.
As soon as I grasped his hand, I felt it – an intense impression emanating from his grip, though he hadn't applied much force. He had initiated the handshake with me, who bore the royal crest, and had even paid his respects, yet his attitude was far from subservient.
"It's an honor to meet you," he said.
He must have known that I was the new master of Alsebringer. I looked at him and asked,
"By any chance... are you a member of the Shanafel?"
"Sharp of you. I am currently here on a temporary assignment, but originally, I am the captain of Shanafel's Third Unit."
With that, he nodded.
This confirmed one thing.
Scottla Kelton, the head of the Investigation Division, must have known that this case was a fabrication.
He didn't have time for a lengthy conversation, so after briefly greeting me, he turned and left.
I had suspected that the Special Division wasn't really for investigations, and now that the chief turned out to be the captain of Shanafel's Third Unit, it was clear.
How long had I been waiting?
Thud
"…Huh?"
Dressed in casual attire, Olivia entered the VIP room and our eyes met. Her outfit seemed quite neat, suggesting she hadn't gone through any trouble.
"Reinhardt? How did you get here?"
Olivia, naturally surprised, widened her eyes and quickly approached me.
"How did you know about this place?"
"Um... let's sit down and talk first."
"Ah!"
Whoosh!
Olivia suddenly embraced me roughly.
"I missed you so much!"
I had to explain things to Olivia as well.
—---
To explain how I ended up here, I had to tell the story of my engagement. I mentioned the need to build achievements and the reason why I had to do so.
After I rambled on with a lengthy explanation, I told Olivia that I was ordered by Saviolin Turner to help her with her work here. She stared at me, her mouth agape.
"So, you didn't come because you missed me?"
Olivia glared at me, her face scrunching up in annoyance.
No...
That's not it.
Hadn't I just explained something more important than that?
Why was she upset about such a strange point, this sister of mine?
As I stood there dumbfounded, Olivia chuckled and sat down beside me, immediately folding her arms.
"Ah, no, why are you doing this...?"
"Well, it's not like I've ever been like this just because there's no one else around."
I was at a loss for words in the face of her audacious and rascally demeanor.
"An engagement is not a marriage. People can change their minds, and circumstances can change too. It's not over until it's over, right?"
Olivia narrowed her eyes and gazed at me.
"What do you think? The VIP room is... huh? It's just you and me... alone?"
Sister...
It's not that I'm angry or anything, but it's frightening!
It's even scarier like this!
And if it really happened like that, you'd probably knock me unconscious and run away, wouldn't you?
"What does it matter if it's an engagement or a marriage? If we just seal it with a stamp, who's to know?"
No.
It was clear that this person was not unaffected by the shock, but rather, was reacting because of it.
"What if you somehow deal with the prince and then become the emperor? Huh? Push her aside and put me first. Right?"
"Don't say something that could get us arrested."
"Really?"
Olivia laughed lightly and stepped away from me. I couldn't tell if she was calm or not. At least she didn't show it, which was fortunate for me.
Her attitude of not worrying about anything since nothing was certain yet somehow seemed plausible.
No.
She wouldn't really be thinking of killing Bertus, causing a coup-like revolution, becoming the emperor, relegating Charlotte to the harem, and becoming the empress herself, would she?
It must be a joke.
If I were really a hero and there was a demon king, it wouldn't be completely impossible for something like that to happen if I killed the demon king, which is chilling.
—---
I had waited for Olivia for quite a while, so it was already nighttime.
We were in the VIP room of the Special Investigation Headquarters, located near the royal palace of the Levaina capital, Rajeurn. We were drinking tea together after having dinner provided by the Investigation Division.
Olivia was not an investigator, but a student from the prestigious Temple Royal Class.
Technically, she was just a college student doing volunteer work, but given that she was a talent being nurtured by the empire, one could not treat her lightly without knowing what could happen.
And I was, well, just a royal who came along.
So everyone treated us extremely courteously while freezing up.
Both of us seemed to be hindrances to the investigation. I knew the truth, so I was aware that this investigation wouldn't go smoothly. The fact that a knight from Shanafel was the head of the Investigation Division said it all.
All I had been told by Saviolin Turner was to help Olivia with her assigned task.
In a place where things would never be resolved properly.
"By the way, why did you come here?"
This place could never be pleasant for me. It was where I had been falsely accused and where Liana had changed horribly.
At my words, Olivia smiled faintly.
"I wanted to find traces of the Demon King."
"…What would you do with that?"
Olivia had already told me that it was the Demon King who saved her and Adriana. She had confided in me that she thought the Demon King and the demon race might not be as evil as they were believed to be.
"I just want to be sure."
The previous two attacks must have seemed somewhat justified to Olivia. However, this attack on Levaina must have been a bit awkward for her, knowing the truth about the previous two attacks.
Could it be?
Was Olivia suspecting that this incident might not be the work of the Demon King?
The need for certainty would mean that.
Caught between me, who had to confront the Demon King, and the Demon King who saved her life, Olivia must have been feeling confused.
And she had promised that she would be on my side. That must be why she came to this scene.
To gain the confidence that the Demon King was dead and a suitable successor had been found, and to acquire a firm determination to fight for me.
That was why Olivia had obediently come here, and why I had been sent as well.
Were they certain that we would never notice that this scene had been manipulated?
"So, did you find out anything?"
"Rather than finding out, I just confirmed what was already known."
Olivia clicked her tongue briefly.
Olivia walked somewhere and spread something out on the table.
It was a map of Rajeurn and its surroundings.
"First of all, the report says that hordes of demons were summoned around Rajeurn by mass teleportation magic and began marching. Many orcs and goblins, as well as ogres and trolls, it seems. The damage within Rajeurn itself doesn't appear to have been too significant. However, the crucial part was the outskirts. A considerable number of people in the outskirts, who weren't under the protection of the guards, were killed or injured."
The real objective was to kill the revolutionary forces, but they disguised it as a demon attack.
That's why there were many civilian casualties.
It was the empire that killed the humans with their own hands. There was nothing particularly unusual about it. It's just that they wore the mask of conspiracy this time, but such things always happen. Only the dead were pitiable.
"Especially here."
The place Olivia pointed to was a few buildings located on the outskirts of Rajeurn.
"Most of the casualties occurred at the merchants' guild branch here. It seems there was a meeting of investors at the guild, so many influential people were gathered. So, many of the people who died in this attack were quite influential, and… well, among your friends too…"
Olivia trailed off, and I nodded, knowing what she meant.
"Um, anyway."
It seemed that Olivia was trying to be careful with her words, as it would be insensitive to discuss the death of a junior's parents.
"I saw it with my own eyes. The demons attacking the Holy Knights."
Olivia was one of the few witnesses of the second attack and had seen the demons reveal themselves.
"The first and second attacks had one thing in common."
"What is that?"
"Large-scale destruction magic was used."
During the demon rescue, Eleris, who used the Fire of Tuesday, caused a firestorm, and during the second attack, a lightning storm was summoned in addition to the firestorm.
"However, in the third attack, instead of using large-scale destruction magic, they summoned numerous demons with mass teleportation. Of course, if you look at the scale of the magic, this time was bigger, but…"
Olivia furrowed her brow.
"If the goal was to cause casualties, they could have used a firestorm instead of summoning demons. With a firestorm, they could have turned about one-fifth of Rajeurn into ashes. Why didn't they do that? In a sense, this is like losing military power."
Using demons to carry out an attack that could be solved with magic made no sense to Olivia, and she seemed to be struggling to understand the situation.
Olivia was certain that there was an exceptionally powerful mage among the remnants of the demon forces, and that was indeed the truth. Anyone interested in the demon invasion would naturally know this fact, so it wasn't something only Olivia knew.
The sole reason that most people, like Olivia, didn't doubt the demons' intentions was simple: humans do not try to understand what they hate.
No matter what a despised group does, people don't consider them as equals, and when they do something, people conclude that they're either wicked or inferior and no longer think about it. Hate and loathing make thoughts convenient and simple.
Therefore, the general public only felt fear and disgust about the strange aspects of this demon invasion, without being curious about what the demons were really up to.
It was to make humans fear the demons. Only a few would comprehend and accept this idea.
However, Olivia had seen too many of the ugly aspects of humanity, and since she had been rescued by the demons themselves, she was somewhat free from such thinking.
"If we must choose, this seems to be the right answer."
Olivia pointed to a spot on the map, indicating the recently mentioned merchant guild branch.
"From the beginning, the demons intended to attack this place."
"...The merchant guild meeting?"
"Yes."
Although Olivia hadn't fully grasped the truth, she had already reached halfway there.
"The demons attacked, and Rajeurn, being well-defended, suffered no significant damage. But the merchant guild branch in the outskirts, where influential people gathered, was subjected to an unexpected attack? That's absurd."
Olivia crossed her arms and shook her head.
"People like Duke Grantz, the famous Orgencia of the Great Gate, and the Vice President of the Magic Association, Stryden, were here. Not only were their escorts strong, but these individuals were already powerful."
The mere fact that these individuals, who wouldn't normally gather together, were in one place served as evidence.
"Do you think these influential people would come to a small southern country like Levaina without any escorting troops?"
Olivia shook her head.
"At that moment, this place would have been better defended than Rajeurn itself. It wasn't due to an unexpected attack on the outskirts, but the escorting troops present at that time could have turned Rajeurn into a sea of flames."
So, the demons attacked this place rather than Rajeurn.
"That's why the demons that attacked Rajeurn couldn't have breached this place in the first place. The elite forces would have attacked this place and then retreated immediately."
Olivia came to this conclusion.
