Chapter 405
There were many who followed me around, but there were also countless who picked unnecessary fights with me.
Most of them thought that if they could best me, the famous upcoming hero, they might be able to steal even a tiny bit of the popularity I possessed.
Others seemed to be jealous because the women they liked followed me around.
Having a fan club and constantly dealing with people picking fights had become a part of my daily life. Ellen and Harriet were still carefully keeping their distance.
Harriet seemed to be crying alone.
She always wore her hat low, covering her swollen eyes.
Ellen knew that I had been to dangerous places and would continue to do so.
Neither could she stop me, nor was it easy for her to watch, so Harriet seemed to be struggling.
Olivia frequently left the dormitory.
She said she had taken on the duties of an Inquisitor for the Holy Knights. Considering that she was past the age to graduate, and her external activities would already grant her class recognition, the Royal Class dormitory had become nothing more than a place for her to sleep.
Ellen and Harriet were both sinking into depression, while Olivia tried to attract the Demon King's attention by becoming even more famous than me. None of this could possibly make me feel better.
Stress everywhere.
And.
When stress accumulates severely.
Hair falls out.
"Ah... Damn it..."
After taking a shower before bed, I couldn't help but be horrified when I saw the clump of blonde hair on my hand.
I pulled at my hair and saw that circular hair loss had appeared.
In common terms, a bald patch.
It was flaunting its existence, no bigger than a coin.
I didn't want to be reunited with something like this.
Why are you reappearing in my life?
Didn't we agree to part ways forever?
"Hu, huu... huu..."
I focused my mind. Hair began to fill the bald patch in real-time.
The Ring of Hair Loss Permanent Immunity.
Sarkegaar's ring saved my life.
I am a god!
The god of hair loss!
No, if I were the god of hair loss, I'd be losing hair, so should I call myself the god of hair?
I am a god!
The ruler of hair! The god of hair!
Let it fall out as much as it wants! I will replenish it!
I nearly suffered from PTSD for a moment, but Sarkegaar's ring saved me.
It's unfair to be stressed and lose hair, not just twice but exponentially depressing. It's not addition or multiplication; it's exponentiation.
If it weren't for this ring.
I might not have been able to enter the temple in the first place.
Without the ability to restore my hair, would I not have been the first bald hero in history?
Thank you, Sarkegaar.
You are a loyal servant.
Tap tap tap
And just as I thought that, a sparrow began tapping on the window of my room with its beak as I returned.
Click!
As I opened the window, the sparrow swiftly flew into the room, and as I drew the curtains, Sarkegaar transformed into his usual, elegant maid appearance.
"Your Highness, I have come to see you..."
"I love you."
Wham!
"????"
As I suddenly embraced him, Sarkegaar seemed taken aback and flinched.
"You're the loyal servant of the century! You'll go down in history as a great and loyal servant!"
Thank you for saving my hair!
There's no way any other loyal servant in the world has ever solved their lord's baldness problem!
"Y-yes...? Yes! I love you too, Your Highness!"
Not understanding the reason, Sarkegaar embraced me back and patted my back diligently.
—---
Sarkegaar had come with his own mission, but he must have been curious about my sudden behavior, so I explained the reason to him.
"…You mean your hair was falling out?"
"…Yes."
While I considered hair loss a major issue, Sarkegaar, who could freely transform, tilted his head, not understanding my concern.
"It is an immense honor that the ring of the elves has solved Your Highness's problem."
"No, I'm the one who's honored."
Seeing my almost prayerful attitude, Sarkegaar seemed even more puzzled.
"I came here to discuss the information from my contact with Owen de Gatmora, as instructed earlier..."
"Ah, right. That."
Sarkegaar began to share his main purpose with a slightly hesitant expression.
"The royal family seems to have accepted our words for now, but there is still a possibility they do not trust us."
"…That's to be expected."
The royal family may think that the previous attack on Rajeurn was a retaliatory strike. Even if we have a clandestine conversation like this, we're still enemies. That's inevitable.
"We must find the followers of the Demon cult before the Empire does."
"We must."
The race has begun.
If we find the Demon followers later than the imperial royal family, they will be annihilated.
If I find them first, I can have them under my control.
Although I'll have to consider whether it's really necessary to keep them under my feet, there's no need to let the Demon followers run wild like this.
If I can use them later, I will. But for now, I need to make contact with the Demon followers to prevent any unnecessary chaos.
"Based on the information I've gathered, the Empire seems to believe that the Demon religion's base is in the southern part of the continent."
Sarkegaar said cautiously, as if he had conducted his own investigation. As an imperial noble, Sarkegaar had access to the royal family's information.
Of course, the same was true for me.
The southern part of the continent.
Considering the scale of the continent, the term "south" encompasses a vast number of countries and territories, too many to count.
The south.
"If it's the south, then Lord Gallarush might know something."
I had heard that Gallarush was based in a place called the Gelkorgis Desert in the southern part of the continent.
Though the sheer size of the area meant that the chances of obtaining useful information were slim, focusing on Gallarush seemed like the best course of action under the current circumstances.
"Leave the matter of conveying our opinions to the Council to Lucinil, and you may go."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Once again, I watch the figure of Sarkegaar, who has transformed into a sparrow, fly out the window.
Will the Empire strike first, or will we?
Sarkegaar can access the royal family's information, but I am even better in that aspect.
I am a hero.
I can obtain the information collected by the Empire through countless routes, faster than Sarkegaar.
If we get our hands on the followers of the Demon cult, will we dispose of them or use them?
I should have thought about that as well.
—---
Since the day the engagement was mentioned, Ellen no longer ate with Reinhardt at the midnight dining hall.
They didn't have a big fight.
They didn't even have a serious talk about ending their relationship.
However, after hearing those words, it felt as if they couldn't do anything together anymore. Except for the swordsmanship lessons with Turner, Ellen and Reinhardt just passed by each other when they met.
But his expression was unbearable to Ellen.
If Reinhardt's expression when he saw her was one of satisfaction, as if he cherished Charlotte, protected her through the engagement, and would eventually marry her, she might have been able to look away.
But the guilt-ridden gaze that swept over her every time they met tormented Ellen.
She should have thought it was all over.
But because of that gaze, she couldn't think it was over. Their behavior towards each other wasn't as if they didn't exist, but Ellen felt exhausted by the feeling that they had become worse than strangers.
So, Ellen sat blankly in the dining hall.
Not eating anything or doing anything.
She hadn't felt hungry for quite some time. Usually, at this time, she'd be starving and would have to eat something.
While sitting blankly in the dining hall, waiting for someone who wouldn't come, day after day.
Ellen didn't drink a drop of water.
She knew Reinhardt wouldn't come, but she couldn't sleep either.
If she stayed outside, she might catch a glimpse of Reinhardt passing by, but if she stayed in her room, there was no chance at all.
Ellen spent more and more time sitting blankly in the lobby, the dining hall, and the training ground.
If they happened to meet, she wanted to say something.
That it's all okay.
That she understands everything.
That she wants to go back to how they used to be.
That she won't demand him to be hers alone.
To talk like always, exchange swords, and occasionally eat together.
She could be satisfied with that. Even if he was engaged to Charlotte, and they eventually married, couldn't they still do that?
Couldn't they be friends like that?
But trying to be with Reinhardt under that pretext already meant they couldn't be just friends.
If she said something, she felt like she would repeat the same mistake she had made with her brother.
Accusing him of lying when he said he liked her.
Asking if he could so easily let go of her after all those lies.
"Are you just toying with me? Why would you do this to me?"
If, after saying such words, Reinhardt were to die...
Afraid that a situation might come where she couldn't take back the words she'd blurted out, Ellen couldn't say anything to Reinhardt, in case she hurt him and couldn't undo it.
So, Ellen wanted to speak to him but held herself back; she wanted to grab him and talk, but she couldn't.
Just as Reinhardt seemed about to say something but ultimately couldn't, Ellen was the same.
It was already known that Reinhardt was the owner of Alsebringer. The news had spread throughout the temple, causing the Royal Class dormitory to be crowded with regular class students trying to catch a glimpse of Reinhardt.
Ellen knew that this fame would eventually become a knife to stab Reinhardt.
She wanted to do something, but she couldn't do anything.
She couldn't interfere in Charlotte and Reinhardt's problems. She wanted to help Reinhardt, who plunged into dangerous situations, but knowing he wouldn't want that, she couldn't even offer to accompany him.
So, Ellen just sat there, blankly.
Not knowing what to do or how to do it, she just hoped to run into him.
Knowing that Reinhardt wouldn't leave his room since it was past bedtime, she just sat in the lobby and the dining room, blankly.
Reinhardt didn't come to the dining room.
In the midst of a miserable feeling of self-defeat, Ellen thought.
All she could do was think.
It was all happening because of that one thing: Charlotte's life was in danger.
The engagement, Reinhardt's danger, everything.
He tried to secure Charlotte's safety at the cost of his own danger.
It was known that Reinhardt was the owner of Alsebringer, but the engagement had not yet been made public.
If Reinhardt made a desperate choice, and if Charlotte was safe, wouldn't their engagement be canceled?
If that happened...
Could she be by Reinhardt's side again?
"..."
What should she do then?
On that unforgettable night in Kamsencha, Ellen and Harriet heard Reinhardt's explanation.
Although they didn't know the exact reason, Charlotte had lost the succession competition. That's why her life was in danger, and only a marriage with someone as powerful as Reinhardt could guarantee her safety.
What should she do to keep Charlotte safe?
Could she do it?
Ellen looked out the window of the dining room, pondering.
She thought quietly about her own name.
Ellen.
Ellen, Artorius.
"..."
Ellen stood up from her seat.
—---
Knock, knock.
Late at night.
Hearing the sound of knocking on her door, Charlotte got up from her bed, wearing her nightgown. Sometimes, Turner would come to check on her at night, worried.
"Lady Turner, you must be tired, please get some sleep..."
Thump.
Thus, without any suspicion, when Charlotte opened the door, she couldn't help but gasp at the completely unexpected figure before her.
"Ah…"
Ellen Artorius had come to visit Charlotte in the middle of the night.
"Can we… talk?"
At Ellen's cautious words, Charlotte quietly met her gaze.
Unable to refuse the desperation within those eyes, Charlotte acquiesced.
—---
Long past bedtime, Charlotte, wearing her nightgown with a single coat draped over it, and Ellen, dressed in training clothes, sat facing each other on the terrace.
Charlotte felt guilty towards Reinhardt.
And she also had a similar feeling towards Ellen, albeit not as strong as the one she felt for Reinhardt.
"What did you want to talk about?"
"…"
Ellen silently looked down at the table.
She didn't want Reinhardt to be in danger.
Like Olivia had shouldered some of the genuine danger for Reinhardt, Ellen also wanted to do the same.
The world would focus more on Ragan Artorius's younger sister than on Reinhardt and Olivia. That was the burden of danger.
Ellen was prepared for it, no matter what.
But the method.
She thought that if she could somehow dissolve Reinhardt's inevitable engagement through her actions, it would be wonderful.
Charlotte de Gardias was losing her footing.
Hence, all they needed to do was secure Charlotte's position properly.
Ellen slowly opened her mouth.
"I'll become your knight."
"What? What did you say?"
Unable to comprehend the unexpected statement, Charlotte was at a loss for words.
"If I become your knight, you'll be safe just by that alone."
Ellen Artorius.
Knowing the weight that name carried, Charlotte couldn't help but be taken aback.
Ellen didn't say anything more.
Instead of becoming the bride of Als's champion, Reinhardt, the younger sister of Ragan Artorius, Ellen Artorius, would serve her as her lord.
It was obvious that she would ask for the engagement to be nullified in return, without needing to hear the rest.
Ellen bowed her head to Charlotte.
"For you, I'll do a lot. Anything for the empire. I'll do it all. Use me for whatever you want, and my achievements will become yours…"
Ellen pleaded with a tearful voice.
"I won't say that I'm not doing this because I hate the idea of you and Reinhardt getting engaged. But, Reinhardt will be in greater danger. Instead, let me be the one in danger. I'll do everything. If there's something that Reinhardt must do, I'll do it instead…"
"…"
The hero's sister begged the princess not to take the one thing she couldn't afford to give up, offering everything she had.
Charlotte quietly watched Ellen Artorius, who had come to such a decision because she didn't want to lose Reinhardt.
Last year.
Charlotte had pitied the relationship between Harriet de Saint Owan and Ellen Artorius.
As she thought that their relationship would be destroyed by a single word, she had ultimately remained silent.
But now.
Charlotte found herself in the same position.
She was the one taking away, but she wasn't happy about it at all.
But now.
Seeing Ellen make such a choice because she didn't want to be taken away, Charlotte didn't find it pleasant either.
If she were to refuse.
If they were in equal circumstances.
Knowing who Reinhardt would choose.
Charlotte wasn't just uncomfortable with the current situation, she also didn't enjoy facing Ellen's desperate expression.
"If I refuse, what will you do?"
"..."
Becoming a knight was Ellen's desire, and whether to accept it or not was Charlotte's choice.
If she gritted her teeth and refused, Reinhardt would become engaged to her.
If she turned away from those desperate eyes.
"Please... Please..."
If she ignored those tears.
"I beg... of you..."
Perhaps she could hope for a greater future.
But Charlotte knew.
She had been defeated by Bertus.
Once it was known that the Demon King's soul resided within her, whether the hero's younger sister was her knight or she married the hero as a princess, it would become insignificant.
She would only be relying on Bertus's mercy.
She would always be a burden to Reinhardt.
The relationship between a knight and a lord was better than that of a married couple.
"Alright, become my knight."
She smiled at Ellen.
"But only."
Looking at Ellen, Charlotte smiled.
"This concession is the first and last."
Not satisfied with a cowardly victory, she sought to truly win.
This wasn't giving up.
They canceled the unfair race and decided to stand at the starting line together this time.
A knight with no intention of loyalty to her lord.
A lord jealous of her own knight.
A strange oath of loyalty had just begun.
