“A person’s worth isn’t equal. If you can’t protect everything, you have to decide what to abandon. That’s the role of a king.”
Asteria’s tone was gentle, as if trying to reason with him, but it enraged Marius. He couldn’t see past her words as mere provocation.
“I wonder if I truly can’t protect everything. I’ll test it myself.”
It was meant as a challenge, but Asteria simply smiled.
“That’s something only you can do. With the power to conquer a fortress without anyone dying, you are the anomaly.”
He couldn’t deny it. Having come from another world, he could make choices other humans had to forego. He was aware of being an anomaly. But he didn’t think he deserved to be told so by the madwoman before him.
“Perhaps so. But I can’t be blamed for trying to reduce the amount of blood spilled.”
“No one is blaming you. I’m merely pointing out the difference.”
He felt he couldn’t win this verbal battle. Marius had never felt so frustrated with his own foolishness.
“So? What’s the point of pointing that out? How does it tie into the Demon Lord’s resurrection?”
“History proves that armies are useless once the Demon Lord is revived. If an army could win, why have heroes and Braves always defeated the Demon Lord with a small group of companions throughout the ages? Why not just use the army?”
Indeed, an army couldn’t defeat a Demon Lord. It was questionable whether they could even defeat his subordinates, the Demons. Asteria’s words were logical, yet why did they provoke his displeasure instead of admiration?
(It’s probably because her actions are so ruthless and inhumane.)
If a respected figure, shedding tears of blood, declared “necessary sacrifices,” Marius might have understood. But Asteria was someone who calmly calculated the sacrifice of her own kingdom. While the entire continent was, of course, more important than one country, humans couldn’t simply accept such a calculation. It was both foolish and admirable, Marius realized unconsciously. He was convinced he and Asteria were hopelessly incompatible. This led him to a question.
(What does this woman really want?)
She understood his power and his peculiarity. Though she had guards, her words suggested they were for anyone other than Marius. He had expected a recruitment attempt, perhaps, from his greatest potential enemy. But she probed his thoughts and engaged in what seemed like a debate, making her intentions utterly baffling. It was clear that the title “Mad King” wasn’t just for one or two actions. He wished he could use “Read Sink” to discern her true motives, but absorbing too much information at once placed an enormous strain on his brain. He needed to use it in small, frequent doses for extensive queries.
“I see, you can’t read all the information at once.”
Asteria murmured meaningfully. Marius almost responded, but remembering her recent attempt to gauge him, he managed to remain silent.
(Is she not just sharp, but unnervingly so?)
At this point, it surpassed mere intuition.
“And you seem to possess a skill classified as information-based.”
Marius had managed to land a blow. Asteria’s expression flickered for the first time, a look of surprise on her face.
“That’s correct. Well, it’s fine if you know, but I’d appreciate it if you kept it to yourself. Especially concerning the Demon Gerik.”
Demon Gerik. The name, which he recognized, made Marius frown. He recalled it was the name of a Demon who had dealt a significant blow to Seraeno. He wondered why it was brought up now.
“It seems you’re unaware. Demon Gerik is a Demon with the ability to impersonate others. His skill is so refined that even family and lovers cannot distinguish him.”
He’d never heard of such a dangerous being. Marius couldn’t remain calm.
“Is that why you’ve been hiding information? Because you don’t know where Demon Gerik is hiding?”
Asteria nodded at Marius’s question.
“Seraeno was also enthusiastic about defeating the Demon Lord at the time. That’s when they were targeted. I don’t wish to repeat their mistakes.”
Marius found himself convinced. Or rather, he was convinced precisely because of his past experience. In games from his original world, monsters with transformation abilities that copied player stats and skills were common. FAO also had a monster called a Mimic. Knowing such an enemy existed would certainly make one cautious in all matters. Though it seemed that wasn’t the sole reason for her acting like a madwoman.
“So? Since you’ve revealed this now, does it mean we need to check if he’s nearby?”
He felt compelled to cooperate if that was the case.
“That’s partly correct.”
“Partly?”
The unexpected answer came.
“Yes. First, I need you to confirm if this Mireille is the real one.”
Marius didn’t know how to react and his gaze shifted between Asteria and Mireille. Mireille also seemed caught off guard, her body stiffening.
“When you and I were to meet, I fully expected an interruption from a Demon. The fact that it didn’t happen led me to suspect this Mireille might be a fake.”
“…You planned this secret meeting with the assumption of being attacked?”
“It’s a rather flimsy possibility, I must admit, that my true intentions are already known to the Demons.”
“It was also deliberate that you only brought Lady Mireille, wasn’t it?”
“Naturally.”
Asteria seemed to mock Marius’s astonishment, but he was no longer angry. To remain angry at an infuriating person felt like admitting defeat.
“…Lady Mireille is real. She possesses only human memories.”
Even with a vast amount of information, he could perform a targeted search, similar to a keyword search on a computer. While “Read Sink” could be deceptive, it was powerless against “Psychometry,” which could even unearth forgotten memories. Since searching the memories of Demons and monsters yielded no results, the Mireille before him could only be human.
“I see, so Mireille is confirmed to be real. My apologies, Mireille.”
Asteria laughed merrily, then turned serious and apologized. Mireille shook her head and smiled, “Given the circumstances, it’s understandable.” Asteria then handed Mireille a “Transfer Stone.” She had clearly anticipated the possibility of being attacked by a Demon. While it appeared to be a touching display of loyalty between mistress and subordinate, Marius, no matter how simple, wasn’t fooled.
“What would you have done if Mireille had been a fake? Would you have just been killed?”
“If I died and Mireille vanished, Seraeno would suspect Demon Gerik. And you would take action. It wouldn’t be a fruitless death, and humanity wouldn’t suffer any loss.”
The assassination of a country’s king would undoubtedly cause domestic chaos and generate considerable damage. If she claimed there would be no loss, it was solely in the context of the war against the Demon Lord. At that thought, Marius was taken aback. He realized Asteria was considering her own death in the grand scheme of humanity. Hordia, however, would be in a terrible situation. Reflecting further, Marius cursed himself for being poisoned by Asteria’s way of thinking.
“I’ll have to investigate if Demon Gerik is present starting tomorrow. Though it’s unavoidable…”
He grumbled inwardly about being forced to agree to Asteria’s request.
“What are you saying? It’s common courtesy to not give those you intend to use a choice.”
Marius felt an urge to strike Asteria, who said this without a hint of remorse. This was highly unusual for him.
“However, it’s not necessarily a bad thing for you. You’ve gained a justifiable reason to use your magic.”
“…What do you mean?”
Asteria’s words and actions were consistently baffling, and the possibility of a trap crossed Marius’s mind, yet he couldn’t help but ask.
“According to intelligence reports, you’ve been forcing yourself to live a constrained life, constantly looking over your shoulder to stay within social norms.”
“Do your job, intelligence department!” Marius cursed Fleg and his subordinates.
“Demons and Demon Lords are evils that must be vanquished by humanity. If you use magic for their eradication, there’s no need to hesitate. If you defeat the Demon Lord, you’ll be a hero.”
Marius wondered if this was how a demon who deceived humans would look and sound.
“Even Melinda Guilford was initially regarded as a suspicious individual. Her reputation changed after she destroyed the Demon Lord Alexa and sealed Auraniess.”
This was also news to him, making him wonder where she got her information. The extent to which she would go to use him was pushing him to his limit. Deceiving someone by making them think they were manipulating you, only to snatch it away, was a tactic, but Marius never deluded himself into thinking he could achieve such a feat. It irked him to be perceived as a mere puppet, even temporarily.
“Even if I defeat the Demon Lord, it will be by my own will. You can continue to believe you’re manipulating me.”
Marius intended to declare that he would forge his own path.
“I’ll do just that.”
Asteria smiled and turned to leave. In reality, Asteria’s proposal was quite appealing to Marius. If he could defeat the Demon Lord and be well-regarded, he might be motivated to try. The problem was that even if Asteria meant it sincerely, whether it would actually happen was another matter, as was whether he could defeat the Demon Lord. Auraniess was akin to an extremely powerful boss that a group of max-level players could barely defeat. Considering the weakness of Wyverns and how he had become a balance breaker, he thought it was not an impossible opponent.
(Well, there’s no need to wait for him to revive.)
If he could defeat him while sealed, Marius thought that would be better. He had no intention of sticking to the so-called “plot.” Marius realized he had been skillfully evaded regarding Asteria’s skills only after returning to his assigned room.
“Lady Asteria, will it truly work?”
Mireille, who knew of Asteria’s skills, couldn’t shake off her unease.
“Yes. When his blood boils, he says things like that. He’s truly good-natured. It’s unlikely he’s just pretending.”
To Mireille, who still seemed uncertain, Marius explained what might have happened if he hadn’t been good-natured.
“He would have killed us both and blamed the Demons. No one could have denied it.”
Mireille involuntarily stopped and looked at Asteria.
“Were you planning something so dangerous?”
“It couldn’t be helped. As the saying goes, to defeat a dragon, you must face a dragon.”
It meant that to pursue great profit, one must risk great danger.
“The profit was commensurate with the risk. I learned about Marius’s character, recognized the threat of the Demons, and confirmed that you are the real Mireille.”
Asteria laughed, comparing it to hitting three birds with one stone.
“Still, what are the Demons thinking? Did they see through the opening you created, Your Majesty?”
Asteria noted the return to the title “Your Majesty” but didn’t voice it.
“Judging by past patterns, they’ll jump at any opening, even if it’s intentionally made. The reason they aren’t doing so now is likely because they have no interest in me personally.”
Asteria laughed, thinking she might have been too self-important. Mireille, however, couldn’t laugh. If targeted by Demons, they would be devastated like Seraeno. Though she hadn’t told Marius, the Demons’ main objective was to find the Demon Lord’s seal. Subduing those who plotted against the Demon Lord or themselves was a secondary matter. This was because ordinary humans posed no threat to them, but someone of Marius’s caliber would be different.
“The approach will differ depending on who comes. However, all I know are Rubens and Gerik…”
Even for those two, it was mostly just information. Rubens was known as an ancient high-ranking Demon, and Gerik was a Demon who had inflicted great damage on the powerful Seraeno. This information had surfaced through their intelligence network. The Demonplay was about to begin.
