Chapter 345

On the day I was caught cross-dressing, I gave an important order to create an alliance of anti-empire forces. I wondered what I was doing. The temperature difference between what I had to do as Reinhardt and what I had to do as Bali was too great. In the meantime, I also awakened the top talent of magic control. And I even had a sense of crisis that what I had been doing so far could have a butterfly effect and I didn't know when it would attack me. After experiencing a situation that didn't seem to lead to participating in a cross-dressing competition as a background check on me, it felt like walking on thin ice. And when will Ellen come back? That night, I couldn't sleep properly because there was a lot to worry about. After tossing and turning for several hours, I woke up with a start. Charlotte was holding my hand urgently, and I was startled awake. "I cautiously pulled down the blanket and covered Charlotte's shoulders. 'Are you okay?' 'Uh, yeah...' In the darkness, Charlotte nodded her head as she wrapped the blanket I gave her like a cloak around her body. I helped her up from where she was sitting on the floor and carefully sat her on the bed. My door was closed and locked. How did she get in? 'What happened?' '...I didn't lose consciousness this time. But suddenly, it happened like this.' She used to be taken away while she was unconscious or asleep. But this time, the shadow began to invade her body while she was conscious. 'I have to go to you, but if I go out to the hallway...someone might see...' Charlotte trembled with fear even though she had used her ability to move through shadows or darkness to come straight from her room to mine without being seen. 'I don't want to do this...I don't want to be able to do this...' Despite being able to come to me without being seen, the fact that it was possible was terrifying to her. She couldn't make a proper judgment because of her fear. 'Stay with me...stay with me, Reinhardt...' 'Okay, I'll stay with you.' Charlotte hung onto my waist and looked up at me in the darkness. Her large pupils, filled with fear, had tears in them. I felt it was dangerous. Charlotte, who was in an unstable state, had finally felt safe, but now she was on the verge of collapsing again. 'Together...keep staying together...' When Charlotte's lips were about to open slightly... 'It's okay.' I grabbed Charlotte's head and pulled it towards my chest. 'It's okay, you don't need to be so scared.' '...' I had to do it because something irreversible was going to happen. 'Nothing will happen. I'm sure of it.' Charlotte stayed still in my arms for a very long time. * * * When the fear subsided, Charlotte fell asleep as if she had fainted. Like I did in the palace last spring, I guarded Charlotte's bedside. How long had it been since Charlotte fell asleep? -Knock, knock, knock! I was momentarily frozen at the urgent sound of someone knocking on the door. -Reinhardt, it's me. When I heard the voice from behind the door, my tension was immediately relieved. Sabrina Tanada. I cautiously got up from my seat and opened the door. There was Sabrina Tanada with a pale, worried expression. -Thud. 'Reinhardt, is the princess here...?' She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw Charlotte lying in bed through the crack in the door. She adjusted her posture and came into my room, placing her hand lightly on Charlotte's forehead. 'You disappeared suddenly...so I came to check on you.' Sabrina Tanada was at the temple to protect Charlotte. "Although I don't share a room with Charlotte, I would periodically check to see if she was sleeping well. Then suddenly she disappeared, so I came to see if she was okay. Charlotte was deeply asleep. 'I don't think I lost consciousness this time, but suddenly my power was unleashed and I think the shadow came into my room,' she said. Sabrina Tanada looked at Charlotte, who was sleeping, with a worried expression. 'We need to find a more fundamental solution,' she said. 'Maybe there's a clue in the Demon Castle.' Sabrina Tanada thinks that there may be a clue to solving Charlotte's problem in the Demon Castle, which is an important place in the history of Dark Land. She also mentions that there are still things that haven't been discovered in the castle. Reinhardt agrees that a more fundamental solution is needed." "Your Majesty... You suggested going to the Demon Castle yourself... It's definitely dangerous. It's been opposed because it's a dangerous task. I have, and you have too." She looked at me with her hand on Charlotte's forehead. Charlotte knew that her condition was not fully restored. So she thought that there might be a solution in the Demon Castle and was trying to go there. Sabrina Tanada would have opposed it because it could be dangerous. But today, Charlotte's power had another seizure. Sabrina Tanada lowered her head in front of Charlotte's sleeping face and spoke in a gloomy voice. "Reinhardt, can I ask you a difficult favor?" I could tell what she was going to ask without hearing it. "Let's go together." "...." It was obvious that the story was about going to the Demon Castle together because there was no one else who could deal with anything related to Charlotte's power. Without even listening to what she was asking for, she held Charlotte's sleeping hand and shook her shoulders. "Thank you... Reinhardt." I thought it was something that had to be done. Was this what the Emperor had said I had to do for Charlotte? The next day, Charlotte regained her strength with Sabrina Tanada's help and returned to her room, prepared and met me again. "To the Demon Castle...? You too?" "Yes." Charlotte seemed to know everything already from Sabrina's explanation and looked apologetic. "It might be dangerous." "How dangerous would the Demon Castle be if the Demon had died?" I said this, but I didn't feel guilty at all. To me, the Demon was just a bastard. We would need the Emperor's permission, but we could go to the Demon Castle. Charlotte didn't know, but we had escaped from the Demon Castle together once and we were going back together. It gave me a strange feeling. Charlotte looked at me with a complicated expression. From crying and clinging to me yesterday, to saying she would go to the Demon Castle with me today. Her expression, which was mixed with embarrassment, gratitude, and guilt, was indescribable. "Thank you. Really." She said she always just received. So, I could give her anything I could. Charlotte added with a blush on her face. We didn't leave for the Demon Castle right away. Sabrina Tanada went to ask the Emperor for permission, so it was going to take some time. We had at least a few days. I did what I had to do. I left the temple and headed to the Rotary Club. "Is it okay here?" "Yes, everyone is kind." Adriana replied with a bright smile to my question. For some reason, Royar had become like a dog that Adriana raised, and the other club members also liked Adriana because Royar liked her so much, so they naturally took care of her. I was worried, but it was fortunate that the other club members saw Adriana in a good light because Royar was easily captivated. Adriana seemed to be helping with various tasks at the club headquarters due to her diligent personality. Reinhardt and Adriana walked around the Rotary Club together, and Adriana seemed more concerned about Olivia than herself. Reinhardt found relief in hearing that Adriana was doing well at the club and felt grateful for the help he received. Adriana may be walking through the previous stage of her life, feeling vague and empty. She may not know what to do in the future. Reinhardt and Royar are protecting her from the demons. Reinhardt asked Royar if there was a secret space in the Demon Castle that humans couldn't find, but Royar didn't know. "I asked Royar about it because I lost my memory. Of course, Royar wouldn't know. Then Elelys or Sarkergar wouldn't know either, right? It's something that only the royal family would know. There is one, isn't there? Does Airi know anything?" "There's a high possibility, isn't there?" It's the same thing as before. Do you not want to talk to me? It's uncomfortable to have to go all the way to Edina Island to ask, but it was important to have accurate information. I need to know how she's doing since it's been a while since our first meeting with Airi. However, Edina Island is not connected to the warp gate, so unless you go with a teleporting wizard, you have to use a boat, which can take a very long time. But with Lucynil's help, I can go and come back quickly without leaving for a few days. Return to the Demon Castle. And things that may still be there in the Demon Castle. Does Airi know about those things?