Chapter 463

"The psychological counseling for the refugees who arrived recently is expected to be finished within three days," said Irene. "They will probably bring the personal information soon."

"Oh, I see."

Although they didn't know when the next refugee transport ship would arrive, the management of the refugees by the succubi was gradually gaining speed. Initially, the excessive use of the power that dominated dreams resulted in the refugees loving the succubi too much. If sadness and despair turned into an obsession with succubi, both the succubi and the refugees would suffer. Psychiatrists were not supposed to build deep relationships with their patients. Succubi had never done such a thing before. They were not skilled at it, but it was something they had to do. However, over time, such problems were not occurring frequently. Those with serious symptoms were periodically visited by succubi even after leaving the temporary shelter to share their current situation. It was a place that took care of not only conscious problems but also mental ones. It seemed like a pretty good place to think about it. Of course, I felt even worse because I was only in a position to clean up the mess caused by myself. Walking down the hallway with Harry, Antirianus came out from one side of the hallway as if he had been waiting. "Ah!" Suddenly jumping out like that, Harry was startled and screamed, covering her mouth. This old man sometimes surprised people unexpectedly. Harry knew that Antirianus was the second most cooperative person after Eleris in the Council. However, like me, Harry couldn't trust Antirianus. Who could trust a servant who tried to cure the king's apathy by kidnapping him in the middle of the night? Antirianus took off his hat and bowed deeply to me. "Great presence, how was the situation in the imperial palace that you saw with your own eyes?" Was that what he was asking? "Well, how do you think? It was a sight to behold." He probably wanted to see me confirm it with my own eyes and despair. Antirianus twisted his lips slightly as if he were annoyed that my reaction was quite dull. He was like a nasty old man. "Have you thought of a way to bring the princess?" "I still don't know. I'll have to think about it." "If you secretly ask her to release the princess, she might release her easily. If the empire wants to protect the princess in any way, it's a good idea." I nodded at Antirianus' words. "Yes, I haven't thought of that method either." I could tell Berthus about it and he could give it to me. "But the empire won't have a good excuse for the missing princess. Ultimately, the empire will be in trouble. Bringing Charlotte is important, but we can't cause more confusion in the empire because of that." The attention of the public is focused on the missing princess who disappeared without a trace. The announcement that the princess suddenly disappeared cannot easily be believed by the crowd. The situation in the imperial palace already has some level of distrust. Bringing Charlotte back is not just a simple matter of finding one person. If the wrong approach is chosen, Charlotte may be rescued but a large-scale riot may occur. And after seeing the unstable public sentiment of the empire, I realized the scale of the riot that could occur. If a riot occurs and the empire collapses, it will lead to the downfall of the empire, and if a riot occurs and the empire slaughters those rioters, it will also lead to the long-term downfall of the empire. Therefore, I must approach this problem more carefully than usual. I don't necessarily hope for the empire to remain intact, but I don't want it to collapse either. Until the Gate incident is completely resolved and the monsters on the continent are wiped out, the empire must exist. So, I am not judging this problem lightly, which can be easily approached and solved. I had no intention of fulfilling that wish. Without Sarkergar, I was the king of the world that included demons, although not perfect. What would Sarkergar say if he saw this sight? He could explode with anger at how I could live among humans, or he could be moved by the rebuilt world. I wanted to show this world to Sarkergar, who had always been a loyal subject. The fate of the world is always precarious, but I still wanted to show him the world we had created. Whether he criticized or rejoiced, it didn't matter. But if I thought Sarkergar might already be dead, it felt like my breath was being cut off. I could postpone my thoughts about those whose deaths were confirmed, but if I thought about those whose life or death was uncertain, I would be overwhelmed with anxiety. I had to save them. Is it okay to keep doing this? Can I keep postponing it because there is too much to do? I bit my lip at Herriot's words. I had to solve the problems that still remained unsolved, Lucinil and Sarkergar, and the new problem, Charlotte. Could I solve these things? Like trying to save the world but causing its destruction. Can I be sure that I won't fail again? I did something because I had to, and I moved forward because I had to. But the fear brought on by the terrible failure was still sleeping inside me. I just tried not to consciously face that fear. Once again, the fear that my existence alone could ruin everything was definitely inside me. * * * I don't know how to proceed with this. But now that I have seen the current reality of the empire with my own eyes, it's time to carefully decide what method to choose. Herriot used to sit on the bed and read a book before falling asleep at this time. So when I woke up in the morning, I used to see her sleeping with a book open in a crouched position, as if she had fallen asleep without even realizing it. But today, Herriot was sitting on the bed, not doing anything. As if thinking about something quietly. She didn't seem to be trying to show it, but there was sadness in her eyes. I had some idea of what she was thinking about. I had been to the empire. The empire. The land of humans. Although I was exposed as the demon king in the end, I returned safely. So Herriot would naturally think that she could also go there. Her task was as daunting as mine, if not more so. So Herriot would naturally think about it. About what she had left behind. The names of the three who betrayed humanity. Olivia Lanche. Liana de Grance. Herriot's Thoughts:

Herriot is different from the other two people. Olivia has no family, and Liana's only family, the Duchess, is quietly living in Edina's villa. Herriot can only think and feel guilty about leaving the land of humans. She would feel guilty about the harm caused to the kingdom of Saint-Fleur by her betrayal of humanity. So, she might seem fine on the outside, but she could be the one suffering the most. She knows that her family is paying the price for her choice to become a demon king. The kingdom of Saint-Fleur suffered significant damage, but as Herriot said, the capital city of Arnaka was safe under the protection of the Duke. And now, the Duke is dedicating himself to the empire in place of his daughter, who betrayed humanity. The Duke must prove that he chose the demon king as his daughter, not himself or his kingdom. Therefore, the Duke is sacrificing himself to atone for his daughter's sins by joining the war to end the gate crisis. However, even that might not mean much to the survival of the Duke's family. The crowd needs a sacrifice. The Duke is being sacrificed to find a scapegoat for the empire and humanity. Regardless of how much the kingdom of Saint-Fleur contributed to ending the gate crisis, the people do not care. That is why Herriot thinks that her family and the people should take responsibility for their actions, not her. Perhaps even more than me. However, Herriot has never said a word to me about these issues. She might think that I am more burdened than she is. I have been to the empire, so Herriot would want to see the situation in the kingdom of Saint-Fleur with her own eyes. She knows that the capital city of Arnaka is safe, but she wants to see the reality of the situation. She wants to know how the Duke and her family are doing. There is no reason why she cannot go to Saint-Fleur for just one day with me. Just like how I went to the capital city of the empire, even though I only felt terrible impressions. Herriot's eyes shook as my words seemed to shock her. "Now Lazard is on track. He won't have any trouble taking a day off. So... if you want to go, we can take a day or even a few days." Herriot's family, especially the Duke, might try to keep her locked up if she meets them. But Herriot has worked for me for a long time. Shouldn't she have the right to choose whether or not to meet her family? Whether to meet her family or not is Herriot's choice. However, watching Arnaka with my own eyes is as safe as it gets. Checking on the current state of her hometown is something I can do. "Will you... come with me?" Herriot looks at me with trembling eyes. Just as Herriot has protected me in case of anything, it is only natural for me to follow her to protect her in case of anything. "Of course." At my words, Herriot finally burst into tears, covering her face with both hands. "Thank you... Linehart..." Why is she so grateful to me? I was always the one she should be grateful to.