Chapter 622

The Allied forces are about to depart, but we will no longer need them. Most people are on standby, but Rianna has a special mission. She needs to maintain absolute stability, which means taking medication similar to antidepressants to regulate her mood. Rianna needs to conserve her mental energy to use her strong abilities. Therefore, she is usually asked to be calm and not use her abilities unnecessarily. Rianna spends most of her time in this mansion, where she can live like a noble in Edina. The conversation then turns to the idea of converting Illayon Vellton. Rianna does not understand the intention of Charlotte and Olivia, just as she did not understand why they wanted to convert Illayon Vellton. Charlotte explains that they may need Illayon Vellton's skills in the future. Rianna then apologizes for her behavior and admits that she was wrong. "Why haven't you fixed the habit of saying things you shouldn't?"

"That's right. Why can't I be an adult?"

"Is it too late for me?"

"Anyway, what's this about converting Illayon Vellton? What nonsense?"

"It's not confirmed yet. But even though the Huangdo sect's power has been taken over, there may be resistance from the Allied forces' Holy Knights. Our goal is to make the entire Shinsin sect into the Sacred sect. If Illayon Vellton, who will be the leader, can use his sacred power, the process will be smoother."

"Oh...I see."

Charlotte takes a sip of tea.

Although her appearance has changed a lot, elegance can still be felt from just drinking a cup of tea.

Glamour is a very subtle thing. It seems similar to elegance, but it's completely different. It's not ostentatious, but rather subtly revealed. If you try to imitate glamour too much, it looks ridiculous.

She behaves naturally without any thoughts, and that's what makes her elegant. Embodied elegance. That's glamour.

If you look closely, there's something...It makes your heart flutter.

Anyway, they have guests. The Duchess Yelena de Grance and former Holy Knight Commander Illayon Vellton have returned to the mansion.

"Hello, Duchess. It's been a while since we've seen each other. The Demon King was also pleased."

"Oh, yes..."

Charlotte stood up and greeted them properly, while I stumbled and scratched the back of my head.

Glamour. I'm sure I'll never have it until I die.

"Did you come to see me?"

As soon as he saw me, Illayon Vellton looked at Charlotte with a stern expression.

Yes, it's time to get to the point. Charlotte looks at me.

"Reinhardt?"

"Yeah."

As I looked at him with a determined expression, Charlotte smiled brightly and pointed outside.

"You should go out."

"Huh?"

"It would be better if you weren't here."

"I'm also someone who fights while guarding the place...! I'll hide if I have to...!"

Rianna is my friend!

Would I say that to Illayon Vellton?

At my protest, Charlotte's expression cooled down.

"Get out."

"Yes..."

In the end, I was kicked out. "At a crucial moment when important matters needed to be discussed, Charlotte and Illayon Vellton stayed behind while Rianna and Duchess Yelena de Grance left the mansion. I was kicked out. Rianna laughed at me and asked if I enjoyed being discredited for saying something unnecessary. I protested that it was because of my trust in Charlotte that I gave up my important position. But did it really seem that way? I didn't know much about negotiations or politics, and it wasn't my taste either. I was just grateful that Charlotte was taking care of it and thinking harder than me. But if that was the case, why did I even come here? Couldn't I just leave it to Charlotte? Oh, if I hadn't come and had a pointless argument with Rianna, I would have been sitting there. Being kicked out by a servant is strange. Of course, I hoped for a relationship where we could treat each other comfortably rather than an excessive hierarchy. Leave. That was a bit too much... I will definitely tell you later that I am upset... I'm not just saying it, I will really say it... Anyway, until Charlotte finished talking, I had nothing to do, so I walked along the beach with the Duchess and Rianna. The Duchess asked me if the Allied Forces were starting their march again. She must have heard something from Rianna, so she asked me about the state of the world. Since becoming a king from his daughter's friend, the Duchess had treated me harshly. To be honest, she didn't make a good first impression. She was clearly unhappy with her daughter associating with people of lower status, and she even invited only Herriot to breakfast. She was a very status-sensitive and worldly person. Her relationship with the late Granitz Duke was clearly very bad. But in the end, the Duchess seemed to have undergone a significant change in her attitude after the Duke's death. She reconciled with her daughter and even revealed that the real culprit who killed the Granitz Duke was not the Demon King. People change. A worldly person can't be worldly all their life. A person who has gone astray can become worldly. A bad person can become good. A good person can become bad. People change. Whether it's big or small, people have to change as they live. The Granitz Duchess changed, I changed, Rianna changed, and Charlotte and Illayon Vellton will change too. They will change and change again. "The Duchess sighed with relief at my words. I could only realize my thoughts after being buried in them. The Duchess sends her daughter to the battlefield, where terrible monsters roam and death and fear reign. Even if her daughter is a strong psychic, where would willing parents be found? Moreover, the more she uses her abilities, the more her mind deteriorates. Regardless of whether she survives the war or not, she will suffer. From the perspective of the Duchess, I would be the one who keeps taking her daughter to the battlefield. Therefore, I am not a person who can be pleased. Although I haven't seen it often, I could tell that the Duchess was a person who was good at hiding her feelings just by not revealing such thoughts to me. What if I were in her shoes? If I had a child and their friend kept taking my son or daughter to the battlefield, saying that their abilities were needed, I wouldn't be able to leave them alone, even if they didn't do anything strange. The worry, sadness, and fear of parents must be ignored. "May I ask why you kept the Valtin Count alive?" The sudden question caught me off guard. I thought we were just taking a walk together, but was that not the case? Even Rianna's expression stiffened at the Duchess's sudden words. "Did Valtin Count do something strange?" I didn't think he was doing anything strange, but if he did something like that without me knowing, I couldn't just leave it alone. There was no anger or similar emotion towards Valtin Count in the Duchess's expression. "He is not someone who is good at conversation, but he is an honorable person with a high sense of understanding, consideration, and dignity." Although I'm not sure if she likes him, her words made me feel that she respects Valtin Count enough. Then why ask if he was killed? Wasn't that a question aimed at me from the beginning, not Valtin Count's attitude or behavior? "I didn't think there was a need to do that." We might discover a new use for Valtin Count if we don't kill him like this. The Duchess looked at me with a stern expression at my words. "Need...need...did you say need?" Then she muttered to herself and walked quietly. The atmosphere felt strange. It seemed to have frozen. "What do you plan to do with the Empire when all this is over?" "The Empire...what do you mean?" I felt like a stone was stuck in my throat at the Duchess's words. Vertus killed the Granitz Duke. Rianna wants revenge, and the Duchess is probably the same. Vertus was a nobleman of the Empire. Therefore, not only must we restrain the demon king, the greatest threat to the empire, but we must also eliminate revolutionary forces that can shake the empire from its foundations. That was Vertus's justice, and he had to kill the Granitz Duke. But the Duchess lost her husband, and Rianna lost her father. It's natural for them to hate the empire and Vertus. Such natural things. Who am I to do something about it? If that work leads to someone's natural desire for revenge. Where did the problem start, and who is really to blame? If everyone does what they have to do, and all that accumulates is hatred, anger, and a desire for revenge, isn't the world fundamentally wrong? "If I say I won't destroy the empire, will you hate me?" "How could you hate me more than you do now?" This person is honest. "Mom, please." "I have a lot to thank the demon king for, but I can't help feeling this way." "....I guess so." "You don't have to understand that." "....What?" "Why should you understand that I hate you?" It was a sudden remark, and I couldn't help but feel a little dazed. "In a chaotic situation where it's hard to guess your own survival, why do you try to understand so much?" "...." "Even the person who took on the task of a country and countless lives, why do you try to understand something?" "...." "You should hate those who hate you." The Duchess looks at me and says. It was more like advice or persuasion than scolding. "You must kill those who want to kill you." "...." "Is that all?" I had no words to answer. "Sometimes you have to kill those who don't even think of killing you. You have to hate those who don't hate you, and sometimes you have to take the breath of those who don't hate you." "...." "Even those who loved you all their lives, even those who never thought of betraying you all their lives, must be killed if necessary. The life of an emperor is to watch those who are dying with tears and screams on their faces, stained with a sense of betrayal." "...." "Do you think there was an emperor who became history with love, understanding, and mercy?" "....There wasn't." "There was no country built without taking away. Those who are not used to taking away cannot keep or have it. "...." "But why do you want to be an emperor as a human being?" By taking away, by piling up what was taken away. They build a mountain of stolen things, build a golden tower of stolen things, and those who have become the biggest thieves in the world put a throne on top of it. That's a country. They wear a hat made of stolen gold pieces on top of it, and call it a crown, and the one who wears that hat becomes a king. Translation:

Stealing a little makes you a thief, stealing a lot makes you a great thief who will be remembered in history. If you steal everything in the world, no one will call you a thief. That was the beginning of everything, when I stole the throne of Edina. As an emperor, it is arrogant to try to become a king as a human being. The Duchess criticizes my arrogance, asking if I am capable enough to act so carelessly and still protect everyone, including her daughter whom I use for my own purposes. She questions whether this is the right way to gain neighbors, as they are the most feared beings in the world. Neighbors can sometimes be on our side, but they always take something away. Neighbors are equal beings, so kings do not need neighbors. All beings in the world must be lower than the king. There must be a different kind of arrogance, as Berthus once said. The Duchess dislikes me because I am not cruel. She dislikes my way of keeping peace by sparing the enemy commander, Illeion Valtun. She thinks my way of sparing him is dangerous, as it may lead to the king being swayed by mercy and recognition without thinking about the safety of the country. She thinks a king who takes his daughter to war is bad, but a king who does not have the heart to kill his enemies properly and is indecisive will be even worse. Wars will end someday, but a king who is fickle and kind-hearted will constantly endanger the kingdom. "Even harmless things must be killed by the king. Sometimes, even the dogs he raised must be eaten." This is not a way to kill Illeion Valtun, but a way to show that I will not kill those who do not reveal their intentions. It is a way to kill only the wicked. I do not like the way of killing only those who are clearly my enemies. The Duchess speaks to me as if she were raising a child. "Do you plan to persuade the sheep inside the fence, even though the wolves and hyenas are roaming outside the fence with uncontrollable hunger? Do you plan to let them in, even if you don't know if they are wolves in sheep's clothing or not, just because they haven't revealed themselves to be dangerous yet?" The protagonist had no response to the Duchess's words. Illeion Valtun was not a wolf. The Duchess knew that. But she criticized him for letting him in without knowing if he was a dog or a wolf, saying that someday he would let a wolf in sheep's clothing into the fence. "That is the most dangerous tyranny." A king who gives death too freely is a tyrant, but a king who values life too much is a weakling. "My lord." The Duchess kneels before me. And desperately. She pleads, "Please be a cruel king." A king and a saint are different. If you try to become a king in the way of a saint, you will have nothing and be able to protect nothing. That was the plea of the Duchess of Grants.