Chapter 633

"I am a strange existence without a desire for revenge," said the Duke. There are many who hate him, claiming that he caused all the trouble, but some believe that as a prince of the demon world who destroyed the world for humanity, he has the right to do so. People think that he desires the destruction of humanity due to his perfect and overflowing motivation. However, the Duke was surprisingly prepared for death and even asked for his daughter to be spared. He was my enemy, and he believed that he should give up his life if it meant protecting his daughter. He even felt guilty for the unfair war that was the demon world war. The Duke had been thinking about whether I was using Harriet or if I truly cared for her, and whether I valued her despite being the daughter of his enemy. He had been contemplating his thoughts on his enemy and was considering my request for a truce. We sat in silence for over an hour, both feeling guilty. The Duke was surprised that I had no desire for revenge, not even a little bit, and he couldn't understand it. He sat on the bench, unable to comprehend it. "Does he feel the weight of ten years of contemplation? Honestly, I didn't come here with a light heart either, but the Duke agreed to meet me with a much heavier heart than mine. The leaders of humanity fear me more than I imagined. They fear me and at the same time, they have to acknowledge the legitimacy of my revenge. My actions to subsume rather than exterminate humanity could be seen as forgiveness by some. If that's a good thing, is it really a good thing? Revenge was not in my imagination, so I couldn't even consider it. Instead, those who fear the demon king, not me, were justifying, rationalizing, and giving meaning to my logic of action. But it's okay. The one who has the right to destroy humanity also forgives and rules over them. Some may tremble under that oppression, but some may be grateful for the mercy and generosity of the demon king. Like the Duke's attitude now. '...I think I know what you want.' The Duke knows what I want without me having to say it. 'Do you need my power?' The Duke's knowledge. The Duke's power. And the Duke's territory. And the people. 'Yes.' That is, everything about the Sangtu'an Kingdom. 'Okay...' The Duke nods his head. 'If that can be even a little bit of repayment for all the things I did to you and the demons. Then I have to do it.' 'People will blame you even more.' 'That doesn't matter.' The Duke faintly smiles. 'There is a duty to existence, and I just follow that duty.' The Duke, who thought he was an innocent person, became a guilty person. Even those who thought they should always take the right path and those who thought they had come on the right path realize that they had come on the wrong path at some point when they look back. The Duke finally admits his arrogance. 'If that's the case, I have to do what I can do now.' The judgment that he believed could always be right was overconfident. 'My power is now yours.' There is no one who can always be right. Everyone is like that. The Duke was also such a person. * * * The Sangtu'an Kingdom has decided to stand on my side. It was completely different from what I thought. I was worried about what would happen if the Duke tried to kill me. But the Duke thought he had to cooperate with me even if it was because of the sins he had committed. The process was different from what I had imagined, but I got the result I wanted. 'It would be nice to have a meal, but I don't think it's ready yet.' 'Ah...yes.' He must be talking about something other than a meal. Did the Duke tell his wife that he had prepared for death? Even if he did or didn't, his wife might have a heart attack if she saw me now. Although I confirmed that Hae-ri-ot was safe, the Duke's wife must also be afraid of me as much as the Duke. 'Explain it well. If I come back later, we can meet like before.' I can only see him after the Duke explains everything to his wife. Like before." Translation: When I first came to Arnavia, I couldn't help but feel nostalgic for the Duke's wife and Herriot's brothers who treated me with such great respect. It was a heavy burden at the time. Can we go back to the way things were before? The Duke's words made my heart flutter. Yes, we can go back to the way things were before. Even if we can't undo what's been done, there are things we can undo. The Duke nodded slowly, impressed that there was still a safe place to plant a flag in this harsh land. If it's the Duke, it should be okay. He's not from the South anymore. No, he never was. "If you want, it's okay to stop by." The Duke's eyes widened at my words. "Really?" It's clear that he's excited to be able to see where his daughter has been living all this time. I'm a prince. If I want to do something, I'll do it. But the words of the Duchess that I heard recently passed through my mind. What if you let a wolf or a sheep into the fence and the wolf comes in? The Duke is not just anyone. But it's dangerous for many people to know about Edina. Even Lohen hasn't been to Edina yet. "Um, I'm sorry to say this after getting your hopes up, but I don't think it's something I can decide alone." It's a bit trashy to get someone's hopes up and then disappoint them, but I don't think it's a problem I can decide alone. "But since it's come to this, Herriot might come here occasionally... It's possible..." "Yes, I understand what you mean. If you think that way, it might be better for me not to know. I understand." The Duke nodded his head as if he knew what I was being careful about and told me not to worry. And he seemed to be satisfied with the fact that I don't make decisions about my own world alone. Oh, really. That's why Adelia is in trouble. That's right. Because of the heavy and serious atmosphere, I finally remembered what I had been trying to forget. Adelia. Adelia's problem is stuck in my head and won't go away. "Didn't you say it was okay? You don't have to apologize." "No... that's not it. Thank you for understanding." The Duke was misunderstanding something. What am I going to do? I already knew that the Sangtu'an Duke was a bit of a daughter's fool, but I also knew that he was a proper nobleman and a good person. I didn't want to say anything. Should I try my luck a little? "By the way, about the Titan." The Duke crossed his arms at my words. "I can fully cooperate with whatever you do in the future, but giving you the power of the Titan is impossible." No, that's not what I meant. "However, we still need to talk about the operation of the Titan. As you know, it is a magical weapon that Adelia, your classmate, must operate with me. The device called Master requires two people, so it is impossible for me to operate the Titan alone. But Adelia's problem naturally became the topic of discussion. And if you plan to use the Titan in war... it is clear that there will be tremendous damage. Of course, if I want that, there is nothing the Duke can say, but ultimately, the Duke would not want a large-scale bloodbath. 'No, why would I use it?' 'Ah... I see.' 'It is enough that it will not be used in important situations.' 'Right. If you really need to use the Titan, I don't want to involve that child in any dangerous situation... Honestly, I don't want that.' Yes, with the Duke and Adelia, the Titan can be activated. It is like a safety device, but it may be a weakness of the Titan that it can be operated without anyone's permission if only those two are involved. Adelia may be a genius, but from the Duke's perspective, she is still a child. She would never want to be involved in the power struggle between Darkland and the Empire. Anyway, since Adelia's name has come up without any discomfort, it is an opportunity. 'As for the Titan... Speaking of which, Adelia.' 'Ah, yes.' 'How is she... doing?' Carefully. Without arousing suspicion. Let's hear what the Duke thinks. If I don't know, I don't want to make him know. I just want to confirm if the Duke really doesn't know. In response to my question, the Duke sighed and said, 'Yes, Adelia was very close to our youngest son...' It seems like he thinks I'm asking this because of Herriot's request. This is a good thing. 'I can't say she's doing well, following the battlefield.' It was a bit strange to ask if she was doing well. 'Apart from doing well, she can be considered safe.' I don't want to know if she is safe or not, I want to know what the Duke thinks of Adelia. What should I do? 'What kind of child do you think Adelia is, Your Grace?' I don't know! Let's just ask. 'Once, you said something that stuck with me.' '...Me?' 'You said that you and your friends were going to create something that would surprise the world in a magical research club you made.' Ah, that's what he was talking about. 'I realized that my vision was much narrower than yours.' In the end, Moonshine and Power Cartridge were created. The results I predicted as a non-magician were created. 'Was that also an item that belonged to the future that you knew?' '...Yes.' 'It's interesting that someone who knows that there will be such a thing in the future is talking about the future, but at that time, no one believed it... No, is that what the future is supposed to be?' Who would believe that miraculous and whimsical things would happen? 'There are people who create miracles. Adelia is one of those people. A person whose existence itself is a miracle and a blessing to humanity.' " The Duke's praise for Adelia is probably the highest compliment he can give. But... besides that... What should I say? It's really difficult to pretend to ask about something like this. Do you think she looks like a girl? I can't say that! "If that child is okay, it would be a good thing if she became a member of our family when everything is settled." "....What?" Um... Excuse me? Isn't that not what I meant? No way? "It seems that the third son also likes Adelia quite a bit." I want to die. After talking with the Duke, I came out to the square, sobbing. Honestly, I don't remember what we talked about after that. "Your Highness...?" Eleris, who was flipping her hood from afar, ran over in surprise. "I don't think anything's wrong..." No... Nothing's wrong with me... "Mom..." "...Yes? Yes?" "Mom, I'm going to die..." "Your Highness...?" Mom! It's not really her mom, but she's like a grandmother or something! Waaah! I'd rather be a newborn baby and forget all of this. Eleris hugged me as I suddenly started crying. "C-calm down. I don't know what's going on, but..." Eleris patted my back. I'm dizzy. I'm already dizzy. I heard even more dizzying things. "Curiosity... Curiosity kills not only cats, but also people..." "....What?" We promised not to talk about anything when we went in! Why did you ask something useless when we got in! Oh! I'm such an idiot. Oh.