Chapter 55

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"Oswald, you have your uses."

When Oswald traced his memories, the first thing that came to mind was his father, the king's words.

In the vast audience chamber, he had been pinned down on the red carpet, looking up at his father on the throne. This was right after one of his many magical outbursts, which his father had just sealed.

"At the age of seven, to wield such power. Your magic will eventually become a formidable military force, capable of threatening other nations."

The words were clear in his mind, but his father's face was terribly blurred, as if it had been blacked out.

"That's why I won't kill you. As long as you are useful to me, you are my precious son. ...However, whether to make your existence public is another matter."

"..."

The seal his father had carved was floating on Oswald's neck, around the area where his Adam's apple would appear when he grew up.

His father, a mage, had the seal on the palm of his right hand. Oswald still remembered the pain in his throat from being choked during the sealing.

"Don't look at me like that. If you become rebellious, I'll have to put you under stricter surveillance. You don't want that, do you, Oswald?"

"..."

"If you become too insolent, it would be better to kill you. Understand, and behave yourself."

Then, without listening to a single word from Oswald, his father gave orders to his subordinates.

"Take Oswald back to the tower. If he needs more playmates, send Randolph or Nicholas."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The mages grabbed Oswald's arms and tried to take him away without a word. Oswald, who had been forced to stand up, shook off their hands and tried to walk on his own.

Seeing this, his father laughed.

"...I'm truly grateful that you killed your mother when you were born. That woman intended to hide your existence from me, so you wouldn't be taken away."

"..."

"Good job, my beloved son, Oswald."

As if praising a child for excellent grades, his father said.

"But don't forget. ...A monster like you, who can even kill your own mother, can only live in peace under my protection."

"..."

Oswald did not turn to look at his father. He had understood from a young age that the man was not his father but merely the king.

After being returned to his room, the caretakers greeted him with pale faces.

Only a few people in the castle knew of Oswald's existence. The few subordinates who interacted with the young Oswald all looked at him with fear.

Oswald had once overheard them talking in secret when he was not around.

"---Don't provoke Lord Oswald. If we anger him, we'll be burned to death in an instant."

"How terrifying...!! No matter what, we must avoid making eye contact. Avoid any unnecessary conversation and keep our distance."

Knowing their fear, Oswald never tried to engage with them.

When he was returned to his prison-like room, one corner of the room, a wall, was still frozen. It was due to his magical outburst, which had turned the area into a block of ice.

That evening, his half-brothers entered the room and said while stomping on him.

"Did you hear that, Oswald! The disgrace of the royal family. You're about to be kicked out of this castle, how wonderful!"

"You're going to be sent to a minor baron's family, aren't you? No matter how strong your magic is, or how skilled you are, Father will never recognize you as a prince. Haha, what a sight!"

"You're pitiful, Oswald. If you hadn't been born to a lowly mother, you might have been recognized as our brother! ...But it would have been a nuisance to have a monster like you in the royal bloodline."

His face was reflected in the melting, wet ice like a mirror.

(...Monster...)

Among all the magical attributes, he was not particularly good at ice magic. Apparently, he was fundamentally incompatible with ice due to his bloodline.

But ice made him feel the most at ease.

If he lost control, it was less likely to immediately take someone's life. The most compatible fire magic had killed his mother at birth, so he avoided using it intentionally. As a result, as he grew older, ice magic became the one he lost control of most often.

(I'm a monster. I know that.)

This feeling had always been with him. He pressed his forehead against the frozen wall and closed his eyes.

(If I hadn't been born, people wouldn't have died.)

The image of his mother, which he had seen in portraits, was clearer than the real one known by his father. But it was he, Oswald, who had taken the life of that black-haired woman.

(...How can I be forgiven?)

Oswald had always been thinking about this.

(I need to fight a lot of bad people.)

He wanted to become stronger. If he found someone using violence against the weak, he would confront them, regardless of their age, and fight even if it left him bruised.

(I need to defeat a lot of enemies on the battlefield...)

He aimed to overcome his weakness with ice magic, master all attributes except healing, and become a mage no one could surpass.

(...Then, I'll help a lot of people. I won't abandon anyone who has no one to rely on, like my mother...)

Believing this, he set various goals for himself.

He never lost control of his magic, endured whatever his half-brothers did to him, and remained obedient. Even when they beat him or insulted him, he kept his calm and bowed his head.

When he was ten, he was ordered to attend the magic academy. At first, no one believed in him, but the friends he eventually made were all people with similar burdens. Even Ignatz, who seemed carefree, had his own issues.

But most of those friends, except Ignatz, died on the battlefield.

"Why didn't you save them...?"

After the war, the families of his fallen friends asked Oswald this.

"That child always said, 'Oswald is strong.' 'If he's there, we can't lose,' he would laugh and say..."

Oswald had heard those words himself. His friend would say it as if it were a joke, but his eyes were serious.

"Why didn't you protect our son?"

"...Lady..."

"Lord Langheim, if you had truly tried to help, our son wouldn't have died, would he? If you had prioritized protecting your allies over killing enemies on the battlefield..."

The woman, his friend's mother, said this with her thin shoulders trembling.

"Because you chose to kill rather than protect, that child died, didn't he?"

"..."

Oswald bowed his head, accepting her accusation.

"I have no words to apologize. ...I am truly sorry."

After the war, many people hailed Oswald as a hero. This attention made his father show more interest in him and his half-brothers become even more hostile.

However, there were also those who condemned Oswald. He visited the families of all his fallen comrades. Some of the mages who accompanied him were angry on his behalf.

"Lord Oswald is not to blame. Your friend died because the Holy Maiden Charlotte refused to heal, saying she didn't want to dirty her dress..."

"No. ...I can't forgive the Holy Maiden either, but if they hadn't injured them in the first place, they wouldn't have died. The Holy Maiden's actions are irrelevant to my failure."

"Lord Oswald..."

Many people called Oswald a hero. But what he remembered was the scorched battlefield.

(What I did there... In the end, it was no different from the magic I used to kill my mother.)

After that, Oswald was given various "undesirable things" as a justification for his achievements on the battlefield.

He inherited the Langheim dukedom after his adoptive father died, and became the youngest commander in history. The pinnacle came about two years after the war ended.

"Marry the Holy Maiden, Oswald. Seal all her divine powers and take Charlotte Re Ainsworth as your wife."

His father, the king, ordered him.

Naturally, he felt disgust. To Oswald at that time, Charlotte was undoubtedly a villain and a detestable presence.

"...Your Majesty, I am afraid I do not understand the intent behind your command."

"Do I need to explain? Since I ordered you to marry her, you will."

From his words, Oswald deduced the king's intentions.

(Recently, the number of marriage proposals I receive has become significant. The king probably wants to prevent me from gaining the backing of a noble family and taking unexpected actions. ...If I marry a hated figure like the Holy Maiden, who can be neutralized by sealing her powers, she won't be a threat as my wife.)

The king was likely observing Oswald's movements. He probably suspected that while Oswald was currently beneficial to the country, his future actions were unpredictable.

"In recent years, the Holy Maiden's temper has become unbearable, and I've grown tired of dealing with her. With no major wars now, the need for her healing powers has decreased. ...But I can't let her escape and be acquired by another country."

"..."

At that point, Oswald was looking for a way to refuse. No matter how beautiful she was, even if it was a temporary marriage, he had no intention of marrying such a villain.

"If she becomes too insolent, you can kill her."

The king's words slightly changed Oswald's mind.

"...If she becomes too insolent, it would be better to kill her."

Those words were probably meaningless to the king. But they resonated with Oswald, who remembered his father saying something similar when he was a child.

(If she becomes too insolent, it would be better to kill her.)

(...Is the Holy Maiden a being like me?)

He thought, narrowing his eyes while kneeling.

(No matter how much power one has, or how much one contributes to the country, if they become a hindrance, they will be killed and disposed of. ...I never thought the 'Holy Maiden' and I would be similar in this way.)

For that reason alone, Oswald decided.

"I accept."

He raised his head and looked into the red eyes of the man in front of him.

"The command to take the Holy Maiden Charlotte as my wife. ...I humbly accept."

And so, Oswald was to marry Charlotte.

He used his magic to restrain her resistance, sealed her divine powers with a kiss during the wedding ceremony in the church, and brought her back to his residence.

(The Holy Maiden must hate and despise me.)

But he was used to it.

Few people recognized Oswald's existence unless he achieved something on the battlefield. If Charlotte continued to resist, he would have to kill her in the end. The thought was troublesome, and he even wished she wouldn't wake up.

However, the words Charlotte actually spoke far exceeded Oswald's imagination.

With rosy cheeks and a gaze that seemed to be looking at the most wonderful thing in the world, she said:

"---I have fallen in love with you at first sight!"

[Announcement]

This work will be published as a book!

I am truly grateful for this opportunity, which is thanks to all of your support. Thank you so much!

I will provide more details about the release date and illustrator in the future.

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