***

“Damn it, damn it!”

Calix roughly ran his hand through his hair.

“Everyone’s lost their minds.”

He laughed bitterly while speaking irritably.

“Ruel, I should seriously look into exile. Any decent countries out there?”

“Even if you exile yourself, the First Prince will pursue you to eliminate any future threats.”

“Do you think I don’t know that?”

Calix messed up his previously smoothed hair and plopped down on the couch.

“The Emperor, the First Prince, the temple—they’re all insane. Clearly insane.”

His face looked quite complicated as he rubbed it.

“The imperial family is pushing the problem onto the temple, saying it’s their responsibility, and the temple is blaming it back on the imperial family… How, how can they do this?”

“…This wasn’t unexpected, was it, Your Highness?”

Yes, it was a scenario that could have been fully anticipated.

But it seemed Calix had still hoped the imperial family would offer at least some stopgap measures.

“If this continues, we’ll all die according to Morisias’s plan. Ah, the imperial family might survive somehow. They can preserve their lives from the monsters with the imperial forces. Though I don’t know how long that would last.”

Calix leaned back on the couch and closed his eyes.

Though it was now useless information, I remembered that in the original story, Calix continued to attend to state affairs until the end, even after completely breaking down mentally from killing his brothers.

I recalled reading multiple descriptions of him coming home after working through the night.

Moreover, from what I’d observed of Calix so far, he had genuine affection for Posnia.

“So… may I ask what exactly is the imperial family’s position?”

“Maintaining the status quo.”

Calix continued with a self-deprecating smile.

“They seem to plan on waiting until the temple takes responsibility for the dark magic and is destroyed, then pushing for imperial centralism like Desart.”

I was so dumbfounded I couldn’t speak.

Of course, it wasn’t completely wrong.

Preventing Morisias’s resurrection was the role of the temple, the servants of Kemesis.

However, the imperial family was using this as a pretext to destroy the power of the temple, which had been their most threatening rival.

“But in the meantime, the imperial citizens…”

“I know.”

Calix’s fingers drummed on the couch armrest one after another.

It was a habit that emerged whenever he was anxious or deep in thought.

Tap-tap-tap, suddenly the tapping stopped.

He jumped up from his seat and looked at me with a more energetic expression than before.

“Alright. Let’s go with the plan you mentioned.”

“…Pardon?”

I blinked in confusion at his words.

“Didn’t you say I should gain the support of the imperial citizens to become Emperor?”

Was that it? I nodded uncertainly, and he pointed at me.

“I’m going to seriously expand my influence, just as you wished.”

Calix smiled slyly.

“If neither the temple nor the Emperor does anything, then the imperial citizens will have no one to rely on but me, right?”

He commanded with utmost seriousness.

“Ruel. Prepare.”

“But, Your Highness. The forces we have prepared now are meant to counter the First Prince’s rebellion.”

“No, not those forces.”

Calix strode to his desk, pulled out several letters from a drawer, and said.

“These are courtesy letters from provincial nobles, prepared by my exceedingly capable lady-in-waiting.”

I gaped at Calix.

“There are a few useful houses here.”

Calix selected the most ornate-looking letter from the bunch. A letter sealed with a somehow familiar emblem. I felt a sense of déjà vu.

“I see the map is spread out on the table, so it seems you had similar thoughts.”

The letter was placed in the snowy mountain region marked on the map.

“The Grand Duke Peloton of Kundera. How about it? Not bad, right?”

***

The Grand Duke Peloton of Kundera.

The primary contributor to the empire’s victory in the conquest war against the kingdom of Nox thirty years ago.

But the Emperor at that time, Calix’s grandfather, feared the Grand Duke’s growing power and banished him to the north, the most barren land.

And recently, the Grand Duke Peloton had died, and his son had been installed as the new lord.

“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you not to follow me because it’s dangerous.”

“Your Highness, what will you do alone if I don’t come with you! Have you already forgotten what happened in the elven residential area? If you’re attacked by dark magic again…”

But how did the House of Estanya know about and contact Duke Peloton?

They seemed to have wider connections than I thought.

Perhaps they had been working hard out of a desire to return to the center…?

Anyway, Baron Estanya appeared to have contacted everyone he knew, and fortunately, a big fish had taken the bait.

“You were ready to run away and leave me before.”

“No, Your Highness. How was that running away?”

I glared at Calix with all my might.

“…Alright, stop glaring at me like that.”

“If you understand, then stay by my side, Your Highness.”

“I think that’s what I should be saying.”

“What are you talking about? Right now, Morisias is targeting you, not me.”

At my words, Calix asked irritably.

“Are you really going to come?”

“Lord Ruel also told me to go with you.”

“…What? Don’t tell me you told Ruel?”

I nodded. In the current situation, I didn’t think he would kill me even if Ruel mentioned that I was summoned by Morisias.

After all, I had boldly defied Morisias and escaped.

“This is maddening. Don’t you have any sense of caution?”

“The elves you captured will spill everything anyway, won’t they? I judged that it wouldn’t hurt for him to know in advance. Besides, my alibi is now solid.”

“Alibi?”

“Evidence proving my innocence. Everyone saw my book purifying the dark magic.”

Calix looked at me with a truly troubled expression.

“So, you’re saying you want to leave the palace with me, where monsters are swarming outside? Because I’m in danger?”

“How many times are you going to ask? I said I’m going!”

His repetitive questioning was irritating.

He’s still dissatisfied even when I offer to go with him.

“If any monsters approach me, I’ll slash them with the dagger you gave me. Despite appearances, I have a record of stabbing the High Priest of Fate four times, Your Highness.”

“…I gave you that for self-defense, not for combat.”

Calix looked at me incredulously.

“Then I’ll learn swordsmanship from Lord Ruel.”

“Why learn from him?”

“Ah, is he too busy? Then perhaps from one of the knights under him…”

At my words, Calix gritted his teeth in a smile and then called out to someone.

“Come out.”

Suddenly, a man with a long tail dropped from thin air.

“Oh my!”

Startled by the man’s sudden appearance, I hid behind Calix’s back.

Regardless of my surprise, Calix continued with a calm face.

“He’s a shadow.”

At his words, I peeked out and examined the suddenly appeared man.

Cat ears and a long tail. And eyes slightly different from a human’s.

Could it be that cheetah beastman from before?

“Ah, hello?”

The man’s tail flicked upward.

“Human…”

Then he abruptly brought his nose close to me and started sniffing.

Frowning at this, Calix pressed his finger against the man’s forehead and pushed him away.

“Protect this woman when I’m not around.”

“Above protecting you?”

The man tilted his head and looked up at Calix.

“Yes, prioritize her safety over mine, guard her from any threat. And maintain your distance from her. Is that clear?”

The man nodded at Calix’s words.

Then, swishing his tail, he vanished from sight.

I was dumbfounded.

What just…

“Only use the dagger in truly urgent situations. Don’t even think about fighting dangerously.”

“That man just dropped from thin air and then suddenly disappeared, what is this…”

“It’s magic. So stop looking so bewildered. Why are you only surprised by strange things?”

Calix said, flicking my hair with his finger.

“Let’s go.”

Before I could realize where we were going, he wrapped his arm around my waist and tore a scroll.

I inhaled sharply at the sudden contact.

This guy, he didn’t seem like it, but he keeps touching me so casually. A habitual offender.

Really.