After the day of the emergency summons, a stir ran through the nobles at the academy.
The cause was an invitation that had arrived for each of them.
Nobles received letters and invitations for all sorts of reasons. That happened constantly. But this invitation was different.
Its sender was none other than Ex de Dritania.
Every noble who received it found the same question coming to mind.
What was he after?
The contents of the letter were entirely ordinary.
"As a newly appointed Imperial Prince, I wish to make the acquaintance of all of you who bear the grave responsibility of governing the nation and representing its people, and to discuss the future governance of the empire…."
The usual predictable words. Nothing more than formalities.
The nobles didn't believe a word of it.
There had to be an intention hidden behind them.
The problem was that they had no information from which to work out what that intention might be.
When Ex became the Hero and then an Imperial Prince, most of the nobles had hurried to arrange an audience with him.
But the succession of national disasters had prevented those meetings from taking place.
As a result, all they had was scattered, fragmentary information about Ex.
They didn't know what he wanted, which meant they couldn't know what he intended.
There was only one thing they could reasonably guess.
He was trying to gather support for some purpose.
To find out what that purpose was, they would have to attend.
Nobles, after all, always moved where power was gathering.
Leon was among those who reacted to the news.
"He's trying to gather the nobles?"
Leon could scarcely believe his ears.
Something completely different from what he'd expected was unfolding.
Frey, who heard the news with him, looked displeased.
"He's only just become an Imperial Prince, and now he's suddenly gathering nobles on such a large scale…. It's difficult to see that in a favorable light."
"…"
The other members of the party didn't look especially pleased, either.
Rosaria wore an uncomfortable expression, and Diana narrowed her eyes.
Circe was the only one absent.
"What do the rest of you think?"
At Leon's question, everyone began considering the matter.
Only Rosaria merely pretended to be thinking it over.
Frey was the first to speak.
"He wants to establish his position as an Imperial Prince…. That's the only way I can see it. He didn't seem like the kind of person who cared about power…. Why would the goddess choose someone like that…?"
Disappointment lingered in the last of Frey's words.
Frey had already taken a personal dislike to Ex. This incident gave her yet another reason to dislike him, and made that feeling even stronger.
"He must have gotten a taste of power."
Diana had nothing favorable to say, either.
"Even before he became the Hero, he was obsessed with that goal of getting revenge. He's easily swayed by his emotions, so it makes sense. Getting a taste of power must have changed him."
Diana's blunt accusations hung in the air.
Leon offered no particular response to them.
"Rosaria, what do you think?"
He merely asked for Rosaria's opinion in a calm voice.
Rosaria's shoulders gave a twitch at Leon's question. With an exaggerated tone of voice, she did her best to come up with an opinion that would fit what the others were saying.
"I-I feel kind of the same way! I thought becoming the Hero meant he was a good person…. I-I didn't expect him to start acting like that already!"
"…Are you all right? Your voice is shaking."
"Me? I'm fine! Completely fine!"
At that answer, Frey gave her a heavy-lidded look.
"Rosaria, why are you lying? What are you hiding?"
"M-me? I'm not! What would I be hiding…?"
"You haven't forgotten who I am, have you?"
"No, I know. I know, but…."
Frey's eyes narrowed further and further.
At last, Rosaria sighed as though she couldn't hold out any longer.
"…The truth is, I'm against dropping out of the academy. I'm just confused about all of this."
The unexpected answer startled the other members of the party.
It was quite rare for Rosaria to oppose Leon's opinion like this. She might cause trouble, but once a decision was made, she was the sort of person who always went along with it.
Leon quickly recognized the reason for her change of heart.
"Is this because of Circe?"
Rosaria nodded, watching for their reactions.
"I understand why you want to hurry now that the Demon King's back. But we're not even as strong as we were in our previous lives. And if we go without Circe, too…. No matter how I look at it, we don't have a chance of winning."
"But you know this, too. If we don't act, the world will be in danger. Now that the Demon King's returned, no one is safe."
"That's why I understand your decision to leave the empire to the new Hero…. But even aside from that, we don't have enough strength. We need to be stronger. And think about what's happening now. Is dropping out really the right thing for us to do at this point? It's not as if the Demon King's coming to attack us this instant."
Rosaria presented a fairly logical argument.
The others were somewhat surprised to hear that sort of argument coming from her. Soon, however, they too sank into serious thought about the problem.
They were weaker than in their previous lives, and they didn't have Circe. Under those circumstances, going to the Demon Realm would look like suicide to anyone. Obtaining the Holy Sword in the Theocracy wouldn't change that.
"Even so, someone has to act."
But Leon had no intention of changing his mind.
"I'll try to persuade Circe to come with us. But whether she joins us or not, we're going to the Theocracy to get the Holy Sword. After that, we'll complete the Hero's Trials and recover our strength."
Leon wasn't preparing to set out without any plan at all.
He had discussed the matter at length with Frey, and they had a plan of their own.
Once the plan was decided, all that remained was to act on it.
"We don't have time to spare anymore. If we leave the Demon King alone, the world will be plunged into another terrible age, just like a hundred years ago."
"We could ask the empire for help. The fate of the whole world is at stake. It's strange for us to be the only ones doing anything."
"…The empire would try to use our power and our position for political purposes. We all had more than enough of that in our previous lives. Unfortunately, there's no force that will fight alongside us."
"Well, that's… true…."
Rosaria let the end of her words fade until no one else could hear them.
She wanted to argue, but she couldn't do that yet.
For now, all she could do was sigh.
"Then how about watching what happens here before we decide?"
Rosaria squeezed out the suggestion as best she could.
"I think we need to find out first whether Ex is someone we can trust…. If he really is trying to gain power, the way we think he is…."
That made everyone imagine the worst possible outcome.
If Ex wanted the imperial throne, there was only one worst-case result.
"Civil war in the empire…."
"Exactly. The empire is a wall that protects us, and it could come down in a civil war. We have to prevent that much, at least. Even if we have to beat some sense into Ex, or whatever it takes…."
"But we don't have time…."
"You need time to persuade Circe anyway, don't you? If we're going to drop out, I think we should clear up everything that's still bothering us before we leave. And Diana, you still need to tell your family about this, too."
"That's true…."
Rosaria's words left everyone quiet.
The mood suggested that she was winning them over.
They were all privately astonished to find themselves being persuaded by Rosaria's logic. Even so, none of them could think of anything to say in reply.
They hadn't expected her to talk like this. She had always been someone who followed a decision rather than someone who persuaded others to make one.
Frey was the one who found the situation suspicious.
"…Somehow, what you're saying sounds rather like Circe."
"M-me? Exactly like Circe?! That can't be right!"
"I didn't say exactly like her…."
"Maybe a little of her rubbed off on me after spending years together in our last lives?! I-I can grow as a person, too, you know? Maybe that's all it is!"
Frey gave Rosaria a sidelong look from beneath half-lowered lids.
Then, instead of pressing her, she sighed.
"As Rosaria says, I think we do need to see what happens. Leon, let's watch Ex's situation before we make our decision. If he really is trying to take the imperial throne…."
At that possibility, Leon's eyes took on a fierce look.
"Then we'll have to set him straight—even if we have to beat him to do it."
A chilling determination quietly settled over them.
Watching it happen, Rosaria swallowed with a dry throat.
She'd done what she'd been told…! But was this really right, Ex?!
Rosaria quietly concealed the little communicator she had been holding in her hand. It was about the size of a coin. From the other end, Circe's quiet voice reached her ears alone.
"That should do it. Good work, Rosaria. Keep an eye on Leon for a while now. Don't forget that you're the key to this operation."
Without saying anything, Rosaria simply closed her eyes and sighed.
She had done everything she could.
Now she could only pray that things would go according to plan.
"…"
Frey watched her with suspicion in her eyes.
* * *
Time passed, and the appointed hour arrived.
Most of the academy's young noblemen and young noblewomen gathered in one place.
No noble would dare refuse an Imperial Prince's invitation.
Except for those with unavoidable circumstances, they had all come.
The location specified in the invitation was Ex's mansion.
With more than fifty guests in attendance, it was a fairly large banquet.
It was only after the nobles had gathered in the mansion's hall that they began to feel how strange this gathering was. What they were seeing matched the rumors they had heard, and that was what made it feel so wrong.
That person was definitely from the noble faction….
What was someone from the imperial faction doing here?
There were nobles who maintained their neutrality here, too….
Just as they'd heard, every noble had been invited, regardless of faction.
Usually, someone holding a banquet for a particular purpose would invite the members of one particular faction. That way, it was easier to keep information under control and to bring everyone to agreement about what should be done.
But Ex seemed unconcerned with such considerations.
He seemed not to care whether the guests supported his intentions or not.
He had summoned every faction.
That alone was enough to offend a great many of the nobles.
How arrogant.
The feeling arose naturally.
How suspicious.
And their distrust of Ex continued to deepen.
In that banquet hall, filled with displeasure and dark suspicion, a voice rang out.
"I see you've been waiting a while."
Ex appeared.
"It's not every day we have a banquet, and yet none of you seem to be enjoying yourselves. What's the matter? You're acting as though your enemies are standing right in front of you."
Dressed in a black tailcoat, Ex wore an indifferent expression.
As though their thoughts and feelings were of no concern to him.
"Now that you've come here, set your past ties aside. We share the greater purpose of making the empire a better nation, after all."
Ex calmly invented words that sounded suitably impressive.
Naturally, no one was satisfied with impressive-sounding words alone.
"Prince Ex, this seems a somewhat boisterous setting in which to discuss matters of such importance."
One noble spoke with a hint of displeasure in his voice.
What he really wanted to know was why Ex had called them here.
"It may appear that way. However…."
Ex gave a nod as though acknowledging the point.
But the words that followed didn't match the gesture.
"We have gathered to celebrate an auspicious new beginning. What could be more appropriate for such an occasion than a banquet?"
"A new beginning…? What do you mean?"
Ex slowly made his way toward the middle of the banquet hall.
"Now that His Majesty Emperor Drakan has returned to the throne, many of you here must find yourselves in a difficult position. His Majesty Emperor Drakan is an immense force simply by virtue of his existence."
It was true.
Drakan was a martial artist who had reached the 8-Star level.
Every Imperial Knight Order wielded its swords solely for Emperor Drakan, who had attained that supreme realm. His attainment alone was enough to command their respect.
And that wasn't all. When someone possessed that much raw fighting power, struggles conducted in the shadows became meaningless.
If necessary, he could simply crush his opponents with force. What secret maneuvering could anyone carry out against that, and what meaning could it have?
A great many of the nobles in this room had given up on pursuing power early on.
"Those are somewhat disrespectful words, Your Highness."
Of course, what Ex had just said left room for a dangerous misunderstanding.
Even an Imperial Prince had things he could say and things he ought not to say.
If anyone rashly expressed agreement with that statement, they could find themselves accused of disrespect toward the emperor.
That applied all the more to Ex. He was not a blood relative of the imperial family; he had been made an Imperial Prince as an adopted son.
"…"
"…"
"…"
An uneasy, hostile mood spread among the nobles.
Drakan might be the emperor and the absolute ruler of the empire, and he might have declared Ex an Imperial Prince. That didn't mean everyone accepted it.
For now, they were only keeping quiet because Ex had a legitimate claim as the Hero, and because he enjoyed the backing that came with friendly relations with Drakan's imperial family.
Nobles were the sort of people who bit into anyone seated high above them the moment that person exposed a weakness.
There was only one reason the young noblemen and young noblewomen here were keeping their mouths shut.
They still couldn't tell what Ex intended.
"By now, you must be wondering why I invited all of you here."
Ex began to speak, offering to satisfy that curiosity.
"Before I get to the main point, there is something I would like to explain. I invited each of you because I judged you to be people suited to what I am about to discuss. You have the abilities and qualifications it calls for. In other words, I didn't simply invite people at random."
That went without saying.
If he had invited people indiscriminately, they would have been even more offended.
Fortunately, the people gathered here were high-ranking nobles.
And, at that, nobles high-ranking enough that they could be expected to wield some influence within the empire.
A few people felt that something was strange about that fact.
"Now, I think it's time we came to the main point."
Ex spoke arrogantly, with a crooked smile.
"I was chosen by the goddess. That means my words are the goddess's words, and my will is the goddess's will. Whatever you may think about it, that will not change."
The hostility directed toward Ex grew visibly stronger.
There were a great many people here who refused to accept his very presence because he had been born a commoner.
It didn't matter.
Ex ignored them all.
"In accordance with the goddess's will, I make this declaration before you."
Standing amid the people at the heart of imperial power, Ex raised his voice.
"I will become the new order of this empire. Anyone who refuses to follow me in this will be considered an opposing force. And those who oppose me will have no place to stand once the new order is established. Make your decision here and now."
No one failed to understand what Ex had said.
He had just dared to declare that he would ascend the imperial throne.
At a time when Darius had already been chosen as Crown Prince.
"Will you remain in the old era? Or will you follow the goddess's will and move forward into a new era?"
Those words forced the nobles to choose.
Darius might have firmly established his position as Crown Prince.
But Ex, too, had a claim to legitimacy: he had been chosen by the goddess.
Being able to say that he had been chosen as the Hero gave Ex an immensely powerful claim to legitimacy.
With that claim, he could obtain the full, unreserved support of the Theocracy.
Was Ex a rotten rope that would snap in their hands, or a path leading somewhere new?
While the young noblemen and young noblewomen wrestled with what might be the most consequential decision of their lives, one person, at least, reached his decision immediately.
"Ex…! How dare you use your selection as the Hero for something like this…! And you still have the nerve to run your mouth about being chosen by the goddess?!"
A man seething with anger came forward through the crowd.
Ex's eyes sharpened as he fixed the man with a glare.
"Leon. This is a gathering for those who govern the empire. You have no place here. Why are you here?"
The man was Leon.
Leading three members of his party, with only Circe absent, Leon came toward Ex with rough, angry strides.
His anger was entirely sincere.
He was disappointed and furious that Ex was wielding the goddess's choice merely as a means to gain power.
"I trusted you to protect the empire because the goddess chose you. But you're repaying that trust like this…!"
"Like this? What is that supposed to mean? Did you ever say a single word to me about what you wanted me to do? Or am I supposed to work out what's in your head and do a good job of it all on my own?"
"You son of a bitch…!"
Just as Leon reached out to grab Ex by the collar, Ex gave an order.
"Restrain him."
Two members of the Imperial Bodyguard appeared and bore down on Leon.
They were the knights assigned to guard the Imperial Prince's mansion.
Leon grunted as the two knights' swift, precise joint attack left him no chance to respond. He fell forward onto the floor, and they pinned both of his arms.
"Leon!"
"What do you think you're doing…!"
His horrified companions rushed forward.
"All of you, stay where you are."
Before they knew it, a dozen or so members of the Imperial Bodyguard had surrounded the party.
Faced with the bodyguards standing in their way with drawn swords, Leon's companions had no choice but to stop.
Ex looked at Leon's party, subdued by the Imperial Bodyguard, as though the sight stirred no feeling in him at all.
"Did you think I would do this without thinking it through? How ridiculous. Did you imagine I've been sitting around like an idiot since becoming an Imperial Prince?"
That was enough for the nobles to realize something.
Ex had already won the knights over to his side.
"Hey, thickheaded Hero. Listen carefully."
Ex dropped into a squat in front of Leon with a flippant air. He looked down at the man struggling on the floor and spoke in an arrogant tone.
"You told me yourself. Once you'd been chosen as the Hero, everything you did was the goddess's will. The same applies to me. My choices are the goddess's will."
"You've just gone mad with power…! There's no way that garbage is the goddess's will…!"
"Hahaha. What you do is reasonable, and what I do is madness. Yes, that sounds exactly like you, Leon Brave."
Ex seized Leon by the hair and hauled his head up as though he meant to tear it out by the roots.
Leon's burning fury collided with Ex's cold hatred.
"Listen carefully, Leon Brave. The new age is coming, and there's no place in it for a washed-up bastard like you. You're like a field of thorns made of nothing but self-righteousness and stubbornness. You're so lost in the delusion that you can save the world all by yourself that you can't even see reality, you fucking idiot."
"Are you seriously telling me that what you're doing here is going to save the world…!"
"Have I ever said, even once, that I intended to save the world?"
"What…? Guh…!"
Ex violently slammed Leon's head down against the floor.
Leon wasn't someone who would be injured by an impact of that strength.
But being held there, unable to do a single thing about it, made him feel helpless. That helplessness scraped painfully at his pride.
Ex didn't care.
"I will rise to stand above everything and lead the way into a new age. If anyone stands in my way, I'll remove them myself. Leon, you're no exception. So don't interfere."
Ex waved a hand as though the mood had been spoiled.
As Leon and his party were dragged away by the Imperial Bodyguard, Ex merely sneered and tossed one more remark after them.
"Go on living for your own smug satisfaction, like you always have, and drop dead along with your girlfriends. Unless you'd rather die by my hand."
"Ex…!"
And so Leon, who had caused the disturbance, was hauled away as he struggled furiously.
His rage, burning all the hotter for his helplessness, lingered in the air.
The nobles had watched the entire scene without so much as an audible breath.
And they understood.
"Now, everyone. This is your last chance."
The person standing before them was not the Ex they thought they knew.
"Choose."
He was something else, looking toward a different horizon and standing in a different age.
"Will you fall behind, like that vermin being dragged out? Or will you move ahead with me, standing here before you?"
Under that cold gaze, all of them could only hold their breath.
Watching their reactions, Ex privately let out a sigh of relief.
…That ought to be enough.
The operation had worked exactly as intended.
By now, Leon would have decided that Ex was a villain he must never trust again.
There was no question about that much: Leon would never choose to drop out of the academy and leave the empire in Ex's hands now.
…Now, who would stay?
Along the way, Ex could also identify the nobles who still harbored ambitions for imperial power and place them under surveillance.
That was the operation's second purpose. Removing unnecessary sources of uncertainty was the wisest course, after all.
He felt as though he always ended up playing this sort of role. Perhaps there was no helping it.
For the sake of the operation, he had played the part of a villain who had gone mad with the desire for power. Ex had read hundreds of novels by now. All he had to do was pick a suitable villain from any one of them and borrow that character for his performance. That much was easy.
Naturally, Darius knew in advance that Ex intended to put on this performance. Ex had also obtained permission from Drakan, the emperor himself. With that settled, he had given the act everything he had, so that no one watching could suspect for even a moment that he was playing a part.
But there was one thing Ex had overlooked.
…Huh?
His Orator talent. The quality of the villainous performance he had just delivered. And the wretched sight of Hero Leon being dragged away, powerless.
Combined, those things had been far too frightening for the young noblemen and young noblewomen here, who were still only students, to endure.
Anyone who would have dared defy Ex in this room had never come to the banquet in the first place.
As a result….
"I-I will obey Prince Ex…."
"I-I will stand with you, Lord Ex…."
"Our family wishes to walk into the new age…."
Everyone gathered in the room knelt and bowed their head before Ex.
In their hearts, they still hadn't decided whether they truly meant to follow Ex. But, whatever decision they eventually made, they had learned one thing with absolute certainty.
The moment they looked down on Ex because he had been born a commoner and rashly tried to defy him, they would be putting their own lives in danger.
…Ah. That ruined everything.
The nobles' conclusion was nothing more than a completely absurd misunderstanding.
Unfortunately for Ex, it was the beginning of a very serious problem.
–TL Notes–
Tired of seeing Ads? Then please support me on Patreon! Any tier of subscription will make it so you won't get any ads!
If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/InsanityTheGame
Join my Discord! https://discord.gg/BWaP3AHHpt