Previous Chapter l Next Chapter

Fights for the inheritance were pretty natural even in the history of Earth. 

This isn’t only limited to the related party that wants authority, but also the mothers who would go as far as eliminating the other competition for her own child to hold hegemony, and even retainers who would forge a will of the king to have their desired master rule and protect their own future. 

If we were to compare their gruesomeness, many of the big nations in this world are managing to pass things on to the next generation peacefully, and Serende is closer to the reality that I know. 

Serende is one of the major powers that don’t know the threat of the Nethers. 

The leeway to face the nearby countries and their own country must have created this environment.

If they just had a king as a symbol like Torin does, things might have been a bit more peaceful, but…the era still hasn’t caught on to awaken democracy. 

It is because they were beast type demi-humans with strong awareness of being demi-humans that they managed to walk a different path. 

“Let’s leave Torin aside.” 

From what I have learned in my investigation of Serende’s history, each generation is on the throne for an extremely long time. 

Their lifespan being longer than your regular person must be one of the reasons. 

But what stands out the most is how short of a life the royal family members that didn’t become the ruler have.

There’s a lot who would die from a disease or accidents. 

Them being assassinated is the most logical conclusion, but…it should be better to assume that this is accepted in Serende considering the fact that it isn’t written correctly in history. 

“The scariest ones are people once monsters are gone…” 

“Right. People can easily hold hands for a common enemy, but if there isn’t, they would fear to even offer their hand. It is truly pitiful that they can’t calm down without an enemy.” 

“…Who is your enemy, Murshto?” 

It has been a week and Murshto has been showing up every day and staying around. 

We mostly speak of the important stuff at night, and we are currently only gathering the information you could get around anywhere like the history of Serende, so there’s no issue, but…it also makes me wonder if it is fine to not protect Hilmera. 

“Right now it is all the royalty aside from Washekt-sama. You probably don’t know since you haven’t seen the conversations between them, but their reception is terribly cold.” (Murshto)

“Pretty much what I would expect.” 

“Hilmera-sama is not involved in politics, Nuphsa-sama looks exemplar as a tool in the eyes of anyone even with that personality of his, and Washekt-sama looks like a useful pawn, but Hilmera-sama is only seen as competition.” (Murshto)

The way Nuphsa acts is certainly ideal. 

He shows an attitude that isn’t suitable to be a king, and is showing results that would make him the best personnel to help out in politics. 

For Chisante and Yumis, it would be better for them to take the throne by the proper means, and use him afterwards instead of assassinating him in the shadows. 

Washekt has also given up the throne himself and has secured a position that would make him a convenient pawn. 

Compared to that, Hilmera who continues acting like a princess must not look cute for the throne candidates. 

“The amount of deaths by illness, are they really from poisoning?” 

“Most of them. You have investigated our medical techniques to a certain degree, right?” (Murshto)

“The medical techniques of Serende rely more on medicines compared to other countries after all.” 

Things like medicine and magic stones are intermediaries for magic treatments. Magic is the main constituent of medical treatments in this world where there’s magic. 

But this is something that I noticed when I was hospitalized in a facility of Serende. There’s quite a lot of types of medicines in Serende. 

There’s no doubt that most of them can be utilized together with magic treatment, but the research is clearly more advanced than other countries. 

If magic is 80% and medicine is 20% in other countries, Serende is 50 and 50. 

This is most likely because of the difference in their history. 

It is exactly because there was a reason for the research of medicine to advance that the development of healing magic fell behind. 

The reason why medicine was prioritized over magic is because medicine was more convenient.

What kind of environment is that? 

Basically, assassination. 

It is hard to kill someone with poison using magic, so the culture of medicine was developed. 

“Poisons with no scent and taste are a given. That’s why royalty requires poison tasters no matter what. The respective royal family members have their personal route for ingredients, and they are thorough with their supervision.” (Murshto)

“Designated merchants, designated transporters, and designated cooks, huh. I don’t think I would be able to ask them which restaurant would be good.” 

“I can guide you to the one I recommend. How about tonight?” (Murshto)

“…I will refrain.” 

As long as Purple, who is the one in charge of tonight’s dinner, is looking over here, that’s the only answer I can give. 

I was a bit interested in the cuisine of Serende, but let’s endure until this matter is over. 

Aah, it is a bit late to realize, but that was the reason why Washekt prepared a large amount of ingredients, huh.

Makes sense. 

I am honestly grateful to have someone like Murshto who is from Serende and knows the royal family to a certain degree. 

He likes to chat, so he is supplementing information just by organizing the information we got. 

I feel a lot of issues with how he says things, but he is properly maintaining distance.

As long as I get used to the strength of his gaze, I won’t feel any discomfort even when he is together with me. 

“Ah, right. I have sad news. I won’t be able to come here for a few days from tomorrow on. I have to go out of the capital to do an errand for Hilmera-sama.” (Murshto)

“There’s nothing sad about that though. Well, it is not a happy one either. In the first place, Princess Hilmera would be bored if you were to stay for so long.” 

“Not really. Hilmera-sama doesn’t like going out to begin with. This city is pretty much under the control of the other royalty to begin with.” (Murshto)

There’s people who have political power aside from the royalty that has an army. 

One of them are the nobles that have been left with the management of land, and the other ones are the merchants that are carrying the economy on their shoulders. 

It is pretty similar to other countries when it comes to nobles, but it is a bit different when it comes to the merchants. 

There’s normal merchants, but there’s a group that’s like the face of the outside. 

They don’t leave the security of the city to the country, but protect it with their personal forces they have established. 

It sounds nice, but what the citizens are doing is ‘you must not catch their eye by any means’. 

Basically, their crimes in itself have not come to light, but they are kind of like a gang. 

When Ekdoik and the others were gathering information in the city, they reported to me that they were clearly being observed. 

It is most likely the people who are connected to those companies. 

“The nobles get along with Princess Yumis and the merchants to Prince Chisante.” 

“You have a keen eye. Well, you can tell if you look at the moves of Chisante-sama though.” (Murshto)

It is natural for the soldiers of Serende to protect the public order. 

But the current state of things is that the merchants have created turfs, and are allowing them to maintain their own public order. 

Chisante is the one who is in charge of managing the Serende soldiers, so it should be fine to assume that it in essence means that Chisante has allowed it. 

If Chisante has a thick connection with the merchants, that would mean the nobles are on the side of Yumis by process of elimination. 

“As for Nuphsa…it would be the government officials or something. The ones with the highest possibility to take the throne would be Prince Chisante and Princess Yumis when considering the influence.” 

Prince Chisante obviously has allies in the nobles and Princess Yumis as well the other way. 

But the people of their respective classes are agreeing to support their respective candidate. 

If these are the cards they are showing, then their trump cards would be things that utilize this. Things like gathering funds in the background. 

What I can think of is that their secrets would be that they are doing inhumane acts or doing crimes that touch on the laws. Of course they would think of me as a hindrance if I am trying to unveil that. 

“What do you think about this?” (Ilias)

“There were merchants who were observing people as if they were appraising them at the previous banquet. If they are really people involved in human trafficking, it would mean that the royalty is siphoning off from that.” 

“So you are saying the royalty is not only overlooking evil, but actively helping them out…? I find it hard to believe.” (Ilias)

It seems like Ilias let her words come out from the difference there is to her own country. 

She has the sword of Murshto, so she looks like a double sword wielding knight at a glance which is a bit cool. 

I asked her about fighting with a double sword style the other day, but she said ‘it is obviously stronger to hold a sword with both hands’ and sliced up the possibility, so I don’t think I will ever have the chance to see Ilias dual wielding swords though.

“The knights of Taizu must be happy. You can support your lord with a straightforward heart without being hindered.” (Murshto)

“I won’t deny that, but that way of putting it sounds like we are lukewarm.” (Ilias)

“I apologize if that sounded like an insult. But it is true that I am jealous. For us, the lord we serve is justice and everyone else is evil. We may get used to it eventually, but we also have to kill our own emotions. There’s no soldiers in Serende who have straightforward eyes like you.” (Murshto)

Serende is more like Earth compared to the other major countries. 

The Yugura Church that Yugura Nariya created, the threat of the Nethers that were created by the Demon Lords; the world has been constructed in its purest form because they have no influence from these factors. 

It disgusts me a bit that this might be what they would originally look like. 

“But Murshto, I think your eyes look pure enough though.” 

“I am simply an irregular. I was told that life may be needed, but the heart is unnecessary.” (Murshto)

“The heart is unnecessary…?” 

“I definitely would have died if Hilmera-sama hadn’t picked me up. That’s why I have the duty to use this life of mine for the sake of Hilmera-sama in order to repay her. I agreed when Hilmera-sama told me this. But Hilmera-sama added: ‘However, your heart is your own. Maintain your own color without being dyed by me’.” (Murshto)

Murshto was picked up by Hilmera 8 years ago. 

Hilmera should have been 6 years old at that time. What an incredible thing to say. 

But I can understand why she said that. 

She most likely didn’t want Murshto to end up like the subordinates of Chisante.

“…But can you really say you haven’t offered your heart?” 

“I don’t know. It is true that those words gave me a lot of peace of mind. I ended up liking Hilmera-sama and have been together with her, wanting to protect her. You could say my heart has been grabbed in a sense. But it is different now. I may offer my life to Hilmera-sama, but now I have someone I want to offer my heart to.” (Murshto)

Murshto directed a cute smile at me and my heart skipped a beat for a bit there. 

Way too straightforward love with nothing in between is bad for the heart of people who continue hiding their own heart. 

I thought I had gotten used to it with Purple, but I simply got used to the person herself. I feel like it will take a bit more time before I can get used to Murshto.

“Oh my, if you love someone, shouldn’t you be offering both your body and heart?” (Purple)

However, what I can’t get used to the most would be this atmosphere. 

Purple interjected in the approach of Murshto as if saying ‘I am enduring because you are a guest, but I won’t restrain myself if you go any further, okay?’.

“Aha! You have an awfully innocent view on love despite your flashy appearance, Purple Demon Lord. Could this possibly be your first love? Then, it can’t be helped that you don’t know how much you can hold back. But a warning here. Offering your everything even though the other party doesn’t want it is only overbearing, you know.” (Murshto)

“You…” (Purple)

Ah, he told her straight what she was slightly worrying about. 

She herself is also aware that she is more assertive than your regular person. No, it is not like she is overbearing, you know? It is just that I don’t have the resistance. 

“In contrast, Ilias is doing well. She is maintaining a distance that’s comfortable for him because of her stiff personality.” (Murshto)

“Stiff—wait, I am not. I simply want to protect him as a person.” (Ilias)

“If you are like that, you won’t be invited on free days, you know? You will end up waiting all alone for a whole day, curled up at the entrance.” (Murshto)

“!” 

Oi, Murshto, stop digging out past experiences as if you have seen through them.

We simply missed each other! If I knew Ilias was free, I would have invited her! 

“Murshto, you shouldn’t bully Ilias and Purple-san even if it is the truth!” (Wolfe)

Wolfe, who was helping out in the cooking, noticed that Purple was taking too long in returning, and jumped in after coming to check. 

But that’s just twisting the knife, you know? They are both making faces that say they have been hit in the back. I kind of feel like she did it on purpose, but I won’t touch on that, okay? 

“It wasn’t my intention to bully them. The dedication of the Purple Demon Lord and the stiffness of Ilias as a knight have their own charms. I simply warned them about what would happen if they could put it to full use. Your own strengths turning into weak points, and your weak points turning into strengths depends on the self-awareness of the person themselves.” (Murshto)

“Muh…” 

What I can say for sure is that there’s no one within these girls who can win against Murshto in a debate. 

I feel like Wolfe has the qualities to be good in debates, but I didn’t want to see her beating up someone with facts and logic, so I haven’t guided her much in that path.

“Wolfe, you watch him closely, and I am sure you are faithful to his teachings. That earnestness is without doubt a strength, but you must not feel fear there. In the eyes of the people that don’t try to see your good points, you only look like a coward that is terribly scared of being hated by your important person.” (Murshto)

“Aah…” (Wolfe)

“So you say, but you yourself only look like someone who is trying to get the advantage purely with words, Murshto.” 

Ilias and Purple can stand back up by themselves, so it is fine, but Wolfe has a pretty naive side to her, so I decided to help her out before he makes her feel too bad. 

“…I see, so you cover for Wolfe. Aren’t you being a bit too overprotective? Playing favorites like that might not be good for her.” (Murshto)

“…” 

“Anyone would do that after getting to the third person… I would have stopped it if it was anyone but Rakura.” 

“Shishou, I don’t think that’s good either.” (Wolfe)

“Let’s leave it at that then. It is far more fun to talk with you anyways.” (Murshto)

70% teasing, 20% a heartfelt warning, and the remaining is… That’s basically how it is. 

Him being this blunt must be a habit he got from interacting with HIlmera. 

With how things are, I feel like Hilmera herself has also been trained a lot by Murshto. 

“I don’t really like using words that see through the real feelings of the other person to punch them though.” 

“But you are good at it, right?” (Murshto)

“I don’t admire the act of being mean towards others out of jealousy.” 

That’s the reason why Murshto went out of his way to use words that would stab at those 3. 

Basically, he is jealous of Ilias and the others who can be with me, and ended up being mean. 

Murshto went ‘hmm’ and scratched his head. 

It seems like he is choosing his words, but…

“…I would only be losing here if I get too riled up, huh. Yeah, sorry, you three.” (Murshto)

“I-It is okay… I don’t really mind…” (Ilias)

“I wouldn’t be me if I were to get shaken by your words, you know?” (Purple)

If I were to say ‘you were super shaken though’, I would be scared at night, so let’s not. 

But Murshto gave up easily. 

He must have honestly admitted his fault after acknowledging his current feelings. 

These types of people who can reflect immediately like this not only wouldn’t have their hearts break with one or two failures, they would grow even more which is honestly troublesome. 

“But this really is nice. Being able to easily see through my heart sent tingles down my spine.” (Murshto)

“You are an easy to understand guy. It is just that Princess Hilmera doesn’t point it out.” 

“Really? Yeah, that might be the case. But being able to clearly understand the feelings I myself am not clear about is a hard to describe comforting feeling.” (Murshto)

Murshto took his sword from Ilias with a satisfied face and began to get ready to leave. 

Thinking about it calmly, being able to calmly throw words that would stab at the hearts of the others in a place that might be enemy territory without his sword requires quite a lot of courage. 

“I will be leaving now. We won’t be able to meet for a while, but you plan on doing pretty advanced stuff in that time, right?” (Murshto)

“Kinda.” 

“Then, a warning from me. The atmosphere of the people observing you guys has begun to change. Don’t lower your guard no matter the situation, okay?” (Murshto)

Murshto smiled at the end and left. 

There was no hidden meaning behind those words just now. It was a warning that was purely out of worry towards me.

That’s right. The emotions of Murshto are easy to read. 

Their way of living may be different, but he is as straightforward as Ilias, and so pure it makes me want to withdraw when looking at him. 

That may be why I am beginning to wish from the bottom of my heart for Murshto to stay as an ally, and beginning to lose my sense of danger towards him. 

Previous Chapter l Next Chapter