A week into the vacation.

Harriet had been visiting the Royal Magic Department almost daily to study dimensional magic. She didn't attend the magic research meetings too often, as her presence would likely only be a hindrance.

Eleris had left the Royal Road.

According to what was confirmed at the Rotary Club, a conference was scheduled to be held at the Vampire Council in a week. Eleris would return in time for it, so attending the Rotary Club around that date would secure a chance to participate in the Vampire Council.

The five vampire families.

Securing their cooperation would be as good as gaining a million-strong army.

Whether it would be possible to obtain their power through threat or persuasion remained uncertain.

There was no way of knowing how to persuade or intimidate the ones who had refused to cooperate during the Demon War.

The Black Order would make contact again, and preparations had to be made to obtain information about Cantus Magna for negotiations with them.

If the Vampire Council couldn't provide such information, there was no telling if resorting to insane tactics like luring Cantus Magna using the Golden Week would be necessary.

Moreover, some grasp of the gate incident had been attained through information about the warp gate itself.

The brooch Charlotte gave was already a clue.

Activating the brooch-shaped artifact and passing through the Royal Road's warp gate would lead to the Spring Palace's underground warp gate.

The exact process remained unknown.

What was important was that magic technology capable of interfering with the warp gate system already existed.

Of course, this was an authorized artifact.

The key point was obtaining information about the existence of magic technology that could interfere with the warp gate, regardless of how the route was set.

The existence of the artifact Charlotte provided had already suggested one possibility.

So.

In other words, I had officially begun to immerse myself in the problem of saving the world.

My head felt like it would burst, there was no time to spare for thought, my life hung in the balance depending on the outcome, and there was always the possibility that my true identity would be revealed.

Of course, in the midst of all this, there were countless trivial matters to attend to.

Clang! Clatter!

"Phew."

"Not bad at all."

After exchanging a round of swordplay with Olivia, I hung the practice sword on its rack, feeling a tingling sensation in my palm.

Without Ellen, there was no one to practice swordsmanship with. That's why I was practicing swordsmanship with Olivia in the training hall.

I could have practiced with Cliffman, but in the end, he hadn't yet awakened his Magic Body Strengthening, so he wasn't a suitable opponent for me to give my all.

Of course, I could have gone to Saviolin Turner, who would gladly teach me swordsmanship, but I decided it was better for her to focus on teaching Ludwig.

So, I was practicing swordsmanship with Olivia.

Olivia, who had been swinging the practice sword, casually slung it over her shoulder.

I had come to truly appreciate Olivia's skills after the recent tournament. Until then, she had never mentioned teaching me swordsmanship.

Of course, since I asked, she agreed to come to the training ground.

Olivia's skill is undoubtedly incredible.

Neither the output and stability of her Magic Body Strengthening nor her swordsmanship itself can be compared to mine.

Even with my best efforts in intuition, self-suggestion, and Magic Body Strengthening, I couldn't keep up with her at all.

I couldn't help but feel the reality that the reason I was able to kill Riverrier Lanze was due to a combination of achievement points, word magic, and situational luck.

"Shall we try again?"

"Let's do it."

Holding her sword, Olivia gazes at me with a calm expression.

I also take out my practice sword and start enhancing it with magic.

-Clang! Thud!

In an instant, Olivia rushes towards me and roughly pushes my practice sword aside.

"Weak spot!"

-Whoosh!

"!"

As she pushes my sword away, my chest is exposed. Olivia embraces my neck and kisses my cheek.

"Ah, really. Can you please stop doing this?"

"Then try being stronger than me?"

Everything would be fine if it wasn't for her occasional bizarre behavior.

After struggling for quite some time, I finally collapsed onto the training ground floor, utterly exhausted.

It's true that my stamina has improved significantly compared to before, but dueling while using Magic Body Strengthening brings a stronger sense of fatigue.

A sense of exhaustion different from simply losing strength.

Thankfully, I hardly felt any damage to my magic circuit from using Magic Body Strengthening alone. My pure magic power has increased, and I already have two talents in magic control and response.

It would be strange if I didn't adapt quickly.

"You're quite weak, Reinhardt."

"..It's you who's abnormal, senior."

"Isn't it a good thing to be especially strange among the oddballs gathered in the Royal Class?"

"You're right about that."

While lying flat on the floor of the training ground, Olivia, who sat beside me, playfully poked my cheek.

"She went back to her hometown, huh?"

"Yes."

"Tsk, you should know that you're too kind to me."

I had no words to refute her claim that she came to me because Ellen wasn't around.

"You must feel sorry, seeing that you can't say anything."

Olivia said so, but she didn't seem furious or intent on arguing.

I owe Olivia a lot.

Even so.

Neither of them knows that I took tremendous risks to save Olivia and Adriana. I don't want them to know.

But I can't seem to be a proper gentleman. I want to forget about it in a cool way, but I can't.

I can't stand the fact that I can't make a joke about it! I don't plan to say anything, but I just can't stand this situation!

I took a risk far beyond being caught in a cross-dressing contest for her sake. If she feels hurt by me, that's just how it is!

"Reinhardt."

"..Yes."

"Did you do it?"

"..Pardon?"

What is she talking about?

Did she figure something out?

What could be the clue? Olivia has no evidence or leads to find out that I am the Demon King.

Seeing my expression, as if my mind had come to a halt, Olivia gives a sad smile.

"The orphanage I sponsored... The director and the teachers... They were all taken away."

"...Ah."

It's like a thief complaining about their foot going numb.

Although we were talking about something completely different, the conversation took an unexpected turn.

Yes, that was my doing.

I couldn't tell the Emperor, but when I told Charlotte that everything was resolved regarding Eleris's escape, I also asked her to help with the orphanage-related issues.

I was already aware of the orphanages that Olivia personally sponsored. It seemed strange that they were struggling financially despite receiving support.

It was just a few days ago, but it seemed Charlotte had taken immediate action. It looked like Olivia had realized that as well.

Olivia gazes at me with a sad expression.

"You... did this?"

"Yes."

"..."

I wished Olivia wouldn't know, but in the end, it was an issue she couldn't help but find out about.

"In the Empire, there are already support programs for war orphans. So, it just didn't make sense that there were orphanages with financial issues."

Olivia didn't seem happy. There was no way she could be happy.

The children would be able to live a more prosperous life under stricter management, but Olivia felt betrayed by the people she trusted.

Olivia sank down to the floor of the practice hall.

"I didn't think they would do that. I never doubted them for a second. I thought there was no way anyone would... intercept the money meant for the children."

Her trust in humanity.

Her trust in the goodness of people.

Olivia had such human affection. After being disappointed in religion and faith, was she now disappointed in humanity?

Olivia remained silent for a while before speaking.

"The funeral begins today."

"The funeral...?"

"Yes, my stepfather."

Riverrier Lanze.

His death is a significant event not only for the religious community but for the entire Empire.

No matter how much he had fallen from grace, he was a war hero. He even perished fighting against the demon race.

So, regardless of the actual circumstances and the various problems entwined in his death, on the surface, it is a tragic event for the public. That's why a funeral is being held to mourn Riverrier Lanze's death, now that the chaos has been quelled.

"Reinhardt, can you come with me somewhere for a bit?"

I couldn't bring myself to refuse Olivia's request.

It wasn't noticeable within the temple, but it was apparent that Riverrier Lanze's funeral was being held on a national scale. Black flags were hung on the houses along the streets as a sign of mourning, and people were selling flowers for tribute.

The funeral procession was said to head from the abandoned monastery, where the body was recovered, to the headquarters of the Holy Knights Order.historical

From the southernmost part of the Imperial Capital, the path towards the Holy Knights Order was controlled by the guards as the funeral procession entered the city.

What to do about this...

Those damned demons...

A significant number of the people who had gathered to watch the funeral procession were believers of the Five Great Religions, and even those who weren't were civilians mourning the death of a war hero.

Hatred towards demons and fear of the Demon King pervaded among the people.

It didn't matter why Riverrier Lanze had been there on that day, at that place.

People believed that Riverrier Lanze had fallen in a fierce battle against the remnants of the demons, and in the end, that was the truth.

They simply didn't know the whole story.

No one knew the true face of Riverrier Lanze, who had tried to regain power by threatening his foster daughter, and ultimately sought to join hands with the Demon King as his life hung in the balance in an attempt to divide the empire.

Olivia must have been bewildered by this situation.

Thanks to the demons' attack, she was safe in this situation.

It would be hard for her to accept that Riverrier Lanze, who had threatened her with Adriana's life, had become a hero in death.

From the southern crossroads, the grand funeral procession appeared.

It was escorted by knights and priests.

Following the carriage they led were dozens of splendidly decorated coffins, holding Riverrier Lanze, knights, and nameless believers of the monastic order.

Riverrier Lanze's neck had been severed. I didn't know how they had managed to recover the bodies that had been torn apart, crushed, and burned by Loyar's magic.

I wasn't sure about the opinions of the entire Holy Knights Order, but I could see Eleion Bolton leading the procession on a white horse at the front.

Both the empire and Eleion Bolton must have been pleased with this situation.

Nevertheless, they feigned sorrow for the ignorant citizens and solemnly led the funeral procession.

As the funeral procession appeared, people burst into tears as if something incredibly sad had occurred.

"Oh dear!"

Tears began to spread like an infection, starting with a few cries, which felt quite strange.

These people didn't know Riverrier Lanze.

I didn't understand why they were so sad about his death, or even shedding tears. I couldn't tell if it was because of their faith or something else.

However, I had no right to doubt their tears.

I was the most inhuman person here, after all.

Whether or not those I had killed deserved to die, I was a madman who had come to watch the funeral of the people I had killed.

There were quite a few people who didn't cry among the mourning visitors who had quickly become a sea of tears.

However, those who didn't cry seemed to be filled with an awkward air.

They were restless, as if not crying had made them sinners.

Tears were like a hidden spring.

Unless one had special training, it was impossible to cry just by wanting to. Tears welled up on their own, not something that could be summoned at will.

As the funeral procession gradually approached, Olivia calmly watched.

"Reinhardt."

"Yes."

"Is it that I find all of this so repulsive? Am I just too wicked?"

Olivia whispered as she watched the approaching coffin that contained her stepfather's corpse.

All of this was nothing more than a show.

People didn't know what they needed to know. They only did this because turning Riverrier Lanze into a hero in death made for a pretty picture.

Olivia probably didn't like Riverrier Lanze, but she must have disliked the situation in which his death was being exploited just as much.

She felt disgust in all of this.

"I think it's possible," I said.

Olivia shook her head at my words.

As the funeral procession gradually approached, entering through the main streets of the southern imperial region, the surrounding area became even louder with people's cries.

Following the guidance of Eleion Bolton, they would head towards the Holy Knights headquarters. People had gathered to see the long procession, throwing flowers and shedding tears.

We were watching the spectacle.

“Look, over there..”

“Is that the Saint?”

“If she's the Saint...?”

“She's the Commander's daughter!”

We had been watching for too long.

Olivia was a recognizable figure.

That's why there were plenty of people who could recognize her.

When someone in the sea of tears gestured to Olivia, people's gazes instantly turned to her.

Eredian's Saint.

Although she was the protagonist in Riverrier Lanze's fall from grace, people had no interest in that now.

The previous Holy Knights Commander and a war hero who had died honorably fighting demons.

His daughter's presence at this event was what mattered.

“Oh, Saint!”

"..."

Olivia's expression hardened, and the crowd around us quickly swarmed towards her and me.

"Oh, Saint! What should we do about this! What can we do!"

"You must avenge us against those filthy and despicable demons!"

"Following your father's footsteps, you must also take the lead in vanquishing the demons, Saint!"

"Oh, Saint! We are too afraid to live!"

"Saint!"

"Saint, you must save us!"

"How can we deal with this situation without the hero!"

In an instant, the surrounding area became chaotic.

As if Olivia were some kind of god, countless people fell to their knees in front of her, wailing.

They couldn't see the reason Riverrier Lanze had fallen from grace or that Olivia had renounced her faith.

The Demon King had returned.

But there was no hero now.

Someone had to confront the Demon King.

Someone other than me – someone great, brave, virtuous, and powerful.

Someone to defeat the Demon King in my stead.

People wished for it.

You must defeat the Demon King, Saint!

There's no one else but you, Saint!

Oh! Saint! Please save us!

They didn't know Olivia's true strength.

They only vaguely knew that she possessed a powerful divine force and that she was a person of such great virtue as to be called a Saint.

Countless people treated her as if she were some sort of queen.

Begging on their knees, asking her to die on their behalf.

Witnessing numerous people boldly pleading for her to sacrifice herself for them.

I saw the focus vanish from Olivia's eyes.

Olivia was tormented by an overwhelming pressure.

She suffered among the multitude of people urging her to regain her faith.

She saw the detestable behavior of those who would selfishly control others' lives for their own benefit and the spectacle of such people's deaths being praised.

The funds that had been squeezed out and prepared so far were being intercepted by the teachers.

Beyond the problems of faith and religion,

Now, in places completely unrelated to faith and religion, she saw people boldly demanding that she die in their stead as they wailed.

Witnessing people who used their tears as a shield and tried to push someone to death with indifference from behind that shield.

It seemed as if something important within Olivia had snapped.

"Why me?"

A cold, emotionless voice flowed from Olivia.

"Why do I have to do this?"

Olivia was broken.