The day dawned and the world changed silently.
Changes and movements that only those in the know knew about.
The Emperor quietly looked down at the report that evil rumors about the demon realm had begun to spread rapidly and then called the Prime Minister.
"Do you know what the Duke's weakness is?"
"Did the Duke also have a weakness? I thought it would be difficult to find because he is someone who hides his weaknesses, but I wonder how you found out about them…"
"He doesn't know that he had such weaknesses himself. He will never know that I am aware of this weakness."
Because this was that kind of weakness.
A cold sneer spread across the Emperor's face.
"Of course, even if he knew, I wouldn't be able to fix it. How can we cure 'arrogance'?"
"...Arrogance?"
"He thinks he is the smartest and looks down from above everyone's heads. I never thought that someone would be looking at the top of my head."
Did the Emperor really not consider the possibility that someone would side with the demon realm? The position where you can't survive if you're naive is the throne, right?
That sounds funny. He just knew.
If he pretended not to notice, the Duke would come forward as a patronizing act.
"Thanks to this, we were able to save manpower, which was otherwise lacking."
"...You are truly bold. Leaving important issues that depend on the fate of the Empire to the internal enemy."
"I entrusted it to him because the Empire's fortunes depended on it. The Duke covets this position of the Empire. There's no way he would let the Empire fall."
In particular, it seems like the Duke looked at me like he was a child... but he took advantage of it, whether it was arrogance or belittling him, so it was okay.
Putting aside his uncomfortable feelings, the Emperor turned the report over.
"One day, the day will come when he will be caught by that arrogance and fall. I wonder what the Duke's expression would look like then."
***
I became an honorary marquis!
I expected that the backlash from the nobles would be strong, but it was quieter than I expected, so I looked into it and found that Cruel had become an honorary count.
Yes, the noble faction leader's dog was also given a title, so it was worth complaining a little and calling it a day. In fact, there were many things to criticize from the noble faction's point of view, but the Duke, the leader, kept his mouth shut and accepted it, so it was close to being silenced. Honestly, I'm also amazed. Did I make a secret deal with the Emperor and the Duke?
Well, that's not important. Rather...
"I... I really came back alive..."
"Why are you saying such scary things?"
Remember put his glass down on the table and looked at me intently.
But was it really that amazing? Well, it's a miracle that I entered the secret base of some organization and came out alive.
Even my identity was discovered. When he put the eye patch on me, I thought they were going to take me to a quiet place and dispose of me cleanly, but I was surprised to see that I was returned safely to the street.
Unable to explain the eventful last night, I just rolled my eyes and raised my glass.
"Keuk-!"
"Well. Are you okay?"
"Cough, what is this..."
"The imperial palace doctor sent some medicine again."
It's a tonic, but why does it feel like my sense of taste is dying?
Damn I thought it was coffee. I never thought the medicine would come in a coffee cup. There's no need to develop to this point, old man...
I felt like I had no feeling in my tongue, maybe it's my mood.
"This is... an attempted poisoning..."
"The poison test has already been completed. Don't keep making this old man's heart pound, and just drink it all."
"..."
Damn it.
With tears in my eyes, I took a sip of my glass. Meanwhile, the scent smelled more like coffee.
The horrible taste and fragrant smell of coffee don't go together at all.
"Why does this smell like coffee?"
"I specifically asked for it. I said the Marquis wouldn't take the medicine well, so a trick would be needed."
"Am I a kid?! No, what is the palace doctor who listened to that again...! Cough...!"
"Please remain calm and take deep breaths. Marquis, it is dangerous if your blood pressure rises."
"Remember, you are doing this on purpose."
I held the back of my neck, wheezing, and glanced at Remember.
The serpent-like butler just smiled and changed the topic of conversation.
"I heard that you controlled a plant-type monster."
"Cough!"
"They say you have been training plant-type monsters for a long time and use them to secretly deal with those who disturb you at night..."
"What kind of nonsense is that?!"
Ah, there it is again. Even though I knew he was going to change the subject, I fell for Remember's words again.
I tried to come to my senses even though it was too late, but...
"Oh, isn't it? Then, the Marquis is a vampire, and the plant-type monsters were born from the Marquis's blood..."
"That's a lot of bullshit."
"Then the rumor is that you are planning to conquer the world..."
"Is there any reason to die for treason?!"
What kind of person is the Emperor! ...How can you not ignore it when you say it this way?
Is this what you call age? I was shaking my head, filling my head with misconceptions about the word "age," when Remember spoke in a voice filled with subtle playfulness.
"Oh, on the contrary, there are rumors that you are plotting the destruction of the world."
"It's crazy. How on earth can rumors spread so much?"
I want to applaud people's imagination.
At the mention of the end of the world, Dan, who had been working on paperwork in a corner, looked up, but I ignored him and clicked my tongue.
Or rather, why is he here?
I looked at him with bewildered eyes and then saw Remember. A grinning face faced me as if asking me if there was some problem.
"...Aren't you being too partial? Still, he's an outsider... he just came here not long ago."
"There is no need to be on guard since the Marquis has brought him here, so it is natural to give him my heart according to his level of competence. And you brought him in yourself and said he was an outsider. It may be early on, but after organizing the filing system, you completely accepted him, didn't you? Dan will be upset if he hears."
"...Oh, okay... I'm sorry..."
As expected, age is scary. You can't hit an old man, and it's best not to clash with Remember. He turned his head slightly and said I something else.
"I think I will have to be away for a while again to carry out the mission given by His Majesty."
"The medicine will all go bad."
"That's great... I mean, that's too bad."
"I'll take care of it for you when I pack your bags."
"..."
I have to throw it away.
I was making ambitious plans for my taste buds when Dan asked a question with a questioning look on his face.
"... Did you say it was His Majesty's mission?"
"Yes. Like last time, I'll be away for a while again."
Thinking about the Emperor made me feel like my head hurt. Not only did I have a headache, but my stress was rising.
As I pressed one hand to my aching temple and took a slow breath to drive away the unexplained stress, Dan, who had been watching, quietly opened his mouth.
"Can I go with you too? I will assist you."
"Yes? No."
"... Okay."
"It's not okay to secretly follow me. Either you or I might have to die."
Because witnesses must be killed.
But since he said he learned some swordsmanship, on the other hand, I might die. It was only once during a hunting competition, but seeing as he saved me from an attack, I guess I can't completely ignore that possibility.
It would be even worse if I didn't notice him and ended up in the Demon King's castle with that guy on my tail. I would die with that guy for the crime of bringing in a human.
'I won't be bored because I won't die alone.'
Oh, I'm stressed. I kept my posture with my hands on my temples and quietly recited the words.
But why was it so quiet? There was no answer back.
I slowly raised my head.
'...?'
Remember and Dan were looking at me with unknown expressions. In particular, Dan's eyes seemed to be shaking.
Maybe I saw it wrong, right?
Unlike my shaking eyes, I felt a strange joy in the eyes I met, so I hurriedly avoided his gaze, so I didn't have time to look closely.
Dan slightly lowered his head as if he had come to his senses while wiping away his goosebumps.
"I never thought he could make a threat like this even in his normal state..."
"Huh...?"
"I will not follow you."
"Oh, okay..."
I answered hesitantly and rolled my eyes.
The atmosphere was strange. It was just a light warning.
As if to restore the delicate atmosphere, Remember changed the topic.
"When do you plan to leave?"
"... Now?"
If I stayed here any longer, I would have to do paperwork and take bitter medicine.
It would be better to go to the demon realm as soon as possible.
"Then I will prepare."
"Please. Oh, and the knights..."
I did something like the last time once or twice when they chased me, but at this point, I should find another way. I've been lucky so far and no one had been injured, but it was still dangerous. It's not possible to have a chase every time.
Wasn't there something... a more convenient and easier way?
The quick-witted butler immediately came up with another alternative.
"If the Marquis would delay your departure time just a little, I can give them a sleeping pill with their meal to make your departure easier."
"They're resistant to drugs, so most sleeping pills won't work."
"This time, I obtained some stronger medicine through Dan. I heard that depending on how you adjust it, it can put an elephant to sleep within 3 seconds."
"No... that's a bit..."
Didn't that take the risk of killing them?
... But if you knew about this easy method, why didn't you tell me sooner? Seeing as the answer came right away, it seems like he's known this method for a long time. If getting medicine was a problem, he could have just told me.
Remember, who looked at me full of doubts and immediately read the meaning, smiled.
"It's fun, isn't it?"
"... I didn't have fun."
It felt like I was crossing between life and death.
I grumbled inwardly and held out my hand to tell him to hurry up and get ready.
After bowing once, Remember turned and opened the door. I encountered a person who raised his hand as if he was about to knock.
'... What?'
I craned my head and looked at the employee over Remember's shoulder. The guy who made eye contact was startled and recoiled.
The voice, which became increasingly quiet, barely managed to come out.
"His Royal Highness the Crown Prince... has visited."
***
The princess insisted strongly.
"He must like men!"
The Crown Prince expressed his disapproval.
"No way."
But then he stopped and thought about it.
A man whose relationship with women was too plain. A man who had an extremely uneven gender ratio among those around him and was not more interested in women...!
"It can't be..."
"See?"
"..."
It's not that there were no women at all. As he was the man the princess was targeting, he knew because he thoroughly investigated and monitored whether there were any women around him.
There was a knight called Lien Reiner. It was a completely public relationship bound up with the relationship between lord and knight. The Crown Prince lost interest.
When carrying out the Salvation Church mission, Deon Hardt brought a man and a woman from somewhere. Were their names Dan and Ran respectively?
And when the mission was over, the man stayed and the woman left. The man was currently staying with Deon Hardt at the Hardt Mansion. The Crown Prince, who was worried that the woman might have feelings for him, relaxed.
'Maybe I shouldn't have been at ease...'
He never thought he would like a man.
"So, how about using you?"
"... What?"