– Sir, isn't it not easy to punish that noble all at once anyway? He is a great noble after all, and if he dies, there will be problems. In that case, wouldn't it be better to take away that person's 'life' instead of killing him?
Would you believe me if I told you that it didn't take him even 10 seconds, let alone 30 seconds, to come up with the plan he was laying out for him the day before?
It was an impressive event that made me realize once again that evil deeds, or bad things, can also require quick thinking.
– The gist of this plan is simple. We're going to 'steal' Count Lohengrin's body with [The Mystery of the Nightmare]. Oh, don't look at me like that. This isn't some devilish story about taking his soul. Think about it simply. When a person commits a crime, they have to go to prison, right? But if it's difficult to judge Count Lohengrin by the laws of the kingdom, we'll judge him instead. We'll lock him up in a prison called the body. Instead, we'll use his body a little bit instead of leaving him useless. Wouldn't that be better for the kingdom, no, the world? Haha.
– … Do you find it strange that I’ve been emphasizing ‘we’ from earlier?
– Hehehe, this plan needs your help to succeed. Honestly, I don't think I can even think of carrying out this plan without your help. I guess I'm taking a pretty big gamble.
Judia, if I were to summarize exactly what that sinister woman was saying, it would be possible to simplify it like this.
– So you're saying that you're going to put that count's kid in a vegetative state and then put your other half into the count?
– In summary, yes.
– … There are many things I want to ask, but let me ask just one thing. Is that possible?
– Yes, it is possible. However, I would have to sacrifice more than 50% of the mysteries of the dream. I would have to stay by Count Lohengrin's side to keep his consciousness awake at regular intervals. In other words…
– in other words?
– I have to be the wife or sister of the Count of Lohengrin, or maybe even his daughter. Because we have to be together all the time, haha.
– … Am I weird if that sounds like the original purpose?
– Haha, I can't deny it. I should try living a new life too.
– … … .
– Hey, don't look at me like that.
– Tsk, to be honest, I gave it a pass.
– haha….
Judia, who did not deny his words and revealed her true feelings for the 'first time', smiled bitterly.
And then.
– Living as a sleepwalker has its advantages, but it also has its difficulties. … And most of all. I know myself well. As long as I have this power, I will do something bad someday. Something really bad… I’m a bit of a bad girl. And a lot of it.
– You're good at self-objectification, aren't you?
– In this case, please deny it. Hmm! Oh, anyway! I don't hesitate to do bad things. And later, if I do bad things with the power of a dream horse and get caught by the knight.
All of a sudden-.
– That's when my neck will fall off. I don't want that to happen. I want to live a long and happy life if possible.
She raised both her hands as if to reveal everything, pretending to cut off her neck, and held them out to him.
– So, what are you going to do, sir? … Deal?
– … … Wait a minute. I need to get permission for this.
– To whom?
– To a rich and powerful man.
– ??
… Of course, it was impossible to proceed with such an absurd plan without permission, so Lee Han contacted the person in power who could approve such an absurd plan and even handle the aftermath.
I thought it would take some time for an answer to come, so I thought I would have to wait a little longer.
– Oh, you gave me permission… .
– … ?
– He told me to call him when he was done. He said he would come in person.
– …Hasn’t it been less than an hour since you contacted me?
– … … .
– Are you free these days, Your Majesty?
– …haha.
Luna Bridget laughed, thinking it was a joke, but Lee Han was serious.
So now.
“You asked Luna if I was free?”
“…….”
“Don’t misunderstand. Luna, that child’s mouth wasn’t loose. Instead, among the shadows that were with Luna, there were some who had loose lips.”
“That would be great. You also have a loyal subordinate who reports even the smallest things.”
“It’s my pride. But it can be burdensome at times.”
“…You’re not really free, are you?”
“What a mouthful of a man!”
Duke Galahad laughed heartily, saying that Blake was delighted.
A strangely leisurely-looking person in power who will be cleaning up this mess.
No, somehow it seems like every day is free.
'Is this country okay?'
Lee Han was a little worried about the future of this country.
* * *
“……Really.”
Blake looked at Rose, or rather, at the being that had once been Rose, with a hardened expression as if asking when he had ever smiled.
“…Your Majesty, I present to you the great lord Galahad, master of the magic sword and guardian of the river.”
“Heh heh.”
That Rose, that pest who had dared to look at him with such ferocious eyes without even knowing the subject, bowed down and paid him respect.
Blake touched the space between his eyebrows, almost failing to control his expression.
I've already heard about it, but hearing it and seeing it for yourself are two very different feelings.
“Whew, that’s surprising. I thought there wouldn’t be anything more surprising….”
“…….”
“Amazing….”
“……Cool.”
Pierre couldn't help but moan under the pressure that seemed to be weighing down his whole body.
Just a glance was cast, and it felt like a red-hot iron was burning his body.
You know what's even more amazing?
‘Oh, I don’t even have anything to live for… .’
Even though I just stare at him silently without even trying to live, it's like this.
It's a monster…!
Just like the current head of the Offen family, the Sword Master, he was known as a genius with the sword since he was young, and even after being chosen by the Demon Sword, he succeeded in subduing the Demon Sword instead of being swayed by it, becoming the strongest Galahad of all time.
Because of this, he is rumored to be a strong man on par with superhumans.
… that was the part that proved that it was definitely not an exaggerated rumor.
However, Blake, who had overwhelmed Pierre, turned his gaze away silently as if he had no interest in him, glanced at Judia, and then quickly turned his gaze to the shadow.
“You must have checked it, right?”
“Here, as you can see from the graph, the wavelength value of [Mystery] is less than 40%. Considering that the average wavelength of the Mystery Race is 80%, you can see that it is less than half the average. This is only a little better than an ordinary person. In other words, it means that it will no longer be able to freely control the power of the dream.”
“I see.”
“…To tell you the most important part, Inquisitor Pierre, the absurd act of creating another personality with the power of the Nightmare or the mysterious act of taking over another person’s body like this is no longer possible. He is healthier than the average person and has the power of the Nightmare’s charm, but it is subtle, so it would be more accurate to say that he is just a human with a bit of potential.”
“What can you do with 40% of your power?”
“At best, it would be just a glimpse into someone else’s dream. I cautiously predict that it would be impossible for more than five minutes.”
“What are the chances of regaining strength?”
“It’s probably a 0.03% chance. The cells of the dreamer and the body of Count Roses are mixed too well. It’s like mixing ash into pure milk, and it will be impossible to extract the ash again unless a fairy or the great wizard Merlin returns from Avalon.”
“That’s good news. It’s impossible.”
“Yes. …but.”
"hmm?"
“If this woman and Rose, or rather Pierre, have a child, there is a possibility that a fairly strong dream horse will be born. Or, even if it is through genetic inheritance, there is a high probability that a strong dream horse will be born.”
“That doesn’t sound very positive.”
The duke's expression immediately turned cold.
Although this incident was a means to punish Roseus, and so he lent his authority, the mere fact that he could take away another's body was terrifyingly dangerous.
This verification process was absolutely necessary, and from Blake's perspective, thorough verification was necessary.
In that sense, when maintaining an extremely cool-headed stance that the buds of sleeplessness should be nibbled off even now… .
“Your Majesty, Your Majesty.”
“…something.”
“Well, I overheard the whole story unintentionally, but I think you don’t have to worry about that.”
“Why do you think so?”
Blake was a generous monarch, but he was not humane enough to let a dangerous seed live.
Still, the reason I listened to the knight's story was because he was worthy of my respect.
As expected, the article.
“Just look at their expressions.”
"…hmm?"
He did not spare wise advice.
I just saw it, but the dream woman and dream man had expressions that looked like they were holding back nausea.
It was an expression as if he had witnessed something terrible in the world, and as if he were trembling with the most terrible plague.
I wonder why it's like that.
“Who is their relationship? It must be similar to the relationship between the window cleaner and his younger sister. … No, it might be even more horrible than that.”
“…….”
Duke Blake thought of the two siblings he had raised himself.
What is that relationship…?
“Oh, I see, I guess that won’t happen.”
Blake nodded as he recalled memories of the troublemakers from his childhood.
“If it’s worse than those two, at least it won’t continue.”
I'm talking about the cute fight between two siblings, where they throw their favorite ceramics at each other's backs and even fight.
“It’s a memory.”
“…….”
… The shadows looked at you as if asking why you had beaten them with a club in anger at the broken porcelain, but you did not dare to utter such a rebuttal.
* * *
A time of thorough verification.
For a ruler who is one of the ten, if not three, most powerful in this kingdom, it was an extremely thorough security inspection.
But on the other hand, to be so thorough… .
'Can you count on three fingers?'
Arrogant, but not arrogant.
Lee Han thought that the reason Galahad's characters were such perfectionists was partly due to the Duke's influence.
at that time.
“Your Majesty, he has arrived.”
“……Let them in.”
Lee Han felt a familiar presence, and soon after he closed his mouth heavily.
“…….”
An old man appeared.
To be exact, I'm talking about the old priest whose expression was strangely stiff.
The old priest, who was still wearing his old priestly robes despite being crowned the new king, had a stern look in his eyes, unlike usual.
It was a gaze that showed many emotions, but at this moment, even Lee Han-do, the Duke, and the others were secretly looking at the old priest.
However, the priest's eyes were not directed at them, but only at the man and woman.
“Oh my? You’re not an old man. What are you doing here?”
“…….”
“…….”
“Pierre, look over there. Your boss is here.”
“…Shut your mouth.”
“Why are you so annoyed with me?”
Mongma, who couldn’t read the mood… no, he deliberately didn’t read it, just shrugged his shoulders.
“Ugh….”
The priest Raphael's gaze lingered on the girl for a moment, and soon he opened his mouth with sad eyes.
“Pierre, is it Pierre?”
“…….”
“…Or should I now call you His Excellency Count Roses?”
"……sorry."
“…Uh-huh.”
An apology with many implications.
Raphael felt and understood a lot just by hearing that one word of apology.
He is evaluated as having accumulated wise wisdom over a period of a hundred years.
Even without having to listen to someone's explanation, he could figure out the other person's emotions and feelings just by looking at their eyes, and that's how Raphael…
“…I am enjoying freedom and joy.”
“…….”
“At least, you should feel a little guilty.”
“…He is a sinner anyway. He is someone who committed terrible acts that should not be committed by a human being.”
“…….”
“Do you know? By entering this body, I also share the Count’s memories. Now, I know this man’s evil deeds better than anyone else. In fact, this punishment is too much for him…-.”
“That is not for you to judge.”
“…Roses, is this apostate the ‘murderer’ who killed the former Count Lohengrin?”
“!?”
“He is a traitor who killed his own family with his own hands just because his own father got in the way of his plans! But why…!”
Pierre talked a lot.
These were the crimes that Rose had committed, and among them was great evil deeds connected with the temple.
If even one of them were revealed, it would have shocked the kingdom, and even some thought that being sealed was a light measure.
“Yes, I have committed many sins.”
“Yes….”
“But why does it seem like you’re just making excuses in this old man’s eyes?”
“…….”
“…I should have just told you my true feelings. Sigh….”
Raphael immediately felt no sincerity in Pierre's words.
There was no sign of the priestly duty to uphold God, nor of his sense of mission as an inquisitor.
All I see is excuses and rationalization.
It just seems like a deception, like doing something bad and telling an obvious lie to avoid getting caught by your parents.
“You ended up taking someone else’s life. But you don’t even show any sense of responsibility for such a thing, haha… You’ve long since forgotten all the petty teachings of this old man….”
Vain mumbling.
There was no anger or disappointment in his eyes, only sadness.
So Raphael.
“Judia Pierre.”
Bam.
“You are permanently excommunicated from the temple.”
“!!!”
“This cross is nothing but a chain to you. Forget this old man and live freely according to your own will.”
… cut off Pierre’s cross necklace in one breath.
“…I’m sorry for all this time. I hope that your life, which has been restricted because of me, will be filled with light… no, just abundance and good fortune.”
“…….”
Pierre took his cross and looked at Raphael, who wished him good luck, but he did not respond in any way.
I just silently looked at Raphael's back, who looked ten years older than me.
… … Even though I didn’t even have the right to feel sorry.
“…….”
"…hmm."
“…….”
“…Should I start with the head?”
"ha…."
“…You should be angry, please.”
For Lee Han, the thing that scared him the most in the world was when an adult got angry.
