I Became the Teacher of the Imperial Family’s Bastard

032. Rebecca (2)

If one were to hypothesize that the girl is a demon, there was something else to consider.

The summoning of a demon requires a summoner and a contractor.

Like Beatrice, one can perform both roles at once, or they can be set separately.

In that case, the girl is the latter.

There is no technical mutation in the mana circuit within the girl’s body.

In other words, the demon was summoned by another, and they are a group.

The girl is an infiltrator who has seeped into the empire for the purpose of some organization.

The reason she thought of coming to fight even with her injured body was because of that.

‘The summoned demon’s power fundamentally follows the flesh.’

Thus, I tried to incapacitate the woman and uncover her background.

However, I couldn’t do that.

The situation was far more serious than I had thought.

“What are ‘you’…?”

[We’ve been discovered! We’ve been discovered!]

[Ah, what do we do now?]

[Your Highness~ Your Highness~! It hurts so much! Please save me! Haha!]

[What a shame… I wanted to play a little longer.]

[But isn’t that thing…?]

[Ah, it’s still in the lower world.]

It’s not a woman.

What was inside that body was not human, but a group of demons.

The realization hit me with a shock as my whip and eyes resonated.

Incapacitate?

Interrogate?

What a joke.

If I didn’t cut off its head right away, it might have been me who got caught instead.

Sweat trickled down my spine.

I was horrified.

Not by anything else,

“Who the hell summoned so many demons?”

The ‘price’ paid to summon and command those demons was so immense that the madness of that group seemed unfathomable.

“…Demon.”

The crown prince muttered blankly.

Meanwhile, that pink head was busy laughing maniacally.

Nausea welled up.

Voices pounding in his brain induced dizziness.

He heightened his tension.

He steadied his breath.

‘Not a single moment of carelessness is allowed.’

From now on, it is a dialogue with the demon.

“…Speak. Who is the one behind you? Who summoned you and placed you here?”

There is no reason not to answer them.

Demons are not beings that play with mortals of this world, but rather, they accompany the summoner to fulfill the ‘contract’.

The reason demons descend to this land through the method of summoning and contracting is solely for ‘amusement’.

Demons are beings who, if they can enjoy walking this land in mortal bodies, do not care who their opponent is.

That is the reason they are taboo.

The purest evil.

These demons are beings who can consider even the world being engulfed in chaos and despair as ‘play’.

Each and every one of them is capable of such feats.

‘Even the role of a spy in that body…’

In the end, it would be part of their game.

As such, the idea that their whims might give me an answer came to mind.

But,

[…For free?]

…There’s no easy way out.

[Hmm, that won’t do.]

[Child, we also have a sense of trust in our dealings, don’t we?]

[That’s right. Who would summon a demon that carelessly reveals contracts?]

It was a moment when my expression twisted.

[If you renew the contract, who knows.]

My teeth clenched.

Their intentions were plainly visible.

[Haha! That will do! Child, won’t you make a contract with us? We don’t ask for much! A body to settle in. A soul to anchor in the body! And…]

[Penalty! We must receive a penalty!]

[Ah, yes. Good! Generously, 1.5 times the original contract! How about that?]

[Not bad, we might take a slight loss, but if we can stay in the lower world longer…]

I must not waver.

‘It’s a demon’s bargain.’

They pretend to offer a reasonable deal, but they bring about the most unreasonable results.

I remained silent.

[Not interested? You could find out so much.]

[Aren’t you curious about the beast? You’ve always been suspicious.]

[Ah, it was so chilly in the festival street. I still remember. “You’re lucky. Everything works out for you by chance!”]

[Aren’t you curious about their purpose?]

[It doesn’t end there.]

At that moment, the demon whispered.

[If you just make the contract… we can return all the memories we’ve altered…]

I shuddered.

Not me, but the Crown Prince.

“…Your Highness.”

“……”

“Your Highness.”

I looked at the Crown Prince.

The wavering eyes showed that those words had struck deep.

‘Is he doubting his own memories?’

Well, he has no choice.

Until the moment he entered here and beheaded the woman, the Crown Prince was not in his right mind.

He would know better than anyone that his memories have been manipulated.

One more thing aside from that.

The implication of those words brought trouble to me.

‘…Even if I send these back, the remaining three will stay the same.’

That’s what it means.

Even if I deal with those here, the saint, the grand prince, and the master of the dark house will still cry out for Rebecca.

‘Is there nothing that goes easily…’

The back of my neck tightens.

The demons were still bargaining.

[How about it, do you feel like making a contract?]

[It’s not a contract done for a pittance!]

[Just one body! With that, we are satisfied and can gladly make a deal!]

[You fool, the penalty.]

[Huh? Of course, that’s included in the body.]

[Screams and despair can be collected anytime.]

It’s ridiculous.

I closed my eyes gently.

Still, I know one thing.

There is nothing to gain from these guys.

So,

‘…Kill them.’

Even if it becomes difficult to predict the future, it’s better than leaving those things in the lower world.

It was the moment I tried to wrap mana around the switch.

Thud!

“Yuren.”

The prince’s arm blocked my way.

His expression was hidden by his hair.

Is he tempted by the bargain?

“…Your Highness, you must not enter. That is a devil’s bargain.”

“I know. I am well aware.”

But why.

“Let me ask a few things first.”

I couldn’t hastily say anything.

I knew better than anyone that this situation was confusing for him.

Choices floated in my mind.

‘Do I explain everything, or let him experience the situation himself?’

The latter is overwhelmingly more efficient.

To make him realize that he has been dealing with a devil all along.

I took a step back.

Still holding the switch.

Ready to act if necessary.

The Crown Prince took a long breath.

Then, with a trembling voice, he asked the demon.

“When did it start being you?”

[Hmm? From the beginning?]

[I liked you the most, Your Highness. It felt like being a princess.]

[Ah, I was a Shupe…]

“So, my memories are with you. I was played with every moment.”

[I was sincere! I was really happy to be with you, Your Highness!]

“Haha…”

The Crown Prince wiped his face with his hand.

He was anxious.

The grip on the rod tightened.

“My memories, from where to where have they been altered?”

[If you want to know…]

“Make a contract?”

[Aha…!]

The Crown Prince pressed on.

“Your Highness.”

“Just a little more.”

Creak…

The floor dented.

The Crown Prince’s mana was manifesting.

Emotions? Anger? Despair? Doubt?

Nothing about this situation is good.

The tension was mounting.

“What are the terms of the contract?”

“Your Highness!”

“What did they give you?”

Mana coiled around the whip.

I stepped forward to strike.

It was then.

[10,000 souls!]

I hesitated.

The staggering number momentarily paralyzed my thoughts.

[We received 10,000! It was a complicated matter for us too.]

[It doesn’t have to be exactly 10,000. By the standards of the knights of the lower world, 300 experts or about 3 masters would suffice!]

[If not, just give us a bit more despair! We can manifest in any form!]

Ah, what madmen.

Even the prime suspects, the barbarians, would be far from such a number.

10,000 commoners?

That number would require sacrificing the entire population of a large city.

‘I must kill him.’

The prince is out of his mind.

So I must act.

It was the moment I resolved to take another step.

“`

“Did you hear that?”

Thud!

The prince’s sword pierced the demon’s forehead.

[Ah…?]

Only then could I see the prince’s expression.

A bitter smile.

With a hint of anger.

“Not dead, huh.”

…No, it was intense anger.

Beneath the smiling mask was nothing but pure rage.

Crunch, crunch.

The prince twisted the sword, mashing the demon’s brain.

The demon looked up at the prince as if to say, “What are you doing?”

“Yuren, how do we kill these things?”

“…They must be burned in a ritual.”

“Can it be done here?”

“I know how to do something similar.”

“Please.”

Shhh, as the sword was pulled out, black blood flowed down the blade.

“`

I moved forward.

[Huh? Reverse summon?]

[Ah, that should work.]

Their attitude lacked any sense of urgency.

In the midst of it, I realized.

“…You know what this is, right?”

These guys, they know about the switch.

But it seemed unlikely that I would get an answer.

[Want me to tell you?]

[Then will you make a deal?]

They didn’t seem willing to tell me anything without a deal.

Even when the prince shoved the switch into their furrowed brows.

“Your friend seemed to be in pain.”

[Amorio? Well, he’s… noble. He probably hates pain.]

[I don’t get why he makes such a fuss over a little pain. He’s not even complete yet.]

Another irritating remark came out.

My expression twisted.

But I must not waver.

‘It’s all a negotiation. This too.’

These guys knew well that there was no more effective negotiation than letting me know there was something I didn’t know.

There must be other ways to find out about the switch.

“…Alright, then go.”

As the mana was released, the grain became visible.

The prince had struck well.

Right at the spot where the switch was embedded, the grains of those things gathered.

The demon laughed until the end.

[See you again.]

“Let’s never meet again.”

Crackle―!

The mana turned into lightning and burned the demon’s head.

* * *

Kallios emerged from the cave.

Looking at the sky, dawn had already broken.

Neither the faint blue light nor the clear air of dawn could soothe Kallios.

It was only natural, as he had just faced the moment when his own memories were manipulated, and what he believed in was a lie.

He was confused.

More than ever before.

But above all, the dominant emotion was anger.

“Your Highness.”

Yuren, who had followed him out, spoke, but he could not respond.

He regretted the things he had done under the demon’s influence, and the fact that he had been swayed by such a mere demon was humiliating in itself.

In such emotions, Kallios spoke.

“…Pathetic.”

Kallios spat out a curse that didn’t suit him.

The vulgar words, which he had never uttered before, got stuck in his throat, but he barely managed to spit them out.

“The reincarnation of the great founding emperor. Even though you went around saying that yourself, you were swayed by a mere demon. You couldn’t even distinguish what was true, and you still can’t.”

“……”

“This pathetic thing is the crown prince. Yuren Pharos. The person you were trying to teach.”

Kallios twisted his lips into a distorted smile.

“I’m sorry.”

He clenched his fist.

His head was hot, and he couldn’t make rational judgments.

What if he just let go of everything?

If you don’t know what has changed, you do nothing.

The thought that it might solve everything kept shaking his mind.

“I have no qualifications. I was less qualified than anyone.”

Self-loathing intertwined with anger.

He couldn’t grasp what to do.

It was at that moment.

“I know, Your Highness. That you’re pathetic.”

Twitch, Kallios’s fingertips trembled.

He turned his head.

There was Yuren.

With the same indifferent and ill-tempered face as always.

“I pride myself on knowing better than anyone. Your Highness is indeed a fool.”

Yuren said as he approached.

“Others may praise you, but in my eyes, that’s not the case. You have no sense, your mindset is self-centered, and your actions are unhinged. Honestly, I don’t understand why others hold you in such high regard.”

Every word was blasphemous.

Yet, in this moment, Kallios could not deny those words.

How could one claim superiority over a person who couldn’t even provide an answer for themselves?

Kallios’s lips were tightly pressed.

He couldn’t lift his head.

But,

“There is one thing I do know.”

Yuren’s words made Kallios lift his head.

“The Your Highness I know never falls. He never ran away, nor did he ever stop.”

“What…”

“Because you have no sense, you don’t know fear. Because you are self-centered, you don’t know defeat. Because you are unhinged, you accomplish things others wouldn’t even think of.”

Kallios’s gaze wavered.

Yuren added more words.

“So, the one who ascends to the next throne of this country must be informed. You, who do not know retreat and advance to win. You must be the emperor of a chaotic era where demons appear and aim for the empire.”

How can that be done?

Yuren seemed to have no doubt in his own words.

Even though he couldn’t believe it himself, Yuren believed in himself.

For some reason, that made his insides churn.

“…Can I do it?”

“Did you say you don’t know where the memory went wrong? What does it matter if you live without knowing? I also don’t remember well what I did when I was drunk. Are you afraid of what choice to make because you don’t know what went wrong? Don’t worry about that.”

At that moment, Yuren’s switch touched Callios’ forehead.

“That’s why I’m here. This switch is here.”

Yuren smiled crookedly.

“Generally, whether it’s a person or a beast, if you beat them, they listen. If they try to do something really shitty, I’ll smack them on the back of the head with this.”

Solid.

The switch was solid as if it would never break, and the gaze beyond it was even more solid.

It was the gaze of someone who would not bend even if they broke.

Callios realized inadvertently.

The reason he appointed him as the Grand Master was because of that gaze.

If someone had to be taught, it had to be a person with such conviction.

“Ha…”

Callios let out a hollow laugh.

In the midst of uncertainty, one thing became clear.

Choosing Yuren Faros was his own will.

This alone was unshaken by any external pressure.

As he became certain of this, he burst into laughter.

“Ha ha ha!!!”

Finding just one thing made it possible.

“Blasphemous! Truly blasphemous!”

“Don’t split it. It’s getting attached.”

“What if it gets attached!”

“It would feel really shitty.”

“That’s disappointing!”

“It already feels shitty. Can I hit you?”

“No, you can’t!”

The chuckling laughter wouldn’t stop.

His stomach hurt.

Both the shaking and finding the answer amidst it all, it was just too funny.

Finally, Kallios stopped laughing and spoke, catching his breath.

“…You’re right. You’re absolutely right.”

Kallios Van Ortaire is self-righteous.

He believes himself to be superior to anyone on this land, and even if the whole world were placed on the opposite side of the scale, he would assert his own importance.

That sense of superiority is his identity.

He is the vessel of a king who will bring about a golden age, so he cannot even think of giving up the throne. If something stands in his way, he will simply break through it.

“`

So this worry was too laughable.

The wall can be broken down.

Even if one loses their way, the best guide they chose themselves was beside them.

Kallios finally realized that.

“You are teaching me again.”

“Are you feeling better?”

“Completely. More perfectly than ever.”

Kallios laughed heartily, gathering his resolve.

If he had to worry, it wasn’t about identity.

There was only one thing to do now.

“Yes, so let’s talk.”

To resolve the crisis at hand.

“The facts we’ve discovered. And what we need to do from now on.”

He retraced his memories from the cave, combining what he knew with what he had discovered.

“The ones targeting the empire are a group. They want to bring down the empire from within.”

However,

“The demon won’t be able to come out for a while.”

This was the answer among the demon’s own boastful words.

Yuren nodded.

“`

“Yes, the sacrifice that went into the woman is ten thousand. Since the enemy’s people and soldiers are not infinite, it would take effort to create another monstrosity like that.”

“Then we have a reprieve. We’ve overcome the enemy’s greatest threat.”

“Of course, they will attack in other ways…”

“Now we can prepare ourselves.”

Kallios set his priorities.

He was quicker than anyone when it came to such matters.

In fact, even if he wasn’t, anyone could quickly come up with an answer to such a problem.

“The urgent matter is to reinforce our forces.”

“Coincidentally, there is an opportunity to put effort into reinforcing our forces.”

At Yuren’s words, Kallios smiled.

There were faces that came to mind.

“Yes, those three. We need to deal with the ones who will go wild with Rebecca gone.”

The golden age’s vanguard, who would become the empire’s greatest strength.

They had not yet awakened from their slumber.

End

ⓒ papapa.

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