Episode 313
“But no matter who I am, I can’t just let this slide when there’s clear evidence. If things continue like this, Your Highness will face the Sacred Trial.”
That meant enduring horrific torture and ultimately being burned at the stake.
“W-What are you saying?! This has to be the second prince’s conspiracy! He’s colluding with the Demon King’s Court!”
“But there’s no proof. If the second prince really was in league with the Demon King’s Court, he would have left no trace. Their operations are notoriously secretive.”
“Please, help me! No one but you, Hero, can save me!”
The third prince clung to Chris, begging desperately.
Chris played hard to get—for now—just to make the third prince squirm.
“I’ll do my best, but I can’t promise anything.”
“No! Please, save me! Think of it as rescuing an innocent lamb!”
“…Hearing you say that, I’ll consider it. There is one way, but will you follow it?”
“I’ll do anything! Just tell me what to do!”
Chris gave a subtle nod to his companions.
They quietly left the room, leaving just the two of them.
The third prince’s face hardened, sensing something ominous was about to happen.
“What must I do?”
“You need to prove your loyalty to the Celestial Throne.”
“I already have unwavering loyalty to the Throne!”
“Thinking it in your heart isn’t enough. You have to prove it outwardly.”
“How? I’m not a priest of the Sacred Empire. That’s impossible.”
“No, there is a way.”
Chris looked the third prince straight in the eyes.
“Give me your soul.”
“!!”
“If you do, I will guarantee your innocence.”
The third prince’s face twisted in confusion.
This was absurd.
“T-That’s…”
“There’s no stronger proof that you’re not a demon worshiper than entrusting your soul to me, the Hero. Otherwise, you’d have to prove your innocence by other means, which won’t be easy.”
“…S-Still…”
Chris sighed softly.
“Honestly? I don’t care whether you accept or refuse.”
That was a lie.
If the third prince declined, Chris would be in serious trouble.
But all deals are a game of bluff.
“I’m only making this offer to help you. To save you.”
The third prince’s eyes flickered with inner conflict.
Chris struck the final blow.
“Among the three princes, I believe you’re the one most fit to be the next emperor.”
“!!”
The third prince drew a sharp breath.
“Y-You mean… you’ll support me as the next emperor? But didn’t you, the Hero, intend to become emperor yourself?”
Chris had debuted in the Karn Empire as a royal.
“I have to fight for the world. Becoming emperor myself is unrealistic. Appearing as the first heir was just a way to efficiently root out the darkness hiding in the palace.”
If he’d appeared as just a hero, he wouldn’t have dared stir up the royal family.
“I believe you can lead the Karn Empire rightly, Your Highness. But if you don’t want to accept my offer, there’s nothing I can do.”
“I-I accept! I pledge my soul to you, Hero! But on one condition: help me ascend the throne.”
“I will. But will you swear to give me your soul?”
“Yes. I swear it on my soul!”
Right after the oath, Chris’s expression shifted.
From the noble look of a hero to his usual sinister glare.
“Very well, I accept your oath.”
“!!”
The atmosphere changed completely, and the third prince’s eyes widened.
Crack!
A black moon-shaped brand seared onto the back of his neck.
“W-What? What is this power?”
The third prince had learned to wield light mana.
He recognized the dark energy—demonic mana.
“W-Why does the Hero have demonic mana?”
“Ah, that’s because I’m not really a hero.”
Slowly, Chris’s face transformed.
Jet black hair, eyes glowing with a crimson tint.
The third prince’s eyes nearly popped out.
He knew exactly who that face belonged to.
“C-Could it be? You’re a Dark Mage…?!”
“That’s right. Now you get it.”
Chris smirked.
“You’ve been scammed. Good luck, new slave.”
He had just captured a new pawn for the throne.
Chris had a reason for luring in the third prince, Lauren.
“Bad guy, but a useful bad guy.”
To be clear, the third prince was no saint.
He was a classic tyrant, greedy and indifferent to the empire’s welfare or its people.
Yet, surprisingly, when he became emperor, Lauren showed some decent leadership during the Age of Ruin.
He united the Karn Empire to resist the Magic Empire.
He hadn’t reformed, though.
If anything, he resisted fiercely because he didn’t want to lose his own power.
Only the emperor could plunder the Karn Empire, after all.
With that selfish mindset, he fought desperately to protect the empire and earned some credit.
“In a way, he’s similar to me. I also took the throne for wealth and glory.”
Besides, Chris had bound him with a slave contract, so he couldn’t act freely—and would have to cooperate. Lauren was competent enough.
Chris grinned.
“Relax. I’ll make you emperor, just like you want.”
“You! You! How dare a demon like you impersonate the Hero! Do you think you’ll get away with this…!!”
“I don’t care. If I’m exposed, I’ll just return to the Magic Empire. It’s you who’ll be in trouble for allying with a demon.”
That was true, and the third prince screamed in frustration.
“Ugh! You devilish bastard!!”
Evan, who had just returned, approached the third prince.
“You’re wrong, Your Highness.”
“…You’re from the famous swordsmanship family?”
“Christian is not a demon, but even more noble than a saint…”
Evan tried to argue passionately, but the third prince wasn’t listening.
“Get lost! Are you possessed by a demon?!”
“Yes, Evan! Don’t pour oil on the fire. Get out of here! I’ll calm the third prince down.”
Ruina whispered to the third prince.
“You’ve done nothing wrong, Your Highness. It’s all that demon bastard’s fault… no, the fault of that person.”
“…You’re from the Deer Guild? Are you one of them too?”
“…Yes, I’m in a similar bind. Sob.”
“Ah! Even the Deer Guild has fallen under that demon’s control. His skill is terrifying!”
“Indeed. A truly evil demon bastard… I’ll support Your Highness closely through the hardships ahead.”
“Sniff… thank you.”
“Oh hoho! Don’t mention it. If that demon causes you trouble, call on me anytime. I’m Ruina! I might not be much help, but I can curse with you! Though I do have a small favor to ask if you become emperor… Ah, it’ll be a win-win, heh heh.”
Ruina was using hostility toward Chris to cozy up to the third prince.
‘…She recently got close to Saint Istanya too. Is this how she makes friends?’
Chris looked at Ruina with mild distaste.
Just then, a palace servant approached.
“Hero, Lord Aslan has arrived.”
‘So he’s heard the news.’
Chris had just declared his support for the third prince’s innocence and backing.
Aslan, a pro-crown prince faction member, had likely rushed over in shock.
“Welcome, Lord Aslan.”
“Greetings, Hero Prince.”
“Did you come because of my support for the third prince?”
Aslan looked troubled.
“Yes. The third prince is not someone worthy of your service.”
“I know the third prince isn’t exactly a righteous man.”
“Then why?”
Chris looked Aslan squarely.
“Because among the three princes, he’s still the best option.”
“!!”
Aslan couldn’t accept that not only the second prince but even the crown prince were worse than the third.
“You mean the third prince is better than the crown prince?”
“Yes.”
“That’s impossible. The crown prince may lack ability, but he’s innocent and devoted to the empire.”
“Innocent? Do you really believe that?”
“!!”
Chris’s cold voice shook Aslan’s gaze.
“…What do you mean?”
“Are you sure you know everything about the crown prince?”
Aslan was speechless.
The crown prince was a closed-off person.
Perhaps because he’d grown up under constant scrutiny.
He trusted few, revealing little of his true self.
‘I don’t even fully understand the crown prince.’
Chris pressed again.
“I asked before: do you serve the empire, or the crown prince?”
“Of course… the empire.”
“Then could you raise your sword against the crown prince for the empire?”
Aslan bit his lip.
“Why do you ask?”
“Well…”
Before Chris could answer, a frantic shout interrupted.
“L-Lord Aslan! There’s an emergency at the palace!”
Aslan turned sharply.
“What’s happened?”
“The corruption of Gehenna is spreading through the palace!”
“!!”
Aslan looked incredulous.
Someone had summoned the presence of Gehenna.
“What do you mean? Why in the palace?”
“W-Well…”
The royal knight hesitated, unable to speak further.
“Speak up! Who dares commit such a terrible act? Could it really be His Highness, the Second Prince?”
“…It’s His Highness, the Crown Prince.”
“…What?”
Aslan froze stiff.
The royal knight shouted in a voice heavy with despair.
“His Highness, the Crown Prince, summoned a demon while being persecuted by the Second Prince!”
To think someone like that is the Crown Prince.
The empire’s future looks bleak.
These were stories Crown Prince Fritz had heard countless times since childhood.
He was meant to inherit the great empire, yet compared to his brothers, he had no remarkable qualities. Even his mother’s family, who should have supported him, had turned their backs.
He’s Crown Prince in name only. The throne will surely pass to another prince.
We need to make sure he falls in line before it’s too late.
Reduced to a mere figurehead, the Crown Prince endured endless scorn and humiliation.
As a result, Fritz’s heart festered with bitterness.
“I’ll kill them all.”
He lost count of how many times he cursed his brothers and the nobles who had looked down on him.
So it was perhaps inevitable that the devil’s hand reached out to him.
A sweet whisper he couldn’t refuse.