I Didn't Want to Become the Emperor of This World

Chapter 25

At Elly's words that she did not resent me even though I had purged her family, I stared at her blankly.

Facing me, Elly smiled weakly and said.

“However… separate from not resenting Your Highness, I am curious about the reason why my family was purged. I didn't think my family, though not competent, was at least malicious enough to be purged.”

“I’m sorr—.”

“I told you, you don't need to apologize.”

“……”

“Your Highness said earlier in the banquet hall that the conditions for which nobles to purge and which to spare were decided not by you, but by Captain Jereuth. So… I’m sorry, but may I go and ask the Captain? Why my family did not survive the Purge?”

The tears welling up at the corners of Elly's eyes grew larger.

It looked like those tears were about to fall, and not wanting to see that, I hurriedly said.

“Yes, you may go and ask. After you hear, please tell me too. I am also curious.”

“Thank you.”

Elly bowed her head politely to me again and left the room.

Haa.

‘Did it… work out somehow.’

I don't know, I don't know. I really don't know.

There are so many problems to deal with in this kingdom, and to have to worry about such things on top of that… is this why there were sayings that the great kings of history were psychopaths or sociopaths?

‘It probably isn't that. The reason why there were sayings that great kings were psychopaths or sociopaths was probably because they mercilessly abandoned small things for the sake of big things.’

Perhaps because I had many worries, useless thoughts filled my head. What would Elly and Jereuth talk about when they met?

***

The blood-red banquet hall where the nobles were purged.

In the banquet hall, over thirty nobles were sitting at desks and writing letters. They were letters that the crown prince had ordered them to write, and the content of the letters was to send all the assets they had collected so far to the royal castle.

Since anyone would consider their assets as precious as their own lives, the nobles who had to hand them over to the royal family with their own hands were mournful.

But it couldn't be helped. Their lives were already held hostage.

—No funny business, write properly.

—Write quickly!

Behind the nobles writing letters stood the knights of the 3rd Knight Order. The knights were watching the nobles fiercely, like birds of prey eyeing their game.

So the nobles had no choice but to write in the letter exactly as the crown prince had ordered. To send all assets to the capital without smuggling out even a small amount of slush funds.

The banquet hall, where only the sound of writing letters could be heard, was as quiet as a dead mouse. That silence was broken by the sound of hinges as the door of the quiet banquet hall opened.

Screak―.

A maid entered through the open door. No one was unaware of her identity. Because it was the crown prince's maid, Elly.

As Elly entered, Jereuth, who was up on the banquet hall dais, asked.

“Why are you here? Did His Highness summon me?”

“……No, Captain. I came because I have something to ask.”

“Something you want to ask?”

Jereuth asked back, then thought to himself.

‘The reason that maid has come to see me now… is probably to ask what happened to her family.’

As expected, Jereuth was a quick-witted knight captain who was skilled in both literary and martial arts.

The crown prince's maid, Elly.

Her family, the ‘Heinem Viscounty,’ was completely alive. It was thanks to Jereuth having placed them in a safe place beforehand so that no one in her family would die—so that they wouldn't get caught up in the Purge.

By now, Hagen would probably be meeting them and explaining the situation.

Thus, Jereuth had spared the Heinem Viscounty. Nevertheless, the reason Jereuth had not informed Elly of the Heinem Viscounty's survival was to test Elly.

‘If you resent His Highness even a little for purging your family, you will die by my hand.’

Elly was someone who was always near Leonardo. Whether he was sleeping, eating, or reading a book, always.

Therefore, Jereuth thought that Elly must have ‘unconditional loyalty’ to Leonardo. And of course, that ‘unconditional loyalty’ must be maintained even if her family was purged.

Right now, Jereuth was trying to test Elly's level of loyalty.

‘His Highness might dislike me testing his maid. But for His Highness's sake, I must test that maid. To be honest, I hope that maid gets angry about her family being purged. That way, I'll have a justification to separate her from His Highness's side.’

Jereuth had always thought that Elly was not suitable for someone like Leonardo, who was destined to be a great king.

Finishing such thoughts, Jereuth asked.

“Elly Heinem. Did you come to ask what happened to your family?”

Jereuth expected Elly to naturally say, 「“Yes, I came to ask that.”」

But.

“No, I did not come to ask that.”

“You didn't?”

“No. What I am asking is not about the survival of my family. The fact that they are not here… must mean they were purged.”

Elly continued to speak confidently.

“I simply came because I was curious about the reason for purging my family. As I told His Highness, my family, though not competent, nor strong, was not trash enough to be purged.”

“……”

“I believe that if Your Highness and the Captain purged my family—the Heinem Viscounty—there must be a reason. Because I do not think Your Highness and the Captain would kill someone without a reason. Especially not Your Highness. But I am so curious. Why on earth… was my family purged.”

Elly, whose voice was momentarily choked with tears, continued to speak boldly to Jereuth again.

“Please tell me. Why did you purge my family?”

“Are you questioning my and His Highness's judgment?”

“No. I am simply asking because I am ignorant. Perhaps my family committed a crime I am unaware of, so I want to know.”

“Hmm.”

Jereuth thought for a moment, then, instead of answering Elly, he asked the question he had intended to ask her.

“As you said, your entire family, except for you, is dead. I killed them myself with the sword I received from His Highness.”

“……”

“In this situation, what will you do? Will you continue to serve His Highness as you have been? Or will you leave him?”

The knight captain's test was given, but Elly had already answered that question to someone of a higher rank.

“No, I want to continue to be by His Highness's side. If he allows me.”

It was an excellent answer, but it was not the answer Jereuth wanted.

“You want to be by the side of the Highness who killed all your parents and siblings?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I swore it myself, and because I want to.”

A perfect answer. For a squire serving a master, there is no better answer than that. It is more right and correct than giving various reasons.

It was an excellent answer, but to be honest, Jereuth did not like that answer. Because it was an answer that went against his intentions.

“His Highness has already saved my and my family's lives once. Since then, I have sworn to God that I will live for His Highness for the rest of my life.”

“When you say His Highness saved you and your family, are you talking about the territorial war with the Krain Viscounty?”

“That's right. If it weren't for His Highness back then, I…”

As if not wanting to even think about it, Elly couldn't finish her words properly. At Elly's answer, Jereuth gently closed his eyes.

‘……I couldn't even scratch that maid with this test. It's my complete defeat. Her loyalty is tremendous.’

Jereuth admitted it for now. That in this test, at least, that maid had earned the qualification to be by the crown prince's side.

Inevitably, Jereuth had no choice but to notify Elly that she had passed the test.

“Elly Heinem, your family is alive. All of them.”

“……Pardon?”

“I said they are alive. But I will make it clear. I intended to purge the Heinem Viscounty as well. I intended to purge you too. Nevertheless, the reason you and your family are alive is solely due to His Highness's will.”

“W-what do you mean by that…?”

As Elly was asking with a bitter tone.

Screak—!

The banquet hall door opened, and Vice-Captain Hagen, a few knights, and the people of the Heinem Viscounty entered the banquet hall. Perfect timing.

“……!!”

The moment Elly, who had confirmed with her own eyes that her family was truly alive, was about to be overcome with emotion, Jereuth said.

“I will say it again. The reason your family is alive is purely thanks to His Highness's will. So do not make the mistake of thinking that I spared you and the Heinem Viscounty.”

“……”

“I do not like you being by His Highness's side. You are not enough for His Highness.”

Having finished his words, Jereuth crossed the banquet hall and said to Vice-Captain Hagen who had brought the Heinem Viscounty.

“Hagen. I am going to see His Highness. You stay here and when they finish writing the letters, you check each one yourself. If there's any cheap trick like hiding assets or preparing for exile, take away the pen and have them write in blood.”

“I understand.”

Jereuth spoke loudly as if for all the administrators writing letters to hear, and then left the banquet hall.

—Elly!

—M-Mom! Dad!

Ignoring the emotional reunion of the Heinem family behind him, Jereuth was lost in thought.

‘More than that… I don't know what to say to His Highness. His Highness must also think that the Heinem Viscounty was purged. I hope he doesn't get too angry, saying I hid it even from him. This is my selfish thought, though.’

Just as Leonardo had been wary of Elly's reaction, Jereuth was also wary of Leonardo's reaction.

***

After Elly left, I immediately checked the again. I was curious about what would happen next, and I couldn't bear not knowing how I should deal with it.

Just as a student who starts to look at the answer sheet of a test paper cannot resist the temptation, I was addicted to the .

Fwip—!

I opened the . It was the part about the future closest to the present.

…….

After Elly went to ask Jereuth the reason for purging her family.

Not long after, Jereuth came to the room. For some reason, his face was filled with apology.

With such an expression, Jereuth said to me.

“Your Highness. Your Highness's maid's family, the Heinem Viscounty, was not purged. ……I apologize for hiding that fact from Your Highness until now.”

“……You didn't purge the Heinem Viscounty?!”

Angrily, I demanded to know why he had hidden it from me. I think I might have been a bit too harsh.

Then Jereuth said that the reason he had hidden the fact that he had spared the Heinem Viscounty was to test Elly. He wanted to test the loyalty of the maid who served me at the closest distance.

It was a reasonable reason from Jereuth's perspective. As the ‘Knight Captain,’ he was responsible for my safety as the crown prince, so testing Elly's loyalty was understandable in a way.

However, I couldn't contain my anger. I snapped at Jereuth, asking if he knew how much my heart had been in knots because of it.

“……I am sorry, Your Highness. I think I overstepped my bounds.”

After saying that, Jereuth bowed his head and left the room with a very dejected feeling.

As Jereuth left the room, my head cooled down. Thinking with that cool head, I realized that getting so angry at Jereuth was a mistake.

‘Jereuth tested Elly for my sake. For no one else but me. To get so angry at such a person… my thinking was short-sighted.’

The insults and harsh words had already been uttered to Jereuth, so it was impossible to take them back, but I could regret it a lot.

I hoped his feelings weren't hurt because of the harsh words I said to him, but his dejected appearance kept flashing in my eyes.

What if his proactive actions and will disappear because of this?

Reading up to this point, I became dazed.

‘……Elly's family is alive?’

What is this feeling? Honestly, it wasn't a good feeling. Of course, it was a very good thing that Elly's family was alive, but considering the burden on my heart that I had just experienced, it was natural to be angry.

‘Still… let's not get angry.’

It's written in the diary. My future self got angry at Jereuth, and then quickly regretted it.

So following that exactly would be a foolish thing to do.

‘Also, the reason Jereuth hid the fact that he had spared the Heinem Viscounty was for my sake in his own way. So I shouldn't get angry.’

Above all, my worry written on the last line of the diary made me think again. The worry that Jereuth might not act proactively in the future because I got angry.

‘Jereuth is the best knight in the kingdom. Beyond being the best in the kingdom, he was even called a hero in the war with the demons where all of humanity participated. I shouldn't break the spirit of such a knight.’

Hoo―.

Calming down, I continued to read the diary.

…….

Time flew by, and most of the aftermath of the Purge was over.

However, I could not rest easy. Because I had to think about how to solve the numerous problems predicted in the kingdom that were in the .

But no matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't come up with a solution to the problems that would sporadically erupt in this kingdom.

Economic problems like poverty, the gangsters who ruled the kingdom's cities, the bandits who operated in the dark outside the cities, monsters, plagues, natural disasters, etc… my head hurts so much.

…….

After worrying alone for several days like that, I finally decided to go see the king. Even if the king was an incompetent and weak old man, he had lived longer as a ‘king’ than I had, so I harbored the hope that he might have some wisdom of his own.

However, as I went to seek advice from the king on my own, I honestly did not expect to get good advice from him. Because he was an incompetent king who had let this kingdom become this way and had all his power taken by the nobles.

However… contrary to my expectations, I got a better answer from the king than I thought.

The king was wiser than I thought. The wisdom of a man who had lived for a long time as a ‘king,’ even if he was an incompetent and weak king, was not something that a greenhorn like me who was trying to become a king should ignore.

This was the content of the closest to the present.

‘I got a better answer from the king than I thought?’

Looking at the diary, my future self seemed to have worried alone to solve the many problems that would befall the kingdom. And at the end of that worry, he finally went to the king to ask for advice.

What advice did the king give to my future self? The ‘incompetent king who let this kingdom become this way and had all his power taken by the nobles,’ as my future self thought.

‘Was it the wisdom of an old man who had been king for a long time being displayed?’

There's a vulgar saying, ‘You can't ignore experience.’ I felt the meaning of that saying desperately when I was doing manual labor at a construction site. After seeing an uncle who was smaller and thinner than me easily load bricks onto a carrier and move them.

‘He moved twice as fast as me.’

In any case, it seemed I should go to the king and ask for his wisdom. Many problems would befall the kingdom in the future, and since I didn't know how to solve them, I had to ask how I could.

Well… I don't know if the king could give me a proper answer if I asked vaguely.

‘Let's go right away now that I think of it. Since I know I can get a good answer if I ask the king, I don't have time to waste worrying alone.’

I closed the I was reading and put it on the bookshelf. Then I headed to the door to go to the king's room.

It was then.

—Knock, knock.

—Your Highness, it is Jereuth. May I come in?

Just as I was about to open the door, Jereuth came.

‘He came to tell me that the Heinem Viscounty is alive, right? That's what was written in the diary.’

Since I already knew that fact, and knew that I shouldn't get angry about it, I answered calmly.

“Yes, come in.”

As I stepped back slightly from the door and spoke, Jereuth slowly opened the door and entered.

Shunk!

Jereuth saluted politely and spoke to me. Unlike the usual Jereuth, his expression was tinged with hesitation. It seemed that hiding the survival of the Heinem Viscounty had become a great burden on his heart.

So, to relieve the burden on Jereuth's heart, I spoke first.

“You came to tell me that Elly's family—the Heinem Viscounty—was not purged, right?”

“……?”

Jereuth looked at me blankly, then asked back with a bitter tone.

“·H-how did you know that?”

“I just had a feeling. A hunch.”

I spoke vaguely and continued.

“To add one more thing, I will not be angry at you, Captain, for hiding the fact that the Heinem Viscounty was not purged. You must have had a reason to hide that fact from me. And a reason that would be helpful to me.”

“……”

“So, Captain, you don't need to say anything more about the Heinem Viscounty.”

“……Your Highness.”

“Was there anything else you wanted to say besides that?”

Jereuth looked at me silently without saying anything.

***

‘……What on earth is this. This boy.’

Before knocking on Leonardo's door, Jereuth had been pacing in front of it for a long time, contemplating. How to explain about having spared the Heinem Viscounty.

‘In the end, the conclusion I came to was to honestly say it was to test His Highness's maid, Elly Heinem.’

But Jereuth had expected Leonardo to be angry no matter how he explained the situation.

Because it was about the family of the maid Leonardo cherished.

But what do you know, that young boy was not angry about him hiding the fact that he had spared the Heinem Viscounty. Rather, he said that he must have had a reason for hiding it, as if telling him not to worry.

The crown prince was only a young boy of twelve, yet his thoughts and generosity felt as if they far surpassed his own.

Jereuth was once again reminded of that feeling he had always felt.

‘But… that's why I've become even more certain. That maid is not suitable for His Highness.’

Jereuth decided to test Elly again when he had the chance. He was trying to find fault with her somehow and place another, ‘more suitable’ maid or woman by Leonardo's side instead of Elly.

‘It must be a woman of Victoria's caliber. The woman suitable for His Highness.’

Jereuth, who was thinking of the woman he loved, and Leonardo's mother, the elf, answered Leonardo for now.

“Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness.”

“Yes. Do you have anything else to say?”

“I do not.”

“Then I will take my leave first. I have something to do.”

Something to do? The Purge has just ended, what other work could there be?

As if Jereuth's question was revealed on his face, Leonardo smiled lightly and said.

“I have seized power by purging the nobles, but there are still many problems left in the kingdom. To solve them, there is no time to rest.”

“……”

Anyone would want to rest after finishing a big task.

But this boy declared that he would not rest. For the sake of the kingdom.

‘……I am so sorry that I am old. If I were just a little younger, I could have served him with more strength.’

Jereuth regretted the time that had passed. Whether it was because of that regret, or the joy that such a wonderful person as Leonardo had seized power, Jereuth's eyes reddened.

As Leonardo passed by him, Jereuth asked.

“Where are you going?”

“I am going to see the king—no, my father.”

“King Philip?”

“Yes. I have something to ask him. And to ask for his advice as I rule this kingdom from now on.”

A wise and strong crown prince is going to an incompetent and weak king to ask for advice?

Jereuth didn't understand that well. On the one hand, he was also worried. Worried that the outstanding crown prince might get wrong advice from the incompetent king.

"Still... there must be a reason why His Highness is going out of his way to see Philip. There must be."

Whatever that reason was, Jereuth decided to trust Leonardo.

Just as Leonardo had trusted him.