CHAPTER 153………………………………………………………
Goddess of Death (1)
The demon clan’s princess would cure Kassandros’s illness.
What had been said in the conference room quickly spread to the guest quarters as well.
The dowager queen, who had been staying by the prince’s side, snapped sharply.
“Don’t be ridiculous!”
Kassandros was still unconscious.
Her irritation was already at its peak from her young son’s illness.
Hearing such nonsense on top of that nearly made her forget even the bare minimum of decorum she had left.
What could that little princess possibly do to cure him? She’s not even a mage!
Etina might be favorably disposed toward the demon clan, but she herself was different.
Could it be, like the rumors I heard in the Northern Kingdom, that there’s something wrong with demon territory?
The more she thought about it, the more certain she became.
Otherwise, there was no way a child who had recovered so quickly back home would remain unconscious for this long….
One of the dowager queen’s attendants spoke cautiously.
“But, Your Majesty. They say the Demon King himself will be coming here shortly as well.”
“Haah….”
The dowager queen pressed a hand to her forehead in displeasure.
She didn’t like it, but Erebus was undeniably the oldest royal house on the continent.
A lineage said to have created the night of this world, after all….
Setting aside longevity and power, they were due a certain level of respect.
Before long, the Demon King and the princess appeared, accompanied by several demons.
And the dowager queen could feel how quietly angry the Demon King was with her.
“Dowager Queen of Iliod. It is regrettable that the young prince has yet to awaken.”
A cold voice slipped out from a face as beautiful as a sculpture.
Of course. He must be reproaching me for speaking carelessly in front of his daughter.
The dowager queen swallowed her anger and replied.
“…I pay my respects to the ruler of Tartaros. And to the princess as well—thank you for coming despite your busy schedule.”
Her face was pretty enough, but wasn’t she far too young compared to the Demon King?
What could such a princess possibly know about curing her son?
Wouldn’t demonic energy only make things worse?
The dowager queen tried hard not to show her distrust.
But the princess, as if she understood everything, smiled faintly and stepped forward.
“Dowager Queen of Iliod. As you may have already heard, I would like to test a treatment for the prince’s condition.”
“Test it, you say?”
A test? Then it wasn’t even a proven, safe method?
At that moment, Etina entered the room, crossing her arms as she spoke.
“Let the princess do as she wishes, Mother.”
“Etina—no, Your Highness!”
Etina shook her head briskly, signaling her mother to stay silent.
She had already finished a somewhat cold calculation.
Even if it fails, Iliod can demand several times more in compensation from the demon clan.
It would be best if her brother recovered and they could strike a deal—but still.
“Demon clan princess. How do you intend to cure this child?”
“I plan to use this mineral.”
The demon princess raised the object in her hand so everyone could see it.
It was a greenish stone, as if smeared with dried blood.
“The power the prince possesses is similar to the power of Halcyon—something like divine power.”
There wasn’t even time to ask how she knew that.
Because the princess immediately turned her head to the side.
“Isn’t that right, Sir Icarus?”
At her question, everyone’s gaze shifted in one direction.
A human—one of their own—smiled calmly.
“Yes, Princess. I do sense something similar to Halcyon’s power from Prince Kassandros.”
Those were the words of the former Prince of Alcyone, raised by the demon clan.
At the mention of “Halcyon’s power,” even the mages widened their eyes.
It was a factor they had never considered!
“Then let us try a demon clan method that corresponds to it.”
The princess extended her hand over the sleeping child’s eyes.
“Shall we test it, then?”
The solution I had proposed to Father was the bloodstone.
Bloodstones have the power to bind divine energy.
That fact had long been kept secret from other nations.
It was to prevent it from leaking to Halcyon and becoming a threat to the demon clan.
But what I was doing now was, in truth…
A lie. A complete scam.
Based on Calion’s testimony, using the bloodstone was purely to avoid suspicion.
Both Iliod’s suspicions… and Father’s.
The demon clan was powerful, but healing-type abilities had never manifested.
So I had no choice but to prepare this much of a device and use “divine power.”
I planned to use the power of Invitation to retrieve Kassandros’s “special power.”
Invitation. Are you ready? You’d better keep your promise.
After all, I had to do nerve-wracking things like this for the sake of the “paradise” you’re obsessed with.
Just then, a familiar, unpleasant chuckle echoed in my ears.
『Hmph. There’s hardly any need to call it preparation.』
From the hand holding the bloodstone, I faintly felt the power of Invitation.
『I’m merely reclaiming what already exists.』
As I frowned, the scene before my eyes overlapped chaotically with a familiar landscape.
It’s the scenery I saw when I was drawn into the Stone of Paradise.
Was Invitation now pulling that child’s mind into that scenery?
After a breath-held silence passed…
“…Po…wer….”
The lips of the comatose prince twitched faintly.
The dowager queen clamped a hand over her mouth, and the others hurriedly swallowed their gasps.
Meanwhile, I stepped closer to the child and listened intently.
What on earth was he muttering?
“…One who bears… power….”
But his voice was too weak. No matter how closely I listened, I couldn’t make out anything more.
Then, blinking his large silver-gray eyes slowly, the child stopped murmuring.
“Where… am I?”
“Kassandros!”
The dowager queen hurriedly took the child’s hand.
“You’re awake. Can you see your mother?”
“Uh…? Mother…?”
“Oh, thank goodness!”
“A moment ago, in front of the princess, I fell—”
Only then did the prince notice me looking at him.
His face instantly turned red.
“Why is my sister here too, huh? Huh?”
He pulled the blanket up and whispered while glancing around.
“Why are so many people staring at me…?”
Honestly, I seem to have terrible luck with international events.
It was the same at my first birthday celebration, and again at the crown prince’s investiture ceremony in Halcyon.
It feels like a storm just passed.
Still, thanks to the prince’s recovery, the sharp tension between the two nations quickly eased.
This time, with everyone gathered in the hall, the dowager queen cleared her throat first.
“Demon clan princess. There is no excuse for the discourtesy I showed you before.”
“Ah….”
“No matter how startled I was, it was disgraceful.”
At those words, Etina also gave a light bow.
“My younger brother is frail by nature, yet we brought him to Tartaros and caused trouble. I can only thank Erebus and the princess.”
Etina’s eyes sparkled as she looked at me.
“However, does the price you desire remain the same, Princess?”
“Yes.”
I had already conveyed my thoughts through Theia and Glauco, so everyone must have known.
“…That is, I would like Prince Kassandros to study abroad at the Ten Academies.”
Etina looked pleased with my proposal.
“They’ve already accepted the former Prince of Alcyone. Their safety is trustworthy.”
If she could solidify an alliance simply by sending her brother abroad, there was nothing to lose.
The dowager queen, however, looked a little dissatisfied.
Sending the child she cares about most to another country must sit poorly with her.
But when our eyes met, she slowly nodded.
“If that is what the princess desires….”
“But I’d like to know first whether the prince himself wants it.”
At my words, the boy standing just behind the dowager queen flinched.
“How would it be, Prince, to live here and mingle with demon children your own age?”
“Uh….”
“Not just watching from outside the line, but together with them.”
The child opened and closed his mouth a few times.
Then, blushing shyly, he nodded vigorously.
“I like it. If that happens, it would be… really nice.”
“Then, Prince Kassandros. We’ll meet again soon.”
“Yes, y-yes!”
Perhaps thanks to the prince’s pure, friendly response, the atmosphere brightened even more.
Though I smiled, I subtly looked up at my side.
Father had said nothing the whole time, only watching quietly.
…He’s not suspicious, is he?
When I brought up the idea of using a “bloodstone” last night, Father had frowned.
It was improvised, but the best plan I could squeeze out at the moment.
In the end, he allowed me to try.
But what on earth was he thinking so deeply about?
“Dad? Is something… bothering you?”
