CH 11

Almost all of the aristocrats in the country are expected to attend the fellowship between the demon realm and our homeland. I guess they want to have a friendly connection with the demon tribe as much as possible. They are afraid that the trade goods with the demons are so attractive that they cannot bear the thought that「they are negative toward the demons if they are absent from the trade.」

In summary, he says,「I heard you are already doing business with a demon tribe. Let me have a piece on in it.」He is a duke in an aristocratic society where information warfare is vital, but his ears are too slow to catch on. Well, I had my hand in it and blocked out as much information as possible.

Emi did not recognize my parents as her family, which is why she declared that day that she was severing my parent-child relationship… I know that they don’t care much that I was actually removed from the family register as a child and thrown out after that. But if Duke Graupner hadn’t hired a chamberlain and bodyguard who could be bought off by that woman… It was almost impossible to frame Emi for the crime. Even though it was a negligent act of stupidity, he caused my sweet Emi to be falsely accused and hurt. This is the punishment he deserves, isn’t it?

I have been gently barred by Angel from dealing in magical resources because of my exaggerated fear of the name of Duke Graupner, but I’m sure I could get in if I had the talent. Furthermore, they must be suffering greatly because they have deliberately flooded the market with a large amount of products from the magical world that compete with the Duke Graupner’s famous silk fabrics, spirits, and fine paper.

Various inventions created by Emi, which are upwardly compatible with the products for which he had to sell the rights to Duke Graupner, are also beginning to spread throughout the country with my help. Are they in a hurry to finally realize that their funding sources have been clamped down and that tax revenues have been significantly reduced? I had expected him to notice and act earlier, being a duke and all, but I was disappointed. My expectation was that he would have made a move six months ago.

Because of the slow response, some people in the dukedom are said to be unemployed. Of course, I have accepted them and their families as settlers on my land. They are a valuable productive force, and above all, Emi would have cared about them.

I told the Sphere I wasn’t interested in having any interaction with them, so I used the letter to fire up the fireplace. When he sent me away, he said,「His Majesty was kind enough not to take away my nobility, but from this day forward, you will have no family, and I will consider you a stranger to me,」and he actually removed the parent-child registration and registered me as an independent family… No, it was just Duke Graupner. That’s too rude for a business letter to send to a stranger.

On the day of the party, which he had been waiting for a day and a thousand years, he passed through the gate with his carriage, along with Angel and other important figures in the world of magic. Except for Angel, most of them had lost their lives due to the battles and frenzies in the story. Now no one is missing. Those who were sick on the verge of going crazy are also here, having recovered through purification. If I pass through the gate that connects this place to the royal capital, I will reach a trading post that is under construction on the outskirts of the royal capital. Today, a delegation from the demon world, including the king of the demon tribe, was expected to pass by for an evening party, and people were crowded along the road, looking very interested in the event.

Everyone cheered for the knights, who were controlling magical beasts instead of horses, and everyone looked favorably at the demons, who looked unfamiliar with their horns and tails, but were all beautifully shaped.

「…For Remilia, though, this will be a homecoming. Are you nervous?」

「Yes, a little. What if they don’t believe me again…?」

「Remilia…」

I’m ready to deny all the evidence which that woman fabricated, though. If there are still fools who only want to see what they want to believe, what shall I really do? I wonder if I will then have to consider recreating the「curse of being able to tell only the truth for a whole day」that was mentioned in the April Fool’s Day event in the story.

Oh, that’s a good idea too. It would be fun to crucify her and make her confess, I thought, and then I reconsidered,「Emi would never do that, not even to someone who had wronged her.」

Looking into my face, which was made to look anxious, Angel takes my hand in his lap. He took the trouble to sit next to me in the spacious carriage and whispered sweetly,「I’ve got your back,」while pretending not to notice the stunned stares of his own younger siblings sitting across from him.

On the chest of Angel, dressed in formal attire, there was a light red color, the color of the hero’s eyes in the story, but now, as you can see, it is decorated with a light blue cravat. The same color as my eyes. The cufflinks and other accessories are all dark gold, the same color as my hair. On the contrary, if they see me wearing Angel’s hair and eye color, a stranger would think that we are lovers.

The fact that he would do such an assertive thing without telling me or getting my approval makes me think that this man is very much in love and very timid.

「Are we really going to enter the venue separately?」

「Yes, I’m sure the nobles of this country would find it not very interesting to have you and I working together with the demon tribe from the very beginning.」

Of course, that is not the reason. In fact, it is true that the fact that I, who is thought to have lost my power as a noble, am already friendly with a demon tribe that will be an important trading partner for the whole country is not welcomed, but those of my family who are already involved in the current trade of resources in the demon world know that I am close to the demon tribe. But it’s not a good decision to stand out from the start by taking the arm of Angel, who will be the guest of honor, because it’s not a good decision considering the revenge drama that will follow.

Because it would be boring to show that I am Angel’s partner from the very beginning, wouldn’t it? I’d like to start by smashing that woman where she’s at.

…Uhm, how long I have been looking forward to this day since the day of the decisive play orchestrated by the Star Maiden. She spins the bottle of beer she received from the waiter among the people in the hall. Chandeliers twinkled on the ceiling, and the venue was brightly lit with the lavish use of expensive magical tools.

I remained conscious of my surroundings without moving my eyes from the throne. I can see those who have noticed「Duchess Remilia」whispering something to each other from a distance, but I have arranged a light inhibition technique so that those who are in close proximity to the royal family will not recognize me as I am, and that they will not be able to recognize me at some distance, so there is no need to worry about a commotion before the evening party.

The golden beer, brought in from the demon tribe under the guise of「goodwill,」glistened in the light. It is a liquor made by fermenting lilin fruit, one of the few crops that grow in the demon world, which is beginning to be said to have something to do with the fact that the lifespan of the demon tribe, which「originally had the same body as humans, was extended to a different species.」I knew it was safe from my knowledge of the story, but I had it ingested by me and the people living in the city I built for some length of time to make sure it was safe again.

The eyes of the nobles glistening at the sight of the sparkling wine, some showing a greediness that would make them drink it up in a heartbeat if they weren’t so self-disciplined that they thought it had been handed out as a toast, and others planning to get as many glasses of lillin’ wine as they can by approaching countrymen who seem not to know about the lillin’ fruit, asking them in a friendly manner,「Would anyone like to switch to a drink that doesn’t contain alcohol?」 And even those who are scheming to get as many glasses of lilin liquor as possible. Since the benefits of「contributing to their health according to the magic they possess」have been discussed so that everyone can drink it, no one wants to give it up, though.

Although not directly curative like potions, lilin berries have the power to improve illnesses and chronic conditions that are ineffective with potions and healing magic by consuming the magic power of the person who ingests them. In fact, it was used by the demon tribe to heal their bodies from the miasma, and it was thanks to the Lilin fruit that so many demon tribe members were able to survive in the demon world where purification was non-existent. Many of them know that the Lilin fruit cured the Chief Mage of the Royal Palace of Leyva the other day when he was laid low by illness. Ordinary people don’t have that much magical power, so they can’t expect such dramatic effects, but they are free to dream.

The scope of the lilin fruit crop is now expanding and will be the centerpiece of future trade goods, but this lilin wine must be drunk by everyone present. They can ask for a second glass or more, but they have to let each person consume one. Because this is not just a lilin wine, it’s specially made. It is a painstaking task to prepare again and set up a place for them to drink.

The evening party began, and the king of this country said a few words of welcome to the king of the demon tribe, and then moved on to the next toast. While waiting quietly, those who cannot contain their frenzy to sip the lilin wine cannot remove their consciousness from the glass in their hands. The king of this country has also glanced at me and given me a glance of concern.

After the formal greeting, the nobles were all at once clinking their glasses in a moment of joy. I also tipped my glass. The lilin wine, with its subtle acidity and fresh fruit aroma, was a little lukewarm in the area at the back of the hall where the lower-ranking nobles here were hanging out, as it had been handed out for some time, but it tasted better than any other wine I have ever tasted, considering it was a beautiful wine that would lead to victory.

A cheer goes up, especially from the high-ranking nobles in front, who probably had high magical powers. Perhaps there was a change in the body. The more serious the chronic illness and the higher the magical power, the more pronounced the effect.

I sat on the throne to watch the king, the crown prince, and their entourages drink their fill of lilin wine… They began to move quietly to the front of the hall where Angel and the others were.

「How is your body, O king of the land of men?」

「This is… The back pain I had suffered from for years seemed to melt away, and the breathlessness I always had was a lie. It’s as if I’ve regained the body I had when I was young and healthy… I felt its power when I sipped the lilin fruit, but this one made into a fizzy drink is even better!」

「That’s good to know.」

「I was told that lilin berries could also be sold as a trade item…」

「Yes, it can’t be everything as much as we would like it to be. We understand that the demand is high. But if you use it too often with the amount of magic a person has, it will cause depletion, so you should limit its distribution in some way, as we talked about.」

「That’s for sure.」

The high-ranking nobles looked at me as I glided along without making a rustling sound as I approached, and then opened the way. I also heard the voices of Angel and the king. But it was amplified and picked up by wind magic, so it would not have reached the ears of the others.

A step further forward, there is David, now a knight errant, and Claude, working as a political officer, who is not much better, and Stéphane, a magician and a musician, who is in between. I saw Pina standing surrounded in the center of it, looking at Angel with entranced eyes. The eyes of Claude and the others looking at Pina were colored with confusion and astonishment. The corners of my mouth turned up involuntarily as I realized that「The Villainess Remilia」had won.

「You have seen how wonderful the lilin fruit is, but did you notice that the lilin wine we handed out this time is specially made and has a weak but powerful spell-breaking power?」

「What the?! A curse…like what?」

「Unlike physical illness, it will be difficult to grasp in my own case… It is a kind of evil curse that manipulates people’s emotions and instills false favoritism. They’ve lost all liking for the person they used to perceive favorably for no reason, haven’t they?」

Yes, this drink is an antidote to the「potion of attractiveness」that takes advantage of the properties of the lilin fruit. The love potion that was circulating within this country was fortunately made by one demon tribe. Effects brought about by the magical power of the creator of the love potion by using the ingredients of the lilin fruit, which have the property of curing illness by consuming magical power, in combination with herbs and other ingredients… In other words, it has the power to cleanly erase only the likability raised by the「potion of attractiveness.」

The king of this country, who pasted astonishment on his words, looked at the Star Maiden to see if she had noticed anything. Williard, who was listening to the conversation beside him, gulps as if peering into himself, and immediately turns his attention to Pina.

「Your Majesty, Demon King!」

What did she mistake it for? That woman, who thought to herself to no end, suddenly ran up to the king of another country.

Angel’s entourage frowned, and Klimt, with his hand on his sword, interrupted his body to intimidate Pina.

「…This girl is?」

「Ha, uhm… She is a girl with the power of the『Star Maiden』in our country’s lore…」

「Well, she looks like a good『decoration.』」

The humans quickly changed color at Angel’s response, snickering that the name is grandiose, but the substance is not. Only Pina, who was oblivious to the sarcasm, was laughing, putting her hands on her cheeks and saying,「No, no, I don’t want to be put in display,」 as if embarrassed, mistaking it for a compliment.

Ahh, I’m looking forward to this… onwards, that face will be contorted, colored by despair and regret.