Chapter 328

Chapter 328

One cannot judge a person as good or evil by their appearance. The person in front of me, looked like they couldn’t hurt a fly, but could actually be a devil who was sucking the lifeblood out of these children.

Ms. Bell looked genuinely flustered and confused.

“I-I don’t understand what you’re saying, Mr. Reinhart. Why would you bring that up all of a sudden...”

‘Of course, she would deny it.’

“I don’t know the structure of the orphanage support program, nor do I know the exact method through which the money is provided,” she continued. “I’m not a stakeholder, after all.”

I sighed deeply.

After emerging victorious in the Great War, the imperial government had immediately started support programs to take care of the numerous orphans.

When I first arrived in the capital, I had seriously considered just entering an orphanage because I knew for sure that I would be given support. I had even made it so that talented war orphans could enter the Temple and receive free education, even if they were not placed in the Royal Class.

Because of that, the idea that there were kids in orphanages within the imperial capital who were starving and lacked clothes due to lack of funds was simply absurd. The fact that these kids were starving meant that someone was siphoning off the imperial funds. It was clear that the resources meant for the children were leaking out somewhere along the way.

The places Olivia was sponsoring were all like this. They weren’t in need of actual help—money was just leaking out somewhere along the way before it got to them. When Olivia had told me about her sponsoring these orphanages, I hadn’t said anything about it, but I had already figured out that there had to be some underlying issue.

Since the thought was still fresh in my mind, I had decided to take action.

I crossed my arms and looked at Ms. Bell, who wore an expression of utter indignation. I didn’t know how the orphanage support program was run, and it was possible that this person was innocent.

“Ms. Bell, I won the first-year championship in the Temple Tournament.”

“... And what does that mean...?”

“Winning a tournament within the Temple gives you the opportunity to meet the emperor.”

I grinned as Ms. Bell’s face turned pale.

“What do you think will happen if I tell His Majesty that this orphanage seems to be diverting government support funds elsewhere?” I asked her.

“W-What are you saying?! Do you think we would be safe if you said such things?”

“If it turns out you’re innocent, you’ll be fine.”

“What are you talking about?! I-I have never... I would never...”

Ms. Bell’s face turned ashen, and she began to tremble. If I told the emperor about this, he might personally launch an investigation, or he might not. But just the fact that I would say such a thing terrified her. Even if she was innocent, she might be framed and made the scapegoat. If she was guilty, her scheme would undoubtedly be exposed.

Was she innocent? Just looking at her expression—she looked like she might collapse at any moment—I could tell that she had indeed been tampering with the funding meant for the children.

“P-Please. Just spare me this once. I-I’ll never... I’ll never do this again...”

Whack!

“Ouch!”

I shook off Ms. Bell, who was clinging to my pant leg.

“Why should I decide whether you live or die?”

I looked down at the kind-looking, middle-aged woman who was trembling at my feet.

How many people had been deceived by her kind and gentle facade?

I didn’t know what she had done with the money meant for the children. Olivia had likely sold her personal belongings to raise the necessary funds, only for them to be siphoned off like this. If she had won the prize money and donated it to this orphanage, it would have been diverted as well.

“That’s for the laws of the empire to decide, not me,” I said.

Outside the window, Olivia and the children were playing and laughing heartily, while inside the director’s office, the orphanage director was kneeling before me.

Olivia didn’t need to know about this. I didn’t want her to find out that all her efforts had gone towards filling the pockets of the wrong person. She was already going through a lot, and I didn’t want to burden her with this mess as well.

***

After watching Olivia and the children play for a while, we left the orphanage. The children were disappointed, and Ms. Bell didn’t dare come near me.

“What did you talk about?”

“Oh, just about when they would be getting support from the government, and various other things.”

“Hmm, I see. I hope they get it soon.”

The policy had already been implemented a long time ago. They had been deceiving Olivia and the other sponsors by claiming that they had been excluded from the list of supported institutions. I decided there was no need to inform her of this. I didn’t know how much emptiness and betrayal she would feel if she found out.

Not all truths had to come to light. Sometimes, it’s better to be unaware of a truth that will only cause pain, and Olivia has already been hurt too much.

While I might not be able to punish them directly, I could at least report them. I didn’t know what kind of punishment the perpetrators would face, but I planned to look into the other orphanages Olivia was sponsoring as well. If Olivia’s wish was for the children to be well-fed and well-clothed, that would soon be the case.

“Reinhart, you seemed really uncomfortable around the kids.”

“... I don’t like kids.”

“Hmm. I didn’t know you had such a weakness.”

“Why is disliking something a weakness?”

“Of course it’s a weakness. Normally, you’re all loud and brash, but you couldn’t do anything in front of the kids.”

She had clearly noticed that I was flustered and unable to act like my usual self, afraid that I might shout at them and drive them away with harsh words.

“Heh, but you’ll have to do your best to play with our child, okay?” she said.

“What are you talking about?”

Olivia, smiling brightly, seemed to be in a much better mood. That was enough for me.

***

“N-No, it’s... okay...”

Was this really what it meant to be raised by a vampire?

Radia began to wonder if she had completely misunderstood the situation. The vampire in front of her, and Reinhart too—she couldn’t make sense of what was happening.

***

In the central imperial palace, Tetra, of the imperial city of Emperatos, the emperor sat in his study facing the prince and princess, after an urgent meeting with his ministers. Vertus and Charlotte were not engaging in their usual bickering as they both understood the gravity of the situation.

They knew that this was not the time to provoke the emperor’s temper.

The emperor of the empire, Neliod de Gradias, delivered the facts calmly.

“Last night, Leverier Lanche was found dead along with several elite holy knights in an abandoned monastery in the outskirts south of the capital. It is presumed to be the work of demons.”

“Is it related to the earlier incident in the capital as well?” Vertus asked, and the emperor nodded.

“While we cannot be certain, the circumstances suggest it is likely.”

Though the Great War had ended, powerful demons still survived. They were capable of orchestrating large-scale attacks in and around the capital. Previously, there had been no casualties, but this time, there were. Leverier Lanche, the former leader of the Order of the Holy Knights and one of the heroes of the Great War, was dead.

However, the emperor, the prince, and the princess did not seem particularly troubled.

“... Are the gods aiding the empire?” the emperor mused.

Charlotte and Vertus both nodded reluctantly. The appearance of high-ranking demons in the capital was a disaster, but they knew that, in the long run, this situation could be advantageous.

“Was Leverier Lanche the only significant figure who died at that location, or did it include the leadership of the Nameless Monastery?” Charlotte asked.

The emperor nodded again. “While we don’t know the exact members of their core leadership, it seems likely,” he replied.

The imperial family was already aware of the secret religious sect, the Nameless Monastery, formed by Leverier Lanche. However, they had not been able to act. If the imperial family made a move, it could provoke a massive uprising among the already sensitive religious community, which was completely unacceptable.

Covert assassination was also difficult. Not only was Leverier Lanche highly skilled, but the rest of the leadership consisted of veteran fighters as well. Even if the assassination was successful, the imperial family would undoubtedly be blamed for it. Thus, the imperial government had been struggling with how to deal with these growing seeds of division.

And then, in one night, all of them had been wiped out. Moreover, numerous civilians had witnessed a demon flying about the vicinity. The imperial family was clearly not behind it, nor could they be mistaken for being behind it.

The re-emergence of these leftover demon forces was a disaster, but for the empire, it was as if the opportunity had fallen into their lap.

“Do you understand why the demons attacked Leverier Lanche instead of the Order of the Holy Knights themselves?”

“Other than personal grudges against Leverier Lanche... I can’t think of anything else,” Vertus said. “More importantly, we need to consider whether the demons knew about the Nameless Monastery when they attacked, or if they attacked them without knowing.”

“If they knew, then they would have left them alone...”

“Exactly.”

If the demons had known the true goal of the Nameless Monastery, they would have left them alone to weaken the empire. The consensus among them was that the demons must not have known, which was a reasonable assumption.

The idea that demons might be trying to protect the empire was inconceivable, so even in the heart of the empire, the true nature of the situation remained unknown.

The three of them were left perplexed and uncertain, unable to discern the true intentions of the remaining demon forces. While they had rid themselves of a troublesome issue, it had only been replaced by another.

Powerful demons still existed, and could attack the capital at any time. Whether the Demon King had truly been resurrected or if there was a successor to the Demon King was unknown. However, everyone in the empire now realized that the Great War was not truly over. The three of them knew that this was a temporary respite for the empire.

***

Once the audience with the emperor had concluded, Vertus and Charlotte walked along one of the hallways of the central palace of Tetra on their way out.

“What do you think, sister dear?” Vertus asked.

“... About what?” Charlotte responded, bristling.

“The possibility that the child you’re looking for is involved in this.”

“I don’t want to hear your nonsense.”

Despite his words, Charlotte’s mind was equally troubled.

“If that kid is somehow the Demon King’s son or something...”

“Shut up.”

Charlotte looked up at Vertus with a grim expression. “What are you trying to say? That because I survived, the Demon King’s son was also able to survive? And so all of this is my fault? Are you trying to say that I should have obediently accepted death by your hand? Is that it?”

Vertus shook his head and smiled at Charlotte’s hostile words. “No. I’m just saying that if that were the case, it would be a relief. I almost made a fatal mistake, didn’t I?”

If the empire were to fall, the competition for the throne would be meaningless.

Seeing that malicious expression, Charlotte felt like she was going to be sick.

Someone needed to hear this conversation, but there was no one around who could. Even if someone did overhear their exchange, nothing would change.

“... You bastard,” Charlotte said.

Charlotte understood why Vertus preferred the child to be the Demon King’s son or something similar. She knew what he was thinking.

Even if there were still remnants of the demon forces around, they couldn’t topple the empire. The Dark Land had been effectively destroyed, and the Demon King’s castle had fallen. The remaining demons, no matter how high-ranking, could only conduct guerrilla operations at best.

Therefore, if the remaining demons did indeed rally around one of their kind and created disturbances, the empire would face chaos, but not division. It was because of this that Vertus was hoping for the existence of a successor to the Demon King.

Charlotte knew this as well.

Even if they couldn’t understand what was going on, it was ultimately beneficial for the empire.

But was that child really related to the Demon King?

It seemed unlikely, given that he was an exceedingly ordinary child with no special abilities.

However, Charlotte also found that she couldn’t completely dismiss the possibility.