Chapter 32 - There Was Nothing I Could Do

Chapter 32 - There Was Nothing I Could Do

"What happened?!"

Upon returning to Barungenia, Rin Ciart rushed out from the research lab.

"Beatrice!"

She approached Beatrice, who had returned carrying Clay and then collapsed onto the floor.

"Clay, did that person do this?"

"Yes."

Clay replied softly.

"Nael did it."

"You're too beaten up!"

Rin cried out as if it were unreasonable.

"Did you really fight Nael directly? That's not even Beatrice's specialty...!"

"Rin."

Beatrice said, looking up at Rin, who had grabbed and lifted her.

"Dragonkin's specialty isn't just magic."

"No, but you should have avoided hand-to-hand combat with Nael!"

"The damage she sustained is greater."

Not just physical damage, but mental damage too.

"We gained everything we needed, so it's fine."

"Oh, come on!"

Though frustrated with Beatrice, Rin didn't argue further.

"Let's go! We need to treat you first!"

As Rin tried to pull Beatrice away, Clay also placed a hand on her.

"I'll help too."

Rin glanced at Clay once, then walked along with him.

♧

"Is this Doctor White reliable?"

The place where Beatrice was moved was the infirmary at the end of the first floor of Barungenia.

The person there was an eccentric demon wearing white clothes, white shoes, white gloves, and even white-lensed glasses.

He cheerfully took Beatrice in, saying a new patient had arrived.

Sitting on a long bench in the hallway, Clay had just asked Rin next to him.

"Don't worry. Even if he seems out of his mind, he's sincere about treatment. You'll owe him a favor eventually too."

"Is that so."

"Yes."

Rin looked at Clay with a sullen expression.

"You overdid it this time. You haven't even fully acquired your power as the Demon King yet."

"That's the kind of person who would have pushed their way in here if I hadn't gone out."

Clay didn't want Barungenia, which he had finally settled into, to be messed up.

"Only the place of battle changed. I could have let you all step up, but to minimize damage, I had to induce carelessness."

"That's why I said it's too much."

Rin held out her index finger to Clay.

"You are a new symbol to us. Even if others here are sacrificed, you must remain safe. Otherwise, we might lose our focal point again."

"To make you worry about me that much, I apologize."

"Wh-Who said I was worried about you? I was worried about our future."

It was practically the same thing, but Clay didn't press the point. There was a more important matter.

"Rin."

Rin looked slightly surprised to hear him address her so suddenly and seriously.

"What, why?"

"When can we resolve the restrictions on my body?"

"Ah."

Rin sighed, cleared her throat briefly, and then spoke again.

"That, well. About that, I don't think I can do it alone."

"What do you mean?"

"No, it's possible, but it requires some cooperation, you could say."

"Whose cooperation are you talking about?"

Rin sighed at Clay's question.

Seeing her squirming as if she didn't want to speak, Clay said instead.

"Are you talking about Butcher Golche?"

"Gasp."

Rin averted her gaze.

"Th-That's..."

"Didn't you already bring him here for cooperation? Golche has already conducted many investigations into my body."

At that explanation, Rin's cheeks reddened.

"Ah, no, it's not because I couldn't do it alone?! Your body's condition is just so complicated that I needed some physical insights!"

"I know."

Clay said with a calm expression.

"Perhaps given time, you could have solved it alone. But I don't have time to procrastinate, so I called Golche in advance."

"Uh, hmm."

"The escort Beatrice assigned to me was also put there to obtain what he needed."

Kardine.

Rin, who had only just realized he wasn't visible, gasped.

"You, when did you..."

"That's not important. What's important is that Golche, who has accumulated so much work, and you cooperate. As you said, if the two of you cooperate now, can you definitely lift the restrictions on my body?"

"That's..."

Rin couldn't hide her aversion and turned her head. But she had already made the statement.

Clay had set the stage, so she couldn't say she couldn't do it now because of something like that.

"Alright, I get it."

She nodded.

"He's a guy who makes me want to vomit just by looking at him, but I'll endure it for you."

"Thank you."

At Clay's simple expression of gratitude, Rin turned her gaze away again with a disgruntled expression.

"By the way, why don't you use honorifics with me?"

"Uh, huh?"

"Did you treat the previous Demon King the same way?"

He had merely asked out of curiosity about her position, but Rin instantly froze like a statue.

"W-What?"

"I want to know what kind of position you hold."

"Ah, no... I-I'll use honorifics! When you become the Demon King!"

Clay sighed at her reaction.

"You were just doing whatever you wanted, it seems."

"..."

"I'm not scolding you. Anyway, the gargoyles only respect me, they don't use honorifics."

Despite him saying it was fine, Rin fell silent.

"Rin."

"..."

"Just be comfortable."

Rin's help was essential for him to become the Demon King.

"Considering the contributions you will make, that much is acceptable."

"R-Really?"

"Yes."

Then Rin straightened her shoulders and said.

"R-Right! Because I'm here, you can become the true Demon King!"

"You're admirable."

"Yeah, adm... What?"

With Rin's cries in the background, telling him not to treat her like a kid, Clay fell into thought.

'Nael.'

He had inflicted a critical injury, but he hadn't completely incapacitated her.

Next time they met, she wouldn't be as careless as before.

'To eliminate all hypocrites, any more leniency than this would be problematic.'

The people he wanted revenge on the most were his former comrades.

But they were also the ones who made him waver the most.

GRIP.

Clay clenched his fist.

'The time for forgiveness to be exchanged has already passed.'

When he was buried without a coffin, he had already disappeared deep into the mud.

'Don't arbitrarily beg for forgiveness anymore.'

That was just unilateral violence.

THUD.

And how much time had passed?

The infirmary door opened.

♧

The ones who came for Nael were none other than Iser's Imperial Guard Knights.

"Lady Nael, are you alright?!"

They had been following Nael, observing her movements.

And they had witnessed Nael being defeated.

They hadn't easily stepped forward because Beatrice was there, but they had to save Nael.

When they rushed forward, Beatrice simply fled.

In a way, it was fortunate for them.

"Quickly, bring her in!"

They hastily left the scene, carrying Nael.

When they returned to the Imperial Palace, they were greeted by none other than the Empress, Tia.

The Captain of the Royal Guard, Lilien, was nowhere to be seen.

"...As expected, it was too much for her alone."

Tia murmured, looking at the unconscious Nael.

Everything was going as she had expected.

She had simply let Nael do as she pleased because Nael had acted emotionally.

'Calling Yelena was the right decision.'

If Nael had returned safely, their forces could have been augmented, but there was no turnaround.

Wasn't it Beatrice, the strongest force of the Demon King's army?

It was fortunate enough that she returned without dying against Beatrice, who was on their side.

"I'm sorry, I caused all of this. I'm truly sorry."

Meanwhile, Yelena, who had approached and checked Nael's condition, was muttering as if terrified.

Seeing the bewildered Imperial Guard Knights, Tia said.

"Everyone, quickly take Nael and see to her treatment."

"Yes!"

The knights ran off somewhere, carrying Nael, as if fleeing from the crazed Yelena.

After watching Yelena continue to mutter and walk after Nael for a moment, Tia walked slowly.

The remaining knight delivered the reconnaissance report to Tia.

'Clay might not be dead?'

It was an absurd claim.

But there was also the added note that Nael, who had momentarily regained consciousness while being carried by the knights, had uttered nonsense like Clay actually wasn't dead and had been brainwashed by Beatrice.

'Clay...'

Tremble, tremble.

She couldn't breathe properly.

'He can't be alive.'

Clay was dead.

She had personally confirmed his body.

'He's imitating him.'

It was clear that Beatrice had reanimated the corpse, almost perfectly, in some way.

But if so, was Clay's consciousness there too?

"Gasp!"

Tia clutched her chest and knelt on the spot.

Cold sweat ran down her pale skin.

"Your, Your Majesty!"

The maids around her rushed to her side.

She pushed away the hands the maids offered, and for a moment, she placed both hands on the floor and bowed her head.

Only after transferring the weight pressing down on her entire body to the ground did she find a slight release of breath.

'It can't be. It can't be...'

If Clay had consciousness, if he remembered everything leading up to his death, could he understand everything?

Wouldn't resentment and despair already cover him like pitch-black darkness?

If that was the driving force allowing Beatrice to hold and move him, she had no idea what to do or how to do it.

'Clay.'

She clenched both fists tightly.

'Clay...'

GRIT.

Gritting her teeth, she stood up.

The moment of choice had passed.

She decided to bear the weight of the crown and fulfill her duty as Empress.

There was nothing she could undo now.

Whether in the past or the present, she would only do what had to be done immediately.

"Tell me when Nael's treatment is complete. And inform me if any news comes from Lilien."

She ordered the maids and then moved.

She waved away all the maids who tried to follow.

The place she reached was her bedroom.

Unable to walk any further, she collapsed onto the bed.

"Ugh. Ugh-huh."

Burying her face in the blanket, she trembled and let out groans.

So softly that no one could hear, yet letting out large, uncontrollable breaths.

Eventually, she lifted her upper body, revealing her face, which now only held faded eyes.

She stood up and walked to a nearby cabinet.

There was a compartment with a cross symbol drawn on it.

RATTLE.

Opening the box inside, what emerged was a necklace with a golden cross.

"..."

The hidden artifact of the Iser Royal Family.

It promised considerable power, enough to help in the current crisis, but the moment it was used, one would be incessantly tested by the voice of God.

About one's most grave wrongdoing.

And she...

"I didn't do anything wrong. I couldn't help it. I truly couldn't help it."

Muttering in an unconvincing tone, she merely clutched the necklace tightly in her hand.