「I am thinking of stepping down from the throne」

    The next morning, in the audience hall .

    Aura and I were standing below, and the king was sitting on his throne .

    The king was very exhausted, he was a wrinkly old man in the first place, but it seems like he had become much older than that; he’s weakened so much that he could die anytime .

    「Otou-sama……」

    「I was blinded . To think that I took a monster as a queen, to think that I was controlled by a monster」

    The kind covered his face with his hands .

    「Astrea, Clora, Shima, Daphne, Eunice, Lena, Leda……」

    He called out names, his daughters’ names .

    「Ohhhhhhh……forgive me, forgive me……」

    He wailed while covering his face, repenting to the daughters that no longer exist .

    「Onee-sama……」

    Aura who was by my side also cried .

    Honestly, I’m troubled . I don’t know what face to make . I can’t laugh or smile right .

    I could only stay quiet .

    Stay quiet and look at them, waiting for the two to calm down .

    Aura returned earlier .

    「Otou-sama, this kingdom still needs Otou-sama . Please continue, please continue to lead us, lead the people」

    「The sin of dragging a monster within us……is heavy . It cannot be forgiven other than stepping down the throne」

    「Otou-sama」

    「And there, the next king……is……uhh……」

    The king stutters, he took glances at Aura, it seems like he’s hesitating about something .

    He had said it clearly when leaving his throne, what is he hesitating after all this time?

    『He probably can’t say that his son would be the next king?』

    Eleanor said . I see, that’s how it is huh .

    The reason why he killed his daughters while being controlled by Aerine is to make his son the king; after regaining his senses, it’s probably hard for him to say that his son is the next king .

    『That obsession and the his weak heart was probably the reason he was controlled』

    That’s probably right . I also think so .

    The king stutters . Later than Eleanor, Aura also noticed that .

    Aura kneels, and said while bowing her head .

    「The crown prince should be the next king . Aura Torideca Comotoria, as weak as I am, I am willing to support the new king as a vassal」

    With a formal tone, she said what the king wants .

    The king clearly got relieved, and his expression got bright .

    『That’s why he got taken in』

    Eleanor didn’t have mercy .

    I also……agree with her pretty much .

    ☆

    I was invited to Aura’s house .

    It’s a splendid mansion that stands in the most lively place in the royal capital Krades . It’s several times more luxurious than my mansion, ‘as expected of a princess’ I thought .

    Welcomed by many butlers and maids, I was passed through to the drawing room .

    After waiting for a while, Aura appeared .

    Her appearance right now, wearing a princess dress, is the most beautiful that I have seen her .

    Aura straightens her back, and walks gracefully towards me .

    She stood in front of me, stares, and bows her head .

    「Thank you very much . All of it, is thanks to you」

    「Yeah, be grateful」

    「Yes, thank you very much」

    Aura bowed her head again once, and said to me .

    「I have talked to Otou-sama . You are now a viscount……one rank above baron」

    「I see」

    「Also, the land that bestowed before, he says that you will be given a vast land more than that」

    「Land? Ahh, there was something like that right」

    I remembered Comotoria’s messenger that came to my mansion .

    If I’m correct, at that time, that man told me that he’d give me a land other than the baron title .

    I didn’t have interest with that, so I had forgotten up until now .

    「Is it vast?」

    「Yes . It seems like your noble rank could not be raised immediately, so the land was increased」

    「Fu?n . That, it’s troublesome, so you manage it」

    「Eh?」

    「I don’t have that much interest in lands or territories . Honestly, noble ranks too」

    「N-No way……」

    Aura’s expression breaks off .

    She had a princess-like refined face when she entered the room, but now, she was almost crying .

    「I cannot give my gratitude back then . Is there anything……is there anything else you want?」

    With a face that is about to cry, she asked me as if to beg .

    「You」

    I answered immediately .

    From the start, I was only planning to request that .

    Aura got dumbfounded .

    「Me……?」

    「Yeah, you」

    「Me, you say, what do youーーah!」

    She was a little bit late to understand, but Aura realized .

    The way her face blushes, it’s no doubt that she understood correctly .

    「That’s right, let me embrace you」

    「Do not joke with me, rather than the viscount title, rather than land」

    「I’m not joking . You’re a good woman, a good woman is good enough for a reward」

    「……are you saying that seriously」

    「I’m serious」

    I immediately answered again .

    Aura’s blushed face reddens .

    She blushed, and got restless .

    It’s a little bit vexing . It’s not like she doesn’t like it, so I carried Aura like you carry a princess .

    「Where’s the room that has a bed」

    「Eh, ehhh??」

    「Where is it」

    「Uhmm, you go left there」

    「Yosh」

    While holding Aura, I walked imposingly .

    When we went outside, we encountered servants there .

    The butlers and maids, they looked at me with a surprised face .

    Aura covered her face with her hands . It seems like she’s too embarrassed that she would die .

    「Uhmm……」

    「What, even if you say it now that you don’tーー」

    「From the time that you saved me, I have loved you」

    Aura said with a voice as small as a mosquito’s cry . The way she said that while covering her face was so dangerously cute .

    I took Aura to the room that has a bed on it, and ‘took’ her as a reward .

    ☆

    Within the darkness, small lizard monsters squirms .

    The lizards gathered at one point .

    With that dark haze as a point, as if a black hole was there .

    The child lizards came and jump into that, came and jump into that, repeatedly .

    After that, the black hole gradually got bigger; it got bigger every time child lizards jumped into it .

    Repeating that, for one whole day .

    The black haze finally materializes, and broke just like an egg .

    「Kuhoaa!」

    A lizard came out from the inside .

    The thing that came out of the broken egg was Aerine in her lizard form . However, her appearance was small, just the size of a child .

    Aerine’s face was full of hatred .

    「That man……I won’t forgive him, I will never forgive him!」

    The words she spits out, they were also filled with hatred .

    「I will torture him, torture the ones around him……I will kill him slowly that he would regret he was alive!!」

    With blood-shot eyes, a strong will could be felt with her declaration that she would do anything so that it can be done .

    「……」

    One man appeared without sounds .

    Wearing a black outfit, a man that has an appearance of an assassin .

    「You, you came at the right time」

    It looks like Aerine and the man know each other .

    It’s not like her hatred had completely disappeared, but it lessened when she saw the man .

    「Take me back with you, when I regained my strength, that manーー」

    Without waiting for Aerine finish talking, the man pierces out his hand .

    He pierces her fiercely with the track of a body blow .

    His hand pierced through Aerine’s body . His hand that was coated in blood had sharp nails; it didn’t look like a human’s .

    「Kaha!……W-Why」

    「You didn’t seem like you’d lose your hatred, you know」

    The man said with a merciless tone .

    「The who cannot be controlled would be destroyed」

    「Even so……I……」

    「My bad」

    The man used his remaining hand and pierced through Aerine, and tears her into two .

    Aerine who had just regenerated had been torn into two, and this time for real, she died .

    The man only took a glance at her, and looked at the other side as if he had lost his interest .

    「To treat Aerine as a child like this, stronger than expected」

    Unlike his words before, a bit of weakness could be felt with his words .

    「We are stronger than anybody else . He probably cannot be stopped with one on one anymore」

    He whispered, and let out a sigh this time .

    「The man who subordinates the Demon Sword……the man who gives birth to a new Demon Sword . I must make everyone thoroughly not get involved with him」

    Saying that, the man disappeared into the darkness .

    In a place where Kakeru is not present, the darkness, it changed its movement greatly .