The Academy’s Weakest Became A Demon-Limited Hunter C.224: Alice Subjugation — interlude (3)

Isaac chillingly glared at Emperor Carlos.

The Royal Guard, Jacule Calix, and the Imperial Knights had their hands on the hilt of their swords.

The Ice Knight, Morcan, also prepared to draw his white-silver sword at any moment.

The sound of blades moving inside their scabbards occurred almost simultaneously.

“Huh, w-wait?! Ahhh…!”

Isaac spoke in a sarcastic tone.

He did not deny what Emperor Carlos had said. Rather, he thought it was a reasonable opinion from the Emperor’s perspective.

But that was a mere farce in comparison to what truly mattered.

Here, the logic of power prevailed, and it was clearly favoring Isaac.

In terms of justification, cause, and actions, Isaac had every right to stand confidently before Emperor Carlos.

“It would be troublesome if you continued to proceed in such a manner.”

Using [Psychological Insight], Isaac read the Emperor’s psychology. Seeing Isaac’s young age and his boldness, the Emperor tried to use this attitude to steer the pace of the meeting to his advantage.

At the same time, he was wary of the strengthening power of Düpfendorf. After extracting information from Alice, he pondered how to pre-emptively manipulate her to benefit the Empire. His offer to compensate for any losses was motivated by this intention.

Isaac understood that as well.

Whether the opponent underestimated him or not, as long as their thoughts did not blatantly surface, Isaac could generously overlook them. After all, the Emperor was human, it was only natural for him to harbor such thoughts.

However, it was difficult for Isaac to accept the Emperor’s condescending and sneering attitude, which suggested that Isaac should yield.

Moreover, Emperor Carlos was someone who pursued the well-being and peace of the Empire.

Facing Isaac, who no one could oppose using force, the Emperor was certainly not a person who would wage war just because he felt offended.

As mentioned before, Isaac had been granted extraterritorial rights by an archwizard. Isaac also considered this aspect of his character.

Therefore, Isaac decided he needed to assert himself strongly to awaken the Emperor’s sense of urgency, and that was why he threw the dagger.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

“What’s with the outrageous words to the Emperor?”

As Jacule questioned with a voice filled with murderous intent, Isaac glared at him fiercely.

“Who are you to intervene?”

“Jacule.”

Emperor Carlos lightly raised his hand to prevent Jacule from speaking further.

Jacule, observing the tense Emperor, frowned and took a step back.

“I apologize.”

Emperor Carlos took a breath and closed his eyes.

“My words were a bit aggressive. I’m sorry for provoking your anger.”

Opening his eyes again, Emperor Carlos looked at Isaac.

Isaac paused, then softened his voice a bit.

“I understand your point. After all, we don’t know when the Evil God will be resurrected.”

While the Heart Kingdom was in another world, Alice and the Paladins felt guilty. Therefore, it was necessary to share information about the resurrection of the Evil Got to recruit them as allies.

But that wasn’t the case with the Zelver Empire.

You’re doomed anyway if you don’t cooperate.

In the end, the Empire would have no choice but to join the fight against the Evil God. Therefore, maintaining a cooperative relationship was sufficient.

Once information had been relayed to someone, it could not be taken back, and there was always the risk that it could be misused or lead to confusion. Moreover, there wasn’t a deep trust established yet.

Isaac did not want to take such uncontrollable risks. There was still a need to be cautious with information.

“However, I have my own unyielding intentions.”

“What might those be?”

“To protect the people. As I mentioned, Alice will be used for that purpose.”

“...I truly appreciate your noble intentions.”

Emperor Carlos looked into Isaac’s eyes, admitting that he had been imprudent, and decided to take a step back.

He was facing a being capable of destroying the world at any moment and commanded an army that included great magic beasts. Such a being had protected the Empire’s valuable talents and was explicitly stating his intention to continue protecting the people.

Looking back, it almost seemed absurd.

It was already a grace that such an archwizard was negotiating with them. The mere act of throwing a dagger should be overlooked.

However, Emperor Carlos had no intention of giving up on what would benefit the Empire.

“...But, be that as it may. Our Empire is…”

“I have something I want to show you.”

Emperor Carlos stopped talking.

Isaac pulled out a pocket watch and handed it to the Ice Knight, Morcan.

“Pass this on.”

Morcan handed the pocket watch to the Royal Guard, Jacule, then returned to his position.

Jacule examined the watch to ensure it was safe before approaching Emperor Carlos and presenting the watch to him.

“…!”

Emperor Carlos’s eyes wavered.

Although part of the watch turned black, it was unmistakably Snow White’s cherished pocket watch.

The Emperor stood up abruptly, his face filled with shock.

“Why do you have this watch…?”

“I’m glad you recognized it immediately.”

“How could I not? It belongs to my daughter, Snow White…!”

Isaac pointed to the ceiling.

“The demon that filled the sky. It emerged from this watch.”

Everyone in the room was startled by Isaac’s shocking statement.

Emperor Carlos’s eyes widened, and he quickly composed his expression, looking at Isaac with a wary face.

“What are you implying?”

“If you have any doubts, I’m sure there’s plenty of evidence to investigate. Go ahead, there’s nothing stopping you, is there?”

“…”

The Emperor gestured to an Imperial Wizard waiting by the entrance to examine the pocket watch.

“Inspect it.”

The Imperial Wizard approached nervously and closely examined the watch using a magic tool equipped with a magnifying glass. A magic circle appeared in front of the wizard’s eyes as he looked through the magnifying glass.

It was soon apparent that the watch was no ordinary object.

“It’s definitely Princess Snow White’s watch. Moreover… the capacity to contain mana is immeasurable. There are also traces of dense dark mana. It has now lost all functionality and can only be used as a regular watch, but… this is extraordinary…”

“Get to the point.”

“It appears that this contained the Starry Sky Demon that we observed in the Imperial Tower. There is no doubt about it.”

Concealing something with perception inhibition magic was entirely possible, and misleading someone was something Isaac could do.

However, the measurements of the Starry Sky Demon’s mana already conducted by the Imperial Tower were undeniable and could not be falsified or embellished. This was proof that Isaac had not tampered with the pocket watch.

Emperor Carlos tightly closed his eyes.

It was the pocket watch Snow White had received from the Empress.

He had never doubted the watch. In fact, when it came to light that the Empress had been scheming Snow White’s assassination, he had ordered a thorough investigation of the watch.

That was why he had returned the watch to White, knowing how much she cherished it and how much meaning it held in her heart.

But… it seemed that the real purpose of the watch was cleverly hidden from the start.

Perhaps there was a perception inhibition magic of a level beyond the capabilities of the Imperial Tower, or maybe a similar mechanism.

…It made sense. A formidable demon like the “Starry Sky” demon had been contained within it. Whatever miracle had been performed on the watch wouldn’t surprise anyone.

Suddenly, he remembered the body of the Empress. She, who never showed her neck even in bed due to an unsightly scar, had revealed an unidentified mark on her neck only after her death.

The Empress… what kind of dangerous demon had given her a watch like this?

“I see… You may go.”

The Imperial Wizard bowed his head and returned to his position.

Emperor Carlos organized his thoughts and blinked slowly.

This watch was a disgrace to the Imperial Family.

More importantly, he realized that Isaac had resolved a potentially dangerous element that could have harmed the Imperial Family and countless citizens, which he himself had failed to detect.

Isaac had acted quicker than the Imperial Knights in various demon incidents, striving to prevent any deaths.

Ultimately, he even thwarted the Empress’s last assassination attempt, saving a member of the Imperial Family.

The Empire owed Isaac a tremendous debt.

Remembering this, Emperor Carlos lowered his gaze.

“I’ve heard that Snow White is safe… it was all thanks to you. Had you anticipated that the watch was out of the ordinary?”

Isaac nodded.

Emperor Carlos calmed his troubled heart. It only took a moment of silence to do so.

“I apologize once more. I owe you too much. Thank you… for protecting Snow White.”

Isaac sat back down.

“I will keep quiet about the watch.”

“...Thank you.”

After all, now that the Abyss was gone, the watch could no longer perform its original functions and was just an ordinary watch.

If someone here secretly talked about the watch and exposed the Imperial Family’s disgrace, it was not Isaac’s concern.

He just needed to show a considerate demeanor.

Isaac firmly stated his position in a calm voice.

“Your Highness, Emperor Carlos, as I mentioned before, we too wish to have a friendly relationship with the Empire. Moreover, I want to protect the citizens of this academy and the Empire.”

“…”

“I will share any information the Empire needs from Düpfendorf as much as I can, and I also promise that Alice Carroll will be used to protect the academy and its people, which is why I wanted to keep her at the academy, so… please.”

Isaac bowed his head.

Emperor Carlos closed his eyes, sighed deeply, and slumped back into his seat.

***

Emperor Carlos had rescinded his earlier statements and had expressed his intention to cooperate with me. As a result, Alice Carroll’s personal safety was fully in my hands.

Moreover, Emperor Carlos expressed his intention to, “Cooperate in clearing Alice Carroll’s name as much as possible, but could change his position depending on future developments.” I accepted his intentions.

Emperor Carlos decided to bend his will after weighing on what was best for the Empire. Known as an Archwizard, I have been committed to protecting the Empire, so he would not want to oppose me outright.

It was worth noting that the Emperor’s will existed above the laws of the Empire. If the Emperor firmly decided, there was no need to discuss legal matters.

After all, what we do is protect the Empire.

As the scenario progressed, Alice would help me, and as a result, we would save many people. Since the main stage was within the Empire’s territory, our actions inevitably involved protecting the Empire.

In addition, I discussed various matters with Emperor Carlos. I also mentioned that I would continue to study at M?rchen Academy with Alice, share useful information with the Imperial Family, and protect the Academy as I had been doing up til now.

I had several reasons to stay at the academy.

The most significant reason was that the key to clearing the scenario was concentrated at the academy, which was the focal point of ?Magic Knight of M?rchen?.

Enemies that could not be defeated by brute force would now appear. Even if I wanted to leave the academy, I couldn’t

Eventually, Emperor Carlos and I concluded our meeting and agreed to a cooperative relationship.

“Your Highness!”

“Snow White?”

At the academy's gate.

As Emperor Carlos was about to leave in the Imperial carriage escorted by guards, Snow White and her escort knight, Merlin Astrea, rushed over.

I was there seeing off the Emperor with the faculty and Imperial Knights, so my eyes met with White’s.

White looked surprised when she saw me, then appeared confused. She seemed unsure of how to treat me.

White and Emperor Carlos faced each other.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t greet you beforehand! I didn’t know you were coming…!”

“That was my intention, don’t worry about it.”

The Emperor approached the flustered White.

He was a doting father. He was worried that meeting White at an event to meet the new Elemental King might compromise the occasion’s solemnity. That was why he did not inform White of his schedule.

“Your Highness?”

Emperor Carlos embraced White.

White looked puzzled, not understanding what was happening.

“Thank you for being alive, my dear daughter.”

“…?”

After saying that, Emperor Carlos looked intently at White for a while before getting into the carriage. An escort closed the carriage door.

The Imperial carriage left the academy, accompanied by escorts, and the faculty and Imperial Knights all bowed their heads in respect.

“…?”

I considered talking to White, but then turned and walked away.

It seemed White hadn’t yet decided how to treat me, so I wanted to be considerate of her.

Not to mention, there was something else I needed to do first.

“Ah.”

White’s voice.

I could feel White and Merlin’s eyes on me, but I ignored them and continued on toward the academy detention center to see Alice and the Paladins.

It was then.

“Senior Isaac!!”

I stopped. I hadn’t expected White to call out to me so openly.

White ran towards me, Merlin following closely behind.

I turned around. White was kneeling in front of me, gasping for breath.

Ah, this situation. It seems like I need to say something, especially to ease any burden on White.

Given the events that had occurred, I decided to start with something formal…

“White, I’m glad that you’re safe…”

“Are you leaving…?”

“Hmm?”

What is she yapping about?

White’s voice was soaked in tears. She caught her breath and straightened up. Tears were about to spill from her eyes.

“Why are you walking away after seeing me…? Why are you avoiding me…?”

“No, that’s not-”

“Hicc, don’t hide it… Suddenly, you spoke less with me, was it because of this…?”

“What are you talking about?”

Confused by what “this” meant, I read White’s psychology.

The reason I had been quieter lately was due to spending all my time learning 7-star magic. It wasn’t because I was preparing to leave her after revealing my identity.

I thought I had reassured her, but White, harboring a new misunderstanding, sobbed. Her voice trembled.

“Senior Isaac, you really are an amazing person… Now that your identity is revealed, there’s no reason for you to stay at the academy, right…? I knew it… You were preparing to leave me…”

“That’s not it…”

“Don’t lieeee…! Waaaah…! I won’t let you go!”

“Hey, White?!”

Suddenly, White burst into tears and hugged me tightly, burying her head in my chest.

What do I do with such an affectionate kid?

Apparently, I had made White too dependent on me while living at the academy. I needed to maintain a proper distance.

Merlin and the Imperial Knights, along with the faculty, were shocked. It would be troublesome to be seen touching the Princess in front of them, so I cautiously raised my hands.

This was a tricky situation. I needed to diffuse this quickly.

“No, really, I’m not leaving. I’m not going anywhere… I still have things to teach you.”

“Whaaaa…! You’re lyingggg…!”

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“I’m not lying…”

Why would I lie?

Screeeeech!

Suddenly, the Imperial carriage drifted sharply.

The carriage returned to the academy gate at an incredible speed.

Emperor Carlos frantically flung open the carriage door.

“W-what on earth is going on?!”

“Princess White, please step back! Maintain your dignity…!”

“Hicc, Senior Isaaaac…!”

…Just let it /genesisforsaken