The Duke's feelings when he heard the news of the fall of Paras territory were quite miserable.
The Duke was a politician. Tactics were not his area. If he had any remaining private soldiers, he would have been able to lend a helping hand, but since even those were lost to the Revolutionary Army, all he could do was use the Salvation Church to influence public opinion.
It was inevitable that his pride would be hurt.
'Actually, there is magic, but...'
If the Demon King's semi-contractor used the magic power he gave him against the Demon King's army, could he just leave it at that?
'I might gain strength.'
He was not sure that he could take it back after giving it, but he was also not sure that he can't.
Moreover, there was no way to guarantee how much he could do with this magic power, so it would be better to save it and use it completely by pouring it out at the right moment.
Therefore, the Duke decided to save his magic until the end.
'So I have to find another card.'
He needed another hand. For example, absolute power to hold many things in one's hands and control everything.
The Duke could not participate in the war on the chessboard because he had no troops, but he was confident that if he were given troops, he would do better than anyone else.
'Of course, I have nothing to say about losing the piece I was holding in my hand...'
He gently clenched his fist.
... The same thing will never happen again. The Duke paid a heavy price for his arrogance and carelessness.
So, all it would take is for the Emperor to make some concessions.
'His stubbornness is strong.'
He frowned slightly.
Although he would like to transfer power by force, the current situation made it impossible to do such a thing. Rather, confusion would grow, hostility would arise, and infighting would occur.
'Foolish.'
He didn't understand.
Here is someone who welcomes power. There are people who are so crazy about power that they will risk anything for power. There are people who will put blood on their hands and take full responsibility for the country, which is in danger anyway, so why bother refusing and going crazy?
He saw him rubbing his fingertips frequently and clenching and unclenching his fists. The movement, as if he was trying to shake off something that was covered in goo, helped the Duke infer the sight that only his eyes could see.
'It probably looked like there was blood on his hands.'
The level of hallucination went beyond sight and hearing, and even the sense of touch had been realized. If so, perhaps the sense of smell has also been realized.
Even if you think about it again, he is not a person worthy of the position of an emperor. At least, that was the case in modern times.
If he had ascended to the throne in a peaceful way in a peaceful era, he could have become a saint. But he wasn't.
The emperor we need now is someone who knows how to sacrifice cattle for the greater good without hesitation and is shameless enough to do so without feeling guilty.
'Yeah, like me, for example.'
The Duke raised one corner of his mouth.
"Both the older brother and younger brother are strong in their stubbornness when it comes to topics they are weak at."
It reminded him of the First Prince he encountered a long time ago, when Eduardo Desert was the Ninth Prince, not the Emperor.
A man who had solidified his position among numerous candidates for succession to the throne, but became terminally ill after being poisoned.
'He was such a weak person that you wonder how he secured his position as successor.'
Was the reason he took part in the succession battle so far away to protect his family?
If brothers other than himself ascended to the throne, not only he and his favorite brother but also his children would most likely die. He seemed to realize this fact harshly when he lost his wife.
What kind of family was that? Soft and lukewarm words like 'family' did not suit the Duke. That's why he used to laugh at the type of people who hid in the shadows and shone like this.
So he gave him poison.
He wanted to extinguish that light, so he fed him a poison that eroded his life.
What the Duke needed at that time was not a first prince who could not be easily swayed, but other heirs who could act as a scarecrow, so there was no hesitation in his actions.Then, the first prince, who was terminally ill, came to visit.
***
"I have a book that might interest you."
An untitled book was placed on the desk. The Duke glanced down to check the book and then looked at the First Prince again.
It was a completely different introduction than expected.
That's all he said when he visited the person who poisoned him. Could it be that the man in front of him didn't even know that he was the culprit who gave him the poison?
The question was short. If you match the rhythm, the main point will come out. The Duke first opened his mouth.
"What is this?"
"It's a forbidden book that explains how to make a contract with the Demon King."
"... !"
He's crazy.
Now that he's terminally ill, he wondered if he really couldn't see anything. What kind of crazy person would think of taking this outside?
But regardless, it was true that it was interesting.
"It's a dangerous item. Why are you showing me this?"
"I am asking for a trade with this book."
"Trade..."
Now he understood. He was thinking of asking for an antidote in exchange for this book. In addition to the antidote, he may also require the support of 'Illuster' to solidify his position as successor.
The Duke, who was relieved of his tension, relaxed his posture a little.
... Still, he had to check just in case.
"Why are you asking for a deal like this just because you have something in store for me?"
"The condition is to protect my children, Altea, Elpidius, and... Eduardo."
"..."
The answer was completely unexpected.
The Duke was speechless for a moment and blinked.
... How stupid. It was an absurdly foolish condition. Do you really not know who the owner of the poison is? The First Prince who ultimately came out on top in the succession battle really didn't know?
"I know you poisoned me. You may be asking why I don't ask for an antidote."
"...!"
"I already know the Duke's ambitions. I know that your greed won't end there. Even if I obtain the antidote through this deal and ascend to the throne, I will not be able to control the power I gained through contracting with the Demon King.I will be dragged down by the Duke's hands, and the family I was protecting will all die by the Duke's hands."
The First Prince laughed bitterly.
He thought about many things.
Couldn't it be better to put something other than this book as a condition? He wondered if he didn't have an offering on hand that's appetizing enough for the Duke to accept the deal.
'Not only is there no sacrifice like that, but even if the Duke doesn't have a contract with the Demon King, I don't have the confidence to control him.'
The Duke was not an easy opponent.
So he changed his path of thinking. If he were to use this book in a transaction, what conditions should he put forward?
'All I want is my children's safety... and my life. What the Duke wants is power.'
No matter how much you think about it, there was no way to take care of both. Even if he were to find out how to contract with the Demon King, the Duke would refuse if it meant blocking his chance to gain power. In the first place, you can't put too many things as conditions.
So, in order to set conditions that fit the scales enough for the Duke to accept... the First Prince neatly gave up his life.
"No matter what conditions are imposed, if I survive and ascend to the throne, I will be put on a leash."
He would become a king who is anxious and watching the Duke's thoughts, not knowing when he will be dragged down.
"I have no intention of handing the leash to the Duke."
"... Are you saying you are giving up your life?"
"If you have to put it that way, it would be like that."
Golden sunlight shone down on the First Prince who smiled as he said that.
It was clear that his life had been eaten away by poison, making him thin and have shadows under his eyes, but he was still so dazzling.
"... I don't understand."
The Duke frowned.
He really didn't understand. Even with death by his side, the man in front of him was shining brightly.
... He was a little annoyed.
"You haven't considered the possibility that I might not take the deal? What about the possibility that I could wait until His Highness dies, even if I leave him alone, or kill him on my way back today and get that book?"
"If the deal is not accepted here and now, I intend to burn this book immediately. And before I came here, I told several people that I was going to see the Duke. In addition, I have arranged for evidence to spread that you are the culprit as soon as I die, no matter when and where I die."
"..."
"I can fabricate all the evidence."
In other words, even if he failed to complete this deal and died, even if he was attacked by bandits while on the move, the culprit would be the Duke.
"If I report that Your Majesty has arbitrarily taken out a banned book..."
"I said that the book will be burned as soon as the deal is not accepted. Naturally, by the time the investigation comes, this book will no longer exist. Of course, the empty list in the library has already been processed when exporting. The Duke must be the nobleman who dared to
falsely report the First Prince."
"... I guess it's my loss whether I accept the deal or not."
Even if the deal was accepted, the First Prince's life was not included in the terms. The damage suffered by the First Prince, who did not receive the antidote, died, and would not disappear.
The First Prince laughed softly.
"Of course, if the Duke accepts the deal, I will change the culprit of my death to Duke Gradis."
"... Ah."
There were two ducal families in the kingdom.
The Dukes of Gradis and the Dukes of Illuster. Since they kept each other in check, it was natural that Duke Gradis would be a thorn in the side of Duke Stave Illuster, who was greedy for power.
"Now I see it was a threat."
"This is a request."
"... Great. I accept the deal."
After that, the First Prince seemed to have been waiting and called the shaman and made a contract.
He was an opponent who he ridiculed for being weak after seeing him clinging to his family. How could he have known that the head of a family with so much to protect would be so scary?
For a Duke who was born into an unloving family and was thoroughly educated to aim only for the best, it was nothing short of a blow.
"Let me explain the conditions again. It's simple. To protect my children Aletea Desert, Elpidius Desert and Eduardo Desert. However, protecting them includes not only life, but also free will."
"..."
"If it were you, you could roughly lock them up somewhere and say 'I protected them,' so I added it as a condition, but I think it was a good thing to say. We must respect the free will of children."
"... Even if the children and His Majesty the Ninth Prince try to kill me, should I treat it as free will and respect it?"
"If you are a public person, you can protect yourself without harming others. I guess there is. In order to protect the Duke, the Duke must be alive, so that moment will be treated as an exception, but the children must not be harmed."
Just hearing the explanation was difficult, so the Duke frowned.
Thinking about having to do that for the rest of his life already made him feel tired. The moment he was thinking about just accepting the contract, the First Prince spoke.
"The period is 10 years."
"...?"
"The contract will terminate after 10 years."
It was a loss for the first prince. Why bother?
The First Prince, who couldn't miss the doubt clearly evident on his face, smiled.
"After 10 years, we leave it to the children and the Duke."
"..."
"10 years is enough time for the children to become strong enough and enough time for the Duke to become attached to them as well. They are lovely children. Especially Eddie... You can't help but love Eduardo. Even though he is not my child but one of my brothers who must be kept in check, he is a child I love."