Sorry, the Patricidal Tyrant Seems Beastly - Chapter 52

He had already read it. He read it thoroughly and muttered as if talking to himself.

“……Why do people seem to be at odds?”

It’s not directly visible where those feet touch,

but I can tell that wherever your four feet touch, it’s not just a comfortable path.

“I thought I knew you by now, but that was my arrogance.”

Even after examining thoroughly, I still don’t understand you.

“It’s harder than when I sat on the throne.”

He spoke while catching his breath.

“When I sat on the throne, I could at least see myself sitting there. But now, you’re right in front of me, yet I can’t see you.”

“……You’re showing me all your weak sides.”

Benjamin reached out his arm.

“I prefer certainty, but you’re not like that.”

“……”

“Before, even if it was a bit distant, I was sure it would reach the end. But now I’m not sure. The afterimage keeps getting farther away. Even if I try to grasp it with my hand, I can’t.”

He quickly withdrew the arm he had extended. It seemed like his fingertips had touched between the dark red strands of hair, but it was so brief that he wasn’t sure.

“Your Majesty.”

Rosquella called for him.

“The Poputa commander has sent intelligence. You should check it now.”

[This is the timeline separator]

The interior of Poputa was in a state of war with the demons.

“The demons’ presence has disappeared.”

“Why?”

“They seem to have hidden. During the battle with the warships, they all vanished. Demons are wild and fierce by nature. Even when they sense the warships of the subjugation force, those who would usually attack have hidden. Even if we detonate explosives, we only catch small demons, with no additional gains.”

“What about inside Poputa?”

“Attacks near Poputa have also stopped. The second subjugation has been temporarily suspended, and the subsequent subjugation system has become disorganized, making the atmosphere in the subjugation force unsettled.”

When the demon activity period begins, demons rapidly increase their numbers through reproduction. It’s the duty of the subjugation force to suppress this reproduction, and Poputa was the frontline of subjugation, suppressing the border areas.

‘They’ve stopped.’

The creatures have stopped.

“Their presence has disappeared, they’re hiding, vanishing. They keep slipping away.”

Something.

Something kept bothering him. Benjamin crumpled the intelligence officer’s report in his tight grip.

“Reorganize the subjugation system and tighten internal security.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Why are these creatures all hiding below… It’s starting to irritate me.”

Benjamin loosened his cravat and undid his shirt buttons. The collar that had been tightly constricting his neck loosened.

Perhaps due to the epaulette attached to his coat shoulder, his shoulder blade felt compressed and uncomfortable. He twisted and pressed the muscles from his nape to his forearm with his grip. The epaulette tore off under his strong hand, and the gold thread tied to it felt particularly cumbersome.

“Leave.”

After the intelligence officer left, the office door closed.

“All those presences have disappeared from Poputa,”

Rosquella whispered as he closed the office door.

“This is not good.”

Poputa is a military stronghold that has been suppressing demon invasions. An anomaly has occurred in such a stronghold. The demons are hiding, and the traces of criminals have disappeared from Poputa.

The traces that disappeared from Tutega, and those that disappeared from Beberga, all led to Poputa. After that, they all vanished.

“What about Beberga? The head of Beberga has been ill for a long time, and the young master has been acting as the head for a while now.”

“He was only seen by the Empress’s side.”

Benjamin ruffled his short hair.

“It’s called Lupertik, a southern endemic disease. While investigating the disease, I reached Beberga, and the inside seemed suspicious. The former mistress died young in the past, the head is ill, and the young master is acting as the head with almost no external activities.”

“Yes.”

“There’s no known cause of death for the deceased mistresses, only information that they died from body stiffening. Coincidentally.”

“The interior was too closed off.”

“It was largely due to the head’s poor health and withdrawal from the frontline. Although two mistresses died young, there wasn’t much fuss about it. And with the former emperor neglecting state affairs in that state…”

It was difficult for outsiders to understand the circumstances of Beberga, which doesn’t involve itself in central politics.

“Look for connections between the Lupertik disease and black magic.”

“Pardon?”

“It must be discreet. Don’t entrust it to outsiders, move directly, but your movements shouldn’t be visible to the outside.”

Somehow, a deep red afterimage seemed to appear before his eyes. It dispersed quickly as if it were all an illusion.

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“That woman, I won’t let her die easily.”

Pyotr Tutega gnawed and chewed on his fingernails. The torn fingertips were ragged.

The blood had coagulated, and madness dwelled in his pupils, which had become thick as if mixed with soil.

Everything had gone awry because of that woman.

In the end, it was all that child’s fault.

“It was also that woman who, resembling her mother, crawled into a place meant for death.”

This was like self-hypnosis. The lost sense of hatred was as messy as mud.

“…Kkuk! Kkeueuuk! Heuk!”

“M-Master, why are you like this!”

“P-Please have mercy! Even now, please…”

They swarm like vermin.

The servants floundered, buried in darkness.

“Is this what it’s like when you drop ants in water?”

There was no compassion in him anywhere.

Who would feel guilty seeing dying ants?

To beg for their lives prostrated at his feet, how filthy these fellows are!

“You’d even lick my feet, wouldn’t you?”

He stretched out his foot.

“P-Please let us go. We’ll run far away…!”

“The mongrel dogs of the temple will chase you. Ah, yes. Right. That woman won’t let you slip away. Kill these guys and bury them… Kuk kuk! I know. I know too! I know I’m bound because of the shackles those mongrels have woven!”

“M-Master?”

“Be quiet. Quiet.”

Pyotr kept tapping his ears.

He twisted his shoulders, bending his neck back and forth. His rolled-back pupils were bizarre.

“Ah, no. Hmm. This isn’t right. No. Go away. I said go away…”

In the end, the servants begged too.

If he was going to kill them, to do it gently.

[This is the timeline separator]

Long white hair flowed below the waist. Leandro straightened his back. His face, with tightly drawn wrinkles, was hard. Though he was an old man with abundant white hair, perhaps due to generations of Windsor wielding swords, his aura was rough.

“What are you doing here?”

Aster knocked on the door.

“You’ll be misunderstood if you’re alone in a room without its owner.”

Other rooms were bleak, but this one was different. The light pink wallpaper seemed to hold warmth. The closet had its sharp edges rounded, and there were clear signs of people’s hands touching it multiple times.

Wind-blocking cushions were placed on the window sill to prevent drafts, with light pink curtains hung over them. The carpet on the floor was white and fluffy, and there was no dust on the furniture, as if a servant always cleaned it.

However, there were no traces of someone staying.

No signs of people walking on the carpet, and while it was maintained, no one was using it.

“It seems that child’s stay here was just a fleeting moment.”

It became blurry like an illusion.

“Should I have kept her by my side a little longer to observe?”

“Who are you talking about?”

“Both of them.”

As a granddaughter, not an empress.

As his own daughter, not a woman from another family.

“Traces of their stay are quickly erased.”

“This is a room whose owner has already left.”

Aster answered while examining the empty room.

“Why not have the servants maintain it well? Don’t worry about it.”

Is there anyone who has lived without regrets? Isn’t the current Windsor family the result of piling up those regrets?

“It was the best I could do, but I won’t be forgiven even after death.”

“……”

“If that child doesn’t forgive me.”

Leandro recited his inner thoughts intermittently like a monologue.

“I don’t know what kind of forgiveness I should seek when I die.”

They cut each other off harshly.

They ended that connection viciously, and even in death, they turned their backs on each other.

‘I must protect my child. Protecting that child is my last duty. Please, stop coming. Please, let me protect this child.’

You protected that child.

Now I’ll watch over.

If that’s atonement, then it’s atonement.

“It’s difficult.”

That atonement is too difficult.

[This is the timeline separator]

“I’m going on a secret inspection.”

Benjamin said as he dressed in his secret inspection clothes.

“You’re coming with me.”

Charlotte received a rough shawl and secret inspection clothes. The guards whispered busily, realizing it was because of the secret inspection.

“The intelligence officer has been busy for days, is it alright to be away?”

“I’ve finished urgent tasks, and there’s enough time to go out.”

As she finished her preparations by covering herself with the shawl, Benjamin tied her hair up with a hair tie from behind.

“Also, it’s not a place I’m going alone.”

“Why is that?”

“It would be strange for me to sleep alone at the Empress’s maternal family’s place, wouldn’t it?”

Charlotte finally understood his meaning.

“We’re going to the Windsor family?”

“Yes. I’ve said we’d stay there for a night.”

“…Then the palace will be empty for a day?”

“Since I’ve said we’d stay outside for a night, I suppose so.”

Benjamin asked, looking at Charlotte’s expression.

“Do you dislike it?”

“No. No, I didn’t know we’d be staying at home.”

Her expression subtly relaxed. It was clearly visible that she was secretly pleased with the news. Charlotte asked in a subtle tone, as if belatedly realizing:

“Is this also a secret inspection?”

“Hmm. If we’re concealing our identity as members of the imperial family and making an unofficial outing, isn’t this also a secret inspection?”

Benjamin briefly dismissed it with a “Is that so?”

“We’ve been distant from family lately. They act as if they miss each other, but I don’t know why they just hover around silently. They seemed to like it. I sent the intelligence officer to the Windsor family, and he said he was surprised to see the Iron-blooded Windsor Lord showing such a pleased expression.”

“We visited the mansion just a few days ago.”

“Even though we visited a few days ago, there were clear signs of disappointment that we couldn’t stay long.”

Benjamin stretched out his arm. It seemed like he wanted her to take it.

“Guards, follow at a proper distance so as not to be noticed by me.”

The guards exchanged glances among themselves.

‘Is it even possible to hide our presence from Your Majesty in the first place?’

The guards continued their silent resistance, but their resistance was ignored.

“It would be better to wear a robe.”

Charlotte hid her red hair in the robe. The deep color was likely to catch the eye.

It seems that the difficulty of leaving the imperial palace once you become empress varies depending on the era.

“Then I’ll see you again tomorrow morning.”

The head servant saw them off.

Later, the carriage arrived at the gates of the Windsor family.

“You’re waiting outside.”

Benjamin got out first as the carriage stopped. The view opened up beyond the narrow door.

The old man stretched out his arm, and that arm was firm. His gaze fell on the wrinkled back of the hand.

Charlotte, who had been wearing a shawl, lifted her hood. The dark red color flowed and surged.

After a brief silence, her grandfather asked.

“Aren’t you going to take it?”

The straight gesture urged Charlotte.

“…Were you waiting?”

“I just came out too.”

The arm she grasped was cold.