CHAPTER 2
WHAT IT TAKES TO BE A KNIGHT
1
Looking out at the flooding city, Emilia gripped the windowsill tightly enough to warp it.
There was another booming sound as the opened floodgate closed again. It was over in the blink of an eye. The city had escaped being completely flooded, but the damage was still massive. Buildings had been destroyed, and there was no question that people must have gotten hurt or worse. Thinking of the damage the water was causing, Emilia frantically started to go out the window—
“Whatever you might be thinking, it would be wiser to stop.”
A cool voice stopped Emilia, who had already stepped onto the windowsill and was getting ready to leap down. It was the cold beauty #184, who seemed entirely unshaken by everything that was going on.
Faced with her piercing gaze, Emilia narrowed her purple eyes sharply.
“Wiser how? You saw what just happened, didn’t you? I have to go help!”
“Your feelings are understandable, but were you to leave now, it would only cause even more suffering, since he…our husband does not wish for you to leave.”
“That again?!”
Emilia bit her lip in irritation that Regulus could overtly restrict her freedom. It was clear from their interactions up to that point that #184 was entirely subservient to Regulus, but that was not how Emilia felt. She was resolute that she was not his wife.
“Even if you disagree, can you truly not imagine what he might do if something he found undesirable was to come to pass?”
“That’s…”
“First he would punish the wife who acted against his wishes. Then he would punish whatever or whoever motivated his wife to act against his wishes. I am absolutely confident that is how he would respond.”
Hearing that, Emilia thought back to her brief encounter with Regulus.
He liked to talk, but that by itself was not necessarily bad. The boy Emilia knew so well also often had a lot to say. But unlike him, Regulus showed absolutely no regard for the person he spoke with. His speech and actions and focus were all one-sided—because of his sense of omnipotence. Regulus Corneas was stronger than almost anyone else Emilia had ever encountered before. He might even be a match for Reinhard. And now #184 was earnestly warning Emilia not to upset him.
And yet—
“—That isn’t enough of a reason for me to stop.”
“…Even if your life is in danger?”
“There are people out there who are in danger right now. If I just secretly slip out and then slip back in, wouldn’t that still be fine?”
Emilia’s magic should be useful in dealing with flooding. She could freely shape ice, manipulating it in such a way that it would not cause any problems when it melted. If it would be a problem for Regulus to find out, then she could just do it stealthily, even if that was not really her forte.
#184 paused for a few seconds and then let out a long sigh.
“…Are you actually serious?”
“Huh? I was really serious… Did I not sound serious?” Emilia asked in shock.
She had been trying to plead as earnestly as she could, so if it had come across as a joke, that would be a problem.
Seeing Emilia’s reaction, #184 looked outside.
“If you are concerned about harm befalling the residents due to the flooding, you needn’t worry. The vast majority of people should have already fled to the shelters and should have escaped the worst of the flooding.”
“Shelters…? Right, the morning broadcast mentioned that! Then everyone is hiding out there?”
“Since several hours ago.”
“Oh, I see… That’s a relief, then.” Emilia placed her hand on her chest.
Of course that would not make the physical damage of the flooding disappear, but it was fortunate. At least that meant there would be no tragedy of countless people getting swallowed up in the floodwaters.
“…You trust what I just said?”
“Eh? Should I not?”
“I am his wife… Do you really think I wouldn’t lie for my husband’s sake?”
#184 was clawing away at Emilia’s heart, as if testing her. And accepting that provocation, Emilia considered her words for a brief moment.
“—But you seemed sincere, so I’m sure you weren’t lying.” Emilia shook her head, choosing to believe in #184’s sincerity rather than assume malice.
And if she was going to lie, there would have been easier, more convincing lies, but she had responded without any doubt at all in what she was saying. Because her conscience did not trouble her about it.
“—Ah.”
#184 opened her eyes slightly in surprise. Seeing that reaction, Emilia felt like it was the first time she had gotten a glimpse of her natural range of expression.
“So you can actually look surprised. Maybe we can finally have a proper conversation.”
“…That was unbecoming of me. Anything more will incur his ire.”
“Getting upset that his wife showed a little emotion when she would be so much more beautiful if she could smile just seems really weird.”
“Weird doesn’t begin to describe it… Ngh— I should warn you.”
Her emotional control fraying in the face of Emilia’s smile, #184 quickly caught her breath before continuing.
“What he likes is your normal face, that exact expression. I suggest you not change it in front of him—do not get visibly happy or sad, things like that. It would probably be best if you don’t open your mouth as well.”
“I shouldn’t talk? Why not?”
“Because no one knows what might draw his ire.”
#184’s behavior around Regulus was dictated by her fear of crossing one of his lines. Fear was limiting her emotions. Emilia wanted to do something to help her. She could tell from talking with her that she was wise and the sort of beauty who could light up a room with a smile.
“You mustn’t furrow your brow, either. It upsets him.”
“I’m thinking as hard as I can about what I can do to keep Regulus from getting between us having a proper conversation,” Emilia responded earnestly.
Hearing that, #184 caught her breath slightly. There was the slightest hesitation in her cool eyes.
“Ummm…”
Something about what #184 was starting to say was different.
But—
“Hello, all you meatbags! I hope this finds you in good health as you tremble in the fetal position! In my deep and praiseworthy benevolence, I’m broadcasting my beautiful voice for you little shits to cling to for comfort! Are you happy now? Are you having fun? Are you dancing and singing and writhing in agony? Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
A shrill voice rang through the air, cutting #184 off.
“—Wah! Wh-what’s that?!”
Emilia looked around in shock as a callous voice suddenly filled the sky above the city. Instinctively looking up, Emilia realized that it was a broadcast using a metia. The same one that had been filled with concern for the people of the city in the morning, and the same one that had carried Liliana’s singing across the whole city. The impression the broadcast imparted could change dramatically depending on how the speaker used it.
At the very least, Emilia certainly did not believe that the person speaking now had much claim to deep and praiseworthy benevolence.
“Well then, I have an important announcement for all you twisted sacks of shit! Somehow, even after all the warnings you were given, a swarm of incompetent meatbags came after me in a good old-fashioned raid! Well, not that I expected any less, so I had already made arrangements to greet them. But it’s still annoying, you know!”
The voice was light, and the broadcaster almost seemed to be indulging in the moment, but there was also a clear irritation mixed in as the sinister proclamation continued.
“Anyway, I was honestly thinking, Ah, whatever, screw it. Just open the floodgates and sink the whole place to the bottom of the lake, and them’s the breaks, you know? I mean, it’s hurtful when people just straight up ignore everything I make the effort to say! In fact, I’ve still got some wounds aching from it all. It’s an affront and an assault on my goodwill and on me personally!”
“—Ngh.”
Emilia shuddered at the threat of opening the floodgates. The massive flood that had just happened was from just one gate being open for just a few seconds. If they were all flung open it would cause far, far more damage. The shelters were currently still safe, but if the entire town was completely flooded, they would surely not escape the destruction.
For such a sadistic broadcaster to have that sort of power was immeasurably dangerous.
“But…”
Emilia noticed that the broadcaster did not seem to have any intention of actually following through on that threat at the moment. If they were really serious, they could have just left the gates open to begin with. But they had not done that. There had to be something they wanted more than they wanted to submerge the city.
“But I’m not some witch, after all. I’m magnanimous. Like the loving mother you never had. So in light of my generosity, I decided why not give you shitheels one last chance.”
And just as Emilia was thinking there must be more they wanted, the voice on the broadcast offered an alternative, confirming her hunch. However, it was not going to be an alternative that demonstrated the speaker’s magnanimity and loving, motherly generosity.
“Hooooowever! Out of consideration for how you’ve hurt me, damages have to be considered, too. Just accepting the previous ask won’t be enough! So in addition to my first request, there are three new ones…ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Three more things we want!”
The voice continued huskily.
“—The first is the charitable donation of the book of knowledge, which I’m sure someone has brought into this city.”
The voice continued mockingly.
“—The second is the charitable donation of the artificial spirit that’s wandering around this city.”
The voice continued sneeringly.
“—And the third is… Huh? Ah, the wedding of the silver-haired maiden… In other words, just don’t get in the way of it happening. As if I know what that’s about, though.”
The voice continued detestably.
“And finally, the Witch’s body that I requested before makes four! Fulfilling these four requests is the one and only thing you mooks can do to survive! Everything else is pointless! Impossible! Mad! As proven by how that little attack on city hall failed!”
The broadcaster’s voice one-sidedly and abusively assaulted all corners of the city.
And just like Emilia had thought, the enemy had made demands in exchange for not flooding the city entirely. But her gut was also telling her that there was no way they would honor their end of the deal. They would surely open all four of the floodgates around the city the moment they got everything they wanted.
“Aaanyway! That’s all the happy news from me! I suggest you start your unsightly scramble to find the things we want so you can beg for your lives! Every one of them is definitely somewhere here in this city! Figure out which of your neighbors or which of the bigwigs or whoever is hiding them so you can steal them and present them to me! Ah-ha-ha-ha!”
High-pitched laughter was the final sound anyone heard before the broadcast abruptly ended. As the echoes of that sharp laugh faded, all that remained was oppressive silence. When Emilia felt like a restraint had suddenly been removed, she finally realized that she had been holding her breath.
It had been a terrifying voice with the power to ensnare the hearts of those who lent it an ear. It was not just a natural devilishness, either. The person behind it was extraordinarily skilled at using her voice to manipulate others. It was a skill born from natural talent carefully honed and fully brought to bear.
“That voice just now…” Emilia touched her hand to her throat.
“—That was the Archbishop of Lust, Capella Emerada Lugunica,” #184 responded coldly.
Looking over at her, just an arm’s length away, Emilia saw that all emotion had disappeared from her expression and eyes. Emilia felt both frustration and shame when she saw her emotionless gaze. Just before the broadcast, she had been about to tell Emilia something, but—
“As you heard, currently the town is at the mercy of the Witch Cult. They will not hesitate to punish careless actions. I’m sure you understand that, yes?”
“Wait… I understand about the Witch Cult, but before I came here, I ran into someone else who called themself an Archbishop. Not Lust though, Wrath…”
“Yes. There are multiple Archbishops here in this town currently. Our husband is one as well,” #184 said, averting her eyes.
“—Regulus is…an Archbishop.” When she heard that, it all clicked for Emilia.
The pressure she had felt from him was similar to what Sirius had radiated when Emilia had encountered the Archbishop of Wrath in front of the time tower.
If that was true, then there were at least three Archbishops in Pristella, and they had the ability to control the floodgates. And the broadcast just then as well as the current situation were demonstrations—
“So do you finally understand now what a precarious position you are currently in?”
“—? My position?”
“…Please recall the four demands that Archbishop Capella mentioned.”
Emilia thought back to the broadcast. Setting aside the Witch’s bones and the book of knowledge, which did not ring a bell, she could think of a connection for the artificial spirit. And the other one, which did not make any sense…
“‘The wedding of the silver-haired maiden’… That one seemed weirder than the others.”
“ ” #184 stared at her silently.
“—Wait, you don’t mean… Is that last one about me?” Emilia finally realized what that demand might mean and went wide-eyed.
She had never been called something like a silver-haired maiden before, and she had no interest in getting married, so she had been slow in realizing she was part of the Witch Cult’s objectives. But if the broadcast’s demands were for the things the Archbishops wanted, then the only person who would be planning a wedding had to be Regulus. And Emilia was the only person to whom he was proposing marriage.
So if Emilia ran away without a plan—
“—Pristella will be turned into the bottom of a lake.”
“It seems you now understand the situation. Let us take care of your clothes. Fortunately, I took your measurements while you were sleeping. A bridal outfit matching his tastes has already been prepared.”
#184 reached out to the blanket Emilia was covering herself with. For a second, she froze, but thinking back to the broadcast, she stopped resisting. Besides, her running around with nothing but a sheet for clothing would have deeply bothered Puck and Annerose.
“So then, you were the one who undressed me?”
“Did you think he did that? He would not touch a woman’s skin in that way. He just wants to assert his ownership… That’s the reason why he inquires about his wives’ virginity, too.”
“There’s that virginity thing again. What does that mean?”
“…I could hardly believe it before, but do you really not know?”
Apparently, it was entirely standard knowledge, but Emilia in her ignorance was hit by a cool response from #184. She made a note to herself to make sure to look it up later. Once everything was over.
“I wonder if Subaru and the others are okay…”
If the entire city was under the control of the Witch Cult, then she was certain Subaru and Beatrice were doing their best to take back the town. And there were other candidates for the crown besides Emilia in the city. It would be nice if they were all safe…
“—You mentioned that name before as well. Is it the name of a male?”
“Yes. He’s my knight. I’m sure he’s really worried about me. But I’m at least as worried about him… I hope he isn’t doing anything too reckless.”
Or so she said, but she still knew he almost certainly was pushing himself terribly hard. And she had definitely made him really worried by disappearing like that.
—The worry that Subaru might have died did not even cross her mind. He had Beatrice with him, and she could not really imagine him ending up in a life-threatening situation in the first place. He could probably manage to find a way out no matter what happened around him. But that did not keep her from being worried about him or feeling guilty for making him worry. Emilia was badly disappointed in herself for troubling him.
“……” #184’s eyes opened slightly as she watched Emilia thinking about Subaru. “Please be careful never to mention that man’s name in front of our husband.”
“…Just to be sure, why?”
“To put it in his terms, because he will start to doubt whether you truly are a virgin at heart.”
“There’s that word again…”
Having that used as a reason without any explanation of what it meant was bothering Emilia. But #184 just picked up the white dress she had prepared for Emilia and held it up to her body before nodding in satisfaction.
It looked resplendent while feeling refined to the touch. It was a truly beautiful dress that was very obviously of high quality.
“It looks a little hard to move in.”
“It would be wise not to say complaints aloud. Now, let’s get you dressed.”
Emilia did as she was told as #184 helped her with practiced ease, slipping Emilia’s arms into the sleeves. For now, she decided to do as #184 and Regulus said.
A thoughtless attempt to escape would only expose the city to further danger. She would need to carefully plot her actions.
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