The creator of the chimeras who had once kidnapped the noble lady.
When I fought him, I had sensed a strange energy.
It was something different from the aura I wielded or the mana that mages used.
Had it not been for the fact that it was so disgusting as if I were scooping up thick, black tar with my bare hands…. I might not have paid much attention to it.
It was a sinister energy, different from the mutated mana typical of monsters.
The problem was…
Why is that coming from this man?!
Before my eyes, Prince Taurus proudly announced his marriage to the imperial princess, looking every bit delighted.
Even as the princess, who was now his fiancée wore a rotting expression, the prince beamed as if he could not be happier to have such a beautiful woman as his wife.
“Your Highness, if it’s not too rude, may I ask why you are here?”
“Hmm? Didn’t I just say? I came because I couldn’t wait another day to see my future bride.”
“But… the engagement hasn’t even been officially announced yet. Wouldn’t such a visit cause quite a bit of confusion?”
“Ah, no need to worry about that. His Majesty the Emperor has already given his permission.”
“His Majesty… did?”
I had suspected for some time that he was plotting something, but to think he would actually allow such an inappropriate visit from the other side…
“That aside, I had heard many times that the Empire’s Second Princess was beautiful, but it seems the rumors hadn’t done her justice!”
The prince, laughing happily without any understanding of the princess’s true feelings, was, to me, like an unbearable lump stuck in my throat.
If he had even a shred of awareness, he would have surely noticed that the princess was far from pleased with this marriage, and yet, barging in here and acting like he owned the place was utterly disgusting to watch.
“Prince Taurus. As far as I know, there is still some time left before our marriage, and yet you come without notice like this. I must say, it is quite surprising.”
“Oh? Has His Majesty not informed you yet?”
“What do you mean…?”
At the princess’s puzzled expression, the prince looked equally confused, as if wondering whether she hadn’t heard.
“His Majesty moved the wedding date up. It was supposed to be in two weeks, but now it’s in one. Because of that, even inside the palace, people are being reassigned left and right. I thought there would be an official announcement from the imperial palace today.”
“!!”
An unprecedented event: the imperial princess’s wedding being pushed forward by an entire week.
The time left until the princess’s marriage.
Only seven days.
…What on earth were we supposed to do now?
***
“Is that… really true?!”
When I told the noble lady that the energy I sensed from Prince Taurus felt similar to that of the man who had once kidnapped her, memories of that time seemed to flash through her mind, and she trembled slightly with fear.
“Please calm down. Judging by the situation, he didn’t seem to have any interest in you. Whether he knows and is ignoring it or has some other intention, I don’t know, but it doesn’t seem like he plans to do anything to you for now.”
“Haa… I suppose so. It seems his target is more the princess than me…”
Whether Prince Taurus belonged to a group with the same goal or it was merely a coincidence, I didn’t know, but at the very least, he showed no particular interest in the noble lady.
However, considering his past involvement in the creation of chimeras, it was clear that he too was hiding some filthy intention behind a facade.
“Young lady, could you perhaps ask the Duke if he has any additional information about the organization I defeated before?”
“Asking him isn’t difficult, but… what if he starts to get suspicious and asks why I’m bringing it up all of a sudden?”
“If he does, you could brush it off by saying something like, since they once tried to harm you, it would be better to have some information about them in advance… wouldn’t that work?”
Although the Emperor had officially declared that the investigation into the incident could be discontinued, the Duke was most likely still diligently pursuing the matter since it involved the life of his daughter.
A bizarre group that had never appeared in the original story.
Since I had no information about them at all, even the smallest clue that could help identify them was desperately needed.
“Alright, I understand. So, what are you planning to do now?”
“What else?”
I was going to stir up some chaos.
Enough to make sure it would be remembered as the imperial princess’s greatest wedding of all time.
***
“Then please rest comfortably. If you need anything, please ring the bell inside. It’s enchanted, so someone will respond to your call immediately.”
“Understood. I’m quite tired and would like to get some rest. You may go now.”
“Yes.”
After the servant who had politely bowed left, Taurus began inspecting the room that had been assigned to him, checking for any surveillance devices or monitoring spells.
When he confirmed that there was nothing amiss, he carefully took out a black crystal ball from inside his robes, placed it on the table, and knelt on the floor, waiting.
– …Taurus, is it?
“Yes. Your lowly servant humbly greets you.”
– Enough. I am well aware of your efforts.
Before long, a voice came from within the crystal ball.
A man? A woman? An old person? A child?
It was an eerie voice that defied all attempts at identifying it, flowing from the crystal ball and wrapping itself around Taurus.
Even though it was just a voice, Taurus found it hard to contain his awe and excitement, feeling as though his heart was being squeezed tight.
– Is the marriage to the Second Princess proceeding well?
“Yes. It seems clear that she has indeed fallen from the emperor’s favor. Judging by the fact that the emperor himself is rushing the wedding preparations, it appears he intends to exile the princess from the empire as swiftly as possible.”
– How unexpected. Given how deeply he loved his wife, it shouldn’t have been so easy for him to turn against his own child. Zelnos had expressed a desire to witness his despair… he must be sorely disappointed.
From the way he spoke so leisurely, even after a comrade’s plan had failed, Taurus could sense the selfish nature of this group.
In reality, what bound them together was nothing more than their individual ambitions and their blind devotion to “Him”.
They had no sweet notions like trust or cooperation among themselves.
– And the princess? What do you intend to do with her? Surely you don’t plan to actually take her as your wife?
“Of course not. What matters to me is growing stronger and obeying Him. I have no time to waste on women. Hmm… as it happens, there’s a woman at the ‘Nest’ who’s become useless as a breeder. I’ll simply donate her there.”
Chilling conversations treating people as less than livestock passed between them naturally, and yet neither found it strange, carrying on as if it were perfectly ordinary.
– And… once the wedding is over, make haste in returning. An unfortunate incident has occurred at the main school.
“What happened?”
– Merpo is dead.
“……!!”
Merpo Mene, the genius chimera creator.
He had been living near the Empire to ensure a smooth supply of materials, but now came the sudden news of his death.
While the messenger had briefly returned to the main school to deliver experiment results and updates, a shocking event had occurred: Merpo and his entire group had been wiped out by an unknown entity.
“Merpo…you’re saying that man is dead?! How on earth…?!”
– We haven’t yet identified the perpetrator either. But it’s clear they are incredibly skilled. Among the corpses of our members, there wasn’t a single trace of blood that could be attributed to the enemy.
In other words, the attacker had taken down numerous combatants without sustaining any injuries whatsoever.
– Thanks to that, the main school is in complete turmoil. While we do have some of the methods he left behind, the most crucial parts were lost, creating a significant gap in our forces.
“Merpo may not have been a frontline fighter, but… he wasn’t someone who could be taken down easily! Who on earth could have…?”
– Unfortunately, that’s as much as we know. Apparently, he got greedy and tried to kidnap the daughter of Duke Eus, which ended up drawing in the Duke’s forces instead. The restrictions placed on his soul will prevent our confidential information from leaking, but we still can’t afford to let our guard down.
Taurus recalled the image of Merpo from his memory.
Although he had the temperament of a scholar, the monster and chimera body parts he had transferred onto himself were nothing to be taken lightly.
Even Taurus, who had been granted incredible strength by “Him”, had struggled to break through Merpo’s body.
And yet, someone had cut down such a man with ease…
– Still, isn’t this a fortunate turn of events?
“Huh? How can you say it’s fortunate when a commander has been killed…?”
– Well, since one commander is dead, someone else will have to take that position, won’t they?
“……!!!”
Taurus realized the hidden meaning behind his words and was greatly startled.
– So make sure you finish your task quickly and return. …Next time we meet… I hope it will be at the commanders’ meeting.
“Yes! Understood!!”
Even though no voice came from the crystal ball for quite some time, Taurus showed no sign of getting up.
“A commander… I’ll finally become one!!”
His eyes gleamed with terrifying madness.
He was drooling from his mouth as he let out a joyful, mad laugh. He was eagerly looking forward to the wedding being over as soon as possible.
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