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“Finally! We’re finally here, Your Majesty!”

Alks’ father spoke sarcastically to the king, who let out muffled sounds. The only thing the king could do was glare at him sideways. Perhaps because he wasn’t being interrupted, Avaritia’s mouth ran on.

“It’s been a long, long journey. I can’t even remember how many years have passed since I sent my daughter to infiltrate the castle and gather intelligence. When I first heard of Alks’ death, I was furious—furious at her incompetence, at how useless she had turned out to be. But now… I realize it was her death that set me on this path. That moment opened my eyes. And now, I couldn’t be prouder of my beloved daughter. You did well to kill her.”

I had always known he was that kind of person… A small part of me used to wonder if Alks’ father acted because he questioned whether the royal family was doing the right thing, but now even that tiny possibility is gone. I never thought I’d hear him say the king had done well by killing Alks.

“I almost forgot! As I said before, the only royal left now is Princess Topersion.
Prince Riegers, whom you tried to have escorted out, is, sadly for you, in our possession.”

The king looked doubtful at Avaritia’s words.

“That face of yours is priceless. How funny. It’s as if you believe that everyone in this castle is your ally. Nobles are truly capable, I’ll give you that. You filled nearly every corner of the castle with loyalists, leaving no room for me to slip in unnoticed. And the moment you sensed my ambitions, you kept me under close watch. Impressive, truly. Even as your enemy, I can’t help but admire you. But it seems you never realized… your fortress has been crumbling from within, piece by piece.”

The king squirmed, as if he wanted to say something. But he couldn’t say a word. Honestly, I didn’t want to hear an old man weep anyway, but I supposed it was inevitable in this situation.

“You look like you want to deny it, but the truth is, someone from the royal castle was the one who led us here. A man within the Prime Minister’s own circle guided us to this very room. He said he was tired of serving the royal family. Many of the servants have already abandoned their loyalty to the crown. They’ve pledged themselves to new masters.”

The king’s eyes widened. He wanted to protest, to call it a lie, but he could not. As king, he knew better than anyone that Alks’ father spoke the truth. The despair etched across his face betrayed that certainty.

However, this new master wasn’t Alks’ father. Rather, it was Megi. It was clear Alks’ father didn’t like the king, so he’d most likely phrased it this way to agitate him. I didn’t like the king either, so maybe we were alike in that regard.

And the truth was, I wasn’t a good person either.

“Anyway. I will lead this kingdom. There is nothing Topersion can do even if she returns now. Once the commoners are notified and word spreads that this rebellion has been successful, the royal family will all be publicly executed. You will bear this burden as retribution for ignoring God’s word, endangering the people, and attacking your towns and villages for your greed. Until then, you will all be crucified side by side, so do your best and stay alive.”

With that, Alks’ father released his grip, and the king collapsed to the floor with a dull thud. His hands and feet were tightly bound, leaving him helpless. All he could do was move his eyes. Avaritia turned and walked out of the room, as if going to find someone to take the king away.

I thought his actions just now were careless, but I guessed he wanted to tell the king his true intentions himself before the people of Fraus found out. Or maybe he was just frustrated. As far as I could tell, there wasn’t anyone nearby, so perhaps he was making sure no one would come to help the king.

There was no need for me to show myself, but since the king seemed to be looking for someone, I decided to appear.

“So this is what it has come to.”

I called out to the king, and he looked at me as if he wanted to say something. The gag in his mouth was meant to prevent him from using magic. That’s why I, too, didn’t plan to remove it carelessly.

It would be too much trouble if he used magic to escape. I pondered whether to put a magic-sealing ring on him, but that would likely alert Alks’ father to my presence.

Which could turn into a hassle. Everything seemed like such a pain.

Seeing the king in such a pitiful state brought me an odd sense of relief, and that was enough for me. All that remained was to witness his final moments before making my way to the Nigel Kingdom. It had taken a long time, but at last, my work in this kingdom was drawing to a close.

I wanted to make sure I saw the final chapter of my classmates’ otherworldly travel to the end.

“You are looking at me as if you want me to help you, but I won’t. Don’t worry. Even if Avaritia does as he pleases, the world will soon collapse. It will collapse all because of you, the royals who ignored God’s warnings. See you tomorrow. I don’t know if you will be able to see me from where you’ll be, but I’ll be sure to witness your final moments.”

I left the battlefield, leaving the collapsed king behind. Tomorrow will be my last day in Fraus. All that was left was to go to Nigel, see how Caeruleus was doing, and my job would be over. I hoped the world would hold out until then. But there was still Zygos, the Demon Lord, and the heroes, or rather, my former classmates.

With that said, I waited for tomorrow, hoping that the worst hadn’t yet come to pass.