Chapter 18 - Bewilderment and the Court Mage
Louis dreamed. He had been for a long time. Always.
With dreams that were viscous and sticky, overflowing with affection and lust.
And dreams the color of despair, lacking even a fragment of sweetness.
They came alternately, disturbing his mind.
『Louis is human, after all.』
『I just...』
『I knew humans were liars. To think I stayed in a place like this all this time, what was I even doing?』
Mocking himself for having been foolish enough to trust her, Elenoa spread her beautiful wings and flew away.
『It's not like I can't live without a boy's magic power. So, goodbye. It was delicious.』
『Wait, please wait...!』
『I'll try to find a mate among my companions, so it's fine. Don't worry, okay?』
『Elenoa!』
She had the audacity to declare that she was going to another man. Unwilling to hear the filthy words spoken from her lovely lips, Louis in the dream called out to her again and again. No matter how many times he tried to chant petrification magic to restrain her, for some reason, it was repelled. Elenoa flew away gracefully and smoothly, snuggling up to an unknown male fairy.
Nightmares were worse than illusion magic.
Because it was difficult to break free from them by one's own will, and sometimes one could not even realize it was a dream.
When he came to his senses, he was in a dark space.
He finally understood that this was a dream. However, his deeply wounded mind throbbed with a dull pain.
Her parting words clung to his ears. So did the cold wind created by the fluttering of her wings as she moved away from Louis. It was strangely realistic, and therefore frightening.
That morning, when he was to be dispatched as a lecturer to the academy his younger sister attended, he was in the worst of moods.
Therefore, he must have said something strange, something he had not planned to say until he stepped onto the podium.
＊
『Defy time, raise your blade against God.』
This was the game's catchphrase. At the end of the commercial, those words were written in bold white letters against a black background, read seriously by the voice actor playing 'Eren' or 'Elenoa'.
The meaning of the text became clear once one played the game.
The high-level magic learned in the latter half of the game, and the highest-ranking weapons and armor obtainable through hidden tricks, were created by Louis. That fact was gradually revealed. To defeat the one who gave you power, using the power they gave you. It was akin to rebellion against God.
In the game, the 'Court Mage's Journal' found in 'a certain court mage's house' in the ruins of Grenole was filled with a heavy hatred for humanity. Though it was not explicitly stated, it was written by Louis.
However, the circumstances that led him to become the Demon Lord were not described in the main story.
"And so?"
"I was wondering why Louis becomes Demon Lord-sama."
"I have no intention of becoming the Demon Lord."
"Then I won't be able to meet the protagonist."
"It is you who wants to meet the protagonist."
"Because the protagonist-chan is cute. I might end up on Louis's route."
"I have no intention of being conquered. Characters chosen by things like the Hero of the story are mostly predetermined. Now that I already know, nothing said will move my heart."
"I think someone who is hardworking, kind, earnest, and very energetic is nice. Like Lumina-chan."
"My current preference is for someone who has their fair share of ugly aspects, is reasonably obedient, not too bright, modest, quiet, and does not interfere."
He added, 'and domestic,' as an afterthought.
Elenoa thought Louis was acting a bit strange, but she let it slide with a "Hmph."
"When there is danger, Heroes tend to rush in headfirst, which makes me want to tell them to be calm. So, Elenoa."
"Yes?"
"Even if you meet the Hero, it is only dangerous to get close. Do not let yourself be conquered. Do not follow them readily. Please do not get involved with reckless protagonists, no matter what happens."
"Is that all, in the end?"
"Elie."
"It's fine, it's fine. I won't be conquered, I won't."
Behind Elenoa, who was peeling carrots, Louis leaned against the wall, looking exasperated.
He had returned on foot from the academy, and for some reason, he was lingering in the kitchen.
"What's for dinner today?"
"Hmm, something the boy likes."
"Since it's carrots, is it cream stew?"
"Yes. You must be tired from going to the academy, right?"
"...Well, I was surrounded, I suppose."
Without asking for Elenoa's permission, Louis picked up a potato, saying, "I'll help," and began to peel it with practiced movements. From the hands of the two, accustomed to cooking, came a pleasant, rhythmic scraping sound.
"So, you're going around town tomorrow? Good work."
"I will only be going to the main streets directly."
The fish-tail lamps standing in the town were also a type of magic tool, and belonged to the country. Management, installation, and everything else fell under the jurisdiction of the court mages.
Even though it was called a Research Institute, as long as they were a group of mages serving the state, they had to devote themselves to the country.
He had heard that they had recently gotten involved in various research projects. Moreover, since his assistant had collapsed, that portion of the work would also fall on him. Just thinking about it made Elenoa worried for Louis.
"The other mages are excellent, so it should be fine even if I do not intervene. More importantly..."
Louis trailed off.
When Elenoa glanced at him sideways, his hands had stopped. He seemed tired, after all.
Becoming the Chief at such a young age was due to his recognized ability, but the pressure and responsibility weighed down on him without mercy or consideration. She knew that this was what work entailed, so inappropriate comfort would be counterproductive.
Elenoa made that judgment.
She was under the great misconception that he was worried only about his work.
She reached out her hand. She touched his forehead. It felt slightly hotter than usual.
"You're a bit hot. Eat quickly and go to bed early, okay?"
The hand she tried to pull away was immediately grabbed.
"Boy?"
"...Elenoa, I..."
He trailed off after that.
Louis himself did not seem to know what words he had been about to say.
＊
Louis was a member of House of Stylus.
During the lecture at the academy that morning, he had ended up reminding himself of that fact.
House of Stylus was both heroic and criminal.
Louis himself was not to blame. He knew that.
However, the many large secrets that amounted to betraying her weighed on him like a burden of guilt.
He had escaped the situation by glossing over it with "It's nothing," but he was at his limit.
The nightmares born from ten years of lies, and the dreams soaked in his own lust, were surely corroding him with their disparity.
＊
Late at night.
Elenoa, having prepared a glass of water on a tray, stepped into Louis's bedroom.
After placing the water on the bedside table, she observed his condition.
"...Ugh."
He seemed to be having a difficult time sleeping. His tightly furrowed brows and low groans testified to the severity of his nightmare.
Sweat beaded on his skin, and his nightclothes were open to his chest. The bedding had been pushed to the side.
Since there was no thermometer, Elenoa had no choice but to check his fever with her own body temperature. When she placed her hand on Louis's forehead, she felt a temperature considerably higher than before.
—With this, working tomorrow will be impossible.
That, in itself, was fine. There were times when rest, however unwelcome for someone of his status, was necessary.
Thinking she needed a wet towel and ice, she turned around.
Then, the hem of her clothes was grabbed.
Louis was the only one there. Wondering if she had woken him, she looked back, and there he was—glaring sharply at Elenoa.
"...Louis?"
It was not gentle. It was not a joke. He was not exasperated.
His moonlight-colored eyes held a firm hostility.
—Elenoa felt it that way, but it was not so. Because what he was directing at Elenoa was his bare 'true feelings,' to such an extent that it was perceived as malicious intent.
Elenoa tried to take a step back, but he did not allow it.
"Where are you going?"
This time, he gripped Elenoa's wrist and pulled her toward himself.
"Wah...!"
Elenoa, who had fallen on top of Louis as he sat up, let out a small scream.
She did not know this kind of posture, as if clinging to someone. His cool scent, mixed with sweat, increased its allure.
When she looked up at Louis with teary eyes, he wrapped one arm around her back, closing the distance between them.
His cold gaze seemed to gouge at her heart, and it was unbearable.
"Do you intend to run away from me?"
"I-it hurts, Louis-sho, ...ah!"
Her slender wrist creaked under the pressure.
His trembling voice was driven by irritation, saying things like, "Do not call me 'Boy'."
His chest plate was right before her eyes, and if she raised her face, she would be stared at with intense emotion. She inadvertently lowered her gaze, but the gaze she still felt inspired only fear.
She did not know this Louis.
Usually, when they 'ate,' he had supported her gently.
The overwhelming difference, where he could easily crush her, dug up her sense of crisis.
"Ah, or is this the 'Fairy's Curse'? To make a person fall so low, and then leave... You are a cruel woman."
She had no recollection of the cold mockery in his words.
It was a completely incomprehensible situation.
While acknowledging the breathlessness of her lungs being crushed and the stinging sensation of tears in the back of her nose, she remembered.
"I will not forgive that."
This tone of voice was the quiet anguish of the moment Louis Stylus revealed his true nature in the game. An love like a fruit that had ripened too much, leaving only bitterness, at the end of obsession. While bathing the protagonist alone in such things, he would laugh, finding even their frightened face dear.
As if betraying the peaceful times until now, his madness revealed itself.
"...I will not let you escape."
—A shiver ran through her.
He whispered into her ear. Madness, affection, anger—everything was blown into it.
It was a heat that shook her brain, entering from her ear canal. Elenoa's stiffened body reacted involuntarily, leaking a small sigh.
No. I don't want this.
Elenoa understood. The wrist gripped until it felt like it would creak and break, the strong arm around her back, the eyes looking down on her—his entire body desired her.
"That is a face I have never seen. It looks very painful and pitiable. Please show me more."
"Sto..."
As she twisted her body, he gently stroked the area around her shoulder blades over her clothes.
The base of her wings.
Due to a fairy's instinct, she stopped moving completely.
Seeing this, he looked happy, wearing a refreshing smile. His eyes were dark and clouded.
His fingers moved loosely, slowly, back and forth between the back of her wings and her skin, caressing them bewitchingly. Elenoa, who kept her eyes tightly shut and endured it, prayed only for this time to pass quickly.