The Pale-Faced Royals, Part 1

I had been told not to go wandering about, so all I could do was practice the Dedication Dance and memorize the demands I intended to make of the royals. I rarely had a chance to leave my room—only when Ahrensbach's knights came to eat and I offered words of encouragement, and during mealtimes.

Under the pretext of providing reports about the summer villa, Ferdinand visited the dormitory during meals. As a result, the Archduke family did not eat in the dining hall as they had at the castle, but rather in a separate room where we could exchange information.

The first time I went to the dining hall, Adoptive Mother and Charlotte looked somewhat daunted upon seeing me up close. But Adoptive Father alone said, "You've really transformed," and then, his face brimming with curiosity, began examining me closely. "How are you shining like this?" Adoptive Mother scolded him for it, but I was quite relieved that he was unchanged even in the presence of the Goddess's power.

"Using your permission and a magic stone, I activated the teleportation circle at the summer villa earlier. I've already sent word by messenger, so if all goes well, your retainers carrying your belongings should arrive within about the span of one bell."

Incidentally, we had already obtained permission to use the summer villa. Apparently, it had originally been meant to be given to me, so the royals said I was free to use it as I pleased. Ferdinand informed me with a smile that suggested his displeasure was at its absolute peak, but I was just glad the Ahrensbach people who couldn't enter the dormitory wouldn't have to camp outdoors.

"That is a great help. Thank you very much, Ferdinand. Not only my own luggage, but many of the retainers who accompanied me to Ahrensbach should have sent their belongings there, so there were things we would have missed. Plus, it would be troublesome if only Ahrensbach had no way back and forth... What's the matter, Adoptive Father?"

When I tilted my head in puzzlement, it wasn't just Adoptive Father. Everyone's expressions around me seemed off. Adoptive Father and Adoptive Mother were acting suspiciously, exchanging glances with Father, and Charlotte also looked like she wanted to say something, flustering about. Father wore a bitter expression and, though I didn't know what signal it was, shot Adoptive Father a meaningful look. Adoptive Father shifted uncomfortably, cleared his throat, and spoke.

"Ah—ahem. Rozemyne. Ferdinand said he activated the teleportation circle at the summer villa, but..."

"Yes. It was necessary for the rescue, so Ferdinand's magic was already registered in the Supply Room. I never expected my magic power to change due to the Goddess's incarnation, so having Ferdinand's registration saved us."

Ferdinand was currently running around on my behalf as Ahrensbach's sole Archduke family member. You never know what life has in store.

"Ferdinand, so that means... well, in other words, this is what it amounts to? Without even greeting the Supreme Gods, you've brought winter's arrival without waiting for autumn, is that it?"

"What are you talking about? Calm down a bit."

"You're the one who's too calm. I don't understand any of this!"

...I'm the one who doesn't understand, actually.

As I sat there with a blank expression, Adoptive Mother intervened with a gentle smile.

"Lord Sylvester, perhaps the men can discuss the details among themselves. We are in the middle of a meal, after all."

On the morning of the day the meeting with the royals was to be held, the outfit from the Gilberta Company arrived. It was made using Ehrenfest's dyed cloth combined with the thin fabric from Ahrensbach that Ferdinand had given me. A matching hair ornament was included as well—exactly as I had ordered.

"The way the light faintly shows through the thin fabric is truly beautiful. Turi's hair ornaments are as wonderful as ever, aren't they?"

"Yes, they really are lovely."

...Who was Turi again? My hair ornament artisan?

Smiling and nodding at Brigitte, who was helping me change, I was utterly bewildered. I had completely forgotten the name of my own hair ornament artisan. Despite having met her in person to place the order, I couldn't recall Turi's face at all.

...Why? ...Was this the price of lending my body to the Goddess?

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn't figure it out, and my preparations were finished. What else had I forgotten? Were there things that wouldn't matter even if I'd forgotten them? A chill ran down my spine. The area around my stomach twisted painfully. I didn't know what I had forgotten, nor how I might recover it. I was losing memories in unnatural ways without any awareness of it. It was an indescribable terror.

...Calm down. It'll be fine. There must be some way.

Right after waking up, my memories had been in chaos and I had completely forgotten about Erwirmein and the others, but I had recalled them quickly. It was wishful thinking, but the memories erased by the Goddess shouldn't be completely gone.

"My lady, Ferdinand has arrived. He says he would like to hold a preliminary meeting first."

Upon learning that someone I could consult with about the Goddess had arrived, I immediately tried to leave the room. The moment I moved, Angelica draped a silver cloth over me and scooped me up.

"Angelica, please handle Lady Rozemyne with a bit more care. Your movements have grown rather rough. Lady Rozemyne is not luggage. You are being honored with the duty of carrying the Goddess's incarnation—please be aware of that and treat her with due reverence and care."

"Understood. I'll be more careful from now on."

I could hear Clarissa complaining to Angelica about the way she was handling me. It was true that Angelica had grown accustomed to it and her handling had become rather mechanical, but right now the loss of my memories concerned me far more than Angelica's carrying technique. I didn't care if it was a bit rough—just get me there quickly.

When we entered the tea room, Ferdinand was already waiting with an area-specific anti-eavesdropping Magical Tool activated. I sat down in the chair facing him, and the Attendants prepared tea before leaving the area.

"Rozemyne, have you memorized what I gave you?"

"I have, but... that's not the important thing. I really have lost memories. I can't remember the name or face of the artisan who made this hair ornament..."

As I touched the hair ornament in my hair, I pleaded with Ferdinand about my memory loss. But Ferdinand showed no particular surprise and simply nodded.

"That is to be expected. The name and face of the artisan who dyed the fabric for that outfit are probably not connected either."

"Dyed the fabric? ...That's right, I can't recall. Do you know something, Ferdinand? What is the basis for saying they're not connected rather than simply erased? Did you learn something from the Goddess? Please tell me."

I inadvertently stood up and was told to sit back down. I was so anxious that I wanted to grab him by the shoulders and shake the answers out of him, but though the attendants outside couldn't hear, they could still see everything.

"It seems that Mestionora, who wanted to keep you locked in her library, interfered with memories that had taken deeper root in your heart than your devotion to reading. I was told they weren't erased but rather that the connections have been severed. I wasn't able to get a more specific answer than that, but there aren't many things that would take priority over the Goddess's library for you. If it's a person, it can be predicted, but things you've been carrying subconsciously may be harder to guess."

I couldn't tell at all myself, but memories that had taken deeper root in my heart than reading—they should be the most precious things to me. It would be a serious problem if they stayed gone.

"How can I recover my memories? Do you know, Ferdinand?"

"Without medicine or time, it will be difficult for now. At the very least, we'll have to wait until the selection of the new Zent is complete. Most of the people who matter to you are Commoners living in Ehrenfest. You won't run into them at the Royal Academy. I'll help you later, so just be patient a little longer."

"Later? You promise?"

When I pressed him, Ferdinand gave a single nod and promised. If Ferdinand knew of a method, I could relax a little.

"Shall we move on to the meeting? We don't have much time."

"Yes."

"Aub Ehrenfest, I am most grateful that you have provided us with this venue for discussion. In the recent battle, you allowed Dunkelfelger to experience an authentic ditter, and for that I cannot express my thanks enough."

Almost as the fourth bell rang, the Aub Dunkelfelger couple and their retainers arrived. The hosts were the Ehrenfest Aub couple, so the two of them went to greet their guests. Today, Ferdinand and I were the invited guests.

When Aub Dunkelfelger and the others entered the tea room, they spotted me already seated and opened their eyes wide before walking straight toward me. I glanced at Ferdinand, and he gave a single nod. It was a signal to stay where I was.

The Aub Dunkelfelger couple knelt before me.

"Goddess of Wisdom, Mestionora. We humbly ask that you bestow your blessing upon Dunkelfelger."

Ferdinand had instructed those around me beforehand to maintain their usual behavior, so aside from Hartmut and Clarissa, no one had knelt to me like this. But apparently, this was the normal response of nobles in the presence of the Goddess's power.

Ferdinand had told me that they were kneeling to the Goddess's power, not to me personally, and that if I got carried away, it would be terrible when the power disappeared. I wasn't sure exactly what "getting carried away" meant, but here I was—the one who had always been in the lower position—watching Aub Dunkelfelger kneel before me. I felt the same awkward discomfort I had the first time Benno and the others had knelt to me.

"Aub Dunkelfelger, I'm sorry, but I have only been granted the Goddess's power. I am still Rozemyne on the inside, so I cannot give blessings as a Goddess."

"Oh my, what a pity."

His response was a bit more relaxed, but the influence of the Goddess's power was clearly still at work—Aub Dunkelfelger did not drop his deferential attitude.

"Never in our wildest dreams did we imagine we would fight alongside the true incarnation of a Goddess. Our knights were bitterly disappointed, saying they wished they could have shown you how valiantly they fought."

The conversation began even as the Attendants started brewing tea. The main topic was the heroic exploits of Aub Dunkelfelger and the knights during the recent battle. Apparently, many knights in the Dunkelfelger dormitory still hadn't cooled down from the excitement of the large-scale ditter.

Quite a contrast with the Ahrensbach knights, who were on edge from guarding and interrogating the Lanzanave people and decidedly not in a celebratory mood.

"I hear that depending on how the royals respond, Aub Dunkelfelger may be appointed as Zent. ...How do you think the royals will handle this situation?"

The First Wife said this with a worried expression, glancing toward the door. I too was deeply concerned about the royals. When I looked toward the door as well, word of the visitors' arrival came, and the Attendants opened the door.

"Aub Ehrenfest. I thank you for providing this venue."

I heard Trauerqual's slightly hoarse greeting, and the royals filed in one after another. Trauerqual and his First Wife, looking haggard; Sigiswald and Adolphine; Anastasius and Eglantine; and then Hildebrand and Magdalena, both wearing cylindrical fur muffs with both hands inside despite it being spring. Magdalena, the Third Wife, was present because she had participated in the battle in the lecture hall and was Hildebrand's mother.

...Everyone looked pale. They had probably heard all manner of things from Prince Anastasius and Lady Magdalena...

Led by Trauerqual, the royals lined up and knelt before me.

"Goddess of Wisdom, Mestionora. We humbly ask that you bestow your blessing upon us."

"I wish to reward your sincerity and efforts. Prince Sigiswald, I also received the permit from you..."

I looked toward Hartmut. He immediately came over with a leather pouch. Sigiswald looked back and forth between Adoptive Father and me, his expression showing slight displeasure mixed with consternation.

"No, that's..."

"I am truly sorry. Though you kindly gave me the permit, the chain was damaged due to the fierce, continuous fighting. I had been meaning to return it as soon as possible."

I took the permit out of the leather pouch Hartmut had given me. I really did need to return it as soon as possible. The previous evening, while checking the items to be returned, I had accidentally exposed them to my Goddess's power, which was leaking uncontrollably, and the chain had completely turned to gold dust.

"Rozemyne, don't touch that with your bare—"

"Ah!"

Ferdinand's warning came a bit too late. The magic stone part should have kept its shape, but because I pinched it, it crumbled away into gold dust. I could hear the kneeling royals gasp in disbelief at what they saw. It was a momentary lapse in judgment. I hoped they would forgive me.

"I-I am so very sorry. ...But since it turned to gold dust from the Goddess's power, the rare value as a crafting ingredient must be very high, and the magic content should be considerable as well. It would have many attributes, and all of their values would be excellent."

Trying to avoid eye contact slightly, I held out the leather pouch with the gold dust inside to Sigiswald. He froze for a few seconds, then accepted it with a gentle smile.

"I'm glad the permit could be of service."

Just as Sigiswald seemed to have somewhat recovered, Ferdinand let out a soft chuckle and touched my hair ornament.

"Gold dust created by the Goddess's power? I can only say that I envy Prince Sigiswald."

...Begging for research materials at a time like this!? What a mad scientist. The royals were still in the middle of their greetings and their eyes were darting about!

I silently fumed at him to read the room, but still put on a serene smile worthy of a Goddess.

"Oh my, if you need some too, Ferdinand, I can turn things into gold dust for you. However, you'll need to prepare the ingredients and magic stones yourself."

"I thank the incarnation of Mestionora for her generous heart."

Ferdinand wore a sinister smile befitting a demon king as he spoke those teasing words. He seemed quite pleased, probably because new research materials made him so happy.

...Ferdinand being in a good mood was a good thing. For the royals' sake too...

"Let us have lunch before we begin our discussion."

I gestured for everyone to take their seats. All sat down, and the Attendants began serving. I had asked for only the minimum number of retainers to accompany us, but it still felt slightly more cramped than the tea party when we had invited the apprentice archdukes from every territory.

Hildebrand's muff was removed. Beneath the muff that felt so out of season were handcuffs that sealed his Stab. The eyes of everyone besides the royals focused on it.

"A Stab is something he should never have obtained in the first place. Those acquired through illicit means must have their use prohibited."

At Magdalena's stern words, Hildebrand lowered his head with an expression that said he was desperately holding back tears. It was clear he had already been thoroughly lectured about his crimes. Even if he had been instigated, a crime was a crime. It reminded me of when Wilfried had unknowingly entered the White Tower, and I felt a bitter ache in my chest.

...I wonder if I can help him, the way I did back then.

As I watched Hildebrand, I noticed Eglantine gazing intently at me. She was as beautiful as ever. But I couldn't tell what she was seeking with that smile, so I simply gave a vague smile in return.

"Today's menu features ingredients from Ahrensbach, prepared using Ehrenfest's cooking methods."

Adoptive Father began lunch with an introduction to the menu. During the meal, the topics of conversation were the interrogation of the Central Knights and the current state of the Royal Academy.

"The interrogation of the knights instigated by Raublut has progressed considerably. It seems that not only Central Knights were in the lecture hall, but also people from Lanzanave. According to the civil official who attended the interrogations, those who had been in the lecture hall showed significantly diminished Trug effects. While there are still some ambiguous areas, the ability to read memories has made identifying criminals and their associates much easier."

At Sigiswald's words, Ferdinand glanced at me.

"That is because you washed away everything that was brought in from Lanzanave."

"The Water Goddess's power really is incredible."

I never expected it could also wash away Trug. Anastasius, who had been blown into the spectator seats as collateral damage, had worn a sour expression about it, but then again, this was the Goddess who had the power to push away Ewigeliebe and bring about spring.

With the concern that others might also be under the influence of Trug, it was said that nearly all central nobles had undergone the Wasshen. For those who hadn't used Trug, the water disappeared within seconds, but for those who had, it would not vanish until the influence faded.

"As the one responsible for this debacle, I thought I might be drowned by my own retainers before I could even be executed."

Trauerqual said this with a distant look in his eyes. He had been used by Raublut, who had been secretly working to install Gervasio as the next Zent, for an extended period, so the influence on him had been the most severe.

"As for the current state of the Royal Academy, in addition to Dunkelfelger's request for aid, the border gates lit up, which prompted Aub Klassenberg to rush over."

"Greifenhauer and Haufleite did the same. It's not the time for the Archduke Conference, but it seems all the Aubs are gradually gathering at the Royal Academy."

Eglantine and Adolphine explained this. The upper territories that had received Dunkelfelger's request for aid only had the information that "people from Lanzanave had invaded the central region from Ahrensbach," so they were desperately trying to gather information at the Royal Academy, where the fighting had already ended. However, since neither the royals nor Dunkelfelger had decided on anything regarding what came next, everyone was currently maintaining silence.

We discussed the current situation—which, thanks to the reasonably pleasant state of affairs, made the food taste all the better—and when lunch concluded, dessert and tea were brought in. After those were prepared, the retainers withdrew. From this point on, the discussion was to proceed without them.

After instructing the retainers to withdraw but letting them know they could be summoned by ordonnanz if needed, I looked around at everyone and took one long, slow breath.

"Then, I would like to begin discussing the selection of the new Zent. As I'm sure you are all aware, the Goddess of Wisdom, Mestionora, recently descended upon me. Both Mestionora and Lady Erwirmein wish for a new Zent to be chosen for Yurgenschmidt as quickly as possible."

"Then, have Father receive the Grutrissheit—"

"Prince Sigiswald."

Sigiswald started to speak as if shielding Trauerqual, but Adolphine, seated beside him, stopped him with a "You are interrupting someone of higher standing." Perhaps it was the result of being raised as royalty and never knowing anyone above his father.

Sigiswald straightened up as if suddenly aware, said "My apologies," and gestured for me to continue.

"The Zent the gods desire is one who can dye the Foundation of Yurgenschmidt. What you, the current royal family, have been supplying is not the Foundation of Yurgenschmidt, so it is said that magic power will soon run out and Yurgenschmidt itself will collapse."

The royals all widened their eyes in shock. It must have been devastating. They had been desperately pouring magic into what they were told was a completely different thing.

"It isn't completely different, either. The Supply Room in the central royal palace connects to the Prayer Room in the Central Temple, and the Magical Tool in the Prayer Room connects to the Supply Room in the Royal Academy. Magic power is sent from that Supply Room to the Foundation. Because the Magical Tool that transmits the magic power requires magic to operate, some does reach the Foundation, but it is nowhere near the amount needed to sustain Yurgenschmidt."

The loss of magic power before it reached the Foundation of Yurgenschmidt in the Royal Academy was simply too great. The sense of futility would be the same regardless.

"Then, all the more reason to quickly obtain the Grutrissheit—"

"Yes, the selection of a new Zent is necessary. The new Zent will need to accept the demands of the gods. Please understand that in advance."

"The demands of the gods, you say?"

As Anastasius's eyes went wide, I nodded firmly. At the mention of demands from the gods, everyone straightened their postures. I felt a twinge of guilt toward their solemn faces, since these weren't actually demands from the gods—they were Ferdinand's demands, based on his generous interpretation of the gods' words.

"To fill the Foundation as quickly as possible, to accept the people of Lanzanave as citizens of Yurgenschmidt, to not impose the death penalty for this incident, and to designate the next Zent as one who obtains the Knowledge of Mestionora through their own efforts. That is the gist of it."

At my words, Trauerqual opened his eyes wide.

"I can understand filling the Foundation quickly. But accepting the people of Lanzanave as citizens of Yurgenschmidt..."

He released those words with the obvious discomfort that the others would not accept it. Ferdinand slowly shook his head.

"We only need to accept them. There is no need to treat them as nobles. They didn't attend the Royal Academy like Prince Hildebrand, and their Stabs were obtained illegally. We can simply seal them away. As for the rest, depending on the individual's crimes, either lock them in prison and extract their magic, or make them Priests or Shrine Maidens in the Central Temple and have them offer their magic to Yurgenschmidt."

The very people who had tried to conquer Yurgenschmidt because they resented having their magic extracted for Lanzanave would now have their magic extracted for Yurgenschmidt. I felt a twinge of pity at their imprisonment, but it was the consequence of their own actions. Compared to the Ahrensbach nobles who had been invaded and suddenly killed, at least they still had their lives. I felt no inclination to oppose Ferdinand's suggestion.

...Besides, nobles of Yurgenschmidt were all pouring their magic into it anyway.

"So you're saying you'll only take their magic and not execute them? Even if you can't reduce magic any further, I think this will leave lingering consequences..."

"Yes, I consider it dangerous."

It must have been taught among the royals and upper territories that mass executions were a necessary evil. Sigiswald's face clouded with worry, and Eglantine nodded in agreement. I couldn't understand what they were saying.

"Hm? But wasn't it because you cut off future trouble at the cost of many lives and knowledge that the royals couldn't find the Grutrissheit, and Yurgenschmidt fell into a magic power shortage? You were creating your own future troubles, weren't you?"

When I smiled, as if amused by a joke, all the royals' faces changed color at once. Could it be that they weren't joking and were actually planning another mass execution?

"Excuse me, but wasn't it because the royals and the victorious upper territories executed senior Librarians from the former Berkstock that the knowledge was severed, the Grutrissheit could not be recovered, and neither magic power supply nor the redrawing of borders could be carried out properly? The nobles' dissatisfaction swelled, magic power plummeted, and you, the royals, led Yurgenschmidt to the brink of collapse. Surely you're aware of that by now? You can't possibly be telling me you haven't reflected on a single thing you've done?"

As I blinked in disbelief, I noticed the royals averting their gazes slightly and Adoptive Father looking flustered. Was it really appropriate for an Aub to show his emotions wavering so publicly? I wished he would maintain a bit more dignity and composure.

"As far as I'm concerned, while there were some misguided aspects, I have seen how you worked to support Yurgenschmidt even without the Grutrissheit. I thought the best approach would be to select the new Zent from among the royals to ensure as smooth a generational transition as possible... But as Ferdinand said, I'm starting to feel rather uneasy."

Oh dear, I thought, tilting my head with my hand against my cheek.

"The current state of Yurgenschmidt is deeply distorted. I promised Lady Erwirmein that, starting with the selection of the next Zent, we would return to the ancient methods as much as possible."

It wasn't exactly a promise—Ferdinand had simply declared it—but Erwirmein wished for more Zent candidates to obtain Mestionora's Book, so in the broadest sense, it wasn't wrong. Probably.

"The ancient methods?"

Aside from Ferdinand, who had written the script, everyone wore expressions that said they couldn't immediately grasp what that meant. Looking around at them, I stated the demands for the new Zent.

"That's right. We will abolish the hereditary succession of the Zent. The next Zent will not be determined by bloodline. Whoever can obtain Mestionora's Book through their own efforts will become Zent."

Sigiswald, who had been decided upon as the next Zent, went pale at the prospect of losing his position. His wife, Adolphine, wore an expression of resignation.

"And we will restore the Central Temple to the Royal Academy, the ancient holy land, and make the Zent the High Priest of the Central Temple. The Zent will devote themselves to reviving the ancient rituals and filling Yurgenschmidt with magic power. Since there was already talk—however briefly—of making me the High Priest of the Central Temple, this shouldn't be a problem."

When I smiled gently, I noticed that while many royals had gone pale, Adoptive Father and Adoptive Mother were wearing distant expressions with smiles that said this was none of their concern.

"Furthermore, with the Zent's appointment as High Priest, the central royal palace and summer villas will be closed, and the Zent's family will move their residence to the Royal Academy. It is a waste of magic power and personnel for the Zent's family to continue living in the central palace and summer villas that were originally built by the royals who first monopolized the throne out of fear of assassination. They should relocate to the Royal Academy and sustain themselves not through central territory revenues, but through taxes collected from all territories. Living off tax revenue is what Aubs do, and if it's not enough, they can simply earn their own."

"Rozemyne."

...Oh, I had tacked on too much. Mistake, mistake. But I did think it would be good for the high-ranking nobles to consider earning their own keep while they were at it.

"In this manner, the new Zent will live in a way that breaks down the old framework of the royal family. Is there anyone among you royals who would like to volunteer?"

The royals exchanged glances. Even though they could become Zent and obtain the Grutrissheit, their lives would change completely from what they had known. There would be no one willing to step forward immediately.

"If there is a volunteer, then in order to ask that person to serve as Zent, we will move to conceal the royals' disgraceful actions as much as possible, and the royals other than the Zent and his wife and children will be assigned to abandoned territories as Aubs. If there is no volunteer, then to convince the Aubs of other territories, we will print and distribute the royals' failures since the coup throughout Yurgenschmidt to stoke resentment, while simultaneously turning Aub Dunkelfelger's heroic exploits in this battle into a story and spreading it gloriously to make them the interim Zent."

While the royals stared wide-eyed and barely managed to keep their mouths from falling open, I received a sharp smack on the thigh. Ferdinand was looking at me with a sparkling smile absolutely brimming with irritation.

"Perhaps your explanation was a bit lacking, Rozemyne?"

I wanted to do something befitting a Goddess for once, too. Distributing printed materials to everyone seemed very fitting for the incarnation of Mestionora.

"Using printed materials for public opinion management is the most fundamental of fundamentals. Besides, it also serves as promotion for Ehrenfest. Using printed materials to move the world—doesn't that seem very much like something the incarnation of the Goddess of Wisdom would do? Just as I've asked for Dunkelfelger's heroic exploits to be written up, I've already commissioned the author of ditter stories."

"Truly!? We are to be the protagonists of a ditter story!?"

His First Wife lightly smacked the excited Aub Dunkelfelger beside her. "Why would you buy up materials meant for public dissemination?" she chided. The exasperated expression on the First Wife's face looked remarkably similar to Ferdinand's.

"Truly, giving you power would lead to something outrageous."

Ferdinand grimaced and gave me a light glare before surveying the royals.

"If the new Zent is chosen from outside the royal family, then as you have feared, the former royals who failed to prevent the foreign incursion will become a source of future trouble. Discontented nobles may try to elevate them once more, potentially plunging the country into civil war. To prevent this danger, all of you will enter the White Tower. This is a promise with the gods, so no one—regardless of their crimes—will be executed. Please rest assured."

Watching the royals blanch as Ferdinand delivered this assurance—which was clearly meant to convey that "as long as your lives aren't taken, that's all that matters"—with a completely unreassuring demon king's smile, I quickly added: "To prevent civil unrest, the livelihoods of those without clear crimes will be guaranteed as former royals. I discussed this with Ferdinand, and we have greatly improved the conditions. In addition to two meals a day, you will even receive one book!"