“What…?”
I was bewildered by Vincent’s attitude, which had completely changed from what it was before.
Moreover, he said something quite concerning.
“I’m the ‘Prophesied Demon Lord’?”
“Ha! Exactly! You are the true ruler of the world foretold in the prophecy!”
I… I can’t follow what he’s saying…
What on earth happened to this guy?
“There is a prophecy made by a Mazoku priestess 100 years ago: ‘Eventually, from the royalty of the Dark Elves, a great Demon Lord will be born who will overturn the logic of the world. Through this being, humans and Mazoku will be united.’ Your power is precisely the kind that overturns the logic of the world!”
“…Such a prophecy exists?”
That was a hidden setting that didn’t appear in the game.
“So, is that why you were so fixated on Mom and Diana? You were trying to give birth to the ‘Prophesied Demon Lord’ from the Dark Elf royalty?”
“Ha! It is true that I loved Luna-sama, but the birth of the savior who would lead us Dark Elves, oppressed by humans, to glory—the great ‘Prophesied Demon Lord’—was our dearest wish!”
Mom never said a word about such a prophecy.
She probably didn’t want me and Diana to become Demon Lords.
So, the reason Diana was able to unite the Mazoku in just two years in the game was thanks to this prophecy, as well as her own abilities…
Diana was probably thought to be the ‘Prophesied Demon Lord’ in the game.
In that case, I should take advantage of this.
“That’s right. I am the Demon Lord of prophecy. I will stand at the apex of humans and Mazoku, of everything. You will lend me your strength.”
“O-o-o-oh! I am immensely honored, Demon Lord Luke-sama!”
Vincent looked up at me, seemingly overwhelmed with emotion.
If I become the Demon Lord, I can completely prevent Diana from becoming the Demon Lord in the future.
The great war between humans and Mazoku that Demon Lord Diana caused in the game won’t happen either. If that happens, there’s no need to worry about Diana being defeated by the protagonist.
It was the best move to protect Diana.
“Then, first, let us offer all the humans who have invaded this place as a blood sacrifice and save Luna-sama!”
“Huh…?”
As expected of someone who would become one of the Demon Lord’s Four Heavenly Kings, Vincent said something completely off the wall.
Did this guy not listen to anything I’ve said so far?
“I’ll say it again, the Dark Elves will surrender to the Empire.”
“H-huh…?”
Vincent blinked in astonishment.
“But, rest assured. As a prince, I will aim for the Emperor’s throne. While being a Demon Lord, I will stand at the top of the human continent’s unified nation. And I will rule everything. The Dark Elves will work for my ambition.”
“…A D-Demon Lord, yet also the Emperor of a unified continent! Just as the prophecy foretold. Luke-sama is truly the great one who will rule everything! A transcendent being sent by the gods!”
Vincent bowed deeply.
“We, the Dark Elves, will do our utmost for that ambition!”
Honestly, I have no interest in ambition at all…
However, if the Dark Elves become my hands and feet, preventing Mom’s assassination will become more certain.
It’s a big step forward in creating a happy future.
“I’m counting on you. This is a Hi-Potion that Luna-mama made. Use it to heal your injuries.”
“L-Luna-sama’s Hi-Potion!? I accept! Haha! I will take every last drop!”
When I handed him the small bottle of Hi-Potion, Vincent was overjoyed and drank it all down.
…There’s no doubt that this guy still has strong romantic feelings for Mom.
Mom is eternally beautiful and youthful, after all.
For now, I’ll make sure Vincent never gets close to Mom and Diana. Yeah, I’ll do that.
I’ll have him manage and lead the Dark Elves and not let him into the Imperial Court.
I can make it work by giving reasons like considering the human backlash.
“…W-what is this? What happened, Prince Luke?”
Saint-Germain arrived, flying through the air.
Saint-Germain’s eyes widened as he saw Vincent prostrating himself before me.
“Saint-Germain, the battle is over. The Dark Elves will now be under my control. Have all the soldiers withdraw.”
“What did you say…?”
Saint-Germain seemed shocked by the unexpected turn of events.
But then, he said with extremely cold eyes.
“…I have received orders from His Majesty the Emperor to kill all the Dark Elves. I am sorry, but I cannot comply with that request. Is that man the leader of the enemy? Shall I start by beheading him?”
“I’ll have Father retract that order.”
“…What? Are you serious?”
Saint-Germain’s eyes grew more menacing.
“Of course. I am the legitimate prince with the third-highest right to the imperial throne, and Princess Olivia’s fiancé. Don’t forget that the Kingdom of Macedonia is behind me. The Dark Elves will be my pawns!”
“Hmm…”
The whole story will be conveyed to the Kingdom of Macedonia.
I’m not officially engaged to Olivia yet, but the King of Macedonia would never disregard me, the benefactor who rescued the princess.
Therefore, the Emperor, who wants to form an alliance with Macedonia, shouldn’t be able to easily reject my request.
“I’ll ask again, what happened here? Prince Luke defeated the leader of the Dark Elves in a one-on-one duel?”
“What nonsense are you talking about? I persuaded Vincent to accept surrender.”
Vincent’s wounds, after drinking Mom’s Hi-Potion, had completely healed.
So, this lie shouldn’t be exposed.
Vincent, understanding my intentions, kept quiet without saying anything unnecessary.
Saint-Germain looked at me suspiciously.
“…You swear that’s true?”
The next moment, an overwhelming aura was released from him.
Vincent, next to me, seemed overwhelmed by the suffocating pressure.
“Of course. Don’t make me say it again. There’s no way I, who can only use [Dark Edge], could do something like that, right?”
I brushed it off with a cool attitude.
He probably tried to gauge my strength by suddenly unleashing strong killing intent, trying to make me take a fighting stance.
“…It is true that thanks to Prince Luke, not only Princess Olivia, but also the Imperial Army and my life were saved.”
Eventually, Saint-Germain relaxed and smiled brightly.
“In that case, I will intercede with His Majesty so that Prince Luke’s wishes are granted.”
“Thank you. That helps.”
I breathed a sigh of relief.
I had consumed a lot of Magical Power because I used [Dimension Leap].
It would be too dangerous to fight Saint-Germain in this state.
“After all, Prince Luke, who defeated Xylas, already knows that I am not immortal or anything, right? Well, I had a narrow escape.”
“…Defeated Xylas? Hmm, what are you talking about?”
I had reported that Master Gaine defeated Xylas.
But Saint-Germain doubted that and set a trap for me the moment I let my guard down.
“Hmm… So you’re going to play dumb after all. Well, fine.”
Saint-Germain knelt on one knee and prostrated himself before me.
“As long as you are not an enemy of His Majesty the Emperor and the Empire, I will be your ally. Please continue to do your best for the glory and prosperity of the Empire.”
“Ah, I’m counting on you, Saint-Germain. I will eventually become the Emperor—the ruler of the unified continent of Celestia.”
As a prince, I accepted his vassal’s salute.
“Oh. The unified continent of Celestia, you say? You will achieve that with your power?”
“Of course. That’s what Father wants too, right?”
Although the goals are seemingly the same, what I and Emperor Alvaise desire are completely opposite.
Emperor Alvaise tries to seize power by sacrificing his family, and I am trying to seize power to protect my family.
The day that man and I can understand each other will never come.
“That is something to look forward to. The eternal prosperity of the Empire is my only wish.”
Saint-Germain said with a distant look in his eyes.
Come to think of it, this guy has been serving the Empire for 1000 years, since its founding.
“Saint-Germain, why are you so loyal to the Empire…?”
I had a feeling that the Emperor’s complete trust in Saint-Germain stemmed from something like that.
If possible, I wanted to know more about this man, for the day when I would eventually defeat him.
“That is…”
Saint-Germain hesitated.
“Brother Lukeee! Are you safe?!”
Diana arrived, shouting at the top of her lungs.
It seemed Olivia had been handed over to the Imperial Army.
“I’m here! I’m safe, Dia!”
“Brother!”
I hugged Diana, and we rejoiced in each other’s safety.
“…I, I’m sorry, Brother. Princess Olivia scolded me, and I realized it. You were wary of that man, weren’t you?”
Diana whispered in my ear, so only I could hear, while ignoring Saint-Germain.
“Dia was frustrated and inadvertently hinted at your power to that man…”
I see. So that’s partly why Saint-Germain was suspicious of my abilities.
But thanks to Olivia’s follow-up, it seems Diana didn’t say anything fatal.
“Don’t worry about it, Dia. I was somewhat prepared for my abilities to be noticed this time.”
I patted Diana’s head to reassure her.
“…If I become stronger than him, everything can be solved.”
The secret to winning a battle is to not reveal your own abilities or weaknesses, and to know the enemy’s abilities and weaknesses.
But, unless I become strong enough that such tricks are unnecessary, I don’t think I can protect those who are important to me in the end.
“Ah, thank you! Dia will be careful not to hold you back anymore! I’ll study and train even harder, so I can be of use to you, Brother… P-Please don’t hate me.”
Diana looked at me with teary eyes.
“…Is that what you were worried about? There’s no way I could ever hate Dia. You worked so hard to help Olivia this time, didn’t you?”
I couldn’t help but smile wryly.
Rescuing Olivia was something I definitely couldn’t have accomplished alone.
It was because Diana cooperated that we were able to change the fate of destruction.
“I’m counting on you, Dia. Let’s work together from now on, okay?”
“Y-Yes! I’m so happy, Brother!”
Diana’s face lit up with a smile.
“Well then, shall we go back to Mom?”
“Yes!”
I took my beloved sister’s hand and started on our way home.
“Ooh! Prince Luke, Princess Diana, long live!”
“Not only did he succeed in rescuing Princess Olivia, but he actually stopped the collapse all by himself…!”
When we went outside, the Imperial soldiers who had escaped annihilation greeted us with cheers.
Some of them were even crying with emotion.
“Just as His Majesty the Emperor said, Prince Luke is truly a man fit to be a general! We are proud of Prince Luke!”
They placed their hands on their chests and saluted me all at once.
It was proof that they recognized me as their general.
“Brother, you did it.”
“Yeah…”
To think that the day would come when we, who were hated as children of the Mazoku, would receive such applause…
“Lord Luke, welcome back!”
Olivia rushed out, overwhelmed with emotion.
She hugged me without regard for the people around us.
“I believed in Lord Luke’s victory!”
Olivia’s warmth, who should have died here, made me realize that the future had definitely changed.