Following our visit to the prison, Fynar arranged for Alveiro’s temporary release, and we took him along with us. Our destination was the demon world. Now that the door to its capital had been installed, it was possible to travel back and forth between the Reauxgard Empire and the demon world at any time. Secretly, though. It was important to point that out.
No doubt that in my previous life, transporting someone who hadn’t been convicted of a crime yet—heck, even someone who had—to another country would’ve posed a major problem. Since this would be considered a serious infringement on sovereignty, the Demon King’s subordinates had pulled together and done their best to secure one day of freedom for the man. So, officially, Alveiro wasn’t on his way to the demon world. In fact, everyone except those in the know probably thought he was still being held captive. Anybody wanting to visit him in prison would find themselves unable to, thanks to the Demon King’s edict keeping them out.
As for Alveiro himself, while I was still suspicious of him, he didn’t put up any resistance and followed us obediently. We didn’t explain anything to him, but after passing through the door, I heard him muttering to himself, saying things like, “Could this be...” and “That door...” so he’d presumably figured out on his own that this was the demon world. There was only one reason we’d gone to all this trouble...
“Th-This... This can’t be!”
...and that was to bring him face-to-face with someone familiar. Someone who knew quite a bit about what was going on. Someone like...the former emperor.
“It’s been too long, Alveiro. I’m glad to see you’re well.”
“Your Majesty!”
The shock on Alveiro’s face quickly transformed into relief. Tears suddenly filled his eyes.
“Ngh... Hrngh... You’re...alive!”
Like a dam bursting, the tears started flowing as he sobbed. The former emperor watched over him warmly, doing nothing to stop him. There was definitely a bond between the two of them that we couldn’t understand.
After a few minutes, Alveiro finally calmed down. He took a deep breath, then exhaled before opening his mouth, his eyes red and swollen.
“Forgive me for the unseemly display, my lord. You see, we were only told you had been executed. They wouldn’t even allow us to see your body, so...”
“In a sense, that is true. The man you knew as Shendra is dead. The one before you now is simply Shen. Should it be known that the one responsible for the war remains alive, I’ll be forced to actually hang myself. So...since it is you who has learned the truth, let me tell you that I never want to lead a country again. I’m loath to ask, but won’t you keep this a secret?”
“O-Of course! I’m honored. The knowledge that you’re alive shall stay locked away in my heart. But truly...I’m so glad...”
“To be clear, they permitted me to live because our interests aligned. Nothing more, nothing less. But that’s precisely what matters in order to build trust. Even if we’re of different backgrounds, so long as logic prevails and both sides benefit, we can come to an agreement.”
“Then as far as your work goes, Your Majesty—I mean, Lord Shen, I assume you’re...a researcher?”
“You assume correctly. From morning to night, I study what I love, poring over tomes in my pursuit of knowledge. It’s a way of spending my days that was unthinkable when I was emperor. And I must admit, I’m quite enjoying myself. Though I do feel sorry for those like you who I left behind.”
“Please don’t. Not after all the hardships you endured. Any who complain will be dealt with accordingly.”
Seeing the look of deep satisfaction on Shen’s face, Alveiro smiled while looking like he’d burst into tears again. All I could think was that they both understood how tough things had been during Shendra’s reign. Nice to see how close they are.
Then, Shen’s tone turned serious.
“Right, then. Considering they went to great lengths to bring you all the way here, I can only conclude that you’ve gotten yourself into a spot of trouble.”
“Apologies, my lord, for being unable to govern the country you entrusted to us...”
“When undertaking a new endeavor, it’s only natural for problems to arise. In that sense, I commend you for your efforts. Having said that, I bear some responsibility for leaving you and the others to manage things at a most difficult time. So, if there’s anything I can do to help, I will.”
“But...”
Alveiro glanced furtively at me and the Demon King, who were standing nearby.
“You can trust them. While they put themselves and their peoples first, that doesn’t mean they’re fools who would try to exploit another country out of shortsighted greed. Of course, that wouldn’t be the case if they had proven themselves self-indulgent opportunists.”
“Such relentlessly rational thinking... You haven’t changed at all, Lord Shen.”
“Of course not. You used to warn me that people can’t accept everything simply on the basis of reason. Researchers do need to be flexible, but I’d no longer be myself without logic. And that won’t change, even if ‘Shendra’ is now ‘Shen.’”
In response, a smile full of both wryness and resignation appeared on Alveiro’s face. Then, he nodded.
“Understood. As you command. Your Majesties, I sincerely apologize for my conduct thus far. I’ll tell you everything I can.”
“That is much appreciated. I’m sure you have your reasons.”
“I do. Thank you for your understanding. At any rate... First, let me explain why I went to the materials storage facility and Third Imperial Weapons Storehouse. I was summoned by someone whose identity I’m not at liberty to disclose.”
I could practically see the light bulb lighting up over the Demon King’s head at those words.
“I see. So the one pulling the strings behind the scenes in Reauxgard right now is...”
“Yes, there’s only one answer,” Shen said.
“A member of the imperial family.”
Inch. Resting. Someone Alveiro couldn’t tell us about. From what I’d seen so far, the man’s loyalty was crystal clear. If the person who’d summoned him was a member of the imperial family, it was no wonder he couldn’t talk about them, no matter how much that put him at a disadvantage.
“However, Demon King, I doubt my family is behind this. They may be involved, but I believe someone else concocted the plan. They simply don’t have the ability to devise a scheme of this sort, partially because I made it impossible for them to do so.”
“I see, I see... Since you were my initial source of information on the empire, I had naturally ruled that possibility out.”
“What are you guys talking about?”
Shen answered my question.
“I’m embarrassed to admit that over the years, my family members became obsessed with power, to the point they’ve turned into fools. I thought the country would collapse if I allowed them to run unchecked, so I confiscated all of their authority and purged approximately half of them.”
“‘P-Purged’?”
That didn’t sound ominous at all.