Maou No Utsuwa

The first orphanage I visited in two years was the same and warmly welcomed the three of us.

Looks like we've got a little more new faces, but a lot of them are buddies who once ate the same kettle of rice. We weren't necessarily close to all of them, but for the first time in a long time, no one brought up evil feelings at the time. They all approached the three happy and started asking questions about that and this.

For the orphans, who rarely left the orphanage, the story of the Kamui living on the border was as intriguing as an adventure talk.

It was Kamui who wanted to warm up his old relationship slowly with each and every one of them, but that's not why he hates them. I told everyone I had to see the bishop and left Lutz and Alto behind and left the spot.

Proceed without straying down the hallway of the orphanage you once knew, and stand in front of the bishop's room.

"Oh, aren't you Kamui-kun?

The Associate Priest, who had refrained beside the door, called out. He's been serving bishops in secretarial roles for a long time.

"Hi, it's been a while. Is the bishop here?

"There you are. Wait a minute."

I say this, leaving the refrain seat, and entering the room, Associate Priest. I immediately looked up and invited Kamui in.

When Kamui entered the room, the bishop was sitting in a chair looking as grumpy as he once was.

"It's been a while. Bishop."

"Are you back? Viscount Kreutz has contacted me. You're going to college, right? You think Lutz and Alto are together?"

"Yes, I finished my entrance ceremony today"

"Mm-hmm. So what does it look like?

It's been a long time since I've seen you again. Greetings are there, too. The bishop asks about the matter.

"You're light, aren't you? It's been two years, isn't it?

"Non's role is to take care of the orphans. I can't even think about the graduates."

"You're the same. There are two things to do. The first one brought what my parents told me to deliver to my bishop."

"Delivery?

"Yes, this is it"

Instead, when he stuck his hand in his pocket, he took one coin out of it and Kamui placed it on the bishop's desk. It's a golden coin.

"What's this?

"It's a donation to an orphanage. If you take out the leather bag and put it down, it would be a little better. We can't afford that."

"If it's even a single coin, it's a lot of money. Let me write to your parents to say thank you."

"By the way, now that I don't need God to remember my name, I don't need a bookkeeping."

"... thank you for your concern"

The donor is supposed to enter his or her name and amount in the ledger. Jianmae is meant to make God aware of the thickness of the faith of those who donate, but it is not.

It's simply for the church to manage how much donations have been collected. Looking at that ledger, the church determines the amount of donations to be collected from the orphanage. There is no way for the Church to grasp donations that are not in the ledger, so this will be freely used in orphanages.

"And one more thing"

"What is it?

"Do you mind if I stay here?

Kamui offers his wishes in a shattered tone at once. The role of my parents is over.

"What?

"No, because we don't have a mansion in the Imperial Capital. You're not gonna be an idiot for an inn, are you? Like I said, we can't afford money. We need to save."

"This is not an inn!

Kamui's explanation only made the bishop angry.

"No, I know. I lived here."

"Then you know what Non doesn't approve of, right?

"Do something about it there. If I find a way to make money, I'm leaving, and that's it."

"... you can't"

I was a bishop with a few thoughts, but the answer out of my mouth was still a rejection.

"Still tough."

"That's not the problem. You think a little more about your position. You're not an orphan anymore, you're from the Viscount Kreutz family. And when it comes to orphanages, it doesn't make any difference that this is part of a church. If the Church seems to be trying to benefit certain aristocrats, it's the Viscount Kreutz family that's gonna be in a bad position, right?

It is the empire itself that does not favour the union of certain nobles with the Church. If the nobility is empowered in the context of the authority of the Church, the royal power will be weakened for that matter. You can't be watching in silence.

"... I see. That's the thing about the year. I wasn't thinking that far. Convenience from church to nobility...... Oh, so how about the other way around?

"The other way around?

"You just have to take the form of cooperating with the church from the aristocratic side, right? How about the three of us live and work in an orphanage to teach orphans how to study? It's not unnatural for us to give back what we were orphans, is it?

"... often such wicked wisdom works"

In the wake of the words of Kamui, the bishop showed a bare gesture to think again. Eventually he said words that he didn't know if he was praising or denigrating with his face.

"Is that okay?

"Uhm. That would be fine"

"Whoa, I did it"

"But!"

"What?"

"Just study what you teach. Other than that, I admit it."

Bishops have forbidden the teaching of swords and magic. Since Kamui was in the orphanage, it has been forbidden, but once again it is a form of stabbing a nail.

"Why?"

"With half-way power comes those who mistake. That only has unfortunate consequences. Not everyone has qualities. It's not like I can keep teaching all the time. You're going back to your territory, aren't you?

To orphans, I want them to live a peaceful life, this is what the bishop wants.

"So is that... All right. Basically, I teach letters, arithmetic, and smart people more than that."

I didn't know what the bishop was thinking when I was in the orphanage, but Kamui seemed to know a little bit about it. Thanks to knowing the spiciness of carrying something.

"Oh, do that. But can you guys teach me?

"I was able to study."

"I know that somehow. But wouldn't the other two be so different from the orphans?

"No, it's packed pretty tight. It's not like when I was here. Especially Alto, for wickedness, my one or two steps ahead."

Quite humble, but at this point the bishop doesn't know.

"I know you didn't tell me to teach you bad wisdom... Well, yeah. Those two."

The bishop seems to be somewhere happy, even with his flattery. I wouldn't have noticed if it had been before, these bishops' hearts can tell by Kamui today.

"How are you two doing, Ignatz and Maria?

In speaking, the bishop has finally asked me honestly what I personally care about, whether my feelings have become loose.

"Special training in territory. Those two are especially hard at training because they're good at magic. I didn't bring the magic I learned in college because it wouldn't be enough for them."

"Is that it?

The bishop is surprised by Kamui's explanation. The College is the highest school in the Empire. The level at which it can be said that it is not enough can no longer be imagined by the bishop.

"The teacher's good."

"Does the Viscount Kreutz have that much strength?

"No, my mother is good at magic, too, but the teacher is someone else"

"Oh?"

The bishop, who hears Kamui's words, always smiles in an unfathomable face, uncommonly.

"... what?

Kamui, who had first seen the Bishop's laughter and so on, asked why he was laughing, in a way that was creepy and fearful.

"Mother, can you call me that now?"

"Ah... shut up, your mother is your mother, isn't she?

"But the child who went to adopt him knows that he won't be able to call him that inside. That's what you can call it in front of someone else, isn't it?

Especially when you're about the age of Kamui and you can be firm about yourself. Then it's hard to get rid of reluctance.

"Sort of. We're both good parents."

"Right, right"

"Are you that happy?

"Non's hope is that all orphans leaving here will have a happy family. If you think you've been blessed with it, you can't hold back the joy."

You must be really happy. Rarely does the bishop speak the truth.

"If you pass that word on to the orphans as well. You'd be admired more."

"What do we do when Non is admired? It is the new parents or the person with the family who will be admired. Non's role is to make orphans feel like they can stand it so that they can't lose the harshness of the world. For this reason, life with Non was much tougher and harder. It has to seem that way."

…………

To the Bishop's words, with his eyes gently open, Kamui shut up.

"What's up?

"... No, I was enjoying it because I was about to cry. He's so clumsy."

I'm joking and I'm telling you, but really Kamui was putting up with tears. There are many respectable people around me now who thought they were surrounded by public malice. Once again, Kamui felt this.

"That's an extra favor."

"Well, we've got business to do, shall we go back to everyone?

"Right. Can I ask you a favor?

"Unusual, what?

"Can you talk to Dark?

Dirk was also an orphan, and he was one of those people who, like Lutz and Ignatz, was able to affirm that he was close when Kamui was in the orphanage.

"Is something wrong?

Kamui thought there were so many things going on with the dark and the fact that he wanted to talk on purpose.

"Looks like you're dating a good, bad guy. I fear I may be drawn to a bad path"

"That dark one? As far as I can tell, he's a pretty thoughtful guy, huh?

It's not uncommon for an orphan to go down a bad road. But Dirk wasn't that type.

"That's why I'm worried. We know you're actually in and out of the Glades."

"... can we just talk? I'm sure there's a reason. If that reason is satisfactory, I can't stop Dark from acting."

Kamui doesn't think he stepped off the road. Dark as it seemed, he had a solid personality.

"If the reason was nasty, would you stop it?

"Oh, as long as I can."

"Okay, that's good"

"What about that dark one? Are you coming home properly?

"Yeah, I go out a lot, but I'm not coming back before it's too late."

The moment I heard this, I knew Kamui couldn't stop Dark. After all, we're not trying to live a self-depraved way, but there are special circumstances.

Still, I promised, but we have to talk about it. I thought about it this way, and now I've stopped saying what I thought.

"... ok. I'll talk to you when I get back."

"Nice to meet you"

◇ ◇ ◇

Earlier that day, he decided to talk to Dirk, but unlike the Bishop's story, inside, Dirk did not return.

Dirk came home completely late at night, when the orphans fell asleep.

"You were late."

"Kamui!?

Dark is surprised that Kamui, who could not have been there, suddenly appeared in front of him. My brown eyes are blinking peeking from my stretched forehead. The child's face, the small figure, is still the same. Kamui can't say anything about people who haven't grown tall.

"It's too curfew. You're out of dinner today and tomorrow."

"Oh, I know. More than that, why is Kamui here?

"I started attending Imperial College in the spring. Let me stay here for a while."

"Right.... Looking good"

"Oh, me and everyone are fine. Compared to that you are. I don't care what you think.

"... oh"

There is a dark shadow in Dark's expression, as much as you would have found out if you hadn't listened to the bishop.

Seeing that face, Kamui hesitated slightly, but decided to step in and say that if the problem was huge, there was no reason to let it go.

"Is something wrong?

"Well."

"Talk to me. Maybe I can help a little."

"Impossible. I can't do anything anymore."

"Still, if we talk, we might have something, right? It might make you feel a little easier than holding it all by yourself even if you don't have anything."

I thought about Dark a little, but eventually I decided to talk. Kamui was right, it was hard to hold him alone.

"... I didn't choose to go with Kamui, did I?

"Oh."

"The truth is. I was pretty worried about it. I wanted to go with the Kamuis, that's what I had in mind."

Kamui also thought Dark was something that would come with me. When I found out it wasn't coming, I was a little shocked.

"But I chose to stay. You had a reason, didn't you?

"Yes, there were people who didn't want to leave."

"You're not a parent, are you?

I don't even know where my parents are.

I'm not in this orphanage, like someone who knows where my parents are. Whatever his will, at the point of entering the orphanage, he is obliged to distinguish himself from the past.

"Right. Then who is it?

"Girls in the Glades"

"I see. You kept her from us, didn't you?

"No, I'm not. Just a friend."

If you're just friends, so are the Kamuis. Dark had a reason to choose that girl.

"I mean, you're one-sided, huh?

"... sort of"

"That's sloppy. Are you still one-sided? Two years since then, huh?

"Eternal one-sidedness."

Dark squeaks like throwing up. Knowing it was a love affair, it was a camouflage who tried to make fun of Dark, but it didn't seem that easy to talk about.

"... that you've been shaken. So, you don't think so?

"Yes, I can't even be shaken anymore."

"Did you go somewhere?

"Dead. Today's the day I found out. I searched everywhere I promised, because I wouldn't show up for long. I finally got someone who knew what was going on."

Only today, this is why Dark returned late.

"... sick?

"Suicide."

"... suicide. Do you mind if I ask why you killed yourself?

Things got even more serious. However, Kamui, too, wanted to hear from you until the end when you got here.

"She was a half. It's called a half."

"You're a child between a man and an elf, or between a man and a demon."

"You know what?

"Sort of. Which one was it?

"Elf. She was a half elf"

"I'm kind of starting to hate talking about it. Could it be the mother of that child?

"A slum whore. You should call me a slave."

The boulevard near the entrance to the Glades is also a pleasure street. Whether it's a whorehouse, a casino, or a front or back, there's a line of them. Many Fae are put to work in whorehouses, especially luxury ones. Most of them are illegally enslaved.

"Shit, I knew it. She was beautiful, too, wasn't she?

"Half an elf."

The Elves have many excellent appearances. Suffice it to say that only the best are there. Though it is only an assessment of people's sense of beauty and ugliness.

"I mean, the cause of suicide..., no, let's not"

"As Kamui imagined. Fifteen years later, she was to be taken guests, too. With all that bitterness she chose to die."

"Oh well."

Surely nothing can be done with this. If he was killed, there will still be talk of hostility, but not suicide. If you have something to do, it's one thing to come up with Kamui, but whether Dark does it or not.

"You went to the Glades to see her, didn't you?

"Yes. That's the best part."

"There's more to it than that. The bishop said he was dating a good, bad student. Perhaps it's not about her, so there are others."

"That's all they knew."

"Well, it's that bishop. Out of the way, sometimes followed."

If it is for orphans, the bishop will do anything. This is what Kamui is getting at.

"The bishop's in the ghetto? Besides, what I'm going to is a pleasure zone, right?

Dark only has the same feelings for the bishop as Kamui did at the time he was in the orphanage.

"The bishop doesn't care about that. If it's for orphans, it feels like it's in the water in the fire."

"... unexpected. Kamui admits to the bishop, doesn't he?

"Sort of. I found out that the face you were showing us wasn't who you really were."

"... it is"

As far as Kamui goes, Dirk wondered if it was true.

"Who are the other people?"

"They're from the Glades. Most orphans are just like us."

"Friends?"

"Friends, I guess."

"Well, I was trying to do something that would make me need company."

Kamui felt Dark's determination not to be his friend, but to dare say he was one of them again.

"You're too sharp for me, aren't you?

"If I were to do something for her, I'd get my people together."

"So?"

"Get more buddies and cow the Glades. Maybe that way we can get her out of the whorehouse, right?

"What!?

A voice of surprise rises from Dark's mouth. Kamui's idea was going far above Dark.

"Wasn't this what you were trying to do?

"I didn't think about that. I gathered my people and she, and actually the other girls, but I was wondering if I could manage to get her out of the whorehouse."

"Can you do that?

"More realistic than cowing a favela."

"Really?

Dark's thoughts are extremely common sense, but Kamui's thoughts are different from those of others. I am genuinely inclined to Dark's dialogue.

"What's the question?

"What are you gonna do after you run away?

You can't stay in the Imperial City.

"It's not just the Imperial Capital. It's the same in every city. Running away from the ones you're enslaving now, another guy will catch you again. We need to secure a hiding place that says we'll be absolutely fine. And near the royal capital. There's no way you can take an elf on a long journey."

Dark can't deny Kamui's story. I can't even think of a solution to Kamui's question.

Dirk figured out that Kamui wasn't just telling him to dominate the ghetto with momentum.

"... so you think you're gonna hold up the ghetto?

"Yes. You won't have to run away, will you?

"No, that's true. We're just kids."

"So there's time"

Even Kamui knows it's not a story we can talk about overnight. On the contrary, Kamui thinks ten or twenty years away.

"The boss in the Glades is the kind of guy with hundreds of employees. There are many other forces out there, aren't there?

"If your opponent has a lot of power, the first thing you need to do is split it it. On top of that, we just have to make each other fight. Destroy each item when worn out. That's basic."

"Don't be so simple."

"But if we don't do it, it won't solve anything. Dark's girlfriend, I can't save her anymore. But the people we got together still have someone they need to save, don't they?

"Oh."

"That's not all. If we don't change the ghetto and go, there could be another guy out there who feels the same way about Dark. Does Dark leave it alone?

"I don't want you to feel the same way."

What Dark has now is such a heartache that he can never forget it. I feel like I'm about to rip my chest open.

"Well, do it"

Instead of completely forgetting what the bishop said, Kamui demands further action from Dark. Instead of stopping dating the monstrous ones, Kamui tells Dark to stand at the top of them.

"Even if they tell you to. What am I supposed to do?

"The first step is to increase the number of trusted associates. This is good, right?

"Oh."

"Find a companion who will never betray you. That's the core of the Darks."

"Right."

"But not immediately. Little forces have gathered, and they're wary of rejection, and they're just going to crush us early."

"So what am I supposed to do?

"The ideal is to add more companions to each force. Each among the forces to which he belongs. Build up your strength little by little"

"So?"

"And when you take action, you wrap it up all at once. Don't let them know what they're capable of until the end of the action."

"I see."

Dark is listening seriously to Kamui's words. The feeling had already leaned heavily towards Kamui's suggestion.

"Next up is gathering information. You need to know the enemy's information. Wash out the top of each force, number two, number three. From then on, it would be great if you could grasp their personalities, personalities, preferences, hobbies, who they're close to and who they're not. Just find out what you can find out."

"What if I could do that?

"Develop a strategy. Where the top is strong, how do you get rid of that top? If your people are not close, how do you applaud it? Sometimes they crush it from the bottom and make the top naked. And at a stage when the power of each force is weakened, think about how to bump the forces against each other. It's not in order, it's in parallel."

"Why?"

From Kamui's mouth, one thing after another is said to do. Besides, while slightly overwhelmed, Dark also raises the question.

"If you were crushing one at a time, you'd be absorbed more and more by the other, wouldn't you? The enemy just wraps up big. Distribute the forces of the hostile forces and weaken them at the same time to strengthen the power of the allies in relative terms. From there, it's a battle at once. You'd better put in an alto and think about the details. 'Cause he's good at thinking like this."

"Alto? Are you okay with what he thinks?

During his orphanage years, Alto was just sarcastic to the Kamuis. Dark's impression of Alto, who was stuck with Kamui, is naturally bad.

"I trust you. Alto is a genius for wickedness. In spitefulness, in loathing, I am not altogether."

"I don't think so..."

Unlike the bishop, Dirk did not listen to Kamui's unconscious modesty.

"What?"

"Because now, the story Kamui said. You can think of this all the time, can't you?

'Cause that's not what I just thought.

"What?"

To the unexpected answer, Dark lightly surprises.

"We're trying to do the same thing. Half the purpose of coming to the Academy is to find a trustworthy companion. And to identify those who might be enemies."

"Hey, are you trying to do the same thing to noble opponents?

The Imperial College is full of royal nobility. The opponent who may become the enemy naturally means the descendant of the aristocracy.

"Yes. The border is a weak force in the Empire and a subject to be exploited. In order to defend our own territory, we must have power. It takes a lot of thinking."

"Wow."

Compared to what Kamui had in mind, Dark seemed like a trivial thing, such as the suppression of the ghetto. It is an illusion.

"While I'm here, I'll cooperate as much as I can. I can't stand up and move because I can't let them know my face."

"Is it good?

"It's bad for Dark, but it's a good prep exercise. Let us see if our own measures will work."

"Hey!?

"I'm not trying to fail you. I'll do my best to get it right."

"That would be nice."

These two conversations become an unhappiness to the villains who were partitioning the Glades at this time of year.

"It's three years at most. When we graduate from the middle school, maybe we'll go back to our territory."

"Only three years..."

"I guess it's until we're ready downstairs. Peer gathering and information gathering. We're trying to do that in three years, too, so the starting point is the same. And then there's competition."

"I will conquer the Glades, and Kamui will conquer the Empire. Competition is faster."

"No. I'm not going to wrap up the Empire."

"What, really?

If you bring the empire together, you will become a new emperor.

"You just can't do that, can you? At best, we'll get enough power to improve the treatment of the border."

Kamui will be able to do it.

There is no reason for this. Just somehow, at this time, Dark felt this way.

"Who am I?

"Kamui Kreutz. We are the orphan's star of hope."

"... Ohhh"

"Shit, I figured this out as a joke. I'll try to change the ghetto. So Kamui won't tell you to wrap it up, but will you make the Empire a better country?

"... oh, okay. What a reply, but it feels like you've been carrying a very heavy object. Change the Empire? Can you do that?

"I can do it. If it's Kamui."

Dark - with such harsh means as cannot be imagined from its serene appearance, it will young to bring together the society behind the imperial ghetto and eventually extend its influence to the society behind the entire imperial territory.

Later, the first step of a man even called Emperor of the Dark Society.

And only a few people knew that Kamui Kreutz was involved.