Twisted Ties and the Persistent Prince

It was a voice that was strangely calm, even though he must have opened his mouth because his patience had shattered.

Perhaps he had achieved some sort of enlightenment.

“I will never consent to Your Highness participating in the Demon King subjugation expedition.”

I was watching the whole scene with my chin resting on my hand.

Since he was not being persistent with me, it was actually quite entertaining to watch, though I felt a bit sorry for Judas.

Raphael still wore a face full of leisure.

With the expedition departing the day after tomorrow, he ought to be restless, yet he maintained an expression as if he had some hidden scheme up his sleeve at all times.

“No, Sir Judas, you will end up consenting.”

He laughed like a mischievous boy.

That smiling face looked innocent enough, but Judas turned his head away as if he were sickened just by looking at it.

“That person is acting like they are in a lovers’ quarrel….”

I whispered to Simon, who was pretending to monitor me.

As soon as Simon heard me, he clenched his teeth to keep from laughing out loud.

“If you say something like that in front of Sir Judas, he will draw his sword.”

“Do you think I am crazy enough to say this to Judas?”

“Do not say it in front of me either. I almost stopped breathing.”

Simon spoke with trembling lips.

I asked him seriously.

“You thought the same thing, didn’t you?”

“I did not.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Fine then.”

Simon stared calmly ahead for a moment and then hit me.

“Because of you, that is the only way I can see it now.”

“I am not even thinking that anymore, though.”

And I got hit one more time.

No matter what anyone was doing or saying beside them, Judas steadfastly ignored Raphael, and Raphael steadfastly followed Judas.

Raphael was slowly moving beyond just following him and began trying to strike up a conversation.

“Sir Judas, do you remember when I was little?”

“…….”

“Sir Judas, you even gave me piggyback rides.”

“…….”

“Sir Judas, you are good at singing lullabies too.”

“…….”

The way he spoke in that subtle tone really made it seem like he was hitting on him….

When I looked at Simon with that thought, our eyes met perfectly; he clearly was thinking the same thing.

…….

I was starting to understand why Sir Judas was so taciturn.

When a person that talkative is by your side, you either become very talkative or very quiet, and Sir Judas did not have a chatty personality.

“Sir Judas. Are you really not going to grant my request? Even Sir Judas would hate to lose that child’s remains.”

“…….”

“Sir Judas. No matter how much I have done things you might hate, that is separate from that child.”

“…….”

“Sir Judas, I understand that you hate me. But that child and I are different people.”

“…….”

“Does it not matter to Sir Judas anymore, even when thinking of that child?”

Judas stood there barely holding on, with a face that looked like his patience had completely run out.

It felt like he might explode if poked just a little more.

I felt like something would happen if I just left them be, so I spoke up as if wedging myself between them.

“What is the relationship between you two? Ah, you said you were a Prince. What is the relationship between the two of you?”

“And who are you?”

Raphael asked indifferently.

His tone did not seem to care much about my casual speech, so I continued feeling a bit more relaxed.

“I am someone going along on the Demon King subjugation because of the Crown Prince of this country. I have been watching you two do this for hours now, so why are you suddenly curious?”

“Ah, I am not curious about you. I have no interest. What I am curious about is who you think you are to interrupt me.”

“Did I interrupt? My apologies. I am a bit slow on the uptake.”

I smiled shamelessly.

Raphael’s way of speaking was quite solemn, but it didn’t really hit home.

So what if he is a Prince? What can a guy with only 10,000 HP even do?

While I was acting nonchalant, Judas regained his usual composure and stood up.

“I will be heading home for the day.”

“Good work.”

“Huh?”

“Huh?!”

Does such a thing as “heading home” even exist in this Knight Order?

Raphael was just as surprised.

I turned to look at the other person with a face that said “You were surprised too, right?” but then realized it was Raphael and scowled heavily.

To think I shared the same thought as that guy.

Seeing my scowl, Raphael also frowned.

“Is there such a thing as heading home in this Knight Order?”

“Why are you asking me? It is the first time I have seen anyone go home, too.”

“Why is it your first time?”

“I thought everyone lived in the dorms…….”

Raphael looked down at me as if I were pathetic.

If he had time for that, it would be better to follow Judas.

Of course, I had no intention of helping Raphael even the slightest bit, so I did not voice that thought.

Instead, I asked Raphael.

“How much of an age gap is there between you and Sir Judas that he gave you piggyback rides and raised you?”

Raphael answered shamelessly.

“Five years.”

“Pardon?”

“There is a five-year difference.”

Unless they were immediate family, isn’t that a bit of an awkward age gap to “raise” someone?

I thought there might be about a twelve-year difference, but it was clear that Sir Judas was younger than expected, or Raphael was less aged.

“At what age did Sir Judas become a knight?”

“Eighteen? It was quite early.”

“Eh. If he was eighteen, then you were thirteen, weren’t you? That is not really young enough to be carried around…. And Sir Judas does not exactly have the personality to go around carrying anyone.”

I asked while trying not to use the word “piggyback” for this massive adult man.

Honestly, it was not a word suitable for a man with a frame larger than Azrael’s.

I had not realized it when looking down from the upper floor on the first day, but this man had a large build.

Azrael does not have a bad physique since he is a knight, but this person was so big that one felt a sense of intimidation just by him standing there.

Seeing such a person act spoiled toward an opponent much smaller than himself only gave me a strong sense of repulsion, feeling as though he was quite enjoying it himself.

“You do not know much. Sir Judas is so kind.”

“Hmm.”

Are all the kind people dead these days?

As I looked at him with eyes that said “Is that something coming from a person who was ignored for hours just now?”, Raphael laughed as if he found that reaction enjoyable and continued.

“It is enough that I am the only one who knows he is kind.”

“…Mistaken as you may be, that was by no means a kind scene….”

“Is it not kind enough just by the fact that he did not draw his sword immediately?”

“Just what on earth have you been doing to Sir Judas that not drawing a sword is considered a kind attitude?”

I was so dumbfounded that I asked him as if interrogating him.

Raphael simply answered with a face reflecting some sort of twisted satisfaction.

“I killed everything he held dear. Except for myself.”

Was this some kind of twisted love or something?

I instantly worried for the fate of this game, which had veered out of its genre, and for Sir Judas’s future.

“What for? Do you get money or something for tormenting Sir Judas?”

I was so horrified that I asked him without any emotion other than shock.

The answer was unexpected.

“When I weighed the national interest against those things, the national interest was heavier.”

“What?”

“It is just that everything he cherished was insignificant.”

I truly lost my words and gave up on talking to him.

It felt like his way of thinking was not something I could understand.

It felt as if an invisible wall had been built.

At any rate, Raphael worked really hard to persuade Sir Judas.

I and the surrounding knights, who had been watching and worrying if he would start threatening him if persuasion failed, began to think that he would not use threats.

Honestly, even if he did threaten him, it did not look like Sir Judas would give in.

He steadfastly ignored Raphael’s words, and Raphael was clearly getting exhausted.

“Sir Judas… are you going to be like this?”

“…….”

“I cannot understand. With Sir Judas’s personality, it should be about time you gave in. What is so special about this expedition? Is there something you must not let me find out?”

Raphael asked with narrowed eyes.

Honestly, at this point, he was just throwing words out, but I felt unnecessarily guilty and looked toward Raphael.

Judas, who actually heard those words, continued his duties while still ignoring Raphael.

“There really is something, isn’t there? Something I must not find out.”

Raphael laughed languidly as if he had caught onto something interesting.

His long black hair swayed and partially covered his face, momentarily giving him the impression of an intellectual character.

“Sir Judas, what are you hiding from me?”

He grabbed Sir Judas’s chin so that he could not turn his head away.

In that sticky atmosphere, I, John, and Simon exchanged anxious glances, cursing ourselves for not leaving sooner.

I asked Simon and John with my eyes.

[Were those two dating?]

[No.]

[I do not think so.]

[Then why is he like that?]

Simon crumpled his face menacingly and communicated with fast hand gestures. It was roughly this:

[If we knew, would we be here instead of having run away long ago?]

No wonder Saul and Levi were nowhere to be seen.

They must have noticed early on and disappeared.

I mean, they could have at least told us!

Those old men, they probably felt uneasy leaving Judas alone and wanted someone by his side, but they themselves found it too uncomfortable!

While everyone around was in a state of confusion, Judas himself answered composedly.