Dark Fantasy: Super Coward Mode

---

The Princess’s Empire Collapse Project has finally come to an end.

Holding Demeter tightly, Ephemiya cried for quite a while, still wearing a displeased expression, but she didn’t adopt an aggressive stance like before as she followed me out.

When Ephemiya stepped outside the statue, the knights all aimed their weapons at her.

Of course, upon seeing Salvia, Oko, and me emerge together, they lowered their weapons.

The snow that had been falling everywhere finally stopped.

The clouds that had been covering the sky parted, and warmth began to spread around us.

Everyone nearby looked around with blank expressions, as if they had seen something they shouldn’t have.

And the moment they realized that this strange phenomenon was finally a signal announcing their victory…

They all erupted into cheers.

Amidst the knights, I could see Zumiya, Fiore, Bell, and Paura.

They were all waving at me.

With their bright or cheerful smiles conveying that they had endured hardship, I responded with a smile of my own.

“Wow, now that I think about it, where did those outsiders go?”

“Right? All that’s left in their spot are these strange beauties…”

As the strange phenomenon disappeared, it seemed like the divine beings returned to their original forms, and several knights were looking around searching for them.

Without me having to explain, one knight, who was startled, pointed at the divine beings and said, “Th-these beauties were those outsiders earlier!”

“No way… did this snowfall distort the outsiders’ original appearance?”

“Come to think of it, no mental contamination is happening at all.”

Hahaha.

What should I say…

It’s kind of strange seeing people who once regarded the divine beings with fear now act like it doesn’t even matter.

Ideally, they should be grabbing their heads and writhing in agony right about now.

“Leydan!”

A voice calling me from a distance reached my ears.

Asti came running over and hugged me.

At the same moment, I felt the piercing gaze of the four divine beings directed at me.

“A-Asti.”

“Are you okay…? Did you get hurt anywhere?”

“Y-yeah. I’m fine, so can you let go now?”

“If that’s what Leydan wishes.”

Once Asti gently released me, she resumed a polite posture.

The stares from the divine beings still felt sharp, but it was bearable compared to before.

The Hunter, who had been watching us since he returned yesterday, wore his usual dumbfounded expression and shook his head in disbelief.

Through him, I could fully grasp it.

Peace has really come.

As the cheers of the knights continued to echo, I too fell into a blissful mood.

The capital was moved back to Lintpia.

After all the back and forth, Lintpia was geographically the most advantageous location for the empire.

People started to return once more.

The mental harm suffered by those frozen by Ephemiya was immense, but thanks to Nutricha’s efforts, there was no one complaining of post-traumatic stress disorder.

The knight commander, who had been positioned as the highest leader of Lintpia, returned to the role of knight commander.

With the royal family back, there was no longer any reason for him to hold that position.

“Welcome back, Your Majesty the Empress, and the other princesses.”

Salvia was quite taken aback by the knight commander’s actions, but Demeter just nodded with a serene smile.

“You’ve all worked hard. Truly.”

“I… I am sincerely honored to be in the presence of Your Majesty the Empress now that your rightful dignity has been restored.”

Thus, led by Demeter, the royal family system was reestablished.

Though Ephemiya would be sentenced for treason, she was supposed to be imprisoned.

As I escorted the handcuffed Ephemiya, who wore a somewhat relieved expression, together with Salvia, there was an oddly pleasant mood despite the fact that we were transporting a convict, but that’s because it felt like a mere formality, so the knights didn’t pay much attention.

Before she entered the detention center, Ephemiya turned around and smiled a little sadly at us.

“Sister, I’m going now.”

“Okay. Take care of yourself.”

“Come on, what do you mean by that? The knights I command will take care of me directly anyway.”

At my words, Salvia could only chuckle.

Ephemiya hesitated a bit, so I shifted my gaze back to her.

“Was it Leydan?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Thank you. If it hadn’t been for you… I would still be misunderstanding and freezing this empire.”

“Not at all, Your Highness. I just did what I had to do.”

“Was acting like that to my body what you had to do as well?”

“Ahem! Please consider that a necessary act of rebellion.”

“Hehe, I’m just kidding.”

With that, Ephemiya closed her eyes and smiled as if she had finished her speech.

Now it was time for a brief farewell.

I was turning to leave when I heard Ephemiya’s voice call out, “Leydan!”

The moment I turned my body in response…

“Ah, ahhh!”

I heard Salvia’s voice filled with resentment.

Why? Because Ephemiya had suddenly lunged at me and kissed me.

And this woman, claiming she had been alone all her life, suddenly had unusual skills…!

“W-what is happening?!”

As I stepped back in confusion, Ephemiya gave me a cold yet mischievous look and said, “…You owed me for hugging me. If you’ve made someone’s heart race once, you know you have to take responsibility, right?”

“Y-Your Highness.”

“Then I’ll be going.”

With those parting words, I could only drop my jaw as I watched Ephemiya turn around like she had no lingering thoughts at all.

“Ephemiya!!!!”

…Is it just my imagination, or am I reminded of Apta and Oko?

Ah, the most important thing.

What was done about Gaia?

“…Well, before that, I was going to just let it slide.”

“Y-yeah.”

“But I think a little bit of suffering is needed, even if it’s just for form’s sake.”

At Oko’s words, Gaia trembled as she retreated to a corner of the room.

Surrounded by Apta, Demeter, and Oko, there was nowhere for Gaia to escape, and she looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.

“W-wait a second! In the end, everything turned out well, right? I laid the groundwork for you to be able to shine, right? So how about we lighten the punishment a bit…?”

“Hehe. Speaking of which, Sir Tanton? What do you think?”

Demeter asked me with a chilling smile.

“I… don’t really have a say in this…”

“Right? Even you think this brat should be taught a lesson, don’t you?”

…I didn’t say anything, but Demeter was doing all the beating of the drums herself.

Of course, unlike the joyful empress, Gaia’s complexion grew increasingly pale.

“P-please! I’m begging you! I’m really repentant…!”

“Hmm. Apta, what kind of punishment do you think is fitting?”

Apta frowned and twisted her lips thoughtfully.

“Umm… I’m not sure.”

“You must have thought of something while training Leydan for rehabilitation, right?”

“…My chest was tight, and I felt uneasy.”

As soon as Apta finished saying that, Demeter smiled as if she had thought of something ingenious.

It seemed Oko understood what Demeter was planning too.

“Are we going to do that?”

“…Yeah, that’s the only option.”

“Isn’t that too much, though?”

“If we take it easy, exceptions will keep appearing in the laws of the universe.”

As Demeter approached Gaia, Gaia frantically tried to distance herself but found herself pressed against the wall, with no place to escape.

Oko was watching her closely.

“No, please… ugh…!”

Before Gaia could do anything properly, Demeter’s hand passed through Gaia’s chest.

And she pulled out something yellow, shimmering in color.

If Demeter’s power was life-related, then that might be Gaia’s life energy.

“Hey, Apta? How long had Leydan been waiting?”

“…About ten years?”

“Hmm, since we can’t pinpoint the exact year, let’s estimate it to be about 19 years…”

As Gaia seemed about to protest, “That’s just forced!” her pupils dilated the moment Demeter’s finger touched that yellow light, and she lost her composure.

“W-what are you doing…?”

“Just a little something. Oko, Apta, and I will make you suffer the combined pain for 19 years.”

“W-what?! Noooo!”

Gaia curled up in anguish.

She looked like she could barely breathe at all.

“Oh dear, it’s only been a few seconds, and you’re already in distress?”

“Stop, please stop…! I’m going to die, I’m going to die…”

Seeing Gaia, who could no longer even raise her voice, Oko sighed and drew something with her finger.

A black hole formed around Gaia.

It was a slightly different shape from the one that had drawn in the interrogator.

“No, please! Let me go! Please…”

“Just stay trapped in one place for 19 years, Gaia. This is a punishment handed down by Demeter. It’s not that long, right? Compared to the years we’ve lived.”

“No… eeeek!”

Gaia screamed, but ultimately, she was sucked into the hole Oko created and vanished.

…Cough, cough.

That gave me the chills.

Goosebumps broke out on my arms.

Anyway, did this action provide comfort?

Demeter was wearing a much lighter expression.

“…Sir Tanton. I’ll be going to do my duty now.”

“Your Majesty.”

“No, I’m not the empress anymore.”

Demeter said that as she gazed at the palace.

“Now my daughter will be the empress.”

“…Are you going to save her?”

“I may not return for quite a while.”

“Until then, I will gather the souls of those who incited a rebellion against the imperial family enough for you to return, Your Majesty.”

“…But you can’t gather the souls of innocent divine beings, okay? That would be illegal.”

“Understood.”

Having said all that, Demeter took a deep breath and held hands with Oko and Apta.

Oko and Apta offered slightly sad smiles.

“I’m filled with hope seeing that you’ve succeeded.”

“We’ll definitely succeed, Demeter.”

“Thank you, Oko. I hope Sir Tanton has happy days ahead.”

“…Hehe, yes.”

With those parting words, Demeter walked her path.

And while I returned thanks to Oko’s help…

In this world, all remnants of Demeter would vanish.

…If this had ended here, it would have made for a neat conclusion to the story.

“…Hahaha. Why is everyone gathered here?”

The Hunter.

Apta.

Bell.

Fiore.

Paura.

Zumiya.

Nutricha.

Asti.

Salvia.

Oko.

And even Muyun.

All sitting in the branch’s multipurpose room, they had blocked me from leaving as soon as I walked in.

The first to speak was Fiore.

“Now that peace has returned… it’s time to make a decision, right?”

“That’s right. We need to resolve this properly.”

Zumiya said, her eyes sparkling.

“Who will remain by the lord’s side?”

At her words, everyone inside had their eyes gleaming with excitement.

A chill ran down my spine, warning me to run away right now.

“Hahaha, is there really a need to rush a decision…?”

“If we don’t, Leydan will just slip away again.”

With Asta’s remark, everyone nodded in unison.

Darn it.

Did they see through me?

“How about we settle who can capture Leydan first?”

That came from Nutricha.

But all eyes turned to the Hunter at that.

Receiving the gazes, the Hunter sighed.

“Well, I might have some confidence in that area.”

What? Why were you so sure?!

Stop making that creepy face like you’re about to take someone down!!

“Yes! I have a suggestion!”

At that moment, Paura raised her hand high and stood up.

Then all attention focused on Paura.

She looked at me as if asking if she could speak, and I nodded in confusion.

With a bright smile, Paura said, “Since the Emperor has multiple wives, how about we marry the princess to Leydan first and legally possess him?”

The atmosphere in the room dimmed.

That was the only method Paura had mentioned.

Of course, since Paura didn’t mind as long as she could be with him, it was something she could say.

But while I thought everyone seemed to be contemplating, that was a huge misunderstanding.

Particularly, the atmosphere surrounding Oko was boiling dangerously.

“Don’t be ridiculous!!!”

“?!”

Everyone was taken aback and turned to look at Oko in unison.

Oko flailed her arms in anger.

“How can you all make decisions without considering that I was the first to share my heart with Leydan? Why are you deciding everything arbitrarily!!!”

“But, it was our lord who courted him first…”

“Exactly! That’s right!”

Bell shouted affirmatively while shaking her arms.

Did they really know what that meant?!

I shot a dubious look at Apta, but she seemed flustered and turned red, causing me to shiver slightly and look away.

Fiore also stood up in a huff.

“Marrying him off to a princess means Leydan basically becomes the princess’s property! No way! I can’t bear to see that!”

And thus, the multipurpose room began to get lively again.

In the midst of everyone uniting in a shared cause and fighting, I was helplessly looking around, wondering what to do.

“Tanton.”

That elongated voice.

It was the voice of the one who had helped me find the right path since I was in the underground prison.

“L-Lia!”

I quietly welcomed her, and from my pocket, Lia peeked out.

“Are you in trouble?”

“Yeah, I’m in a ton of trouble. I want to run away right now.”

“Then here.”

Lia went back into my pocket and pulled something out.

It was a key that had a somewhat transparent sheen.

“Is this how I open it?”

“Uh-huh.”

Lia nodded with a bright smile.

I gently stroked her head with my finger.

Seeing Lia sniff happily at my touch, I carefully moved to insert the key into the door handle.

I heard the sound of the key fitting in, and in my joyous anticipation, I quickly turned it.

Clunk.

It made quite a loud noise, and the previously heated debate suddenly shifted everyone’s attention to me.

“Geh…”

“…”

“I have something important to attend to, so I’m off!”

I shouted what I needed to say in a flash, opened the door, and rushed out.

“Ahh, he’s running away!”

“I have to catch him! The princess’s dragon is still with him!”

“If he gets caught, I’m not going to let him off, Leydan!!!”

“Ahhh!”

Thus, I had to flee while being chased by a pack of women.

Finally, I was able to find the empire’s peace.

The wish of a man who hoped for everyone’s happiness has finally been fulfilled.

This time, I wouldn’t lose it again.

Now, everyone would achieve harmony and progress.

For the future of the empire.

A glorious day passes by just like that.

– The End –

 

---