9. Avalon
It was located a short walk from the center of the castle. Inside the door, many civil servants could be seen working busily.
"Avalon... it's been a while..."
"Yes, if you wish to gather information about those in trouble, this is probably the best place."
This was Avalon, the nation's administrative institution. It gathered not only matters concerning the nobles but also the opinions of the common folk living in the royal capital.
Of course, he had already considered coming here. However, he would have preferred not to, if possible.
"Now, what should I do...?"
"Well... perhaps if you ask the person in charge, they might offer their assistance."
"The person in charge, huh..."
Arthur had some idea of who the person in charge at Avalon was. In fact, he found them rather difficult to deal with. He couldn't help but think, —Maybe I should just go back...
Yes, Arthur was far from a virtuous person. He wasn’t the type to sacrifice himself for the sake of the people. When it came to Kei, it was simply because he owed her a debt of gratitude, which made him act kindly. As for the idea of enduring unpleasant situations for the sake of strangers... that was a bit too complicated for him.
There must be other ways to earn points for good deeds, right?
"By the way, I heard that guy ended up in prison."
"Ah, the Sword Demon... was it Lancelot? He’d caused quite a stir, after all. It was bound to happen, wasn’t it? He might even be executed."
At that moment, the chatter of the officials reached his ears, and the memories of his time in the underground dungeon, along with the sensation of the guillotine, came rushing back. His body shuddered as he recalled it.
"Are you alright, Arthur-sama?"
Hearing Kei’s concerned voice, he was reminded of her smile when she had been happy that he had said he wanted to be of help to others.
—The guillotine... no! And how could I betray this smile!? The fear of the guillotine and the desire not to betray the expectations of his benefactor pushed him forward.
Thus, he asked Kei to wait outside and proceeded toward the room of the director.
"How dare you! Not only did you remove me as Arthur’s tutor, but now you’re threatening to punish me as well! What is the meaning of this!?"
As he opened the door to the director's office, he found a heated argument between the sharp-eyed, silver-haired beauty Morgan and a middle-aged man adorned with expensive jewelry—Goyoku.
"Because we already have solid proof that you were embezzling Arthur's money. You tried to hastily destroy the evidence, but it was too late. Had you been kinder to the servants, perhaps your future would have been different."
"N-No... could it be... those servants?"
With a cold smile, Morgan placed a stack of documents on the desk, deliberately flaunting them in front of Goyoku. His face turned pale as he looked at them.
—What is this... scary... I seem to have walked right into the middle of a battlefield.
Furthermore, in his previous life, there had never been a time when Goyoku was removed as a tutor. As Arthur was taken aback, his eyes met Morgan's... and she grinned, her lips curling into a smirk.
"Oh? It seems a guest has arrived at just the right time."
"Arthur-sama! Help me!! This woman is trying to frame me!!"
"Woah!?"
Upon noticing Arthur, Goyoku, now on the verge of tears, clung to him. Just moments ago, he had been shouting at Morgan, but now he was crying and pleading with Arthur, putting on an act that made him look like a pitiful victim—his acting skills were impressive as always.
"Morgan... Could you explain the situation in more detail?"
"Yes. This man has been embezzling your personal funds, and I was just showing him the evidence when you arrived. I have already submitted a report to the judicial authorities. If nothing changes, this man will be judged."
"Arthur-sama!! I’ve been framed by this woman! Surely, the man who took care of you since your childhood would never do such a thing! You must be able to help me!!"
Indeed, that was true. As a member of the royal family, Arthur could easily cover up this kind of evidence. The power of the nobility and royalty was immense... and Morgan had raised concerns about it in his previous life.
"I see... so one of you is lying, then..."
Both Morgan and Goyoku's gazes fixed on Arthur. Goyoku had used Arthur for his own benefit countless times. Though Arthur hadn’t paid attention to the rumors in his past life, they were widely spread.
It was likely that, beyond just this incident, Goyoku had been exploiting Arthur all along. While Morgan was undeniably irritating, she hadn’t lied. It was clear who he could trust.
Arthur gave Goyoku a sly smile, and Goyoku, thinking he had been saved, cried out in relief.
"Hmph, the little girl is getting too cocky! You’re the one who’ll be banished from the castle! Now, go on, Arthur-sama, have them deal with her!"
"Morgan..."
"Yes, what is it?"
Arthur gave her a cold command, his face expressionless as he met her gaze.
"Call your subordinates and have this man arrested. Then thoroughly investigate his mansion and all the people he’s been dealing with."
"Understood. Leave it to me."
"W-What?! Arthur-sama, why!! I..."
"You’ve been using me all this time, haven’t you?"
Before Goyoku could finish his sentence, Arthur coldly cut him off. Goyoku’s face twisted for a moment, and he immediately tried to flee.
This is bad, Kei’s outside. If she’s taken hostage, it will be a disaster! As Arthur rushed to stop Goyoku from escaping,
"Ice vines, seize the criminal."
With a cold tone, the spell was cast, and ice vines sprouted around the door, binding Goyoku as his body froze.
"A...ah..."
"How unsightly... a frozen statue," Morgan remarked as she looked at Goyoku, his expression twisted in agony as he was frozen solid.
That's terrifying...!!
Morgan's subordinates, seeming quite accustomed to the situation, swiftly carried the frozen Goyoku away, leaving the two of them alone. She then spoke to Arthur in a casual tone, quite different from her earlier demeanor.
"So... what brings you here? This is the first time you've come to see me, isn't it, Arthur?"
Well, it was only natural, since in his previous life, Arthur had avoided getting involved with her as much as possible.
He knew that if he asked her for help, she would just give him some sarcastic remarks. It wasn’t that he was running away. Arthur wasn’t afraid of Morgan, and as the second version of himself, he wouldn’t lose in a battle of words. No... he had simply avoided her out of guilt, not wanting to win by putting her down with his words.
As he made excuses in his mind, showing his smallness, Arthur looked at her and conveyed his purpose.
"I just want to be of help to someone... so I thought I’d ask for your assistance."
"Is that so? You’re finally willing to listen to what I have to say, huh?"
She let out a slight cold laugh. And seeing that, Arthur thought,
—Ah, I remember this attitude of hers well.
Now no longer his fiancée but just his childhood friend, Morgan was the daughter of a great noble family. Upon her father's death, she became the head of Avalon. However, her harsh way of speaking and her inability to be flexible caused her to be increasingly disliked by the other nobles, eventually relegating her to a low-ranking position.
But... her words had always been right.
Arthur, who never listened to advice, was constantly scolded by Morgan, both as a childhood friend and later as his fiancée. At one point, she had chastised him, saying, "You... you're royalty, and you don’t even know how much the things you're wearing cost? Just by saving a little, how many of your subjects could be saved from poverty?" She had also scolded him when he said, "If there’s no bread, let them eat cake," by replying, "You... both bread and cake are made from wheat. Do you have cream stuck in your head?"
—No, wait, this woman’s way of speaking is way too harsh!!
Arthur found himself more irritated than grateful. He was dying to win an argument against her.
And there was one thing she was misunderstanding. It wasn’t that he was going to listen to her—she was the one who was supposed to listen to him!
"Maybe it's just a whim, but I think your mindset is a good one," Morgan said, her voice carrying a hint of a challenge. "But knowing you, you probably think the best way to help is to heal every injured or sick person, right?"
Arthur smiled smugly in response to her probing words.
"What are you talking about, Morgan? If I use my power recklessly, I’ll be looked down upon, and people will start depending on me. In the end, those who want to use me will use me for their own benefit. Above all, my power has a limited number of uses. I can’t afford to waste it. I’ll only use it for those who truly matter."
"Y-You’ve thought this far ahead…?"
As Arthur boasted with a proud grin, Morgan stared at him in disbelief, her eyes wide.
Then, with the same words Morgan had once said to him, Arthur continued as if he had come up with them on his own.
"Rather than healing people, it would be better to use my power as the Second Prince, don’t you think?"
Morgan was even more stunned, and Arthur struck a victorious pose, looking quite smug.
It was truly irritating.
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