I Reincarnated as a Mob Villain Prince Who Dies Before the Game Starts ~ In Order to Be Happy with My Favorite Heroine's Younger Sister, I Overcame My Weakest Magic [Dark Blade] with Excessive Effort, and It Became the Strongest Broken Power ~ - Chapter 8: The Mob Prince Gets Revenge on the Fourth Prince and is Defeated

Chapter 8: The Mob Prince Gets Revenge on the Fourth Prince and is Defeated

“…So, did Victor and Camilla survive?”

Emperor Alvais, who had entered the throne room, spoke while sitting down on his throne in an irritated manner.

With a cold, disdainful gaze, he looked down on Victor and Empress Camilla as if they were trash.

“Yes, Your Majesty! This lowborn daughter of a demon tried to kill my Victor-chan!”

Empress Camilla raised her shrill voice to plead with the emperor.

Victor and Empress Camilla, who had been slammed into the wall, were rescued by the court magician corps led by Count Saint Germain, and received thorough treatment.

Both of them recovered so well that they seemed almost unharmed, and the next day, they immediately asked the emperor for punishment against me and my sister.

At Camilla’s request, our mother, who would defend us, was not invited here.

What was about to begin was, in essence, a trial without a lawyer.

“Father, please execute this monster of a woman!”

“Not only that girl, but the responsibility of her brother and mother should also be questioned. We should wipe out the royalty of those Dark Elves who continue to resist in various places while we’re at it!”

Victor and Empress Camilla glared at me and my sister with hatred.

It’s unbelievable, especially since they had tried to kill me first, and yet they speak as if they have the right to do so.

At this point, it was impossible for the emperor to kill Diana, but there was a chance he would order a punishment like whipping. I had to prevent anything from happening to our mother as well.

“Diana is not at fault! Anyone who bullies Brother Luke will be dealt with by me!”

Diana said angrily, puffing out her cheeks.

“Hey, Diana.”

I hurriedly tugged on Diana’s sleeve. I appreciated her feelings, but if she said something inappropriate, it would anger the emperor.

“Leave this to me, and don’t say anything unnecessary.”

“Y-Yes… Brother.”

I whispered in her ear, and Diana nodded obediently.

“I was asked by Victor-oniisama to train in a practical form of magic, and I got a bit too carried away, Your Majesty.”

I explained the situation concisely.

“Just like Victor-oniisama, he is a member of the royal family of the Celestia Empire, which values martial arts. Therefore, I believe he was prepared to be injured. What do you think, Your Majesty?”

“Hmph, exactly.”

“Wh-What!?”

Camilla, clearly not expecting the emperor to agree with me, was stunned.

“I do not need weaklings as my sons. Feel ashamed of your own weakness, Victor!”

“Hi…!”

Victor stiffened at the emperor’s furious words.

“W-What do you mean, Your Majesty!? It was Victor-chan who challenged Luke! That girl barged in, and tried to kill not only Victor-chan but even me!”

“No, that’s not true. Victor-oniisama used the wide-area magic [Firestorm], which also caught Diana in its range. Empress Camilla knew that this magic could involve innocent people, yet she encouraged him to use it. Therefore, the fault lies with Empress Camilla, and Diana’s actions were in self-defense.”

I pressed on.

“In fact, the cause of this unfortunate accident was the broken [Magic-Cancelling Collar] Diana was wearing. Therefore, the one who should be blamed is Count Saint Germain, the head of the court magician corps, who was responsible for the collar’s production and maintenance.”

“…What!?”

Empress Camilla’s eyes widened in surprise at my rebuttal.

“Did… Did your mother tell you that!?”

Since they thought they could just cover up their mistakes and deal with us however they wanted, they were clearly unprepared for this.

But fortunately, the people who were there misunderstood and thought Diana’s collar was broken.

I had actually asked Diana to destroy it beyond recognition, so there was no way to confirm how it was really broken.

Thus, I shifted the focus of the debate to questioning Count Saint Germain’s responsibility.

Sowing discord between the emperor and his right-hand man, Saint Germain, would weaken the emperor’s power, which was beneficial to me.

After all, Saint Germain could be the one behind my mother’s assassination…

I felt bad for Saint Germain, but this was all to protect my mother and Diana.

“I cannot believe that the collar I made had a malfunction…”

Saint Germain, standing behind the emperor, wore a face as if he had bitten into something bitter.

“I deeply apologize, Your Majesty.”

“Hmm. Just to confirm, is there any possibility that Diana herself broke the [Magic-Cancelling Collar]? Or could someone else have destroyed it?”

“The possibility of the former is zero. The latter is highly unlikely as well. The collar is made of Damascus steel. It is extremely difficult to destroy with physical means. And if magic touches it, the [Dispel] enchantment, which nullifies magic, is triggered automatically, so I can confidently say it is impossible.”

That’s right. The [Magic-Cancelling Collar] was a troublesome magical tool created by Saint Germain.

However, poison can be countered with poison.

If I could nullify the [Dispel] enchantment that activates automatically, I believed I could destroy the collar using the [Dark Edge] sword, which I had sharpened to the utmost limit.

The result was a great success.

Now, if I could just overcome this crisis…

“If there is someone who could destroy the collar, they would be one of the top five warriors on the continent. Or perhaps they used a very powerful weapon…”

“I see. Then from now on, make sure the collar maintenance is done even more carefully.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

I, who had been watching the situation with bated breath, finally relaxed and let out a sigh of relief.

I managed to trick the Emperor and shift the blame onto Saint Germain.

However, it doesn’t seem realistic to make these two fight against each other.

In the main game, these two only appeared in flashback scenes, so I didn’t know, but it seems like the Emperor completely trusts Saint Germain.

Is there some special reason for that?

“By the way, it seems Diana completely blocked the [Fire Rain] spell with dark magic. Truly impressive.”

The Emperor smiled and looked at Diana.

“Huh? No, that’s not…”

Diana started to reply, but she suddenly remembered my instruction and quickly fell silent.

Instead, Saint Germain answered.

“Yes, upon examining the magical residue, it was confirmed that an S-rank dark magic spell was used. As expected of Princess Diana.”

“Ho, not only can she use [The Black Moon That Swallows the Sky] Ginnungagap, but she can also use other powerful magic at only six years old. Truly remarkable talent.”

“Indeed. If Princess Diana continues to grow like this, she will eventually surpass even me as a magic user.”

“To make you say that… This is becoming even more exciting.”

The Emperor and Saint Germain seemed very pleased as they thought about Diana’s future.

“…The truly amazing one is my brother, though.”

Diana muttered quietly in frustration.

I couldn’t help but flinch.

I’ve had my mother and Diana help me keep my true abilities hidden.

My mother didn’t want me to end up as the Emperor’s dog with the [Magic-Sealing Collar], but Diana seems emotionally unable to accept that I am being underestimated.

“Your Majesty! Are you seriously saying that the girl should not be punished?”

Empress Camilla snapped at the Emperor.

“A royal assassination attempt is the gravest of crimes!”

“Diana, you may not understand, but you need to apologize.”

I whispered softly so only Diana could hear.

“…Ugh, if you say so, brother…”

Diana reluctantly agreed.

“If Prince Victor and Empress Camilla don’t bully Brother Luke, then I won’t resort to violence, Father.”

Wait, what is that…?

That sounds less like an apology and more like a half-threat toward Empress Camilla and the others.

“Hahaha! Is Brother so important to you, Diana? Fine, I understand.”

The Emperor laughed heartily, as if amused.

“Now, isn’t it convenient that Brother cannot use magic properly and is useless, Saint Germain?”

“Yes, exactly, Your Majesty.”

Having knowledge of the game scenario, I realized the Emperor’s intention.

Is he planning to use me as a hostage and turn Diana into a tool for war?

Although the methods are different, it seems he is trying to use Diana up, just like in the game.

But it’s naive.

If they think they can use me, they are sorely mistaken, and I’ll make them regret it when I become stronger.

“Camilla, as you heard, the fault this time lies with Victor, who used dangerous magic that could involve innocent people. The broken collar is Saint Germain’s responsibility. Therefore, Diana’s actions will not be punished. And as per Diana’s request, do not endanger Luke’s life again in the future. Even failures have their uses.”

I did it. This is even better than I expected.

When I looked at Diana next to me, she smiled brightly.

“Now, Brother Luke won’t be bullied anymore. I’m so glad!”

Wait, I thought I was protecting Diana, but did she end up protecting me?

Diana is truly such a kind, good girl.

Now, let’s press our advantage a little further.

“Prince Victor, as long as you don’t use dangerous magic that involves others, I welcome training in real combat. Please invite me again sometime.”

“Y-you…!”

Though it appeared as an offer of reconciliation, Victor must have taken it as a slight, as his expression became sharp.

“Good. Victor, keep training.”

But with the Emperor’s command, Victor could not refuse.

So now, Victor will become the perfect training partner for me.

When it’s Diana or my mother, we both hold back, so real combat training isn’t possible.

Yeah. I suppose I’ll just have to make the best use of him.

However, Empress Camilla was not pleased and became furious.

“Your Majesty! Victor and I were badly injured! At the very least, should we not revoke the right of those two children to freely walk around the palace? If we let these demons continue to act so boldly, it will tarnish the honor of the glorious empire!”

“That’s right, Father! This woman should be locked in the dungeon tower forever!”

Victor immediately agreed.

Because my mother had always been obedient to the Emperor, and Diana had earned his favor, Diana was allowed to leave the dungeon tower with the condition of wearing the [Magic-Sealing Collar]. I, too, had been granted permission to walk around the palace as a result.

But Victor and Empress Camilla seem displeased by that. They tried to raise a fuss to take away even that right.

“Enough! I’ve made my decision. Now, get out of my sight!”

But that only provoked the Emperor’s anger.

“Eeek!”

Empress Camilla let out a brief scream and took a step back.

“…Damn it, I will never forget this humiliation! Remember this!”

Victor muttered a bitter remark as he exited.