Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 17 - Chapter 11

Chapter 11:

The Madness of Luke

SHORTLY BEFORE Rudeus’ return to the hall…

Things had finally calmed down somewhat.

Most of those remaining in the party hall were the high nobles of Asura considered particularly powerful and influential. They were members of venerable houses that had served the kingdom for many generations—Greyrat, Bluewolf, Purplehorse, Whitespider, Silvertoad, and the like. Their need to see the conclusion to today’s events had kept them here, even as the others had fled following Orsted’s sudden disappearance.

Of course, the party hadn’t resumed. But no one had forgotten what had taken place before its violent end. Darius had been humbled, and Perugius had walked into this hall. These two events had left a strong impression on the nobles that Ariel would be queen.

Many of them had been perturbed and confused by Orsted’s sudden appearance, naturally. But given that Ariel had remained calm, they felt obliged to do the same.

Underneath their composed exteriors, however, the nobles were terrified. When that horrifying man burst into this room, he had effectively saved Ariel’s life. He’d murdered Reida and left as suddenly as he came, without even bothering to state his name. To the nobles, the simplest explanation was that this man was one of Perugius’ servants. Their hair and eyes were very similar, their faces bore a certain resemblance, and Perugius’ powerful aura of authority all pointed them to this conclusion.

Perugius had a man at his command who could kill a Water God in a single blow.

And who had Perugius thrown his support behind? They’d learned that only minutes earlier.

Anyone who opposed Ariel might find themselves the next target of that monster. This thought, as much as anything else, led them to submit themselves to her. They didn’t ask any unnecessary questions about the man’s identity. They’d accepted their new master’s reality as their own.

Ariel had returned to Asura as a ruthless killer. Darius might have escaped this room, but he was surely dead by now. The princess had every intention of murdering anyone who stood in her way.

Nearly everyone in the room, including even First Prince Grabel, now believed this. It was a testament to the power of Orsted’s curse.

But there was one exception.

There was one man in the room who knew Ariel better than anyone in the world. One man who’d heard about Orsted from the Man-God. One man who still viewed Rudeus with suspicion, although Ariel’s arguments had silenced him.

His name was Luke Notos Greyrat.

And in this moment, Luke was asking himself a question: should he truly just obey the will of that horrific, evil man, and his servant Rudeus?

Luke’s heart sang with uncertainty and alarm. He couldn’t shake the feeling that it was wrong to join forces with Orsted, regardless of the outcome. Even Darius seemed less cruel, less loathsome.

The Man-God had visited Luke in his dreams, glowing with holy radiance. With kind, gentle, and thoughtful words, he had offered Luke guidance for the road ahead—explaining how to help Ariel take the throne, and warning that Rudeus had been seduced by the words of a vicious enemy.

But Ariel insisted that this god was evil. She insisted that he was deceiving Luke, and trying to destroy them all. 

And sure, many of the Man-God’s claims had ultimately turned out to be lies. No…not quite lies, exactly. His words had been vague and ambiguous in a way that led Luke to draw the wrong conclusions. Perhaps he shared the blame for jumping to conclusions.

In any case, Luke was Princess Ariel’s loyal knight. He was inclined to take her word over that of an unfamiliar so-called god with unclear motives. Even if he couldn’t manage to believe the same things she did, he was prepared to respect her judgment, and follow her to the bitter end.

But now, at this last stage of the game, his feelings on the matter had shifted sharply. Seeing Orsted with his own two eyes had changed everything.

Luke considered himself a skilled evaluator of women. Conversely, he wasn’t much good at sizing up the qualities of a man. This was a weakness he was conscious of. 

Even so, he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that Orsted was evil.

There wasn’t the slightest chance that man would work with anyone to accomplish something meaningful. He was a villain to the core, a dark god who led men to their ruin. Ariel was simply wrong about him. Most likely, Rudeus had been enthralled by him as well.

But even if that was the case… what was Luke to do? What action should he take, now that he was sure the princess was following a path he viewed as wrong?

He could express his opinion, yes. But what would that accomplish? Orsted had already taken action. He had already played his part. Darius and Grabel were all but dead, and Ariel had essentially secured the throne. At this point, perhaps it was simply too late. 

Luke was no master with magic or the sword. What could he accomplish now, all on his own? The answer was nothing. He felt it in his bones.

I’m truly powerless…

But just as he as beginning to give up entirely, there was movement in the corner of his eye. One of the nobles was approaching Ariel at a trot.

Dropping to his knees before the princess, he bowed so low that his forehead touched the ground.

“Princess Ariel!”

It was Pilemon Notos Greyrat, Luke’s own father.

With a simpering smile plastered on his face, he addressed her in a voice loud enough that everyone in the hall could hear.

“Congratulations, Your Highness. To think this day has finally come, after all my years of waiting!”

His voice rang with happiness, and he raised his head to look up at the princess.

“I had feigned loyalty to Grabel’s cause so that I could undermine them when the time was right, but it seems such scheming on my part was never even necessary. You’ve grown into a most formidable figure in your years abroad, it would seem!”

A number of nobles grimaced in distaste at the man’s blatant opportunism. They knew that Pilemon had personally sent assassins after Ariel following her return. They watched him with cold scorn in their eyes, marveling at how smoothly the lies slid from his lips.

“Lord Pilemon…”

“It’s quite all right, Your Highness, I know what you’re thinking. With few allies, I was obliged to behave in manner that some might harshly criticize. But I assure you, everything I did was for your sake! Now that the danger is past, everything can be exactly as it was before. I’ll provide you with my staunch—”

Ariel didn’t allow him to continue any further. 

“Pilemon Notos Greyrat!” she shouted, her voice loud enough to overwhelm his own. “You had your family to consider! You had your safety to consider! Your betrayal was understandable, perhaps, given the weakness of my position!”

Pilemon stared up at Ariel with his eyes wide. This was the first time she had ever shouted at him this way.

“But once you have betrayed your ally, have the dignity to stay their foe until the end! In your hour of defeat, you slink back to your former master? Have you no shame?!”

“Ah… uh…” 

His eyes rolling frantically, Pilemon took a moment to squeak out a reply.

“My… my deepest… apologies…”

Some among the nobles couldn’t quite stifle their laughter at this pathetic display. A crimson blush spread across his face as Pilemon hung his head in disgrace.

But Ariel wasn’t finished venting her anger just yet. 

“A part of me viewed your changing sides as justifiable, since you sought to ensure the survival of your house. As long as you yielded your role to Luke and retired quietly to your lands, I had no intention of punishing you further! But now you fawn at the feet of the woman you betrayed?! You are contemptible beyond words, sir! It’s clear that your continued existence will be nothing but a burden on this kingdom!”

At those words, Pilemon’s face went white.

“Let death be your apology!”

It was at this moment that Luke realized something: Ah. It’s all another farce, isn’t it? Ariel had probably expected this to happen all along. Perhaps there was a chance her words were true, and she hadn’t intended to execute Pilemon. Her promise with Ghislaine was hardly binding. She could have talked the woman into sparing his life, and perhaps she’d meant to do so.

For many years, Pilemon had been Ariel’s greatest ally. Right now, he was cringing at her feet and begging for her mercy, but until their flight to Ranoa, this man had been the singular leading figure of her faction. His maneuvering had been less than skilled at times, but he had still helped Ariel in countless ways. It was Pilemon who’d arranged for her escape to the Northern Territories. And it was Pilemon who’d sent her north with numerous attendants, who helped her survive that perilous journey.

In a sense, she owed this man her life. Ariel hadn’t forgotten that. But if she were to simply forgive him after his open betrayal, the world would see it as a sign of weakness. And that would compromise her ability to govern Asura.

She might have tolerated allowing him to sneak away in disgrace, but now that things had come this far, her only option was to take his head.

“Luke! Lend me your sword! I’ll give him the honor of doing this myself!”

Pilemon turned toward his son with a look of sheer terror on his face. His eyes were pleading silently for Luke to say something on his behalf.

And as he met his father’s gaze, Luke hesitated.