#106: Chapter 106 — The Gloomy Maid in the Teen Romance Simulation Game is Actually A Guy

Back at the Imperial Palace.

As soon as I arrived, Allen gave me a bright welcome and delivered some news that was not bright at all.

“So, regarding Sir Hereis… I am told he suddenly vanished…”

My head throbbed, and I felt a strong urge to clutch the back of my neck and pass out.

So what that statement meant was that the gentle, model-student protagonist had actually committed to running away from home?

No, considering he had started going off the rails recently, it was probably correct to drop the “gentle, model-student” modifier by now, but anyway.

The fact remained that he had done something entirely out of character.

“He disappeared without saying a word, but surely he just went out for a brief stroll, right…?”

I certainly wished that were the case, but it would be highly problematic if he had no intention of ever coming back.

First, I should use a Character Location Tracker to check on him…

Ding!

A live stream screen draped over the shop window, revealing the protagonist leaning against a wall with his head buried in his hands.

Judging by the background, it looked like the inside of a house, but where on earth was it?

-He’s finally lost his mind completely.

-His eyes have totally rolled back right now.

-There’s no light in his pupils LMAO

“S-Sir Hereis? Why are you here…?”

“Where is my uncle?”

“Pardon? Who are you talking abou—Aaaaark! What do you think you are doing! Sir Hereis!”

Crash!

Holy crap, the protagonist had finally lost his marbles and was recklessly smashing someone else’s household belongings to pieces!

What appeared to be the homeowner’s entire family rushed out to restrain the protagonist, but it was to no avail.

“Kyaak! Who are you?!”

“Sir Hereis! Stop this! I-If you keep this up, I will report you to the security forces!”

No matter what they babbled, the protagonist, having completely devastated the house and confirmed there was nothing there, stepped outside.

I turned to Allen and instructed him to tell the Emperor to immediately erase any reports made to the security forces regarding the protagonist. Allen wore a face that seemed to ask what on earth I was talking about, but he left the room without a word of complaint.
In the meantime, before I knew it, the protagonist was standing all alone in a deserted alleyway.

Scratch, scratch.

Riiip—!

“He’s not here…… Not here either. This was the last place……!”

[ Hereis scratched out a black line with a frantic, irritable touch. The piece of paper, which must have had names and addresses written on it, was now hacked to pieces so badly that it was difficult to even recognize. As if unsatisfied with just tearing the paper to shreds, Hereis clenched his fist tightly, and the fountain pen inside his hand—which was trimmed with gold and presumably quite expensive—was ruthlessly crushed to pieces just like that. ]

“To think my uncle isn’t even here. Just where on earth is he hiding like a rat?”

[ Hereis muttered, anxiously stamping his feet. ]

“I need to find him quickly so that Father and Oscar can finally close their eyes in peace.”

[ As if he hadn't slept for a very long time, dark circles cast heavily beneath his eyes, and his eyes were bloodshot. ]

“My uncle must pay for his crimes.”

[ Only then will I be able to face them, even if I become the Duke. ]

[ Or so Hereis thought. ]

‘His mental health is completely shattered.’

My own mental health was also splendidly shattering to pieces.

Just as I had halfway expected, it seemed the protagonist had indeed set out to find Jeffrey.

And the reason was most likely revenge.

This, too, was not something the protagonist would normally do.

[ Let's first visit every single noble family that my uncle might rely on…]

It was a useless effort.

The places Jeffrey could possibly go had long since been thoroughly turned upside down by the Emperor.

The Emperor was currently just as desperate to track down Jeffrey.

Would a man like that have missed the basics?

Failing to realize even the most basic things that one could figure out with just a little bit of thought, the protagonist was aimlessly wandering hither and thither through the streets.

Quite a lot of citizens were walking around the night streets, giving me a dizzying thought that rumors might start spreading that the Saintess’s companion had gone mad…

If he kept losing his mind like this, it would turn into a massive public controversy that he was neglecting his duties even after becoming the Duke.

‘Should I go drag him back, or not?’

Forcibly dragging him back might backfire.

And either way, this wandering was bound to inevitably come to an end the moment Fredrick caught Jeffrey.

Whether he liked it or not, he would have to return to meet Jeffrey.

I never imagined that at my age, I would come to understand the heart of a parent desperately wishing for their runaway teenager to return home.

Swallowing a sigh along with a deep breath, a few days passed just like that.

And then…

“Allen.”

“Yeees?”

“Tell the Emperor that I wish to see him.”

“Is this… because of Sir Hereis…?”

Sensing that I had come to hound him, the Emperor asked in a crawling voice, rolling his eyes.

“Yes, that is correct. Just when do you plan to track down Duke Jeffrey?”

“Well… truth be told… a Grade 9 magic beast suddenly appeared within the imperial territory, so Sir Fredrick has been dispatched to that area for the time being.”

“I was never informed of such a matter.”

“We decided to handle the incident quietly… so…”

Meaning they were covering up the accident for the sake of the Empire’s honor.

I squeezed my eyes shut.

“We are deploying the Imperial Guard… to search for him, but… my apologies…”

“I have even been providing you with his coordinates, so isn’t failing to find him by now pure incompetence? Does Your Majesty truly, sincerely wish to capture Duke Jeffrey?”

It had been a while since I started handing over his constantly changing locations on a silver platter.

Even so, I couldn’t understand why they couldn’t bring him in.

“Because his location keeps shifting… unless Duke Jeffrey remains in one place for a continuous period… it seems capturing him will be difficult…”

“Sigh. At this rate, Sir Hereis’s succession ceremony won’t be held until next year? No, maybe it won’t ever be held for the rest of his life!”

“Ah…”

“I never expected that I would have to step in personally, but you are truly something else.”

“P-Personally?”

If you can’t catch him, I guess I’ll have to go myself; what else am I supposed to do?

If the place he stays keeps changing, I need to go there myself so that real-time tracking is possible.

If time keeps getting wasted like this, it will be a complete disaster.

If the next chapter starts in the middle of all this, are you going to take responsibility?

“A-Ah, you do not strictly need to do that. As for the succession ceremony… I shall hold it as quickly as possible.”

“When, exactly?”

“I shall make sure it is prepared by as early as next week.”

“Can you actually get it done by then?”

The deathly pale Emperor nodded his head aggressively.

“O-Of course.”

Seeing him assert himself to that degree, I figured that whatever it was, the Emperor must have a plan.

As I thought, humans really only produce results when you push them a little.

With that, choosing to trust the Emperor for the time being, I was forcing myself to read a book just to calm my mind and body.

That was when the live stream turned on.

[ “To think even the current Duke of Rubel has died, this is quite a shock!” ]

[ “It seems unfortunate events simply never cease to plague the ducal house.” ]

[ “Tell me about it. At this rate, isn't the Rubel family practically cursed?” ]

[ “Even so, that Hereis Rubel is the next Duke in line. If it is Sir Hereis, who enjoys the holy protection of the Saintess, this incomprehensible chain of deaths will surely come to an end!” ]

[ “That truly is remarkable. So Sir Hereis is ultimately finding his proper place after going all the way around!” ]

‘What the fuck is this about?’

[ My uncle passed away? ]

Without even giving me a moment to grasp the situation, the protagonist appeared on the screen, knitting his brows as he hid himself inside a dark alleyway.

[ Then what on earth am I supposed to do now…? ]

What do you mean, “what are you supposed to do”? Just get the hell back here.

‘No, wait a minute.’

Did the Emperor already handle the matter? No, barely half a day has passed, so how could that even be possible? He killed him already?

Sensing a powerful gut instinct that this wasn’t the case, I used a Character Location Tracker to pin Jeffrey.

For the record, the Character Location Tracker can only be used on living people. It’s not like it can track a corpse or anything.

[ The character ‘Jeffrey Rubel’ is currently within approximately 30km of your current position… ]

[ The location is within the imperial territory… ]

…He’s alive? It’s not like the system could be experiencing an error.

Which meant the Emperor had actually committed the insane act of processing Jeffrey Rubel as dead even though he was still very much alive and well!

‘I suppose this is the best option to strip Jeffrey of his ducal title while keeping the fact that he committed treason tightly under wraps.’

However, if it ever came to light that Jeffrey Rubel was alive, it would trigger a complete catastrophe.

Granted, given that he would be killed the moment he was caught, Jeffrey himself wouldn’t exactly try to return either, so I suppose I didn’t need to worry about that…

Still, even if it was a thoroughly plausible strategy, it was far too extreme.

I briefly reflected on whether I had pushed the Emperor a bit too hard.

‘Ah, screw it, I don’t care.’

Whatever the case, everything will be over once we get married. As long as Jeffrey doesn’t return or just gets captured before then, there won’t be any problem.

[ I need to verify if this is actually true. Let's head back for now… ]

Fortunately, the protagonist also selected the option to return.

No matter which way we spin it, it seems we are somehow moving closer toward clearing the game.

Upon his return, the protagonist behaved much more tamely than expected.

“I apologize for causing you so much worry.”

“No, thank you for coming back, Sir Hereis. You heard from the Emperor regarding the succession ceremony, right?”

A succession ceremony wasn’t strictly a necessary procedure.

However, according to what the Emperor mentioned, it was better to publicly display that the protagonist had become the Duke of Rubel to prevent any talk regarding Jeffrey Rubel from cropping up, so he was the one who brought up the suggestion first.

Perhaps feeling apologetic for his behavior all this time, the Emperor was apparently preparing it on an incredibly grand scale.

The protagonist gave a compliant nod.

“Ah, yes. Thank you for your consideration.”

“No, it’s nothing.”

Although the protagonist looked a bit sharp, perhaps due to exhaustion, he did apologize, and the flow of the conversation wasn’t bad.

If we can just ease the tension between us a little bit more, it feels like I’ll be able to propose to him.

Harboring that anticipation, I prepared my proposal lines while waiting for the succession ceremony.

And finally, the day arrived…

“To think you would return with a mere three days left before the succession ceremony, you gave me a massive heart attack.”

Beatrice spoke in a bantering manner, letting out a sigh of relief.

“Still, it is a relief that he returned.”

“Tell me about it. Though I have no idea why he suddenly vanished out of nowhere.”

“…Mmm, quite so.”

“Then again, considering what happened to his own nephew, it is only natural. He likely just went out to get some fresh air by himself before coming back.”

“Ah, that does sound plausible.”

I was currently on my way to the succession ceremony, accompanied by Ilian and Beatrice.

Under the pretext of being a congratulatory delegation from the Holy State, that is.

The two of them were dressed much more decently than usual; their uniforms, which they wore every single day, looked exceptionally crisply ironed today of all days, and their ties were tied immaculately without a single hint of disarray.

As we were hurriedly moving our feet, Allen suddenly came running over to greet us.

“Your Eminence Beatrice! Marquis Barque requests to see you for just a brief moment right now…”

“Right now?”

When Beatrice glanced at me for approval, I readily told her to go ahead.

“Please excuse me for a moment.”

After Beatrice departed, we continued on our way when Ilian questioned me in a whispered, lowered voice.

“Have you spoken any further with Sir Hereis since that day?”

Having stayed glued to my side nearly the entire time we were in the Empire, Ilian had witnessed the cold war between the protagonist and me.

Since Ilian knew absolutely nothing regarding Jeffrey Rubel, he seemed to harbor a deep curiosity as to why things had suddenly turned exceptionally awkward between the protagonist and me.

“We did share a brief conversation once, but things aren’t quite back to how they used to be just yet. I plan to try striking up a conversation with him again once the succession ceremony is over.”

“A wise decision. If you keep ignoring one another like this, rumors of a discord are bound to spread. This isn’t the Holy State, after all.”

Meaning that while everyone within the Holy State would keep their mouths shut, the Imperial Palace possessed countless eyes and ears, so I needed to exercise caution.

I forced a smile and gave a nod…