Chapter 37: The Eldritch Godness Will Be Sheltered

I was brought by Felix directly to the residence of the Duke of Stalkburg.

"Now then, Lady Iris. What happened?"

Felix asked me that in the reception room. I took a sip of the tea a maid from the Duke's house had served me, calming my nerves before I began to speak.

"Well, you see... my father told me to have children."

"Children? Did you have a fiancé?"

"No, no. He meant to have children with the cult's fanatics. Apparently, they want me to produce offspring carrying my blood, and by thickening that blood over generations, turn this entire planet into my kin. They were saying things like, 'We'll purge human blood!' and such."

"Fanatics... as in, plural?"

"Yes. Plural."

I explained to Felix that they were planning things like forcing me into group mating, or even incest. At first, Felix turned pale from the horror of it, but gradually, anger began to show on his face.

"Unforgivable. Even if you are not human, treating an intelligent being like livestock is abhorrent!"

Felix showed his anger openly.

"We of the Duke of Stalkburg's house will protect you. There's no need to worry anymore."

"Thank you very much, Lord Felix. You have my deepest gratitude. But if you could just provide me temporary refuge, that would be enough. Once I’m ready, I intend to leave the Imperial Capital and flee somewhere far away."

"You're planning to leave the capital? What about the academy?"

"Yes. If I continue attending the academy, there's a risk the cult could capture me. Besides, Elizabeth and her group are currently pursuing me as well. Staying here too long could invite an attack from the cult. I can’t allow myself to drag you and your household into this trouble..."

"Don’t concern yourself with that!"

Felix burst out in anger as I tried to explain why I couldn't stay for long.

"What do a few cultists matter? We have the National Gendarmerie on our side, and if necessary, we can even mobilize the military. We'll crush them just like we did earlier. So don’t talk about leaving...!"

Felix grabbed my shoulders as he said this, pleading with me — which startled me a little.

"B-But, the cultists actually have dangerous monsters under their control... I doubt even the National Gendarmerie's firearms or the military’s cannons would be effective against them. If such creatures attacked, it would be a catastrophe."

"Even so, abandoning you is not an option."

Hmmm. Personally, I had planned to just make preparations here, then promptly slip away from the capital.

Sooner or later, the cult would find out I was hiding with the Duke of Stalkburg. And when that happened, this place would surely be attacked. If it were just ordinary cultists, that might still be manageable — but if they sent something like the monster Claudia had kept...

Not even the National Gendarmerie or the military could stand against that. Even if, for me, it would be something I could defeat with a single punch.

"In that case, perhaps I should seek refuge with Elizabeth and her group instead?"

"With Lady Elizabeth? What are you saying? They're the ones searching for you as a suspect in the whole incident. How could you expect them to shelter you?"

"True, it would be a constrained existence. But compared to being forced to bear the children of lunatics, it’s a much better fate. Besides, Elizabeth and her group have both the reason and the means to fight the cult. In a way, aren't they specialists in cult countermeasures?"

"Now that you mention it... that's true."

Exactly. If I thoroughly dragged Elizabeth and her group into this mess, it would work out well. They’d prevent the cult’s activities, and I would avoid a major disaster. A perfect win-win.

"...Very well. In that case, let’s head to the academy. We’ll make contact with Lady Elizabeth there. Until then, stay inside this mansion. Don’t go outside. Understood?"

"Understood."

Thus, the Eldritch Godness was officially placed under the protection of the Duke of Stalkburg’s house.

Now, the next step was to make contact with Elizabeth and the others, and figure out how to negotiate with them. I could inform them about the cult’s movements, but if they demanded that I stop the nightmares... that would be a problem. After all, I didn’t know how to stop them.

For now, I’d just have to rely on Felix. At this point, trying to handle everything alone would only make things worse.

"This way, please."

I was shown to a spacious guest room in the vast Stalkburg estate, where I decided to relax for a while. Surely the cult wouldn't launch an attack right away... probably.

Felix, meanwhile, seemed to have various matters to attend to, as he didn’t show himself again. Around the mansion, the number of National Gendarmerie soldiers steadily increased.

As evening fell—

"Lady Iris, dinner is ready. Please follow me."

A maid guided me to the dining hall for dinner.

Inside, I found Felix — and the head of the house, His Excellency Friedrich.

"Oh! So you're Lady Iris. Come, have a seat here."

His Excellency Friedrich seemed like a kindly old gentleman. Following his invitation, I sat down next to Felix.

"Felix has told me all about you. He said there’s a very charming young lady at the academy. I've been looking forward to meeting you, wondering when he would finally introduce you. I'm glad the day has finally come."

Friedrich spoke warmly, wine glass in hand.

"The honor is all mine, Your Excellency."

"And what do you think of Felix? Since you've come all the way to our estate, I’m inclined to think you must hold him in some regard."

"Y-Yes. I find Lord Felix to be a very admirable person."

"Oh! Splendid, splendid! That's wonderful to hear!"

Friedrich beamed with joy at my words.

Well, I couldn't very well say that I disliked the man who had invited me into his home, could I? Saying something like, "Actually, I'm not fond of him," would just be rude.

Besides, when Felix saved me from the cultists earlier, my heart had skipped a beat. Probably just some kind of suspension bridge effect or something along those lines. In any case, I no longer found Felix as difficult to deal with as I once had.

"You know, Felix has never brought a young lady to the house before. He's brought plenty of male friends, but not a single woman. Felix is a capable, hard-working young man. I’m sure he’ll make a fine partner."

"Y-Yes, I’m sure he will."

"Of course, you yourself are a remarkable young woman as well. A daughter of the renowned Marquisate of Lauenstein, continuing your studies even while on leave, and joining the student council the moment you returned. A diligent person like you would surely get along well with Felix."

It seemed His Excellency Friedrich had taken a liking to me — but judging by his enthusiasm, it was clear he was eager to pair me and Felix together. Still, that was only because he didn’t know the truth about me... about me being an Evil God.

I was a being who could drive people mad, after all. And the House of Lauenstein... well, my father and mother were already... not doing so well. Once this whole incident settled down, His Excellency’s feelings would probably change too.

"I regret having to separate Felix from his parents when he was young. If you don't mind, I hope you'll be close to him. He's not good at expressing his emotions — he might seem blunt, but he's a kind-hearted boy."

"Yes. I'm aware of that."

Well, it’s true. Felix isn’t a bad or unpleasant person.

Though I had heard that His Excellency adopted Felix after losing his own child, their relationship seemed to be a good one.

"Lady Iris, I’d like to speak with you after dinner."

"Understood."

At that, Felix spoke up, and I nodded in reply.

Afterward, at the dinner table, His Excellency Friedrich regaled us with stories from Felix’s past — about the hardships he endured when he first came to the Stalkburg house — and so, in a relaxed, elegant atmosphere, we enjoyed a pleasant evening together.