I Decided to Abandon the Traitors Who Planned to Use and Dispose of Me, the Hero, at the Last Moment. - Chapter 05: It’s Not My Fault!!—The (Self-Proclaimed) Genius Handsome Prince’s Final Moments

Chapter 05: It’s Not My Fault!!—The (Self-Proclaimed) Genius Handsome Prince’s Final Moments

“Prince! Prince Netrik! Please, come out of your room!”

From outside the door, I could hear the worried voice of a servant calling my name. But I ignored it.

—How did it come to this?

…Cowering in the corner of the room, trembling and having wet myself, I replayed the events in my mind, wondering how everything had gone so horribly wrong.

That worthless hero, Elliot, had betrayed humanity by refusing to deliver the final blow to the Demon Lord. Not only that, he had the audacity to flee right in front of the enemy. It hasn’t even been thirty days since that disaster, and yet the Demon Lord’s army has already advanced close to the royal capital.

To make matters worse, neighboring countries have formed an alliance against us, and even the church has joined them. Now it’s the kingdom versus everyone else.

The anger from the nearby nations, who feel tricked into supporting this war, is terrifying. They are demanding nothing less than the complete eradication of the royal bloodline. And within the kingdom, while some nobles still support us, there are also those foolish enough to rebel. The country is split in two. I’ve heard that the capital has become a dangerous place, and now it feels like everyone outside the royal castle is an enemy!

It’s as if the whole world is bullying an innocent man like me. It’s cruel, so cruel…!!

What did I even do wrong!? So, I made some dumb women do whatever I wanted and told them to get rid of that commoner hero—how is that so bad!? I even showed some royal consideration by telling them to finish off the Demon Lord before dealing with him! I don’t get it!!!

Using my wealth, status, and good looks to steal other people’s fiancées, married women, or any girl in love, just to toss them aside afterward or father a child in secret—that’s just my healthy hobby! It’s not like I’m hurting anyone.

In fact, since more people will carry the noble royal bloodline, it’s actually beneficial for the kingdom! I should be praised for it!

And as royalty, I’m the most important person in this kingdom. If someone gets in the way, I can always find a reason to get rid of them or confiscate their lands—Father does it all the time. 

So why should I be blamed or punished unfairly?!

Even when I kidnapped demon girls and sold them off, it made me a lot of money! No one lost out because of it! So what’s the problem?!

“I didn’t do anything wrong!!”

In a fit of rage, I slammed my fist on the floor, only to hurt my hand. That damned hero, Elliot—this is all his fault!!! Damn it!!!

The recordings of me manipulating the hero’s party and suggesting they eliminate the hero have been spread far and wide, both inside and outside the kingdom. At first, I tried to pass it off as some trick, claiming it was magic from the Demon Lord’s army, using the fact that it was an unfamiliar device to confuse people.

For a while, that worked, and I was able to send the three women from the hero’s party to the front lines to fight the Demon Lord’s army while keeping the truth muddled.

But the kingdom’s main forces, including the former hero’s party, were wiped out. Hilde died in battle, and Marle and Cecilia have gone missing. 

Those useless women couldn’t even carry out an assassination properly, and they just ended up disgracing themselves even more! The very thought of them makes me furious. I’d love to beat them and take out my anger, but the fact that they’re probably dead just makes it worse! Damn it, damn it!!

To make matters worse, the dwarven workshop that created the device publicly confirmed that the recordings were genuine and that the new technology had been developed by Thorn, a member of the hero’s party. Thanks to that, I couldn’t even dismiss the recordings as fakes anymore, which led to this mess I’m in now.

To begin with, it was strange that after I had already seduced all three women in the hero’s party, a new member joined. I knew nothing about Thorn, the warrior who joined them later in the journey. Cecilia had raised concerns about him, so, with my genius intellect, I decided to take care of him through a clever assassination plot. Fortunately, the plan succeeded, and amidst the chaos of battle, we managed to incapacitate him. It’s unfortunate that he survived, but with his combat abilities gone, there was no reason to fear him anymore—or so I thought.

Everything was supposed to go perfectly, smoothly, elegantly… So why… Why did it all turn out like this?

In my despair, I suddenly remembered—there’s a final weapon hidden within the royal castle! The ultimate trump card passed down through the kingdom. Yes, I could use that!

Grateful for my genius insight, I stood up, changed out of my soiled clothes, and rushed to the castle’s underground chambers. Hidden behind a secret door, which only those of royal blood could access, was a massive magical device.

This is the kingdom’s strongest defensive barrier, meant to be used in times of great danger. It converts the life force of the people living in the capital into mana, creating an impenetrable magical shield. Luckily, the castle has enough supplies to last about ten years, including emergency rations, and we even have a garden growing food in the courtyard.

Yes, it’s so simple! All that matters is that I survive! The lives of the citizens are insignificant; without the kingdom, they’re nothing anyway. Whether they die as soldiers, acting as a wall of flesh, or have their life force drained by the magical barrier—it makes no difference.

In fact, they should be honored to die for the sake of saving someone as precious as me.

“Alright, time to activate the magical barrier ☆! Yes, this means I win! Wahahaha!!”

As I pulled the lever, a deep rumbling sound echoed throughout the castle, followed by a tremor in the ground. The noise inside the castle grew louder, but I ignored it and, feeling lighter on my feet, made my way to the throne room. Everyone was gathered on the balcony, looking out at the capital. A thin, reddish barrier had formed, surrounding the entire royal castle. Perfect! The magical barrier is up and running!

The guards were anxiously watching as the citizens in the capital began collapsing one by one. It seemed they were worried about their families. But who cares about that? They should be happy that the castle is now perfectly secure. I’m safe now!

“Netrik… Did you activate the castle’s magical barrier?!”

“Father! Yes, I did! Now the castle is safe!”

When my father, the king, spoke to me with a trembling voice, I smiled, trying to reassure him. But instead of calming down, his face twisted in anger as he yelled at me.

“What have you done, you fool!? Once that device is activated, it drains the life of everyone within its range—the entire capital—to power the magical barrier! It’s not something you can use so recklessly!”

“What!? But if I didn’t do it, the castle would be attacked! And then both you and I would be killed!”

“Of course! I, you, your brothers, and sisters—we were preparing to surrender our lives to negotiate a ceasefire. You were always clever, but I bear the blame for giving you too much responsibility. The only way to appease the Demon Lord’s army and the other nations is to offer up the royal family’s heads. The royal line ends here. We can’t prevent the kingdom from being divided and dismantled now, but at least we can try to ensure the safety of our citizens. The people living in the capital are innocent; they’ve done nothing wrong.”

“Ha!? Why should I sacrifice my head for the lives of worthless peasants!? —To hell with that! You die instead!”

I immediately beheaded my father—the foolish king. As the servants and guards screamed in horror, I declared to them:

“The king is dead by my hand! From now on, I am the king! You will live under this completely safe magical barrier with me!”

But just as I was making my glorious declaration, the castle shook as something struck the magical barrier.

Startled, I looked out the window and saw a man with a monocle riding on the back of a giant hawk. He was outside the barrier, extending his hands toward it, repeatedly hitting it with something—shockwaves, perhaps? No, that’s no human—he must be a demon!

“T-That’s Impactor, one of the Demon Lord’s Ten Generals!!”

One of the soldiers shouted, but no way… Impactor!? I thought he had withdrawn from the battlefield after his fight with Thorn. What’s he doing here!?

“What are you doing here, demon? I thought you had left the front lines!”

I pushed through the crowd and leaned over the balcony, yelling at Impactor.

“Listen carefully, Netrik. The reason I left the battlefield was to investigate the one who interfered with my duel with Thorn.”

…This is bad. Does he know what I did? Could he be here to kill me…?!

“Hah, hah, but there’s no way a magical barrier powered by the lives of tens of thousands in the capital can be broken by mere shockwaves—”

“Silence! Do not underestimate a General of the Demon Lord!!”

Cracks began spreading across the barrier. 

No way!? Even after absorbing the lives of tens of thousands in the capital!? These Demon Generals are monsters!!

“I’m not here to save the people of the capital, nor am I here to aid the hero in his revenge. But the outcome of this battle cannot be left to fools like you! Battles should be decided by warriors, by the Demon Lord’s Generals and the heroes, fighting with everything they have! Isn’t that right? Isn’t it?! ISN’T IT?!”

With Impactor’s shout, the sound of shattering glass echoed through the air. The magical barrier protecting the royal castle, which I had activated with so much effort, was breaking apart, crumbling to pieces.

“Soon, the main forces of the Demon Lord’s army, along with the nearby nations, will reach this city. You won’t have an easy death.”

He destroyed my final defense, leaving me exposed… Does this mean he wants me to die slowly, tortured to death? Or is he saying I’m not even worth killing directly? Unbelievable!! But while I was reeling from his words, the soldiers took advantage of my distraction and pinned me down.

“Seize this traitor!!”

“Patricide, even by a prince, cannot be forgiven!!”

The castle guards restrained me, taking away my freedom. D-Damn it!! I was too focused on Impactor and left myself defenseless!!

“You scum! You cowards!! I am the king! Let me go! Lemme gooooo!!”

As I was being tied up, Impactor watched for a moment, then pulled a cigar from his pocket, placed it in his mouth, and, with a final glance at me, flew off into the distance.

“Me, me? End here? In a place like this? I was supposed to be the hero who conquered the world!! No, no! I don’t want to be executed! No, no, no, no, NOOOOO!! I don’t want to die, I don’t want to dieeeeeeee!!!!”

As the sound of me soiling myself filled the air, all I could do was let out a desperate, pitiful scream from the depths of my throat.