Reincarnated as a Villainous Duke (37) Who Gets Condemned by His Daughter ～I Stopped Acting Like a Villain, Yet My Daughter Keeps Becoming the 'Ice Lady'～ - Chapter 11: The Crown Prince’s Inauguration – Part 3

Chapter 11: The Crown Prince’s Inauguration – Part 3

Forsina’s icy words of refusal caused Crown Prince Roax’s lips to twitch violently.

“What did you just say, Forsina? Say that again.”

“I decline your offer, Your Highness, Crown Prince Roax.”

“That’s not what I meant! Who told you to repeat the same thing?!”

“I will never become your wife. Besides, it would be disrespectful to Lady Marianlotte.”

“Y-You dare?! Are you saying you won’t listen to the words of me, the Crown Prince?! Being my bride is a position everyone dreams of!”

“I have never once desired it. Please grant that position to someone who truly longs for it, Your Highness.”

Her words, colder than absolute zero, left Roax speechless. He could only manage a choked “Guh…,” as though his voice had failed him.

Marianlotte, who had been preparing to ascend the platform, froze in place with a confused expression. Now that I thought about it, she had also been publicly humiliated by this turn of events.

But this wasn’t the time to worry about someone else’s feelings. While I was astonished by Forsina’s boldness, as her father, I couldn’t just stand by. It was my duty to shield her.

Rising from my seat, I took a step forward, positioning myself partly in front of Forsina to protect her.

“Your Majesty the King, as her father and as a duke, I must address the Crown Prince’s recent remarks—”

CRASH!!

My words were suddenly interrupted by the sharp sound of shattering glass.

It came from the back of the hall. And it wasn’t just a single crash—the sound of breaking glass echoed repeatedly, plunging the entire venue into chaos in an instant.

When I turned to look, I saw fragments of stained glass scattered everywhere, with about ten grotesque figures standing amidst the debris.

At first glance, they resembled muscular humans. But their bat-like wings, menacing claws that glinted dully, and twisted horns on either side of their bald heads marked them as something far more sinister. Their pointed ears, hooked noses, fanged mouths, and glowing red eyes completed their terrifying appearance. In the game, these creatures were known as “Chaos Demons,” monsters that served as subordinates to the final boss—the “Demon Race.”

These were powerful enemies that appeared later in the game. Even in their weaker forms, they were far beyond what common guards or ordinary people could hope to handle.

“Guards! Protect us immediately!”

From the platform, the King shouted commands. Guards stationed outside the hall quickly entered through the main entrance, forming a protective wall in front of the royal family. At the same time, about ten royal knights emerged from the side doors of the platform, their sole duty being to guard the King.

Naturally, this left the nobles in the audience completely exposed to the Chaos Demons.

Some guards moved to stand in front of the nobles, raising their weapons toward the Chaos Demons. However, the King yelled, “What are you doing!? Protect me, the Queen, and the Crown Prince!” This forced even those dutiful guards to abandon the nobles and focus solely on defending the royal family.

“Marianlotte, Duke Gentronov, come here at once.”

Crown Prince Roax called out as Duke Gentronov ascended the platform first, swiftly hiding himself among the guards. Marianlotte, left behind, hesitated, unsure of what to do. It was no wonder—this was clearly a selfish move to abandon the other nobles to their fate while securing their own safety. From this hesitation, it seemed Marianlotte truly was the kind-hearted person the game portrayed her to be.

“But, Your Highness Roax, at this rate, everyone else—”

“Those monsters are part of the Demon Race. It’s impossible to save everyone here.”

“But if we all work together—”

“I dislike women who can’t take a hint. You understand what I mean, don’t you, Marianlotte?”

“…!?”

Roax grabbed Marianlotte by the arm and forcibly pulled her onto the platform.

“Forsina, don’t you want to join us too?”

Adding insult to injury, Roax said this with a lecherous grin. In the original game, this was the moment where he would grab a sword from a guard and charge into battle, but there wasn’t the slightest hint of such courage in him now.

“What will you do, Father?”

Ignoring Roax completely, Forsina came to my side, her gaze full of trust as she looked up at me. While it felt good to see that level of confidence in her eyes, I couldn’t help but wonder—was I really the kind of man worthy of such faith?

“Chaos Demons are no match for me, even if there are ten of them. But it’s dangerous here. Go stand by the wall and watch from there.”

This was a chance to make a good impression, after all. Winning Forsina’s approval was my top priority.

Meanwhile, the Chaos Demons, who had been lingering near the shattered windows, turned their attention to me. With crude, sneering grins, they began to approach, their guttural chuckles echoing through the hall.

The nobles were in complete panic. They tried to flee toward the exits, only to find Chaos Demons blocking their way. With their escape routes cut off, their only option was to move toward the platform, but the guards stood firm with their spears, refusing to let anyone pass. The hall was now filled with not just screams but also sobbing and whimpering.

Amid the chaos, I began walking forward. As a duke, I was permitted to carry a sword, even at formal events like this. Naturally, knowing this event was coming, I made sure to wear a combat-ready mithril sword at my side, rather than a ceremonial blade.

“Oh, oh! That’s right, Duke Blaumont is here! Take down as many of them as you can!”

The King shouted something from behind me, clearly in a panic.

I stepped forward, standing in front of the Chaos Demons, and unsheathed my mithril sword. Pointing the blade at the leading demon, I deliberately provoked them. This was the skill known as “Taunt.” It would force the Chaos Demons to focus their attacks on me.

“Come, I’ll show you the difference in our class.”

The taunting words slipped out naturally, and I couldn’t help but chuckle—it was exactly the kind of line Mark Stewart, the game character, would say.

“You insolent human! To think you could challenge us, the Demons! Such arrogance will not go unpunished!”

The lead Chaos Demon snarled, its grotesque face twisting further in rage. With a powerful flap of its wings, it launched itself at me. The five claws on its hand glowed a fiery red—a skill called “Heat Claw.” It was a deadly attack capable of cutting through even steel by melting it with intense heat.

But before those claws could strike, I had already passed by its side. In an instant, its head separated cleanly from its body, the demon’s face frozen in shock as it soared through the air. The now headless body collapsed lifelessly to the ground and disintegrated into particles of light.

“Too weak. This isn’t even enough to dull my blade.”

That was my victory line. In the game, hearing it meant you’d reached the dreaded game-over screen.

“Oh, as expected of the ‘Azure Moon Swordsman,’ Duke Blaumont…!”

One of the nobles blurted out my embarrassing nickname.

“I see, so you do have the strength to back up that big talk!”

Acknowledging me as a formidable opponent, the Chaos Demons began to emit a red aura. It was their body-enhancing skill, “Heat Up.” But honestly, it was a futile effort.

What followed wasn’t even a fight. Each time my sword flashed, another Chaos Demon’s head flew off. In less than a minute, all 11 Chaos Demons were wiped out. What remained were 11 magic stones and some loot-like claws and fangs scattered on the floor.

Against a mid-boss equipped with the cheat skill “GodSpeed,” late-game mooks like the Chaos Demons were hardly a challenge. Incidentally, in the original game, Mark Stewart was supposed to stand back and watch, evaluating how well the protagonist, Roax, could handle the situation. Truly fitting behavior for the scheming, backstabbing Duke.

“This is my father’s power! I’m so moved!”

Forsina ran over, her earlier “Ice Lady” demeanor completely gone. I caught her in my arms, smiling, and asked, “Are you unharmed?”

“Yes, I’m fine. But I regret not being able to fight alongside you, Father.”

“You have great potential. Soon enough, you’ll become a mage strong enough to stand by my side.”

In the game, she’s the strongest mage in the protagonist’s party after all.

Encouraged by my words, Forsina gave me a bright smile and declared, “I will do my best to meet your expectations, Father.”

As we spoke, more guards and knights finally entered the hall, seemingly realizing something was wrong. Among them was the female knight commander, a character I relied on often in the game. With her here, the cleanup should go smoothly.

The real problem, however, lay with the King, who was smiling at me with a strange expression, and the Crown Prince, who didn’t even bother to hide his displeasure.

“Oh, as expected of Duke Blaumont, one of the Three Great Dukes and the famed ‘Azure Moon Swordsman.’ To think you dispatched those demons so effortlessly! Leaving this matter to you was indeed the right choice. I shall reward you later!”

“Hmph. Monsters of that level were nothing—I could have handled them alone. But as someone who stands above others, it’s only right to let the father of my future bride take the spotlight.”

The stark difference between the game’s protagonist and this father-and-son duo was jarring. In just this single event, both of them had shown behavior reeking of selfishness and arrogance. While the protagonist’s actions could theoretically align with some of the game’s possibilities, it still felt off.

Regardless, Forsina instantly reverted to her “Ice Lady” persona in response to the Crown Prince’s words, while I offered a respectful bow.

As I raised my head, I became aware of someone directing an intense gaze toward me.

It was Marianlotte, one of the main heroines, standing behind the Crown Prince. Her eyes sparkled with admiration as she murmured—

“‘Azure Moon Swordsman’ Lord Mark Stewart… How magnificent…”

Seriously, couldn’t the creators have come up with a better nickname?