The Shut-In Prince’s Splendid Social Debut — Me, a Villainous Imperial, Have Spent the Last Fifteen Years Fighting the “Wicked Thoughts” Eating Away at My Mind. When I Finally Returned to High Society, There Were Way Too Many People I Didn’t Recognize

“Hey, Vahlen. Long time no see.”

“As insolent as ever, human. You’re probably the only human in this world who summons a Demon around at your beck and call.”

Vahlen wore a fearless smile as he said it.

Gatan. A chair fell over.

Fryure had dropped onto the floor and was trembling all over—buruburu.

“D-D… …A Demon!?”

Come to think of it, I had never introduced him to Fryure.

“Ah, it’s fine, Fryure. Vahlen is under my control, so he won’t attack humans.”

“B-But this Demon is the one from back then…!”

Fryure bristled with hostility.

Vahlen, whom I had defeated in a death match in the past, had been resurrected through [Dead Re-placement].

“Hmph… So that Ancient Species woman is the human who placed a—’shackle’ on Yoan?”

“…?!”

Vahlen glared at Fryure’s “Spirit Armament” as he said it.

“Vahlen… Fryure is my lifesaver. Could you please stop talking like that?”

“No, Yoan. Certainly, that Ancient Species woman saved your life. But in exchange, she committed the offense of placing a ‘Level Seal’ on you. As your vassal, that is something I cannot accept.”

The subject of the level seal was bad.

I did not want him dwelling on it too much, or Fryure would start having an episode again.

“And how dare you say that! The one who inflicted such fatal wounds on Yoan-sama was you, wasn’t it?! Yoan-sama may have forgiven you, but I have not.”

That was what I thought, but Fryure was unusually angry.

“Even if you say that, as long as I am a Demon and Yoan is a Human, it could not be helped. I fought with everything I had, and I lost. Therefore, I now submit to Yoan like this.”

“What selfish logic…”

It looked like things were about to escalate, so I clapped my hands—pachin.

“All right, that’s enough from both of you. There may be bad blood between you, but since you’re not enemies now, make peace.”

“…”

Vahlen wore an insolent expression, while Fryure glared daggers at him.

…At this rate, it was going to take quite a while before those two got along.

“Hmph… If you say so, Yoan, then I’ll sheathe my spear for now. But there is one thing I cannot overlook. From that Ancient Species woman’s ‘Spirit Armament,’ I can sense a faint remnant of the ‘Seven Aspects’… most likely the Aspect of the ‘Sorrowful Mother.'”

Vahlen said that as he pointed to Fryure’s [Scale of Equivalent Retribution].

If I remembered correctly, Fryure had said that the reason she awakened her “Spirit Armament” was because of the “Sorrowful Mother.”

“What about it?”

“It means your ‘Level Seal’ may not have been a coincidence, Yoan.”

Vahlen said something I could not ignore.

“…In other words, are you saying the ‘Sorrowful Mother’ did something?”

“…!”

Fryure tightened her grip on the [Scale of Equivalent Retribution].

“Indeed. By the way, Yoan, what do you make of your own power?”

“Hm? Well, let’s see… I think it’s power far too excessive for a human body.”

Vahlen also knew that I was an existence called an “Overcomer.”

We compared notes from time to time, but we still had no clear answer regarding the root of that power.

“Yoan, as for how you came to possess that much power, there is only one plausible explanation in the end.
You—took in the Aspect of the ‘Hero,’ one of the ‘Seven Aspects,’ didn’t you?”

“…”

Well, I had already considered that possibility.

Because the trigger for me gaining power had come after I learned to suppress that “wicked thought”—the so-called “Revelation of the Hero.”

“‘Hero’ is said to be the one among the ‘Seven Aspects’ that is most deeply rooted in humanity and has the greatest influence on the human world. Normally, no one should be able to resist it. And yet, for some reason, you overcame it. In other words—it is fair to say that you are an existence harboring the power of a god within that body.”

“Even if you say that… all I did was endure the ‘wicked thoughts.'”

“That is impossible under normal circumstances, Yoan. It may be late to ask, but—what exactly are you?”

“I am… let’s see. Just a human who happens to be a little patient.”

At most, I also had memories of a past life.

Nothing more, nothing less.

“…Hmm. If you’re saying you defeated the ‘Hero’ through sheer mental endurance, then in the end, that power must have been inherited by you. That would also explain your abnormal rate of growth.”

Vahlen analyzed it with a thoughtful expression.

As expected of Vahlen.

Questions I had been wondering about for a long time were now being cleared up one after another.

However, if that was the case, then one question remained.

“But then why did the ‘Sorrowful Mother’ grant power to Fryure? If I defeated the ‘Hero,’ shouldn’t she resent me?”

“Most likely, the ‘Sorrowful Mother’ had a reason she did not want Yoan to die.”

“A reason?”

Vahlen began to explain.

“Since the ‘Seven Aspects’ are a single god with seven faces, if even one face is lost, the ‘Seven Aspects’ as a whole also suffers a great blow. So she likely feared that if Yoan died, the Aspect of the ‘Hero’ would be lost as well.”

If that was true, then my life was now tied to the “Seven Aspects.”

That was a rather bizarre story.

“…I see. Then I can more or less understand why I was ‘Level Sealed.’ The ‘Sorrowful Mother’ probably feared that I would gain even more power.”

“Exactly.”

Vahlen nodded in satisfaction.

The explanation fit surprisingly well.

“What do you think the ‘Seven Aspects’ are after?”

“I don’t know that much. But there is no doubt that they are interested in Yoan.”

That was troubling.

All I wanted was to live quietly without standing out.

“However, for the ‘Seven Aspects’ to intervene directly here, they would need a suitable vessel. And if they manifest, then no matter how well they conceal themselves, some sort of trace will always remain. If you leave it to me, I can at least investigate their movements.”

Wow, Vahlen was absurdly reliable.

However, one person was frowning at what he said.

“…Um, Vahlen’s way of speaking so irreverently about the Gods of the ‘Seven Aspects’ is not something I can simply overlook. ‘Sorrowful Mother’-sama in particular is a merciful being who guides people far and wide, and she is the one who saved Yoan-sama’s life. I think it is questionable to speak of her as though slandering her.”

Fryure objected to Vahlen’s words.

Well, it was only natural for her to be upset if the object of her faith was being spoken of badly.

However—

“Hmm. I understand your point, Fryure, but I do intend to have Vahlen investigate the movements of the ‘Seven Aspects.'”

“Eh…?”

“Unlike Fryure, I haven’t actually met them. I don’t trust the existence known as the ‘Seven Aspects’ that much.”

Actually, Vahlen’s interpretation felt closer to the mark.

“Hero” had been trying to drag Yoan onto a path of evil, and the “Sorrowful Mother” also seemed to have imposed the “Level Seal” on me with her own agenda, so honestly, they were suspicious.

“B-But…”

“Ancient Species woman, it is not your place to interfere in Yoan’s thinking. In the first place, you are the one who placed the ‘Level Seal,’ so watch your tone.”

“…That, is true.”

Fryure lowered her eyes sadly.

Oops. I was not letting that slide.

“Hey, Vahlen! Don’t bully Fryure.”

“Wha? B-Bully? I… am bullying the Ancient Species woman…?”

Vahlen stared blankly.

“That’s right. Fryure is my benefactor—the one who saved my life. Even for you, who revere me as your master, she is the benefactor who cleaned up the mess afterward. So I’ll have a problem if you don’t treat her with more respect.”

“Kuh… …………Understood. However, Ancient Species woman…”

“It’s Fryure.”

“…”

By the way, even after reviving, Vahlen’s disdainful attitude toward humans had not changed.

So if I did not correct him every now and then like this, he would never bother using people’s actual names.

“…Fufufu… Very well. Fryure. It means nothing to me whether you bear ill will toward me or point that ‘Spirit Armament’ at me. However, I will have you release the ‘Level Seal’ placed on Yoan. That is your responsibility.”

“Of course I know that. Yoan-sama is everything to me. I will release it even if I must stake this body to do so.”

Fryure huffed with determination—funsu.

Their gazes met, and it seemed they had finally found at least a temporary point of compromise.

“Hmph… Very well. Then first, use this.”

With that, Vahlen placed a cloth-wrapped object on the table.

It looked like a pitch-black crystal.

The moment I saw it, my eyes widened.

“Could this be—an ‘Evil God Dragon’s Jewel’?”

The Evil God Dragon was a unique monster that inhabited the deepest reaches of this “Northern Underworld.”

One of the five monsters that bore the title of god.

Its materials were extraordinarily valuable.

Or rather—

(This is from a high-difficulty DLC zone with a minimum recommended level of 270.)

A dungeon filled with “miasma” beyond “Paradise.”

Unless you completed a certain post-ending event, you could not gain resistance to the miasma, so it was a dungeon the current me could not possibly conquer.

“…You beat it that easily?”

“It was no great trouble. Though going any deeper than that may be difficult now, since the Demons might start becoming wary. If you give me some time, I can bring back other promising materials for the ‘price’ as well. If it is urgent, I do not mind retrieving them now.”

“No, that’s enough. Thanks, Vahlen.”

“…Hmph. If you have any other business, tell me. I am deeply dissatisfied, but I might hear you out.”

Vahlen tried to leave immediately after saying that so bluntly.

“Oh? Leaving already?”

“Yes. You’re about to mate with that woman now, aren’t you? Watching humans copulate is nothing but unpleasant.”

Apparently, in Vahlen’s mind, I was about to start mating right now.

This was probably his way of saying, I’ll leave you to it.

“Wha…?!?!?!”

Fryure turned bright red.

For someone known as the “Ice Lady,” the shock seemed to be too much.

“You’re mistaken, Vahlen. Fryure and I aren’t in that kind of relationship.”

“Oya… is that so? I assumed that was your intention as well.”

“…”

…Should I say his instincts were sharp, or what?

“Ah, speaking of which, Yoan. Did you enroll in ‘Hero Academy’?”

Vahlen asked that as if he had just remembered.

“Nn, that’s right, but?”

“Why would you try to fit yourself into such a cramped place? With your power, it would be easy for you to stand at the top of the human world.”

“…I’m not interested in that sort of thing. Besides, humans are cunning, you know. No matter how much power I have, there is always the possibility that someone will surpass it. So I intend to continue living as a petty bourgeois from here on out. I’ll walk the path that seems safest to me.”

Since I knew the ending Yoan reached in ERT, this was the one thing I could never compromise on.

“For that, I would say you stepped onto the most dangerous path possible over a month ago…?”

“…”

…That one hurt.

“Well, fine. You have a troublesome personality too. Even though if you and I were together, everything in this world would go just as we wished… Still, you should be careful.”

Vahlen lowered his voice as he said that.

“…About what?”

“My death will become known to all Demons soon enough. And when that happens, I do not know what methods my brethren may resort to.”

“…Ah. So that’s what you mean.”

Because Vahlen had been revived through [Dead Re-placement], he could no longer return to Demon society.

He said that the dead were fundamentally different from the living, so the moment they met him face-to-face, it would be exposed.

Also, it seemed extremely bad if it became known that a “Demon” had been revived.

In the first place, Vahlen’s necromancy and the like could only turn beings up to about Lv. 100 into servants, and apparently, using necromancy on a Demon was originally impossible.

So from Vahlen’s perspective too, my magic seemed abnormal.

Putting that aside, Vahlen would eventually be considered dead.

And when that happened, he was saying an investigation would begin into who had killed him.

“I was particularly outstanding even among Demons, so it should become quite a serious incident. The first races to come under suspicion will be the ‘Dragon’ clan, the ‘Forest’ clan, and ‘Ancient Species’—humans capable of reaching the realm of my kind.”

Because among humans, there were those who possessed anti-Demon attributes or could wield “Spirit Armaments” capable of slaying Demons.

In that sense, Fryure was one of them.

“‘Hero Academy,’ where such humans gather, may also become a target… so be careful, Yoan. Besides, I am probably not the only ‘Demon’ who slipped into the human world.”

With that warning, Vahlen finally left.

(I just heard something extremely unpleasant…)

Back in the ERT era, the only Demon who crossed Daylago’s Great Northern Ridge had been Vahlen.

However, that had probably just been for story convenience, which likely meant there had been other infiltrating Demons as well.

(Well, it’s too late now.)

As long as I was no longer acting according to the story, multiple irregularities had already occurred.

From here on, all I could do was keep checking those differences against official history one by one, as always.

“Fryure, with this ‘Evil God Dragon’s Jewel’ as the price, can the ‘Level Seal’ be released?”

“…! Y-Yes, with this… ah, no, but————”

Fryure voiced one concern.

Well, I had expected that to some extent.

“I don’t mind. Then can you do it?”