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

It happened after the meeting with the Perdraon family ended.

“Hello. —Could you tell me your name?”

For some reason, Naphna-sama asked for my name.

“…M-Me?”

“Yes.”

“…I am Serta.”

“I see, so you are Serta-san. With that bright red hair, you must be from the Trauden family, one of the ‘Three Great Mage Families’ of the ‘Witch’s Tower,’ right?”

Naphna-sama said with a flower-like smile.

Such an expression—was impossible for me.

“Umm… yes.”

“My, is that so! That’s amazing. Actually, I am practicing magic, but I’m worried because I’m not improving much…”

Naphna-sama expressed her thoughts anxiously like that.

While listening to her story, I thought that perhaps it would be difficult for Naphna-sama to learn magic.

Because people possessed something called a “Role Archetype” carved into their souls.

If it was the Perdraon family, they were often born with the “Role Archetype” of a [Dragon Knight], and the Trauden family with that of a [Witch].

By the way, it was considered difficult for a [Dragon Knight] to master magic.

It wasn’t impossible, but it was quite inefficient.

…However, I was hesitating whether I should tell her that. At that moment.

“…Naphna, we have to go soon.”

It was that attendant boy with crimson eyes who interrupted the conversation.

It bothered me that he called Naphna-sama by her name without honorifics.

Did that mean they were that intimate?

“What is it, Larsen? Isn’t it fine? I’ve finally met a girl about the same age. It’s fine to have a little small talk, isn’t it?”

Naphna-sama was unexpectedly pushy.

Maybe she liked to talk. She was the type whose world revolved around herself, for better or worse.

“…She looks troubled, you know?”

“Eh, that’s not true, is it? Right, Serta-san? So, about what I was saying earlier…”

I was taught magic by my mother, and I had reached the “Second Tier” in the basic five elements.

I wasn’t practicing that enthusiastically, but just as I was told I had a talent for magic, I was on the side of having learned more compared to children of the same age.

However…

“…Actually, I can still only use up to the—’Third Tier’.”

“Eh…!”

I was surprised.

The Third Tier meant that, speaking of <Fire Attribute> magic, she could use up to [Firestorm], following [Fireball] and [Fire Lance].

Magic that I couldn’t use even if I did a handstand right now.

Even though it should have been difficult for a [Dragon Knight] to even learn magic in the first place…

“You see, we will be entering the Hero Academy in three years, right? I’m worried that I might fall behind…”

That was absurd, I thought.

If she could use that much magic at this point, there was no mistake she would be placed in the upper ranks.

“Besides, there is definitely a ‘Competitive Battle’ at the academy. Um, I’m not very good at fighting, but as a daughter of the Perdraon family, I cannot afford to embarrass myself.”

“…Tsk.”

Naphna-sama showed such a strong gaze.

Confidence backed by ability, and an ambition that was never satisfied with it.

Even though my magical “talent” didn’t even come close to reaching this person’s feet…

When I realized that, I heard the sound of something crumbling down—gara gara.

“So, if it’s alright with you, Serta-san, won’t you teach me magic…

“I am terribly sorry”

“ …Eh?”

“—I cannot be of help to Naphna-sama.”

“Eh, um…”

I ran away.

Because I was made to realize that I could not win against Naphna-sama in anything.

…Heaven was cruel.

People loved by God were given two or three gifts.

—Naphna-sama was Yoan-sama’s fiancee.

I was just a maid…

—Naphna-sama was Yoan-sama’s fiancee.

I could not smile beautifully like that…

—Naphna-sama was Yoan-sama’s fiancee.

My body was not that slender and slim…

—Naphna-sama was Yoan-sama’s fiancee.

I was neither that intelligent nor did I sparkle…

—Naphna-sama was Yoan-sama’s fiancee. —Naphna-sama was Yoan-sama’s fiancee. —Naphna-sama was Yoan-sama’s fiancee. —Naphna-sama was Yoan-sama’s fiancee. —Naphna-sama was Yoan-sama’s fiancee. —Naphna-sama was Yoan-sama’s fiancee. —Naphna-sama was Yoan-sama’s fiancee. —Naphna-sama was Yoan-sama’s fiancee. —Naphna-sama was Yoan-sama’s fiancee…

When I realized it, I had come to the front of Yoan-sama’s room.

“…I see… I… I am……………………”

I realized it at that moment.

Tears overflowed and wouldn’t stop.

Because that was—

—An emotion a maid must not harbor.

That night.

“…Serta… is it?”

Perhaps realizing I had entered the room, Yoan-sama slowly sat up.

His dignified face illuminated by the moonlight seemed to carry more sorrow than usual for some reason.

“…Yes. Yoan-sama, I will wipe your body.”

What kind of face was I making right then?

I felt like I was probably making a terribly ugly face.

It was good that I was hidden by the darkness of the night. Because I didn’t want Yoan-sama to see such a face.

…But, for some reason, I felt like Yoan-sama saw through everything.

“I see… Ugh… Always… thank you…”

Yoan-sama smiled painfully.

Come to think of it, Mother had said he was suffering particularly badly today.

Thinking that it was on this day when Naphna-sama came, I felt slightly relieved.

(Yoan… sama…)

I carefully took off Yoan-sama’s clothes. I took off all his underwear too.

The moon that day was tinged a little blue.

Yoan-sama’s beautiful naked body, clad in the beautiful moonlight, was revealed.

Although a little thin, Yoan-sama’s physical growth was fast, and he already had a body “close to an adult man.”

—A figure more beautiful and precious than any work of art was there.

At first, it was fine just watching from afar.

But, somewhere along the line, I changed.

As my body approached that of an adult woman, and as Yoan-sama grew dignified and sturdy, this act of “taking care” of him was no longer just out of “goodwill.”

I was pretending not to notice it.

Pretending not to notice, I rephrased my shallowness and despicableness into words like “responsibility” or “duty,” and covered them with a beautiful veil.

However, even that has been exposed now.

Because a girl who possessed everything—”talent,” “lineage,” and “manners”—comparable to Yoan-sama had appeared.

…If we make a fuss, it will surely affect Yoan-sama’s condition.

—Even though you didn’t understand a single thing about Yoan-sama’s feelings…

…I pray from the bottom of my heart that Yoan-sama’s condition recovers.

—Even though you hadn’t even met Yoan-sama…

(—Even though this appearance of Yoan-sama belongs only to me…)

Undeservingly, I ended up thinking such things.

I wrung out the towel and carefully wiped Yoan-sama’s body.

If Yoan-sama accepted the “Revelation of the Hero,” or perhaps, if there was a case where he overcame it, this relationship would end.

If that happened, Yoan-sama would likely be united with Naphna-sama.

(If…)

Yes.

If Yoan-sama continued to resist “Fate” like this…

—Wouldn’t I be able to stay by Yoan-sama’s side forever?

That was the “Flower of Evil” that bloomed within me.

A maid who should wish for her master’s happiness must never harbor it.

(If I just keep Yoan-sama like this…)

When I thought about that.

I noticed Yoan-sama’s shoulders trembling slightly.

“—I’m sorry, Serta… I… keep causing trouble… for you all…”

“…Yoan-sama?”

The angel spilled out weak words, drop by drop.

“…I knew… that everyone was going through painful times… because of me. I knew… that everyone’s faces were getting darker and darker. …I knew, and yet I…”

Tears were spilling from Yoan-sama’s eyes.

“Th-That’s not true…! Yoan-sama is everyone’s…”

Hope… I tried to say that, but got stuck for words.

Because I realized that Yoan-sama was not seeking such words.

“Hey, Serta. …Why can’t I be of use to anyone this much…? Why do I always make everyone unhappy…? Why am I… so powerless…………”

That was—

The moment the young man who always behaved stoutly vomited the “darkness” in the depths of his heart.

I felt as if I had been struck in the head with a blunt object.

“………………Sorry, I was a little upset. …………Forget what I just said.”

Yoan-sama smiled as if nothing had happened.

“Tsk…!”

I bit my lip.

Yoan-sama had been fighting and suffering alone all this time.

(And yet, look at me, thinking only of myself…!)

I didn’t want to become any uglier than this.

I didn’t want to hate myself any more than this.

(I am…, I am…!!)

That was why I…

…Solidified my resolve to withdraw.

“Yoan-sama… No… ‘Onii-sama.’ If it is Onii-sama, surely someday… you will be able to overcome fate and win the best future. …Because I believe so.”

“Serta… Just now…?”

Yoan-sama looked up at me as if surprised.

“…Please consider it my resolve. I wish to support Yoan-sama not as a master, but as ‘family’ from now on.”

Calling him Onii-sama was my way of drawing a line.

So that I did not desire a relationship beyond that.

Besides, since my mother and Crescella-sama were actually relatives, it wasn’t particularly strange for me to call Yoan-sama Onii-sama.

“…I see.”

—Suddenly.

Thick clouds covered the moon in the heavens.

Darkness covered Yoan-sama as if to hide his expression.

“Hey, Serta. If—”

In the darkness, Yoan-sama’s sky-blue eyes were shining mysteriously.

“If I… destroy these ‘maggots breeding in my head’ and become able to move this body by my own will, at that time————”

The room was wrapped in silence.

The lower-than-usual resonance made me feel a touch of anxiety somewhere.

However… Yoan-sama never spoke the words beyond that.

(What was that just now…?)

I was bewildered by the expression Yoan-sama showed earlier.

It was different from any face he had shown me until now.

“…No, never mind after all. Thank you always, Serta.”

“Tsk… No.”

I didn’t know what Yoan-sama tried to say.

But I didn’t try to ask.

Because I thought it wasn’t something I should ask “now”.

From that day, I decided to learn magic from my mother from scratch. Seriously, for three years.

I had been told I had a talent for magic, but I had refused on the grounds of taking care of Yoan-sama. I restarted that.

It was hard, but thinking of Yoan-sama, I could do my best.

Ever since then, strange things happened.

First, Yoan-sama started speaking to me himself.

Then, he started looking at parts of my body glancingly, or worrying about the inside of my skirt when I was crouching, showing slightly restless behavior. …Probably appropriate for his age.

I didn’t dislike that gaze. Rather, I thought it was favorable.

Because it meant he was interested in me myself and that body.

Although it was an ironic story that it happened after I withdrew from Yoan-sama.

And above all.

—Yoan-sama finally left his room.

I was convinced when I saw that face.

That Yoan-sama had finally overcome “Fate.”

However, at that time, surprise won over joy, and I couldn’t convey my congratulations well.

I intended to convey that again next time.

…Or so I thought, but suddenly Yoan-sama said he wanted to go on a “Journey to Find a Sword.”

As a result, Yoan-sama made a big scene and I ended up breaking out in a cold sweat, but that was another story.

Really, I wanted him to stop doing such dangerous things.

◇◇◇◇

The setting sun was beginning to dip.

I made my way home while talking with Yoan-sama inside the carriage.

Since the six Imperial Palaces including the Tiarma Imperial Palace were on high ground, we climbed a slope.

Outside the window, the cityscape of Kingshaven illuminated by the setting sun spread out.

“Look, Serta, this is called ‘Curly’s Treasure Sword,’ and it seems it was forged by the famous blacksmith Curly. This gem is a high-purity wind magic stone, and if you infuse magic power, you can release a slash; amazing, right?”

“Yes, it is amazing.”

Yoan-sama showed me the acquired “Treasure Sword” somewhat excitedly.

I, lacking in reaction, could only nod, but just seeing Yoan-sama talking happily made me happy.

“Right, Serta, that magic earlier was [Firestorm], right? Won’t you teach me before we go to the academy?”

“Yes, of course.”

If he was the same as His Majesty the Emperor, Yoan-sama should be equipped with the [Sword Saint] “Role Archetype.” In that case, learning magic was difficult, but it wasn’t like there was no possibility.

Being able to serve by Yoan-sama’s side was the greatest honor.

“Oh, I can see the sea in the distance. I couldn’t see it from my room because of the direction. The world seen with one’s own eyes is really beautiful…”

“…Yes.”

I was captivated by Yoan-sama’s profile illuminated by the setting sun.

I truly thought it was good that Yoan-sama was able to go outside.

If not, I wouldn’t have been able to see Yoan-sama’s smile like this.

“Onii-sama, come to think of it, what were you trying to say at that time three years ago…?”

I asked Yoan-sama, seeing an opening.

‘If I… destroy these “maggots breeding in my head” and become able to move this body by my own will, at that time————’

I had been unable to ask what Yoan-sama was trying to say at that time.

“Ah… that—”

Yoan-sama said as if he remembered.

Just like that time, he harbored a somewhat dark, mysterious light in his eyes.

And he slowly opened his mouth.

“Say, Serta. —Which do you think is happier: a ‘Satisfied Pig’ or a ‘Dissatisfied Human’?”

“Eh?”

Yoan-sama threw a strange question at me.

“It’s a metaphor. The former is, let’s see… a ‘Fool’ who wields power regardless of appearances and ends up dying carelessly by being poisoned in the end. Shall we say the latter is a ‘Sage’ with a noble spirit, even though his body doesn’t move properly and he can barely walk?”

I thought it was an extreme example. If asked which was happier, naturally…

“…Um, I cannot think of either as happy.”

At my answer, Yoan-sama smiled—nikkori.

“Exactly. That’s the correct answer, Serta. The answer is both are ‘Unhappy.’ But you know, a certain philosopher preached that the ‘Unfree but Noble Spirit’ is ‘Happier.’ They say it often. Even though they’ve never tasted ‘True Unfreedom’.”

“…”

I didn’t know of the existence called a “Philosopher.” But I understood what he wanted to say.

“—’Happiness,’ in the end, requires both the spirit to perceive it and the body to translate it into action. At least I think it doesn’t hold up if either is missing.”

Yoan-sama’s words had a resonance as if he was convinced of it.

“Humans are creatures that seek happiness. And that is the same for me. I absolutely do not want to let go of the happiness I have grasped. …That is why, Serta. I intend to do anything to protect it.

————Even if I tilt this body toward ‘Evil’.”

Yoan-sama said with a captivating smile.

I became unable to say a second word.

“Tsk…”

…Perhaps I had misjudged the person called Yoan-sama.

That he was a considerate person with a deeply charitable heart.

I had arbitrarily assumed that he looked at someone like me because he was kind.

…But, surely his essence was not that.

Because Yoan-sama was…

—The person who would become the Emperor of this country.