Half of it is just speculation, but if I piece together what I just heard from Miriola, what Riona overheard at the facility, and Void’s understanding of Miriola’s personality, it’s probably not far from the truth.

The bread I bought at the cafeteria for dinner was freshly baked and decently good, but honestly, after a while, it felt like it had no taste.

Void was the only one devouring it without a care.

Oujin muttered in exasperation upon seeing that.

“Really, you. After hearing that story, how can you still have an appetite?”

“Pathetic. It’s a common story. In war, there are generally two types of people who die first. Foolish heroes and soldiers who lost their family or lovers first. The former just die alone, but the latter fall into despair and drag a ton of friends and enemies down with them in a self-destructive spiral.”

Lili, who had been tearing off pieces of bread and slowly bringing them to her mouth, froze and lowered her hand.

She must have had thoughts about it. Lili, for Blythe's sake, once charged alone and took the lives of hundreds of Republic soldiers, and even went so far as to slaughter defenseless people.

I reached out and gently held Lili’s hand at an angle where no one else could see.

“...?”

Lili glanced at me in surprise for a moment but didn’t pull away, instead quickly looking straight ahead again.

Void continued.

“During the war, that kind of thing wasn’t rare at all.”

Riona murmured.

“So Nereid is the latter type?”

“Yeah, but that's not the important part. — Oh, looks like I bought too much again. Here.”

Void tossed an extra sandwich at Riona.

Riona caught it with both hands, pouting as she muttered, “Thanks.” She had prepared her own meal too, but it was clearly too little, even for a girl.

Still, Void really was a caring guy, despite always being so harsh with his words.

“Long story short, there’s no need to sympathize with the man who created a homunculus. Think about how many more people will die because of his research for the sake of that one daughter. It's simple math, really.”

Swallowing the bread stuffed in his mouth and brushing off his hands, he added:

“No matter what you do, the dead aren’t coming back. A person’s character is shaped by their environment. So, it’s a grim thought, but was the girl in the flask truly his daughter, Atyura? I don’t think she was.”

Lili squeezed my hand tighter.

Her hand was trembling slightly, but she said nothing.

So I spoke up instead.

“Foolish. There’s no need to be sentimental about such things. The moment you survive the battlefield, you are no different from Nereid, to some degree or another.”

Once you've killed others and survived, you're no different from the old men.

Void looked surprised for a moment but then laughed.

“Hah! You sure know your stuff for a kid. Exactly. No need to get hung up on it. When you look at individuals, there are very few who don’t carry any burdens.”

“What matters is not others, but who is important to you. When you come back to that, in the end, we’re all the same as Nereid. No exceptions.”

For Lili, that person was Blythe. That’s all there is to it.

Void grimaced.

“Well, that’s how it is. — Hey, are you really ten years old?”

Oujin shook his head with a pained expression.

“Even so, I don’t think I can understand. No, I can understand it, but I can't empathize. Void and Eremia are so detached.”

“Well, yeah. After all, inside El-tan is a battle-hardened old man~”

Riona’s words were clearly a joke, but I couldn’t deny it.

Because in my previous life, Blythe had killed far more than Nereid or Lili ever did. That doesn't mean I could carry all of it, though.

With a smirk, I spoke:

“In any case, it’s the job of kings and presidents to carry the death toll of wars. You guys can just push all your sins onto Kilpus.”

Right after I said that, a light fist hit the top of my head.

“Ow!”

Lili, having let go of my hand, was glaring down at me.

“Eremia, you must properly address him as His Majesty, especially in front of others, no matter how close you are. Understand?”

“Ugh... Right...”

After saying that, Lili, from a hidden angle, gently grasped my hand again.

Geez, for someone older than me, she’s way too cute. She really wants to hold hands that badly? Makes you wonder who the real kid is here.

“Li— no, I mean, Instructor Ituka. About that matter, Kilp— no, argh, damn it!”

Lili was glaring at me again. Those scary eyes!

I had no choice but to correct myself.

“O-Our esteemed King Oldingham, what does His Majesty know about this matter?”

Void and Oujin burst out laughing simultaneously.

“Hahaha, that doesn’t suit you, Eremia. Trying to be proper just makes you look weird.”

“Heh, who’s the fancy noble now?”

Royalty, actually. Not that I could say that out loud with Riona and Lili around.

Suddenly, Riona pounced on my head. Her scrawny chest hit my face.

“Stop it, you pervy kappa! You stray dog! Stop bullying my El-tan! ...Ngh, pfft, kuuh~, ahahaha! ‘What does His Majesty know about this matter!’ Pfft, ahahahahaha! So fishy~!”

Maybe because of her part-time job at a restaurant, Riona’s uniform smelled delicious, like meat and sauces, but—

“...Stop mimicking my voice and words...”

I pushed Riona away as usual.

“Aww, don’t be shy. That’s what a healthy boy should enjoy!”

“...What’s it going to take for you to learn your lesson...”

“I told you, I won’t! Not until El-tan turns to me!”

Watching this, Lili narrowed her eyes a little.

“Eremia and Belzhein are always so friendly and lively together.”

“Of course! We’re His Majesty’s officially approved fiancés now!”

Wha!? Stop it!!

Look, Lili’s eyes again—what is that look!? I’ve never seen it before, even in my previous life!

I hastily tried to explain.

“D-Don’t be ridiculous! That was just a misunderstanding! It’s already been cleared up!”

“Ehh~, how mean~. We could have just made it true since His Majesty misunderstood it anyway.”

At least Riona herself admitted it was a misunderstanding.

Relieved, I cautiously looked up at Lili.

“Anyway, Instructor Ituka. It's like you and Givley — that guy.”

“Ah, so that’s what it was. I was a bit surprised. You’re only ten, yet you act so mature.”

Lili, still holding my hand, gently squeezed and released it. Her expression had completely returned to normal—no, she even looked cheerful.

Doing something like this secretly from everyone else somehow felt strangely sinful. Or rather, was she trying to tempt me? We’re supposed to be instructor and student right now...

While I was lost in thought, Lili calmly spoke:

“About your earlier question: I think His Majesty already knows about Nereid. There's no reason for Juanere to hide the report.”

Honestly, I couldn’t even focus on the serious topic anymore.

If Lili’s hand movements were unconscious, then in a way, she was worse than Riona, I thought.