Book 2: Chapter 44


    Your majesty, what are you doing here?


    There were no winds that could blow my cape upwards on the balcony, nor did I have a cigarette that would make it look like I was deep in thought. I only had a ss of red wine in hand. I took little sips of the red wine and felt it pass through my mouth, then down into my gut.


    Nier stood behind me and looked at me. Maybe she came to look for me since she didnt see me in therge hall.


    Nothing, just thinking about some stuff.


    Alright.


    Nier turned around to leave, but I turned around and called her. She turned around and looked at me nkly. I looked at her with my ss in my hand and didnt utter a word. Nier didnt move. She just stood in ce, silently awaiting my orders. The wandering winds blew onto me and lifted Niers ponytail up and across her green eyes. Her green eyes were gleaming under the moonlight.


    Nier, has our rtionship eased up a little recently?


    Nier looked at me and calmly replied: Its the same as always.


    I had another sip and then let out a long sigh. After that lecture from the Regent, I came to a realisation. My rtionship with Nier hasnt changed her, and we havent fallen in love with each other after spending time together, but it was because I ordered her to kill like the empress usually does for the first time back at the slums. Nier is most happy when she has her long sword in hand and ispletely covered in blood. Nier initially hated my weakness, but that was the first time I ordered somebody to kill.


    Nier looked at me and said: Theres nothing we can do about it.


    Nothing we can do about it?


    Yes.


    Nier looked at me and continued: Her majesty bestowed me with a weapon so that I could kill people. I have the rights to kill, so killing is the same as my life. Its a right. I dont have any feelings about it.


    I smiled helplessly. Killing people is a right? In my past, I believed that we cant kill because murder was against thew, and that nobody had the right to take the life of another unless thew deemed necessary, which was why I didnt kill. I didnt have the right to kill. But aftering here, Ive attained the right to kill as well as a tool to kill. It was like I came to that realisation when we are at the slums and therefore gave the order to kill them all.


    It truly was as simple as eating or sleeping, just as if I was born the same way. Murder really is just like a mundane task in a day but most people dont have the right tomit murder. But now I have said right, and I used it. And after I used it, I surprisingly didnt feel anything. I told myself those men deserved to die, and forgot that the person who shouldve judged them was thew, and not me. I used the power of a prince to kill for the first time.


    Whats scarier is that I actually felt happy about it.


    My hands were clean because Nier was the one who spilled their blood. Its more urate to say that my rtionship with Nier was set straight, rather than having eased up. Nier is a killing machine, and Im the person that has that killing machine. My past self wouldve treated such a weapon as decoration or a toy. I wouldve made Nier lose her life purpose. But when I gave her the order to kill, my rtionship with Nier immediately reached its perfect form.


    Nier is a weapon and Im the one who wields that weapon. With the empress behind me, I could open fire wherever I decided and blood would spurt forth like fireworks because that was my right, the right of a prince. All of this belongs to me. Thend, the homes and the lives of the people were all mine.


    People cant kill people, not because they cant, but because they dont have the right to.


    I now have the right. This power is just like the wine in front of me. I wasnt used to it at first, but Im intoxicated by it now. This world transformed me the moment I gave the order to kill.


    I looked at Nier and asked: Nier, do you know what the consequences for killing someone is?


    Nier casually replied: There are no consequences.


    I pointed at myself and asked: Then what if I killed you now? What would happen to me?


    Youd get a bit of a lecture from her majesty for spoiling the mood.


    Nier wasnt scared. She just stood there leisurely. If I were to drop my ss and tell Nier to kill herself right now, Nier would actually use a shard of my ss and slit her throat with it. That, is power. Its what I now have. I can kill whenever I want. I can force other countries to sign agreements unfair to them. I could even pick a random woman and throw her onto my bed if I chose to. Not only would they not resist, theyd even feel happy and proud about it.


    Thats the right and power of a prince. I can overrule thew. I can overrule everything. I now finally understand why people enjoy a carefree and happy life at the risk of destroying their country. Its like how people smoke despite knowing the harm it brings. Power and wine, intoxicate people and get them hooked the same way tobo does. You cant quit once you experience it.


    Im d Ivee to understand this. Otherwise, Ill end up using this damn excuse to numb myself each time and get Nier to kill. Nier would be very happy that way, and there will finallye a day where I drink a ss of wine mixed with blood. No, itll be worse. The empress wouldnt restrain me and Id be a tyrant. Id even pursue power here and forget all about the elves.


    I dont know how many sses of wine I had, but my mind was still nk, or rather Ive juste to my senses. I only felt giddy about ordering Nier to kill and stamping the agreement with the seal because I was drunk.


    I turned around, looked at the bright-light city and gently called: Nier


    Nier, from behind asked: What is it?


    I think I was wrong Maybe I was too weak in the past.


    Its not toote to realise it now.


    I clenched my teeth and smiled weakly. My power has be like a plug-in over here. Isnt it always the case that dimensional travellers have some sort of cheat skill? My identity after my dimensional travel must be my cheat skill, which has allowed me to enjoy all of this, as well as my right and power to carry out acts of brutality. I cant let go of these things. I can only ept this power.


    But thats not a problem. Power is a good thing. Its just that it needs to be caged. Its good that I understand that now. I know that I have the power and right to kill people, but I wont kill people on a whim. I know I have the right and power to kill, so I wont stop Nier from drawing her sword when Im in a pinch from now.


    My moral standards from before arent my bottom line, but merely an attitude for carrying out tasks. My previous morals were handcuffs on me, but its now my scabbard. Ill use my morals to decide whether or not I should kill, but I wont let it hinder my decisions.


    Ill order you to kill a lot more from now.


    Understood.


    Nier went back. When she returned, she brought with her a bottle of wine and a ss. She poured herself a full ss and then stood to my side. She knocked the ss of red wine back like it was water expressionlessly.


    Nier is not a good drinkingpanion. She didnt utter a word and her expression never changed regardless of how much she drank, as though she was a block of ice. Regardless of how much she drank, she was still cold deep down. You cant enjoy a drink with her as yourpanion.


    But she puts me at ease.


    What I didnt know was that Nier was thinking about a lot of things just as I was that night.