Help, I'm in Another World and All the Men Are Are So Dangerous! [BL]-Chapter 299: The Weight of the Throne

But before he could say anything, Laxus, completely delighted, started walking with a spring in his step.

"Rocco! You’re back...!"

The moment they come out from the underground prison, they were met by Sylas and his father who are both looking deeply concerned.

As soon as they spotted him, they rushed forward, their expressions urgent.

Like always, they tried to pluck Rocco out of Laxus’s arms—

But this time, Rocco clung onto Laxus, pressing himself against him as if refusing to be separated.

That made them freeze.

Usually, either Laxus would resist, or they’d just take him without issue.

But now?

Rocco himself was shaking his head and clinging tightly.

Their faces twisted in shock—like their entire world had just crumbled.

"W-What...!"

"Rocco? It’s me, your father! Papa!"

It was unclear whether they couldn’t believe it or just didn’t want to.

Frantically, they tried to coax him out of Laxus’s arms.

But Rocco remained perfectly calm.

No matter what they said, it didn’t affect him at all.

He simply ignored them and tightened his grip on Laxus.

"No way! Today, I’m not leaving Laxus’s side! I’m staying with him forever!"

"Rocco...!"

Like a koala, he wrapped both his arms and legs around Laxus, holding on tight.

Laxus, clearly overwhelmed with emotion, hugged him back even tighter.

Meanwhile, Sylas and his father...

They went completely still.

Like they had flatlined on the spot.

Oops.

Maybe Rocco had said that a little too strongly?

Oh well. More importantly—

The mission report.

Puffing up his chest proudly, Rocco turned to his father and delivered his report with confidence.

"Father! I finished the interrogation properly, so I’ll tell you all about it later! And if that guy clams up again, leave it to me! I’ll get everything out of him! Yep!"

"Rocco, Rocco... I think I might be the only one hearing that adorable report right now."

"Wh— Gah! No way!"

Marcus, hadn’t listened to a word of his incredibly cool report.

Oh well... He’d just have to explain it properly later.

Sniffling a little in disappointment, Rocco let himself melt into Laxus’s gentle pats and comforting strokes.

It had been a few days since then, but Deimos was still refusing to speak to anyone else during interrogations.

Despite his father’s protests, Rocco had insisted on questioning Deimos again with Laxus, and sure enough, Deimos answered him without hesitation—so much so that Rocco couldn’t even imagine him staying silent for anyone else.

And today, once again, Rocco had come to the royal palace for another interrogation.

But while waiting in the guest room, snacking on some sweets, a sudden question popped into his mind.

Curious, he turned to Laxus and asked,

"Hey, Laxus... why are we even interrogating Deimos in the first place?"

Munching on a madeleine, Rocco tilted his head as he spoke.

Laxus blinked, puzzled.

His gaze practically said, What do you mean?

Maybe he hadn’t explained it well enough.

After a moment of thought, Rocco tried again.

"Well... I mean, Deimos’s the mastermind, right? So is there even a point in interrogating him?"

"Ah, I see what you’re getting at. Normally, once the leader of a rebellion is captured, they’d be executed right away."

"R-Right..."

Oh.

So that’s how it usually went.

The thought sent a slightly gruesome image flashing through Rocco’s mind.

Panicking, he quickly shook his head, trying to erase the mental picture of a guillotine.

Nope, nope. Definitely shouldn’t be thinking about that.

Forcing himself to stay calm, he nodded coolly.

Laxus, watching him, hummed thoughtfully before replying.

"Well, the main reason is because His Majesty wants it."

Rocco blinked.

"The king wants it...?"

What did that mean?

Wide-eyed, he turned to Laxus, who gave him a wry smile.

"Exactly what it sounds like. Thanks to Deimos’s testimony, the corruption within the royal family throughout history has been exposed. So the king wants to investigate everything thoroughly before carrying out an execution."

"Hmm... I see, I see..."

Munch, munch.

Nibbling on another madeleine, then a cookie, Rocco puffed up his cheeks like a squirrel as he processed Laxus’s words.

It made sense.

But still—

The king was completely different from Rocco’s first impression of him.

He never would’ve guessed that the king was the kind of ruler who actually cared about corruption in the royal family.

Back when they first met, he’d seemed so unreliable that Rocco had assumed things about him—just a simple, ah, I get it kind of feeling.

But clearly, he hadn’t gotten it at all.

"...Does the king not care?" Rocco asked suddenly.

"About Deimos, I mean. Didn’t he take over Ares’ body? His own little brother... Isn’t that hard for him?"

As Rocco chewed over the complicated thoughts in his head, Laxus simply nodded, looking completely unfazed.

"Hmm... But that’s just how it is, isn’t it? Before being his brother, Deimos is a traitor. And logically speaking, the latter holds more weight. From the king’s perspective, he’s not facing his brother—he’s facing a rebel."

"...Mmm."

Rocco pouted slightly, his shoulders drooping.

Seeing his reaction, Laxus quickly pulled him into a hug.

"Did I say something upsetting?" he asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

Rocco shook his head.

That wasn’t it.

It wasn’t that Laxus had said anything wrong.

It was just—

Rocco wasn’t family, so he could think whatever he wanted.

To him, both Deimos and Ares seemed tragic.

But the king didn’t have that luxury.

Even though they were blood-related, duty had to come first.

Rocco couldn’t put it into words properly, but... it just felt like everyone in this situation was unfortunate.

As an outsider, he could say whatever he wanted.

Like, isn’t it kind of messed up to let someone with lingering beastman prejudice take the throne?

And speaking of that—

A thought suddenly struck him.

Furrowing his brows, he turned to Laxus and asked,

"Does the king discriminate against beastmen?"

A sudden thought struck Rocco—the theory that the king might actually be the villain!

He recalled Ares’ testimony.

Ares had said that he couldn’t become king because he had been disinherited.

Disinheritance meant being stripped of succession rights, which meant that no matter how hard he tried, he never had the right to the throne in the first place.

Thinking about it, the people who cast Ares out just because of his strong beastman heritage were villains too.

At least, that’s what Rocco thought, in his soft-hearted way.

And if the current king had taken part in Ares’ disinheritance...

Frowning at the thought, Rocco glanced at Laxus, who shook his head slightly.

"No, His Majesty wasn’t involved in that whole disinheritance scandal. If anything, the true poison of the royal family at that time was his father—the former king."

"The former...? So the king’s dad was the real villain?"

"Hmm... If I had to put it in terms you’d understand, then yeah, I suppose so."

"Hey! That sounded insulting! I felt the malice in that!"

Rocco huffed, puffing out his cheeks in protest.

Laxus chuckled, gently calming him down before explaining more about the villainous former king.

"The previous king was a textbook beastman supremacist. Naturally, when his younger brother was born with strong beastman traits, he decided from the very start that he would be disinherited."

"Ugh... That guy’s the worst."

Rocco scowled.

"That’s probably why Ares turned out so twisted."

Muttering angrily, he crossed his arms.

Laxus, watching him, let out a small chuckle and ruffled his hair.

"You really are kind, Rocco. Even when dealing with a rebel, you don’t abandon them."

"That’s not it!"

Rocco huffed, shaking his head.

"Ares did something bad, so he should be punished! But the people who wronged him should be punished too. Otherwise, it’s just not fair!"

Deimos, betrayed by his own brother, losing his chance at the throne.

Ares, discriminated against by his own father, doomed from birth.

The two of them were alike.

It even explained why Rocco hadn’t felt much discomfort when he first met Deimos.

Honestly... they were both tragic.

His shoulders slumped.

Just as he was sinking into his thoughts, the door to the guest room suddenly burst open—without so much as a knock.

Whoa, someone’s got guts, barging in like that when Laxus’s here...

Turning around, Rocco’s eyes widened in surprise.

"There you are. I’ve been looking for you, my bride."

"O-O-O-Oh, Y-Your Highness?!"

The unexpected visitor was none other than the crown prince himself.

Rocco nearly leapt into the air in shock.

Scrambling to his feet, he hastily stuffed the rest of his madeleine into his mouth and bowed awkwardly.

"It’s been a while—munch munch—Your Highness. Is something wrong—munch munch?"

Why would the prince personally come looking for him?

And stop calling me bride!

Still chewing, Rocco shot him a scolding glare as he bowed.

The prince, however, strode right up to him—only to be blocked by Laxus.

"How improper, Your Highness. Please don’t disrupt my fiancé’s snack time."

"Hmph. I see you haven’t changed. Even after all this time, you still dare speak so rudely to royalty."

Laxus, standing protectively in front of Rocco, greeted the prince with a beaming smile—one that was definitely not appropriate for addressing a royal.

For some reason, Rocco was the one breaking into a nervous sweat.