Chapter 125
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 125
Chapter Title: Coronation - 2
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Two bumps the size of fists had risen on Allie's head, and she gingerly touched her head.
"Sian! This is illegal! The founding old hag might get mad!"
"So you want another hit?"
"Heh heh heh, kidding. Just kidding..."
Allie backed away at the sight of my fist.
Having been born a nymph, it seemed she wasn't used to getting hit.
Maybe I should give her some proper re-education right now?
"This is just me wanting to get friendly with a fellow reincarnator."
"I'm not into that kind of socializing."
"Prickly personality. Sian in his previous life probably had no friends."
"No friends, but plenty of followers who obeyed my every word."
"What, were you an influencer?"
"Is the interrogation over? Send me to the capital already. This time it won't end with bumps."
"Tch, fine."
At my remark, Allie stopped obsessing over someone else's past and quickly got to work.
"The magic this body is casting right now is Mass Teleport."
"Sounds familiar."
"It moves space itself, so there's a bit of risk. Like ending up at the wrong coordinates or getting stuck in a wall."
"You're using something that dangerous on me?"
"Don't worry. Who is this body standing before you? The one and only Archmage of the Holy Kingdom."
"Not reassuring."
Allie puffed out her chest proudly as she spoke, but it only made me feel like I had a bird's chest in comparison.
"Believe in this body. Believe and be blessed."
"Cultish talk like that means you still haven't been hit enough."
As I eyed the magic with suspicion, Forrest offered some advice.
"Hero, the Fourth Apostle is the greatest mage in the history of our Holy Kingdom."
"Yeah?"
"Moreover, the Goddess Freyja whom the Fourth Apostle serves is the deity who oversees magic itself. The Apostle hasn't failed a single Mass spell in nearly two hundred years."
"Hmm... If Forrest puts it that way, I'll trust her once."
Allie grumbled as I accepted Forrest's opinion.
"Tch, if that's how it's gonna be, you should've listened to me from the start."
"Allie, your tongue's too long."
"Yeah, my tongue is long. Bleh."
"..."
Was she trying to mess with me, or was that just her natural personality?
Allie was pulling grotesque faces with her beautiful features.
She'd be better off just keeping her mouth shut.
"And Sian."
"If it's something weird, finish your work first."
"The Mass Teleport coordinates are the palace garden."
"What?"
"Everyone's curious about the Titan who suddenly showed up after thousands of years. The ministers and all the influential nobles in the capital have gathered to see you."
"Do the capital nobles have some refined hobby of turning people into spectacles?"
"If you've got complaints, stop showing off so much. The rumor that you took down Sir Andrew of Hadron spread to the capital, and more than a few knights are itching for a fight now."
"Why? Was Sir Andrew tough, and I'm supposed to be easy?"
"That's how knights' honor works. Ah, all set."
Allie pulled some strange device from her sub-space and created a shimmering gray pillar.
"Step in there, and you'll teleport right away."
"Got it. Everyone, I'll be back."
"Dear, come back safe."
"Yeah, I will."
After saying goodbye to the family, I stepped straight into the gray pillar Allie had made.
A wave of dizziness hit me, and space shifted.
And there were people dressed in fine clothes, with dignity radiating from their every posture.
They were unmistakably nobles, unmistakably high-ranking figures from the empire.
But strangely, they all looked at me and couldn't hide their bewilderment.
'What? First time seeing a tall human?'
As that thought crossed my mind...
"Impressive."
Only one person.
The platinum-blonde woman, escorted by knights, wore a subtle smile unlike the others.
...
In the distant future, if the Holy Kingdom—led by nymphs, the agents of the gods—is called the most noble nation, then the Astiren Empire, led by the bloodline of the emperors, will be called the greatest nation.
Words spoken by a renowned historian five hundred years ago. They pointed to the empire's boundless potential.
A full millennium.
The empire had dominated the continent for that long stretch of time.
Excluding the frigid northlands that needed no further pioneering and the region known as the demon realm, there was no corner of this land beyond the empire's influence.
And the reason the empire had held the continent for so long was that the imperial family recruited talent regardless of birth or status.
Such people had gathered here, in the palace garden. The greatest figures of the great empire, all in one place.
To observe the much-rumored Titan.
"A living figure from myth... Already looking forward to it."
"Hmm? Still just a barbarian raised in the woods, isn't he? I doubt he'll live up to the prime minister's expectations."
"Count, mind your words. That man is a hero acknowledged by the Holy Kingdom, the noble soul who felled Sir Andrew of Hadron."
"Haha, I forgot. Thank you, Marquis."
"Even without him, the empire's own talents could have handled it just fine."
Of course, those words carried no good intentions.
A scant few ministers welcomed the Titan's sudden exploits, but most viewed the newcomer with displeasure.
For the delicate balance of power between the empire and the Holy Kingdom was crumbling with the Titan's emergence.
The fifth emperor himself had even shown interest in the Titan.
"His Imperial Majesty is arriving."
As the Eclipse Knights—who served solely as the emperor's personal guard—began appearing in the courtyard...
The ministers fell into shock.
'He's come in person?'
'His Majesty must be that intrigued by the Titan!'
'So the rumors were true!'
This was a grave matter.
Kaina Q. Astiren.
The reigning emperor—she, unlike her predecessors, had rejected any alliance with the nymphs.
The ministers didn't know her true intentions, but refusing the nymphs' company amounted to the same thing.
Naturally, it felt like a shocking proclamation to them.
Officially, the Holy Kingdom was a vassal state of the empire, but anyone privy to the empire's inner workings knew the truth.
There would be no empire without the current Holy Kingdom.
In its thousand-year history, the domineering empire had amassed countless enemies and waged many wars.
Through it all, the nymphs had continually mediated, preserving harmony between factions.
What if the emperor—the master of the empire—rejected the nymphs outright?
The millennium-spanning empire would plummet into ruin in an instant.
'At times like this, we must band together.'
'If this Titan turns out to be nothing special, His Majesty will lose interest.'
'We place our faith in you, Marquis Baltarion!'
'I'll give it everything I have.'
The ministers had planned to overwhelm the arriving Titan with sheer intimidation from the start.
Not all of them were high-ranking knights, but the aura they had honed amid the intrigues of the imperial palace was no less formidable.
And among them was Supreme Commander Marquis Baltarion himself.
The current marquis of House Baltarion—which had guarded the empire for generations—was a second-rank knight.
His prowess matched that of the imperial knight commander, placing him among the continent's officially recognized top ten powerhouses.
But.
"Is this the capital?"
Everyone was thrown into disarray by the Titan's appearance.
...
"Haa..."
Allie, having sent Sian to the capital via magic, finally let out a sigh of relief. Forrest hurried over to her.
"Apostle."
"I know. It was too obvious."
"Yes, very much so."
"It's all that founding old hag's fault. Forcing an induced interrogation on a nymph who can't even lie! If Senior Helen doesn't trust me that much, she should do it herself!"
"...You worked hard."
The reason the Fourth Apostle Allie had deliberately acted so friendly toward Sian was at the founding emperor's behest.
A not-quite-request for a fellow reincarnator like Allie to gather intel on Sian's previous life.
Of course, the result—as you can see—was a total failure.
"I figured my looks would win him over, except for the little things."
Contrary to the rumors of him being a womanizer, Sian hadn't let his guard down around Allie easily.
Not even around nymphs, certified as benevolent beings by the world itself.
Sian possessed the instincts of a highly vigilant beast, piercing straight through others' intentions.
"The hero doesn't drop his guard easily. It took us far longer than expected to earn our place."
"You all worked hard."
"It's fine. And once the hero acknowledges someone, he's endlessly generous toward them."
"Really?"
"Yes. Lately, he treats us like family."
"A warm-hearted guy deep down, despite the exterior."
"Um, Apostle."
"Hm? What's wrong, little one?"
Helia—who had stayed silent from start to finish—spoke up with a startled expression.
"Sian-nim's clothes... they've come off."
"Ah..."
Following her words, they saw Sian's prepared outfit scattered across the floor.
As if an insect had molted right there.
Allie finally voiced her honest thoughts for the first time since arriving.
"Oh shit. This."