Chapter 130
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 130
Chapter Title: Coronation - 7
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The Pope glared at the Emperor as he spoke.
"Your Majesty, that's enough."
"Your Holiness, your words are getting shorter and shorter."
"I have no choice. As a Nymph and a guide, it's only proper to scold someone who's being stubborn like a child."
"Do you see Us as a child too?"
"Of course. I've been watching you since you were young."
"Are you talking about when I attended the academy? That's over two hundred years ago, and you remember it well."
"All I can do is chew over the past."
"Hmm... For someone ruminating on the past, you're repeating the same old mistakes."
"..."
The chilling tension in their verbal exchange put both factions on edge, the atmosphere thick enough that swords could be drawn at any moment.
If these forces clashed, it wouldn't just devastate the capital—the entire Empire would suffer greatly.
Yet neither showed any sign of backing down.
That was when.
"I heard you were looking for me."
The protagonist of the conversation, Titan, reappeared in the temple.
...
'I'm going mad.'
What sin had I committed in my previous life to deserve this ordeal?
'Ah, right. I did commit some sins.'
I let out a sigh and glanced at the crowd staring at me.
The Pope's expression asked why I'd come back, while the Emperor beckoned me to her side.
My popularity was at its peak these days.
These beauties competing over me like this.
'Ah, I just want to go home.'
Suppressing the urge to bolt, I took my place in the center.
The Emperor was the first to speak to me.
"I distinctly told you to stay by my side."
"I'm sorry. I was treating an urgent patient."
"Treating?"
"The First Apostle Clark was in bad shape, so I lent him some power."
"With what ability of yours?"
"I'm Hestia's hero. And Nymphs are beings created by Hestia. I used Hestia's divinity to heal Clark."
"I know the theory. But doesn't that require an immense amount of divinity to succeed?"
"Your Majesty knows my holy power is extraordinary, doesn't she?"
"Hmm... True enough."
The Emperor didn't press further at my retort.
Denying it would mean denying her own reason for wanting to claim me.
Still, the news seemed to shock her—her expression soured.
"Is that true?"
The Pope, who'd heard the report from Rachel, looked just as troubled.
Was it because I'd broken a taboo? He seemed to take it gravely, a shadow falling over his beautiful face.
'Hey? I saved a person's life? Can't we just let it slide?'
As I mentally prepared my defense, the Pope turned to the Emperor.
"Your Majesty, there's no need for us to go on like this."
"We were just thinking the same."
For some reason, the two who'd been glaring daggers moments ago suddenly turned meek as lambs.
"Titan."
"Your Majesty, my name is Sian."
"Right, Sian. It's a pity some urgent business kept me from making you mine today, but I have no intention of letting you go."
"As I said before, I have no plans to have children unless it's with the woman I love."
"Then what about me?"
"Eh?"
Silence fell instantly.
What was this pervert saying now?
"Objectively speaking, my beauty is top-notch."
"...That's going too far with the joke."
I said it sternly, but the Emperor was no woman to be deterred so easily.
"I'm serious. For the Empire's sake, I was prepared to take you as my consort."
"..."
A shiver ran down my spine.
No matter how much it was for her country, to want a child from me just because of my Titan bloodline?
This was true madness. The intensity of it was off the charts.
"Your Majesty, nothing has been confirmed yet. Speaking rashly will only confuse your subjects."
"I've already made up my mind. There will be no arguments, understand?"
"Your Majesty..."
Seeing her behavior, I could imagine how much her ministers must suffer on a daily basis.
She looked ready to retire, but with her personality, she'd never allow it.
"Hero, come with me."
"Understood."
As I watched the Emperor's retreating figure leave the temple, the Pope led me somewhere else.
True to his thousand years of life, the Pope spoke calmly.
"First, thank you for sacrificing for Clark's sake."
"No need. I've received much help from the First Apostle myself, and knowing the Apostles bring good to the world, I was glad to assist. So no thanks necessary."
"You're noble, unlike other reincarnators."
Flashing a beautiful smile, the Pope caught his breath before getting to the main point.
"As you know, my mother doesn't think highly of you, hero."
"Well, I'm bracing for some racial prejudice."
Titans were inherently a predator race to Nymphs.
To a Titan, a Nymph born of Hestia's divinity was prime prey. It was actually odd that Nymph Helen and the Pope treated Titan me so well.
The reason was probably that I was a reincarnator.
"We expect great things from your potential."
"I figured as much."
"But my mother is wary precisely because you're a reincarnator."
"Hard to empathize, but I get it to some extent. A mythical race like Titans suddenly showing up as a reincarnator? Bound to raise suspicions. And then..."
I stroked the Pope's head as I continued.
"Having such a cute son would make even me worry about my child... Ah, sorry. It's a habit."
"...It's fine. I'm well aware of my appearance objectively. And it didn't feel bad."
He didn't seem to be lying—far from offended, he looked pleased.
Hmm, now I want a cute son of my own.
"To get to the point, my mother will now be watching you closely."
"Wait, why?"
I was floored by the bombshell.
The auntie who'd been content with mere wariness was now going full surveillance?
The Pope looked troubled at my question.
"Because you broke the taboo."
"Hah? But I succeeded."
"To my mother, success or failure isn't the issue. She's simply obsessed with something she couldn't achieve in the past."
"What a stubborn mother."
"..."
Badmouthing mothers wasn't right, but this time I couldn't let it slide.
Someone who'd lived so long should just stop meddling in worldly affairs.
"But you didn't call me aside just to tell me this. What did you really bring me here for?"
"To proceed with the coronation right now."
"Right now?"
"Yes. Any delay, and my mother might cause you trouble."
"...But with no one here, is a coronation even possible?"
"The Holy Kingdom's coronations aren't mere ceremonies. The twelve gods themselves draw the crest matching your bloodline, allowing you to display dignity miraculously whenever you wish."
"Can't Empire nobles receive it?"
"Not unless they're a grand duke."
"Why not?"
"It's not cheap to perform even once."
So money was the issue after all.
"Then let's begin."
And so the abbreviated coronation began.
In typical fantasy novels, this would be the moment the protagonist finally becomes nobility, with everyone showering praise and flowery rhetoric.
But for me, it was just a plain affair.
'Well, it suits me.'
I had a personality that got tired with too much attention anyway.
Not that I hadn't already gotten plenty.
"Eh?"
Suddenly, the Pope—who'd been chanting a prayer—started looking flustered.
What now?
"Did something happen?"
"N-no, it's nothing. You don't need to worry, hero."
"Telling me not to worry while you're breaking out in cold sweat makes me worry."
"S-sorry."
"No need to apologize. So, is there a problem with the coronation?"
"The coronation is fine. I just panicked because what appeared was different from what I expected."
The Pope used holy power to draw what he'd seen and show it to me.
It was an image of a tiger and a faceless human standing side by side.
"Is this my crest?"
"Yes. What concerns me is that it has two symbols."
"Usually just one?"
"Yes, and symbols typically indicate the fate of one's bloodline... Which is why I expected yours to be a tiger."
"Because I'm a reincarnator?"
"Reincarnators rarely receive coronations, so it's possible, but even my mother—who received the twelve gods' blessing—had only one."
"Hmm... But why'd you think tiger specifically?"
"Well..."
As he started to answer, the Pope suddenly stared into empty space.
"Sorry. No time to explain now."
"She already paying a house call?"
"...Yes."
Seeing the Pope struggle to respond, I sighed inwardly.
This auntie was wearing everyone out.
"Sigh... Alright, I'll be going then."
"The reward for helping Clark will arrive soon."
"No need. I wanted to help personally anyway."
"No, it's only right as Pope."
"Really, it's fine..."
As I tried to refuse the Pope's gift, my hunter instincts suddenly screamed at me to run from this place immediately.
'A being I can't face yet.'
Having indirectly felt the gap in power, I hurriedly fled the temple.