Chapter 121
Chapter: 121
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 121
>Chapter Title: Saintess's Trial (1)
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>Seo Yi-seo startled to a halt as she opened the newly created white door in front of her.
She had just installed and launched MyHome mode, so the room inside should have been empty—yet there stood a complete stranger.
“Who are you? How did you get in here? I didn’t invite anyone...”
But the intruder didn’t respond. Instead, he gazed around the room as if entranced, murmuring to himself.
“...Sturdy. And beautiful.”
His voice carried a deep, resonant timbre.
He was a tall man wearing a half-mask. His long, silver-streaked hair flowed freely, and he wore loose robes reminiscent of priestly vestments. The wrinkles visible below his mask suggested he wasn’t young.
Flutter, flutter. A few blue butterflies danced around him, circling as if drawn to him.
“...Are you from Impulse Soft? Even if it’s an internal alpha test, breaking into someone’s private space is illegal! Hey, are you listening?”
Seo Yi-seo shouted warily.
But the man ignored her completely and strode straight to a bookshelf against one wall. He began to gently caress the books with his fingertips, handling them as if they were precious treasures.
“Amazing. A dimension made from just a single small house. To think a tiny ordered world like this could truly come into being. I’ve crossed dimensions for ages untold, but this is the first time I’ve seen anything like it...”
After savoring the texture of the books for a while, the man finally turned to look straight at Seo Yi-seo and asked,
“Are you the ruler of this dimension? How in the world did you create a space like this?”
Huh? Ruler? What?
“...I just installed the MyHome expansion pack, that’s all. You seem like you’re from Impulse Soft—feel free to apply for the alpha test yourself if you want.”
“You speak as if anyone could do it. Then why hasn’t a tiny ordered world like this existed until now?”
Seo Yi-seo had no idea what he meant by “ordered world,” but assuming it referred to virtual spaces, she replied tactfully.
“Well, because the MyHome expansion pack was just developed?”
“Heh heh...”
The man let out a hollow, incredulous laugh.
The butterflies, now increased in number, fluttered upward as if responding to the sound.
“Then allow me one final question. Why do the laws governing this world match those of that place?”
“That place?”
“That noisy, glittering world. The dimension of Pangea Chronicle. The scale of objects, their mass, texture, the flow of time... everything is identical.”
Seo Yi-seo frowned.
What? This guy isn’t from Impulse Soft?
“Because it uses the same Homunculus Unified Engine. The physics engine is the same.”
“Engine... Yes, you call it an engine... Such sturdy, beautiful laws!”
With a quiet exclamation of admiration, the man closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath—as if he wanted to savor every speck of air in the room.
Guess I should report this to the company first.
As Seo Yi-seo pondered seriously, the man finally opened his eyes and approached her with long strides. Startled, she instinctively stepped back and asked,
“W-what is it all of a sudden?”
“Our meeting must be fate. I wish to make you the protagonist of my new chronicle.”
“...Pardon?”
When she reflexively asked in confusion, the man’s lips curved into a long smile beneath his half-mask.
“This works out perfectly. You seem to enjoy stories like these quite a bit.”
In his hands were several books he had pulled from the shelf—e-books that Seo Yi-seo had linked to MyHome in advance.
-Fake Saintess Obsessed Over by the Male Lead.
-The Saintess Tames the Demon King.
-I’m the Saintess, But I’m Unwittingly Harem-Managing—Any Problem?
Seo Yi-seo’s cheeks flushed red.
They were all treasured parts of her collection, but she wasn’t exactly proud to have her lopsided reading tastes exposed to others.
But at the man’s next words, her eyes widened involuntarily.
“Lately, my sensibilities have grown quite rich, so I believe I can craft a tale that suits you well. What do you say? Will you become the saintess of my new story?”
...Saintess?
And then.
From somewhere, a swarm of blue-winged butterflies suddenly filled Seo Yi-seo’s vision.
* * *
Summoning a subject of the Imperial Capital as a witness required certain procedures.
It had to go through an organization with official authority, like the Capital Guard or the Heresy Tribunal, and the reason and basis for the summons had to be clearly documented.
They could have gone straight to Salon de Mershi and questioned her, but that might look like harassing an innocent person to onlookers. And if the pattern designer tried to flee, they needed a legal means to detain him—that was Masaine’s explanation.
‘Captain Masaine’s surprisingly hung up on justifications...’
Seongjin found it a bit troublesome but agreed that force might well be necessary.
So he visited the Capital Guard with Masaine and a few resident knights.
“You’re saying there’s a chance that employee from the dress shop is connected to the previous monster... incident?”
The Capital Guard captain asked reluctantly in response to Seongjin’s request for backup.
“Indeed. This is a grave matter threatening the safety of the Imperial Capital. I ask for the Capital Guard’s full cooperation.”
With Masaine adding weight from the side, Seongjin drove the point home.
“Above all, the monster depicted in the banned [Apocalypse of the Otherworld] was used as a pattern. Depending on the investigation, it may need to be handed over to the Heresy Tribunal—a most serious affair.”
At the mention of the Heresy Tribunal, the Guard captain finally straightened up and nodded.
“Very well. We’ll dispatch Capital Guard units alongside you. However...”
“Yeah?”
“Who does this bizarre outfit belong to?”
The Guard captain eyed the tiger-butterfly patterned garment Seongjin had brought as evidence, his face tinged with disgust.
“Huh? It’s mine. Why?”
“......”
The Guard captain’s gaze shifted from viewing Seongjin as a troublesome idiot to a complete lunatic.
What? Can’t you appreciate this high-level fashion sense? Huh?
[...You were the one who hated it the most at first.]
It grew on me after wearing it. Comfort’s the best in clothes, after all.
In any case, the Guard captain assigned ten members, including three armed knights.
Thus, Seongjin, who ended up leading the Guard members lined up at the building entrance as their representative, smiled contentedly.
‘Having official authority in my hands feels kinda reassuring, you know?’
But when those reassuring Guard members caught sight of Seongjin’s face, they flinched in surprise and averted their eyes one by one!
Huh? What’s with them?
[You already forgot how you beat up the Capital Guard members not long ago?]
Tch, so I’ve made enemies with the authorities without realizing.
On his way to Salon de Mershi, Seongjin soon met up with Logan, who had been waiting for him at the entrance to Deshte Street.
“The Orthodox Church suggested sending that employee straight to the Heresy Tribunal for interrogation.”
Regardless of status, Logan was currently part of the Saint Bastian Knight Order. Thus, his official activities required reports and approval from the Orthodox Church and the Knight Commander.
The guy had dashed off saying he’d check with the Knights, but when he returned, he wasn’t alone. Behind him stood a group of paladins dressed in the white uniforms of the order.
Judging by the blue sword and lily embroidered on their uniforms, they were Saint Bastians. Their stiff faces, lips pressed into thin lines, were all deadly serious. They had a reputation for being hard to reason with, and it showed.
“And, thankfully, the Lilium Knights volunteered to help.”
But as Logan began explaining them, the Lilium Knights’ faces melted from rigid to gooey with emotion, as if they’d never been stiff.
“I politely declined over and over, but they always step up first for the Imperial Capital. Truly the exemplars of paladins serving the faithful, aren’t they?”
“Uh, yeah...”
Seongjin trailed off awkwardly. The knights staring at Logan’s back now had eyes sparkling so intensely they seemed ready to shoot lasers.
Less exemplars of paladins and more like... your ardent fans? Am I imagining it?
In any case, Seongjin arrived at Salon de Mershi leading a much larger group than expected.
When a bunch of knights suddenly formed up in front of the Imperial Capital’s most famous dress shop, passersby stopped in curiosity, peering over.
Madame Justine happened to be out, so the manager appeared instead and politely inquired about their business.
“Ah, you mean the pattern designer. Employee named Seo Yi-seo.”
She was a staff member Madame had suddenly brought in and hired one day, despite having no notable experience.
Her hiring circumstances were highly suspicious—maybe they needed to grill the Madame too?
“She’s on duty right now. I’ll fetch her at once, Your Highness.”
The manager bowed respectfully and left.
Seo Yi-seo.
Not in the Delcross style, but a name format somewhat familiar to Seongjin.
Frowning at the ominous premonition, Seongjin watched as another clerk soon led a woman to the shop entrance. She paused upon seeing the lineup outside, then gracefully lifted the hem of her skirt in an old-fashioned curtsy.
“I am Seo Yi-seo.”
The pattern designer was a much younger lady than he’d imagined.
A plain but pretty face.
Black hair and an East Asian look that felt somehow familiar.
Her demure gaze lowered as she approached them piously—even Seongjin momentarily doubted if this woman could really be involved in the monster incident.
‘...Huh?’
Seongjin suddenly felt a strange sense of déjà vu.
-By any chance, oppa, what’s your type? You seem drawn to girls with black hair and exotic foreign looks?
Sisle’s words suddenly flashed through his mind.
Staring at her with a bad feeling, the woman turned to Seongjin and flashed a bright smile.
‘What the?’
Irritated for some reason, Seongjin furrowed his brow. The woman, now close to the group, bowed her head modestly.
“I had been expecting Your Highness to summon me to the palace someday. This is all by the guidance of [Saintess] Grazia.”
At those words.
Zing. Something tickled his heart, like a needle pricking it.
‘...What is this?’
Flustered by the sudden turn, Seongjin clamped his mouth shut and glared at her.
Murmur, murmur. Meanwhile, passersby began gathering in front of Salon de Mershi.
Sensing the oddly shifted atmosphere, Seongjin looked around—passersby, Capital Guards, and Lilium paladins alike stared at the woman in a daze, as if entranced.
Turning back to her with an uneasy feeling, she spoke again.
“However, it seems there’s some misunderstanding, so I wish to prove my innocence first. I swear by the [Lord God], I have done nothing wrong.”
Zing. The strange ripple brushed past Seongjin’s chest once more.
“......”
And suddenly, Deshte Street fell as quiet as if doused with water.
Everyone around, including Seongjin’s group, gaped at the woman. Even Masaine wore a dumbstruck expression, as if spellbound.
Only Logan stared at her in shock before turning to Seongjin with a grave look.
“Heh heh...”
The woman named Seo Yi-seo smiled serenely, as if she had anticipated this very situation. After scanning the group once, she declared in a clear voice,
“To prove my innocence, I demand a Trial of Ordeal, with everyone present as witnesses. I will undergo the [Saintess]’s Trial.”
Zing. Another faint ripple spread outward.
As the crowd froze in shock, only the clueless Seongjin blinked.
Why? What even is the Saintess’s Trial?
[Yi Seongjin.]
Then the Demon King murmured softly.
[It’s clear. That woman is from an ordered world.]
...What?