Chapter 306: Lindelheit (2)
Chapter 306: Lindelheit (2)
"It wasn't difficult. It’s simply because the conversation concluded in a way that was more beneficial to them."
"Hmm?"
Iris tilted her head curiously.
As a result, her center of gravity shifted, and she ended up flailing against my back.
How cute.
Anyway, according to Helena’s subsequent explanation, this wasn't a matter of the Empire choosing not to hide or downplay the incident; it was a matter of them being unable to.
"With so many people present in the Audience Hall, how could they possibly silence everyone? Besides, even if they didn't know the exact details, there would be plenty of people suspicious enough to dig deeper."
If they were going to lose face anyway, it was better to face it with dignity rather than acting pathetically.
Instead of looking like fools who were deceived, they would frame it as the cultists being just that dangerous.
The Empire would maintain its usual hardline stance, showing that they would fight the cult to the bitter end, just as they always had.
Finally, with Helena’s help, Fiona—or rather, the Apostle of the Evil God—would be used as an example of how terrifying these beings are, leading to an appeal for everyone to join forces just as they did 300 years ago.
"By doing so, they not only minimize the damage but also calculate that they can seize the leadership position in the future alliance."
So, rather than leaving a crisis as just a crisis, they were determined to find an opportunity within it.
Since the cooperation of the Church of the Righteous Light was indispensable for this plan, they must have disclosed the situation to Helena first.
Having said that much, Helena looked back at me cautiously and continued.
"Um..."
"What is it, Helena? Speak freely."
"They didn't mention it explicitly, but it seems the Empire intends to hold you up as a hero, Brother."
"Ah."
So that was it. Lately, I’d noticed rumors praising me to an excessive degree.
The legendary Half-Human Half-Dragon, the Adversary of the Evil God, the partner of the Saintess recognized by the Sun God, and so on.
I wondered why they were being so blatant with the praise, but it seems they wanted to cover the stain of the Imperial Consort being a cult leader with the existence of a new hero—me.
Well, gaining honor itself isn't a bad thing.
In this world, honor is directly linked to authority, and the current me is more than capable of handling that weight. However...
"So that's why everyone I’ve run into for the past few days has been such a nuisance."
"Oh? I heard a bit about that from Carla. There are rumors that you cherish your women dearly, so nobles are trying to introduce their daughters to you, and maids are trying to subtly seduce you every ten minutes, right?"
"That’s not all. The knights who were in the Audience Hall freeze up and run away like they’ve seen a monster whenever they see me. Mages keep pestering me, begging me to teach them dragon magic—I keep telling them I don't know anything like that! And don't even get me started on the priests. Once I told them I wasn't officially part of the Church of Light, they started following me around all day, reciting scriptures and begging me to convert to their specific denominations. They’re so polite about it that it’s hard to even be firm with them!"
The complaints poured out of me involuntarily.
Iris, who had finally settled her soft bottom against my waist, tilted her head.
"Hmm? I don't know about the others, but the knights seemed genuinely terrified of my Master when he was half-berserk..."
She then flopped down onto my back, pressing her flat chest against me as she giggled.
"Anyway, just give up. That’s the price you have to pay for becoming a celebrity."
"How would you know that, Iris?"
"Back when I was young, when High Elves were still treated as royalty, I was quite the celebrity myself. I’ve experienced it firsthand. As you know, Master, I was born with a rather potent blessing."
Iris boasted, claiming she was treated like an idol among the elves roughly 500 years ago.
Well, it made sense. A child who doesn't age and is showered with the blessing of the god the entire race worships?
She would have looked like an eternal girl favored by the gods. Everyone must have pampered and adored her.
According to Iona, Iris was treated almost like a princess in the past, and it wasn't for no reason.
But isn't 500 years ago a bit too long ago...?
I let out a short, incredulous laugh. Iris toyed with my hair and whispered.
"It’s a hassle, but don't reject it too much. Aside from the honor, there are definitely benefits to being famous."
"That’s true."
For example, the treatment of my companions.
There were talks about clearing Carla’s name and granting Elisha quasi-noble status, though nothing was finalized yet.
I thought people might look down on them or treat them poorly since their current status was still that of slaves.
But that wasn't the case at all.
Perhaps the sight of Carla calming my berserk state had been quite impressive.
If anyone even thought about mistreating Carla or Elisha, they were dragged away and 'educated' on manners before I even had to say a word...
The other day, some count’s son was screaming his head off, only to be dragged away by the patrolling knights.
After that, he would scramble away with a gasp whenever our eyes met.
Helena, hearing my story, nodded with a satisfied smile.
"Indeed. You were very frightening in the Audience Hall, Brother. Though you were just as cool as you were scary."
"Really?"
"Yes. Even the Righteous Light was worried at first, wondering if something was wrong with you... but lately, every time she thinks back on it, she just says things like, 'That strong male is so cool.'"
"Strong... what?"
"She said 'male.' Even just a moment ago while praying... No, well, the truth is the truth, so it can't be helped. It was none other than You who told us not to lie and to live a life of truth, my Lord."
Helena began muttering to herself mid-sentence. She was likely conversing with Solari.
Before, she needed a brief prayer to communicate, but now, Helena and Solari’s consciousnesses seemed to coexist even in daily life.
Perhaps Solari using a massive amount of divine power through Helena’s body had brought them closer.
One could say she had grown as a Saintess.
...Though it looked a bit funny from a third-party perspective!
Come to think of it, Helena wasn't the only one who had grown. It seemed my dragonification had served as a great inspiration.
Elisha seemed to have realized something from watching me draw in scattered mana to weave magic again.
Iris was seeking the next stage of element combination after seeing me burn away the divine power of Boiling Silence.
As for Carla, she was attempting to recreate the original Lintblum Breathing Technique based on the sensations she felt while resonating her core with mine.
Once she gathered all her insights, I planned to help her integrate her core and body through the transmission method.
I stared blankly at Carla, who was meditating in a corner a short distance away.
I was the one who told her to focus on her training and not get distracted if she felt something.
But seeing her off by her lonesome like that made me feel a bit neglected.
I let out a sigh and pushed myself up from my prone position.
"Hyek!"
Iris, who had been playing around on top of me, started rolling off, so I quickly caught her and handed her over to Elisha.
Iris stared at me with wide eyes, stammering in surprise.
Elisha patted Iris’s back to skillfully calm her down and then placed her back on my shoulder.
Squeeze.
She gripped my head desperately as if she would never let go, looking a bit like a koala.
Just then, Helena’s chest, which had been muttering to itself, suddenly glowed, and a translucent figure popped into the air.
Long, flowing white hair. Slightly furrowed emerald eyes. An elegant beauty with a refined atmosphere, letting out a thin sigh through her slightly parted lips.
Clara walked over with a tired expression and plopped down in the spot I had just vacated.
-Good grief. What is this, are they children? I know the Righteous Light has a naive side, but shouldn't Helena know better? Honestly, making fun of the god the Saintess serves... then again, maybe the Lord is at fault for snatching her Saintess’s man first... Sigh. Back in my day...
Clara began grumbling incessantly the moment she appeared.
Well... living inside the medallion and having to watch that scene every day would probably make anyone sick of it.
I recalled seeing Helena lock her in a safe once when she was expecting something erotic.
I buried the thought deep in my heart that Clara, who treated her own god like a cat that stole the cream, was perhaps the most impious of them all.
"Come to think of it, Helena and the Righteous Light are identical in many ways besides their looks, but you aren't quite like that, Lady Clara."
-Hmm. True. My chest is smaller than Helena’s. But my legs are longer, right? They call this 'slender,' apparently.
"??? No, why is the conversation going in that direction?"
-Because you looked at my chest first, Yandel.
"..."
Gulp.
She caught me.