Chapter 288: Impersonation(3)
Chapter 288: Impersonation(3)
"Sigh..."
While Isaac and his party were still reeling from their first taste of Elven Communism, the woman at the center of it all—Arwen, the Queen of Albenheim—let out a frustrated sigh at the situation that refused to resolve itself.
She was alone in her office after a long meeting to coordinate opinions with her ministers, so there was no one to witness her weary reaction.
When seated upon the throne, she had to maintain an image of strictness and virtue. Thus, there were only two times she could show her vulnerability.
One was when she was alone, like now. The other was when she was with Isaac.
To be precise, it was her true nature. She had never shown her real self even to Siris, the guard knight sent by the Dark Elves.
That was how comfortable Isaac was for Arwen; he was someone with whom she could be herself, not just a queen.
'How did it even come to this...?'
Currently, she was nursing a massive headache due to the recent incident that had rocked Albenheim: the Kair impersonation scandal.
If Cecile was modeled after Lilith, then Elisha was modeled after herself. It was a statement born of a desire to keep the rapidly growing Helium in check, but it also contained her own personal feelings.
As a queen, she had to delay Helium's growth by any means necessary. Otherwise, they would remain Albenheim's most dangerous rival.
Originally, she had looked down on Helium, but her perspective changed drastically after experiencing their cultural power firsthand at the exhibition.
If things continued as they were, Helium would experience terrifying growth and become a superpower on par with Albenheim.
History proved what happened when a populace united as one under the will of their leader. The humans had done so during the Race War, while Albenheim had been too busy being divided. While there were side effects, the very act of a people trusting their leader was a difficult feat in itself.
'This is public business, so it can't be helped.'
She wasn't just comforting herself; she had to clearly distinguish between public and private matters. Though she felt pity for the Demons, who were cursed from birth, Arwen was a wise leader.
No matter how pitiful the Demon race was, she had to remain vigilant where vigilance was due.
Despite the friction following the Race War, Albenheim had established itself as a powerful hegemonic state. Furthermore, they were currently on an upward trajectory after purging the Elder Council—a group of "old water" so stagnant it was practically turning into oil.
"But do these bastards think Kair is some kind of joke?"
Since she was alone in her office, Arwen didn't hesitate to use foul language. Her elegant brow furrowed as displeasure took hold.
Thinking about the current incident following everything that had happened in the span of less than two years made her blood boil.
Even if her statements were fueled by politics and personal desire, she never imagined they would lead to this.
It wasn't just one person; dozens of them—adventurers and mercenaries who were quite famous in human society—had come swarming in.
It was bad enough that they insisted they were the real Kair, but they also fought amongst themselves at every opportunity, creating a never-ending headache.
'This is an insult to Kair.'
The poignant romance between Elisha and Kair was one of Arwen's favorite stories.
As an Elf Queen and a mixed-blood herself, she couldn't help but be deeply immersed in it.
And the Kair in the Xenon Chronicle was a gentleman—kind, considerate, and thoughtful. He was a devoted man who looked only at one woman until the moment he died, and though his personality was a bit eccentric, he was a man of great character in many ways.
Comparing him to the trash outside, who babbled nonsense about being Kair, was a desecration.
'At least I'm lucky no one is claiming to be Xenon.'
If that happened, the Savior would have mobilized personally instead of her. If it were a lie, they would have been dragged away for sacrilege on the spot.
She wished a divine punishment would fall upon those claiming to be Kair as well, but there were several complications.
First, the mindset of those claiming to be Kair was the problem. They genuinely believed they were Kair.
Of course, their intentions were likely impure. Unable to overcome her curiosity, she had once approached them in disguise.
She could tolerate it when they held their little protests in the streets or when they got into fistfights with each other. She simply thought, How little do these idiots have to do to pull a stunt like that? But the story changed once evening fell.
Just in case, she had Siris tail them. Not only was foul language the norm, but the majority of them were there simply to try and strike it rich.
The moment she heard that, she wanted to deport them all in a fit of rage, but political issues made it complicated.
'Fortunately, the people took care of it themselves.'
Her boiling anger subsided as Arwen's expression softened, recalling how the citizens had stepped up.
Because the Kair impersonators had crossed the line multiple times, the people of Albenheim didn't view them favorably either.
Above all, the Elves were determined to send Arwen to Xenon as a "gift" to ensure they didn't lose to the Demons.
Because the citizens of Albenheim, rather than Arwen herself, had made that stance clear, the impersonators were currently hesitating.
'Isaac must have been... quite flustered, right?'
The announcement that the Queen was a gift for Xenon and that no one should dream of taking her away. The world had been in an uproar again because of this single announcement, but Arwen was satisfied.
She had intended to announce it eventually, and the impersonators had provided the perfect opportunity.
It was even more meaningful because it wasn't a decree from Arwen, but a unanimous voice from the people of Albenheim.
'After all, the real Kair isn't one of those losers; it's Isaac.'
Arwen was under a massive delusion. However, considering her circumstances, it was a fairly logical one.
Despite her past mistakes, Isaac had shown Arwen kindness and had even resolved the Half-blood Incident. Even during the manuscript theft, he had sentenced Rain to probation rather than an actual punishment.
Isaac himself might just be a thoughtful and good-natured person, but she had realized something when his "duel" with Cecile ended.
Isaac had come to this world from another, and the world he lived in was similar to the one in the Xenon Chronicle. To be precise, it should be seen as a lost "future"—another form of this world.
'It makes sense why he denied being a regressor without hesitation. Because it wasn't a lie.'
At first, she thought he truly couldn't speak because of a "restriction." But looking back, Isaac had never told a single lie.
To explain this, one had to look deeply into the truth that even gods found difficult to handle: "Time."
Suppose someone returned from the future to the past. And then, they began to change the past, which had now become their "present," one by one.
In that case, could the future that person came from still be called "the future"? A future that had already changed far too much?
It was a theory that was once famous but had been buried out of fear that it was too complex and encroached upon the domain of the gods. It wasn't forcibly erased like the Dark Elf Expulsion Incident or forbidden fusion magic; it was simply discarded because it was too difficult and even the Elves feared it.
But if that theory were applied to Isaac, it fit surprisingly well.
Of course, it would be the future to him, but he would have used the above theory to cleverly avoid the truth. Even the gods would take his side on this.
In other words, Isaac was a regressor who had returned after experiencing all the incidents and accidents in the Xenon Chronicle.
This was the conclusion Arwen had reached after much logical deduction. If Isaac were to hear it, he would have said she was writing her own soap opera.
'The future has changed quite a bit, though...'
Arwen thought of the women by Isaac's side. Women who were not inferior to her at all, and in some aspects, even ahead of her.
Part of her wanted to throw away the affairs of Albenheim and run to Isaac, but her work was too demanding.
Elisha in the book must have felt similarly. But unlike her, Arwen would never experience a tragedy.
The Elder Council, which had constantly checked her, had exited the stage of history, and the citizens were now personally urging her to marry.
Everything was perfect. All that remained was to kick out all the greedy impersonators.
After that, she would go to Isaac, explain the situation, and then fall into his arms using the excuse that "it couldn't be helped."
Her face flushed at the thought of being held by him, and no one could stop the flight of her imagination.
Knock, knock, knock—
[Your Majesty. It is Keir. May I enter?]
Someone just did.
Arwen quickly snapped out of it as Keir, who had recently been appointed as her guard knight, knocked on the door.
She couldn't show such an unseemly side to anyone but Isaac. She shook her head vigorously.
"Ahem. Enter."
Arwen cleared her throat with a light cough and granted permission.
As soon as she did, Keir cautiously opened the door and stepped inside.
"What is it?"
"I have some urgent news to report."
"Have those people caused another disturbance?"
Arwen scowled, expressing her displeasure. Ever since the impersonators arrived in Albenheim, not a day had gone by in peace.
Their delusions were one thing, but the impersonators also coveted Arwen's status and beauty. After she had appeared in public once, their behavior had intensified, leading to frequent clashes with the citizens of Albenheim.
"They should know by now. Not just me, but the people, like yourself, have spoken with one heart and mind. That I, Arwen Elidya, am a gift for Xenon."
"Yes, I am aware. And I agree. However, the problem is..."
Keir hesitated, wondering if he should say it, then let out a deep sigh. He gave a bitter, troubled smile and looked at Arwen.
"It's not them. Someone else has finally crossed the line."
"What do you mean by that?"
As they say, the world is a wide place.
"Now, it's not Kair. Someone has appeared claiming to be Xenon himself."
"...What?"
And there are more crazy people in it than you'd think.
Arwen's silver-grey eyes widened at Keir's report, and she blinked in disbelief.
She didn't know how many lives this person thought they had, but impersonating Xenon, not Kair, was truly crossing the line.
Because her bewilderment outweighed her anger, she stammered as she asked Keir.
"Is... is that truly the truth? Xenon, not Kair?"
"Yes. Well, even without asking Lord Luminous, it's a hundred percent lie, but... you know how it is, right?"
Keir asked Arwen suggestively. It was a warning that things were about to get even more complicated.
Arwen's mind raced the moment she heard the question. Despite warnings not to cross the line, the impersonators had finally done it.
Should she deport them? Even if she did, their voices would echo across the world, and more impersonators would sprout up everywhere like mushrooms.
The best way was to take them to the temple for verification, but would they go quietly?
Above all, they were likely impersonating the "Hero" Xenon from the Xenon Chronicle, not the "Author" Xenon.
Arwen knew this, and so did everyone else. That was why it was so absurd.
It wasn't just a new way to commit suicide; how much guts did one need to impersonate Xenon? Did they covet his position that much?
"...Can you tell me what he said?"
"He's going around shouting that he'll make you happier than Kair ever could, so you should marry him. He also said people should treat him with respect since he's a future hero."
"What a total..."
God-tier idiot, Arwen swallowed the words. She calmed herself by patting her chest and finally spoke.
"...Just tell me his name and characteristics."
"His name is listed as Xenon on his entry application. Shall I call him that?"
"Just call him the fake."
Xenon, my foot. He's a knockoff.
Keir shrugged at her words and slowly continued.
"Understood. He's seventeen, just barely an adult by human standards, and he's been bragging about being Xenon even within the Mercenary Guild. Given that, there's a high possibility his actual name is Xenon."
"And?"
"There are evaluations that he possesses quite a bit of strength, unusual for his young age. He's said to be quite talented. Perhaps because of that..."
Arwen realized the situation and sighed.
'He's just an immature human...'
*
Meanwhile, around the same time, at the Temple of Luminous.
"You say someone claiming to be Xenon has appeared in Albenheim?"
"According to the reports, yes. Shall we go find him?"
"Of course."
Kate, who had received the news faster than anyone, replied to the messenger's question with a bright smile.
"I'd love to see for myself what kind of lunatic would commit such sacrilege."
She wore a truly chilling smile.