The Lost Spirit
“Ugh.”
Cecilia’s cheeks puffed out, round and full as she lay on the bed. She seemed quite displeased that I’d carried her here on my shoulder.
Well, who told her to push herself until she couldn't move?
If she hadn't used Abraxas at the very end, she would have been perfectly fine. That thing is a monster that devours stamina.
“Go to sleep. You’ll likely have trouble moving for at least a day.”
“……Is there no other way?”
“If you took some precious medicine, you’d recover, sure.”
But why go through the trouble when a good day’s rest would do?
“Stingy.”
Her lips pouted, but Cecilia didn't press the issue further. It made sense; if anyone was a penny-pincher, it was Cecilia, who went on adventures herself. She wasn't the type to waste resources on something like this.
“Get some rest, then.”
“Hmph.”
Cecilia closed her eyes. Well, she’d figure it out. She had a maid to look after her, and I’d done more than enough for her.
“Y-Your Majesty.”
As I opened the door to leave, Cecilia’s maid bowed, trembling. She was the maid who had been assigned to Cecilia since she was quite young. When Cecilia had left, the maid had been reassigned, but now that her master had returned, she had naturally slipped back into her rightful place.
“It’s been a while.”
“H-hic. D-do you remember me…?”
Of course. If she was the maid who had been with Cecilia since childhood, her face was one I had seen plenty of times. I’d be an idiot not to remember.
I understood her reaction, though. I hadn't shown my face in years, so it wouldn't have been strange if she thought I’d forgotten her, given the Emperor’s reputation.
“She will likely sleep through the entire day, so see that you look after her well.”
“Yes, Your Majesty….”
After saying that, I returned to my own bedchamber and pulled out the ring Cecilia had given me.
Abraxas.
One of the three most powerful artifacts in the world. It was more accurate to call it a Divine Relic than a mere artifact. In fact, I recall the lore stating that it had been touched by the hand of a goddess.
Did it say it contained the power to rewrite the world? Something like that?
One might ask what kind of artifact is so broken, but that’s just how this world is.
It’s common for the game to pour out reams of text for emotional descriptions while finishing battle scenes in a short, CG-less blur. They’d describe in agonizing detail the love blooming amidst an insurmountable crisis, only to have the crisis solved with a single click on a hidden item.
The scale of events was massive, but it was an empty shell.
“Tsk.”
The same problem always persisted. I didn't know what kind of effects this Abraxas had or how to use it. Why? Because in the original work, the description was just a simple ‘click’.
“How am I supposed to use this?”
I’d accepted it because Cecilia said she didn't need it, but even with it in my possession, I couldn't use it properly. Besides, what I had in my hand was merely a half-fragment.
Of course, I already knew where the other half was.
‘I’ll have to meet Ian soon.’
Ian, the Master of the Magic Tower. He was the owner of the other half. The main story itself was about finding this remaining fragment and uniting it with the one he possessed. In other words, having this in my hand meant the Magic Tower Master route was effectively cleared.
The problem was:
“Ha.”
I had the completion item, but no one to complete the route with. Serena was being even more infuriating today.
I pondered for a moment before reaching a conclusion.
‘There’s no need to combine them right now.’
A united Abraxas is an incredibly powerful treasure, but there’s nothing requiring such power at the moment. If I step in, most things get resolved anyway. I’d already collected plenty of other hidden pieces besides Abraxas.
The biggest reason to combine them was to clear the Magic Tower Master route, but the route progression itself was blocked.
Hmm. Should I just tell that Serena girl to report for work starting tomorrow?
A week passed.
I had a burning desire to make Serena report for duty immediately and grind her down with work, but unfortunately, I couldn't execute it.
Because:
“You cannot.”
Elizabeth, who was in charge of Serena’s education, had firmly shaken her head. Of course, even with her opposition, I could have gone through with it if I really wanted to, but was it really necessary to go that far? Not really.
“It can’t be helped.”
I could always torment Serena later. I gave up on it cleanly for now.
“Really.”
Elizabeth said it as if I were incorrigible. For reference, we were in the middle of a meeting. The ministers were looking at each other with ‘Who is that?’ expressions at the sudden mention of Serena’s name.
“The next topic is regarding Lady Cecilia.”
“Hmm.”
For the record, Cecilia was still remaining in the Imperial Palace.
- I’m going to leave again!
Considering she said that, hasn't she been here for quite a while……?
Well, I understand. After tasting the comfort of life she’d forgotten while living as a mercenary, it’s understandable she wouldn't want to leave. Unless she was going to stick to me and never leave, I decided to just let her be since she’d eventually head out after staying for a while.
“She requested a loan of five weapons from the treasury, but what shall we do, Your Majesty?”
“Are there any that shouldn't be taken out?”
“There aren't any, but…….”
Just because they are in the Imperial Treasury doesn't mean they are all of the same caliber. To roughly divide them by rank, the minimum is about B. The most common and average ones are A. There aren't many S-rank treasures even in the Imperial Palace.
Looking at the list Elizabeth received, there wasn't a single S-rank item. Instead, there were three ambiguous B-ranks and two A-ranks.
“Grant it.”
“Yes.”
I even stamped it myself. That Cecilia girl. She could have just taken five A-ranks, and I wouldn't have cared. Yet, she was still walking on eggshells around me.
That was when it happened.
“……Erm, Your Majesty.”
The Minister of Finance, who had been watching the mood, spoke up cautiously.
“Princess Cecilia, she, erm.”
“Hmm?”
Ah. Now that I think about it, that’s right.
- I will defeat my brother.
The reason Cecilia left the palace was famous among the high-ranking officials. Young bureaucrats who had been promoted recently might not know, but the Minister of Finance, a veteran among veterans, was the very person who had been there.
The Princess had appeared out of nowhere in the audience chamber where everyone was gathered, left those words, and vanished.
“The Minister of Finance’s expression was quite funny back then.”
“Heh heh…….”
The Minister of Finance’s beard trembled. He had trembled just like that back then, too. Thanks to that, mentioning Cecilia had become something of a taboo among the bureaucrats. But seeing me now, they seemed puzzled, as if I had reconciled with her.
In the first place, I hadn't really disliked Cecilia that much to begin with.
“Isn't it normal for siblings to fight and make up?”
“Heh heh. Is that so?”
He didn't look very convinced. But what could I do? I said it was so, so he had to accept it.
Anyway, I moved past the Cecilia matter.
“This is the list of promotions for this month.”
Why do they report things like this to me? I was about to just look it over and pass it, but a familiar name caught my eye.
3rd-grade administrative officer, Leon.
Scheduled for promotion to 2nd grade.
“A familiar face.”
He was the guy who opposed me when I was handing out titles to Elizabeth, wasn't he? It was a memorable event, so I remembered it. It was right after I had purged the Chancellor, the Minister of Justice, and the Count of the Court all at once. Standing up to me at that time was not something one could do with ordinary guts.
“Is it not to your liking?”
“No, I like his spirit. Try raising him well.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
It seems he had hitched his wagon to the Minister of Agriculture and Forestry. Still, seeing a familiar face brought back memories. It had been quite a long time since I started turning the Empire upside down. Compared to back then, although it was still creaking, I could feel that the Empire was on a normal trajectory.
“The next report is.”
Elizabeth’s complexion was a bit dark.
“It seems there has been a problem in the Valerian territory recently.”
If it was Valerian, it was Elizabeth’s family. Even though it was an incident in her own family, the voice reading the report was calm.
“It says the Valerian family’s merchant guild encountered an abnormal climate and suffered a major blow.”
“Is it to the extent that support is needed?”
The Minister of Finance spoke up. Duke Valerian was one of the pillars supporting the Empire. Especially since he had participated in the last purge, they were in a relationship where support should naturally be provided if the situation were truly dangerous.
“They say it’s fine.”
Elizabeth shook her head.
“If it’s a problem of this level, they can solve it themselves. However……. The abnormal climate mentioned here is concerning.”
“Abnormal climate, you say?”
The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry asked.
“Yes. To continue, strange reports have been coming in frequently lately.”
“Strange reports?”
“Yes. Days when it clearly looks like it will rain, yet it becomes so dry that everything parches. Conversely, days that were clear without a single cloud suddenly experience torrential rain.”
According to Elizabeth, there were countless people suffering losses due to such abnormal weather. Sudden torrential rain—and not just a moderate amount, but enough to cause flooding. Not only farmers who ruined their crops, but even flood victims whose houses were completely submerged had emerged. Conversely, there were places that had been parched by drought because it hadn't rained for months.
The surprising point was that the places where the drought occurred and the places where the flooding occurred were not very far apart. No, beyond not being far apart, they were neighboring territories.
“Truly a strange occurrence.”
The Minister of Agriculture and Forestry stroked his chin.
“I have seen in past records that such cases occur occasionally. It is a phenomenon caused by atmospheric instability.”
The high-ranking officials nodded. The Empire had vast lands. There was no one here who would make a fuss just because a strange event occurred.
“No.”
However, Elizabeth shook her head.
“According to the report, the boundary between the places where it rains and the places where the drought occurred is as clear as if it had been cut with a knife.”
“Hoh.”
“If that is the case…….”
Murmuring voices. Thinking it was no ordinary matter, they began to devise countermeasures.
“Could it be the work of a Black Mage?”
You again?
“Ah, wouldn't that be unlikely? I understand there is no Black Magic that can manipulate the weather.”
A Duke’s daughter who is suspiciously well-versed in Black Magic…….
Well, I was just listening and pretending not to know because Elizabeth’s reaction was amusing. It wasn't the work of a Black Mage. In the first place, among the ones left, there was no one who could pull off such a large-scale act.
Since the conversation was gradually heading in an absurd direction, I opened my mouth instead.
“Quiet.”
……
Everyone shut their mouths. I could feel it in their gazes. The thought: ‘Wouldn't His Majesty know the reason?’
I do know. It just took me a little while to recall it, as I hadn't expected this event to occur already.
“It seems to be the work of a lost spirit.”
The Lost Great Spirit event. In other words, finding a lost child.