Each Their Own Circumstances
The Emperor sighed as if her interest had cooled. “Hmph. So in the end, it was all just to cater to my whims, was it?”
“I will leave the judgment to Your Majesty.”
“Still, it is interesting.”
Belia was the type to scrutinize and ponder even these trivial details one by one. She would probably mull over my words even at night. Wondering whether the woman before her was mocking her or if she was truly a saintess skilled at flattery. That was what made it entertaining.
“Does Your Majesty find your playmate amusing?”
“It’s not boring. The change is so dramatic compared to when she was young that I’m curious about it.”
Ah, I keep forgetting this person knew what I looked like as a child in my previous life. I need to be more careful.
“There’s nothing strange about it. I’m different from the immature child I once was.”
“You speak such words boldly in front of me.”
In times like this, changing the subject was best. “What will you do with Jerato?”
“I suppose I must kill him. His situation of living with that chain of hatred spanning fifteen hundred years is pitiable, so I could secretly lock him away somewhere. But he happens to be a subordinate of one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and the damage the Empire suffered because of him is considerable.”
“I see.”
Well, that was obvious. He was a traitor. There could be no leniency. Moreover, no matter how pitiful his circumstances, he was a descendant of the Kart royal family. If he became a rallying point for anti-imperialists, it would be dangerous.
“Why? Would you prefer he not die?”
“No. He’s exceptionally good at escaping. This time I completely crushed him, but still, to be safe, you should make sure he’s dead.”
It had been feeling increasingly uneasy, keeping that bastard alive.
“Could he flee to Pastia or something?”
“Just a gut feeling.”
This time we had been quite lucky, and I had gained a fair amount of power from absorbing the fragment. But it was true that my body was still weak compared to Noah’s. That was why I had shown an opening to that guy. On the contrary, I had grown stronger from the fragment, but if that bastard could pull off tricks like that clown, it might have been troublesome back then.
“Understood. I will handle it immediately. You may return for today.”
“Pardon?”
“You have played your role as a conversation partner well. From now on, I have separate matters to attend to.”
You, who only ever plays around? Ah. If the Emperor had work to do, there was only one thing it could be. It seemed she planned to resolve it while the topic had come up.
“Are you saying you will deal with him right away like this?”
“This is a matter between Armeria, descendant of the Armen family, and Kart. Therefore, it is right for me to handle it personally.”
That was true. It was not something I needed to interfere with. It was an issue for the family that had been stabbed in the back and the descendant of the family that had done the stabbing to resolve. In any case, Jerato was the one in prison, and the Emperor held the hilt of the sword.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Please do so.”
It was better for me to stay separate. I had not wanted to be dragged into catching that bastard unnecessarily. It was perfect. But didn’t that guy know about me? What if he revealed my identity to the Emperor for no reason?
No. He was called a madman anyway. He probably had not met the Emperor much. Even if he had, there would be no reason to mention me.
“Aren’t you going?”
“Were you thinking of interrogating him personally?”
“Is that not natural? Why? Do you wish to accompany me?”
I would like to, but there was no justification. Besides, I declined anything bothersome. There was only one other issue.
“No. I was wondering if you might be naked in front of him as well.”
At my answer, the Emperor made an expression of utter disbelief.
“No matter what, I can distinguish at least that much.”
“Yes.”
With those words, I changed my clothes and left the imperial palace. It seemed Seria was not the only problem. In any case, it would be best to block everything that could possibly reveal my identity.
That night, Emperor Belia headed to the Empire’s underground prison. A small number of attendants followed behind her. They looked shabby to be called the Emperor’s attendants, but the maids from the assassination guild were by no means weak.
“Your Majesty! Coming all the way to this humble prison!”
The guards watching the prison rushed out in a panic and bowed their heads.
“There is no humble place anywhere in the Empire. More importantly, where is that traitor?”
The Emperor had come for only one reason. To deal with Jerato. That was the sole purpose.
“I will bring him at once.”
The guards soon dragged Jerato out. Upon closer inspection, he had been beaten severely; his condition was poor. Since he was going to die anyway, the guards must have vented their anger on him.
“You’ve made him quite unusable. When will he die? Tomorrow?”
“Yes, Your Majesty. He is scheduled to be executed tomorrow.”
I had decided to kill him, but seeing him like this stirred a bit of pity. He had come to avenge fifteen hundred years of resentment, fitting his status. What if that itself belonged to the category of falsehood?
“I shall see for myself. Since I have excellent attendants, you may all withdraw.”
“Yes.”
After dismissing the guards, the Emperor placed a chair before Jerato and sat down.
“You all, cover your ears. What follows will be a conversation between those of Kart and Armen bloodlines.”
“Yes.”
When the maids covered their ears, Jerato laughed madly.
“Well, well. Is this not the Emperor of the Empire? Kkukkukkuk. Olivia. That damn bitch should have just killed me back then. There is no end like this kind of end.”
Jerato, barely opening eyes that could no longer see properly, laughed hollowly as he confirmed her presence. Belia stared at Jerato with an expressionless face.
“To think the descendant of a son of a bitch’s household is still alive.”
“Is that something a woman from the family that betrayed the Holy King should say?”
At Jerato’s retort, Belia smiled bitterly. It was absurd. For a man on the verge of death to glare and talk back like this. Or perhaps it was because he was on the verge of death. If one was about to die anyway, one could curse freely.
“Holy King, is it. Holy King. Well, I wonder if the last king of Kart can truly be called a Holy King. In the end, was that Holy King not a tyrant?”
“Compared to a queen who betrayed her husband and clung to the enemy race?”
Belia scoffed at Jerato’s words. If nothing else, it was funny coming from him.
“Looking at the records from that time, if Armen had not married into the enemy race’s Pon family, not only would all the citizens of Kart have perished, but the Kart alliance itself would not have survived. In the end, are you not simply dissatisfied with Armen?”
“Kuhahahahat! That’s right! How could I forget this grudge of fifteen hundred years! The rise and fall of nations is something that can happen throughout history. However, Armen, who had stood with the Kart royal family all along, betrayed Kart and switched to Pon!”
Just listening, it sounded as if they had carried on hatred and vengeance for fifteen hundred years. This was truly amusing to Belia. If one embellished the surface, he was a descendant of Kart who had sharpened the blade of revenge against the Empire but failed. It could be seen that way.
‘Foolish thing. The history of the Empire is completely different from what is known.’
It was far too different. Even that foolish former daughter-in-law who carried the scent of a magician was the same. At least the former daughter-in-law could not help it. She was merely from Ashtar. Even in Ashtar, few truths were known.
“Kuk. Kruhhu. Ahaha. This is really absurd. To think I was conversing with a puppet like you.”
This was simply a waste of time.
“What did you say?”
“No matter the circumstances, fifteen hundred years have passed. Does it not seem strange to you that such a grudge remains and is inherited? Have you never thought it strange yourself?”
Thinking about it once or twice, it was strange.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It seems you yourself do not know who you are. There is no point saying more to a man living as a puppet. The queen of Kart at that time did not betray Kart for the sake of power.”
Since he was going to die anyway, that much would suffice. There was no need to explain further. This was practically brainwashing. No matter what was said, it would be useless. There was no reason to go that far for a mere traitor.
“What kind of sophistry is this?”
Sophistry, huh. It could be seen that way.
“The demon grants curses instead of fulfilling human wishes.”
“What?”
“What if a demon stood behind the continental unification of the enemy race?”
“A demon, you say.”
Jerato’s face gradually distorted. He did not understand the meaning. The Emperor was satisfied with just that.
The descendant of a traitor was a traitor. The Armen and Kart royal families had long been connected through marriage, but it was the royal family itself that had broken it. It was questionable who should be angry at whom, but Jerato was a hopeless man.
“What if the people from that time have been living by changing bodies for fifteen hundred years?”
“I have no idea what you are talking about.”
He truly had no idea.
“That is why the resentment you spout has no meaning. Even the king who died at that time knew the inside story. You said you were Clanice’s subordinate, correct? It seems that woman planted such a grudge in you. Looking at you spouting words without knowing the truth at all, it lacks depth.”
There were far too few things known about the founding of the Empire.
“You. Who the hell are you?”
“Who knows? That is why you are a puppet. Well, it is not bad.”
For such an idiot to be of the Kart royal bloodline. The words had all been said. After all, it was not Armen but the Kart royal family that had led the country to destruction.
A wicked smile hung on Belia’s lips.
“Even if you were not of Kart’s bloodline, I could use you as material for national unity at the appropriate time.”
Olivia Lapa Ashtar. I thought she was strange from the beginning. Recently, she had become a famous noble young lady in Atelina. Even after being dumped by the Crown Prince, she had changed as a person and risen resiliently. They called her a strong woman. Moreover, she was a holder of outstanding divine power.
When Seria first saw her, her impression had been just one thing.
‘Interesting.’
Her hair was not the golden color of Ashtar but white. If some mana-related anomaly had occurred in the body, physical changes could happen. Magical awakening, saintess awakening, or even becoming a demon race. There could be physical changes in such processes, but she had no memory of white hair. If anything, it would be mana fusion.
Mana fusion was not something anyone could do. It was only possible for geniuses among geniuses. Moreover, if attempted wrongly, the body would evaporate without even leaving bones.
There was almost no information left about mana fusion itself, and because naturally white-haired mages had existed in the past, it seemed the nobles of Atelina did not understand the meaning behind Olivia’s white hair.
“Yes. It wasn’t dyed. That.”
It had been fascinating. That said, Olivia had been a young lady who did not properly know about magic, and when she fell for the dead Lily’s temptation, she had not even learned magic. In other words, whether that hair was from mana fusion or whatever, it was strange that she suddenly used magic itself.
She had already investigated everything through background checks. So while the church left no choice, whenever time allowed, she had stayed by her side.
And finally, she had learned the truth.
Crack!
In the practice dungeon, she had reached out toward the skeleton knights and clenched her fist. The skeleton knights were crushed and shattered on the spot, dying instantly. That was clearly the magic of the missing Noah. Psychokinesis magic only remained in records. At least it could not be learned in the Empire, and even in the Magic Tower the records were fragmentary.
“They make you learn other magic, saying researching it in the Magic Tower is inefficient, yet anyone uses psychokinesis? No way.”
Moreover, the fact that she denied it so strongly was evidence that Olivia was Noah.
- Seria, do kids these days not even know psychokinesis? Saying such nonsense.
Anyway. There was no genius like that genius. It looked truly unlucky, but the person named Noah had learned magic in the Land of Destruction. The place he learned from was different, and since he had been in the hero party, they did not know the circumstances.
White hair, psychokinesis magic. Different magic standards from others. No matter how she looked at it, this was Sir Noah.
Suddenly a man becoming a woman. Even possession would be considered nonsense to ordinary people. But for mages, it was different. Especially in Sir Noah’s case, since there were various magics. It was a shame a man had become a woman, but it was not an unacceptable category. After all, for mages there were various ways to have children.
Having figured out the identity like that, Seria was happy. Because she alone in the world knew the truth of the vanished Noah!
Sir Noah himself was a person who did not pay much attention to others. So the numerous people who had received grace from the hero party were all searching for him in unison, but Sir Noah did not know that. And among those many people, only she knew Sir Noah’s whereabouts. This could not make her happier.
- Well, to be precise, I am now Olivia.
Sir Noah had said he was Olivia, but looking at the past with Olivia, ultimately the soul was Noah’s. To Seria, it did not matter if Noah changed his name to Olivia. Because she had followed only looking at the person named Noah.
Actually, at first she had thought about blackmailing with this. But if she did that, she could not be hated. Then, would it not be better to approach more amicably by being the only one who knew that secret?
Sir Noah did not know. That among the damn Seven Stars, there was a person who liked Sir Noah. Moreover, she had seen it before, but the Emperor had also been suspicious. The gaze looking at Sir Noah had been nothing but lewd. Did she get attracted to a young person because she had no husband?
“At that age, she should just stay cooped up in the imperial palace. Why of all people Sir Noah. No, Sir Olivia.”
There was a risk that the identity could be exposed like this. Since it had come to this, there was a need for her to assist Olivia from the side.
“Good. Then it is better if I protect her from beside her.”
Sir Olivia would definitely want to become a mage. Since she could not achieve her wish in her previous life, she would want to in this second life. Probably Sir Olivia would come find her asking for help. Then she could help at that time.