A Moment's Rest - 09
Titania felt a wave of dizziness wash over her.
"Eh, um... So, a princess from some kingdom has just shown up in Elvenheim with only a single servant, without saying a word?"
"Yes, Titania."
"......"
She remembered Lilith Cliphort as a frail woman. But while frailty of the body was one thing, frailty of the mind was another entirely. To Titania, Lilith seemed stronger in spirit than even the current king, Cromwell.
If only her body had been strong, perhaps she could have become the next ruler of the kingdom.
"Daring," Titania muttered. There was no other word for it.
An ordinary person could simply show up and follow proper procedures without issue. But a princess of a nation? That changed everything. Politics, alliances, endless complications—any one of those could unravel in an instant.
Her own injury still hadn't fully healed, and another wave of dizziness hit her. She couldn't afford to faint here.
"Send them in."
"Yes."
She had come alone, without any official reports. That made it far more likely she was here as Lilith, not as a princess.
Still, every lighthearted conversation they had shared before had slowly turned heavy and headache-inducing. She couldn't afford to be careless.
To be honest, one of the reasons she had pushed so hard to make Sylphy the next Oberon was exactly this.
She was exhausted. If she missed this chance, finding a suitable successor would become nearly impossible before her own death. And no one else wanted to shoulder the mantle of Titania's long legacy.
After a moment, Lilith and Sylphy entered.
"Hello, Titania."
It was hard to return the greeting properly. But she had no desire to start a fight, so Titania let out a small sigh and replied.
"Welcome. You've grown quite a bit since a few years ago."
"Humans grow fast."
"Indeed, Lilith Cliphort. Right now I am not addressing you as a princess, but as a human who has come to visit Elvenheim. And I intend to continue doing so. Do you understand?"
"Of course."
This way, she could prevent the conversation from spiraling into unnecessary complexity.
Of course, it would still be complicated, but she could at least create the possibility that it would not.
Politics was never about choosing between the best and the worst. It was always about choosing the lesser of two evils. And the rarest miracle was when that choice turned out to be the best.
"Very well. Shall we hear the purpose of your visit?"
"I came to find Olivia, Titania."
"Olivia?"
She had heard rumors that Lilith admired and looked up to Olivia, but she had never imagined such passion.
That meant, in the middle of this chaos, Lilith had guessed Olivia might be in Elvenheim and had come here at once?
It was a bold guess. Good intuition and decisive action.
The worst mistake in a critical moment was choosing poorly. But sometimes the worst thing was to do nothing at all.
"You discovered that the Hero Olivia Reinhardt is here. That's quite impressive."
"Thank you. It was simply that my intuition was right."
"Those who succeed through intuition in critical moments are called heroes in the world... So you met Olivia. Then what now?"
"......"
The heavy topic had finally surfaced. There was no avoiding it.
The situation was far from positive. The Demon King had been defeated, yet the threat to the Human Alliance still lingered.
The most dangerous belief was that since the Demon King was gone, humanity could finally enjoy peace for decades to come.
The Demon King's subjugation had been the signal that peace had begun after centuries of war.
"We must deal with Alex's problem."
"That's right."
"I heard Alex will be attending the Human Alliance Conference in Erchia."
"You didn't know?"
"Unfortunately, I've been away from politics for a long time. I only learn what isn't openly whispered about."
"......"
"But that doesn't mean I have no voice. Attending the conference in my own name is not impossible."
"...... Lady Lilith, would you be able to?"
"Even though I look like this, the public still respects me. The royal capital isn't hostile either. If I convince Father, he will agree. The conference is meant for friendly relations and peace among the Human Alliance. He won't mind sending me."
"Indeed."
No matter how much Olivia and Lois gathered information in Erchia, obtaining secret details about the conference would be nearly impossible.
Yet if Lilith attended as a human representative, she would effectively give Olivia and Lois one reliable source of information.
Information warfare mattered more than any other kind of battle. Even seemingly useless information was never a bad thing to possess.
If Lilith passed on what she learned about the conference to Olivia and Lois, it would be of great help.
"It might be dangerous."
"I know."
If Lilith went, Alex would not simply refuse to attend. She would participate.
"B-but if I think of Alex, he might suspect Lady Lilith is suddenly participating."
"Suspect?"
"That she knows the truth from Elvenheim and has come to attend. Would that Alex even step foot in the Human Alliance Conference, where he might be trapped?"
"You don't have to worry about that."
"Why not?"
"Alex has an extremely strong pride. I can guarantee it—he will attend. There is no way he would hide in the royal capital out of fear. I can promise you that much."
"Is that so?"
"There is poison in his ambition. It can be called obsession. Because of it, he has brought genuine benefits to the kingdom several times."
Lilith let out a small sigh.
"So I'm afraid. If Alex is allied with monsters and connected to the Death God Cult, there must be some deeper purpose."
Lilith toyed with a strand of her hair and continued.
"...... If he truly betrayed humanity, he wouldn't have joined the Hero party in the first place. Why did he volunteer?"
"That was to assassinate Lady Olivia... "
"No. If you listen to the story, it seems the plan to assassinate Hero Olivia Reinhardt began only after the Demon King was defeated. Thinking that way, she probably never intended to kill from the start."
It might have been one possibility among many, but she had likely planned to defeat the Demon King normally and return to the kingdom.
"Even if I say this, Alex's choice was for the sake of the kingdom."
Lilith frowned.
"At least he believes that."
"...... Indeed."
Titania smiled awkwardly.
"Calling him the most troublesome fellow in the world."
There were many people with twisted beliefs and many who walked the wrong path. Sometimes, however, a truly troublesome existence was born.
They walked while knowing they were evil, without carrying any guilt. Even if they felt guilt, they never hesitated.
There were people who believed they had won without caring about morality, conscience, or ethics. Since they had won in the end, it was not wrong.
The most troublesome part was that such people were sometimes praised as competent by those around them. After all, they had 'achieved' the result.
"So the means don't matter. The result is for the sake of the kingdom?"
"Yes. He might think he didn't betray humanity. Rather, he is doing it for humanity... To put it more precisely, he is simply dirtying his hands for the kingdom. That is what he believes."
"Truly splendid sacrificial spirit."
Titania laughed bitterly.
"Anyway, I plan to head to Erchia as is and attend the Human Alliance Conference."
"...... Lady Lilith is amazing."
"Eh? Huh? Suddenly why?"
"I, you might feel unpleasant, but I thought of you as Lady Olivia."
Lilith instantly understood it as praise, but immediately realized it was not.
"However, you seem to have thought a great deal more than I expected. Impressive."
What exactly was Olivia in Sylphy's heart?
Was she simply a beast?
Honestly, there was no denying that she had a beast-like presence.
"Hmm, well, she's still a princess of a country. She was properly educated."
"Th-that's right? I was too rude. I'm sorry."
Lilith froze for a moment at the smile on her face.
The face.
That face was fake.
Being male with that face was fake.
"......"
Titania looked back and forth between Lilith and Sylphy, then smiled faintly.
It was almost as if she thought, 'It's not bad, after all.'
"By the way, I also must attend as the Elf representative of the Human Alliance."
"Th-that...! Right now Titania must prioritize her physical recovery."
"That's right, but since Reyna is gone, there is no one else to go but me. ... Sylphy, do you think I'm worried?"
"Yes."
"Then, will you go with me and act as the representative instead?"
"Huh?"
Titania laughed.
"I'm not asking you to become Oberon. Just participate as the Elf representative. I'll be there too, so don't worry."
After all, Titania had planned to teach Sylphy as much as possible from her side even after passing the throne.
If passing the Oberon position immediately felt too heavy, starting with a smaller request would be fine.
And.
Titania looked at Lilith.
'The princess of the kingdom, a frail princess who has difficulty becoming king... Not bad, after all.'
Titania moved in her mind as if solving a difficult riddle, and finally smiled.
"Lilith, will you come with me too? If you're going to participate, it won't be bad to travel together."
"Eh... Yes, but is it okay?"
"No problem. What about Sylphy? If you help me, I might be able to live... "
"Th-but... "
She hesitated.
She did not immediately refuse.
"Cough! Y-yes, as I said, my physical condition is poor and I look older than my appearance. It would be nice if there was someone to take care of me."
"......"
Sylphy's expression twisted.
Finally, she let out a small sigh.
"Ah, I see... I'll go too. After all, I was planning to follow Lois and Olivia."
"Glad. The experience from the Human Alliance Conference will be quite helpful."
"Helpful for what?"
"Help for life."
"......"
Titania smiled kindly.
It was a kind smile that felt completely free of malice, and Sylphy could not say a word.
"Then, shall we begin? We'll discuss the details later. You must be tired. Sorry for the sudden visit."
"No problem. ... By the way, Lilith Cliphort."
"Yes?"
"Do you have a fiancé?"
"Yes? Uh, yes? ... Eh, um."
Lilith tilted her head.
"I'm frail in body, that's why."
In truth, there was simply no man she liked. But she could never say she had been waiting for a fateful romance from novels and had refused to marry anyone.
There was also Felix, so there was no need for Lilith to create a successor.
"Why?"
"Titania?"
Titania smiled faintly.
"No, I see... Rest comfortably. I'll make sure you have every convenience in this Elvenheim."
"...... Th-thank you. Titania."
Lilith was surprised.
She had thought Titania was cold and emotionless from the outside.
"Then, see you tomorrow."
"Yes, rest well."
"......"
Sylphy saw Titania give a slightly unpleasant smile as he left the room.
What did that mean?
Sylphy tilted his head and left Titania's room.